Submit (Book 1, The Karyln Trials)

Chapter Seventeen

     Today's the day. My hands shake as I pull the white cotton shirt over my head from my dresser. I'm wearing white jeans as well and my hair is wavier than usual due to falling asleep with my hair still wet last night.

I take a deep breath then wave my wrist at my door and walk out to the common room, combing my hair with my fingers. Eve is already in the common room when I get there, and I actually chuckle when I see her.

She turns around, her fingers also in her red hair to comb out knots. I meet her green eyes and she almost seems sad to see me rather than one of the boys, though I don't blame her after how I've been treating her these past three weeks.

My chest hollows, guilt rooting itself inside me. I've been treating her poorly for something her parents said. Their words will be forever ingrained in my mind, but I shouldn't judge her for something they did. I should be one to know that we are not all our parents.

I take my hands out of my hair, leaving the knots for later and step closer to Eve. "Listen, Eve, I'm—" I clear my throat, the words not coming easily. "I'm really sorry for being so cold towards you. It's just, every time I see you, I think about what your parents said about August and I the night we met..."

Eve clasps her hands in front of her and looks down at the ground. "It's okay, I understand. I would probably feel the same way if your parents spoke ill about me at my betrothal meeting." She raises her gaze, looking at me with sadness. "I really am sorry for what they said. If I had known that they would say what they did, we wouldn't have come."

I nod and give her a small smile. "How about we start over and just forget that happened?"

Eve returns my smile and wipes at her eyes. "I would like that, very much."

I hold my hand out to her. "I'm Adaline Grace, twenty-second, sector six."

We clasp forearms, chipped wrists pressed together as they would be in a formal greeting. "I'm Eve Summers, seventeenth, sector six." We shake once then pull our hands away, laughing.

"You ladies ready?" I glance over my shoulder and see August and Lincoln walking into the room from the hall.

"Very." I continue combing through my hair as we walk out the door.

Now out of our room, I can feel a buzzing energy as everyone from our sector gathers, waiting for the elevator to be taken down to the main level. Voices mix together, and a large array of emotions are expressed. There are people who are excited to be put to the test out in the Waste. Others who just wish to get everything over with. And then the majority of people who are either nervous or scared of what's to come.

I grip August's arm tightly, the pressure of events not yet unveiled weighing on my shoulders. I can feel August's gaze on me as I look around at my acquaintances, my friends, my competitors. I look at the people who I got to see every day around the sector. The people I may never see again after this is all over.

The four of us walk into the elevator, being squeezed into the back tightly as more people than suggested get on after us. I stand with my side pressed against August's chest, people on every side pushing me closer than I can get. Luckily, it's a quick trip down and we are all out of the elevator within a few minutes.

We join Vivian, Nina, Jake, and Andy at our usual table for most likely the last time and it saddens me. We quickly take our seats and get our food, needing all the fuel we can get. The four sector twos are already ahead of us, I can see that Andy and Jake are already on their second plate of food.

Nina swallows what she's chewing then sets her spoon down. "I wish this wasn't our last day, to think we may never see you all again is very upsetting."