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Olivia nods with a smile, but I can tell by her eyes that she knows I’m hiding something. I’m thankful when she doesn’t press, instead changing the subject.
She looks out at the inebriated man on the dance floor. “He’s definitely taken advantage of the free booze.”
I laugh, probably harder than the comment called for. “At least I’m not alone in that.”
The rest of the night goes by in a blur, between talks with random officials and the other couples. By the time I meet up with Elliot again, we’re both exhausted and don’t talk much. I’m grateful when the clock strikes midnight and it’s finally time to go home. The Elders have always had True Partner dinners last until the new day; something to do with a play on some old romantic fairytale. Elliot and I say our goodbyes and exchange contact information, and I finally let my muscles relax as I get into the car to go home.
By the time I’m in my pajamas and lying in bed, the alcohol has mostly run its course and I’m able to think more clearly. I can’t sleep yet, not with everything that has taken place. No, now is the time to come up with a plan; there’s no way I’m letting that little meeting go.
Chapter 4
The next day, I go to the training center with my father to spar. I’ve decided the best place to start with my plan is research. I need to learn everything there is to know about Dark Elders before blundering into their territory. My father has a key card with access to specialty floors in the Society library, so our sparring session will be a great opportunity for me to convince him to let me borrow it.
We train for over an hour, and it feels so good to sweat out my frustrations that I almost forget to ask for the card.
“Good work today,” my father quips at me as he begins toward the men’s locker room.
“Wait!” I call to him, and cringe at how my loud voice echoes off the training room walls. So much for playing it cool.
He turns to me quickly, one eyebrow raised in surprise.
I clear my throat, trying to gain some semblance of casualness. “Ah, I was wondering if I could borrow your library card.”
His brow furrows. “What for?”
I bite my lip, feeling sheepish. It’s not easy to lie to an Elderhood official, even if he’s my father. It’s best to stick as close to the truth as possible. “I just wanted to catch up on some Dark Elder reading. What better way to defend the Society than to understand how the enemy’s mind works, right?”
He doesn’t seem convinced. “You’ve never been this interested before. Excuse me for being apprehensive, darling.”
I sigh, trying to think my way out of this. I can do this, I know I can. I look back up at my father, conscious to not give away any tells that show I’m being untruthful. “I know, I…with the True Partner dinner and everything, it’s been sort of like a…wake up call, I guess. That I need to start getting serious about my future.”
This seems to do the trick.
He continues to stare at me for a moment and then relaxes, a proud smile spreading across his lips. “That’s great to hear, Amelia. I’ve got my card in my trousers; I’ll give it to you on our way out.”
Thank fuck. I give him a smile and a nod, and then head to the showers.
~ ~·~ ~
Ihead straight to the Society library after training.
When I walk through the doors, one of the librarian assistants greets me with a smile. “Is there anything in particular you are looking for today?”
I smile pleasantly back and nod, flashing the card my father gave me. “Actually, yes. I will be taking on official work in a few years, so I need to brush up on Society history. Specifically, Dark Elder related?”
She wrinkles her nose at the mention of Dark Elders, which isn’t surprising, but nods and begins to lead me in that direction. Any mention of Dark Elders outside of service or history classtends to make citizens react similarly. Every story we are told about them ends with the same scenario: the Dark Elders attempting to eradicate the Society, and our Elders valiantly fighting them off in every attempt. Granted, they haven’t attempted to attack us in centuries at this point, but our Elders want to make sure we know it’s always a possibility, no matter how long it’s been.
I guess I can’t blame them. After all, it seems like one has finally made it through the barriers. Truly, I should be more worried. Why aren’t I?
“I give credit to anyone who is willing to learn about those despicable creatures, especially to keep us safe,” the librarian sneers and pauses near a set of elevator doors, motioning toward them with one hand. “This way, take the elevator to the sixth floor.”
“Thanks.” I ignore her derogatory comment, it’s nothing new in our culture, and step into the elevator. Perhaps it’s my nerves, but I thought it would be much more difficult to convince her of my motives. I always forget that most people are familiar with official families, and I’m no exception. If only these people could hear my thoughts.
When the elevator doors close, I let out a breath and lean heavily against the back wall. Despite the ease of entrance, I feel much better now that I’m alone.
When the doors open, I am overwhelmed by the number of bookshelves in front of me. The room is smaller than the other floors, but still massive. There are at least twenty rows of dusty cherry wood shelves, each filled with hundreds of volumes. Where do I even begin?
I shake my head to snap out of it and glance over the shelf markers. Each shelf is named with a time period, so I figure it’s best to start from the oldest. With a deep breath I walk over to the first shelf on the far left and begin skimming the titles. I graba handful of books with Dark Elder in the title, which dwindles the number of books I need to read significantly, and head to one of the empty desks on the opposite side of the shelves. Normally, there would be at least windows next to the desks, but with the level being so heavily guarded they are not allowed. This is going to be a long day.
