I had overslept an hour. I only had two hours remaining before I needed to be at the Military House. At five o’clock in the evening, the Corporate Army shut their doors, no more entries for another six months. I would be too old then to enter—only ages eighteen to twenty-four allowed to sign up. I was turning twenty-five in two weeks. This was my official last shot to scrap an arranged marriage—the only way it could be done for a female.
There was one problem.
I didn’t have a clue where the Military House was.
Out of all the cities I had visited in my life, New City wasn’t one of them. My father avoided this place like it was haunted by demons. And, to him, people who worked for the corporations were demons.
I grabbed my bag, put the strap over my shoulder, and unlocked the door to the train. As soon as I opened the train’s door, the bustle of a thriving city attacked my senses. The clamor was more overwhelming than any city I knew.
The sun instantly warmed my neck while I stepped outside and walked down the stairs. I lifted my right hand to shield my eyes, even though the bill of my ball cap should have provided enough shading. Bright light still shimmered in my eyes, and I squinted and attempted to find the cause.
People strode by briskly, talking in groups or through their bracelets with little buds in their ears for privacy. I leaned to the left past an extremely tall man. My brows rose in shock at the view. There was an immense building that towered over all the structures, the very top of it with a curved decorative golden roof—a crown sitting atop the white skyscraper.
The sun reflecting off it burned my eyes.
“Good grief,” I muttered.
The fox sat down next to my feet and panted.
This place was unbelievable.
Ego and wealth even poured off the residents, their clothes made of the finest material, and their faces painted in makeup I had never been interested in wearing. Their attire was similar to the sweater I still wore of Godric’s, the stitching twice as nice and delectably softer than any soldier’s clothing in Port. It was a miracle my father hadn’t noticed the difference in my typical sweaters versus this one, now that I really thought about it.
“Where the hell do I go now?” I mumbled.
The port in New City was outrageously busy today.
I lifted a hand to an elderly woman walking by, her red hat sporting a purple feather. “Excuse me, ma’am. Do you know how to get to the Military House?”
She glanced up and down my person in a slow perusal. Then she sniffed in my direction and walked right past me without helping. The feather in her hat even tilted away from me in the salty breeze.
At least that wasn’t any different from other cities.
Newcomers weren’t shunned, but they weren’t welcomed with opened arms either. Protection and suspicion kept most residents in tight familiar groups. Anyone who didn’t know where they were going inside your city was definitely not familiar.
“I guess I’ll have to do this the hard way.” I peered down at the fox that stood close but didn’t touch. “I doubt you’ll be welcome here.”
He showed a little of his sharp teeth.
I shrugged. “I’m not even welcome here.”
The fox whined, his head tilting back with it.
“I’m sorry.” I shooed him with both hands. “Go on now. You don’t want someone slitting your throat just to have a nice silver fur hat.”
As if he understood me, he jerked his adorable head in the direction the snobbish woman had disappeared. He raced away, his furry tail swooshing back and forth.
My companion on this trip was now gone.
I was truly alone.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
“Please just tell me where the Military House is,” I begged.
Yet another resident of New City lifted their nose in my direction and passed me by. The streets were crowded, and the buildings were too polished. I’d literally had to buy a pair of sunglasses. All of the sparkling windows and gleaming metals and coppers were hard to view. I was used to the concrete coloring of the military bases around the world. My eyes couldn’t handle all of the vibrant colors at once, each new turn down a different street startling with a kaleidoscope of brilliant shades of the rainbow.
And it was soshiny.
