Joan the Made (Throwbacks Series, Book 1)

Chapter 27

It's a hazy dream world that surrounds me after Justus leaves and Harriet and I return to the dorm. The ever-changing patterns in Justus's eyes play on repeat in my head. My fingers tingle from brushing his face, which was a little rough from the hint of stubble.

My earlier exuberance vanishes when I go in my room and see Sparkle's empty bed. Is the headmaster pimping her out already? Is that where she's been every night? My only comfort is that I haven't seen any signs that she's on Amp, which she would have to be in order to have sex with Evolved men.

After pacing the room for a while, I remember that I haven't tried to open Jo's tablet in two days. Guilty, I try three words, and they all fail Jo's password test of the most powerful word in the world. I'm starting to doubt that I'll ever open the damn thing, and whatever Jo wanted me to know will go unread.

The door opens softly, and a weary Sparkle stops short when she finds me awake.

"Where have you been? You have to tell me," I plead. "Were you with the headmaster?"

Sparkle stares at me while she lets down her long hair from its tight bun. "It hasn't come to that yet. I got a job waitressing to help my family with the bills."

It's illegal for Throwbacks to work before graduating from their official training programs, though it happens all the time.

"You have to keep your big mouth shut about it," Sparkle insists. "I could get kicked out of this program if the headmaster finds out, and he's looking for an excuse to punish me."

My relief that Sparkle is exhausted from waitressing instead of entertaining Evolved creeps is so profound that I laugh.

Sparkle frowns. "Everyone's right about you. You're a snob. Waitressing is honest work."

"I'm not laughing at you. I was scared the headmaster was forcing you . . ."

Sparkle cocks her head to the side. "Spit it out."

"Forcing you to be a prostitute to creepy Evolved guys with a Marilyn Monroe fetish," I finish in a rush.

"It isn't that simple," Sparkle says, collapsing on her bed. "He doesn't drag girls by their hair to a sex dungeon full of horny men. But he makes life difficult for you if you don't do as he asks."

"Difficult how?"

"He doesn't let you audition for the best agents or allow you to participate in the performances next year to show off your talent for studios and scouts. Or he threatens to change your exam grades. He even altered the allowance given to me by the school for living expenses so I can't buy things like shampoo and deodorant."

"That's sick."

Sparkle shrugs, far more tired than enraged. "He's trying to make an extra buck off Throwbacks, same as everyone else."

"But that's wrong! Evil! He should be in jail!"

"That's reality, Joan," Sparkle says, closing her eyes as she massages her temples. "It's never going to change. And the longer you fight it, the more scarred your back will get."

I want to keep yelling, but Sparkle is worn out, curled up on her bed in pajamas that are so old that they've turned gray and semitransparent from many washings. I clamp my mouth shut and turn off the lights.

Sparkle is lightly snoring in minutes, but I'm awake for a long time. She's wrong. Things are going to change. Soon.

~ ~ ~

The next morning I'm up before Sparkle, for once. As I pass by her tablet, I pause. Quietly, I log into my bank account and withdraw some of the money that my parents scrounged up for my living expenses. It's a relief to tap Sparkle's tablet with my own to anonymously transfer the funds into her account. It's not much, but it's enough to buy a lot of shampoo and deodorant.