Marked

Chapter 1

Jack drifted about the top deck of the boat as though she were one of the inflatable innertubes, floating in the water with no particular destination in mind. She would stop at the open bar every so often, nursing a mimosa until it was socially acceptable for her to go get another one. Then she would go to the large grazing platter that was covered in fruits and vegetables and meats and cheeses and dips. They were arranged to spell out HAPPY 21! at the beginning of the trip, but now it looked more like HA P 2 . Jack took an olive and prosciutto from the 2 and popped both into her mouth. She was still hungry, though, and desperate to get something hearty in her stomach.
She spotted Charlie sitting near the bow of the boat, dripping wet and glistening in the summer sun. His curly brown hair was dark and straight with the weight of the water and plastered against his forehead like glue. He had just pulled himself out of the lake which meant that, for the moment at least, he was alone. Jack knew it wouldn't last long though, because Jack attracted people without even trying. He had a softness to him that invited others to interact, with his soft facial features akin to whipped honey and perpetually rosy cheeks. Jack was partial to Charlie's scattered freckles and his warm brown eyes that gazed upon her as if she were light itself.
He caught her staring and motioned her toward him. Jack started across the deck in Charlie's direction but stopped as the others pulled themselves back into the boat. If Charlie hadn't already spotted her, she would've turned around and hit the bar for another mimosa, or likely something stronger this time. But she had already started on the path and refused to make them think she was afraid of them.
"Angel," Charlie greeted her as she approached, the nickname like honey on his tongue.
Jack stood between his spread legs, running her hands through his hair and brushing the wet strands out of his face. She cupped his cheeks with her hands and watched the smile stretch his face.
"Are you having fun?" He asked her, his voice low as his friends took the seats around him while others made a beeline towards the bar. They were loud with alcohol-induced laughter and rough with one another, shaking their wet hair and unintentionally splashing Jack.
She cringed, wiping water from her brow. "Tons."
He nodded, wrapping an arm around her legs and pulling her towards him. Atlas, one of Charlie's best friends from when they were in high school, barreled past them in the spot Jack had just been standing and jumped off the edge of the boat. He landed in the water with a large splash, his giant linebacker body spraying water in all directions. Lillian went after him, hitting whistle notes as she broke the surface.
Everyone else remained above the water, reclining in the sun and sipping at their drinks. Jack always felt out of place around Charlie's friends. Most of them were his frat brothers, and the girls were sorority sisters. The girls only talked to each other, avoiding Jack as if she would bite them. They wore tiny string bikinis, 50+ SPF sunscreen, and the same expensive perfume. They all looked like the same person in different filters and wore their hair pushed back so that their Gilded mark was always visible. like we didn't already know everyone in town was Gilded. Jack hated people like that. It was one thing to be proud of your stamp when you first receive it. It was another to flaunt it like an accessory.
Jack sighed, turning her face toward the sun. It was barely three o'clock and the heat was blazing now. She wasn't a fan of large bodies of water though, so she stayed baking on the boat. "Do me a favor," She said, feeling Charlie's fingers fiddling absently with the string on her bikini top.
He nodded. "Yeah?
"Untie my top. I want to go topless."
Charlie's fingers froze and his face went bright red. "We're in public, angel."
"Yeah, and I'm going to get a weird tan line if I don't," Jack said, knowing full well that she wasn't going to take her top off. She just liked the way Charlie squirmed when she said things like that, things that no other Gilded person would say out loud. Once she got her Gilded mark, she would say more things like that just to bother the perfect people around her. How funny it will be when they see someone as rebellious as Jack with a Gilded mark, doing things that were only expected out of the Ignoble.
"Why do you say things like that?" Charlie asked quietly, his tone like that of a disappointed parent.
She shook her head, wishing she hadn't said anything. "No one wants me here, Charlie."
"I want you here."
"That's not what I mean."
"Sterling invited both of us."
Jack rolled her eyes. "Only because he knew you wouldn't come if you couldn't bring me, too." She nudged his leg to the side so she could sit beside him. The bench was hot from the sun but not unbearable. Unfortunately, it was also wet and she sat directly in a puddle of warm water. There was a zero percent chance that it was pee, but the idea that it could've been made her face twist in disgust.
Charlie pressed a soft kiss onto her cheek. "People like you, Jack."
"No, people like you." She said adamantly, scratching the spot on her neck where her Gilded mark should be. "They tolerate me."
"Have you tried actually socializing with people?" Charlie asked, pulling her hand away. He kissed her knuckles, smiling. "You might make a friend."
"I have Seraphine."
"A new friend."
Before Jack could protest, Charlie called out to Nova and Livia who were leaning up against the guardrail. At the sound of his voice, both girls' heads turned quickly and they smiled. He motioned them over and they came without hesitation.
Of all the people he had to call, of course, it would be those two. They worked at the University library during the school year but now that it was summertime, they spent their days gossiping in front of the fro-yo shop where Jack worked part-time. She knew of them through their curated Instagram accounts and very vocal participation in campaigns to close the borders.
"Hi, Charlie," Nova said, brushing her long wet hair away from her mark. Livia stood a half step behind her, popping the tab on a can of beer with her back to them. Her bikini bottom was basically a thong, exposing nearly the entirety of her butt. She couldn't really blame her though. If she had an ass like that, Jack would show it off too. She only realized she was staring when Livia turned back around.
"You're coming to the campaign tomorrow, right?" Livia asked, popping her hip. "It's going to be big this year."
"Of course, Jack and I will be there first thing in the morning," Charlie answered, wrapping an arm around Jack. Both girls turned their attention to her as if just noticing Jack was there.
"You're coming?" Livia asked with fake enthusiasm. "I didn't know they allowed the unmarked to march!"
"I wish they didn't. Then I'd have an excuse not to go," Jack said, the pitch of her voice scaled up to match Livia's energy. "But unfortunately--"
"I heard you made the cake, Nova. Is that true?" Charlie interrupted, nudging Jack gently in the side.
Nova perked up. "I did! It only took me the entire day but I made it from scratch. I hope the buttercream isn't melting in this heat and..."
Jack zoned off, wishing she had somewhere to be that wasn't in the middle of the lake for the next four hours. It was news to her that she was attending the campaign tomorrow. She had worked her best to avoid their constant proselytizing about the borders and the ignoble and she had worked even harder to avoid taking a stance one way or the other. If it were up to her, she would leave the Ignoble alone. Even with the open borders, it was extremely rare to see one in a Gilded neighborhood, what with all the regulations and restrictions. She would never say that out loud though. She stood out enough as a late bloomer without being a political outsider.
Later tonight, she and Onyx were heading to the borders. Even though she thought she wasn't attending the campaign, she knew it was happening. It was bound to sour the relationship between the two people so this would probably be the last night for a while that they could go to Club Anodyne. It existed in the neutral territory between the two towns and if the borders closed, so would the neutral zone. Jack thought it would be a huge loss, but most Gilded never visited the neutral territory anyway so she doubted they'd even notice.
"You should come to the after-party," Livia said. Then she turned to Jack. "Um, you too, J."
"I do have plans tonight, unfortunately," Jack said, watching the way Livia's face flooded with relief. "But I'm sure Charlie would love to go."
The girls smiled, sharing a look between the two of them. Nova opened her mouth to say more when the boat suddenly erupted in a terrible rendition of the happy birthday song. The girls immediately diverted their attention, running to the cake with all of their bits bouncing, barely contained in their little string bikinis.
Charlie laughed, wrapping his arm around Jack's neck and pulling her into him. "Thanks for volunteering me for that after-party," he said sarcastically as Jack tried to squirm away.
"It's what you deserve for volunteering me for the campaign!" She exclaimed.
"It won't be so bad. Hold a sign and repeat some fun slogans for a little while and then you're done."
"Yeah, like I want to say hey-hey ho-ho open borders have got to go for three hours straight."
Charlie frowned. "Three hours?"
Jack kissed his cheek and hopped up, joining the rest of the crew in singing happy birthday for Atlas. She was ready to get a slice of cake and a glass or two of champagne, hopefully enough to wash away the rest of the afternoon.