The Normals | ✓

F I V E

A R D E N

Dinner brings potatoes, peas, and chicken in a flavourful sauce with rice and a basket of hot rolls. I sit down to eat and don't notice I've been wolfing it down until Dad has to tap me on the arm and tell me I'm eating like the world is about to end.

"Sorry," I say, my mouth full, and then proceed to shove another forkful of rice into my mouth.

Lyra, my sister, swats me on the arm. "That's gross. Slow down." She gestures at the table, where me, her, and our parents are seated. "Be part of the family for a bit."

I set down my fork. "Fine. How was everyone's day?"

Mom starts rambling on about some misunderstanding at work today. She works in genetics and hospitals, making sure we never need to attend one in our entire life. She doesn't go into detail about the specific work she does since she knows it's complicated, but as she likes to remind us: without people like her, we would still be weak and sick versions of ourselves. The whole point of Mom's job is to develop even more effective ways of keeping the population healthy and stable so we don't almost die out again like in 2045. I like to think it's a very important job.

Lyra listens intently, but I'm too busy thinking about Arthemis. It's not every day that a girl from an island you've only ever heard about in stories turns up at the train station while you're working your shift. I finish the rest of my dinner, even helping myself to extras, but they still won't let me leave. The conversation has moved to Lyra and I, and how we're faring with our own lives.

"So, Lyra," Dad starts, placing his knife and fork neatly on top of his now empty plate, "how are you doing so far with your work?"

"It's been good," she replies. "I think I'm going to be good at it if I decide it's what I want to do. Turns out I like planning buildings and making them. It's definitely hard work but I'm getting there."

"How've you liked it compared to the other jobs you've tried this year?" Mom asks.

Lyra thinks for a bit. "I mean, I liked being a teacher, but I don't think I have the patience for it. The kids were all lovely, but going in day after day to teach things I've already learned and to just tell things I already know would get boring for me. That's why I like working as a builder. It never gets old."

Unlike Lyra, it didn't take me long to find the job I'm currently training for. From the age of twelve, we're given until we turn eighteen to try different jobs and see which one suits us best. Of course, they're not real, full-time jobs, but at eighteen, we're supposed to have found one that we like and spend two years learning everything there is to learn about it so that we can start our own lives once we turn twenty. I went through a couple of different options, but my Instructors always noticed I was a good leader and was smart about things like trade and shipments. Last year, I ended up doing my training in the international affairs and travel department, learning how to manage cargo shipments and contact with other communities. That's how I stumbled across Arthemis at the train station.

"And what about you, Arden?" Mom says, turning to me. I sigh and slump in my chair. I was hoping I would be ignored so that I could leave the table.

"I'm doing fine," I reply. "Last week I learned how to make a fair trade with communities in the other regions. Me and the other trainees had a meeting with the trainees from the Interior Plains and talked about the things we export to them versus the things they export to us."

"That's cool," Dad says. "And what did you find?"

"Well, we learned that Cordillera exports a lot of mineral deposits, especially copper. And the Interior Plains has a lot of lumber and coal that they export to us and the rest of the land. This week, we're going to learn about international trade and how it builds on trade with just the close regions."