Veracity (The Seven Cities Book 1) (19 page)

"I am here to give you some instructions," she says. "New rules of etiquette concerning the first family of the Seven Cities."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," I say confused.

"Axiom was the first of the cities to be built," she says. "The General believes this sets our first family apart from all of the others. It is his desire that this separation is made clear to everyone."

"You've got to be kidding me," I say, shocked.

"I most certainly am not," she replies, insulted.

"You basically just accused her of lying," Sadie whispers, giving me a hard nudge.

"I apologize for being rude," I say to the woman. "I am still adjusting. Please go on," I say, feeling very uneasy by this turn of events.

"Right," she says. "You and your future husband may address the General and his wife by their first names, however everyone else must address them as Sir and Ma'am. Anyone addressing you or your future husband must do the same, even Generals, save for your brother of course. You will have new gowns made and sent to you. You will wear gold with green accents only. So will your future husband."

"I thought people living in the Big House only wore green," I say.

"As of now, you are a member of the first family of the Seven Cities, and will wear gold with green accents." she says robotically.

"I can't believe the other cities are okay with this."

"I suppose they have to be," she says flatly. "Our army is huge and we have the largest population of all the cities. It would be very bad for them if they didn't agree."

"This is going to make my life much more difficult."

"I imagine you are right about that," she says, turning to leave.

As she walks out, Travis walks in, looking very displeased in his new outfit.

"Looks like I have an awkward conversation with my father ahead of me," he says, reaching out for me.

"I can't believe he is setting us apart from everyone like this. The one thing I have been told over and over since returning is not to mess with tradition. Why would he try and put us above everyone else?"

"I can't even begin to guess at his motives," Travis sighs. "While we are here we need to humor him as much as possible, though. We can have a proper discussion about all of this with father when we return."

"No one is going to like this," I say taking his hand.

"No, I don't believe they will."

The ballroom is crowded with anxious young women. Sarah and Laura stand on the fringe of the crowd, deep in conversation. Grayson is of course, sulking in the corner. I know that heartbreak can be a devastating thing, but it's hard to imagine any girl being worth the pain he is putting himself through.

Sarah glides over to us when we come in, gushing over this year's graduates. The task looks daunting and I have to agree with her that it will be hard for us to pick just a handful. The selection process starts on the shallow side, separating the girls based on their physical attributes. We make our way through the crowd, selecting several candidates for each soldier based on their requests. The sad fact is that the majority of the girls are judged based on looks alone. This must be so hard for them.

Laura seems to delight in this step, making little comments about rejected candidates as she filters through them like clothes in a closet.

"This one would be good if she didn't have such thin hair," she tells me.

"Laura, please," I beg. "She is standing right there. Must you be so insensitive?"

"What for? This is the age of honesty isn't it? I can't help if my opinion hurts the feelings of one of these delicate little brides to be. It's my job to sort them, so I sort them."

"You talk as though they are livestock rather than actual people."

"Aren't they though?"

"Laura . . . "

"What? I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It is a good system and one that we need if we are going to thrive as a society, but there is no reason to sugar coat it."

"You could be a bit kinder."

"I could be a lot of things. I could also just be myself. That seems a lot easier don't you think?"

"How would you feel if someone was walking around, making hurtful comments about your appearance?"

"If you are going to try and use an example to convince me to change my ways, you should pick one that is more realistic."

"Really, Laura? You can't seriously be that full of yourself."

"I think you will find that I can," she laughs.

With the ballroom thoroughly sorted, the next step in the selection process is barricading ourselves in a hot room for hours on end, reading a lengthy packet on each girl. The paperwork describes their talents and achievements, as well as likes and dislikes. Sadly, several girls are eliminated at this stage based on their family ranking alone. The task is disheartening and takes forever. We are all burnt out and starving by the time we finish.

Changing before dinner, I find a second golden gown waiting for me. Sadie just shrugs when I shoot her a questioning look, and I slip into it without a word.

Stepping into the massive dinning hall is like stepping into a novel. Hundreds of candles line the walls and hang from massive chandeliers, and endless plates of food are laid out from one end of a long buffet to the other. Dashing young footmen walk in and out of the room, serving food and wine while pretty maids clear the table of plates as fast as they are emptied.

Almost every seat at the massive table is full, and all the guests are dressed in finer clothing than I have seen even in our Big House. The men are in full suits of an elegant dark green, which almost looks black in this lighting. The women wear gowns ranging from emerald to sage, all accented with delicate silver necklaces, belts, and pins. This is a show. My brother and his wife are sending a message they hope get back to the other Generals, "We have the money . . . we have the people . . . we will get what we want."

Mixed in with the sea of green, the gold Sarah, Travis, and I wear stick out in the most garish way. It is impossible not to see that we are segregated, removed from the very class we are supposed to belong to. There is no mistaking the intention of my brother based on our clothing alone.  He means to see us rise above the other families. Doesn't he realize the top is a very dangerous place to be?

This is not how I expected my return to Axiom to go. I was searching for a connection, a sense of belonging, but instead I feel even more alienated than ever before. I don't want to be put above anyone else. I want to melt into the crowd, not be pulled from it. This pedestal I find myself on is a very precarious position that I am not prepared for.

Sarah has hired musicians to sing loudly during the entire meal, so there isn't much conversation. My head is pounding by the time we make it through the four, undeniably delicious, courses. Travis holds my hand tightly through most of the meal, sensing my discomfort and doing his best to lend me support. He brings his lips close to my ear, whispering of Sarah's attempt to drown out any opportunity for us to talk to each other. I suppose it's easier to avoid giving answers if you can't hear the question.

After dinner, I practically crawl back to my suite, never happier to lock myself away in my room. Exhausted, full, and irritable from the constant singing, I undress and fall into bed. I had hoped walking these walls would jog my memory and bring back a sense of who I was, but so far all it has done is make me into something that feels even stranger. I came to find Kat. I have no use for this golden Katherine. Closing my eyes against the disappointment, I fall asleep to the sound of music still drifting up from the party downstairs.

Jack and I are curled up together by the fireplace, as simple meal spread out on the coffee table before us. Jack lowers his head and kisses me. I sigh, and he pulls me closer, kissing me again.

"So you would marry me Kat?" he asks. "If you could?"

"Of course I would. I love our life here. I love you."

He strokes my hair and looks into the fire. He is quiet for so long, I look up to see if he is has fallen asleep. His expression is troubled and I sit up to face him.

"Are they coming for me?"

"Yes."

"I don't want them to! I want to stay here with you. I don't want that life anymore."

"I am not sure that we really have any choice. I keep trying to think of ways to make this work, but so far nothing I come up with seems a safe enough bet."

"I dream of that life sometimes," I say. "Just bits and pieces here and there, faces and flashes of my childhood. I forget most of it by the morning."

"You also have nightmares."

"Yes, they are awful. Blood is everywhere, it's in my eyes and I can't see anything. There is screaming, so much screaming."

"I wish you didn't have to go through that. I would take all that away if I could."

"You do. When I am with you, all that hurt and confusion goes away. You make me forget all the bad, and I can be happy."

I wake up with a start, pulled out of my dream and back into a dark room. The memory of Jack's face is so clear, the intensity of his feelings so vibrant, that for the first time, the love I feel for him doesn't fade as I wake. It stays there, just under the surface, gnawing at me. I can't love him. My life is complicated enough already. I refuse to fall in love with a dream!

Getting up, I pad across the floor, heading toward Sadie's room. I am not supposed to enter the maids quarters, but I will never be able to fall back to sleep if I can't talk this out. I have kept my dreams from her for far too long. In our short time together she has become my closest friend. If anyone can help me sort through these confusing, and nearly always conflicting, emotions it is her.

Making my way quietly to her door, I pull it open and slip inside. Shutting the it behind me, I call out her name. The side table next to the door is supposed to hold a candle and matches, but it's empty. Alarmed, I rush into her room, banging into several pieces of furniture on my way. My suspicions are confirmed when I find her bed empty. What is going on? She should be here! If she is caught outside this room after dark she will be in world of trouble. I sit on her bed, debating my next move. She could be hurt or in trouble, but if she has a good reason to be out, alerting anyone to her absence would make things so much worse.

The doorknob turns, and I hold my breath, willing it to be her. The door creaks open, and the faint light from a small candle slips into the room with Sadie right behind it. Exhaling loudly, I run to her, smacking her sharply across the cheek.

"Oh my goodness!" I cry. "I am so sorry, I had no idea I was going to do that!"

"Ouch," she grimaces. "What the heck are you doing in here?"

"I woke up from a dream and wanted to come talk about it. Where were you? Don't you know how dangerous it is for you to be out this late?"

"Of course I do! I'm not an idiot."

"You are a fool. Why would you even risk it?"

"I was feeling sick. I needed to use the restroom."

"Why didn't you just use mine?"

"I didn't want to wake you, I knew you would worry."

"I would rather you wake me up than get caught breaking curfew. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm better, thank you," she says, sitting next to me on the bed. "It was probably all of that rich food. Did you know they even serve the maids that stuff? I was fine until I laid down, but then everything wanted to come back up."

"Is that your only symptom?" I ask, feeling her head with the back of my hand.

"Yes. Just the nausea."

"It probably was the food then, it was much richer than anything we have in Veracity. I'll leave you alone to try and get some sleep, but promise me that if you start feeling poorly again you will use my restroom and not leave the suite."

"Yes mother," she laughs.

"I'm serious! It is against the rules for you to be wandering around the Big House this time of night."

"Okay! I promise," she laughs again.

Frustrated with Sadie's carelessness, and concerned over her illness, I spend the rest of the night tossing and turning. The morning comes much sooner than I would like, and Sadie comes in, pale and tired looking to help me dress. She seems slightly offended when I tell her she looks awful, but accepts my orders to rest for the day.

Eager to get done and get home, I met with the others in the library to interview the girls. It isn't a terribly long process, as we had them narrowed down pretty well.  When the final girls are chosen, I am surprised by how excited they are. I didn't realize it was considered such a great honor to be picked. There will be feasts for days after we leave, and lavish gifts given to each girl before they make the trip to Veracity. I would have been frightened at the thought of the unknown, but they all seem overjoyed to be leaving.

As we are preparing to leave the empty library, a handsome young man with dark brown hair and almond eyes walks into the room dressed head to toe in gold. Lucas! This is my brother!

"Travis, it's good to see you," he says. "You don't mind if I have some time alone with my sister?"

"Of course not Lucas," Travis says. "It's good to see you, as well. I was under the impression that we would miss you this trip."

"I was handling some business, but when I heard my baby sister was back in Axiom, I rushed back to see her."

Lucas offers me his arm and I take it, my hand shaking the tiniest bit in nervousness, or excitement perhaps. With an affectionate smile, he leads me through a side door out into the garden. While not an extravagant garden like Veracity, it is very pretty with bushes of white roses and flowering trees.

"How have you been Kat?" he asks.

"I'm doing okay. I was confused and disoriented at first of course, but I am settling in."

"Did you recognize me?"

"I recognized myself in you, and knew who you were by your clothes."

"But no real recollection?"

"No, I am sorry. You are a stranger to me."

"That's a shame," he says, shaking his head. "We were so close growing up, inseparable really. It was trendy at that time to raise your own children, and we bypassed the nursery completely. We were not allowed to play with other children, and our parents were very busy, so most of the time it was just us and the nanny."

"I long for the memories I have lost," I say, searching his face. "I was hoping seeing you, and Axiom as a whole, would bring something back but it hasn't."

"It's no secret that I hope your memory never returns. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, much less my sweet sister. Although I do admit it hurts to know what has been lost."

"Lucas, can you tell me about our parents?"

"There will be plenty of time for that," he says, dismissively. "Right now I need to talk to you about your new station."

"Oh," I say disappointed. "Of course."

"You've always been such a good girl," he says patting my hand. "As you know Kat, I have grand designs for the future of our family. Father told me as a young child that he meant for us to rule the Seven Cities, and it is my wish to fulfill his dream."

"To rule? Like a King? Lucas, it was dangerous enough to set ourselves apart from the others. I can't imagine how bad it will be to declare ourselves as royalty!"

"Not dangerous at all," he smiles. "No other city is in a position to stop me. I won't do it all at once though. By the time I am fully in charge, they will just be realizing I am up to something. "

"That sounds like the Seven."