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The training facility was a short distance across the street, and our group from Unit 501 walked together. We seemed to form a bond of sorts over breakfast, knowing that we were all from similar backgrounds. Most of us came from working families, scattered along the outer edges of Classen City. And none of us expected to be here today.
Margo led the way, pulling open a large glass door on the front of the multipurpose building that housed the Peacemaker training facility. It’s modern steel and glass exterior was quite different from the traditional brick living quarters across the street. Whatever was there before the war must not have been in good enough condition to be restored, so it was demolished and the new multipurpose building built in its place.
A dark-haired administrative assistant sat at the front desk, sorting and filing paperwork. She smiled kindly as we entered.
“Good morning! Are you here for the Peacemaker training?”
“We are,” said Nita. “But we’re not sure where to go next.”
The woman stood and leaned over just enough to see around the wall behind her. She pointed to a set of double doors. “Your orientation will be in Conference Room A. The others are already in there.”
A clock hanging behind her desk showed that we had five minutes before the orientation was scheduled to begin. I was impressed with our group’s punctuality—it wasn’t easy to get six people moving quickly when we were all so full of bacon.
The conference room was slightly larger than our classrooms back home, but it had much finer furnishings. The wooden tables lined up in rows across the room had glass tops that reflected light from the steel fixtures hanging from the tall ceiling above. The blue and black cushioned chairs rolled silently on casters, like those you might find in office buildings near the business districts.
Most of the twenty or so students in the room were standing in small groups of three or four around the perimeter. They spoke quietly, but there was a sense of familiarity throughout the space. These were not strangers to one another. But as our small group of six was noticed, the energy in the room shifted.
Not one to be deterred by negativity, Margo marched right through the crowds, smiling and saying hello as she went. I admired her courage. Walking into a room full of Empaths was like jumping into a pool of sharks, but she handled it with grace and dignity. And because every person in the room could read her emotions, they knew she meant it. Margo wasn’t judgmental or trying to prove a point to anyone. She was just genuinely happy and honored to be in the room, ready to learn.
I took her cue and tried to improve my attitude. Being happy had to be easier than constantly blocking my true emotions. I could only stay frozen for so long.
“Claren, meet Georgia and Trudy.” Margo had already made some friends. “They grew up just around the corner from here, and they’ve been best friends since they were seven. Isn’t that awesome? It must be so fun to start your career with your best friend!”
“Yeah... fun,” Georgia said flatly, tossing her long, straight, chestnut-colored hair over her shoulder. Trudy dropped her gaze to the floor.
“So what was your best friend selected for?” she asked Margo. I didn’t like the tone of her voice.
“She’s a Worker. She got a great position in the market near our school.” Margo’s smile never wavered, though she had to feel the tension building. Several students around us had stopped to see what was going to happen as well. It was weird to be in a place where everyone knew how everyone else was feeling at all times.
Georgia’s mouth curled up into a sneer. “That’s sweet. I’m sure it takes real talent to put all those groceries into bags.” She paused, taking a moment to grin at some of the students standing near us as though they were a crowd of adoring fans. Trudy grinned back at her, and they turned to face Margo again. “And you’re right—you probably would be better suited in a career with your best friend. You seem like you’d really know how to sling those bags, too. It would be so... fun.” Georgia rolled her eyes as she walked away, and the small audience she’d garnered turned their attention back to other conversations.
“Well isn’t she a ray of sunshine?” I said.
“It’s alright,” Margo replied. “We’re all nervous today, and people get weird when they’re jittery.”
She was being way too generous in her assessment of Georgia, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her. She was right about one thing, though. The room was alive, bouncing with nervous energy.
We made our way over to a table in the second row. Behind us sat a couple of boys whispering excitedly. They stopped when we got closer, and I could feel their eyes on my back.
“Ask her.”
Margo gave me a reassuring nod. It was nice to have a friend on my side. I could feel the boys’ suspicion washing over me, resting on my shoulders like a black cape, shrouding me in mystery. But rather than hiding in the shadows, I decided to wear my cape with pride. It was my turn to have a little fun.
I turned around to face them. One was grinning at the other, his eyes prodding the other boy, daring him to speak. The friend was shorter, with curly black hair resting neatly on top of his head. He wasn’t afraid, but there was something I couldn’t quite read from him. Doubt? Skepticism, maybe?
“Do you have a question for me?” I asked, blinking innocently. Margo’s shoulders bounced with a silent laugh beside me.
The shorter boy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Uh... yeah. Are you Claren Greenwood?”
It was surprising to hear him use my name, but I didn’t let him know it. “Who wants to know?”
His friend’s grin widened, and I turned my attention to him instead.
“Is it you? Are you curious about something?” the grin disappeared, and I could feel his heart rate pick up. Meanwhile, the curly-haired boy was now the one chuckling.
“We heard you weren’t coming. You didn’t turn in your letter.”
“Did you? How interesting that you’ve heard of me at all.”
The boy’s cheeks reddened. “We heard about the Outsider at your test. And that you stopped him. They’ve been whispering about you around here for two weeks, but we heard you weren’t coming to train.”
Margo looked at me from the side of her eyes, her curiosity brimming over. This was new information to her.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I shoved my own emotions down into the frozen dungeon I’d created inside. What else did they hear about? Did they know about Cato?
“Well with all the other attacks from Outsiders lately, we thought maybe you’d try to lay low. If they know you’re here, that makes us a pretty easy target if they try to retaliate.”
Other attacks? The Outsiders weren’t attacking anyone. And they certainly weren’t going to try to retaliate against me. But I couldn’t explain any of that to these boys, or to anyone else here. I had to blend in, be one of them. Instead, I pulled my imaginary cape around me and leaned into the mysterious persona they’d subconsciously assigned to me. I was a new Claren here. And Claren the Peacemaker was strong.
I shrugged. “Let them come. I’m not scared.”
Margo averted her wide eyes as I turned back to face the front of the room. A short bald man had just stepped up and cleared his throat, signaling the start of our Orientation.
—————
I gathered a pen and some paper from the top drawer of a small white desk against the wall of my new bedroom. The tip of the pen touched the paper several times before writing a single word, lifting off again and swirling through the air as I gathered my thoughts. I wasn’t sure what to say. Raf was clear about not wanting any obvious connections between us. Finally I wrote:
Hi friend,
I made it safely, but just barely. Thank you again for helping me get going. I think you were right- this training will be good for me.
How are things back at home? Any updates on your lost dog? I’ve been worried about him. Please let me know if you find him soon.
I read and re-read the note twenty times before folding it up and placing it inside a blank envelope. I wasn’t sure how to sign it discreetly, so I didn’t sign it at all. I hoped Raf would be smart enough to figure out who it was from, but just in case, I drew a small picture of a rat on the back flap. That should jog his memory, I thought with a snicker.
I ran downstairs to grab a blueberry muffin, but I couldn’t stay and chat. I had a mission to accomplish. With the envelope tucked under my arm, concealed by my sweater, I took my muffin and a cup of tea out onto the steps of the porch.
There I waited. And waited. My tea was long gone, but still I remained, muffin wrapper balled up inside of a napkin clenched in my fist. Across the street, the multipurpose building sat dormant, like a sleeping beast made of sharp angles. Monday morning the lights would turn on again, and the beast would come to life as we trickled in for our first real day of training. But in that moment all was quiet.
When my fingers were red from the cool morning breeze and my bottom was numb from sitting too long on the cold cement stairs, I heard the old familiar rumble. I stood to stretch and spotted my brother’s old sanitation truck a block away. I tried to look busy, examining a bush under the windows until it finally pulled up to the curb in front of our building.
Bilton Gragg, one of my brother’s buddies from Morton borough, was hanging from the back of the truck.
“Hey Billy!” I waved and held out my hand to reveal the wad of trash leftover from my breakfast. “Do you mind if I throw this into the can real quick before you take it?”
Billy smiled. “Hey Claren!” Then, remembering Cato, he grew somber quickly. Feeling his reaction stopped me on the sidewalk, the weight of my reality forcing itself upon me again. But I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t break down. Not here, and especially not now.
Billy jogged toward me. “Yeah of course! Here, I’ll take it for you.” Then in a hushed voice he added, “I’m so sorry about Cato.”
I nodded. “Thanks. Have they found him yet?”
Billy shook his head. “Not yet. But Cato’s tough. I’m sure he’s doing okay, wherever he is.”
“I’m sure he is.” I didn’t know how much Billy knew, or if he was someone to be trusted, but I felt no harsh emotions from him at all. He seemed genuinely sorry to hear about Cato. I didn’t have any other options anyway, so I decided to take a risk.
“Can I ask you one more favor, please?”
“Anything.” The sincerity in his eyes told me he meant it.
I pulled the letter from under my arm. “Will you please take this back to the headquarters for me?” I hesitated, again unsure of how much to reveal. But there was no way around it. “It’s for Raf.”
Billy nodded and tucked the letter inside his vest. “I’d be happy to.”
“And Billy—I won’t be able to meet you here next week. If anything comes back for me, will you please leave it in a clip under the lid of the trashcan? I’ll have it attached and ready for you, just in case.”
He nodded again. “I will, but I’ve really got to get going. They’re going to wonder...”
“Of course,” I said quickly. “Go on. And thank you again.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around my chest as I watched him hop back onto the truck and pull forward to their next stop. I hoped with everything I had that my plan wouldn’t backfire.