Rehabilitation: Unbelief 1

Chapter 2

I hitch my pack up and start running as soon as the words are out of our mouths. Jacob is a fraction of a second ahead of me. If we get called for Selection and we're not there, we'll be in more trouble than either of us want to deal with. That's the worst of it for me. For Jacob, the stakes are a heck of a lot higher.

I run until my legs ache and my lungs burn despite the frigid cold air, both Jacob and I desperate to get to the courtyard in the middle of the Gate before Selection happens. In the distance, I can see it. As soon as I do, I know we're right. There's a huge crowd in the courtyard and if I had to guess, most, if not all of the town has convened.

Everything is quiet as we reach the edge of the crowd. I skid to an unsteady stop just before entering it, but Jacob is ready to dive forward. I leap and grab his arm to stop him.

"Wait!" I hiss.

He shakes off my grasp, but nods and doesn't run forward. He's breathing hard, we both are, and sweating despite the cold. "I have to find her," he manages to get out between deep breaths, blue gaze locking with mine, now dark with worry.

I nod, understanding immediately. "I know, but we can't just dive into a quiet crowd like that. We'll attract too much attention."

He knows I'm right and I know he doesn't like it, but it is what it is. Biting my lip, both our gazes turn back to the crowd, and sure enough, mine immediately pick out the handful of guards in rotation. They aren't efficient enough—or maybe they just don't care enough—to tally up who is and isn't here prior to Selection, so they just post guards to watch for stragglers sneaking in, or people who try to break out of the crowd early.

Both types of course, automatically get taken during Selection. I haven't been taken during a Selection for a while, almost a year now, but some people get taken every single time. It all depends on the type of life you lead.

"We need to get in there," Jacob says to me in a hushed voice, pressing close against me with his breath right at my ear so only I will hear.

A shiver makes its way down my body, but I shake it off. Now is not the time to deal with stupid things like that. I shift my feet, body thrumming with impatience.

"We will," I whisper, just as quiet. "Wait for that guard to pass, and we'll slide in between that woman with the brown coat and the man with the holes in his hat." I discreetly point with my chin so he can see who I'm talking about.

There is a lot of space between the two, maybe enough for two people to make it in unnoticed. I hope so, anyway. Jacob finds who I'm talking about with his eyes, judging the distance, then nods.

"Alright," he says back.

I watch the guard as he moves around the yard, checking to make sure no one is dipping out early. Thankfully, it means he's not looking too hard at the people trying to get in. When he rounds the next corner, I not so gently nudge Jacob with my elbow and we make a run for it.

Moving as quiet as we can, we dash into the yard, squeezing between brown coat woman and holey hat man.

The woman gives each of us in turn the dirtiest look ever, while holey man pointedly refuses to acknowledge our existence. Both are just forms of self-preservation, so I don't take it too hard. I know it's hard to trust people around here and were our roles reversed, I certainly wouldn't trust us either.

I just hope that's as far as things go. The last thing either of us need is a tattler.

It appears we're all settled though and in the clear. Just in time, too, because the guard has come around again on a pass right by us. We wait, patient and quiet, before beginning to push through the people again.