The Culling: Book 1 (The Culling Series)

by Tricia Wentworth

  “I mean your family is still healing from the loss of your mom. I’m sure you’ll get back to being a happy family eventually. Especially, after all this.” I stop to gesture then move close enough to him to put my hand on his bicep that looks way too good in his suit jacket. This man just looks good in a suit! “And even if you don’t, I know you well enough to know you’ll have that with your future family. You will make a great husband and dad someday.”

  I blush and look at my feet knowing that a huge part of me wants me to be his future family someday. But even if it isn’t me at the end of the day, I still know that he will be a great dad. The thought of a little Henry running around makes me feel gooey.

  Rather than responding to what I said, he grabs me around the back and pulls me into him, wrapping both arms around me as I feel both of his hands on my back through my thin blouse. I look up at him as he does and before I can even form a thought about what is about to happen, I feel his lips on mine. He kisses me soundly. First aggressively, and it’s passionate, but not quite violently so like when Lyncoln kissed me. Then, it slows and softens. He gives me one last soft kiss then pulls away.

  My head is spinning and my pulse is out of this world. I am fairly certain that is how your first kiss should be. It was passionate enough, but in a tender way, just like Henry. I find myself wanting to repeat the experience.

  “I need you in my life, Reagan.” He sighs and I feel his minty warm breath on my face.

  Just then Jamie calls from the hallway, “Ms. Scott, we need to leave for DIA now.” His tone is all professional, but in getting to know my guards as they’ve been with me every day for the last month, I can hear a bit of humor he is holding back and I know he smiled while he said it. I’m sure he’s imagining me getting into all sorts of trouble with Henry.

  I jump at Jamie’s voice and instantly want to separate myself from Henry. I blush, but Henry keeps holding me right where I am and smiles at my blush, brushing his hand over one of my cheeks.

  “Let me get out of here so you can go. Have fun, beautiful. Tell me all about it later.” He leans in and takes my face in one hand while the other is still on my back, and kisses me once more, this time just soft and perfect, but like the start of a kissing session, not the end.

  He breaks away and takes a few steps towards the door. I stay where I am, breathless and wanting more, wanting him to finish the kiss he started. Then I realize that is exactly why he did it.

  He smiles and I squint at him. “Hey. Get back here,” I demand playfully.

  “I’ll talk to you later, beautiful.” He grins as he leaves.

  I manage to let out a weak and aggravated, “Bye, Henry.”

  I quickly run to the bathroom and check the mirror. My face is on fire. My hair still seems to be in one place. My lips look a little funny. Will mom know I’ve just been smooching someone? And Henry of all people!

  Henry kissed me? Did that really just happen?

  I don’t even have time to process that kiss, or kisses I guess, before we are down the hallway and on the elevator.

  ****

  A door to a conference room opens and I step into the room, my arm in Jamie’s. I know I’m supposed to be proper and greet them using my newly worked on etiquette, but when I see Ashton stand and whistle at me, I immediately launch myself at him. I hear Jamie laughing as he turns to his post outside the door.

  “Oh. My. Gosh.” My mom starts squealing, “Look at you.” But then she freezes where she stands and looks concerned. “What happened to your eye?”

  I thought Frank did so good of a job that she might not notice, but then again, nothing gets past her. Good thing I practiced a story to tell, just in case.

  “We were running a training exercise and I got bumped, elbow to the face.” I shrug like it’s no big deal. No need to worry them. I can tell them the whole story later when we have longer to talk. It’s still kind of the truth, just a very, very watered down version of the truth.

  “Oh,” she says, continuing to look me over.

  “Must have been some exercise.” Ashton gives me that look that tells me he doesn’t buy it, but fortunately doesn’t push the issue.

  “Oh my word, your hair is getting so long.” Mom squeezes my hand. “And your hands are so soft. And look at this outfit.” She looks over my navy pencil skirt and cream blouse nodding in approval.

  “Quit critiquing her,” my dad says, moving her aside as he gives me a strong hug.

  “But she looks so…so like she was meant to be here,” Mom says, trying not to cry.

  “Moooooom,” Ashton groans, “You said you wouldn’t cry. It has been less than a minute.”

  “I know, I know! I’m sorry.” She shakes her head and gathers herself.

  Ashton rubs his hands together excitedly, “So what are we eating today, sis?”

  As if right on cue, a waiter brings in a tray with salads. “Hello, Scotts. Would you like to be seated and I can place your salads for you?”

  We all sit to the back of the room. Dad and Ashton sit on one side of the huge table, and then mom and I on the other. It’s identical to how we sit at home. The waiter drops off the salads and drinks and leaves us to talk.

  “Oh my, these are impressive. The salad and dressing look so fresh too!” Mom says in complimenting both the salad and the fancy plates it all sits on. Dad is more impressed with his glass of fresh lemonade.

  They fill me in on harvest in Omaha and how the crops are yielding. I’m pleased to find out the wheat field using my irrigation technique had the highest yields. It seems insignificant compared to other things the girls have created or are working on, but it’s still my pride and joy. I can’t wait to find out the yields from our winter vegetable crop in the greenhouse. They should be better than they ever have been before. With any luck from the weather, Omaha might actually have a surplus of crops for the first time in years.

  In thinking about life in Omaha, I remember to ask about Benjamin’s mom. Mom tells me it’s only a matter of time. They caught her cancer too late and it had spread too far. I feel bad for Benjamin. I’m sure it’s hard for him to be here when she is dying. Even harder leaving her with his dad. I make a mental note to cut him some slack in the future.

  Trying to move to a lighter topic, Ashton slaps the table. “So. Boys. Spill it.”

  I immediately blush. If only they knew Henry, Henry out of all the boys here, was just kissing me before coming here, they would freak out.

  “What about them?” I ask, trying to get my blushing under control. Life would be much easier if I could control it so it wasn’t a dead giveaway.

  “What about them? Please. You get to date twenty-five of the best men in the country and all you can manage is, ‘what about them’?” Ashton rolls his eyes. “Give me a break.”

  I hesitate. It’s one thing to talk about my love life with my brother, it’s another thing with my mom and dad both sitting in the room. Especially when there is more than one boy involved. Awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it.

  “Well?” Mom gives me “the look”.

  Still feeling like a child when she does that, I don’t hesitate to give in to her. “Well, there are actually only nineteen boys now. When I met them at the Candidatorial Ball there were twenty-two and we are down three since then. And more cuts are supposed to be happening at any moment. We have another ball on Friday though.” I am quiet a moment thinking about that.

  What if I don’t make it to Friday? What if I go home and never experience kissing Henry again? That would be a crying shame. A shame indeed.

  “And how many of these boys have you taken a fancy to?” my dad chuckles. Ashton rolls his eyes at Dad’s usual embarrassing choice of words.

  “Two, I guess,” I respond shortly. I don’t want to get into this with my family right now. Or ever, for that matter.

  “Where are they from? What do they do? Names. Seriously, you’re going to have to tell us sooner or later so it might as well be sooner.” Ashton gri
ns his signature grin knowing that he and I both know he’s right.

  “They are both from Denver. Lyncoln Reed and Henry Maxwell,” I say then take a bite of a cucumber from my salad, trying to avoid their gazes. I know I’m blushing. I would be even more embarrassed if they knew that I have kissed each of them and liked it tremendously.

  “Well, I’ll be,” Dad says with a chuckle again.

  Mom says, “Henry?”

  At the same exact time Ashton says, “Lyncoln?”

  “What?”

  “Henry? I mean the heir? I know that means he’s not necessarily a shoo-in, but for real, he’s got a decent shot. You always did aim high.” Mom shakes her head and snorts a chuckle at me.

  “Well someone always told me to settle for nothing less than the best.” I roll my eyes then look to Ashton. “How do you know Lyncoln?” I knew they would freak out about Henry, but I didn’t know they had ever heard of Lyncoln.

  “Military training. He’s a legend. Good Lord, Reagan, you can pick them.” He shakes his head. “Lyncoln AND Henry?” He keeps shaking his head and I don’t know what to do, so I just sit there awkwardly waiting for someone else to say something.

  “So how does it work? Do you pick which one you want? Or does the country vote? And how do you court, I mean date, in the middle of all that?” Dad asks and I hear the genuine concern for his daughter in his voice.

  “A little of both actually. Once we get down in numbers, candidates normally pair up with who they want to end up with before the voting so that the citizens vote for an already solid couple,” I try to explain even though I hardly understand it myself. “And we can date and hang out leading up to that. Once we hit the final eight couples though, you are pretty well stuck with your partner.”

  “So you have a big decision to make,” Mom says, reading between the lines.

  “I suppose so.” I sigh as the entrée plates are brought in.

  “Sounds like you don’t really want to choose,” Ashton says in an oddly serious moment of his.

  I decide to be completely honest with them. “Not really. I didn’t expect to get attention from any boys, let alone two. I care about both of them and they are both really great people. I never even had a single boyfriend before coming here so this all seems overwhelming. What am I supposed to do? And this could very well be a decision for life. There’s no turning back.”

  “Just listen to your heart, double check with your brain, and then go with your gut.” Mom reaches over and squeezes my hand.

  “If it were only that simple, Mom.”

  Pasta dishes are then brought in and Ashton gets completely distracted by the food. We talk more about the upcoming ball, how much longer the Culling should take, and their plane ride here. I wish they could stay longer. A few hours doesn’t feel like nearly enough time with them.

  I remind myself that the farther we go, the better influence my family has. My family already has more influence in Omaha as it is. Dad and Ashton have been promoted to help manage the farms in our subdivision and mom is now an assistant principal at the school. And even if I go home tomorrow, they got to make a trip to Denver for this moment right here and now. I’ve already given them something that they wouldn’t have ever been able to do before. And for that, I feel proud of myself.

  But, I can’t help but think too, what if we actually moved to Denver?

  Then again, what if I went home while Henry wins with a different Madam President?

  ****

  An hour later, I say my goodbyes to my family. It’s painful to say goodbye, but it’s a pain I’m glad to have knowing I got to see them, even if only for a short time. In thinking of my schedule for the rest of the day, I’m dismayed to remember that my first social this evening is with Sapphire before dinner. I get to go from something that has been a favorite part of this whole experience, to that.

  Ugh.

  Back at Mile High, I get to her room right on time. Surprisingly, although I wouldn’t say we are exactly cordial, we manage to get through it, sharing about each other’s family. I’m beginning to wonder if Marisol just brings out the worst in people. Sapphire seems fine enough when she isn’t around. I wouldn’t say we are going to become besties now, but we were nice enough.

  Down at dinner, people ask about my family. I gladly tell them as I feel refreshed having been able to see them. My family reminds me of why I am here. They remind me of the good in the world. They remind me that family is important. Hearing the others talk about their families also makes me feel good. This prize wasn’t just for me.

  I am again sitting in-between Lyncoln and Henry. Henry scoots entirely closer than necessary but I don’t mind. I also wouldn’t mind finishing that kiss he started, but now really isn’t the time.

  “My brother Ashton said he would be dreaming of the strawberry cheesecake for weeks,” I finish telling Vanessa and she laughs. I’m the last of us to share about our families, and maybe the most excited except for Oliver, who matches my level of sheer joy.

  Just then October sits down, clanging her tray in interruption as she does. She goes between Marisol’s group and our group often. And often she is the last one to the cafeteria for meals.

  “Well, look who it is!” Maverick teases her.

  “Yeah, yeah.” October rolls her eyes and sits down. “Did you hear that Katie, Dylan, and William are out?”

  “William? A Vegas boy. Darn,” Maverick says and nods at Attie who is also from Vegas. I understand what they mean. I would gladly like to have Agnes beside me and although I don’t completely trust Benjamin, I don’t necessarily want him to go home next either. The longer we make it, the better it makes our home township look.

  I silently feel bad for thinking that I won’t miss Katie too much since she was relentless in her pursuit of Henry.

  “That’s too bad,” Elizabeth says sadly.

  We all seem to remember that a bunch of cuts are supposed to be happening. I look to Henry and he gives me that “don’t worry” look.

  “I heard that our numbers will be well under 25 total by Friday,” October offers and I know that’s why she’s here. She wanted to give us a heads up. Marisol must know things or know someone deep in the Culling. How much power does her source have? She should have gone home weeks ago.

  I chat some more with the group. I look at Vanessa across from me and Attie down from me on the other side of Lyncoln. I really hope both of those women make it to Friday. I don’t know what I would do without either of them.

  “Well, I have a social with this fine young woman here.” Trent grins as he walks over, interrupting the group conversation but not caring, as he reaches a hand out to me. “Shall we?”

  “We shall.” I smile and turn to take his hand to stand up, feeling glad that he is my other social for this evening. I got through the one with Sapphire in my good mood and now I’m looking forward to the one with Trent since he is so darn funny. Plus, he just got to see his family too, so we can swap stories.

  We are about to make our exit when Lyncoln speaks up, stopping us with his words and using his fork for emphasis as he says, “Touch her, and I will kill you.”

  He also says it right in front of everyone, just staring Trent down and making it completely awkward.

  “Sir, yes, sir!” Trent responds loudly and salutes, causing our table to erupt in giggles. Henry laughs hard and slaps Lyncoln on the back while even Lyncoln has a hard time not laughing. He gives me one quick half-smile as Trent and I leave.

  ****

  “Girl, I never even had a chance with you,” Trent jokes affectionately as we sit around my coffee table, with the door open of course.

  “I wasn’t aware you wanted one,” I joke back.

  He gets more serious, “Well I did. Not to worry, I found a replacement. You have more than enough testosterone in your life.”

  Did he seriously want to date me? Is that what he just said? I have to remind myself that they were shown highlights of us. So I may have been on his
list of people of interest. That’s all.

  “Who’s that?” I ask, thinking back to what I’ve seen in the cafeteria and ignoring his comment about testosterone.

  “Morgan.” He grins as he says her name. I wonder if I have that same dumb look on my face when someone mentions Henry.

  “Nice choice.” I nod my approval. “She has brains and looks.”

  “I know. Double trouble if you ask me,” Trent says and we both laugh.

  “How well do you know Knox?” I ask somewhat out of the blue, knowing they are both from Galveston.

  “Pretty well. We aren’t very similar, but we’ve worked on a bunch of projects together. He’s the brains and I’m the mouth,” he says with a shrug.

  I smile. “Doesn’t surprise me. But he’s a good guy, right? I hear there might be something going on between Attie and him and wanted to make sure she’s in good hands,” I say protectively. She may not have gotten Henry, but she still deserves the best. And as far as I’m concerned, she should be the next madam president. So she needs to have a reliable partner.

  “Ummm. Let’s just say she couldn’t have picked someone more intelligent.” He gestures. “But, he’s also a good guy too. Kind of quiet. Well, everyone is quiet compared to me anyway.”

  “And he likes her?”

  “Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him give a girl the time of day before Attie.” He smiles suggestively and I laugh. “So now that you have that out of your system, tell me about your family. How was today?”

  I tell him and then I ask him about his family. Trent has two brothers and is the youngest of the three of them. He says the only way he could avoid getting beat up by them was to make them laugh, so he became a jokester at a young age. Only his mom and dad came today since everyone else is older and has families of their own, but he was more than happy getting some time with just his parents.

  I ask him basic questions about Galveston and he knowledgeably answers. He tells me about wind turbines, the electricity output they provide, and how they are trying to make them more efficient and cost effective. When he’s done, I’m left feeling quite impressed not only with what he is telling me, but also in how intelligent he is. He downplays it, but he is very smart too.