Once An Eve Novel

first signs of gray. They both stood when they saw the King and me, the man bowing, the woman curtsying.
    “This is Mr. and Mrs. Sherman,” Margaret said, gesturing to the couple. “They’re starting a family.”
    “Congratulations,” I said, looking into their faces. The woman’s eyes were pink and watery. The man clutched a cap in his hand, curling the thin cotton brim.
    “They’re adopting two children,” Margaret went on. “We’ve been in the process for a month now, and today is the day they’re bringing them home.”
    “Two little girls—twins.” Mrs. Sherman smiled, but her face looked pained, her forehead wrinkled in worry. “It’s really a dream for us.” Her husband wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed.
    “I was envisioning couples like you when I started the program,” the King said. “People who wanted a second chance at life after the plague. This program was designed to grow The New America while allowing people to again experience the joy of having a family. We wish you luck.”
    “That means a lot,” the man said softly, before kissing his wife on the forehead. He didn’t wear a uniform, which made me think he was a member of the middle class. Some worked in the offices in the Venetian, others ran businesses in the Palace mall or the apartment buildings on the main strip. His clothes were gently worn, the hems repaired, a tiny hole visible in the elbow of his shirt.
    Margaret stepped aside, leading us back into the hall, the door clicking shut. When we were a few steps away, she turned.
    “It’s hard,” she said, her voice low. “Mrs. Sherman lost her entire family in the plague—a husband and two children, one only sixteen months old. Mr. Sherman lost his wife. Now that time has passed and they’re established in the City, remarried, they want to start a family. But it opens old wounds, you know.”
    The King was quiet. “Of course,” he said after a long pause. “We can all understand that.”
    We descended the stairs in silence, the sound of our footsteps echoing off the cold walls. When we returned to the main foyer we said good-bye to Margaret, the camera clicking as I shook her hand. We left Reginald at the front entrance, scribbling in his notebook. I thought of that baby, her sweet face, the way she had opened her eyes and looked at me for a brief moment. After I left the City there’d be no going back. The King would be after me, and Caleb and I would be forever on the run. I couldn’t return to the Schools. I would never find my way back to Pip or Arden. They’d be trapped in that building, their children shipped off to this sterile center. I saw Ruby’s face again, eyes glassy as she leaned on the fence.
    I had to get word to them now, before I left.
    I started down the steps, enveloped by the day’s heat. The sun burned my eyes, seeming brighter, harsher even, as it reflected off the sandstone building. “Father,” I said, conscious of the title that I had avoided for so long. The King raised his head. The cars pulled up the circular driveway. Soldiers lined up to escort us out. “I’d like to visit my old School, if just to see the younger girls there. I want to go back one last time.”
    Reginald and his team loaded themselves into the second car while the soldiers stood in the street, waiting for us. “I don’t know if that’s practical. You have the wedding to prepare for, and it might bring up—”
    “Please,” I tried. “I want to see it just one last time. I spent twelve years of my life there. It’s important to me. Besides, I could speak to the students as the Princess of The New America.” I tried to keep my voice even. The soldiers were all looking up, waiting for us to descend the stairs. A few people on the street had stopped to see the spectacle: the King and his daughter out and about in the City.
    He started toward me, his arm around my shoulder. “I suppose it’s not a bad idea,” he said. “I’ve heard reports that the girls were very confused by your sudden disappearance.” We slid into the cool car, his hand heavy on mine. “I suppose so, yes,” he said. “But we’ll have to send soldiers with you. And you’ll take Beatrice.”
    I smiled, the first genuine smile of the day. “Thank you,” I said, as the car started back toward the Palace. “Thank you, Father. Thank you.”

thirty-seven
     
    RAIN STREAMED DOWN THE JEEP’S WINDOWS IN NARROW , twisting rivers. Beatrice sat beside me, her hand on