Chapter Eight: Caryn
We stop in front of the elevator doors and Anderson presses the call button, his tie is knotted tightly around his neck. My arms are still sore from swimming and my thoughts are spinning faster than I can think them. After the mayor leaves, Foreman sends me out of the room to have a private conversation with Anderson that was loud enough for me to hear in the hall. I want to feel apologetic, but I’m not.
This morning I had no interest in going anywhere, but it is a relief to think of something else aside from the gathering and Heather would be so excited for me. She’d demand to come and tell me all the places I should go. New plans begin forming in my mind as I remember her talking about the Space Museum and all the shops and buildings in Old Highton that were kept in the original conditions as the first and second colonists built them. Her excitement was always easy to catch.
I miss her more and more lately, especially this past week with the Tournament approaching. My time today may have been impressive, but if Heather had competed she would have gone an hour. I could never come close when we trained together. She worked hard non-stop: always exercising, always holding her breath, always in the water. I was eight, four years younger than she was, and I was still learning some of the intermediate techniques. She would swim over and show me how to cup my hands or kick my feet. Since we were both under the training of former Second Official Whit, we spent all day together. May and Janissa would join us for part of the day, but they were only seven and weren’t training full-time. When Second Official Whit was there it was all work, but if he was ever called away we would relax some.
Heather was the only one who would ever say no to Second Official Whit, although she would only say no for me and Second Official Whit would punish her for it. If she had said no for herself she might not have died; or if I had learned to say no for her.... She never complained. Only once, as I was leaving after a late practice, did I see her talking about our work schedule to a new custodian. She knew Second Official Whit pushed us too hard. Laps and weights, running and breathing, we were working from five in the morning to twelve at night and in a 32 hour day it was a lot, even the scientists and staff did not have shifts that long. His methods were designed to make us into the best candidates the Compound would ever have. And nothing, least of all one of the candidates, would stand in his way. I had to be resuscitated on two separate occasions, and I remember Heather being resuscitated four different times. All because he would tie weights to our feet and hold us under the water to force us to hold our breath longer. I loved the water when I was young, but that changed after training under Second Official Whit.
His name still makes me feel cold. I can never call him only Whit in my mind, not like I do with Anderson, or even Foreman. He would often pretend to joke with us when the other officials were around. There was this way he would tilt his head when he looked down at me and wink with his left eye as if there was a secret we kept together, but there was a sliver of cold in the right eye that stared, squinting, back and never made me feel light-hearted or safe. I would be on my best behavior then, because if I wasn’t Second Official Whit would find a way to punish me when I was not expecting it. A mid-night training exercise, a day without food, or hours being held under the water, I could never tell what he would use as punishment.
But all that changed when Anderson and Foreman discovered what he was doing.
The elevator doors open and we step on. Anderson presses the button for the visitor’s floor and when we arrive he takes off down the hall at such a brisk pace that I have to jog a few steps to keep up with him. True to her word, Highton’s mayor is waiting for us by her dark gray speeder with the driver already seated in the front.
“You are going to love Highton,” the mayor says. She beckons us to enter the speeder before her.
Anderson and I find a seat and the mayor collects herself slowly into the seat closest to the door. I can count on one hand the number of times I have ridden in a speeder and they still make me a bit nervous. The first time was for the internal trial of Second Official Whit in the Compound Embassy in Highton. The door closes and as the driver shoots us out of the parking bay and up through the Compound’s force field into the sky my stomach lurches with it and I remember why flying makes me nervous. I cling to my arm rests and brace my feet against the floor to keep from shaking out of my seat.
“We have been preparing for this for quite some time,” the mayor says.
“I’m sure you have,” says Anderson, through gritted teeth. I can’t tell if this is because he is being sarcastic or because he hates flying like me and we are already starting to descend. I can see the city skyline all around me and I find myself staring at the buildings, some nearly a mile high. I can’t help comparing their shiny grandeur with the Compound’s plain but functional buildings, all less than 15 floors. We hover for a moment and I can see a woman walking near the window of a building 100 feet away. I raise my hand to wave, but we are plummeting down before I have the chance. There is a loud hiss and a final lurch when we land.
The door opens on its own and as the mayor shuffles out she says, “We want your visit with us to be as comfortable as possible and so we have arranged some companions to show you the city and accompany you around. There will also be some files to sign officially accepting the gold card so we can have everything prepared and you can start your visit bright and early tomorrow.”
“How many companions?” I ask, but she doesn’t hear me. Anderson shrugs his shoulders and waits for me to get out first. I hurry to catch up and cast one last glance over my shoulder before the door slides shut. It’s hard to believe I will be able to stare up at the buildings for as long as I want tomorrow.
The large glass doors into the building remind me of the Highton Embassy and as we walk inside the mayor’s shoes click on the marble floor like the ticking of a clock. She nods to the attendants waiting near another set of large doors which also opens unaided for us to enter. The scent of lemons mixes with the air and all the shiny surfaces, glass windows and tables and chrome chairs and molding, make me blink so I cannot see the others waiting clearly.
The first person I notice is a woman in her thirties, but the reason I notice her first is because she is wearing bright pink from head to toe, including a matching fur draped from her neck. Her clothes sparkle as she moves under the lights and her heels make a distinct clapping sound on the marble when she taps her toes.
Then I notice the man next to her. His clothes are decent and clean, not flashy. He is younger, in his early to mid-twenties, but it is his eyes that catch me off guard. Even though I can see he is looking at me there is something more behind his gaze, like he already knows me, but I have never met him before.
“Caryn Tobin, we would like you to meet Honey Mill and Daniel Hawke, your companions. Ms. Mill and Mr. Hawke, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the White Lilac,” the mayor says.
Honey’s blue eyes widen as she sees me and her tone trails up when she says, “Aren’t you cute.” She reaches out to take my hand and strokes it like a pet.
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Daniel says. He flashes a tight smile and winks at me as though we share a private joke. I have to blink, yet when I stare up at his eyes there is a cold glint that reminds me so much of Second Official Whit my legs start to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I murmur. I can’t make myself move closer to him and since Honey is still petting my hand, Daniel doesn’t hold his out for me to shake.
“Oh, we are going to have so much fun!” Honey says with a squeal. “We are going to shop ‘til we’re drowning in merchandise and then I’m going to dye your hair a lovely shade of pink, or blue, if you like. I moonlight at one of the best hair salons on Grande Street. We’ll do nails, make-up, a full body wax, and then exfoliate every single pore. You will feel so pampered when I’m done and you’ll have to have your own speeder just to take back all your new stuff.”
I pull my hand back not sure i
f I understood half of what she said. “But what am I going to do with a bunch of new things?”
Honey’s face turns into a frown and she crosses her arms, the shiny pink fabric wrinkles loudly. “You are just like everyone else at the Compound. I hope you know that.”
“What?” I ask completely confused both by her change in demeanor and her words. I know she means it as an insult, but I don’t know why. Everyone on Beta Earth loves the Compound, after all we are the reason they are still alive. Besides, the cure is free to all citizens no matter their station, so everyone is cared for.
The mayor gives a short laugh, “What Ms. Mill means is that you are still new to our way of doing things and you may find you like shopping and beautifying yourself.”
Daniel laughs and Honey glances at both before breaking out into a high-pitch laugh herself. But the lighter mood does little to brighten my own and the sinking feeling I have is firmly rooted in my stomach.
A slightly older man with dark brown skin who had been sitting in a chair behind them stands and moves closer to us. Unlike the others his face is solemn and his eyes look tired but kind.
“This,” the mayor says, “is Doctor Francis Hubbard another fine citizen we believe will be interesting for you to spend time with.”
He nods at me and for a moment I can relax, I am perfectly at ease around him, probably because I am used to spending time with doctors and scientists.
“What is your specialty?” I ask, taking a step away from the others to see him better.
“I am a generalist. I do initial primary care for all ages and families.” His voice is quiet as if he hasn’t used it in awhile.
“I’m into science too,” Daniel says stepping closer to me. “The science of technology. I can show you how to navigate the u-web and how to find all sorts of information. There’s some clips you have to see.”
“I--um, Anderson,” I say, as my body starts to shake again. “Can we talk?”
Before he has a chance to say anything I grab his arm and pull him out into the hall.
“I can’t go with them,” I say. My hands are shaking and my stomach feels sick.
“You should tell the mayor. Perhaps we can arrange for you to stay by yourself,” Anderson says, but his expression is thoughtful.
“The doctor seems nice,” I say. “But I don’t want to spend my last few days with the other two.” I surprise myself with how passionate I sound. Anderson raises an eyebrow and we stand in silence for a moment. The mayor appears in the doorway.
“Is something wrong?”
I look sideways at Anderson and then down at the floor before I say, “Yes, are--are these companions mandatory?”
“They have gone through a quite extensive selections process. We would not have you wandering around with people who cannot take care of you, even if they don’t work for me.”
“But you said I could choose different companions?” I can feel the mayor’s eyes on me. My knees have almost stopped shaking now that we are out in the open hall and away from the two companions. I stand up straight and force my eyes to meet hers.
“I suppose we could allow you to choose from our other finalists, but I would like you to keep Dr. Hubbard.” The mayor says.
I quickly agree.
“I’ll send my assistant to show you where to go and he will arrange your trip back to the Compound too. I have some other business to attend to, but I will see you during your visit.” The mayor snaps her fingers and one of the men standing in the hall rushes to her side. “Ralph, Ms. Tobin would like to pick her own companions. I want you to give her whatever she wants and make sure she meets someone she will enjoy spending time with. There should still be people from the selection process waiting if you hurry. And no mistakes this time.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ralph bows his head and rushes away.
Anderson and I wait alone in the hall as the minutes tick by. Anyone would be better than Daniel and Honey, but when we are finally summoned into a giant room filled with people I begin to wonder how I would tell. At first glance, many of the people there seem to be dressed the same. Similar bright colors, flashy fabrics and decorative jewelry create their own wall in a line that leads out the door.
I see them staring at me and the sea of looks makes me feel like I am underwater. I am drowning again, only this time there is air around me. I shouldn’t have said anything.
“Do you see anyone you would like as a companion? Because if you can’t there might be something legally we can do about this situation.” Anderson nudges me with his elbow and I am about to ask him how I could get out of it when I see a guy weaving through the crowd. He looks roughly my age or at least much younger than the average age of the rest of the crowd. His clothes are dirty and he doesn’t look at me as he moves through the mass of people. No one notices him, but he sees them and is perfectly fine without the attention.
I realize this is part of what bothers me about Honey and the rest of the crowd. They are doing everything they can to be noticed, but they end up doing the same things. This guy didn’t want anyone to notice him, yet he simply did not care. He belonged, but he stands out, much like I and the other candidates do. I found myself wanting to know why and wanting to know him. He was the kind of person I would like to spend my trip with.
“Do you see the dark-haired guy?” I ask.
Ralph leans closer. “Which one? That one with the purple hat?”
“No, the one standing three to the right of that one, with the gray clothes. I want to talk to him.”