I don’t have much hope for any sort of good life waiting for me out there, but any life would be better than this.
3
No onein the village has a motor except the administrator. The batteries that run them are too expensive for anyone here to afford, and the government only provides them to officials.
The only way to get anywhere farther than walking distance is to use our credits to hire a motor and driver.
I have no credits. Because I’ve been identified as domestic help, the minimal credits I’m given for existing go to the household and not to me individually.
Lorraine receives both my credits and the benefit of all my work.
But most government officials can be bribed. That’s been widely understood for the twenty-five years I’ve been alive. And my scavenging has provided me something to use for a bribe.
So Monday morning, I leave the village early at thetime I always scavenge on market days. I’m carrying my normal pre-Fall basket, but rather than being empty, the bottom section holds the best of my shabby clothes, a couple of treasured books from my father, and my only nice shoes.
When I reach my second-best hiding place, I find an old fabric shoulder bag and add it to my basket with all the jewelry I left here on Thursday. Then I carry everything to my very best hiding spot.
It takes some time to decide on the jewelry. I can’t carry all of it with me. If I get mugged or an official gets greedy, I’ll lose everything all at once. But I need enough to bribe my way to the Capitol and to use once I’m there.
I place all the diamond rings in my shoulder bag, a few bracelets, and the red stone necklace. The rest I stow in my hiding place with my father’s books. I fit my clothes into the bag with the jewelry.
All that’s left is to change shoes from my work boots to my good ones. They’re made of some sort of woven material and slide on my feet. They even have a little heel that looks more elegant than my boots.
I’m wearing my blue dress since it’s the best I have. With the shoes, it doesn’t look too bad. I brush my hair out loose and check my appearance in a hand mirror I brought with me.
Not terrible. As good as I’m going to look.
I hook the strap of the bag on my shoulder, slip one of the diamond rings in my pocket, and head to the north ofthe village to the closest government outpost on the highway that leads to the Capitol.
My next steps are clear.
Get to the outpost.
Bribe an official there to hire a motor to drive me to the Capitol.
Find Annabelle’s house and hope she can help me with the next steps.
I haven’t seen her since she left the village. She sent news of her marriage, but we have no way to communicate other than messages. I asked Lorraine a couple of times if I could visit her, but I knew the inevitable answer before it came.
Visiting the Capitol takes credits, and she’s not going to spend any on me.
I walk three miles before I see the outpost in the distance. I should be nervous, but instead, I’m in a weird, numb stupor.
This doesn’t feel like me.
I never break rules. I never put myself out there. I never take bold steps because every such step I’ve ever witnessed with the exception of Annabelle’s marriage has ended in failure.
Or worse.
Speaking out against injustice got my father killed.
Injustice is the only reality in this world.
It’s a gray, cool day in early autumn, so at least I’m not hot and flushed and sweating. I should have waited until closer to my destination to change my shoes since these aren’t easy to walk in. But I’m almost there now.
The first step. With any luck, I’ll be in the Capitol and at Annabelle’s before Lorraine and Aria even realize I’m gone.
The outpost isn’t very busy. That’s good news. There are a few motors for hire parked outside and more around the back that probably belong to the officials and guards stationed here. Guards are positioned around the perimeter, but as soon as I explain to one I’m here to hire a motor, he lets me through.
