Page 62 of Powerless

“Are you crazy?! Of course I want the job, Pae!” She’s practically skipping as we make our way to the coach waiting at the far end of Loot.

I survey the market and wide alley before me. My home looks just as dull and dreary as it did when I left it. I let the sound of curses and haggling, the scent of fish and spices wash over me. All familiar. All the same.

Lenny opens the door of the coach and both Adena and I settle in before we are rumbling up the uneven cobblestone street, heading for the palace.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Adena says, in awe as she looks out the tiny window. She turns back to me, taking in the casual dress Ellie forced me into with wide eyes. “I can’t believethis.” She looks from my face to the dress before snatching up the hem of the skirt and inspecting it.

“Don’t get used to...this.” I gesture to the dress. “I typically wear pants during the day, but Ellie insisted I wear a dress to make a good impression on the people who saw me at Loot.”

And there certainly were a lot of people. Despite how early it was, the marketplace was teeming with men, women, and children, all gawking at me as I passed.

I’m not sure what impression I made on them, but I certainly made one, nonetheless.

“It sounds like Ellie and I will get along perfectly,” Adena says, her smile bright.

“Oh, I’m sure you will.” I laugh before continuing, “And you will be paid, fed, and have a real bed to sleep in at night. I’m told there is a sewing room where you will spend most of your time, filled with every type of fabric you could ever dream of.”

Adena’s eyes go glossy at the thought. “Heaven. I’ll be in heaven.”

I fill her in on everything—the training, the interviews, the contestants. She does the same, telling me of her time in Loot while I’ve been gone.

“I was beginning to think you forgot about me!” Adena says with a laugh, dismissing the idea. “And now, here you are, taking me back with you!”

A wave of guilt slams into me, threatening to drown.

I swallow before opening my mouth to plead for forgiveness, to tell her I’m sorry, to—

“I could never forget about you, A.”

Never again.

She beams while my heart beats wildly against my chest. She’s so very good, and I am so very guilty. I’m weak for withholding the truth from her, but with each beat of my heart, I vow to never do it again.

“Oh, wait! Who are you going to the ball with?” Adena’s high-pitched question cuts through my confused thoughts.

Of course Adena would know that detail of the Trials, how we all have to pair up for the balls. She loves this sort of stuff. I run a hand through my hair, combing it out of my face. “Well...I’m going with Kitt.”

Adena blinks. And then she shrieks.

“Kitt? You mean, theheir?” She’s practically hyperventilating, fanning herself with her hands.

“It’s not a big deal, A. Except that I do need to look good,” I say, trying to calm her down.

“Well then you came to the right girl,” she says confidently. “Wow, okay, you have to lookreallygood then.” She swipes at the curly bangs falling into her eyes. “Well, there are several beautiful shades of green we could choose from. We could put you in an emerald, or a sage—”

I hold a hand up, a smile curving my lips. “Actually, I have a different color in mind.”

ChapterTwenty

Kai

I’m standingin a sea of black. Black suit coats, black ties, black shoes. Like ink, the men filling the ballroom swirl around on the white marble floors, words hastily scribbled on a piece of glossy parchment.

Servants dance around the room, though they have no music to accompany them as they weave through the crowd. They make their laps, bringing wine, champagne, and extravagant finger foods on even more extravagant plates.

Seeing that the Trials aredifferentthis year—thanks to me and the testing of the future Enforcer—it no surprise that the balls would be out of the ordinary as well. Typically, the Trial’s balls are just that: balls. They consist of far too many hours of dancing and tedious small talk, both of which require excessive amounts of alcohol to get through.

But this Trial’s first ball begins with a banquet.

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