Eve nodded at Dirk when she heard someone approaching their classroom. He glanced back at her, winked once, and smiled his funny sideways smile, his eyes teasing her to smile back. Lately, that smile made her heart jump into a place she knew hearts were not supposed to be located.
But, after having known him since they were twelve year olds, Eve knew Dirk was angry inside. They had spoken of it…Dirk and Eve. They were angry that food was so scarce, that The Committee had no answers, and that no one seemed to know how to fix anything. They wanted jobs fixing things. They had spoken of it. Eve wanted to make the electric lights work again, and Dirk wanted to fix everything. She smiled when she thought of that. Dirk was a wonderful fixer; ever since they’d been paired, nothing was broken at her house.
She noted Dirk slouch down further in his chair, with his big, muscular hands on his desk, fingers linked and thick eyebrows pinched together, making him look like he was about to explode at someone. In truth, Eve knew he never did; of the two, he was the most thoughtful and reasonable. It was Eve who lost her temper or did impetuous things. She had been called out by the principal several times for asking too many restricted questions…like where did replacements come from? Why couldn’t someone fix the lights? What was the name of their original home? And what was outside the dome, out in the deadly void? These were all forbidden questions, but because she was young they let her off. Eve knew her mother worried that her daughter would get in trouble for asking those forbidden questions once she got older.
Eve continued watching as Dirk closed his eyes from time to time, his lips moving, and long, dark eyelashes fluttering. She knew he was making his wish to the void gods, or whatever was out there beyond the dome. She could see him repeating his wish-prayer over and over; he wished he would be selected as an Electrical Fixer or Engine Builder. He’d discussed this often with her, saying he wanted to find out how things worked, and make them last longer. She glanced over to Lily, who also had her eyes squeezed shut, probably wishing silently to be a Greenhouse Worker.
Eve didn’t have an exact job wish. She had really wanted to work in the Boardroom Building. But of course, she knew no one ever entered that forbidden place, so she would not get that wish. But she thought if she could be an Electrical Worker or even a Supply Clerk, it would be close enough, because then she would get to go into the storerooms in the bee-low. She thought there might be some undiscovered access into the Boardroom Building through a tunnel…maybe beneath one of the storerooms…like she’d seen in her dreams. But she didn’t tell her mother of her dreams because her mother already thought Eve was far too adventurous for her own good. Dirk, on the other hand, believed in dreams more than Eve did.
Eve knew her mother had sent a request form to The Committee that her daughter be assigned the job of Clothing and Cloth Repair Person, because that would keep her out of trouble. But Eve had managed to find that request form before her mother submitted it, and had used her last clean erasure to carefully remove and change the words, Clothing and Cloth Repair to Clothing and Cloth Store Room Keeper.
Eve thought of her mother as she sat silently in her chair awaiting the arrival of their school principal. She looked around the circle at her friends, silently saying goodbye to their familiar faces…to her teacher, Miss Hope, and to her classroom and school. She was now entering the adult city worker community. She knew she would see these people again from time to time, because their town was small, with only around six hundred people, and with just a few of the tall, leftover and abandoned buildings remaining under the dome out in the decay zone. But no one lived in the tall places anymore, and Eve often wondered why their founders had created such high structures to live or work in.
Her teacher, Miss Hope, had once told her the tall buildings most likely would have been dangerous to young children, and very difficult to heat, but that their all-knowing founders must have had something in mind. Now, they all lived in their two-story, identical concrete block homes near to the brightly lit Boardroom Building. The bottom levels were for family commerce, and the tops were where the citizens lived.
Eve was deep in thought, when she finally looked up, her eyes wide, as the principal entered the room, out of breath, and holding two ancient cloth sacks. He shook hands with their teacher, Miss Hope, and set the two bags down with a loud thump on the teacher’s worn metal desk next to the stacks of recycled paper, and to the left of the three Common Books of Education…for Mathematics, Sciences, and Languages.
As the principal sat down, the six candles that provided their only light flickered slightly in their holders, causing everyone to hold their breath from habit. If the candles all went out, someone would have to stumble their way out into the hallway, bring in the central hallway candle, and relight these. It was an onerous task, one that made the unfortunate person come back with stubbed toes, or scratched fingers from bumping into the rough unpainted cinder-block walls of their classroom and hallway.
“Well, it took The Committee a bit longer this time. I am sorry about the delay. It appears we have two new job assignment categories this year,” Principal Stack finally said to Miss Hope, speaking wearily, as if he would rather be napping. Eve noted how tired he looked.
“Welcome, Principal Stack. I know my students are all anxiously awaiting their job assignments,” Miss Hope replied, forcing her thin lips into a tight smile. To Eve, she looked pale, and she had a persistent cough. It was not a good sign, Eve thought. The older people were more prone to catching those coughing and fever illnesses. The school had already lost two teachers this year from the fever cycle that came each winter. Eve had also lost her father four years ago to the winter fever.
Eve remembered a rumor about something called epigenetic frailty…a growing tendency to be less resistant to things. She knew Dirk thought they were all gene programmed to die after so many years…like worn out mechanicals…but unable to be fixed. Except Eve and Dirk never got sick. They both knew that, but never spoke of it; it might jinx their health. She knew Dirk felt that way.
Eve watched from her seat, as Principal Stack removed his thin, bony, and pale hand from Miss Hope’s rather stubby one, turned to the circle of students, and greeted them exactly as he had the previous thirty graduating classes he had ushered into the work world. He reached over to the desk to grab the first bag, seeming to huff at the effort. This year Eve thought he appeared even thinner and paler; his skin stretched across his sharp nose and angular chin, eyes showing only tiny openings of brown color. She thought it must be true; that he, too, had the wasting illness common to so many older adults. They all appeared to show this once they turned sixty. Dirk told Eve it was the genes and the food…that they had an older people version of the food so the population could be controlled. He was less trusting than Eve about such things; she knew that. Eve sat up straight and listened intently to her principal’s deep, grave voice.
“Congratulations to our graduating students, and welcome to the working community of our city. Today you will be assigned your jobs as part of your contribution to the good of your community,” Principal Stack began. Eve knew the speech was always the same, long, repetitive, and filled with supposedly uplifting city slogans. He stopped, scanned the circle of students to be sure he had their attention, and nodded slowly, forcing a smile that caused his balding head to appear to stretch backwards. Then he went on,
“Today it is Pairing Announcement and Employment Assignments Day. Your illustrious committee has been working all night to ensure you are all appropriately matched with your ideal job. As you know, you have been given your pairing assignments when you turned twelve years of age. But today, as always, some adjustments may have to be made, if someone has filed a complaint. And I know you are all excited to learn of your employment assignments…correct? Well, this year we have two brand new job categories.” Again his eyes scanned the students’ faces. This time, Eve thought it was to gauge their level of excitement.
“What will your employment assignment
be? I know you all want to know,” he continued, chuckling, though no one else smiled. Eve thought his laugh sounded practiced. She glanced at Dirk and rolled her eyes. He almost laughed aloud, but feigned a small cough instead. She could see some of her friends were worried. Having just been told of a possible pairing adjustment, something not usually done unless a complaint was found to be valid, and now of the two new job categories, Eve’s circle of friends no longer knew what to silently pray for. She ran a hand over her cheek, allowing her to sneak a look at Rene; someone she knew had filed a complaint against her selected partner for his violence towards her. Eve hoped this was the partner change her principal referred to.
Principal Stack glanced around the circle again, removing, and then shaking out his faded blue official principal’s jacket to dust off some ancient green paint chips that had fallen from the classroom ceiling. Eve’s face turned pale, Dirk did not look up, and Lily had commenced to twirling several strands of her frizzy bright red hair around her index finger while she jiggled her legs up and down. They all just wanted to get it over with. Eve wrapped her frayed goat-wool shawl around her shoulders, as if it could protect her from any bad news, and pressed her cold hands between her knees.
“Please just read the list and get this over with,” she prayed silently. She knew Dirk and Lily were thinking the same thing. She could not even imagine what Rene was thinking.
Principal Stack droned on, “Please remember two things; first, your job assignment may not be permanent if you are found to be unsuitable. The committee cannot take everything into consideration. Second, your announced pairings are permanent unless your match dies, or, dome forbid, commits a crime punishable by the ride.”
Everyone winced when Principal Stack announced the last part. Eve knew it was better to just die, because the ride meant you were put into a metal steam cart, and the cart would shove you through the old mining tunnel going through the mines, and then outside the protection of their dome and into the void. You would still die, but it would take much longer, maybe several days, while you froze to death or your heart slowly stopped from the too low air level, or the intense cold outside the protective dome covering their city. And if it was the hot season, you’d burn to death in seconds.
Principal Stack went on; Eve could see he was oblivious to their concerns. “First of all, I have already looked at the list in the Pairing Assignments bag. You may all be at ease. The Committee has made only a single last minute partnering change this year. That individual, Rene Amberley, will be informed of her new partner separately in my office,” he announced. Everyone in the room sighed, especially Rene. But her now former partner looked furious. He would go without a partner because he’d been found guilty of domestic violence. In a domed city as small as their town, this was a serious offense.
“This year, I will not read the partnering assignments….to save time,” Principal Stack finished. Eve knew it was really because he was exhausted. “Therefore, I will now announce the official job assignments,” he went on, again appearing to be oblivious to the students’ reactions. “Please remember that every job is critical to the life and safety of our beautiful city. Never think your job is too lowly. Every job duty is a job worthy of our great city,” Principal Stack continued pontificating in his humdrum tone.
Eve thought he intended to give her class a long farewell speech before he read the job assignment list. But she was thankfully wrong that day; he appeared too fatigued to manage a formal speech. The principal picked up the larger bag marked employment, opened the hemp rope drawstring, coughed into his ragged, blue handkerchief several times, and looked in at the pieces of cloth with the names of each student written with pitch ink.
“Now let us begin the employment assignments. Who wants to draw from the bag first?” No one moved for several seconds, because they, like Eve, were probably still wondering what the two new jobs were. Finally, Eve raised her hand and asked, “Principal Stack, Sir, can you first tell us what the two new jobs are?”
The room went funeral. It was unthinkable to interrupt during a drawing. Principal Stack and Miss Hope eventually erupted in coughing fits while each student remained rigid. Dirk just looked on, proudly smiling at Eve. She knew he thought she was the cheekiest person he had ever met.
“Well, yes, I suppose that is a legitimate question, Miss…?”
“Eve Overhearder, Principal Stack…her name is Eve Overhearder,” her teacher answered, still coughing, and now appearing nervous at her student’s impudence. It could reflect badly on her yearly evaluation if one of her students caused trouble.
“The two new categories are Lower Level Supply Assessor and Steam Machine Worker. The new job assignments will be explained to the individuals chosen…by The Committee, of course. Now let us begin…again,” he stressed. And this time no one dare interrupt him.
“Who wishes to select first? After the first drawing, we will go around the circle. Reach into the bag and take one cloth. Please announce the name and job assignment in a loud voice so everyone can hear.” After noticing no one had volunteered, Principal Stack pointed a bony index finger at Eve’s nose and proclaimed, “Miss Overhearder, since you had the question, you may draw a cloth first.”
Eve replied, yes, Sir, and stood up, her shawl dropping to the floor over the tops of her worn, brown school shoes. Lily bent over and picked it up, placing it back on her chair. Eve walked to Principal Stack’s extended arm, reached into the bag like it contained a spider, and took out a single rectangular strip of grey cloth. Cloth could be washed and reused so had replaced the wasteful use of real paper over fifty years ago.
“Roy Angles, job of Food Worker,” she read, probably too loud because everyone jumped in their chairs; except Dirk, who still sat staring at the floor whispering his job wish to the unlikely void gods.
Roy looked up hopefully at Miss Hope, like she could change the draw. His last choice would have been Food Worker. Even Eve knew that. It was hot in the kitchens, and the work started way before anyone else got up. Eve knew he would never get to sleep in. Roy heaved his thin shoulders, sighed, and dropped his blond head down into his lap while everyone else sighed in sympathy.
Tomas Freeworker was next in the circle, sitting directly to the other side of Eve. Principal Stack stood up, groaned, and walked to Tomas’s chair, holding the open bag for him to select. Tomas took out a circular bleached cotton piece of cloth. It almost fell apart when he touched it; it was so frayed. He read the name then looked over at Lily, indicating her name was on the cloth. She stared back at him, her frizzy red hair, usually wild, today was even crazier; it was sticking out all over like she had poked her finger in one of the high electric sockets near the main lights at the Boardroom Building. She stared at the bag, then at Tomas, her brown eyes occupying over half her face.
“Lily Frostline, job of Greenhouse Worker.” Tomas read aloud, quickly, and then he sat down, beaming and happy. Lily immediately looked like she was bursting in smiles, to the relief of the rest of the class, and especially of Tomas. Tomas was her designated partner, and Eve knew he liked when Lily was happy. His job was announced three draws after. He would be a messenger/runner…one of the young workers who ran from person to person to deliver messages. It was only a three year job, so he would go through an adult draw at that time.
Lily was next to draw from the bag. She watched as Principal Stack stepped over in front of her seat and held out the bag with one hand. He jiggled it slightly when she hesitated, like it would make her take her turn faster. Lily selected a cloth and read the name aloud.
“Eve Overhearder, new category job of Steam Machine Worker,” Lily read, hesitating on the last words, probably because no one had ever used them to describe a city job. She wrinkled her nose, brushed a piece of red frizz from her face, and glanced at Eve, appearing unsure if she should smile or extend condolences.
Eve, on her part, jumped in her seat, catching her breath, and then she knocked a book onto the floor and slid off her cha
ir. Everyone was all over the place at once. But Principal Stack reached out first; he placed one of his skinny hands under her arm to help her stand, and then Dirk righted her chair because it had fallen over. Eve sat back down embarrassed she had fallen on the floor. Dirk smiled and whispered something about how she was lucky she would get to fix the steam machines. But Eve was too numb to respond. To her, the words Steam Machine Worker sounded daunting…maybe even scary.
Dirk’s name was called several turns after…new category job of Lower Level Supply Assessor. He made a sour face, scrunched his eyebrows together, and snorted, passing his hand across his pale forehead. Eve knew he assumed his job assignment would be similar to working in regular supply, where you just took a list from the head of supply and brought things up from the regular storerooms. She thought he would probably start out as a carrier, bringing things up from the underground bunkers in the bee-low.
Everything could be found down there in vast rooms…food in metal cans, cloth, soap, a few bits of new paper, and pencils. And someplace locked away, was the rumor of a few remaining light bulbs. But Eve knew that it was all a lie…that supplies of really important things were no longer there. She looked openly at Dirk; if she could have, she would have expressed sympathy, but she’d already disrupted the draw once.
“Bunch of moldy bread!” Dirk mumbled to himself, obviously not happy with his career assignment. Eve and the students heard him, but luckily, Principal Stack did not notice, or maybe he was just ignoring the unhappy students that day. The rest of the job announcements progressed without any more falling on the floor episodes. And except for those few exceptions, most seemed happy with their new jobs. Once all the job assignments had been announced, Principal Stack stood, took the two bags, and said,
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