“Oh, you’ve signed them already,” I said, surprised. “What did he offer you?”
“A guaranteed 20,000 coins personal reward from him if I come in first place, in addition to whatever the bonus amount is given by Fairwell itself.”
I blew out. That seemed generous. I didn’t know what the first-place reward was yet, but Anna had hinted that it would be in the five figures. If Jessie got first place, that should be a nice little boost on her family’s journey to getting their kids back.
“And what if you don’t come in first place?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t get his extra bonus, but I’d still get access to better work opportunities. He mentioned a steady career in Outreach. Even though his main occupation is programming, he has a lot of experience and involvement with Outreach, which is why he said he’s qualified to be my mentor.”
“I see.” That explained what I’d been wondering aboutearlier.
“Also, he said all mentees will receive an income while training is ongoing. It’s set at a flat 150 coins per day, for the next two weeks.”
At least that would help to pay my bills. I was completely out of pocket after admitting my parents into Beauchamp Hospital, since Anna had only agreed to pay whatever amount my personal balance didn’t cover.
“And you know that Gerard isn’t helping you out of the goodness of his heart, right?” I added. “You know that he’ll get kickbacks if you do well in the Course?”
“Oh, yeah,” she replied, nodding. “He was upfront with me about that. I mean, it seems fair, given the amount of time and energy these people will be putting into us.”
“I just wanted you to be aware of that,” I said pointedly. “Also, do you have any idea how many other settlers will take part in this course?” Obviously, the more there were, the harder it would be for either of us to snag first place.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I haven’t asked Gerard yet. Who’s your mentor?” she added, and I found it hard to prevent a grimace from creeping onto my face.
“Anna,” I replied.
“Oh, wow. You meantheAnna? Annabelle Springs—Gerard’s sister?!”
“Yup,” I replied grimly. “TheAnnabelle Springs.”So they are definitely siblings.
My statement was followed by a slew of other questions from Jessie, and I ended up telling her all about the screening I did this morning. She was alarmed by what Anna had put me through, compared to Gerard’s interviews, and I felt guilty for telling her all the details, knowing that it would make her more nervous. But I felt she could do with all the information I could give her, in case it helped her face whatever lay ahead of us.
After I finished explaining, I leaned againstthe barrier and ran a hand down my face. The fact that Jessie was really going to do this fully sank in.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked her. “I know the money’s tempting but it’s not without risks.”
She nodded solemnly, pressing her lips into a hard line. “I’ve thought about it a lot over the weekend and I’m sure. It’s just too big of an opportunity to pass up. I don’t know how long it will take us to climb the ladder and get all my siblings back, otherwise. To be honest, after two weeks of that job list, I’m getting sick of it. Besides, if we join the outreach department, we’ll be trained properly and we’ll have colleagues. It’s not like we’ll be on our own. And honestly, I think it would be a pretty fulfilling life if we could help other people the way we were helped.”
I nodded, though I couldn’t adopt the same conviction with which she spoke. Mainly because I still didn’t know what we were all here for. That conversation with Miranda in the furnace changing rooms still plagued me, but as we had concluded, until we had evidence of contrary motives it was all speculation. So, I didn’t want to bring it up with Jessie now. I felt I had shaken her enough by detailing my morning and she was already dealing with high nerves regarding the Course.
Gerard had shown her a picture of Old World Isle, like Anna had shown me, and told her that she would be dropped there for twenty-four hours, but she had no more information about that than me. It had been just enough to unsettle her.
“Have you talked to your parents about anything?” I asked her softly, giving her a serious look. Her mother had freaked out when she had gone off and taken the underwater job. I could only imagine how she would react to this, if she knew. Just like my family would if they found out the truth.
“Not yet,” Jessie replied, biting her lip. “I haven’t even mentioned Gerard yet. I’ll just have to tell them that I got a jobopportunity, but I’m contractually bound to keep details confidential. I mean, Mom is already worrying about me, working in a different place than her, so I guess this won’t be that much more of a worry considering she doesn’t know the details.”
“Yeah,” I replied darkly.
“And you? Will you tell your family anything?”
I shook my head. “I’ll use the same scenario as you.”
We both paused then, fixing our eyes on the water. The silence stretched between us as we mulled over all that we had discussed.
We were in this together at least. But that didn’t stop our nerves from fraying while we stood there, gazing out at the vast ocean and imagining what might await us on Old World Isle.
TWENTY-FOUR
I managedto squeeze in a nap and a visit to my family on Fraser Isle before leaving for the fortress that evening.
