Turning Eighteen
But if one of them turned out to be a Solitary and the other a Chosen . . . Mo’s throat tightened. That would be it. Their relationship would be over. Staying together would be torture, and pointless, and stupid. Every look, every touch would remind them that they had no future. They’d try to be friends, end up acquaintances that only saw each other in class and on exercises, and request assignments on different ships upon graduation. And that downward spiral could begin in as little as five months, on her eighteenth birthday.
Lesley wiped her mouth with her napkin and stole a look at Mo, sitting on the other side of the table, four chairs down. Usually they sat next to each other when the Thompsons and Middletons dined together, but doing so tonight, the night she’d know for sure if she was a Chosen or a Solitary, would have raised eyebrows. Considering how many Thompson relatives were in attendance, Mama seating the Middletons at the head table indicated how close the two families were. She could have placed them at one of the many tables assigned to family friends and acquaintances.
Suddenly Mo caught Lesley’s eye and smiled, or tried to—she looked more pained than anything. Lesley smiled in return and shifted her attention back to her dessert.
“. . . be okay.”
“What?” Lesley said, turning to her right.
“I said, she’ll be okay.” Karen sipped her water. “I remember Derek’s party. When everyone was clapping and cheering at midnight, I felt like crying my eyes out. But by the time my eighteenth rolled around, I was over him. I haven’t spoken to him for a couple of years. I don’t even know what he’s doing.”
“I heard he’s apprenticing with Bradley Walker.”
“See? You know more than I do. So don’t worry about Mo. She’ll have mixed feelings about you being a Chosen. You might, too. But your Chosen Papers are still a long way off.”
“I could be a Solitary.” Though she hoped she wasn’t. She wanted children, and she didn’t want Mama to have yet another reason to be disappointed with her. Few Thompsons had received Solitary Notifications.
“I doubt it. Your Notification would have arrived by now. It’s not as if the Chosen Council met this morning to decide.”
“It’s not official until midnight.”
“Well, when it’s official, don’t try to comfort Mo with a bunch of empty promises.”
“Karen, I’m not stupid.”
“Maybe not, but when it comes to Mo, you’re too sensitive. So remember me and Derek. She’ll get over it. So will you. You’ll have moved on by the time you’re twenty-five.”
“You went on to college and Derek didn’t,” Lesley said indignantly. “Mo and I will both be at the Military Academy. We’ll see each other every day.”
“You won’t break up as soon as you leave the Learning Academy, but you will eventually. You’ll have to. So no empty promises, okay?”
“I wasn’t planning on making any. Like I said, I’m not stupid.” Lesley narrowed her eyes. “Did Mama put you up to this?”
Karen chuckled. “No! I’m older than you. I’ve been to more eighteenth parties.”
“You’re only four years older. Wait, now you’re only three.”
“Three and a half.”
“Oh. Well, then.”
“There’s a big difference between eighteen and twenty-one,” Karen told her.
They jumped when Mama leaned in between them. “Are you two talking about anything I should know about?”
“No,” Karen said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Mama arched an eyebrow. “You see, I never used to worry when the two of you had your heads together. I never thought anything of it. But then you lied to us about the Military Academy entrance exam. I can’t be complacent anymore.”
“We’re talking about eighteenth birthday parties, that’s all,” Karen said, her voice strained.
“Is that what you’re talking about, Lesley?”
“Yes, Mama, that’s what we’re talking about.”
Mama gave Lesley a long, hard look. “I guess I’ll have to trust you. Don’t make me regret it.” She straightened and patted them both on the shoulder, then went back to her place.
“She’ll never forgive us,” Karen mumbled. She turned back to her cake.
Mama’s intrusion had killed the conversation, probably what she’d intended. Lesley lifted a forkful of cake to her mouth, then almost dropped it when someone—it sounded like Susan—shrieked with laughter. Was Mo laughing, too? Lesley wanted to check, but Karen would think she couldn’t keep her eyes off Mo. Instead, she focused on her plate.
Yes, tonight was awkward, and yes, she’d have mixed feelings at midnight. But her Chosen Papers were years away. When they arrived, she’d meet the woman the Chosen Council had selected—her ideal match, the woman she was meant to be with. Wouldn’t that mean she’d eventually have stronger feelings for her Chosen than she’d ever had for Mo? And wouldn’t the same thing happen for Mo and Mo’s Chosen, assuming she had one? After all, the Chosen Council knew what it was doing. One look around the room was ample proof, along with the rarity of Chosen Violations.