The Distinct

Secrets In The Hallway

"What? What are you talking about? I'm...I'm so confused!" I cried out. Quentin put his hand on my shoulder. I quickly pushed it off.
"Fine. I don't even know how to explain this to you." Quentin said rubbing his face with his hands.

I was breathing heavily. This was not how this night was supposed to go! I was supposed to be on my way home in the helicopter to celebrate my Reading with my family. No, this was absolutely not how this was supposed to be going. I could feel tears forming in my eyes. I sucked in a breath and wiped them away.

"Alright. You're a Distinct. Which means different. You aren't actually moving to Sector Forty and you're not becoming a teacher. You will be moving to an unnamed, kinda secret island and working with the rest of the Distinct for the government."
"Okay... Well I'm still confused! Why am I different? What about ME in particular is different?" I asked
"Your brain. You're smarter, a better problem solver and a deeper thinker. And some Distinct have special...powers." I burst out laughing. Quentin looked surprised.
"Wha...Did I do something wrong?" He asked.
"No, no. Just, you're making me sound like a witch or something. Different and special powers? Come on. Be serious with me Quentin." I snorted.

Quentin frowned. "You want me to be serious, sweets? Alright. This is a serious thing. If you tell people, they could kill you. Most people don't even know about Distincts. You work secretly for the government. You tell someone, you die. How is that for serious?" Quentin was yelling now. He took a deep breath. "And you want to know something else? I don't want you to die." I could feel my face heating up. Luckily this hallway was dark.

"Okay. I'm really sorry Quentin. Please forgive me." I smiled. He probably couldn't see my smile but I gave it to him anyways.

"So. How are you feeling?" Quentin asked me.
"Surprised. And slightly disappointed. This isn't the night I was expecting." I looked down. Quentin took a small step forward. I saw his hand start to come up and then stop. I looked up. He was smiling at me.

"Let's go for a walk." Quentin said. He held out his hand. I intertwined my fingers with his. I had never held a guy's hand except for my dad's. It felt great.

"I'm a Distinct too." Quentin blurted.
"Really? What's it like? Living on a secret island and working for the government."
"It's great. But really lonely." Quentin squeezed my hand when he said that.
"How so?" I asked.
"You can't really keep in touch with anyone from your sector. You have to start fresh on D.I."
"D.I?" I asked. Quentin nodded.
"Distinct Island. Very creative huh? You go to school for two years and then you get a job. Then if you're good you start getting sent on missions. Or you work at the government building, helping with the missions, but from D.I." Quentin stopped. We had reached the end of the hallway. Quentin let go of my hand and turned to face me.

"It's not anything like living in the normal sectors. Everyone seems really serious. I only have a few friends. A lot of the people I hung out with when I first got to D.I. are out on missions now." Quentin smiled. "I think you and I will be really good friends. But we better get back to the president. He'll want to get you to D.I. as soon as possible."

I nodded. We both turned and walked back the way we had come. When we got right outside the door Quentin stopped.

"You are coming to D.I. right?" Quentin asked me. His face looked wary.
"Of course I am! There isn't really any other options. And I'm excited." I told him.
"You're going to make a great Distinct, Marvel."
"Thanks Quentin. You're going to help me right? Because I have no idea what I'm going to be doing."
"Yeah. I'll help you. Everyone helps you for the first couple months, the teachers go easy and everyone is nice. The president will also be in touch with you a lot."
"That's good."
"Yeah. It's pretty great. I'm done with school and just waiting to get a job." Quentin said smiling.

"Quentin, Marvel, please come in here so we can discuss the plans for tonight!" The President called.

Quentin put his hand on my back and pushed me back into the ballroom.