you arrive.”
“You’re sending me to the Company? Now?”
Kingston darted his shifty gaze around the room, landing on the closed door more than once. Clover looked back there, too, but didn’t see what he found so interesting. “The Company has laxer rules than the Academy, Miss Donovan. They are better equipped to handle differences.”
Differences. “But I’m not being discriminated against?”
“You’re being offered an opportunity that, I promise you, nearly every student in that ballroom would jump at.”
“So offer it to Heather Sweeney. That way I won’t have to room with her.”
“You’re making this difficult.”
He was taking away her education. Was she supposed to make it easy? “Do I have a choice?”
“If you don’t attend training, you have to work, Miss Donovan. That’s how we maintain order in our city. And people have an obligation to do the work they are best suited for.”
“Then let me come to school. I’ll do my best to get along with Heather, as long as she leaves me alone and I don’t have to share a room with her. And I can have Mango with me.”
Kingston took an envelope from the folder. The same kind of rich envelope her acceptance letter had come in. He reached across his desk to hand it to her. “This is for the best.”
“The best for who?” The envelope had
Langston Bennett
written across the front.
“The best for all concerned, Miss Donovan.”
“I don’t want to do this.”
Kingston pushed his hair back and settled his hyperactive eyes on the door for a moment before he looked at her. “Your brother is a day laborer on the cantaloupe farm, isn’t he?”
Clover nodded slowly.
“I’m sure you could go pick with him. Every job’s important.”
Clover took the letter and barely resisted the urge to crumple it into a ball and bounce it off Kingston’s sweaty forehead. “This isn’t fair.”
“Life isn’t fair, Miss Donovan. Ask your brother. West Donovan scored nearly as well as you did on his exams.”
“That isn’t true. He didn’t pass.”
Kingston looked at her another long moment, then reached under his desk with one hand. Within seconds, the office door opened and the man with the comb-over was standing there. “Ms. Donovan needs an escort to the Company building.”
“I don’t need an escort,” she said. The man who’d walked her into Kingston’s office had seemed kind of feeble. Now his eyes had gone steely and his jaw was set in a hard line. Clover shrank back from him a little bit.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Kingston reached to shake her hand. She pulled away from the visibly moist palm and walked out of his office, Mango following at her side. “You’re expected within the hour.”
chapter 4
To those of you who received honors, awards, and distinctions, I say, well done. And to the C students, I say: you, too, can be president of the United States.
—GEORGE W. BUSH, ACCEPTANCE SPEECH FOR YALE UNIVERSITY HONORARY DOCTORATE, MAY 21, 2001
Clover weighed her options.
She could walk the remaining mile or so down Virginia Street to the Waverly-Stead building in the toe-pinching torture shoes. Or she could take them off and walk barefoot, the soles of her feet touching God only knew what as the concrete scrubbed against her skin.
She left her shoes on and promised herself she was setting them on fire when she got home. Her sneakers went everywhere with her from now on.
Angry
wouldn’t cover West’s reaction when he found out she went to the Company alone. Or that she’d been sent there at all. Not voluntarily, either, even though Kingston let her walk out by herself.
She should go home and wait to talk to West, but she didn’t want to. He’d go all big brother on the situation. He’d insist on confronting Kingston, for one thing. And Clover wasn’t sure she wanted that.
Now that she’d caught her breath, she wasn’t sure being sent tothe Company was so bad. She hadn’t anticipated the Academy
“You’re sending me to the Company? Now?”
Kingston darted his shifty gaze around the room, landing on the closed door more than once. Clover looked back there, too, but didn’t see what he found so interesting. “The Company has laxer rules than the Academy, Miss Donovan. They are better equipped to handle differences.”
Differences. “But I’m not being discriminated against?”
“You’re being offered an opportunity that, I promise you, nearly every student in that ballroom would jump at.”
“So offer it to Heather Sweeney. That way I won’t have to room with her.”
“You’re making this difficult.”
He was taking away her education. Was she supposed to make it easy? “Do I have a choice?”
“If you don’t attend training, you have to work, Miss Donovan. That’s how we maintain order in our city. And people have an obligation to do the work they are best suited for.”
“Then let me come to school. I’ll do my best to get along with Heather, as long as she leaves me alone and I don’t have to share a room with her. And I can have Mango with me.”
Kingston took an envelope from the folder. The same kind of rich envelope her acceptance letter had come in. He reached across his desk to hand it to her. “This is for the best.”
“The best for who?” The envelope had
Langston Bennett
written across the front.
“The best for all concerned, Miss Donovan.”
“I don’t want to do this.”
Kingston pushed his hair back and settled his hyperactive eyes on the door for a moment before he looked at her. “Your brother is a day laborer on the cantaloupe farm, isn’t he?”
Clover nodded slowly.
“I’m sure you could go pick with him. Every job’s important.”
Clover took the letter and barely resisted the urge to crumple it into a ball and bounce it off Kingston’s sweaty forehead. “This isn’t fair.”
“Life isn’t fair, Miss Donovan. Ask your brother. West Donovan scored nearly as well as you did on his exams.”
“That isn’t true. He didn’t pass.”
Kingston looked at her another long moment, then reached under his desk with one hand. Within seconds, the office door opened and the man with the comb-over was standing there. “Ms. Donovan needs an escort to the Company building.”
“I don’t need an escort,” she said. The man who’d walked her into Kingston’s office had seemed kind of feeble. Now his eyes had gone steely and his jaw was set in a hard line. Clover shrank back from him a little bit.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Kingston reached to shake her hand. She pulled away from the visibly moist palm and walked out of his office, Mango following at her side. “You’re expected within the hour.”
chapter 4
To those of you who received honors, awards, and distinctions, I say, well done. And to the C students, I say: you, too, can be president of the United States.
—GEORGE W. BUSH, ACCEPTANCE SPEECH FOR YALE UNIVERSITY HONORARY DOCTORATE, MAY 21, 2001
Clover weighed her options.
She could walk the remaining mile or so down Virginia Street to the Waverly-Stead building in the toe-pinching torture shoes. Or she could take them off and walk barefoot, the soles of her feet touching God only knew what as the concrete scrubbed against her skin.
She left her shoes on and promised herself she was setting them on fire when she got home. Her sneakers went everywhere with her from now on.
Angry
wouldn’t cover West’s reaction when he found out she went to the Company alone. Or that she’d been sent there at all. Not voluntarily, either, even though Kingston let her walk out by herself.
She should go home and wait to talk to West, but she didn’t want to. He’d go all big brother on the situation. He’d insist on confronting Kingston, for one thing. And Clover wasn’t sure she wanted that.
Now that she’d caught her breath, she wasn’t sure being sent tothe Company was so bad. She hadn’t anticipated the Academy
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