Ascent (4 page)

I turn off my screen, grab my things, and follow the others outside.

The heat is like a blast from a hand dryer. I place my sunglasses over my eyes to block out the piercing glare.

The spy pulls her suitcase behind her on the way to a van that’s waiting for us. There’s a man, dressed similarly to the man on the plane, waiting outside the van. Matt is in front of me. He pauses and looks over his shoulder. When he sees me coming, he stops and waits.

“Excited?” he asks over the roar of a plane landing on the runway next to ours.

“Yeah, you?”

He shrugs. “Curious. I have no idea what to expect. This is only the second class they’ve had at IYD. Last year the others were sworn to silence. I heard they lost a member.”

Ah yes, the rumors about Norris Chen floated around the forums when the word got out that IYD was accepting applications. Not everyone wanted to apply to a school that might end up being responsible for your demise.

“We’re guinea pigs. Just remember that and you’ll be fine.”

I walk towards the van and step in. The spy glances my direction and returns to her magazine. I look over her shoulder. It’s one of those glossy-paged magazines packed full of snapshots of movie stars walking around sunny California. Nobody cares about movie stars these days.

I buckle my seatbelt. The cool air from the air conditioning dries my face. Matt gets in and sits in the back row. The man in the khaki suit slides the door closed and gets in the driver’s seat to take us to our temporary home.

Chapter Six

Farrah-Kate

I sit in the front seat of the van in silence. None of us are sat together. My bag sits on the seat next to me while I watch the van turn down the street towards the Strip. The road is bumper-to-bumper cars. Taxis dart in and out of traffic. They drive so close to the van that I can see inside their vehicles. Everyone looks like they’re having a good time.

It’s a façade. The world is changing. People like to turn off the reality of life and Las Vegas is the perfect place to come to forget.

The sun drifts towards the horizon and the lights from the Strip glitter in the distance. Nostalgia crosses my mind for a moment. I think back to a vacation with Mom. I remember swimming in the pool. Mom loved to go to Las Vegas with her movie star friends. She used to sit at the edge of the pool in her movie star sunglasses while I splashed around in the pool. She made Dad watch me at night while she went out dancing with friends. I remember eating at buffets while Dad told me stories of his life growing up. Everyone looked so happy then.

It seems like a lifetime ago.

We approach an intersection and the driver moves into the right hand-lane. The sidewalks are filled with vacationers. The light turns green and a group of men walk into the road anyway. Our driver honks his horn and one of the pedestrians holds up his middle finger. The van lurches forward and the pedestrians scatter.

We ease our way through traffic towards the hotel. Flashing lights glow as the day’s light disappears. All over America, people are eating dinner right now – but here, this city, is just coming alive.

I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into.

I haven’t spoken to anybody else. I don’t know what to say. IYD is a stretch for me. I’m an actress, not a political prospect or a scientist. But I saw Matt Fenton here. And I’m not surprised. Matt was named All-American Athlete of the Year. The Party cares about sports and charisma. A guy like Matt is loaded with charisma. That’s the one thing about the Party. They need entertainment recruits to be someone people can relate to. Everyone wants to be like Matt. Makes me wonder why I was asked to join the Party.

The van inches its way down the narrow street, past the crowds of people leaving their jobs at the casinos. Gamblers amble by, sure that luck is on their side tonight. They’re oblivious to the fact that the newest political party in America has set up headquarters amongst them.

The van is inconspicuous. Anyone could be in it. Heads glance in our direction. I spot a boy in gray pants and a dirty t-shirt sitting next to his mom at a bus stop. He lifts a chubby arm in the air and waves.

I wave back and wonder if he can see me through the dark, tinted glass.

A girl sits on the bus stop bench next to them. The bus stop is covered with graffiti. Someone painted an American flag with a solo star on top. That’s the Party’s symbol. I’m pretty sure the girl is too young to be outside by herself. She’s right on the edge of the seat, dangling her Mary Jane shoes a couple of feet from the ground. Her legs swing back and forth. She watches the van drive by like she’s waiting for it to stop. It doesn’t stop though. She’s not on her way to IYD.

We pass casinos as we drive down the Las Vegas Strip. We pass the Bellagio to my left. The fountains spew water into the air. Music pushes through the tightly closed windows. I want to roll down my window, to take in the sights, to listen to the sounds… But I don’t dare. I’m sure the windows are closed for a reason.

I try to imagine what Las Vegas was like when Mom was alive. She used to talk about those days. It’s hard to even imagine how life used to be. My trips with her are a distant memory. Life was so exciting then, so full of possibilities. It’s amazing how things change.

The van snakes its way towards the end of the Strip. To Winn Hotel. You can almost hear it slither…

***

The Winn Hotel and Casino used to be the place to go in Las Vegas. Marvin Winn is the richest casino owner in the world. He’s also the founder of IYD. Marvin is a firm believer that the US needs to keep up with the other countries in scientific research and youth development. When the Party was started, Marvin was one of the first contributors. It’s the perfect political party for someone like Marvin. More people are joining the Party. With the way things are going in the US, it’s no wonder. Even though the Party is run by the rich, it’s the only party that ever comes up with solutions to our country’s problems.

The bus takes a right and drives around the hotel. We pass a parking garage entrance. A security guard waves at our bus driver and our driver waves back. Delivery trucks are parked in the spaces that line the hotel.

For a minute I think we’re heading back out to the road. But the bus makes a left and faces a cement wall. There’s a large sign that says ‘No Trespassing’ on the front. I stand up to get off but the driver motions for me to sit back down. The driver pushes buttons on a keypad on the dash of the bus and the wall opens up. It reveals a room that looks like a brightly lit hangar. Once the bus drives inside, the wall closes behind us.

I look out the window at the room.

It’s closed off to the rest of the world. Outside members of the Party, I doubt anybody even knows where we are.

There’s no turning back.

***

Security is everywhere. You can tell the difference between Party members and security by their clothes. Security members are clad in all black and bulletproof vests, toting assault rifles. Party members wear khaki pants and white blouses. A few are wearing khaki jackets. The women wear skirts. Hotel staff are non-Party members. They wear Winn Hotel uniforms. Everyone wears something that tells us their place. Except us. We’re wearing our clothes from home.

We enter the lobby, behind a rope that separates us from the hotel’s guests. Winn Hotel isn’t open to the public. Only members of the Party are allowed to vacation at the hotel. It’s the only hotel in Las Vegas that is membership only.

“Welcome!” A woman walks in wearing light khaki pants and a white blouse. She’s got super short, almost white hair and she’s so skinny she looks like a cigarette – all she needs is some type of brown hat to finish the look. She’s wearing the Party uniform. It hangs off of her like she forgot to eat for a week, or they didn’t make one small enough to fit her frame. “I’m glad we have everyone here. I’m Lisa Miller – President of Youth Development – and I’m in charge of the program that will make you future leaders of America. Welcome to Winn Hotel. Marvin Winn is one of the Party’s founders. You’ll get to know him later.” She claps her hands together and smiles. Only it’s not a real smile. It reminds me of a cat sneering at its prey the moment before it eats it.

A man joins her. He’s huge. Like 6’6” with broad shoulders. He’s dressed in all black. But nice eyes. He smiles at us. “Hello,” he says.

“And this is Liam, head of security and the person who will have his eyes on you.”

“Don’t worry, though: I’m here to protect you. Not to scare you.”

“I need to make you aware of where you are allowed in the Hotel. I’m here to show you your rooms and the common area where you can get together to meet outside of class. You’ll be allowed in the common area, your rooms, the cafeteria, the business center, and the pool. Everything else is off-limits unless you get prior permission. You are never allowed off hotel grounds unless escorted by security.” She looks us each in the eye. “You understand? Never.”

Liam repeats: “Understand?” He’s the authority figure. He makes sure we are paying attention.

We nod our heads, everyone is too scared to say anything else.

“Okay then!” Lisa claps her hands together. “Leave your things here while I show you around. We’ll have the staff take your things to your rooms.”

***

We first tour the hotel and then are shown to each of our rooms in turn. My room is next to a girl named Casey. We’re on the fifteenth floor. Floors one through twelve are for hotel visitors and guests of the Party. Higher floors mean more importance. We’re above the staff, but below the Party members.

I open the curtains. Lights illuminate the Strip. The Party is busy at work. They work 24/7. I guess that’s why their headquarters are in Las Vegas. It’s perfect.

I flip on the TV. All that’s on is Party news. All pre-approved, of course. Nothing bad happens, at least according to the Party news it doesn’t. Unless the opposition has an uprising you’d think the whole world was all peaches and cherries and butterflies.

You can tell the newscasters haven’t been out in the suburbs lately to see how everything’s changing.

I turn off the TV and decide to head down to the common area to see if anything is going on.

***

The common area is a large room set aside for the trainees to gather and stay separate from the hotel guests. It’s a huge room with a pool table, TVs, couches, two refrigerators, and a large table. The guys are already in the common area. I walk towards the couch where they’re sitting and wonder if Matt will recognize me. I can’t believe he’s here.

There’s a strawberry blonde guy next to him whose nose is sprinkled with freckles. He’s the first to speak to me. He was so weird on the plane on the way down here. I felt him staring at me, almost as if there was something wrong.

“What’s up?” He gives me a suspicious look, like maybe I’m not supposed to be here or something.

“Hi, I’m Farrah-Kate Ryan.”

“Rick. Nice to meet you.” He pauses while he shakes my hand. “Are you an American?”

His question throws me off. Part of the admission requirement to attend the Institute for Youth Development is to be an American. “Yeah, isn’t everybody that comes here?”

“I guess so.”

Out of the corner of my eye I notice Matt watching the exchange with amusement. I feel like I’m on the receiving end of some kind of joke.

Fortunately, he saves me. “I’m Matt.” He stands up and holds out his hand. “We’ve met before, right?”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I want to tell him that of course I know who he is but my tongue’s stuck. Matt tilts his head and smiles. What’s Matt doing here? Matt’s an all-state quarterback that every girl in the state of California drools over.

He looks at me like he’s waiting for me to say something.

What am I, mute now?

“Yeah, I think so,” I spew.

“I’m surprised to see you at IYD. Aren’t you working this summer?”

Working. It’s been a long time since I’ve been offered an acting job. “No. It’s why I came here. Joining the Party will open all sorts of opportunities for me.” It’s short and to the point. I don’t want to talk about my disappointing career. So now it’s his turn. I want to know why
he’s
here. “Why are you spending the summer at IYD?” I can’t help but ask. I can’t believe he’s here.

I’m spending the summer with Matt Fenton?

Rick must think the same thing. “Why’d you come here rather than football camp?”

“There’s more to life than football. I’m trying to expand my
mind
. Football’s not important anyway: leading the country is. I’m here to help put America back on the path to prosperity.”

Rick nods like he knows exactly what Matt means, although I’m not sure he does.

“How ‘bout you, Farrah-Kate? Outside of acting, are you a future leader of America?”

I go to say something, but I falter. I can’t tell them about my plan. It’s something I’d rather keep to myself. Why didn’t I prepare an answer to that question? “Um … It’s a good opportunity. I want to contribute to society. Joining the Party is the only way to make a difference. There’s a lot to learn at IYD. I’m excited to be here.”