Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
When the music stops there is a sea of girls in pretty blue dresses filling the entire circular area at the top of the ballroom, the space directly at the foot of the stage where our glass globe is.
Then the spotlights, which have been blocking us from view inside the globe, go out. This is the cue for Gemna, Haryet, and myself to walk forward and stand in front of the Little Sisters.
I’m in the center, because we always stand in numerical order on stage and I’m number nine, so I have the only spoken lines of the night. “Welcome, everyone,” I say, projecting my voice to the very ends of the massive ballroom. “Welcome to the very first Choosing celebration of the one-hundred-and-twenty-first Tower God Extraction! Please give all seventy-five of our new Little Sisters the warmest of welcomes!”
Aside from the Extraction number, these lines never change. And although I have never said them myself, since this is my first time being center Maiden at the first Choosing celebration, I have known this day was coming for ten years now, so it all comes out in perfect order, just like it’s supposed to.
Then Finn’s voice is bounding through the ballroom. “Yes, welcome, everyone!”
He’s stage left on a special landing halfway between the second level and the upper balconies, and the thing I immediately pick up about him is that he’s calm. Like his father is not in the health center and the god has not been called upon to help him heal.
“You’re probably wondering what I’m doing up here. Well, my father decided to throw me in the deep water and see if I could swim, so I’m taking over for him tonight—and I promise, Extraction Master, I will not disappoint!”
There’s some chuckling here from the crowd as Finn pauses to look stage right and salute. We all look stage right, expecting Aldo to be there, smiling down at his son from the upper balcony or something.
But of course he’s not there. Because he is in the health center.
Finn doesn’t give the crowd time to wonder about this, or question where Aldo might be. He gives them just enough time to think they saw him, and then he’s talking again.
I stop listening though. Because I’m suddenly caught up in this lie.
Because that’s what he’s doing. Finn is lying to the people. Trying to preserve the good mood of the night, I suppose.
But it kinda rubs me the wrong way. Aldo is injured and the god has been called in for special rations of spark. The proper thing to do here is to chuck these Little Sisters aside and have everybody bow their heads and pray for him. Begging the god to spare his life. Giving up every little bit of city spark we have available to heal him.
And that’s not what happens. What happens is that things go on like Aldo is not injured and possibly dying.
I let out a breath, trying to control my… well, I’m not sure what I’m feeling, so I don’t have a word for it. It’s not anger, that’s too strong. But it’s much more than dissatisfaction.
But the ceremony goes on around me and then it’s time for Haryet, Gemna, and I to leave the stage and make our way up the stairs to a mezzanine platform on the same level where Finn is standing, only on the opposite side of the ballroom. He’s already introducing Little Sister number ten by the time we take our seats.
I’m barely paying attention at this point. Much too worried about Aldo to care about these girls in blue as they muster up pathetic displays of spark power—case in point, this girl, number ten, is showing her spark through her eyes. Which are already blue so, yeah. Not only is this trick way overdone, but it has almost no effect.
Still, Finn smiles at her, clapping politely as she exits and he calls the next girl in line.
I want to get up and march right over to the health center to hold Aldo’s hand and beg the god to make him well. But of course, there is no chance of that. I won’t be getting out of here for hours, at least. Not until every last girl has been introduced and all the dancing is over.
I huff, making Haryet turn her head in my direction and whisper, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m… my feet hurt.” It’s the best I can come up with on the spot. I’m not much of a liar. Can’t even remember the last time I told a lie, even one as small as this. But I suppose I must lie. Otherwise I’ll just upset everyone.
I guess Finn came to the same conclusion, so maybe I’m overreacting.
Haryet lets out a breath, then reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Mine too, sister. But I’m busy picturing life after all this is over. And we’re so close now, it doesn’t even feel like a dream anymore.” She gives my hand another squeeze, then lets go and straightens her back, pretending to pay attention.