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“Never heard of him,” she says as she turns and marches back to the counter where she was working. “I don’t keep up with politics or matters of state. They expelled my family when I was three.”
“What for?”
The expulsion of an entire family is extremely rare.
“My parents had me without permission.” She offers me a satisfied grin as her hands dive into a pile of dough. “The old-fashioned way.”
“What?” My mouth hangs open. “But women take pills for that, and if it happens by accident, there are places to correct it.”
“My parents didn’t believe in those kinds of places.” Kit frowns at me. She portions the dough in half and slides it toward me. “Here. Wash your hands and help me knead the dough. We’re preparing the bread for tomorrow morning.”
I stick my hands under the stream of water, still chewing on Kit’s words. The Undesirables defy the Council, but to hear of Citizens actively going against orders is unheard of. When it comes to making babies, the Council always knows best—growing babies in test tubes, where things like hair color, eye color, and personality can be controlled, makes the most sense. Anything could go wrong if parents brought a naturally born baby to term.
But here I am standing beside a woman who was born the natural way and I see nothing wrong with her. In fact, she’s beautiful with her dark almond eyes, straight brown hair, and shapely figure. She’d fit in with the people of Avren, but she’s baking their bread. Other than Levi’s hearing impairment, I’ve seen nothing wrong with the people born the natural way in the wilderness either.
I slide beside Kit at the counter, placing my hands in the dough. It feels cold and elastic, but the sensation of forming and reforming it over and over with my knuckles relaxes me.
“Guy is the owner.” Kit tosses the dough into the air and slams it back down on the counter. “He’s a Citizen. Bit rough around the edges, but once he knows you’re a good worker, he’ll warm up to you.” She points to a man beside the oven. “That’s Felix.”
The man gives me a quick salute and returns to his job.
“And that’s Robert.” She nods her head toward a younger man squirting icing out of a tube onto a pan of rolls. “Guy was in line to receive the newest person expelled from the city, so the officials sent you here.”
“Do you ever switch jobs?” When I lived in the city, the workers in the shops and Caron came to mind when I thought about Undesirables. I never imagined the harsh working conditions in the caverns for the people who keep the inner bowels of the city running.
Kit smirks and pounds her fist into the dough. “Got your first glimpse of the Unseen.” It isn’t a question. She knows I had to come that way to enter the city. “Nothing you need to worry about unless you cause trouble. You’re an Untouchable.”
“What’s that mean?” I slow my hands in the dough.
Kit places her dough into a ceramic bowl and covers it with cloth. “Although we’re considered Undesirable, there are different classes within the system. Only the highest class may work in the city. We were Avrenian as children. We know their ways.” She carries the dough to a windowsill, and when she returns, takes mine and works it. “The next class are those who the authorities expelled in good standing. They at least know how the city operates, but for some reason, didn’t fit in. The children of the Undesirable come next if they’re caught. Because they don’t have a tracking anklet, the guards seldom catch them.” She slows her kneading and looks me in the eye. “The last group are the criminals. People the Council expelled for crimes against the higher order. They wear red anklets so others can identify them. The Council assigns them to the worst jobs. With no rights or protections, the guards work them to their limits using corporal punishment.”
It's the Council’s heavy hand that keeps crime out of the city. Although I don’t agree with abusing the criminals, it makes sense to keep them in line.
“Do you know what the number one crime in Avren is?” She places my mound of dough in another bowl.
I can’t imagine what it might be because I never saw a crime happen within the walls of the city. “Stealing?”
She laughs as she carries the bowl to the windowsill. “In a place where they give you everything you’d ever need? No, Mari.” She leans against the counter, lowering her voice. “It’s plotting against the Council.”
Inhaling sharply, I furrow my brow and shake my head. “Why would anyone want to threaten the Council?”
“Think about what happened to you… to me… to Felix and Robert.” Her gaze rests on the other two workers. “We did nothing wrong. I was three years old. What kind of human expels a toddler to the wilderness, which they know is full of Supes? Can you answer that question?”
It isn’t something I ever questioned—it’s the law. My conversation with Grayson from earlier floats to the forefront. Reversing your brainwashing. “Do you think the Council expels someone at the first hint of dissension?”
“That’s exactly what they do. If you don’t fit into their perfect world because you look or think differently, you’re gone.” She joins Robert at the icing station, picking up a bag of confectionary sugar and emptying it into a large bowl.
I chew on her words before following. It doesn’t make sense to me. “But what about the orphans? They did nothing to deserve the wilderness.”
Robert raises a dark brow his eyes meeting Kit’s. He’s ruggedly handsome, and I sense a connection between them. “You’re an orphan for a reason.”
“Yes, my mom got sick.” The feelings run fresh through every nerve in my body. “An Undesirable like you brought it into the city and infected her. She did nothing wrong.”
“The healers have the antidote,” Robert says flatly as he carefully creates a delicate swirl on a cinnamon roll. “The Council instructed them not to use it.”
“How do you know this?” My voice rises, and the others glance at the door. I lower my voice, knowing they are fearful Guy might walk in. “Why wouldn’t they save her?”
“What happened to your father?” Kit asks.
