Spun

Chapter 7

I lurch upward, clutching my throat and gasping for air. Cydney sits on the edge of my bed.

"Bad dream?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. A good breakfast will make you feel better."

She holds out a plate of green glop, and a circle of toasted bread slathered with dark jam. My nose wrinkles at the scent of urine that wafts up from the plate. She hands it to me, and I try to hide my disgust.

"Thanks... What is it?"

"Scrambled century eggs with swiss cheese, and brioche toast with boysenberry jam."

"What are century eggs?"

"Eggs that have been cured for 100 years. They smell like urine because of ammonia."

I stare at the plate. "Oh." I grab the bread and bite. The jam is sweet and tart. "I'll stick with the toast."

Cyd smiles. Sadness shines in her eyes."My brother loved boysenberry jam."

"The one that died?"

Cydney nods. "I have one more brother left and three sisters."

"What was his name?"

"Garrett." Cyd says. "He was so smart. Our family could've never afforded to send him to a university, but he passed the Assessments like me. He was actually was a student here when he died. Garrett loved helping people. He wanted to be a therapist."

"What happened to him?"

"He tried to sneak out of his bedroom window and he fell."

"That's awful."

Cyd picks up the plate and starts to eat the eggs. "What about your family?"

Great now it's my turn.

"I have two brothers and a sister." I say. "My dad left a long time ago. And my mom died giving birth to my younger brother, so we live with my Mom's sister."

"F.A.T.E. can be strange." Cyd says. "But it's good to know it happens for a reason. That makes it a little easier."

"I guess so."

Cydney scoops up the last spoonful of eggs. "We should get ready. You have orientation tours at 10:00."

"Ok." I stuff the last piece of toast into my mouth. Then, I walk to the Wardrobe and try to decide what to wear.

🕷

Cyd and I spend the day touring ICA with the orientation group. It's a sprawling campus with gray stone buildings that radiate from the administrative building, connected by granite sidewalks and paths. Like most architectural designs in Inner City, the campus is laid out to mimic a spiderweb.

A large stone archway stands at the entrance of the courtyard that envelops the campus. Excellence Is Your Destiny is written in gothic letters in the gray marble. The guide explained that it's the motto of the school. I have to admit, it is reassuring.

At the end of the day, we eat dinner in the school cafeteria. I get quail on quinoa, even though I have no idea what that is. It's the only food I saw that sort of looks familiar. It resembles a baby chicken on rice. The meat tastes foreign, but I'm starving so I like it. For dessert, I share with Cydney a pack of sour candies I found in my knapsack.

"I forgot how good these are!" She says.

"Don't they have them here?"

"No." Cydney frowns. "They're not fancy enough."