Casted

Chapter 4

It was a long ride from Class 4 to wherever the "Prep Center" was.  A long, bumpy  ride. We left all Class territories behind and drove out through the pathless wasteland until the sun was sinking below the horizon. I was suddenly grateful for the society I lived in- the world outside the Divide was all brown grasslands and stone city ruins. There were no people, just packs of stray, rabid dogs fighting over rotting food. It was disgusting.

Malachi kept interrupting my thoughts with comments, reminiscing about "the old days" when we spent all of our time together. I listened to some of it- the story about the time we got chased by wasps by the creek was actually pretty funny- but most of the time I just nodded absentmindedly or interjected with an uninterested "Mhmm." By the time the light started to fade he'd launched into a speech about how much he'd missed me these past two years.

"I swear it's like my brain's been counting the seconds since that day. I'm so sorry, Harper," he said, searching my eyes.

I tore my gaze away from his. "Sorry doesn't fix everything."

"Then what can I do?"

I sighed and rested my forehead against my palm. "Just give me some time to think," I answered.

"I know what I did was wrong," he countered, voice gentle and persuasive. "I know I shouldn't have hit you-"

"But you still did it every time."

He didn't say anything after that.

Soon the Prep Center came into view, a stark white icecap among the endless field of dead grass. There were two wings on either side that met in the middle at a giant circular room. The roof was a tall glass dome, rising into the gray dusk. The whole thing was surrounded by a metal fence that wasn't nearly as tall or threatening as the Divide.

I craned my neck to see above the seats in front of me as we approached, but couldn't seem to get a good view through the windshield. I sat back. It didn't matter. We'd be there soon enough.

* * * * * *

"You'll each have your own separate rooms, and you'll find the showers down hall number 7." A tall, older man stood in front of the group, talking in an important voice and gesturing with his hands so much it distracted me. He kept touching his salt and pepper beard, sweeping with his arms, and then shaking his fingers in various directions. It was like a computer on loop of motions.

We were standing just inside the Prep Center doors at the start of a carpeted path that led in a huge circle around the main room. All the walls were white and the carpets navy, soft white-yellow lamps lighting the air. I couldn't see over the edge of the circle path, but I could only assume that the room stretched downward into the "training area" that the man had mentioned. He'd taken our papers as soon as we'd arrived.

I stood close by Malachi, not because I wanted to, but because the Class 4 competitors kept glaring at me and whispering to each other. I got a better look at the other man from 4 now that we all were in good sight of each other- he was lean but muscular, with the kind of handsome features you didn't see very often in the lower Classes. His nose was strong and straight, and his eyes were a striking pale green.

I had to suppress a snicker while I watched him. He was quietly chatting up the dark haired girl from his Class, and by the looks of his charming smile and her ridiculous grin, his flirtatiousness was winning her over. I noticed with a curious twinge that the other guy- "the boy from across the fence" as I keep calling him- seemed annoyed by their subtle antics, even rolling his eyes at one point. This only added to the comic relief of the scene and honestly made me feel more comfortable with these strangers. They were people, just like us. Not really the savage killers I'd been imagining, but who knows? The Task can change people.