There was, I supposed, a chance that there were multiple initiatives running on Fairwell simultaneously, available to founders and settlers, and in theory she could have signed up for a different one than me. Which would mean sharing information would be in definite breach of contract.
But somehow, that just didn’t feel likely to me. The connection to Anna and the shared blue uniform—which denoted the outreach department—made me believe that ithadto be the same one.
And we couldn’t just not talk about this.
I exhaled, frustrated as I tried to find the right words to start the conversation.
Then Jessie blurted, “Let’s go for a walk.”
I frowned at the random suggestion, not sure why outside would be better than inside, unless she felt claustrophobic and needed more space to think. Whatever the case, I nodded. I followed her back out the door and we stepped onto the quiet road outside. She looped one arm through mine and marched me to the end of the road, then to the edge of the dock, where we stopped. We leaned against the barrier, the ocean lapping against the base of the island about ten feet beneath us. My eyes noted the bold “DO NOT SWIM” signs stamped all along the ledge.
Jessie faced me head on, her fingers fidgeting with a lock of her short red hair.
I arched an eyebrow in question, and she blew out. “I just feel more comfortable talking out here,” she said in a quiet tone,her eyes darting toward the loud waves beneath us, “than in that small house surrounded by all that… electronic equipment.”
I nodded, though I hadn’t considered that any of the technology in our houses could have been there foreavesdroppingpurposes. If it was, that would bring about a whole new slew of questions—which my mind wasn’t ready to deal with at the moment.
“Now, do the letters OWI mean anything to you?” Jessie practically whispered.
It took a moment for me to think about, and then I realized what she meant.
“Old World Isle,” I replied also in a low tone, as if I feared for a moment the wind would catch my voice and carry it up to Anna in the fortress.
Even outside, Jessie was cautious, which I supposed was wise. And it was a clever way to start the conversation. A tactic I might steal, for when I next managed to see Hayden. If he really had gone through the Course before, he most likely wouldn’t be able to give me actual details about what it involved without breaking his contract, but there might be at least some general advice he could offer me.
Jessie nodded, giving me a conspiratorial look. “So, we’re both in this together,” she murmured.
“Yes,” I replied, a grimace setting in on my face.
Now that I had confirmation, I wasn’t sure how to feel about it, honestly. On the one hand, I couldn’t deny that I felt relief knowing that I wasn’t in this alone—that there would be another familiar face on this path I was about to embark on. But on the other hand, I was more than a little nervous that, just like me, she would have to go through whatever that mysterious island ended up throwing at us.
It would also mean that we would technically be competitors,given that a leaderboard was involved and the amount of coins we earned would depend on where we placed on that leaderboard. Only one could get the highest, first-place bonus.
Frankly, now that my parents were out of the islet’s crumbling building and being taken care of at Beauchamp Hospital, Jessie probably needed the money more than I did. She had four young siblings to worry about, while I had only one. I would be willing to let her take first place.
I knew Anna wouldn’t like that attitude after what she’d told me about her determination for me to come first, but I didn’t have to tell her about it. As long as I passed the Course, I would be upholding my end of the contract.
“So, you had a screening this morning?” I asked, watching Jessie’s face closely for her reaction. To my surprise, she frowned and looked genuinely confused.
“Screening?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
And now it was my turn to frown. “Gerard recruited and accepted you for the Course, right? The GICFF.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re saying he didn’t put you through any kind of screening?”
“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “He just… He came up to me on Friday. I was doing beekeeping in the Valley, which, by the way, I don’t recommend, the bees are minions of Satan here. He approached me randomly when I was checking out of work and made me a proposal.”
I blinked. Then why did Anna put me through that pre-screening if it wasn’t even required? It didn’t make sense to me. Unless it was a purely individual thing and I happened to end up with a mentor who was… more thorough in their candidate review. She had told me that she had designed the simulation herself, after all.
I sighed. “Go on.”
She drew in a breath, gripping the handle of the barrier and passing her eyes over the waves. “He said that he noticed me as a hard worker on the leaderboard and wanted to offer me a position as his mentee, which could lead up to a steady, higher paying job,” she went on. “The fact that I was on the leaderboard seemed to be enough for him. Though, he did ask for a couple of meetings with me before making the offer official.”
“Meetings?” I asked.
Jessie shrugged. “He took me out for a drink at a café on Founders’ Isle twice during his spare time. He seemed to want to get to know me better, given that we will apparently be spending a fair amount of time together. Mostly he asked me questions about my former life and experiences. Just now, we came from having lunch and signing the contract and registration form, making our partnership official.”
