Chapter 1

“I told you not to get too close to me.” Devlin joked, suddenly appearing next to Calliope. She smiled and rolled her eyes, though her stomach was suddenly full of butterflies. He smiled too; the smile that Calliope loved. Eyes crinkling and face all pure joy. Calliope and Devlin had been friends since they were young, but there had never been anything more between them. 

Devlin was still talking. “Where you headed?” 

“Actually, I’m going to Knott’s Hill.” Calliope blushed. Devlin fell silent and began to slow down. 

Calliope immediately felt awful and wished she’d lied and told him she was going back to her house. Sure, Devlin probably would’ve wanted to walk her there, and she’d have to take a significant detour, but it would be better than getting her friend angry with her.

“Ok.” Devlin said after a few minutes. “See you around, Calliope.” He turned and began to walk rapidly away. Calliope hated when he did that. Devlin was the best, but, like anyone, he had his flaws. And one of them was holding onto tiny things that had happened ages ago. 

It took Calliope a few minutes to realize that she had come to a complete halt in the middle of the road. She began waking again, chiding herself and remembering that she had to meet with her family. It was a celebration of sorts for Calliope herself because the next week was the testing for rebel training. 

The country she lived in, Salus, was a small island in the middle of the great ocean. Every ten years, the graduates from Confractus College, the college most every student attended, were encouraged to compete in an advanced competition. A select few were chosen to be trained to be rebels. The rebels were flown out to a remote building and no one has ever seen them since. 

Calliope’s family was sure that she’d get into the program, but she wasn’t so positive. There were people like Devlin trying out. Most of her friends were excellent fighters, and they were smart, too. Like, for example, Faye could use a knife with ease. Calliope pretended not to be worried or even care, but the truth was, if she didn’t get into this program, she could be stuck in this town forever. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but she would rather live her life with excitement rather than the boredom that awaited her if she stayed. 

As Calliope strolled along, she remembered Padme, her younger sister, begging their parents to let her walk up to Knott’s Hill by herself that morning. Their parents had refused since it was frowned upon to leave your children unattended until they were a Fourteen, and Padme was only a Nine. Calliope didn’t know why this had come to her at the moment, but Padme’s sweet face dotted with freckles, her red hair in a soft cloud around her face, her large green eyes reflecting the early sunlight, it all flooded back into her memory. 

This picture in her head was recreated in front of her as Calliope reached Knott’s Hill as Padme came running up to her. The loose clothes issued to the poorer families of the city made Padme’s small frame seem ever smaller, and Calliope’s sharp eyes could see that the shoes on her sister’s feet were much too tight. And so, when she scooped Padme off the ground, she carefully slid off her shoes to examine the tiny feet. They were red and one of her heels was slowly dripping blood onto the grass below. 

This was normal for some families, like Calliope’s, but for someone like Devlin, who lived in the wealthy part of town, this would seem extraordinarily troubling. 

“Your foot’s hurt again, honey.” Padme glanced down with little concern at the bloody mess, then looked up again. 

“I know. Guess what we learned in class today.” 

“What?” 

“Well,” Padme began, “We learned about our town’s history, and how what happened then affects our everyday lives now.” 

“That seems very interesting.” 

“It was.” Padme said happily, wriggling out of Calliope’s arms and landing on her feet. “Can we go to the library when we get home?” 

Padme loved books. Calliope had loved them too when she was young and had enough time to read them. Padme didn’t usually get much time to go to the library, but today was a half day in schools all over town, for the teachers had to begin to prepare the arena for the practical portion of the rebel testing. 

Padme picked up her shoes and followed Calliope up the hill to where their parents waited under the tall tree that first Calliope, and now Padme sat in to do homework and, on the rare occasion they had time, to read. 

The food laid out on the blanket looked more appealing than anything they’d had in months. The little money their parents had was spent on special occasions, like today. 

Padme squealed at the layout, her vibrant hair flying as she jumped up and down. Calliope sat down on the grass, and Padme followed suit, reaching hungrily for a roll. 

“No, no, Padme.” Their mother admonished. “This is for your sister; let her eat first.” 

Calliope carefully took a roll, spread butter on it, and slipped it to Padme, who smiled and giggled softly. Their mother shook her head, then helped herself to a sandwich. Their father, quiet as usual, took a sandwich as well. 

Padme finished eating first, then prodded Calliope to finish as fast as possible, and when she was done, Padme dragged her sister to their favorite tree. Calliope, laughing, pulled herself up to the lowest branch, and Padme followed quickly, dashing up the tree like a squirrel. 

When both the sisters were seated in one of the highest branches, Padme began to talk. 

“I don’t want you to go away, Calliope.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t want you to go away to that rebel place.” 

“Oh, honey. Who knows? You might even be going to that island in a few years. I might not even get in.” 

“Oh, you will.” Calliope was surprised to hear the bitterness in Padme’s voice. “And I wouldn’t be able to try to get in for another seven years.” 

Before Calliope could respond, Padme leaped up, grabbing a branch a few feet over Calliope’s head and hoisting herself onto it. 

“Padme, wait…” Calliope leaped up a few branches, then gave up. Her sister was too small, too light, too fast to follow. She slowly climbed down, watching Padme sitting at the very top of the tree, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. 

When Calliope landed on the ground, her parents swarmed her. 

“Time to start training, Calliope!” They sang in sugary-sweet voices. “Most of your competition has probably been training all day!” 

Calliope tried to resist the urging of her parents, but after a few minutes, she gave in and dashed to her makeshift training arena, back at the forest near her house, leaving Padme and her parents behind. 

When she reached the woods, the mess of wood that she had put together over the last few weeks greeted her. She couldn’t practice the weapon portion, because the Mayor was very strict when it came to weapons, but the obstacle course, designed to test the recruits’ agility, was one she could at least try to recreate. 

There was one aspect of the tests that Calliope was just trying not to think about. The blood samples. No one who had been through it ever talked about it. It was rumored that it was very painful, and Calliope knew that her pain tolerance was lower than Devlin’s, at least. Probably Faye’s too. But if she did well in the other areas, she could get through the blood sample. 

Calliope began to practice. Her makeshift obstacle course consisted of boards leaned against trees, settled between branches, and stacked on top of each other to create a strange setup on which Calliope practiced as often as she could. 

She practiced until her mother called her back inside for dinner, then ran to the house. She was panting when she reached it and was astonished to see Faye sitting on her front steps. 

“Hi, Faye.” Calliope said. 

“Hi, Calliope!” Said Faye, just as bright as ever.

“What… When did you get here?” 

“A few minutes ago. How’s your training going?” 

“Ok. You?” 

“Amazing! I spent the whole day training at Devlin’s. I kind of assumed you would be there.” 

A sharp burst of jealousy shot through Calliope, but she tried to suppress it and compose her face into a mask of indifference. 

“That’s ok if you like that kind of training, I guess.” 

Faye brushed her long, dark brown hair out of her eyes and gave Calliope a scrutinizing glare. 

“Uh-huh. Anyway, why I came is because your mom invited me for dinner and I think that we could work on the testing afterward. Also, I came to see your adorable little sister.” Calliope shook her head in exasperation. Faye was obsessed with Padme, and Padme was soaking it up. 

The girls went inside, and Faye immediately began to coo over Padme, who smiled and pretended to be the innocent creature Faye thought she was, but when Faye turned away, she rolled her eyes at Calliope. 

“Your sister is so sweet!” Faye gushed. 

“I know, I know. Time for dinner.” They stepped into the kitchen, and Calliope’s mother swept a few last plates onto the table as she spoke. 

“Welcome, Faye. Ready for dinner, you three?” 

Padme slid into her chair, and the two older girls followed suit. Calliope didn’t admit it, but she was starving. Her training had done a number on her, and she was glad for the lunch leftovers. 

“Ok, help yourselves!” Calliope’s mother chirped. Dinner passed in cheery chatter, and afterward, Faye tore herself away from Padme and followed Calliope out the door. 

They walked to Calliope’s obstacle course and began to practice. After three hours, the girls breathlessly sank to the ground and began to talk. 

“How’s Devlin?” Faye asked cautiously. 

“How should I know? You’re the one who was with him all day.” 

“Well, I know for a fact that he walked you almost all the way to Knott’s Hill. He seemed put out when he told me about it, though. What’s up with that?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Faye glanced suspiciously at Calliope, who pulled her knees up to her chest in defense. “Not that it matters. It’s just…” She trailed off. 

“Ok.” Faye said, though not completely dismissively. 

“What did Devlin say about it?” Calliope said against her will. 

Faye grinned in a smug, knowing way. “Oh, not much. Just that he hated how you kept bringing stuff up that happened forever ago.” Calliope remembered thinking the same thing when Devlin walked off. 

“I didn’t…” She said defensively. 

“I didn’t say you did. Just repeating what he said.” Calliope looked away, a bit ruffled, and didn’t speak again until Faye said, “Let’s train for a few more hours.” 

They trained until Calliope’s mother stepped into the woods and told Faye that her father had shown up to get her. 

Calliope followed Faye back to the house, but when Faye’s father began to lead her away, Calliope heard a soft hissing noise. 

“What was that?” 

“What?” Padme asked as she stepped out onto the front step. 

“You didn’t hear it?” 

“What? Calliope, are you…” 

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” Calliope said as she snapped back to reality. 

Padme went back inside, glancing back over her shoulder worriedly, and Calliope thought it was best to follow. She was exhausted from training all day, and was ready for bed. 

She fell asleep right when her head hit the pillow, but was woken up a few hours later by Padme frantically shaking her. 

“What? What?” 

“We have to go. Now!” Padme’s voice was high-pitched and shaking. 

“Ok, but why?” 

“Emergency Council Meeting!” 

The words sent a chill through Calliope’s heart. The Emergency Council Meeting was just a fancy name for meetings including everyone in town. They met in the Council Hall; a huge room situated right in the middle of the square. 

But anyway, if an Emergency Council Meeting was called, it meant something big. 

Calliope threw on a shirt and shorts over her pajamas and slid her feet into a pair of shoes. She raced outside and met her parents, and they stood in silence until Padme rushed out onto the grass, ready to go. 

They silently made their way down the lawn until they reached the road, where Faye’s family joined them and the two families walked quickly down to the Council Hall, where Devlin’s family, along with a few others,  hovered around the entrance. 

“Why is no one going inside?” Padme murmured. Calliope placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder to quiet her and began pushing gently through the crowd to Devlin and, to her dismay, Faye followed. 

“What’s going on?” Calliope whispered. 

“No idea.” Devlin muttered. 

The crowd was beginning to get restless, and someone shifted, knocking Faye into Devlin, who steadied her absentmindedly. Calliope pretended not to notice and started observing the surrounding building for a source of the stalling. 

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly and spun around on her heel. 

“Hi, Calliope.” 

“Oh, hi, Heath.” Calliope said breathlessly, glancing at Devlin, who was now glaring at Heath with a vengeance. 

Faye crossed her arms over her chest, subconsciously imitating Devlin in pose and manner. 

Heath, a tall boy with jet-black hair and piercing eyes, surveyed Devlin with a smug grin. 

“Oh, hello, Delvin.” He drawled, purposefully pronouncing Devlin’s name wrong. 

“It’s Devlin.” Devlin replied with a cold politeness. 

“What are you doing here?” Faye said through gritted teeth. 

“It’s an Emergency Council Meeting, sweetheart. Everyone’s here.” Heath gestured to the surrounding people huddled in groups, effectively subduing Faye, and turned back to Calliope. “So, I haven’t seen you since they announced rebel testing. Where've you been?” 

Even though Calliope tried to convince herself otherwise, the smile spreading across Heath’s face was intoxicating. 

“I… I’ve been…” 

“…training.” Devlin interrupted. “She’s been training every day since she decided to try out, but I’m sure she would’ve spent time with you if she wasn’t too busy. Oh wait, she somehow managed to hang out with us. How’d that happen?” The sarcasm dripped from Devlin’s voice as Calliope glared disapproval at both the boys in front of her. 

“Can you two just get along?” She growled in exasperation. 

“No.” Devlin said at the same time Heath said, 

“I am.” 

“You’re not. You’re acting like children.” Calliope resisted stomping her foot, as she thought this wouldn’t help to get her point across.  

Both boys turned toward each other, joined for the moment in disbelief. 

“No, don’t you dare contradict me.” Calliope said loudly. If she’d said it any louder, it would’ve been a shout. 

Many people contemplated the small group of teens briefly but were too wrapped up in their own business to mind much. Calliope noticed the people looking her way, and her voice lowered by a few octaves. 

“I’m not kidding.” She hissed. 

“I know, but you have to calm down.” Devlin said in a calming tone. Calliope wouldn’t admit it, but the soothing sound worked. She took a deep breath and smiled. 

“But seriously guys, just try it.” 

“Fine.” The boys said in chorus. 

Calliope glanced around, only just noting Faye’s absence. She scanned the crowd for her friend, eventually spotting her near her parents, deep in conversation. Then Faye began to walk away, towards the newest arrivals on the outskirts of the crowd. 

Calliope fell into step beside her, and Devlin and Heath soon caught up, being not exactly friendly, but civil towards each other. 

“Calypso.” Faye answered Calliope’s questioning eyes with one word. 

“Calypso!” The other three cried; Calliope and Devlin in protest, and Heath in pleasure. Calypso was Heath’s twin sister, and she was good at nearly everything. Her long dark hair, exactly the same shade as Heath's, complemented her porcelain skin and merciless black eyes perfectly. 

“Why Calypso?” Devlin said quietly so that Heath couldn’t hear. 

“My mother sent me to ask her to help her with the evening meal on Rebel Testing Day since both she and my father will be working to set up the arena.” This was perfectly normal for families who worked with or around the testing, so no one was surprised, but Calypso! Such betrayal from a parent would tear Faye apart after she’d explicitly told her mother how much she hated the girl.

But Calypso was a working machine. It was easy to see how a busy mother would love her. Calypso could easily manage Rebel Testing and make a full meal in a day, along with preparations, recovery from the hard work and blood tests, and helping her own family. 

Heath jogged the last couple of feet to reach his sister, then draped his arm over her shoulder. 

“Hi, Lylie.” Calypso shifted under the weight of her brother’s arm, easily removing it from her shoulder. 

“Hi, Heath. And, who are these…” 

“Devlin.” Devlin said, sticking out his hand towards her. “You might remember me from school.” 

“I’m Calliope, and this is Faye.” Calliope introduced her friend, sensing that Faye didn’t want to talk to Calypso. “We’re in your class, and I sit next to you.” 

“Oh, the blonde one.” 

“Yeah. The blonde one. I guess.” 

“And the vicious one with the knives.” 

“You’re getting it.” Heath said encouragingly. 

Calliope shifted her eyes from Calypso to Heath, noticing how alike they looked. It was insane. Calypso’s face was narrower, her hair was longer, and she was smaller, but other than that, the twins were identical. Their personalities, however, were as different as night and day. 

“Anyway, what do you want?” 

“My mother needs help with the evening meal.” 

“Ah.” Calypso whipped out a tiny pocket calendar. “I guess I can squeeze you in between the Prussians and the Tyrians. Does six thirty work?” The smugness matched her brother’s perfectly though. 

“Sure. I know Miss Perfect doesn’t have much time to spare.” Faye said bitterly. 

“Uh-huh. Right, so now you can leave.” Calypso banished the group with a crook of her pinky finger. 

“I hate her!” Faye whisper-shouted as they walked away. 

“We know.” Devlin and Calliope said together. 

“Know what?” Heath said more to Calliope than to Devlin. 

“Nothing.” Something else was on Calliope’s mind. 

“Guys. The doors!” The doors to the Council Hall were slowly swinging open. 

Faye’s smooth sheet of hair bobbed in front of Calliope as they sprinted with the rest of the crowd toward the steps. 

When they arrived and entered the building, Calliope was again amazed by the vast splendor of the place. Carvings were done in marble all over the walls, white velvet chairs were placed elegantly around the space, and long flowing curtains hung from huge pillars in front of the stage which held a podium where the Leader, Jara Amaranth, stood. 

Jara was a strong-looking woman dressed all in clean white cotton, the common fabric in Salus. 

As Calliope sat with Faye on one side and Devlin on the other, she caught sight of Padme’s bright hair shining against the normal browns, blondes, and blacks of the people around her. Padme was gesturing frantically to Calliope, beckoning her attention and pointing towards a disturbance in the crowd. Calliope glanced over, and her face fell. 

The Assistant Leader, Azai Vermilion, was striding through the groups of people finding their seats, shoving children away with the metal fingers that adorned his left hand. 

It was unusual to have robotic body parts in Salus, for the genuine safety protocols protected most from pain, but Azai prided himself on his electronic hand. 

He didn’t always show up to these meetings, coming up with some excuse. In fact, it’d been so long since he’d shown up that everyone had fallen into a sense of false security. 

Azai wasn’t popular among the people, but he got the job done. He was especially hated by Padme, who had been unfortunate enough to make a mistake in school on the day Azai had visited. When she’d gotten home, the red cuts down her back had astonished and revolted her parents and sister. 

Salus forbade violence in play or war, but the important could use it in punishment. 

Since that day, Padme had shrunk away whenever his metal fingers caught her eye, trying to be unnoticeable, though with her red hair, that would be a feat. 

As Azai stepped onto the stage, Jara stood and began to speak. 

“I am sorry for the delay, dear people, but a certain someone was interfering with the procedure.” No one missed Jara’s glance towards Azai. “Anyway, we called this meeting to congratulate the children brave enough to try the Rebel Testing.” 

Murmurs arose from the crowd. No Emergency Council Meeting had ever been called just to ‘congratulate the children brave enough to try the Rebel Testing’. 

Calliope glanced in Faye’s direction, seeing that her friend was just as confused as she was. 

“What?” Devlin muttered. 

“That can’t be all.” Heath intoned. 

“Obviously.” Devlin said, turning toward Heath. 

“Devlin…” Calliope warned. Devlin rolled his eyes in exasperation, then turned his attention to the front, where Jara was again speaking over the crowds’ bewildered grumbles. 

“This is not our only announcement, however.” 

“Told you.” Heath and Devlin said together. 

“The Rebel Testers are arriving the day after tomorrow, instead of in a week as they’d planned.” 

The town finally understood. This was distressing. The Rebel Testers needed only the best, and with so little time to prepare, everyone began to panic. 

Faye looked like she was about to pass out. Her apprenticeship, which every student was given when they were a Fourteen, was a mechanic’s assistant, and everyone had to have a working Personal Hovercraft for the ceremonies of recognition and acceptance. 

Usually, no one used a Personal Hovercraft except the extremely wealthy ones (in fact, Personal Hovercraft use for commoners was prohibited but for emergencies), but since the ceremonies were all the way across town, exactly 74.5 miles away from the main neighborhood, everyone needed one. And, except for the children below a 14, everyone had one somewhere. The Town Council Meetings didn’t require a Personal Hovercraft, for they were held in the small Council Hall only about a mile away from the neighborhood.

Calliope tore her eyes away from Faye to stare at a point just behind Jara where Azai was getting to his feet. 

“I have one question.” He slurred at Jara. “How are we supposed to figure out how to be prepared for the Rebel Testers in thirty-one hours? I know that you won’t have to do anything.” Azai’s finger shook slightly as it pointed towards Jara. 

The crowd moved uncomfortably as Azai continued to declare his thoughts. 

“While you’re sitting up here making effortless laws, some of us are out there working. I, for instance, have several jobs, which all increase ten-fold in the workload as the Testers draw closer.”

“Your point is?” Jara tried to interrupt.

“My point is,” Azai growled. “ My point is that while you’re inviting the Rebel Testers here left and right, some of us have to pay for this!” 

Silence overtook the room. However little they wanted to admit it, most of the crowd agreed with Azai.

“Okay. Okay.” Everyone stared silently up at Jara, unnerved by her calm response. Suddenly, Jara tore off her gold badge and tossed it at Azai’s feet.

“You can try being in my place. You’ll see.” With this threatening message, Jara turned slowly, taking four small steps to fully complete the circle, and took large strides to exit the stage; soon disappearing from sight. 

The crowd stood, rooted to the spot with shock, until Azai slowly knelt and picked up the badge. He did not, however, pin it to his shirt, placing it in his pocket instead. 

When Azai looked up, he seemed surprised to see that everyone was still there.

“Get along now. You know what’s up.”

People began to leave, hardly believing that their Leader had resigned, at least temporarily. Calliope stood and followed her friends out into the darkness of the very early morning, barely noticing Heath and Devlin’s continued bickering. 

“What do you think Azai’s going to do now that he’s in charge?” 

Calliope jumped. She had forgotten Faye’s presence next to her. 

“I don’t know. Do you think he’s going to tell the Testers to stay away until next week?” 

“No.” Faye said reluctantly. “Casimir’s going to work me so hard. Wish me luck.” Calliope sighed. Faye’s instructor, Casimir Gamboge, was a perfectionist at heart, and wouldn’t let Faye rest until every hovercraft was immaculate and without a flaw. 

Devlin ducked out of his argument with Heath to say: “Well, my job doesn’t have much more work. Perfect ease.” 

Devlin was an aircraft equipment supplier’s assistant and his only job was to supply goods and products to the few aircrafts which flew into Salus. He’d been delighted with this occupation ever since he’d gotten it, and his boyish pleasure hadn’t faded as he grew. 

Heath turned and began walking backwards as he spoke. 

“My occupation is the best.”

“Seriously?” Devlin sneered. “How is building inspector’s assistant ‘the best’?”

“It’s not like you’d know. You have no taste.” Heath said defensively.

Calliope ignored the boys, pushing past them to get further ahead in the crowd. Heath and Devlin looked at her in defiance, but she wasn’t worried about them. She’d just heard a strange, yet familiar noise. 

A quiet hissing. 

“Shhh.” Calliope waved her arms wildly behind her to silence her friends. 

“What?” Faye asked worriedly. 

The hissing stopped, then began again.

“Do you hear that?”

“What?” Devlin asked exasperatedly.

A loud burst of laughter from the group in front of them drowned out the noise, and the sounds of people conversing were deafening anyway.

“I don’t understand.” Faye began. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Calliope turned back around to look at her friends, whose faces were pure worry. 

“It doesn’t matter.” She repeated.

“Does anyone else feel unconvinced?” Heath asked.

“Shut up.” Devlin said loudly. He and Heath slipped back into their argument as if there hadn’t been a pause.

“Well?” Calliope glanced over and saw Faye still looking anxiously at her. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Calliope broke away from Faye’s concerned stare to dash through the crowd towards her family up ahead. 

“Oh, there you are, Calliope.” Calliope’s mother sang. “We were looking everywhere for you.”

Calliope fell into step with her family. Padme was limping slightly, the cuts on her feet finally giving her trouble, so Calliope lifted her sister up and cradled her carefully. 

“Thanks, Calliope.” Padme whispered, snuggling close to her sister. The soft curls of her hair brushed against Calliope’s neck, calming her. 

The whole town walked together until the neighborhood began and the streets split off from the main road.

Devlin and Heath were the first to go, since the richer houses were closer to the square. Then Faye left, hers being one of the rare not poor, not rich families. By the time Calliope’s street came along, most of the people walking with them had dispersed. 

Calliope collapsed onto her bed, completely exhausted. She needed rest; her job, technician’s assistant, wouldn’t be easy either when morning came. Before she knew it, she was asleep. 

A strange dream came to Calliope that night; one of snakes and a low hissing that wove through surrounding trees. The noise grew in volume until Calliope awoke in a cold sweat.

She fell back asleep and when she woke up in the morning, she didn’t remember a thing about the dream.