Daughter of Nothing Page 3

  Jacey got to the front doors, two huge slabs of mahogany, each intricately carved with images of palm trees. She waited silently, hands clasped in front of her. After a few minutes, the doors swung silently inward, and she stepped into a tiled foyer.

  Mr. Justin, Dr. Carlhagen’s butler, greeted her. He wore his usual white-linen tunic over baggy trousers. The tips of his sandaled toes peeked from beneath the wide hem of his pant legs. His lips spread into a wide, white smile, his angled eyes scrunching and sending crow’s feet to his temples.

  He bowed formally. “Welcome, Miss Jacey. If you’ll please wait by the pool. Dr. Carlhagen is with another student.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Justin.”

  The foyer transitioned into a wide living area furnished with white wicker chairs. Floor-to-ceiling accordion doors along the far wall were pushed wide open, extending the room into the outdoors, where terra cotta tiles surrounded a crystal-blue swimming pool.

  Mr. Justin guided Jacey to a glass-topped table where a pitcher of ice water glistened. Beads of condensation ran down its sides, dripping onto a white towel neatly folded beneath it. She reached for the pitcher, but Mr. Justin deftly took it up and poured her a glass. With delicate silver tongs, he plucked a slice of lemon from a dish and dropped it in. He handed the glass to her with a slight bow.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  After Mr. Justin departed, she walked from beneath the roofed area and skirted the pool to inspect the view. The hacienda stood on the upper slope of one of St. Vitus’s many green hills. Below her, a green and tan carpet of wind-battered scrubby plant-life covered the land. A kilometer down, the vegetation ended at a rocky shore of black boulders. Low waves lapped against the rocks, and farther out, a line of white curls broke against a reef hidden beneath the blue waters. Beyond that, the dark sea met the light blue of the sky. White clouds scudded overhead, driven by the ceaseless winds that blew across the island. It made Jacey’s ponytail flutter behind her and pressed her loose-fitting uniform against her body.

  She turned her face into the wind and closed her eyes, enjoying the caress of the sun. Her thoughts turned to Sarah and the nervousness that had broken through her friend’s usual calm. Jacey discovered that she, too, was nervous. Nervous about being in Dr. Carlhagen’s hacienda. Nervous about the Birthday celebration. Nervous for Sarah and whatever future she faced.

  She turned her eyes again to the horizon and wondered what lay beyond, trying to imagine the wreckage of the world. As usual, she found it impossible to envision, since all she had ever experienced in her life was the beauty of St. Vitus.

  Voices came from behind her, and she turned to see Dr. Carlhagen’s office door open and Humphrey walk out. He caught sight of her and stopped mid-step.

  “Jacey,” he said, bending in a slight bow, an unusual show of manners for him.

  His usual smirk lifted into a strained smile. “I guess we’re going to be friends.” He emphasized friends, but Jacey wasn’t sure if he meant it to convey sarcasm or skepticism.

  She had no idea what he was talking about, but the idea that they would be friends did seem strange. “I’ll certainly appreciate the effort on your part.”

  Humphrey’s face flashed with a momentary irritation, but he mastered it and stalked off, ignoring Mr. Justin’s bow as he went out the mahogany doors.

  “Jacey, come,” Dr. Carlhagen said from inside his office.

  She took a deep breath and walked into the spacious, but dark, room. Everything from the wall paneling to the desk was made of rich mahogany. The air smelled of leather and a spicy scent Jacey associated only with Dr. Carlhagen.

  The headmaster sat in a tall-backed chair behind the desk. He looked the same as he ever had, an old man with neatly-coiffed white hair, a white beard covering his prominent cheeks and strong jaw. He wore a spotless white suit and a blue bow tie that brought out the sapphire of his eyes. Those eyes locked onto Jacey with a disconcerting intensity, and she had to resist looking down at herself to see if she was violating some rule regarding dress code.

  He didn’t say anything, so she curtsied. “Headmaster.”

  Dr. Carlhagen clasped his fingers together and propped his elbows on his desk, which was bare except for his cane and a low white box.

  His eyes flashed to her feet and then back to her face, and in that moment she felt he had scanned not only her uniform but also the depths of her mind.

  “Jacey,” he said, breaking into a broad smile, “today is your birthday.”

  “It is everyone’s Birthday.”

  “True, true. But you’re the only one here right now. I’ve been watching your progress with great interest. Great interest.”

  He unclasped his hands, patted his desk, and stood, though it seemed to pain him. “Now that you are entering your final year here at the Scion School, I intend to spend more time with you—to prepare you for graduation and beyond.”

  “Thank you,” Jacey said. “Is that why Humphrey was here?”

  “Yes, yes. And for similar reasons. In fact, I’ll be working with you jointly on occasion. Your futures are linked.”

  Jacey’s mouth opened and closed a few times as she searched for a response. “Um, thank you.” She didn’t know which stunned her more, the revelation that her future was linked with Humphrey’s or the fact that Dr. Carlhagen had referred to her future at all.

  Everyone assumed that Scions would leave the island after graduation. But no one knew where they would go. The question was the subject of much late-night conversation, even though it was tacitly forbidden to discuss. The Dolphins and Pelicans were forgiven for asking about it the first few times. But after that, if a student asked Socrates—or heaven forbid, Dr. Carlhagen himself—the only outcome was extra chores. The headmaster always admonished students, saying that since they couldn’t live the future in the present, they had no business worrying about the future in the present.

  “Have you worked with this year’s graduating Scions in this way?” she asked. “Dante or Sarah? Ping?” None of them had mentioned having one-on-one meetings with Dr. Carlhagen.

  “No, no,” he said. “You and Humphrey are special cases.”

  “What exactly is my future?” The words slipped out before she even knew she was saying them. She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  Dr. Carlhagen just smiled. “It’s natural to be curious about the future. One aches to know what’s in store. I can say with great certainty that you are destined for greatness.”

  That’s what he said to all of the students. Jacey had heard the same from Mother Tyeesha in Children’s Villa across the island before coming to The Scion School.

  “You have been chosen, Jacey,” Mother Tyeesha had said. “All of the Scions have been chosen for a great destiny. You must study hard and prepare yourself for it.”

  Jacey nodded. “Yes, sir.” It felt like the safest thing to say. She wasn’t about to risk getting in trouble by asking more questions.

  Dr. Carlhagen plucked up his cane and hobbled around his desk, trailing his free hand along the lid of the white box. He glanced at it, then faced her. He stood close and stared into her eyes for a long time, mouth curled in a slight smile. The spicy scent was stronger now.

  “You have blossomed into such a beautiful young woman. I watched your dance performance today. Humphrey, too. He knows nothing about ballet, but even he was impressed. In my youth, I saw the finest ballerinas in the world, before everything went to hell. You would have been a star had you been born in an earlier age.”

  Jacey couldn’t keep the grin from her face, but it slackened somewhat at the thought of Humphrey watching. And Dr. Carlhagen had said their futures were linked. “How are Humphrey and I—?”

  The headmaster put a gnarled finger to her lips. “Let’s not discuss all that just now.”

  He turned to his desk and pointed his cane at the white box. “I asked you up here to give you this. Go ahead.”

  Jacey took a tentative step toward the desk and l
ooked back at Dr. Carlhagen. He nodded encouragingly. She had never received a gift before. She lifted the lid to reveal a mass of thin pink paper. A hint of floral scent wafted up as she pulled on one edge. Beneath the paper lay a white garment. She drew it out of the crinkling paper and let it unfold. It was a white gown with a scooped neckline and thin shoulder straps. Jacey hadn’t worn a dress since she had turned nine.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Put it on,” Dr. Carlhagen said softly. He guided her through a side door into a bathroom. The vanity countertop was made of rich, black granite, as were the floor tiles. She closed the door and quickly stripped off her uniform. She stepped into the dress, sliding her arms through the straps. It had a zipper up the back, but she couldn’t quite contort herself to get it all the way closed. She stepped back into the office, and Dr. Carlhagen clapped and smiled.

  “Beautiful,” he said.

  He turned his finger in a circle, indicating she should spin. She did, giggling. She felt as foolish as a Dolphin.

  “Wait, wait.” He pressed his warm hands on her shoulders and faced her away from him. He fumbled with the zipper, closing it the last few inches.

  “There. Now let me see you.”

  He stared at her for a long time, shaking his head and smiling. “Lovely. Just lovely.”

  The smile faded, turned to a frown. He ran a finger along the strap of the black bra she wore under the dress. “I’ll have to find you the proper under-things.”

  With that, he sighed and pulled a round timepiece from his coat pocket. “I’m afraid we’re out of time. The new arrivals will be here soon.”

  He shooed her back into the bathroom, and she changed into her uniform and carefully folded the dress.

  She came out, and he motioned to the box. “Leave the dress here.”

  Jacey could only imagine the distraction it would cause among the others. She put the dress back in the box, gently folded the thin paper over it, and replaced the lid. She didn’t want to leave the dress. She wanted to put it back on and never remove it. It made her feel beautiful, something she only felt when she danced.

  “I’ll see you at the celebration,” Dr. Carlhagen said. “Soon, I’ll invite you back to the hacienda for a quiet dinner so you can enjoy your new frock.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Carlhagen.”

  He returned to his chair, and she knew she was dismissed. She left his office and went out of the villa, acknowledging Mr. Justin’s bow with a nod.

  A gust of wind blew across her as she walked along the path, chilling her despite the sun. The glow of wearing the dress had faded, and her thoughts turned back to the future Dr. Carlhagen had spoken of. Or rather, had refused to speak of.

  She wondered if she could get something out of Humphrey, then laughed humorlessly. That conversation would be like walking barelegged through a thornskipple patch.

  5

  A Secret Code or Something

  As Jacey came to the bottom of the path, a steady stream of students emerged from the classrooms and dormitories and headed toward the campus gate.

  She picked up her pace, passing the low medical ward, the domain of Nurse Smith. Like all structures on campus, its off-white, stucco walls were capped with a roof of red Spanish tile.

  The round, stone foundation of the bell tower marked the northern edge of the quad. It had once been part of a sugar mill, or so Sensei said. A white plank-sided tower stood atop the foundation, tripling its height. A Pelican named Rachel dashed inside the tall archway.

  “You better hustle,” Jacey called after her.

  Rachel was in Jacey’s Nine. The girl should have climbed up to the bell five minutes earlier. Sarah’s anxiety about graduation had made her lax with the Nine. That, or she just didn’t care anymore.

  No matter. Once Sarah graduated and Jacey advanced to Shark, Jacey would get them back into shape.

  Heading up the Nine would be extra work, but it would allow Jacey to demonstrate her leadership ability. Vaughan, Humphrey, and Belle would each have their own Nines.

  As she passed by Boys’ Hall, she felt a familiar presence behind her. She slowed to let Vaughan catch up.

  “Happy Birthday,” she said without looking at him. There were too many other students around for this exchange to be considered inappropriate fraternization, but since she and Vaughan had a history of trouble with that particular rule, they had taken to not looking at each other when they spoke.

  “Happy Birthday.” He sounded distracted.

  “Are you ready to become a Shark?” A silly question as far as Jacey was concerned. Everyone knew Vaughan was ready. He’d been ready for years. Even his own Nine leader, Dante, looked up to him. Jacey thought it had something to do with his voice, which was always gentle, yet had an undertone of certainty. Like Sensei’s voice. In fact, Vaughan was similar to Sensei in many ways.

  “I will do my duty,” he said. It was a typical Vaughan answer. He wasn’t self-centered enough to claim that he was ready to lead.

  They drew close to the dojo, where a gravel path led from the quad toward the campus’s chain-link entry gate.

  Jacey chanced a look at her friend. Like all Scions, he wore loose black trousers and a black, mandarin-collared top. But it hung differently from his tall, broad frame than it did from anyone else’s.

  The only flaw in his symmetrical face was the prominent vein on one temple. Jacey thought it stood out a bit more than usual. And his jaw was clenched.

  “Are you angry about something?” she asked.

  “I’m just nervous.”

  Jacey laughed. The thought of Vaughan being nervous about anything was ridiculous. Pitching her voice up like Nurse Smith’s, she said, “You just need a good night’s sleep and you’ll be right as rain.”

  His lips curled in a wan smile. Jacey could mimic almost any female voice, but Nurse Smith’s was her favorite.

  “Happy Birthday, Vaughan.” Belle, also an Eagle, appeared at his other side. A slight flush of red marked her pale cheeks. She flashed an odd look at Jacey. There was something reptilian about it, as if Jacey was a fly Belle meant to eat.

  “Happy Birthday, Belle,” Vaughan said.

  Jacey echoed him but without much enthusiasm. Belle had recently taken it upon herself to police Jacey and Vaughan’s interactions. Not wholly unreasonable, since Sensei had given everyone extra exercise following Jacey’s and Vaughan’s last transgression.

  It still irritated Jacey. She and Vaughan had merely been chatting in the shade of one of the trees in the quad. It wasn’t as if they’d run off behind the dojo together.

  At the wide gravel lot before the gate, the students assembled into their Nines. Jacey stepped into her slot behind Sarah.

  Two paces to her left was Belle, second of Vin’s Nine. To Jacey’s right stood Vaughan, second of Dante’s Nine. Beyond him was Ping’s Nine. Humphrey nodded absently as Ping gave him final instructions. Jacey knew Humphrey would ignore all orders and advice from Ping. He was too full of himself to think anyone could know anything of importance.

  Jacey sensed a tension in the crowd. The younger Scions whispered among themselves and kept throwing glances at the gate. Jacey had seen this ritual many times before, and it never got easier. Not everyone seemed bothered, though. Belle looked bored and impatient. For her, the arrival of a new group of nine-year-olds signified nothing except inconvenience. As a Nine leader, the new Scion would just mean more work.

  The bell tolled once, bringing a hush over the assembly. A few minutes later, Rachel raced in to find her place. Soon, all stood in silence, awaiting Dr. Carlhagen’s arrival.

  The smell of smoke wafted across the lot. Jacey tensed, knowing that somewhere behind her Sensei had lit the fire in the burning barrel.

  After all these years, she still detested that thing.

  Sensei walked among their ranks, making a final inspection before taking position at a microphone stand set up just in front of the huge chain-link entry gates. “Attention!”

>   As one, the students stiffened, shoulders back, chins up, arms at sides, eyes straight ahead. The only sound was the wind and a familiar chuckling from somewhere behind them. Dr. Carlhagen walked through their ranks and met Sensei, who bowed.

  Dr. Carlhagen stood resplendent in his crisp, white suit, his silver hair waved slightly in the wind. He nodded a greeting to Sensei, then turned to study the assembly. He smiled and spread his hands wide, letting his cane dangle. “Happy Birthday!”

  “Thank you, Headmaster,” the Scions replied in unison.

  The headmaster beamed, shining his attention on each Nine in turn. “My, how you thirty-six Scions have grown!”

  He pulled a slim black notebook from an inside pocket of his jacket. He licked his finger and flipped through a few pages, then cleared his throat and read, “There are few occasions worth marking with any degree of formality, but the Birthday is one of them. It signifies your advancement, serves to remind you of how quickly time passes. You each have a great destiny ahead of you. Embrace it. Reaffirm your commitment to excellence in everything you do. Prepare your minds and bodies for the great responsibilities that lie ahead.”

  He closed the notebook and put it back in his pocket before finishing his customary speech. Jacey could have recited his final words along with him. “You are the Scions of humanity. You are the hope of the Earth.”

  With that, Dr. Carlhagen grinned and turned to Sensei. “Open the gate. Let us welcome our new students.”

  Sensei pressed a button on a small device in his hand. Red lights at the top of the gate flashed, and a whining siren sounded. The gates started to grind open, sliding along the tall fence that separated the Scion School campus from the rest of the island. The fence, electrified and topped with razor wire, cut north and south across a relatively narrow section of the island, ending on both ends at rocky promontories overlooking the sea.

  The siren fell silent as the gate shuddered to a stop, but the red lights continued to flash. On the gravel road just outside stood four small figures with Mother Tyeesha behind them. Jacey wanted to speak with her so badly. She wanted to feel the comfort of her embrace, hear her sing once more. Mother Tyeesha was too far away for Jacey to see in any detail, but she thought the woman looked more stooped, perhaps grayer.