The Unifers are polar opposites, one as pale as the moon over Culmination and the other as dark as night. I feel like I’m in a nightmare where I’m trying to get away from my assassin, but instead of moving, I’m shackled—immobilized—by some unseen force.
“Good evening, Sir, Ma’am,” the pale one says, and both salute Nicholas and Mai by lifting their right fists up to their right eyebrows.
Without any further niceties, they step toward me. I half expect them to rip off my clothes to verify that I’m a guy, and it takes every last ounce of resolve not to retreat to the balcony or bring my arms up to my chest.
“Are you Joseph Wood?”
“I am,” I say in the deepest voice I can muster.
“By command of President Volkov, I need to see your government-issued ID,” the dark-skinned Unifer says.
Nicholas hands him my ID card and steps back, briefly glancing my way.
The Unifer holds up a small hand-held device with a bunch of buttons and a green light on the bottom. He inserts my card into the feeder, but as it comes out on the other side, the machine beeps and the lit button turns red. “Looks like this ID is illegitimate…” He gives me an accusing glare.
“Try it again,” Nicholas says flatly.
I clamp my jaw so tight that my teeth hurt.
The Unifer gives Nicholas an irritated look, but does as he is told. This time when he runs my ID through the reader, the light turns green. “Strange…” he remarks, looking puzzled by the blip.
Wanting to get them out of here as quickly as possible, I say, “Will there be anything else?” I can’t believe I’m talking to a Unifer like that, my eyes not dropping to the floor.
“No, that will be all. Thank you for your cooperation.” He bows his head a tad and they’re both out the door. The second they leave, it’s as if the oxygen in the air suddenly returns.
“They think they’re so high and mighty,” Mai says, scoffing.
I’m surprised by her blatant aversion toward them, especially in front of me.
“But I can’t believe you fooled them. Unifers are trained to spot deception. But with that haircut and those clothes, your chest flattened to nothing…you really do look like a boy,” Mai says. “You had me fooled all along. What do you think, Nicholas?”
I touch my hair, not really feeling like a guy, yet no longer a girl. It’s strange how I have come to associate with my gender so much, and how pretending to be the opposite one makes me feel like I am no longer me.
He glances at me for a moment. “I still think she looks like a girl.”
I look down. I don’t like them talking about me as if I’m not even here; it makes me feel like a child.
“What makes you say that?” Mai presses.
“She just has that natural, feminine…glow to her, I suppose.” His eyes linger on me for a moment, and heat rises in my cheeks. Why am I reacting to him this way? It really bothers me.
“Heidi, I’m not supposed to give you any advice, but, oh well. When you’re in the fields, try not to stand out from the rest of the group. President Volkov already thinks that Master Douglas is a nutcase, and if there aren’t any more accusations or events that draw attention to you, then the allegations will dissipate into thin air.” She takes a few deep breaths and then faces Nicholas. “You got this? I want to catch up on what’s going on in the world.”
“Let’s go,” Nicholas says, tilting his head to the side for me to follow him. I do as he says, but just as we’re about to exit the door, I hear a news reporter say my name. I walk back inside and into the entertainment room and see a close-up of my face on the screen. My cheeks fill with blood.
“So why is this young, unqualified, pre-adolescent boy in the Savage Run?” the reporter questions, and adds, “Have the standards of the elite stooped too low?” The image shifts to a newsroom, and another reporter takes over. “Now onto the Savage Run Survival Pole. Citizens of Newland have nominated Johnny Poltinger from Culmination as the most likely to place in the top three in Savage Run.” A diagram of the top ten participants appears on the screen, and Johnny’s name is at the top, followed by someone named Cory, and a guy named Jared. “And here is the list of the least likely to complete any of the obstacles. I’m sure it comes as no surprise that Joseph Wood is the last man—or shall we say boy—on the list.”
Whatever speck of confidence I had from being in shape riding around on my bike all these years vanishes. I mean, who am I kidding? Now I see nothing but a stupid girl who doesn’t even know her own limits.
“Don’t watch that trash,” Nicholas says.
Mai mutes the TV and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You’re an easy target, Heidi. The media will go after you, but you have to ignore them. Besides, they don’t know anything.”
“How do they even know about me?” I ask.
“Drones,” Nicholas says.
That’s what the media uses to get the pictures they want.
“And there’s not much we can do about it. Not even during the obstacle courses themselves, I’m afraid. Anyway, let’s get you settled, shall we?”
At the Nissen hut, he opens the garage and we step inside the hallway. The garage door closes in a clangor behind us, making me jump. On either side of it is a long row of doors without handles, and blue tube lights hang in the ceiling, stretching all the way to the end. It makes Nicholas’ face look pasty. The corridor is completely quiet, so much so that I wonder if anyone is here at all. When we get to door number nineteen, Nicholas pauses for a moment.
“Listen,” he states, “just because you’re small, doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance.” He peers down at me and gives me half a smile. “And I can imagine biking around Culmination all these years has made your legs strong.”
Did I tell him what my work is? I can’t remember at the moment. “Thanks,” I say, for a lack of anything else to say. And for some reason, my heart beats a little faster.
He inserts the keycard into the slot. Nothing happens. He flips it over and tries again. Still nothing. He keeps trying, in every possible direction, but no matter which way he puts the card in, it doesn’t work. “Let’s go down to the office and get a new key.”