Under Changing Skies

T H R E E

Everett and I walk to the Learning Centre, the crowd propelling us to move faster with every step. Heart thudding and head swimming with nerves, I keep my eyes glued to my feet. The morning air is blisteringly hot and thicker than usual with the collective anxiety of nearly three hundred sixteen-year-old boys and girls.

A familiar voice rings out from my left, causing me to look up in automatic recognition. Lorelai, one of the girls that sat near me when we studied in the Learning Centre, is speaking with shrill eagerness to her friends.

"If I get recruited . . ." she says, breathing with a wheeze as she struggles to keep up on her short, knobbly legs. "I'll meet my sister first . . . haven't seen her since . . ."

Since she got recruited five years ago, I finish Lorelai's sentence as she and her friends move forward and fall out of my earshot.

I shift my attention to Everett when I see him running a hand through his hair, his eyebrows furrowed and mouth pressed in a thin line. I let my fingers momentarily brush his before stepping away but he stops me, his hand curling around mine and holding on.

Everett doesn't let go of my hand until we reach the Learning Centre auditorium, which is unlocked only when the Imperium announces recruitments.

I've heard plenty about the auditorium from the people that attended the cycles in the previous years, but the massive hall takes me by surprise anyway. The ceiling is so far above my head that I have to crane my neck to see it fully. The floor is made of some kind of beautiful smooth white stone with grey thread-like swirls and the air is cool and sweet-smelling. As I'm glancing around, I find that everyone is wearing looks of utter fascination that mirror my own emotions.

There are several men and women standing along the entire length of the walls to my left and right, the belts of their sturdy brown suits adorned with weapons. I avert my gaze when I accidentally meet the eyes of one of the impassive, hard-faced men.

Suddenly, a placid yet resonating voice echoes from the enormous screen that takes up the entire wall in the far end of the room, instructing us to sit down on the floor. As the screen lights up with the symbol of the Imperium — a hollow gold triangle against a black background — everyone scrambles to be seated near their friends. Everett sits cross-legged to my right, close enough for his knee to touch mine.

"Welcome to the Imperium's second recruitment cycle for 2028," the voice says as I crane my neck to see past the people in front of me. "In this cycle, twenty men and twenty women have been chosen through our random selection process."

Someone near me whispers in dismay, "Only forty?" as another voice responds, "It's never been this low!"

"The names and faces of all those recruited will appear on the screen now," the voice reveals, causing silence to engulf the room that is so pure and deep that I'm afraid to even breathe.

My eyes are glued to the screen as it turns white, faces slowly materializing from the top left corner. My heart leaps to my throat when Everett's face is the third one to appear, his familiar features shimmering into clarity. I look at him and find him staring straight ahead, spine ramrod straight and lips parted in shock. I turn back to the screen as warm tears start to fill my eyes without my permission.

He's leaving, he's leaving, I think to myself, my sight blurring until I can no longer see the new faces appearing on the screen. In an attempt to stop the unexpected tears, I push my palms against my closed eyes with painful force.

A few minutes later, I can tell from the murmurs and the shuffling around me that the list is coming to an end. I pull my hands away from my face, grimacing against the light that suddenly assaults me.

"A-Arya, look," Everett whispers, his hand enveloping mine in an uncharacteristically tight grip.

I raise my eyes to the screen, spots floating in my vision as the final face appears. Holding my breath again, I squint as the features emerge into view.

The final, fortieth recruit of this cycle . . . is me.

Hey guys! This update took a little longer than intended because I've spent the past one hour watching and re-watching the new Frozen 2 trailer. Have you guys seen it yet?!

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! Please vote if you did and share your thoughts. I appreciate all of your feedback especially because it's always so exciting but also terrifying to post a new story! 

As always, thanks so much for reading!

Amethyst