Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
You could get lost in that ceiling if you look too long. It’s mesmerizingly beautiful.
At the top of the shallow stairs, right in the center of the stage, is a colossal, twenty-foot-wide glass globe with a hollow center and this is where Gemna, Haryet, and I presently stand, hidden by the dazzling gold light that shines outward, blinding the people in the ballroom.
Attendants are bustling all around us as we stand still and allow them do their jobs. Everything about the Maiden ceremonies is scripted, right down to the last detail. And we’re used to this by now. So I am barely noticing the lighting people, and the makeup people, and the directors because I’ve been looking for Finn—dying to see him in whatever fancy suit the coordinators have planned—because the end of my Extraction Maiden tenure is the beginning of his.
In a way.
Because Finn’s apprenticeship as Extraction Master begins tonight, he will be at his father’s side through the whole thing, learning all the little details that make these galas so exciting and fun.
But I haven’t seen him yet. And that’s strange, isn’t it? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Aldo, either. I lean in to Haryet’s shoulder. “Have you seen Finn?”
“No. But I haven’t been looking.”
“I haven’t seen him either. Have you, Gemna?”
“Nope. But I have seen both Mitchell and Jeyk, so he’s gotta be around here somewhere.”
Mitchell and Jeyk are Finn’s best friends, so this assumption of Gemna’s makes sense.
I look again. Granted, I don’t have a great view of the main stage—it’s much wider than the twenty-foot hole I can presently see through. Plus there are balconies and staircases on either side of the main stage and Finn could be in any of these out-of-sight locations. But I’m anxious to see him so I stare out of the hole, wishing for him to appear. It’s only been a few hours since I left his quarters, but all the moments we spend apart feel like an eternity now that the end is so near.
I’m so ready to be done with the Maidens. So ready to just fall into a new life with him.
“Hey.”
I jump in surprise, my hand over my heart, when Finn’s voice is suddenly in my ear.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
He’s come up behind me, but I don’t turn to look at him because attendants are already barking at me to keep still, and not to ruin my hair, and all kinds of other things. “Where have you been? I was looking for you.”
He lets out a long breath, but no explanation is forthcoming. So despite the instructions of the attendants, I turn to look at Finn anyway. He’s pale. And when I place my hand on his cheek, he’s cold, too. “Are you sick?”
“No. But…” He hesitates. “But there was… an accident. I’ll be presiding tonight.”
“What kind of accident? Your father? Is he OK?”
“He’s in the health center right now. They’re calling the god—”
“What?” My mouth drops open in shock. Healing costs Tau City a lot of spark. It’s used very sparingly these days. Of course, Tau City—for the most part—is filled to the brim with super-fit citizens, so health services have never been much of a drain on our spark rations. But still, even for the Extraction Master, they don’t call the god for help with healing unless it’s something really serious.
Finn exhales, interrupting the sense of hopelessness that begins creeping up my spine. “He’s fine, Clara. He’s… gonna be fine. I just need to take over tonight and… it’s… fine.”
When things are fine, people don’t feel the need to insist that things are fine.
I open my mouth, ready to pepper him with a barrage of questions, but then people are yelling at us both. At me to turn around, and at Finn to take his place. Music starts and it’s not like we have a choice. I can just barely make out the Little Sisters entering the ballroom outside the globe. And then Finn is gone and I can’t do anything but stare ahead and watch the show like everyone else.
I want to think about what Finn just said—especially the part about calling the god in the tower for help—but there’s no time because suddenly, the whole place comes alive.
While I can’t see the balconies or much of the stairwells, the scripted nature of the Extraction ceremonies means they are mostly predictable. Plus, it’s the job of a Little Sister to memorize every movement. And even though it’s been a long time since I was a Little Sister, I can see the patterns in my mind’s eye.
With seventy-five girls in this first lineup of Chosen Little Sisters, the entrance is a very complicated affair and the choreography uses all eight of the balcony staircases to get everyone in quickly. Movement is coordinated like a dance, but no one is dancing. Just calmly trying to make sure they keep count of where they are and where they’re supposed to be after the weaving serpentine entrance pattern is complete.