Exceptional (5 page)

When Ally awoke the following morning, she had almost forgotten where she had fallen asleep.  The night before had been a blur, especially after Aden had stalked out of the room.   Luke had introduced her to the other workers in the house before they all sat down for dinner.  His presence seemed to make the three younger Ordinarys somber, and they ended up eating the majority of the meal in silence.  Luke’s father called him into his office toward the end of the meal and he excused himself quickly.  Asher and Flint, the two boys, shoveled their food down fast and disappeared to work on their final chores.   Sabine had gone to finish some laundry, which left Ally in the kitchen with just Mazzi.  In the end, Ally went up to their room on her own and settled into bed, falling asleep quickly.

The events of the previous day still floated through her mind like a fog.  She’d been so overwhelmed by the sight of the City, Luke, and her new home, that she hadn’t processed many emotions last night.  Luke had tried to be kind to her, had even tried to make her laugh, but she had felt nothing.   Hadn’t she thought about volunteering to come here just a few months back?  She decided that there would have been more preparation involved.  She would have been ready to enter the City and take on her new job.  But yesterday she had fully expected to be back in the settlement with her family.  Today was Tuesday, a workday, and she probably would have been up and getting ready for a long day of gathering.

She battled her way out of the overly plush blanket on the bed and swung her feet over the edge.  She noticed a fresh pair of clothes sitting on the dresser near the door.  Had Sabine put those there or someone else?  She looked down at her own clothes.  They were ratty and dirty, and she was sure they smelled worse than anything else in this house ever had.  She grabbed the clean pile of clothes, which she realized were the same muted gray color she had seen on Luke yesterday, and found her way down the hall and into the shared bathroom.

Back at the settlement most bathroom needs were taken care of outside since the houses didn’t have running water.  They did have electricity though, which was provided by the City.  It was a foreign motion for her to grab onto the handle of the faucet and turn it on.  The water even came out warm, which didn’t happen at home unless they boiled it under a fire.  She splashed some on her face, letting it drip down her cheeks and onto her worn shirt.

“You’re up!” The voice startled Ally, and she turned around with her arms raised protectively.

Sabine stood in the doorway, a large grin on her face.  She was dressed in the same gray clothes that Ally had taken from the dresser, and her long, red hair was pulled back into a braid.  Ally relaxed almost immediately, happy to see a friendly face.

“I’m supposed to show you how the shower works, and where your supply of clothes will be held,” Sabine said, stepping into the bathroom.

She walked over to the shower in the corner and opened the glass door.  Ally had a shower in the bathroom she shared with her mother, but it was nonfunctional so they used it to store extra belongings.

“You grab this handle and turn it to the left.  Try to match this arrow up with the middle of the red area, which seems to be a good shower temperature in my opinion.  When you are finished you just turn it all the way to the right.”  She stepped away from the shower and flashed Ally another smile.  “The white bottle there is a cleanser for your hair, and there is a fresh bar of soap in the corner.  Got it?”

Ally just nodded, thinking it sounded simple enough.

“Good.  Your clothes are kept in the dresser where you found today’s pair.  You’ll have seven sets of clothes since laundry goes out to be done once a week.  Mr. Mathias might eventually give you a chore list, but I’m not sure when, or if he even will.”

“Aden?”

“Luke,” Sabine said slowly.

“Oh, so I should call him Mr. Mathias as well?”

Sabine giggled.  “That or Mr. Lukin.  You’ll catch on quick.  Soon it will be second nature to call him something so formal.”

Sabine rambled on about Ordinary meal times and rules for behavior.  According to Sabine, they were only allowed to leave the property on work order, but they could go into the backyard at any time.  They were also never to address the housemasters unless spoken to first.  Ally had already broken that rule yesterday when she addressed Aden, and all the times she had spoken to Luke the day before.  Finally, Sabine slipped from the bathroom and left Ally in peace.

She slipped out of her clothes and put them in a pile by the door.  She would need to throw those into the trash once she was ready to go downstairs.  She stepped into the shower and walked through what Sabine had shown her.  Ally heard the pipes creak as water sprinkled from the showerhead up above.   Cold water fell over her body, but she didn’t mind.  She was used to taking cold baths, and in a matter of seconds the water heated up to a comfortable level.

She grabbed the bottle that Sabine had said was hair cleanser.  Back in the settlement they rinsed their hair with water from the creek, nothing additional.  She twisted the cap off the bottle and tipped it toward her free hand.  More than thought she might be required to use poured out into her hand, but she worked it all into her long hair anyway.  The substance changed as she worked it in deeper, leaving Ally’s hands covered in white foam.  She rinsed the foam from her hair and then used the bar of soap, something she at least recognized from home.

Ten minutes later she was clean, dry, and dressed in her new clothes.  The clothes were similar to the ones she had previously owned, except the material felt softer and more durable.  She used her fingers to brush her hair out since she couldn’t find a comb, and let it hang loose behind her.   When she stepped out into the hall, Sabine was waiting for her.

 “Feel better?” she asked.
   
       
Ally nodded and followed Sabine down the stairs and into the kitchen.
    ASHER AND FLINT were already standing by the counter, occupying the same space Aden stood in last night.  Ally had dreamt of his dangerous eyes last night, not being able to shake the fear of him quite yet.  She had tried to appear brave when she spoke to him, but he had a menacing way about him.  

A few minutes later, Mazzi served them each a plate of eggs, toast, and what looked some sort of meat.  They all sat down at the table together and Ally dug into her breakfast.  She hadn’t eaten much dinner last night and as the smell of eggs reached her nose, her stomach rumbled in protest.  

    The Ordinary that Ally thought she remembered as Asher leaned toward her.  “Oakwood settlement?”
   
       
She paused mid bite and nodded.  “How did you know?”
   
       
The male next to him rolled his eyes.  “Asher here has a knack for guessing which settlement an Ordinary originated from.”
   
       
“I’m always right, Flint.”
   
       
“95% of the time…”
   
       
Ally smiled and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, showing them the marking on her wrist.
   
       
“I’ve only see a handful of those before,” Sabine said as she leaned in for a closer look.  “Does it hurt when they do that?”
   
       
“Oh yeah, a ton.” Ally ran her finger over the bumpy scar.  “But they give you a special ointment afterward that dulls the pain.  Don’t you all have one?”
   
       
“We aren’t from the settlements,” Asher said.  “We were all born and raised in the city.”
   
       
Ally knew her mouth was hanging open but she didn’t care at the moment.  “Born in the City?  I didn’t know that happened.”
   
       
Asher and Flint both laughed out loud and Sabine shot her a confused look.      “What did you think happened to all the Ordinarys?  That we worked our lives away and died with out marrying, or having children, or any of that?” Sabine said.
   
       
Ally pursed her lips.  “I guess I hadn’t given it much thought before now.”
   
       
Their conversation was interrupted as Mrs. Mathias bounced into the room, barking orders at Mazzi.  She tapped her long fingernails on the shiny black counter top while the cook ran around trying to prepare her order.
   
       
“Good morning, Ally,” She said, her bright pink lips forming a smile.  “I see you’ve met the others.  I hope they are helping you make a smooth transition into our home.”
   
       
“Yes, very much so.” Ally responded as politely as she could, realizing that since she had been spoken to first, she could speak back.
   
       
“Good good!” Mrs. Mathias spurted out, grabbing the plate that Mazzi had just laid on the counter.  “Lots to do today.”
   
       
She disappeared from the room just as quickly as she had come, leaving them all staring after her.
   
       
“She likes you,” Asher said when they heard Mrs. Mathias slam a door in the distance.  “Consider yourself lucky.”
   
       
“That’s because Mr. Lukin has claimed her,” Sabine giggled.
   
       
Ally perked up.  “Oh, I meant to ask you about that.  What exactly does it mean when you say he
claimed
me?”
   
       
The table fell into an awkward silence.  Even the kitchen grew quiet, when just a moment ago it had been filled with the sounds of Mazzi cleaning the dishes.  Flint suddenly became very interested in his food and Asher cleared his throat.
   
       
“Let me take you on a tour,” Sabine said, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.  
         
“We don’t want you getting lost.”
   
       
Ally thought about bringing the subject back to her question, but decided there was time for that later.  Right now, a tour of Luke’s home sounded interesting.
   
       
First she learned that the darkened hallway on the first floor was completely off limits to Ordinarys.  She was pretty sure it was the same hall that Mrs. Mathias had disappeared down earlier.  There was a sitting room on the first floor that held hundreds of books; a room Sabine had called a library.  Back at the settlement, all of the remaining books were kept in glass cases.  A few times a year one of the adults would read one out loud to them all, but no one else was allowed to touch the book.
   
       
Sabine informed Ally that the black object in the foyer was a piano and that it made music when played correctly.  When she asked if anyone in the home could play it she just smiled and pulled Ally into the next room, quickly becoming an expert at avoiding questions.  There was a large dining room toward the front of the house where Aden sometimes hosted parties.  Most of the second floor was devoted to guest rooms, except for two rooms at the end.  Asher and Flint occupied one, and Sabine occupied the other.  Luke’s room was at the opposite end of the hall, and also off limits unless a work order said to enter.
   
       
Sabine paused at the railing that overlooked the foyer.  “Ally, what do you know about your purpose here?”
   
       
“Nothing.  One moment I was playing a seemingly innocent game in the woods, and the next I was being brought in by the Exceptional Guards,” Ally responded.
   
       
“You mean you didn’t volunteer?”
   
       
Ally shook her head.  “Luke found me out in the woods and rescued me, if you could call it that.  That was just yesterday afternoon.”
   
       
“You didn’t even come from the ORC?”
   
       
“What’s the ORC?”  Ally had heard Mrs. Mathias mention it last night as well.
   
       
“Sabine!” a male voice yelled from the foyer, either Asher or Flint.  “We need to go!”
   
       
“We’ll talk later,” Sabine said as she squeezed Ally’s arm.  “Flint and I need to run errands.”
   
       
Sabine skipped down the stairs, her red braid bouncing against her back as she went.  As Ally turned, she caught a glimpse of Asher standing in the doorway to his room.
   
       
“You have no idea what you are in for.” He smirked and shut his bedroom door, leaving Ally to digest his words alone.