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“Wanna play?” asked Marion, scooting over to make room.

Grace sat down next to her friend and glanced around at the players. Blythe sat at the other end of the table, glaring with her permanent scowl. “I think I’ll pass.” Grace smiled politely.

“What happened to your face, Lonestar?” Blythe asked.

“Accident at the SportsPlex.”

“Two losses in one day. No wonder you don’t wanna play.” Blythe went back to her cards.

“I wanna conserve my energy for tomorrow,” Grace said, wishing she had kept her mouth shut.

“Yeah, you’ll need it,” Blythe sneered.

Instead of taking the bait, Grace sat back and checked out the Cantina scene. Tiny strings of white lights and candles gave the place a festive and inviting atmosphere. On the small stage, there was a trio of musicians strumming guitars and singing. The place was packed with villagers along with some Insiders scattered throughout. Everyone sat at the community tables, chatting and listening to the music. Grace spotted a familiar face across the room. A face with perfect symmetry, a strong jawline, and unforgettable green eyes.

“What’s he doing here?” She ducked behind Marion’s hair to stay out of view.

“Who?” Marion asked.

“The Insider who diced up her face,” said Sam.

“He didn’t dice up my face. It’s just a nick,” said Grace, defending Lucas, though she wasn’t sure why. She barely knew him.

Sam threw a couple of chips into the middle of the table. “Raise.”

“I don’t know why the Insiders come out this way. They have plenty of their own hangs.” Blythe tossed in some chips. “See and raise.”

“He’s coming over here,” Marion whispered to Grace.

“What should I say?”

“You need to intercept that stink before it gets any closer,” Blythe said.

Grace stood up and headed over toward Lucas, not wanting him to walk into an ambush. He stopped and waited next to one of the tables, probably sensing her attempt to keep him at bay.

“Good evening, Grace.” He held out his hand and smiled, showing his impeccable teeth.

“So official. You’re on the Outside; you can drop the formalities.” She shook his hand.

He held on a little too long, causing heat to rush up the back of her neck. She looked at her feet, embarrassed she hadn’t taken time to put on shoes or better clothes. She was still wearing her grubby gear she had on all day. He was clean-shaven, smelling of sandalwood, and had changed into pants and a pristine white shirt.

“What can I say? I like tradition,” he said.

“Yeah, I guess I do, too.” She glanced at her feet again.

Lucas bent down and took off his shiny black shoes and socks. “There. The best of both worlds.” He smiled, and Grace couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “What?” he asked.

“Your feet are so white.”

“I just got here; give me a few minutes.” He laughed. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Grace looked back at her friends in their heated game of poker. Sam folded his hand and kept a close watch on Grace.

“Um, how about we go for a walk? I can give you a tour of the village.”

“Sounds ideal.”

He reached out for her hand to hold it, which she thought was a bold move. She quickly headed out of the Cantina, ignoring his hand. She guided him down the lantern-lined walkway through the main part of the village, pointing to things to keep her hands free. She didn’t know if Insiders were always so forward, but she wasn’t about to let this one make any moves.

“That’s the medical hall. I avoid it at all costs.” She pointed to the large cabin-like building.

“Not a fan of illness?” he grinned.

“No, just blood and gross stuff. You know, like battle wounds.” She pointed to the bandage on her forehead.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.” He put his hands in his pockets and gave her some space.

She continued on with the tour. “And over there is the library.”

“Can we go inside? I rarely get a chance to see books.”

Grace paused, wondering if they should go in or not, but she was running out of options as far as entertaining Lucas. They couldn’t go to the main hall because they were setting up for tryouts, and the farm was too far away.

“Sure, let’s go in. They keep the doors unlocked. For the insomniacs.”

“That’s a pleasant concept, reading a book to go back to sleep.”

“What do you do?”

“Oh, there’s a pill or mist for everything in the city. Surprised it hasn’t found its way out here.”

“The elders do their best to keep Inside things out.” She immediately regretted the words. “I mean, um, I didn’t mean . . .”

“Please, Grace. I understand. This place has a special innocence. It should be protected.”

They stepped into the library, and the scent of stale books filled the air. The relics had been around for centuries. Over the years, the Outsiders had been collecting books that survived the fires during the Repatterning hundreds of years ago.

“I love coming here. That’s the one thing my mother and I have in common. Besides our eyes.” Grace walked over to a shelf and touched the spines of the books, reading the faded titles.

“You have eyes like an Insider,” said Lucas.

“Yeah, well, my mother was one. A pretty famous one. Ava Rhodes. Well, she’s been Ava Strader for a while.”

“You mean the one who . . .”

“You know what? I don’t wanna talk about my mother.”

“Okay, let’s change the subject. What’s your favorite book?” Lucas set his shoes on the floor and walked over to a shelf. He lifted one of the books and held it to his nose.

“Hard to say. So many.”

“If you had to pick one to run away with?” he asked.

“Hmm, one to run away with? Okay, let me think for a second.”

Grace watched Lucas as he strolled down the length of the shelf, tilting his head to read the titles. She wondered why he had made the trek out to Ojai. It wasn’t to apologize for the sword mishap; he had already done that. He must have come to see her again. She liked the way his fingers gently touched the books as he browsed. Her chest warmed up. She hadn’t felt like this over a guy before. The ones in the village avoided her romantically—her sword-fighting skills and high-ranking father intimidated them. Nobody wanted to date the General’s daughter. Her mother’s watchdog, Sam, didn’t help matters. It was a nice change to have someone interested in her who didn’t know her entire story.

“Oh, I know.” Grace went over to a small shelf in the back of the library and grabbed her favorite book. “
Charlotte’s Web
by E.B. White.”

“I’ve never heard of it.” He reached for the book to read the jacket copy. “It’s about a spider who saves a pig from slaughter.”

“Well, it’s really about their friendship,” she said. “It’s an unlikely one.”

“Those are the best kind, aren’t they?” he said, smiling.

Grace returned the smile—a bit uncomfortably—and turned around, pretending to look for another book to hide her blushing cheeks. She felt like a timid girl instead of the most talented sword fighter in the village.

“What’s back here?” Lucas headed toward the walk-in vault.

Her stomach dropped. The vault was off limits. “That’s where we keep the journals from the early days of the Repatterning, as well as current records. The first one dates all the way back to 2027. Have you ever heard of Lillian’s journal?”

“Sounds familiar,” he said.

“Lillian was the original Outsider. During the Repatterning, she escaped from one of the plantations with her boyfriend, Aaron, and a few others. The small band lived in the woods, built up an army, and eventually took down the plantation, freeing the people. They started a new society and became such a strong force they were able to ward off Chief Morray and keep him at bay. They’re the reason this village exists today. Anyway, it was Lillian’s story that inspired my mother to escape the city center. My mom claims it was the key to her people’s freedom.”

“Whoa, that’s incredible. Can we go in?”

“No way. That’s one rule I can’t break.”

“Have you read any of them?”

“I’ve read parts here and there. My mother brings them home for her work.”

“What’s your mother do?”

“She used to be one of the main architects for rebuilding the city after the walls came down, but now she mostly focuses on mainframe searches, and babysitting me.” Grace started to feel uncomfortable and claustrophobic. “We should get going. I have a big day tomorrow. Tryouts for the academy,” she said.

“Oh, you’re trying out for the academy?”

Grace got defensive. “Yeah, you sound surprised.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that I’ll be there this semester.”

Grace didn’t know what to say. He was good on the mat, but not academy material. This gave her a boost of confidence—if he could get in, she’d have no problem. “You already had tryouts?” she asked.

“Last week. They were tough, but if you stay focused, I’m sure you’ll ace them.”

“Stay focused. So—the opposite of what I did today?” Grace smiled.

Lucas laughed and held out his hand again. That time she let him hold her hand as they walked back toward the Cantina. The air was cold, but fresh. They only shared a few words as they walked along the dirt path. Grace was grateful for Lucas’s company. It was just what she needed to clear her head. Now she could get a solid night of sleep and be ready for tryouts in the morning.

When they reached the crossroad, Grace stopped. “I’m this way.”

“Thanks for taking me on a tour.” He stepped in closer.

She inched back a bit and held out her hand. “Nice seeing you again.”

“Good luck tomorrow. Do well, so I can see you again.” Lucas leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. It was barely anything, but it was enough to knock Grace off-kilter. Every single word in her head tied up into a knot, and she couldn’t string together a coherent sentence.

Lucas smiled with those perfect teeth, waved good-bye, and walked off. Grace headed home, her stomach buzzing, a million thoughts swirling around. Now she was wishing Lucas hadn’t shown up the night before the most important day of her life. She felt distracted and rattled. She needed to pull herself together. Tryouts were far more important than a guy. She had to get accepted into the academy. That was something she couldn’t risk. Not for anyone, especially some really good-looking Insider she barely knew.

4

THE MORNING LIGHT rose up through the village and eased its way into Grace’s bedroom. Tryout day had arrived. Far too charged to sleep, she jumped out of bed and started doing some pushups to get her body warmed up.

Joseph stood in the doorway of her bedroom, smiling at his daughter. “Mornin’, Glory Grace. You ready to show them what you’re made of?”

“I was born ready,” she panted.

“Want any last minute advice from an old general?” he asked.

“I’m good, Dad. I think yesterday’s lesson made a strong impact,” she said, motioning her eyes toward her forehead.

“Probably should eat something before you go.”

“I’ll be out in a minute.”

Grace finished her set and stretched her arms, then got dressed. She put her chest protector over her shirt and put her shin guards and neck collar into her bag. She pulled her long brown hair up into a high knot. The cut on her forehead looked better, but there was a slight bruise around the edges of the wound. She threw on a fresh bandage and hoped the judges wouldn’t notice.

“I made some eggs and potatoes.” Ava came from the kitchen and set down the plate of food.

“Wow, Mom. I didn’t know you could cook,” she joked.

“I can, I just don’t like to. But today’s a special day.” Ava sat down next to her daughter.

“So, does this mean you’re on my side?” asked Grace.

“I’m always on your side.” Ava paused for a moment, about to say something, but Grace cut her off.

“This is the most important thing to me in the world.”

“And I stand behind you. I know you’ll do great. If you want any last-minute tips for the technology segment, I’ll be in the audience.”

Grace nodded politely, but knew she wasn’t going to ask her mother for any help. She didn’t want any special favors during tryouts. Straight-up focus and hard work would be good enough. Grace took a few bites of food and got up from the table.

“I better go. Need to get mentally prepared and focused.”

“I’m proud of you, my Grace.” Ava stood up to hug her good-bye, but Grace didn’t want to get sentimental. She needed to stay sharp. Instead, she waved, grabbed her gear, and bolted out the door.

The main hall was humming with excitement. A good portion of the villagers were already packed inside to watch and support the thirty competitors. Silicon Valley tryouts only happened once a year, and this was an important day for everyone. Grace checked out the panel of judges in the front row. There were thirty of them, mostly males, with a few women sprinkled in. The judges would assess each individual across three areas: combat, strategy, and technology. Only four individuals would make it into the academy program to further their training in a specific field: Combat & Weapons, Strategic Development, Digital Communications, and Search & Rescue (the toughest). Grace had her heart set on combat, but she’d be okay with strategy and even digi-comm. The least appealing category was Search & Rescue. Not because of the grueling and challenging searches that would be performed. No; Grace was thinking specifically with regards to the intense emergency service involved. She pushed the thought of it from her mind and looked around for Marion. She almost didn’t recognize her friend, who had her unruly hair tied into a neat bun.

“Looking tight, Marion. How’d you get your hair to obey such a high command?” she teased.

“Figured the judges would pay more attention to my skills this way. My hair can be kinda distracting.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“You ready?” Marion scanned the judges with her big brown eyes. Grace could tell she was nervous.

“Yeah, but you look a little shaky. You’re gonna be great. You have the most precise shot in the village. You’re a born sniper.”

“But only one of us is getting into combat,” Marion said.