2
I once heard that if I run toward my fears as fast as I can, my fear will transform into courage—and courage will lead me to freedom. But as I sit down and wait with my bike behind the thick hedge in front of Master Douglas’s property, my whole body is quivering. Where is the courage now?
I have a heightened awareness about everything—from the soft rushing sound of the leaves to the squirrel in the tree chewing on a chestnut, to the damp spot on the back of my legs. The pit in my gut is growing wider by the second, festering like an untreated ulcer. Is this a ridiculously bad idea? After all, it isn’t called Savage Run for nothing. I shouldn’t even be considering signing up. As a female Laborer, I’m the lowest-ranking citizen in our nation. If I’m discovered, I’ll immediately be taken to Skull Hill.
No. I can’t second-guess myself now.
Hearing the whirring sound of an aircraft above, I look up. It roars loudly as it makes its final descent into Culmination. Red, yellow, and white stripes—the official colors of the Savage Run—decorate the tail. My father says billions of Newkos have been spent on the Savage Run program and it disgusts him. Although I’m sure that if he had a son who could honor him by becoming a Master Citizen, he’d think differently.
Suddenly, I hear the gates creak open, and my arms clasp my chest, just above my racing heart. Master Douglas jogs past me in a green jumpsuit and continues down the road. I undo my ponytail and pull back my black, wiry hair, looping the elastic band around so tightly that the edges of my already slightly slanted eyes are pulled back. I wait until he disappears around the bend, and when I’m sure he’s gone, I push my bike out onto the road. After I grab the concealed knife from the basket—just in case I need it—I slide it up my sleeve and head straight for the gates.
A transporter zooms by me, and I pretend that I’m just doing my job as usual, delivering medicine. I notice the transporter is one of the newer models, shiny blue and oval-shaped with three wheels. Not only can it drive up to three hundred miles per hour, but it can also fly you anywhere in the world with just the press of a button. I stop at the entrance feigning to pant, as if I just climbed up the long hill, and nod toward the heavily armed Unifer. Recognizing me, he punches in the code and the tall steel gates open. Clutching my arm against my abdomen to keep the knife in place, I walk the bike across the courtyard and rest it against a fountain. I pick up the prescription bag from the basket and step up to the stained-glass-inlaid silver door. I ring the golden doorbell. A few moments later, the door swings open. I’m ready to greet Gemma with a warm smile, but when I see that the entire left side of her face is red and bruised, I gasp.
She quickly lowers her eyes.
“What happened?” I whisper, barely able to speak.
She shakes her head. When I reach out to touch her, she takes a step back and wraps her arms around her abdomen.
“You can’t stay here anymore,” I say.
Gemma’s bottom lip trembles, and her brows draw heavily over her eyes. “Go—before he comes back.” She holds a pale hand out to receive the medication.
“No, listen.”
Her eyes cautiously flick to mine.
“When the truck comes…follow me,” I say. “I have a plan and I can explain on the way.” But standing in front of her now, I somehow know she’ll object.
She shakes her head again, her blue eyes wide and fearful. “He’ll hunt you down and kill you,” she whispers.
I step closer to her, eyeing the Unifer behind me. He’s talking on the phone. “If we make it downtown, we’ll be safe. I promise.”
She closes her eyes, and a tear rolls down her cheek. “Please—just go.”
“No—come.”
Opening her eyes, they wander side to side like they always do when she’s thinking. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, her gaze focuses behind me. Gasping, she brings her hand to her lips.
“Heidi,” Master Douglas’s voice trills.
The hair on the back of my neck spikes as I slowly swivel around to face him. I notice the sweat beads on his tall forehead and a patch of moisture on his chest. Instantly, I lower my eyes, and as my inferior class dictates, I wait to speak until he invites me to.
“How are you, dear?” he asks.
“Well—thank you.” My vocal cords feel like sealed clams. “Did you go…running this morning?”
“Yes, well, normally I go for much longer, but this morning I seem to have a bit of indigestion.” He shoots Gemma an accusing glare as his beer breath hits my face.
“This is for you,” I say, handing him the prescription bag. I hope he doesn’t notice how my arm shakes.
Master Douglas steps into the doorway, shoving Gemma behind him like she’s nothing but a rag doll. “Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he says. He signs the flap on the bag, tears it off, and hands it back to me. “But I ran out of a very important medicine, and I simply can’t live without it. It’s life or death.”
I eye the green label, which means the content in the bag is a supplement, not a prescription.
“It was no problem.” I nod, looking for Gemma, but she’s vanished back into the house. He takes my hand in his and strokes it, and my skin feels like it has a hundred slithering snakes crawling beneath the surface. All I want to do is rip my hand away, but infuriating him would be dangerous.
“I just thought I’d let you know that I’ve considered the possibility of you coming to work for me when you turn eighteen—next week, right?” He touches my cheek with the back of his lotion-scented, smooth hand, his fingernails immaculately manicured.
I close my eyes and try not to let the revulsion show on my face.
“I wanted to let you know that, Heidi.”
I nod and smile, although my smile probably looks more like a frown.
“You are at liberty to leave,” he says. Then right before he closes the door, he adds, “Oh, and say hello to your father for me. He’s such a wonderful man—righteous, honorable, and God-fearing. It was his idea that you come and work for me. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.” He slams the door in my face.
I blink. This isn’t what was supposed to happen. Gemma was supposed to come with me…and…and…we were supposed to…and my father? What is he thinking? Doesn’t he see through Master Douglas? Maybe he does and that’s exactly why he recommended I come here—to punish me. Get the devil out of me. For a moment, it feels like my heart is sinking into a bottomless pit, and I am unable to take a breath. I should leave now—I delivered the medicine—but my feet feel as if they’re fused to the cobblestones beneath.
The Unifer grunts at me, startling me back to reality. Forcing my feet to move, I drag myself away from Gemma, swallowing again and again, stuffing the tears deep down. I pick up my bike, and passing the Unifer, I nod to show respect, even though there is none. Just as I exit the gates, the delivery truck pulls up and parks in the middle of the driveway.