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“I need a moment to, um, use the bathroom,” I lied and blushed before bolting to my room.
From under my pillow, I grabbed the box Silas had given me. Innocuous and light, yet it was a heavy weight upon my conscience. Silas had claimed it would do good. Yet, everything I’d seen and heard about the terrorists had painted them as bad. What if this box harmed the commander, who’d been kind to me, whom I cared for? Or what if the commander found it and thought I was a terrorist?
Suddenly, that seemed like the worst thing that could happen. I had to rid myself of it. I dumped it into the waste unit in my bathroom and immediately felt relief as I chose to not be involved in Silas’s machinations.
We took Sebastian’s car to the gala, which was being held in an amphitheater open to the night sky. Sebastian appeared distracted, glancing often from the window.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No. Nothing.” He grabbed my hand and held it.
“You never mentioned if your mission was a success.”
His lips turned down. “It turned out to be a waste of time. The rebels might have used the mines at one point as a base of operation, but they have since abandoned it. All we found were a few illegals living there.”
My new education supplied the definition ofillegals—those who either weren’t assigned a color caste or were born without permission and lived in hiding.
“What will happen to those people?”
“They’ll be sorted into colors if eligible.”
“And if they’re not?”
His words were low. “Those who can’t provide for society will be terminated.”
A somber warning of what happened to rule-breakers and the reason why I couldn’t tell him about Silas. I’d waited too long to come clean. At least I’d not seen the man since the incident at the zoo. I hoped to never encounter him again.
Our car landed, and we exited it to see other guests arriving, mostly dressed in shades of red and blue. But I did spot a few in the white and even someone in dark yellow on the arm of a man wearing a suit almost as dark as Sebastian’s.
He saw me looking and murmured, “That’s Subcommander Grimes and his wife, Ellony.”
“She didn’t take his colors?” Those who married usually converted.
“In this case, she already held a high rank. She’s the head of the Institute of Technology.”
Sebastian kept my hand tucked in the crook of his arm as we entered. He nodded and offered greetings to those we passed, paused and spoke briefly a few times, always making sure to introduce me.This is my escort, Jasinda.
Perhaps by the next gala, I’d have a different title. It was common for successful breeders to marry their inseminators, although many also married for love. I glanced at Sebastian. He’d not declared affection for me aloud, but knowing I was his first breeder, I had hope.
The evening proved overwhelming to my senses. Musicians played melodies, music being something that fascinated me. The flavor of the dinner that was served exploded in my mouth. Every single bite delighted me.
While some drank bitter wine, I stuck to the more lavish water, sweetened with chunks of fruit provided at the table. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Throughout it all, I gazed and absorbed everything around me—the people, their clothing, bits of conversation. Dancing especially fascinated me. How did they know how to move in rhythm with the music?
At times, it seemed as if the commander was in demand by everyone in attendance. People constantly approached to converse, the topics ranging from the hunt for terrorist cells to not-so-subtle queries as to the state of my womb.
Through it all, he remained by my side, and I heard more than one speculative whisper, “I’ll bet if she breeds true, he marries her, and she takes on his color.”
Marriage, the most sacred of bonds, was not entered into lightly. It provided the only way for the Marked to change from the White. It meant that, should something ever happen to Sebastian, I would retain rank and privilege. No returning to the Caves or being passed on to someone else for breeding.
Dessert arrived, a frothy concoction that melted on the tongue. Not that I tasted the first few bites, as my gaze darted around with suspicion. We’d reached the point in the gala where Silas had instructed me to give the commander the box. What would happen now that I hadn’t?
Nothing, as it turned out. We finished the sweet treat, and then we danced. Sebastian swept me into his arms, and I did my best to not trip and look clumsy as we sailed around the open floor. We ended up on a balcony, overlooking the mountain’s edge, the coliseum built on a cliff too sheer to scale.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“Very much so.”
