Beyond City Limits (Under Revisions)

Chapter 10: CONFESSION

Ida sits on the other end of the Dinning Hall. Emma's roommates, Emma, nor Jennifer say anything as they eat their breakfast. Either they know I'm fuming, or they don't feel like talking. The silence wants to make an awkward grip around us, but I refuse to let myself feel oppressed again, even if it's the atmosphere.

I pop another artificial egg in my mouth, "So, Emma, have any plans? Any parties tonight?"

Emma blinks a few times before smiling, "Daniel's roommate wants to throw one tonight, but I don't know if you'll be interested." She sips her orange juice, "I'm thinking about going to meet with Dr. Fossil soon—"

"Oh, yeah, Dr. Fossil! I was thinking about going by his office too. We have a lot to catch up on." I smile behind my bacon. "—And I think a party is exactly what I need right now."

"So, what about Headmaster Glinda?" Emma asks.

"What about her?" I snap, digging the fork into my eggs. Thoughts from yesterday threaten to overcome me. Thoughts of Andrew. Ida. The Test.

I shove those aside. I got my stalker. I have my freedom back. I can't think about anything else.

Emma raises her eyebrow, "Have you talked to her? You know, since yesterday?"

My fork digs deeper in my plate. The idea of talking or seeing Headmaster Glinda is nauseating.

"No. Not yet." I say.

It isn't like what happened to Andrew is my fault, I can't help but tell myself. It was the stupid Test Distributor's mistake. Maybe if I had taken my failed scores and was already in the Outercity, then I wouldn't feel this longing to stay. I can see the future I can have in the Innercity. I taste it. Now I have to throw it away?

How is that fair?

"Hey girlies!" Jessica says and swings her feet over the bench. She plants a kiss on my cheek and winks at Emma. "You forgot to tell me about the boys here. So much fresh meat." She points over to Ida. "Do I need to ask why your roommate is sitting on the other side of the world?"

I shake my head.

"Good!" The other girls don't respond to Jessica's cheery mood.

Jessica glances over us with a screwed face. "Great City! This is almost as depressing as that Holding Center those Test Distributors sent me to. So many sad faces," she shivers, "it was like a constant hangover."

"Holding Center?" I ask.

Jessica plucks a piece of bacon off Emma's plate, and Emma sticks her tongue out at her.

"You know," She says through crispy crunches, "where they send people who want Retakes." Her voice echoes around the Dinning Hall, and I internally wince.

I lean close to her and hiss, "Great City," I curse, "Jessica, you can't just say that out loud."

"Why not? It's not like it's a secret." She smiles over another piece of bacon. "I can point out other people who were in there with me."

Her mischievous smile makes me grin. I try to let myself be lost in this conversation, but Andrew keeps weighing on my mind. I was fine last night. My anger for Ida took all the space in my thoughts, contemplating ways to make her pay. I tossed and turned all night thinking about her.

And trying not to think about me and Andrew.

Mostly because I couldn't think of a way to save us both.

"Can you believe that they were going to send me to the Middlecity? Picture me on a farm. A. Farm." Jessica says.

But the Holding Center still itched my brain. In secondary school, the teachers mostly talked about the other cities, the training facilities, but not about Holding Centers. It wasn't like it wasn't heard of, just not talked about.