Page 29

AMITY

I remember what Vale told me about how to walk, how to act in the Forge, and I take a small centering breath, straightening to my full height.

It’s like my calm face. Not whatever face I make when I’m naturally calm, but the mask they taught us in school.

The waiting face, where you wait until you have your reactions and emotions under control.

This is like that, but frownier. I’ll have to come up with a name for this one.

It could be my Tough Face. I smile a little and look around.

Unnervingly, men who are standing around the halls, in this complex that still feels so much like a high school, are staring straight back at me. Their eyes meet mine, and some of them have something dark in their gaze that sends a shiver through me.

I hurry to fix my face, wiping the smile away. Vale’s body moves closer and when his hand brushes against mine he grabs hold of it, giving my palm a quick squeeze. Now we’re walking down the hall with our hands joined and he leans down to mutter into my ear.

“It’s easier this way,” he says, I guess about holding hands. “They’ll know to leave you alone.”

Know to leave me alone because I have his protection? Because I belong to him the way the women up here seem to belong to the men who claim them? I argue defiantly in my head about it, but outwardly I keep walking silently.

I’m tempted to look down, glimpse the sight of our hands folded together, but I keep my eyes trained on a spot in the distance, detached.

His hand is large and warm. A few times as we go down the stairs and walk through long hallways he readjusts the grip, one time lacing our fingers, later slipping his palm around mine to squeeze again when we have to pass through a crowded space outside the cafeteria.

I wish we were walking somewhere else. Walking on the trail at Herring Run, or browsing the shops in Hampden back in Baltimore.

We stop, finally, outside a room, and he drops my hand. A small placard, hanging from one side and covered in graffiti, says Teachers’ Lounge.

I look over to Vale in question. He sighs and shakes his head slightly, knocking.

“Be as honest as you can,” he murmurs. “He can tell…”

A voice calls from inside and we push into a wide room with a dingy carpet and blank cinderblock walls. If this was a teachers’ lounge, it was a pretty wretched place.

There’s a long table set up. Farther down the room, at the end of the table, sits Vale’s father and two other men. Isaiah Adamson stands and comes to greet us. He’s like I remember, as tall as Vale, with the same dark brown skin like mahogany, with gray feathering his temples and cold brown eyes.

“I guess you two found each other,” he says, and I can’t tell who he is speaking to.

Vale nods. “Father, this is Ami.” Vale’s tone is tight, formal and something else. I wonder if he’s afraid of his father.

“Sit down,” his father says curtly. Vale and I pull chairs out and sit at the table and his father resumes his spot at the head.

There’s silence. I’m here, and this is what I’m doing , I coach myself as I’ve coached my little brother, Ethan, so many times. This is what is happening . I glance around the room, locating myself in place to relieve the anxiety of the situation.

I catch Vale’s dad studying me carefully, and I remember Vale said he was trained by MAV, that he knows all of the “tricks.”

I want to ask about Zeph but I wait. The silence stretches. Vale cracks first.

“What? What do you need?” He’s frustrated.

“Why don’t you tell me what you want,” Vale’s dad says directly to me, “and we’ll see what we can do.”

“I want to talk to my friend Zeph, he’s a new recruit,” I say. The Peaceful Society wants me to do more than that. They want me to get involved with the organization, to learn more and report back to them.

I don’t know if it’s even possible, if women have any role to play up here, but I have to try. “I want to work for the Forge, join the rebellion. There must be a way I can help.”

Vale’s father tilts his head.

“What do you know about the work we do here?” he asks finally.

“I know that you are trying to restore the Rights that were revoked in the PS. The right to assembly and, um, creative freedom,” I list, thinking of Ren.

“Movement and expression.” I think of Zeph’s father.

“I know there are a lot of men who had to leave their families,” I say, “and want to find a way back.”

It’s the most positive spin I can put on it. I’m not going to claim I want to fight on behalf of hurting and killing people. Vale said to be as honest as I can, and I think I’ve threaded the needle.

Isaiah Anderson eats it up, leaning forward, looking less distrustful.

“That’s exactly right, Ami. The PS has placed their own priorities, their radical fringe beliefs, over family ties.

What about the Rights of men in marriages?

The right of men to father and raise children?

Many of us were forced to leave our families and we’ve lost years and years of time, of memories and anniversaries, children’s birthdays, just to accommodate how those women want to live,” he says bitterly, his voice rising.

He leans back. “There is something you can do for the Forge.”

Vale’s head snaps over to his father. He had been watching me, I think .

“Both of you,” his father adds, smiling. His smile is not exactly warm and comforting.

“I know who your mother is, and I don’t trust you,” he says to me, and I can’t hold back a flinch. “No matter. You can’t prove yourself to me with words. You can prove yourself with actions.” He pauses, then says, “There’s something we need, that the Brotherhood has.”

At the confusion in my eyes Vale explains. “The Brotherhood is another militia on the west side of town.”

“They have information about the government of Greater Maryland that we need,” Isaiah tells us. “They tried to sell it to us but the price is too high. We have not been able to get it any other way.”

Vale shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and I wonder, What other ways did they try?

Isaiah smiles again, but not with his eyes. “We’ve managed to get Vale an invitation to their solstice celebration this weekend. You will go as his girlfriend and the two of you will obtain the information we need. It’s stored on a laptop in one of their offices.”

Vale is stiff beside me. “What information?” he asks.

“That’s classified,” his father says immediately and chuckles.

He leans back in his chair, tilting it a little.

“This is a great opportunity to prove your loyalty, Ami.”

“What about Zeph?” I ask.

He sighs, a bit exaggerated.

“Zeph is struggling in basic training,” he says sorrowfully, and my heart thumps in my chest. “I’m not sure what his future holds, but your success in this little project will go a long way towards ensuring your friend’s safety.”

Vale sucks in a breath and I hear the warning and the threat behind the words. I push down my reaction, school my breathing carefully. I don’t want Vale’s father in my head.

“When is the party?” I ask quietly.

“The solstice is Saturday,” Vale says. “The twenty-first.”

I had lost track of time, but that makes sense given how sunny it is here even when I lie down to go to sleep at night.

His dad stands and Vale pushes his chair back. He grabs my hand, defiantly, and we walk to the door together.

“We’ll follow up,” his father says, looking at Vale. Vale nods and opens the door, pulling me through.

Once we’re out in the hall with the door closed, he breathes deeply a couple of times and shakes his head.

“We get to work together,” I say.

“Something is up,” Vale answers me quietly. “I’ll find out more.”

“Stealing a laptop.” I shrug. “How hard can it be?”

Vale’s eyes widen. “They’ll be watching me. The Brotherhood and the Forge are not on good terms, especially lately. Maybe this is why.”

“Then why would they let you come to their solstice party?” I ask.

Vale shakes his head. “Can’t be a good reason, Ami, I’ll be honest.”

“It’ll be okay,” I say reflexively, although there’s no way I can know that.

Vale stares off in the distance. I realize we’ve been walking down the hall into a new part of the school when I pass the glass panes of a weight room filled with squat racks and punching bags. There’s a slight smell of chlorine in the air that has me sniffing curiously.

Vale notices. Of course he does.

“Ami,” he says. “Do you want to go swimming?”