Evalene's Number

by Bethany Atazadeh

  Opening Ruby’s closet, Evalene stared into it, blinking, wondering where to start. It was the size of her entire room in the attic. Sorting through the tops, skirts, and dresses, the different accessories, and the shoes, she tried to pick quickly.

  Ruby wore sky blue as her main color, just like her father, although Evalene couldn’t understand how the woman had been Numbered Six when she didn’t seem to have a brain at all.

  Donning a top and a skirt, Evalene then pulled her own dress back on over them. The neckline of the brown dress was severely high compared to Ruby’s and the hemline much longer, so she wasn’t concerned about anything showing.

  She placed some accessories – leggings, boots, and a jacket – into the bag she’d brought. Leaning out one of the windows, Evalene searched the entire yard for any sign of movement, before carefully dropping the bag straight down.

  It dropped perfectly into the hole she had dug between the bushes last night. She hoped it was deep enough. Since it was below ground, no one should notice it. She would pick it up tonight after meeting Kevra. Tomorrow she would repeat the process once more with an outfit for Kevra.

  In a flurry of activity, Evalene raced around the room, putting everything back in its place, tidying up in half the time.

  When she got a chance to stop at her room later, she would remove the sky-blue layers underneath that felt like layers of white hot lies burning her skin. They would go in the hollow space under her loose floorboard, next to her most valuable possession, the blue scarf from Lola. The day after her Numbering she’d found it in her pocket, but instead of turning it in, she’d kept it, hidden. Now, after all these years, Lola’s gift would finally be worn.

  10

  Escape

  WHEN THE DAY ARRIVED, Evalene still didn’t feel ready. Holding her hand mirror in front of her, she tried on Ruby’s huge dark sunglasses. Thankfully, the borrowed frames covered her bruises completely. The black and blue around her eyes had faded to a sickly yellowish green, but they would still give her away if anyone noticed.

  The timing tonight had to be impeccable.

  At dinner, she crushed the extra sleeping pill into Ruby’s nightly glass of wine. As soon as she saw Ruby take a sip, Evalene advanced her complaints of stomach pain to actual retching. Daeva couldn’t stand the sound and ordered Evalene to bed, which she was counting on.

  While everyone else watched the nightly news, Evalene snuck into her father’s study and stole a pair of scissors. In the safety of her attic bedroom, she propped the hand mirror up against the bed and wall the best she could. Pulling the tie from her hair, allowing it to fall unhindered almost to her waist, she tried to picture Ruby’s fashionable shoulder-length hairstyle, and cut.

  Locks of hair fell to the floor like wounded soldiers until she was finally done. Her hair just brushed her shoulders, longer in the front, and shorter in the back. It wasn’t as chic as Ruby’s, but the guards at the gate were men. Hopefully they wouldn’t spot the difference.

  Last night, Kevra had gripped her arm so tightly it hurt. “We can do this, Evie, I swear. Promise me you won’t hesitate?”

  Evalene had bit her lip, and nodded. The moment had felt more solemn than a Numbering Ceremony. “I promise.”

  Now, pulling up the loose floorboard in her room with the hollow space beneath, Evalene took out her bag full of Ruby’s stylish, high-Numbered clothing and the scarf from Lola. She swept the long, chopped off pieces of her hair into the empty hole in the floor before closing it back up.

  While her own brown dresses were as formless as potato sacks, this light blue outfit had been carefully tailored exactly to Ruby’s form. Since Ruby was smaller than Evalene, the top was tiny, but thankfully the fabric had quite a bit of stretch to it. It was the most natural blue, the color of a bright, cloudless sky, with pretty lace accents.

  Next she pulled on leggings. Again, the fit was off, since she was taller than Ruby. The boots came up just past her ankles to meet them. It would do. Finally, a short blue skirt with a dozen layers of a stiff, uncomfortable fabric, almost like the old-world ballerinas, sewn together, creating a stiff bubble around her.

  Picking up a short leather jacket, she added it to her ensemble. The boots, leggings, and jacket were all black, but this was acceptable for a high Number. They often got away with wearing splashes of other colors, even some of the other classes did so occasionally. As long as the colors were beneath a person’s station and not above, the Regulators didn’t seem to care.

  Finally, Evalene added the sapphire scarf from Lola. It was lightweight, decorative, for the exact purpose of covering a Number. Evalene tied it carefully. Her outfit was complete.

  She wished she had a full-length mirror to see the results. Despite Kevra’s confidence, Evalene knew the disguise wouldn’t hold up in front of anyone who knew Ruby well.

  A knock sounded at the door. Evalene’s whole body flashed ice cold before she started sweating. For a second, she couldn’t move, couldn’t even breathe. She choked trying speak, cleared her throat and tried again. “Just a minute!” she said trying not to sound frantic, panicked eyes darting around the room.

  There wasn’t a lock on the door. If the person outside wanted to come in, she couldn’t stop them. Her feet came unstuck from the floor and she hurled herself into the unmade bed, pulling the covers over her boots and the sky-blue dress, lifting it all the way up to her neck.

  Her hair! She gasped, not knowing what to do... Without any other options, she pulled the blankets completely over her head in desperation. God, why? She cried out in her mind, tears forming uninvited, You’ve always been out to get me! She railed at Him, angry now. What did I ever do to you to deserve this?!

  Then she flinched, certain if God did exist, He definitely wasn’t going to help her now. She couldn’t make them wait any longer. “Who is it?” she called out, voice muffled by the blankets.

  The door creaked open, and Evalene worried her thunderous heartbeat might give her away, it felt so loud in her ears. The blankets were suffocating, but she only tightened her grip where she clasped them over her head.

  “It’s me.” It was Violet’s voice, but Evalene felt no relief. The girl would expect Evalene to lower the blanket. They may not be close friends, but neither were they enemies.

  Please... Evalene prayed desperately. I know I don’t deserve it... but please, save me... She groaned out loud. Remembering she was supposed to be sick, she turned the groans into gagging as if about to throw up. If Violet didn’t leave soon, it could very well be true.

  “Evalene, are you okay? I –” Violet cut off as a yell sounded from downstairs.

  “Violet! Kitchen, now!” Daeva’s growl could make anyone flinch, even when someone else’s name was being called. Evalene held her breath.

  “I’ll tell Daeva you’re still not feeling well,” Violet said. “Don’t worry about work tomorrow.”

  “Thanks Violet,” Evalene mumbled through the layers of blankets.

  The door clicked closed on top of her words. Violet hadn’t even waited for her response. Daeva had that effect.

  Cautiously, Evalene pulled down the covers enough to peek out. The door was closed. The timing had been incredible. The stress of near discovery was compiling in her muscles, giving her a headache. Every inch of her body was tight with worry.

  Evalene forced herself to climb out of bed, stiff with fear. She molded the pillows and blankets into the shape of a person, a decoy that might buy them a bit more time.

  Then she sat on the edge of the bed, counting the seconds, waiting until the house was still and quiet, and even longer after that. She scanned the room once more, before pulling the door shut behind her.

  She had to hurry.

  Slipping down the stairs in the dark, Evalene headed for the master bedrooms. This part of the plan scared her out of her mind. But it had to wait until the last minute, until now. Because if Ruby realized her ID was gone days before they planned to leave she would have sounded the al
arm. And her Identity Card was vital to their plans.

  Slowly twisting the doorknob, Evalene softly opened the door to Ruby’s bedroom. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the dark. The small lump in the middle of the bed showed Ruby was alone, and Evalene breathed a sigh of relief that her father slept in his own room tonight. She’d refused to drug him earlier, but once dinner was past and it was too late, she’d regretted it.

  Quietly sneaking in, she left the door cracked, hoping to find the ID quickly. Ruby didn’t stir as Evalene dug through the dark piles on the floor. The pills were working. Searching through three different purses scattered across the room, Evalene found nothing but bits of lipstick and small coins. She pocketed the copper, wincing when they clinked in her pocket, but Ruby slept through it.

  Finally, underneath a pile of clothes on the dressing table, Evalene felt a tiny wallet. Bringing it to the window, she opened the curtain slightly and held it up to the light of the moon. There was the Identity Card, along with some larger coins. She started to empty the wallet, then thought of a better idea. It would take Ruby longer to notice the ID was missing if she thought she’d misplaced her entire wallet. She put it in her jacket pocket.

  Glancing at the door leading to her father’s bedroom, Evalene touched the necklace she still wore – had worn every day since he’d given it to her. She considered leaving it behind for him, as a sort of goodbye. But after a moment, she tucked it back in instead. Better for her to keep a memory of the nice thing he’d done than leave him with a memory of the daughter he’d rather forget.

  The next few minutes were a blur as Evalene stole out of the bedroom and crept down the stairs in terror, taking the back hallways, utilizing the less traveled areas in the house. There was no reason for anyone to be awake, yet every second ticking by felt like an hour, and by the time she reached the back door she was shaking from head to toe in a full-on panic attack.

  Not pausing to think or even let out a sigh of relief, she whipped the door open and crossed the threshold, pulling it tightly shut behind her. Relax, she told herself. Be Ruby.

  Strutting towards the garage, she hit a crack in the sidewalk and nearly toppled over right there. Wobbling, she caught herself. She tried to walk more carefully. How anyone could walk normally in heels was beyond her. She was more grateful than ever they’d chosen to escape during the night. If anyone had seen that during the day, her cover would’ve been blown.

  Tottering to the garage’s side door, Evalene opened it like she owned it, channeling Ruby’s swagger.

  But it wasn’t necessary.

  No one was inside.

  It took forever to find the keys for the car they’d chosen. One by one, she pressed the buttons for each set, watching for flashing lights, listening for the sound of doors clicking unlocked.

  They’d picked one of the older cars, rarely used by her father. The interior was fabric instead of leather, and it didn’t have as many gadgets across the dash as the others, although the convertible top still came down and it had a high-tech GPS system they hoped to use if one of them could figure out the technology.

  Shutting the door quietly, Evalene took a moment to study the car, running through the steps Kevra had taught her once more. It was time to test them out.

  Nervously placing the keys in the ignition, she paused. She patted the sun visor on her side and then on the passenger side, searching for the garage door opener. Opening the glove box, she found it resting inside. The door roared to life and began rising in front of her with the press of a button. Evalene put her hand on the key in the ignition once more, and started the car.

  Testing the gas pedal, she tried to roll smoothly out of the garage just like Kevra had described. The car began moving too fast, making her nervous, and she pushed hard on the brake. She quickly learned, after her chest slammed into the seatbelt, that it only needed a light touch.

  She stepped on the gas again, and the car jerked out of the garage and onto the long driveway. Gripping the wheel tightly, Evalene’s knuckles were white as the car slowly ambled down the dirt drive. It stretched a quarter mile long, weaving back and forth around the rocky terrain. As she took the first curve, the house disappeared from the rear-view mirror. Evalene let out a shallow breath. That was one hurdle. Now the guard station.

  As she rounded the last bend, and the little hut appeared at the end of the driveway. Evalene pressed the brakes lightly, gliding to a stop in front of it so slowly the guard leaned out in impatience.

  Rolling down the car’s tinted window, Evalene adopted Ruby’s careless attitude again, holding the open wallet with the Identity Card out the window in their general direction, while staring straight ahead.

  As soon as the guard saw her in Ruby’s clothes, he waved her on, pressing the button to open the big metal gate, not even glancing at the ID. The gate swung open inch by inch while Evalene rolled the window back up, tossing the little wallet into the passenger seat next to her. Putting all her energy into a smooth take off, she carefully increased pressure on the pedal, just like Kevra had described. She turned left out of the gate, taking off towards the intersection.

  A person stood at the far end of the road, a shadowy, shapeless silhouette in the moonlight, stepping out into the street in front of the vehicle. It forced Evalene to stop, which she did, abruptly, slamming on the brakes as her heart stopped with it.

  11

  Roadtrip

  THE DARK FIGURE APPROACHED the car. As it drew closer, Evalene let out a huge sigh of relief. It was Kevra. They’d agreed she would sneak past the guard station and wait on the road, but Evalene had been thrown off by her friend’s hair, which was much darker than her original shade of red. In the moonlight, it was hard to tell, but it almost looked brown? And she’d cut it as short as Evalene’s!

  They didn’t say a word to each other, per their previous agreement, as Kevra climbed into the passenger side and carefully shut the door. But Evalene frowned at her, confused.

  Pulling away from the intersection, Evalene drove on. In just a few minutes, they reached the on-ramp to the main highway, and both girls breathed a huge sigh of relief. Kevra laughed loudly, startling Evalene, who giggled a second later. Pretty soon both were laughing so hard they had tears running down their faces.

  Evalene relaxed her hold on the wheel, glancing over at Kevra. “What in the Number One’s name did you do to your hair?” She flipped on the overhead light in the car to be sure. The gorgeous shades of red were all gone. From the back, the girls could easily be mistaken as twins now, although Kevra’s hair had a hint of red peeking through.

  “I needed to look like the Identity Card,” Kevra said, shrugging. “I might need to use it too. Plus, now if they put out an alert for us, they’ll be watching for a brunette and a redhead, right? This will throw them off our trail.”

  It made sense. But Evalene frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Kevra laughed. “I didn’t think of it until last minute, or I would have told you. I promise!” She mimed crossing her heart and smiled at Evalene. “Seriously. I had the time, and it’s so much better this way. Now either of us can be Ruby if we need to!”

  It still felt odd to Evalene. Kevra usually talked everything through with her. But the stress had messed with Evalene’s mind too. It could make anyone forgetful. “It’s actually brilliant,” she said, giving in, and Kevra grinned back, proud of herself. Kevra wore the other outfit stolen from Ruby’s closet, a navy-blue dress with a white-speckled pattern like stars in a night sky, growing gradually lighter as it reached the top, as if dawn was coming. It would’ve been Evalene’s first choice, if the dress hadn’t been too small for her. But Kevra, being more petite like Ruby, fit into it perfectly. A thicker scarf, also blue, wrapped around Kevra’s neck over her tattoo.

  Kevra’s green eyes flashed in excitement, “Wow. This feels amazing, right?” She grinned widely as she put her feet up on the dash, relaxed now. “I honestly didn’t know if this would work.”

/>   Evalene stared at her friend, forgetting for a moment to watch the road. “What? I hope you’re kidding. I only agreed to your plan because you were so sure!”

  Kevra shrugged, a simple gesture that didn’t match the pain in her voice. “I couldn’t stay another second. It was now or never.” Evalene was gathering the courage to ask her what exactly had happened with her boss when Kevra laughed loudly, throwing her head back, lightening the mood again. “We’re free! We made it!”

  Evalene couldn’t help smiling. “It’s not over yet.” She shook her head at Kevra – the weightless sensation of her short hair swishing over her shoulders felt strange. “We still have to get to the coast and onto a ship.”

  But she felt a tiny spark of hope for the first time since her Numbering.

  Since Evalene was already driving, she took the first shift. They would take turns driving through the night and all day tomorrow, hopefully reaching the coast by nightfall. Kevra was far too excited to sleep, chattering excitedly about the FreeLands and how the first thing she would do when she got there was get her tattoo removed or eat a steak like high Numbers did. Maybe both at the same time. Evalene laughed. She couldn’t picture anything past the next day and a half.

  The night sky was filled with stars and they stared out at the little bit of road visible in the headlights. The road curved around the desert terrain, winding through valleys. Kevra played with the high-tech GPS system. Thanks to her position in the television factory, she had a better grasp of technology than most low Numbers in Eden. After fifteen minutes of Kevra cursing at the machine, a robotic voice squawked on and began chirping directions.

  A few hours later, Evalene’s leg ached from holding down the gas pedal. “You drive so slow,” Kevra complained for the third time. “Let’s switch. It’s my turn.”