I shake my head. That’s not going to happen. It’s a statistic that most Pairs end up getting Bonded—some people click. Plus, the Triad forbids Enforcers to marry other Enforcers, unless they are Paired. It’s rule number forty.
“God is not that cruel,” I say, starting down the stairs.
“Maybe he won’t even make it past day one,” Ric adds.
Chapter Four
The Nucleus House is the center of everything. It’s the hub of our kind, nestled in plain sight and hidden under the noses of Nons. Our whole existence is like that. We go to school with them, work with them, live next to them, and sometimes marry them, but we never tell them our secrets.
When Ric and I pull up outside the Nucleus House Monday morning, I am nervous. And tired. It’s not even 6:00 a.m.
I stare over at Ric, whose blond hair looks especially white with light of the rising sun peeking behind him. It’s like those old-time paintings of angels, with glowing halos build into their heads. I snort at the idea of Ric being an angel, and he raises an eyebrow up at me.
“Nervous?”
I lean my head back against the seat. “I hope this isn’t some kind of shitshow.”
Ric sighs. “It will be. Put a bunch of witches in a room and there’s nothing else it could be. Don’t be nervous. You’re good at this and you are going to prove it to everyone in there.”
I smile and nod. It’s what I’ve been doing all my life. I wish, out of all the people in the world, that I could tell him that I don’t have magic. I don’t know how I’ve kept it a secret from Ric for so long. I tell myself that maybe deep down he knows there’s something different about me. And soon I won’t have to lie to him anymore.
Ric downs his last bit of coffee and flashes me a smile. “Let’s go.”
From the outside, the Nucleus House looks like a normal building with six floors, elevators and offices where Nons work. All bricks, mortar, and fluorescent lights. It’s a lie, a glamour.
The Nucleus House is really sixteen floors, not six, and the elevators don’t just move up and down; they go sideways. It’s actually pretty awesome, because the sideways elevators can connect to other hubs throughout the country, but those are only used in extreme situations. The US is broken into seven regions, but we hid our leaders and decision-makers the same place the Nons did, Washington DC. We’re supposed to blend in, after all.
“I’m going to the capital” means the same thing to everyone. We don’t just glamour how we live; we’ve learned how to make the truth sound like the truth to Nons so they don’t ask questions. It’s another step to integration. Integration is key to survival and anonymity, bylaw 107.
The first-floor entrance is all blue tile. To the left of the entrance, there are four elevator banks. Nons only see two of them; the sideways ones are glamoured. We take an elevator up and it moves quickly and dings three times before the doors open.
Once we’re out of the elevator, we move past a series of doors. One door is marked only for the Triad. No one is allowed to go into their chambers unless escorted or directed with special clearance. A second door leads to a ballroom—which is usually where the ceremonies happen, anointing of babies, Bonding, Pairing, CEASE Squad initiations. All the things that make our community our own.
Ric and I take the third door down the hall, which leads to the training levels.
“Take them all out for me,” he says before he turns to the right to go to the boys’ side. I wish we didn’t have to test separately. I take a breath, turn to the left, and step into the room. We won’t be with the boys again until the Pairing ceremony.
There are like a hundred chairs all set up in lines. This was not what I expected. There are girls sitting in some of the chairs, and I don’t recognize anyone. This wasn’t my time to test, so none of these kids are from my ST classes. There are six other schools, so that’s a lot of girls in one room. A lot of girls I don’t know.
I sit on the other side in the second row by the window and open the Witches’ News Network app on my cell phone. The logo flashes on the screen as a girl with oval eyes and olive skin sits next to me.
Our instructor, Mrs. Bentham, stands at the front of the room. Mrs. Bentham is a bigger woman with hair that spirals up her head. She has on some bright-colored flower-print dress that’s more muumuu than dress, and while she doesn’t appear to be someone who could take on five demons alone in the dark while blindfolded, somehow she did. She was a force to be reckoned with in the 1980s, and has been leading the Enforcer exams for years.
She claps her hands to get our attention. “Welcome to the first session of your Enforcer examination. This is the beginning of the rest of your lives!” She says it with a wide smile.
“Some of you will do well over the next three days. Those of you who prove less than capable will be dismissed,” she says. There’s an emphasis on the last word as she tries to scare us. It works. I’m terrified. “In the end, ten of you will be Paired. Maybe ten. Last month there were only three.” She pauses. “Then we’ll prepare you together and you will take your Partner final. Only the best of those will become Enforcers, and the rest of you will find a place to serve in the Non world.”
Despite myself, I scan the quiet room. These girls are my equals, chosen by the Triad to be here; they’re also my competition. It’s good that I don’t know any of them. My whole life, my whole existence, depends on being an Enforcer.
“Eva Leigh Error,” Mrs. Bentham calls. A tall girl stands with dark-black hair hanging in braids over her baggy shirt and yoga pants.
Mrs. Bentham smiles. “Hello, Eva.” Eva says hello back, obviously nervous. “What are the first three verses of every family Umbra?”
I guess we’re starting now.
Eva clears her throat. “In the beginning, there were angels and demons. Then God created humans, creatures designed more in his likeness than ever before. The humans had a special link to God that caused the demons to burn with jealousy, so the demons set out to destroy them. Though the angels were also touched by the stain of jealousy, they stood by God, and defended his new creations.”
“Annah Jelowski.” A girl in the front stands up, her hands shaking and flapping around in the air. All I can see of her is the back of her short red hair, a blue shirt with her jeans, and a flash of pink on her nails. “What did God do to reward the angels for their loyalty?”
Annah moves her lips robotically. “God plucked the strongest man from humanity, and bound him to the essence of the angels, to bring them closer and to assist in the war against the demons.”
“Stephanie Dudley, what was the result?”
Stephanie stands up quickly, and her purse tumbles off her lap, the contents spilling out over the floor. Mrs. Bentham gives her a chiding look, but Stephanie is quick. “The witches were born.”
She stands at attention, eyes on Mrs. Bentham. “And our sole purpose?”
“Saving those without magic, the Nons.”
Mrs. Bentham walks around the room. I sit forward, ready to spring to action. This isn’t something that we can fail.
“The witches were given something upon their creation. What was this, Shiloh Hearns?” Mrs. Bentham asks.
Shiloh stands quickly, middle of the room, yellow dress. “The witches were given the secrets of angels: language, power, and knowledge.”
As soon as she finishes, she sits. Mrs. Bentham moves toward her. “You are dismissed.”
The whole room is still. Shiloh Hearns looks confused. I’m pretty familiar with train wrecks, so there’s no doubt this is about to be one.
Shiloh shakes her head. “B-but I answered the question.”
Mrs. Bentham shakes her head. “You answered too much. The question was, The witches were given something upon their creation. What was this? Your response was the answer, yes; however, it was too much. The correct response would have been: The witches were given the secrets of angels. That would be all.”