her head in disbelief, “Wasn’t
expecting that…”
“What do you mean?” I asked, “am I different
on the WallScreen News?”
“You seem more… normal in real life. On the
News you kind of come across as a…” her voice trailed off.
I laughed, “Oh I see,” I said, “You were
expecting the properly behaved daughter of King and Queen Optime?
Sorry to disappoint.”
She frowned, “More like some stuck up
princess. After all you are a Descendant.”
I cringed. I
hated that name and what it meant to these people. I knew that most
Descendants were arrogant and rude. They treated Norms as though
they were dirt, even though they were no different from them. We
had never earned our Prime lives; we were only human.
“You’re not a Descendant anymore though. You
might not even be a Prime after the trials. You might not even end
up on Olympia.”
She was just stating the facts but her words
were too close to home. I shrunk down in my seat.
Theo frowned next to me. “I reckon she has a
pretty good chance.”
I was shocked that he was sticking up for me,
and offered him a smile.
His expression turned harsh and he responded
to my smile with a hateful smirk, “I mean, we know that she has no
trouble stepping on others to get whatever she wants.”
I flinched. Hurt.
“I reckon she has been so sheltered all her
life that she doesn’t know how to do anything for herself. The
first task might kill her,” the girl said to Theo, acting as though
I weren’t in the room, let alone sitting right next to her.
I had had enough of the taunting and teasing.
There was no reason for these people to hate me. I turned to her
and looked her up and down.“You don’t look like you’ve had it so
bad yourself,” I said eyeing up her tidy attire and preened
hair.
“You don’t know anything about me,” she
sneered.
“Ditto,” I said, “You don’t know me at
all.”
“I’ve watched you on the WallScreen News
since you were born,” she retorted.
“And everything the WallScreen News says is
true, right? The Labour Norms are thugs who are the only source of
vandalism and criminal activity in the land? The Artistic Norms are
brainless and deserve no say in any political activity? The
Academic Norms need to be monitored because they are disobedient
troublemakers that have a tendency to spark rebellion?” I reeled
off the most common propaganda stories spread by our News.
Everyone knew the News was made by the
Alphas. It regurgitated whatever the Alphas deemed to be
newsworthy, and ignored everything else that was happening in the
nation.
The girl went
quite and considered this for a moment. Then she reached out a
hand. “I’m Ellina, but call me El.” She offered a small, but
genuine smile. I was thankful that she had ended the argument, so I
took her hand and shook.
“Avery,” I repeated my greeting.
“ I know,” she
replied, but this time she said it with a smile. I smiled
back.
The meal was
another three-course affair. This time starting with a beet salad,
followed by a huge slab of kingfish decorated with prawns and
caviar, and ending with crème brulé. By the time I took my first
mouthful of the rich dessert, I felt dangerously ill. I looked over
at Felix who seemed to be having the same dilemma. He caught my eye
and grimaced, before quickly shovelling the rest of his pudding
into his mouth and swallowing. I looked down at mine; still about
eight spoonfuls to go. Then I felt a tap on my arm.
“Gonna eat that?” Theo pointed at my dessert.
Eternally grateful, I slid it over to him.
“Take it.”
“Too rich for you?” he asked, already two
spoonfuls down.
“Mm,” I agreed. Accepting the excuse
happily.
Once our plates were cleared, Regina entered
the room. “How were everyone’s afternoons?” She asked cheerily, and
we all nodded.
“Great!” she said. “But don’t get too used to
it. Hard work starts tomorrow with a wake up call at dawn followed
by a quick breakfast and
expecting that…”
“What do you mean?” I asked, “am I different
on the WallScreen News?”
“You seem more… normal in real life. On the
News you kind of come across as a…” her voice trailed off.
I laughed, “Oh I see,” I said, “You were
expecting the properly behaved daughter of King and Queen Optime?
Sorry to disappoint.”
She frowned, “More like some stuck up
princess. After all you are a Descendant.”
I cringed. I
hated that name and what it meant to these people. I knew that most
Descendants were arrogant and rude. They treated Norms as though
they were dirt, even though they were no different from them. We
had never earned our Prime lives; we were only human.
“You’re not a Descendant anymore though. You
might not even be a Prime after the trials. You might not even end
up on Olympia.”
She was just stating the facts but her words
were too close to home. I shrunk down in my seat.
Theo frowned next to me. “I reckon she has a
pretty good chance.”
I was shocked that he was sticking up for me,
and offered him a smile.
His expression turned harsh and he responded
to my smile with a hateful smirk, “I mean, we know that she has no
trouble stepping on others to get whatever she wants.”
I flinched. Hurt.
“I reckon she has been so sheltered all her
life that she doesn’t know how to do anything for herself. The
first task might kill her,” the girl said to Theo, acting as though
I weren’t in the room, let alone sitting right next to her.
I had had enough of the taunting and teasing.
There was no reason for these people to hate me. I turned to her
and looked her up and down.“You don’t look like you’ve had it so
bad yourself,” I said eyeing up her tidy attire and preened
hair.
“You don’t know anything about me,” she
sneered.
“Ditto,” I said, “You don’t know me at
all.”
“I’ve watched you on the WallScreen News
since you were born,” she retorted.
“And everything the WallScreen News says is
true, right? The Labour Norms are thugs who are the only source of
vandalism and criminal activity in the land? The Artistic Norms are
brainless and deserve no say in any political activity? The
Academic Norms need to be monitored because they are disobedient
troublemakers that have a tendency to spark rebellion?” I reeled
off the most common propaganda stories spread by our News.
Everyone knew the News was made by the
Alphas. It regurgitated whatever the Alphas deemed to be
newsworthy, and ignored everything else that was happening in the
nation.
The girl went
quite and considered this for a moment. Then she reached out a
hand. “I’m Ellina, but call me El.” She offered a small, but
genuine smile. I was thankful that she had ended the argument, so I
took her hand and shook.
“Avery,” I repeated my greeting.
“ I know,” she
replied, but this time she said it with a smile. I smiled
back.
The meal was
another three-course affair. This time starting with a beet salad,
followed by a huge slab of kingfish decorated with prawns and
caviar, and ending with crème brulé. By the time I took my first
mouthful of the rich dessert, I felt dangerously ill. I looked over
at Felix who seemed to be having the same dilemma. He caught my eye
and grimaced, before quickly shovelling the rest of his pudding
into his mouth and swallowing. I looked down at mine; still about
eight spoonfuls to go. Then I felt a tap on my arm.
“Gonna eat that?” Theo pointed at my dessert.
Eternally grateful, I slid it over to him.
“Take it.”
“Too rich for you?” he asked, already two
spoonfuls down.
“Mm,” I agreed. Accepting the excuse
happily.
Once our plates were cleared, Regina entered
the room. “How were everyone’s afternoons?” She asked cheerily, and
we all nodded.
“Great!” she said. “But don’t get too used to
it. Hard work starts tomorrow with a wake up call at dawn followed
by a quick breakfast and
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