Undesirable

Chapter 8

I've been staring at the invitation every night for the past week; reading and rereading the words that are written on the page in golden ink, incapable of perceiving that it can be true.

The scroll itself doesn't look real; I didn't think parchment could ever look this beautiful. Every night, I'm convinced that I'm going to wake up from a strange dream, or that Luca had just been some figment of my imagination - my mind playing tricks on itself - caused by the stress of my looming birthday. But the longer I look at it, the more reality sets in.

A Lord from the Higher Tier wants to meet me. I could marry a Lord! The irritated expression on Karissa's face would be amazing, and I would never have to hear any more snide comments from her ever again. Honestly, marrying a Higher Tier Lord would be worth it for that fact alone.

Mother is already making wedding plans. She must have asked me about a thousand times if I think the Higher Tier has any beaches. She and my father got married on the beach, and so did Ana and Jaxx. She says we have to stick to family tradition, or the marriage would be cursed by the gods. However, I think goddess Juno would just be relieved I am finally getting married. The older generations are so obsessed with curses, sometimes I wonder if they are actually just willing them to happen.

When the sun finally rises, I set off to work, hoping that if I get an early start, I could get home sooner to prepare for tomorrow's meeting. I normally do a bit of preparation beforehand, but Middle Tier men are predictable, so after the third or fourth meeting, you know what you have to deal with. But with Lord Pernice, I'm going to research every little bit of information I can get my hands on. Not only does this have to go well so I don't get branded, but this will be my chance to escape a life of poverty on the Middle Tier as well. I cannot waste it.

I'm lucky that I've been able to keep the news of my invitation to myself, normally everyone would have heard about it by now. However, since I'm the only one in the village who has been asked to attend, there is no one else to spill the secret. I can walk around freely without a single person pestering me, which takes off a lot of pressure.

The dockmaster is surprised to see me so early in the morning, but he doesn't say anything. He just hands me my basket and I head out into the water. For the first hour or so, there is only me and a few others, and we don't speak to each other. They are here early for the same reason as I am, to finish quickly so they can go home.

I actually catch quite a few fish, more than I normally do during the day. I guess with fewer bodies in the water, they are less likely to get frightened off. Either that or they're too tired to try make their escape. By the time the masses begin to join us, my basket is at least a quarter of the way full. Never in the history of my career has it reached that mark before, not even after a full day's work. We will be eating well tonight.

One boy, who lives a few houses down from mine, walks into the water and stands only a few feet away from me. He keeps staring at me as he works, making me quite uncomfortable under his gaze. I smile at him, hoping that he realises his glances aren't subtle, but this proves to be a mistake, as he takes it as an invitation that I want to talk.

"Congratulations Savanna," He says.

I frown at him, confused. What is he talking about?

"Thank you?" I reply. If I ask him 'what for', it will only drag out this weird conversation, and I didn't want to speak to him in the first place.

"You must be so excited," He continues.

Excited? Excited for what?

Oh no! Wait a second. Does he know about my invitation?