THE DELIVERER'S DESTINY

Chapter 4, Part 4 - Stephanie

Zusia, Desmond, 10416 P.C.

"Steph. Wake up."

Stephanie cracked her eyes open at the sound of Marcie's gentle voice. Marcie stood above her bed, her long hair in tangles around her face and a bloody scratch above her left eye that hadn't been there before. Stephanie sat up, instantly awake.

"Where were you last night?" she blurted out as relief churned through her.

Marcie sat down heavily. Stephanie could see how tired she was, and not just by the dark half-moons under her eyes. "The Tests went a while." The weariness was clear in her voice, but Stephanie could see something else there. A sort of grief lingered in the lines of Marcie's face.

"I was worried," Stephanie whispered.

"I know. I'm sorry. Noe's was closed by the time I got there."

Stephanie let out a long breath, sliding out from under the covers and perching on the bed beside Marcie. She slipped her hand in Marcie's. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Marcie wouldn't look at her. "The ceremony starts in an hour. Come on. I need you to do my hair." She rose to her feet, and Stephanie realized that she was already dressed in her maroon graduation uniform.

Stephanie knew something bad had happened; Marcie was aloof as they got ready for the ceremony, quiet while Stephanie braided her hair. Stephanie tried to initiate conversation, but Marcie didn't seem talkative. Stephanie found herself breathing easier when she locked herself in the closet to dress in her uniform. The uniforms had been specially fitted just weeks before, sleeveless maroon jumpsuits with matching jackets bearing their trainee number on its back. She'd only ever wear it once. Looking at herself in the mirror, she knew it was designed for looks only. It'd provide no protection for the unfortunate soul who was picked for the Purge. She hated that.

Marcie offered to re-braid Stephanie's hair, but Stephanie decided that her braid from the day before was still presentable enough; a few strands had fallen out to frame her face, and she kind of liked it. In fact, she decided that she looked rather nice, as a graduate should — only the mark on her cheek ruined the image.

Stephanie stared at it in the mirror for a long moment. Every trainee had it. The dragonmark, a representation of Motch's control over them — but also intended for identification purposes. The symbol was a snake-like dragon, the head seeming to rest above the wearer's left eye while its body, tail, and wings curled around across the temple and down like a scar along the left cheek. Stephanie had tried many times to scrub it off, but it was there to stay. She didn't even know what she looked like without it, though she could imagine, if she covered the left side of her face with her hand. She tried it now, wishing it would disappear.

"Steph." Marcie stood by the door, looking more solemn than Stephanie had ever seen her.

Finally, Stephanie couldn't stand the tension. "What happened in your Test?" she asked, dropping her hand and turning away from the mirror to look at her best friend.

Marcie's eyes hardened. "I don't want to talk about it."

Stephanie wanted to. "Something weird happened in mine. A woman talked to me," she said, feeling rooted to the floor despite the way Marcie's hand found the doorknob. "She asked if I liked being a murderer."

Marcie swallowed hard. "What'd you say?"

"No. But I killed them all anyway."

Her best friend looked away, her hand tightening on the doorknob. She opened the door. "Let's go, Stephanie."

Stephanie obeyed without another word. They didn't talk the whole way down to the courtyard, where they had been ordered to gather and wait to be escorted to the arena. The fountain gushed clear-as-crystal water, bubbling in a happy sort of way Stephanie couldn't relate with. Although she and Marcie were a bit early, a lot of the other graduates were there. Taise, who still looked pale, sat on the edge of the fountain, staring straight ahead while two boys beside her chatted and the swished water around with their hands. On the other side of the fountain, a girl with long blonde hair stood on its edge, talking loudly to two boys standing below her.