The Society

Chapter 8: Possibilities

HALE

"Thanks, man. See you later." I waved to Parker as he pulled the boat away from the dock. I climbed the last few rungs of the ladder to where Ella was standing, holding her shoes in one hand, the other rubbing her arm for warmth. The sun had set, and the night air had taken on a bite.

We walked back to the house side by side, a full moon illuminating the pathway that led up the back lawn. Ella yawned as I opened the back door.

"Tired, are we?" I chuckled, following her into the house.

She smiled. "Yeah, but I had so much fun. I love hanging out with you guys! You're all so different from anyone I've ever met."

I walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. "A good different?" I asked as she followed me and sat down at a bar stool.

She laughed and nodded. "Yes, of course a good different!"

I grinned. Her laugh was infectious. "Just making sure! And I like hanging out with you too, you're also a good different." I took a couple glasses out of the cabinet and filled them both under the sink. I handed Ella one and took the seat next to her. "But my mother has been hogging you way too much; I've hardly gotten to talk to you, and you've been here for five days!"

She nodded with a chuckle. "Agreed."

We sat in silence for a minute, sipping from our waters.

"I'm sorry about what my dad said this morning. It was awful." I tilted my glass forward and watched as a few beads of water on the side slid down, leaving clear streaks in their path. "He does stuff like that sometimes, and I just don't get it."

She looked down at the counter. "It's okay."

"No, it's not okay," I said, shaking my head. "He was so insensible, especially about your grandmother."

Ella let out a soft huff that passed for half a laugh. "Ironically, she was the same way, so she's not much of a touchy subject for me. No tears when it comes to her."

I glanced at her. "Did she not love you?"

She twirled her glass around in her hands, thinking. "No, she did. It was just tough love. Not the kind of love a little child should grow up with." She pursed her lips.

I looked down at my hands. "And your parents?" I almost whispered, afraid to ask.

The glass stilled in her palms, and she looked over at me. "They died when I was a baby. I don't remember them, but in the memories I made up, they loved me." She turned her head away again. "I know it shouldn't be, but I think the loss of my parents is more painful for me than the loss of my grandmother."

I gave a minuscule nod. "I get that. It hurts to lose the possibility of the thing you want most." The thought of sitting in the Society waiting room crossed my mind, as sheer anger had coursed through my veins. My parents forcing me to make a Selection had not only meant my values were being betrayed, it meant I was losing the possibility of finding love on my own, with a girl that actually meant something to me—a girl that was real.

But I wasn't so sure anymore that that possibility had entirely vanished.

"Yeah." Ella sniffed before looking up at me. "Okay! You asked me two questions, now I get to ask two."

I smiled. "Alright. Then I have 18 left after your turn."

She furrowed her brows. "Are you starting a game of 20 Questions?"

"Yes, and now you have 19 left."

A grin spread across her face, but she tried to cover it up with anger. "Fine, smartass. How'd you get a weird name like Hale?"