Rite of Rejection (Acceptance Book 1) (9 page)

Nine

Breakfast is a quiet affair. Even though I passed the test and Eric assures me I’m ‘in’, I’m still the outsider. Brand new and separate from the group, like the Noteboards in the technology room. I can’t hear the unsaid words layered beneath comments about burnt mush and cracked cups.

“So, now what?”

Elizabeth inches her gaze up from her bowl to glare at me. “Now nothing. Eat your breakfast.”

I swallow back my fear. Elizabeth might be ready to bite my head off, but I didn’t risk everything getting those Noteboards last night for nothing. “I want to know what’s going on. I know there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Elizabeth stands up, slamming her empty bowl onto the table. “You won’t know anything until you learn to keep your mouth shut.”

She marches to the door, but not before glaring at Eric and Daniel.

The rest of us follow her out, and the awkward silence of breakfast extends to the walk back to the bunkhouse. Elizabeth and Molly, leading the pack, pass by the bunk where I’ve slept the past several nights. I thought once I passed, I’d move in with the others, but now I’m not so sure. Elizabeth doesn’t even try to hide her dislike of me, but Eric acts like I’m supposed to be with him. That’s where I want to be, but I don’t know where I should be.

I pause by the rusted door of my bunk, but Eric grabs my hand and gives it a small squeeze. He tugs on my arm, guiding me back to the dirt path. His smile is enough to keep me with the group for now.

Back in the isolated bunk, everyone takes a seat on one of the flat mattresses. Elizabeth flounces down on the bunk in the corner, ignoring us all. Daniel and Molly sit together, their eyes never leaving my face. Eric pulls me down on the bed next to him, and the four of us stare at each other, waiting for someone to start talking. The minutes stretch on before Daniel finally breaks the silence.

“Elizabeth—”

She stops him with a raised hand, but doesn’t look away from the corner that’s held her attention since we all walked in.

“She passed the test.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Daniel?”

“Elizabeth?” Molly’s soft, tinkling voice leeches the look of anguish from Elizabeth’s face. “Our shifts start soon, and this can’t wait.”

“Molly’s right,” Daniel picks up, not giving Elizabeth a chance to cut him off again. “Summer isn’t far off, and we need to be ready to go.”

“Fine.” Elizabeth finally looks up from the corner and gives me all her attention. Her expression is far from friendly, but lacks its usual contempt. “We’re going to break out of the PIT.”

“Wait. What?” The pounding of my heart makes it hard to think. No one breaks out of the PIT: that’s why the Territories are so safe. Why people can sleep at night with their windows open and doors unlocked. Rejects breaking out of the PIT would send all the Territories back into a state of violent turmoil. It can’t be done. But their serious faces tell me this isn’t a joke. “It’s impossible. What makes you think you can do what hasn’t been done in the eighty years since this place opened?”

“Because we aren’t criminals,” Daniel answers, pounding a fist against his leg. “We aren’t in here because of homicidal tendencies or a need to steal or hurt people. We’re here because the Cardinal is afraid of us. He thinks he can stick us in here, and we’ll just lie down and roll over.” His eyes are alive with conviction. “He underestimates us. He forgets just how dangerous a smart man can be when he’s pushed into a corner.”

My heart is dancing inside my chest. I’ve never heard Daniel speak like this, so sure of himself, so sure of us. I want him to keep going, but he takes a deep breath and resumes his calm demeanor.

“So you have a plan?” For the first time in almost a week I feel something besides despair and loneliness. Daniel told me to forget about home, block out those memories, but now wisps of hope break through and swirl in my chest.

“Of course we have a plan, Blondie,” Elizabeth cuts back in. “Molly and I have to get to work so I’ll leave Daniel and Eric to fill you in on the details.”

Elizabeth and Molly stand to leave, but before the door closes behind them, Elizabeth stops it with the tips of her fingers. Her short blonde hair is silhouetted by the slot of sunlight streaming through the partially opened door.

“We’re trusting you, Becca. This isn’t a game.”

“I know—”

“No, you don’t. If you betray us…we aren’t in here for being violent, but people can change.”

Molly tucks her head back inside and tugs on Elizabeth’s arm. Elizabeth slams the door closed. Her words hang in the air, sucking out all the oxygen and making it hard to draw enough breath into my lungs.

Daniel stretches and moves to another bunk, closer to where Eric and I are sitting. “You can’t let Elizabeth get to you.”

“She didn’t get to me.” I jump up, shaking off Eric’s comforting hand. How can I not let her threat bother me? Elizabeth doesn’t like me, she doesn’t trust me, and she certainly doesn’t want me here. And why would she? She and Molly are as close as sisters. They don’t need a tag-along.

“This isn’t easy for her,” Daniel says, cutting into my thoughts.

“And it should be easy for me?” I yell at him, my hands shaking. “Or Eric, or any of us?”

I take a deep breath. I don’t want to shout; don’t want to take my anger and fear out on Eric and Daniel, the only people who’ve shown me kindness since I got here.

“No, it’s not easy.” Daniel’s soft voice is a stark contrast to my yells. “But things were worse for Elizabeth. She’s been here three years, but Molly and I only got here two years ago.”

Three days of living on my own almost pushed me to my limit. What would an entire year be like? No one to talk to; no one to share my meals, my fears. How different would life in the PIT be if I were completely alone? “I didn’t…I…”

“When Molly and I got here, the connection was instant. Elizabeth made us her family. For the past two years, it’s been the three of us looking out for each other. She cried herself to sleep the night before the Acceptance ceremony this year.” Daniel looks at Eric the way someone might look at a wounded animal. “Watching you walk into the PIT was her worst nightmare come true. And yet, a small part of her, a part she doesn’t let people see very often, was glad to see you.”

Eric winces and his shoulders droop. I reach for his hand at the same time he reaches for mine. This is Elizabeth’s family; her brother, her best friend, her boyfriend. Who am I? No one. No, worse than no one. I’m a threat to the family Elizabeth created. “Tell me what the plan is.”

“It’s simple,” Daniel says, the tension in the room erased. “We don’t know exactly where the PIT is, but we know we’re on a coastline.”

I’ve never been to the ocean, but I’ve seen pictures. Long stretches of snowy-white beaches and an eternity of water crashing into a golden sunset. I haven’t seen anything close to those pictures in the time I’ve been in the PIT.

Daniel smiles at my disbelief. “You can tell by the smell of the air. It’s the salt. Plus, I’ve seen it.”

And now he has all of my attention. “You’ve seen the ocean?”

Daniel nods. “At the edge of the PIT, there’s a fence that surrounds the whole place. It’s way too high to climb and the barbs at the top could slice a man in two, but I found a spot where the bottom is pulled out of the concrete. About a mile out is the coastline.”

“So that’s how we’re getting out? We just duck under the fence and follow the coastline until we get somewhere else?” The plan sounds overly simple. Surely someone has tried this before.

“It’d be nice if it were that easy, Becca.” Eric joins the conversation. “But things in the PIT are rarely simple. It may take a few days, but eventually the Cardinal guards will know we’re missing. You can only skip so many work shifts before they start looking for you.”

“Then why have jobs?” I’m not a genius, but this seems like an easy hurdle to get around. “If that will tip them off, you should quit right now.”

“We can’t quit,” Daniel explains. “Jobs equal OneCards. We’ll need them on the outside. Plus, they give us access to the supplies we need. Elizabeth works in food preparation, which lets her sneak out with cans we can use for taking food and water with us. Hopefully she can get food when the time comes. Molly works sorting and repairing clothes. We’ll each need a nice outfit for our first appearance in whatever Territory we end up in. Molly will get those.”

“What about you?”

“I’m retired,” he says, a goofy grin spreading across his face. “Now that I have this lovely new Noteboard, I’m in charge of making sure the Cardinal can’t find us. Tomorrow we’ll head over to the Admin building and get you signed up as my replacement.”

Eric shifts his weight next to me and asks the question I’ve been wondering. “Elizabeth was vague when she explained this part to me. If we can’t follow the coastline, where will we go?”

“Oh, we’re still going to follow the coastline,” Daniel says, “just not in the way the Cardinal Guards will be expecting. No one will be looking for a boat.”

“You have a boat?” I can’t believe it. A boat changes everything.

“Not yet. And we don’t really expect to find one. But the plan is to find what we need to build a raft. Elizabeth has experience sailing with her dad.” Daniel jerks his chin at Eric. “I assume you know your way around the water, too?”

Eric nods his head in confirmation.

“We’ll get ourselves far enough from the shore that the guards can’t see us, then follow the current south until we’re in the clear.”

The plan is simple, but brilliant. And more than that, I see how it might work. Closing my eyes, I picture all of us rowing into the ocean and letting the waves carry us to a new life. For the first time in what feels like ages, I feel hope. “So what do you need me to do?”

“Whenever you’re not working, you need to keep an eye out for anything that can be used to help build the raft. We’ll need paddles and something to corral the food and supplies. Everyone is scouring the entire PIT for materials to make the raft out of.”

Daniel smiles again and I can appreciate why Elizabeth likes him. When his smile is genuine, it lights up his whole face and his eyes sparkle with mischief like a little boy. Before the Acceptance ceremony the girls must have been dying to have him on their dance card. Afterward, they would have pretended he never existed.

He exists now. We all do. The Cardinal thinks he can keep us locked up in here, but I’m not going to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. I smooth down what’s left of my curls and lift my chin.

“When do we get started?”

Ten

Daniel leads me past the dining hall. The Admin building is the only one in the PIT that isn’t made of concrete and the area outside is mostly free of garbage. I didn’t notice any details of the building when I was here last night, but I take them all in now. Etched in the large glass door is a ring of olive branches, the symbol of the Cardinal. My whole life I was taught that the Cardinal represented peace and stability. Now, the symbol brings back those few moments of standing on stage, red lights flashing while my life was stripped away.

“This is where all PIT business happens. The workers in here coordinate the clothing donations, food shipments and our monthly haircuts.” Daniel tugs on one of my short curls. His smile brings me out of my bad memory. “It’s also the best place to get a job.”

“You do realize I have absolutely no skills…at all. Unless the Cardinal is looking for someone to braid his hair or make a casserole.” I’m not trying to be modest. In school, boys attend business classes to prepare them for Assignment after graduation. Not the girls. I learned how to bake a pie, sew a button and diaper a baby. Hardly useful skills in the PIT. English is the only class everyone takes, but only so the girls are able to read recipes and notes left from our husbands.

“That’s not a problem.” Daniel uses the OneCard I returned to him and the glass door slides open with a soft whoosh. “It’s not as if they would let you do anything important. Let me do the talking and I’ll get you a good job.”

I follow him in and we’re immediately stopped by a guard dressed in a red Cardinal uniform. Behind him, several other red-suits are stationed throughout the room. So this is where they’ve all been. Daniel flashes his card before tucking it into his pocket.

“Just signing her up for a job,” he says, thumbing toward me. The beefy guard grunts in response and nods toward the enclosed counter.

The room reminds me of the bank with its serious men sitting behind the desks, keeping an eye on everyone’s money. Except the pudgy man behind the protective glass doesn’t look serious; he looks bored and disgusted. Does he go home every night and complain to his wife about the filth he has to talk to every day?

“I want to quit my job and let her take over.” Daniel’s voice is confident, but sounds muddled echoing off the glass divider.

“Fine, give me your card.”

Daniel makes a big show of searching his pockets and coming up empty. He turns around, scanning the ground behind him and gives me a wink the sour man behind the counter can’t see. “I must have left it in my bunk.”

“Cardinal help me,” the man grumbles under his breath. “I can’t believe they trust you swine with cards anyway. Put your hand on the reader.” Daniel obeys and waits for the lights to stop flashing before lowering his hand.

The grumpy official stares at his Noteboard, and scratches his chin. “Daniel Whedon?” Daniel nods, his face expressionless. “That sounds familiar. Is your—?”

“I’m no one.” Daniel’s voice is polite, but it’s clear the conversation is over.

“You don’t have to tell me that.”

I hate this man behind the counter, judging us like he knows who we are. I know exactly what he’s thinking, because it’s the same thing I thought until recently. The PIT is for the worst of the worst. Scumbags, slime, destroyers, filth; that’s who lives in the PIT.

The man turns away, done with us, but we don’t have everything we need yet.

Daniel taps on the glass and a nearby guard gives him a warning growl. “What about the job for her?”

It’s a lost cause. This man is done dealing with us. I can tell from the blank look on his face, almost as if he’s looking right through us.

“I’ll vouch for her, if that will help.” My chest swells with gratitude. Daniel has only known me a few days. Since then, he’s saved me from a life of prostitution, introduced me to my only friends, and trusted me with information that could get him and everyone he cares about tossed into Quarantine or worse. So far, I’ve been nothing but a pain and a burden. I need this job so I can contribute to the group. I refuse to be the weak link.

“Humph, like the word of a Reject means anything to me.” The man behind the counter gives both of us a look of loathing and disgust. “Still, someone has to do it.” He nods his head at me. “Put your hand on the reader.”

The lights flash just like the readers from the Machine, but there’s no life-ending red this time. He types something into his Noteboard and shoves a plastic OneCard through a small slit in the glass. “Here’s your card. Bring it here tonight after sunset if you can manage not to lose it. A guard will be in the lobby to give you your assignment.”

“Thank you, thank you so much.” The man behind the counter looks at me like I’ve just asked to marry his son. I take it as a sign to get out and fast.

“Hold up just a minute,” Daniel says as soon as the glass door slides closed behind us. He swings a bag identical to Eric’s off his shoulder and sifts through its contents. After a minute he holds up a long piece of string. On closer inspection, I realize it’s actually a dingy shoestring. One that might have been white long ago, but had been dragged through the dirt enough to take on a sickly yellow-brown color that matches everything else in the PIT.

I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with a dirty shoelace.

“Here.” Daniel strings the lace through a small punched hole in my card and ties the ends together to create a necklace. “Now you don’t have to worry about losing it or having it stolen. You’ll need to protect that card.”

He hangs it around my neck and the card hits my chest in the same place the silver knot of my grandmother’s necklace did. I force back the sour lump rising in my throat.

“Thanks.” I’m not sure of the proper sentiment when given a dirty shoelace necklace. I don’t have a frame of reference for anything that’s happened in the past few days. “Why are you being so nice to me? It’s not just this. You’re the one who first brought me to the bunk and you always stick up for me with Elizabeth.”

“Honestly?” Daniel slides the strap of the bag over his head and walks back toward the dining hall. “I’m not sure. I don’t say that to be mean, but favors are not something one usually hands out around here.” He stops and looks at me like he’s really seeing me for the first time. “Yes, I do know why. I have a sister back home. Well, at least I did have a sister, not that she’d acknowledge me now. When I look at you, I see a lot of her; innocent and naïve, too trusting for your own good.” Daniel looks away and starts walking again. “If the tables were turned and it was her in here instead of me, I’d hope someone would look out for her.”

I stand rooted to my spot and picture Daniel back at home doting on his sister. She’s still out there somewhere with his parents, all three living their lives. Does she still care for him as much as he cares for her? Do my parents still think about me? My hand clutches at empty fabric where my grandmother’s necklace should be and a lump clogs my throat. Eric is wrong. She would never forget about me.

Daniel turns around and motions his hand for me to follow. “Come on. It’s time for lunch.”

The others are already at one of the long tables in the corner when we walk into the hall.

“Look who’s got a shiny new OneCard.” Eric scoots over to make room for me next to him.

“Thanks to Daniel. I’m now officially employed.” It sounds weird to say it out loud. I always pictured my future as someone’s wife, raising a family, taking care of a home. I push those thoughts out. Right now, I need to focus on being a part of this family and that means doing what I can to get us ready to leave.

“And what will the princess be doing for our illustrious leader?” Elizabeth chimes in from across the table.

“Garbage detail,” Daniel says puffing his chest out in a pride that leaves me baffled.

“Whoa, you never said anything about garbage detail.”

Daniel looks at me with wounded eyes. I look away and smooth down the bodice of my dress. Nothing says class like insulting the person who’s done the most to help me so far. I smile at him and soften my tone.

“Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but you said you’d get me a good job.”

“I did. Garbage detail is the best job here.” Daniel sets down his bowl and gives me his full attention. “You’re not going to find a lot of perks in the PIT. The Cardinal makes sure we have housing, clothes and food. It isn’t good, but that’s what we get. Everything else is considered above the needs of criminals like us.”

“But that’s not to say we don’t have our ways of getting what we really need,” Elizabeth adds, using her index finger to scrape the last remnants of today’s attempt at stew from her bowl. “Some of the guards can be bribed, but that’s as likely to get you Quarantined as anything else. You can bargain with the bosses, but you’ll give more than you get for certain. The best way to find the little extras is taking on a job.”

“Are you serious?” I pull my hand away from my gaping mouth. Do they really expect me to find hidden treasures in the trash?

“Molly works in the clothing room.” Elizabeth nudges her lightly with her elbow. “Whenever a shipment of donations comes in, Molly and the other workers get the first opportunity to go through it and hold back the best clothes for themselves.”

“And the people we care about,” Molly whispers next to her.

“My job doesn’t come with as many fringe benefits for you guys. On the days I work in the kitchen, I get to eat before the stew is a burned mush.”

“Those jobs make sense,” I say, poking at my uneaten bowl of something foul smelling. “What’s the hidden bonus of taking out the garbage?”

“The people who work in the Admin building don’t live in the PIT. They have normal lives where they can get anything they need.” Daniel leans in to the table, a huge smile on his face. “With that luxury comes a willingness to part with it.”

“And?” I choke down another bite of stew. I slide what’s left across the table to Elizabeth and her eyes light up.

“Think about the things that might have ended up in your trash can at home. Scraps of paper, the nub of a pencil, random buttons, boxes or cans with just a bit of food left in the bottom. In your old life, all of that was considered trash, but here it’s like finding a piece of gold.”

“Becca,” Elizabeth mumbles between bites of stew, “what would you do if I laid half a hamburger in front of you right now? Would you question where I got it, or what happened to the other half?” She doesn’t wait for an answer, but she doesn’t need to. Any one of us would devour the whole thing before we had time to question its origin. My stomach growls at the thought of it. She wiggles her eyebrows as if she’s about to tell me a really juicy secret. “Mr. Jones in office 203 orders out for lunch almost every day, but rarely has time to finish the whole meal. And what does he do with what’s left? Right into the trash bin where Daniel collects it four times a week.”

“She’s right,” Daniel says with much less dramatic flair. “You wouldn’t believe what you can find in the trash bins. Of course, you’re going to need a bag. Elizabeth?”

The two of them face off in a staring contest, but eventually Elizabeth caves, throwing her head back in defeat. “Fine, fine, we have another back at the bunk.” She finishes off the last bite of my leftover stew and points a greasy finger at me. “But don’t think this makes us best friends or anything.”

She winks at me and I think she might not hate me, after all.