Under My Skin (2 page)

“You wear the clothes of a field hand, yet your hands are soft.”

A field hand?
That was harsh. A reply lingered on my tongue, but something about her, from her perfectly straight back to her tightening grip on my wrist made me pause. Only a predator gazed at prey in such a manner.

“It says here you work with your mother. Her profession is a bookkeeper.” She blinked while her index finger rubbed her thumb. “Do you have a formal education?”
 

“Why?” What I actually wanted to say was, “What difference would it make, since I won’t pass the test?”

“Fewer and fewer are born to be a Water Bearer,” she said.

“I don’t think I’m one.” I tried to pull my hand away. “I’d make a poor servant.”

Her lips, which had formed a straight line, now offered a chilling smile. “My dear, you are a prize. I hope you’re not snatched away before I have a chance to bid on you.”

Bid on me?
My swallow got stuck in my throat. I fought to take in a breath as my chest constricted. “What are you saying?”

“Congratulations are in order, Tate. You’ve passed the test.”

I’d passed. Words that had always conveyed a positive outcome now meant something far darker.

The same blonde girl who directed me to my booth led me out of the gymnasium, and I followed her, my head floating above my body. What just happened seemed unreal.

“Do I get to go back home before I start working?” I asked the Water Bearer in front of me. “I don’t have any clothes or anything.”

She didn’t answer when I asked again.

“Hey!” I grabbed her arm, and the blank expression she wore turned into a snarl.

“You need to control yourself, or I’ll call an enforcer.”

I quickly let go of her. The tall blonde looked me up and down, her frown sliding into a smile. “You might just be one of the smart ones.”

She closed in on me. “You need to make this easy for both of us. Do as you’re told.”

A flicker of pity shadowed her face for a moment, but the expression quickly vanished. She turned sharply and kept going. Reluctantly, I did what she wanted me to do. We weaved through a few hallways and I just walked. Almost every part of me was numb, except for my stomach. The rising feeling of panic in my gut tightened to painful levels—until we reached a waiting room.
 

Four others sat on what had to be the most uncomfortable-looking wooden benches.

One of them was Zoe.

I rushed to her, and she hugged me as hard as I hugged her.

“I can’t believe I passed,” she whispered to me. “Or that you did, too.”

Everyone had a suitcase next to their feet, except us.

We sat down next to each other. Feeling her shoulder touch mine offered a bit of reassurance. It was almost as if her presence anchored me somehow. Our gaze remained fixed on the door. Any minute now my parents would show up to say goodbye, perhaps even tell me the whole thing was a mistake. The creepy woman had been wrong. I was a normal girl. A Sullivan who’d head home like my parents did.

But what about Zoe?
She’d passed, too.

“Did some guy touch your hand, then say you passed?” she asked me.

“Some weird lady was in my booth.”

She released a long sigh. A rare sound from her. When Zoe’s dad was murdered last year, leaving my aunt with three kids, it was Zoe who’d run my aunt’s household while my aunt mourned. When my cousin heard bad news, she processed the information with silence and took action shortly afterward. Whatever pain she had, she buried it deeply inside.

Her silence prickled the panic I’d quelled.

“We need to talk to someone with authority before they take us away,” I finally said.

“Both of our parents had failed so I assumed…” She chuckled.

“I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

We shared a laugh and the tension inside me unwound a bit. The compromised Sullivan failure rate was about the only amusing thing in our situation. The drab white walls in the waiting room made the space appear too small, like it was squeezing us in. I closed my eyes and opened them again.

Still here.

“We’ll be fine,” the girl I knew well said with strength in her voice. “The Guild provides everything.”

I didn’t want what the Guild had to offer.

Around us, the others in the room chatted among themselves.
 

Zoe continued to stare down the door as if she’d tackle anyone who came through it. She had the most beautiful skin that was a rich almond color like my dad, blemish free and only a few shades darker than mine. The tight braids flowing down her back were still as neat as the day my aunt had done her hair. The plaits were as put together as she was right now. She’d been plucked from her family, yet, like everyone else, she hid any apprehension she had.

Why couldn’t I feel the same?
 

Another girl from across the room spoke to Zoe. “I can’t wait for them to show up either.” The olive-skinned, brown-haired girl grinned. “My dad couldn’t wait for me to qualify for testing. Ever since they reduced rations in my village, he’s been trying to see which of my brothers and sisters might pass the test.”

I cringed at the thought. Parents couldn’t wait to give their kids away?

In a town as small as where I lived, most folks became fishermen, dock workers, or toiled away at the area’s growing number of fish farms. They valued their children, since they’d be the ones to take over the family business.

Even if we were leaving our families behind, at least they’d get the money we earned.

The brown-haired girl introduced herself as Eva. Based on the conversation from the two guys, I gathered their names were Albert and Casper. They discussed the current season of Gladiator Ball. Dad watched it on the communications console, but I didn’t care for it. Just a bunch of men with guns and other weapons, trying to get a single ball across a vast field into the opposing team’s goal. My dad spent more time grumbling at the screen than watching it.

Eva left her seat to move to the free chair to my left. “Do you know anything about the training?” Eva asked Zoe.

“Not much. Just rumors about how much they have to work,” Zoe said. “We have an Administrator living outside of town. He’s supposed to be in control and everything, but we never see him or his Water Bearers.”

Eva nodded. “We don’t see ours either. My dad’s been trying for years to get their attention, since he’s a merchant, but they’re exclusive about who they work with.” Eva smoothed over her dark blue dress. A pretty one. “I guess I’ve succeeded where he failed, since I get a chance to work with the Guild now. I can’t wait to get hired.”

The children of merchants, like Eva, fared far better than most. A part of their wealth showed in the faint scent that wafted from her. Nutmeg. With all their connections, the merchants purchased such spices and the expensive candies made from them. Danny and I enjoyed the candy once or twice a year.

Before Eva spoke again, the door opened. The dark-haired girl who had greeted us at the door and handed out packets strolled in with her assistant. From the way she carried herself, she had to be a few years older than us. She wore the light blue coat of the Water Bearers. Up close, the fine details in her coat were much clearer: the silver stitches along the sleeves and the golden buttons down the front. The severity of her pinned-back hair, the straight line of her lips, and lowered eyebrows added a knife-like edge to her demeanor.

“Far less than last year,” she said. “Not good.”

Her assistant nodded and jotted some notes on her compu-tablet. The girl had the same creamy complexion and light blue coat as the dark-haired girl, but she didn’t assess us with the same cold stare. “Perhaps there’ll be more Aspirants in Yardley?”

The greeter rolled her eyes then addressed us. “I’m Astrid. I’ll be escorting you to the Training Facility in Easton.”

Eva’s entire face blossomed into a smile. “The Training Facility’s there? I’ve always wanted clearance.”

Albert and Casper, who’d ignored us until that point, were also excited.

“I also want to know when the stipend begins.” Eva smirked at Astrid.

Not long after Astrid and her assistant entered the room, the discussion had turned to money. I was also interested in the answer, but I hoped I didn’t look as desperate as Eva.
 

Astrid crossed her arms. “Your stipends will begin when you complete your initiation as a Water Bearer.”

“How long until that happens?” Eva asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Eva wasn’t done yet. “‘Cause my family expects me to start pulling my weight as soon as possible.”

“Pick up your belongings,” Astrid said, ignoring her question. “It’s time to take the transport to Easton.”

Everyone, other than Zoe and I, picked up their suitcases. “Will we get a chance to say goodbye to our families?” I finally asked.

“Didn’t you read the packet?” Astrid continued to usher us out of the room. I was the last to leave, so I followed Zoe. “You’re now Aspirants of the Water Bearers. You won’t ever see your family again. No one is allowed to pollute you.”

Cloud cover only partially hid the view of the lands below, but it was still nothing like I’d ever seen. It was my first flight, and the transport ship was nothing like the occasional drives in the solar-car to Grandma’s house.

“Isn’t it breathtaking?” Zoe asked from the seat beside mine.

“It is, but it’s not home.”

Zoe wrapped her arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “We’ve lived in our hometown forever. A change like this might be good for us.” She appeared thoughtful for a moment. “With four family members crammed into a two-bedroom house, I rarely got a chance to be by myself.”

“That’s true.” Danny and I had to share a room. “I’ve always wanted to live someplace else—but becoming a Water Bearer wasn’t exactly a part of the plan.”

“But sometimes, it’s the most unexpected plans that lead to the most fascinating places.”

Her wide grin was infectious, spreading across her face to reveal perfect dimples. What I wouldn’t give to have a smile like that.

“What about Paul?” I added.

“He’s just one boy. Many more will ask you out in the future. I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true. You’ll get asked again.”

Three endless hours later, we reached Easton. The city’s lights beyond our windows shined into the cabin. Compared to the skyline in North City, Easton was far more beautiful. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains on all sides, the city’s towers extended into the sky like shards of grey ice crystals. From the vids I’d seen on a compu-tablet, one skyscraper appeared the same as any other, except here.

Other transport ships crossed the sky, blinking out of sight as they passed in front of massive advertisement screens. A beautiful model selling facial cream presented her tube next to another video swirling with vibrant colors. The others around me buzzed with excitement. “Everything looks so amazing,” Zoe said.

“It makes me want to see the capitol and the Prime Minister’s palace even more,” Eva replied.

Zoe laughed softly. “One step at a time. We’re lucky to be in Easton right now.”

Across from the girls, Casper and Albert checked out Eva. Albert gestured twice, cupping his chest while Casper hooted with laughter.
 

“You ever seen them that big before?” Albert asked Casper with a chuckle.
 

“Not where I’m from.” Casper’s eyebrows danced.

Before I turned away, Albert caught me staring. Casper’s head whipped in my direction to see where Albert was looking.
Ugh, here it comes.
Heat filled my cheeks as I tried to remember what my mom told me.
There are countless reasons why people stare, Tate. Choose one of three responses I taught you, and you’ll be fine.

So I settled for response number one:
When you stare back at others with kindness, instead of malicious intent, you might find out they were just curious.
So I smiled at them.

They didn’t smile back.

Instead, Casper touched his lip, and then whispered to Albert, who laughed in response. From past experience, I didn’t need to hear what they had to say. Plenty of strangers passing through my village had said the words out loud: “Scarface, Scar Lip, Lip Dip…”
 

“Hey, Eva,” Casper called. “You ever hear about what happens to the Aspirants who don’t pass the training?” He flashed a grin to Albert. “The ones who pass but are too defective to become a Water Bearer?”

Eva twisted in her seat and rolled her eyes. “Of course.” She pursed her glossy lips at them. “What’s your damage? Are both of you scared your lack of intel will mark you as defective before we get there?”

“I was just wondering if anyone’s seen any defectives leave the building. You know, the cripples.” He leaned forward and stole a glance in my direction. “The scarred.”

Eva didn’t seem as amused. “I don’t think people like that would qualify to test in the first place. From what my dad told me, the Guild picked us based on how well we’ll be able to work for them. That’s why they check out our profile on the network before the test. Based on our medical background, our family gets a network message for us to go in for testing.”

“Yeah. My older sister Kirsten didn’t get an invitation to test two years ago,” Albert said. “She’d lost her arm in an accident when we were little.”

Casper laughed. “I guess someone with one arm isn’t as good as someone who’s scarred.”

Albert gave Casper a dirty look and a shoulder punch. In my opinion, he deserved it.

Zoe simmered beside me. “You have no room to talk, Casper. The way I see it, you barely passed the test in the first place. Why don’t you tell us about your little talk with the Guild?”

Casper squirmed in his seat. “Er… what talk?”

“I believe I heard somebody who sounded like you in booth five make monetary promises to pass.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Albert said.

A voice from outside our circle chimed in. “Because you’ll never receive a true bid from the Guild.” Our heads turned to see Astrid staring at us. The blank expression on her face darkened. “In the end, it doesn’t matter how much money you offer them.”