Page 11 of The Flame

Open all messages.

Call xxx.

In order to connect to someone, I used their Citizen Number. I could speak directly to them, or leave a message, and I could also save their Citizen Number in a list of contacts under their name. She’d linked my iComm to my own Citizen Number, with a trailing ‘F’ to distinguish it from my husband’s number.

“Despite the revolution, despite the Sisters of Capra now being in control, I’m still an extension of my husband.” Maybe that was unfair. But it was the truth.

Rose’s harsh veneer cracked slightly. Her eyes softened. “Elevating women to be equal partners in their marriage is right at the top of our agenda.”

I thought of Carolyn. And Beth. And all the other women out there who’d been less than fortunate in their graduation choices. “What happens when someone doesn’t want to be in that marriage at all?”

“We’re committed to maintaining the family unit, Georga. That’s one of the founding principles of the Eastern Coalition. But we can still make a difference.”

Some of the mutiny inside me shook loose. This was where it had all started for me, after all. I wanted to make a difference. “What can I do?”

“We’re concentrating on our three top priorities.” Rose pointed out a woman I recognized from my first meeting with Geneva. “Eliza has been appointed Captain of the Guard and we’re recruiting new trainees. We have a signup sheet in the information kiosk in the square. Everyone is welcome to apply.”

I wondered if Jessie would be interested. Maybe she’d be more forgiving if she started experiencing the positive changes in our society. Then again, I didn’t see Jessie in guard uniform.She had rebel fire in her belly, even if she didn’t always show it, even if she wasn’t currently playing for either side.

Rose gestured to a woman seated at the lamp table. “Janice is supervising the Center for Reform and Rehabilitation and she’s looking for three or four volunteers. But I feel you’re particularly suited to my team and I would love to have you,” she added with emphasis. “I’m in charge of our brand new social welfare program and we’re setting up our first center in the Bohemian District.”

That was exactly where my heart belonged, but I was pretty sure Daniel would end up in rehab.That’swhere I needed to be.

Rose wasn’t delighted with my choice. But was she suspicious? She wasn’t easy to read. After unsuccessfully trying to talk me out of it, she introduced me to Janice Clearwater and left us alone to talk.

Janice was a striking woman with strawberry-blond curls and sharp blue eyes. Either she’d aged extremely well, or she was in her late twenties, maybe early thirties. She carried authority, though. It was there in the rigid set of her shoulders, in those sharp eyes, in the well-worn look turning down the corners of her mouth.

“I’m afraid Rose isn’t quite correct,” she said. “I’m not looking for volunteers. The Rehabilitation Center is a sensitive area and I’m handpicking candidates.”

My smile was appropriately sober. “What are you looking for in candidates?”

“I’ll know when I see it,” she stated flatly.

I wasn’t giving up that easy. “The Rehabilitation Center—or should I say, the fear of rehab—has shaped many of us. I’ve always wondered about that. Is it a deterrent, a threat, a punishment, or is it actually a radical reform that adjusts citizens to fit back into their lives in Capra?”

I had her attention.

“You know what I’ve done,” I continued. She had to recognize me, although she hadn’t given off any signs of it. “I’m not daunted by ‘unusual’ situations. I went outside the wall, despite the risks. I discovered a lot of truths and handed everything over to the Sisterhood. I’m loyal, and I’m not afraid of the ugliness in this world.”

A watchful silence fell between us.

What more could I say to convince her?

While I was racking my brain, Janice slid a form and pen toward me. “Very well, I will keep you under consideration. Fill out the form.”

Thank you!

I turned the form around and picked up the pen. There wasn’t much to fill in, just my name and citizenship number, my address, and a brief summary of why I thought I was suitable for the role. I wrote down everything I’d just told her, then added a few lines praising my own character. This wasn’t the time to be demure, or completely honest.

When I was done, Janice took the form, barely glancing at it. “If you don’t hear from me, then your application wasn’t successful.”

“Thank you for considering me,” I said politely and left it at that, making my way out the map room and down the steps to the ground floor.

One of the doors leading off the foyer stood slightly ajar. A whirring sound drew me closer. Since the door wasn’t closed, it wasn’t like I was intruding on anyone’s privacy. I pushed the door a little wider and peered inside.

Two men sat with their backs to me, hunched over their keyboards by a bank of computers set up against the far wall. I was surprised to see them, here in the heart of the Sisterhood, but their presence made sense. It wasn’t like we had anytechnical expertise amongst us. Or any specialized skills, for that matter. The social structure of Capra had seen to that.

The whirring noise came from two giant printers spitting out pages. Lisa Bickens stood there, gathering batches from the printer trays, squaring the pages and stacking them on a table.

---