And that’s when they remember that this is a competition and turn back around to stare straight ahead.
I catch the eye of Auntie Bell after we start filing though the hallway to make our way over to the God’s Tower event center, and she winks at me.
A knowing wink.
Not just because I look amazing and my seamstress talents are on full display, but because this is the beginning of the end for these galas.
It all starts here.
CHAPTER FIVE
The God’s Tower event centeris unquestionably the most elaborate, over-the-top community building in Tau City. It is a giant four-story dome set in the middle of God’s Lake with bridges leading back to both the Maiden and Extraction Districts like spokes on a wheel.
It’s massive, but when compared to the God’s Tower directly behind it, the event center comes off as miniature.
The ballroom inside is equally impressive—glossy, ice-blue floors lead up to a set of grand shallow steps at the top of the room, where balcony staircases feed into it. These balconies are supported by thick columns, meant to draw your eye up to the ceiling, which is a series of glass-paned windows surrounded by an intricate framework of silver-gray trusses.
You could get lost in that ceiling if you look too long. It’s mesmerizingly beautiful.
At the top of the shallow stairs, right in the center of the stage, is a colossal, twenty-foot-wide glass globe with a hollow center and this is where Gemna, Haryet, and I presently stand,hidden by the dazzling gold light that shines outward, blinding the people in the ballroom.
Attendants are bustling all around us as we stand still and allow them do their jobs. Everything about the Maiden ceremonies is scripted, right down to the last detail. And we’re used to this by now. So I am barely noticing the lighting people, and the makeup people, and the directors because I’ve been looking for Finn—dying to see him in whatever fancy suit the coordinators have planned—because the end of my Extraction Maiden tenure is the beginning of his.
In a way.
Because Finn’s apprenticeship as Extraction Master begins tonight, he will be at his father’s side through the whole thing, learning all the little details that make these galas so exciting and fun.
But I haven’t seen him yet. And that’s strange, isn’t it? Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Aldo, either. I lean in to Haryet’s shoulder. “Have you seen Finn?”
“No. But I haven’t been looking.”
“I haven’t seen him either. Have you, Gemna?”
“Nope. But I have seen both Mitchell and Jeyk, so he’s gotta be around here somewhere.”
Mitchell and Jeyk are Finn’s best friends, so this assumption of Gemna’s makes sense.
I look again. Granted, I don’t have a great view of the main stage—it’s much wider than the twenty-foot hole I can presently see through. Plus there are balconies and staircases on either side of the main stage and Finn could be in any of these out-of-sight locations. But I’m anxious to see him so I stare out of the hole, wishing for him to appear. It’s only been a few hours since I left his quarters, but all the moments we spend apart feel like an eternity now that the end is so near.
I’m so ready to be done with the Maidens. So ready to just fall into a new life with him.
“Hey.”
I jump in surprise, my hand over my heart, when Finn’s voice is suddenly in my ear.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
He’s come up behind me, but I don’t turn to look at him because attendants are already barking at me to keep still, and not to ruin my hair, and all kinds of other things. “Where have you been? I was looking for you.”
He lets out a long breath, but no explanation is forthcoming. So despite the instructions of the attendants, I turn to look at Finn anyway. He’s pale. And when I place my hand on his cheek, he’s cold, too. “Are you sick?”
“No. But…” He hesitates. “But there was… an accident. I’ll be presiding tonight.”
“What kind of accident? Your father? Is he OK?”
“He’s in the health center right now. They’re calling the god?—”
“What?” My mouth drops open in shock. Healing costs Tau City a lot of spark. It’s used very sparingly these days. Of course, Tau City—for the most part—is filled to the brim with super-fit citizens, so health services have never been much of a drain on our spark rations. But still, even for the Extraction Master, they don’t call the god for help with healing unless it’s somethingreallyserious.
