Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand Page B

never
done. And why he’s noticed.
    “ You’ve never turned down
a boy,” he says quietly.
    My cheeks heat but this time it is not
from anger. “Oh.” My face burns with an emotion that feels foreign.
I sidestep him and make for my bedroom. By the time I’m inside, I
realize what it is that made me flee from his words. It is
shame.
    I am ashamed for something I’ve never
done.

 
Chapter Seven
     
     
    Titus is not at breakfast the next
morning. It is a welcome relief until the maid brings me the note
he’s left in his absence:
    Your early dismissal of
Daniel last evening leads me to believe you are not yourself after
all the excitement of the past few days. Gus will escort you to the
gym after breakfast. Exercise is paramount to mental health.
–Titus
    I read it over three times before I am
convinced there is no hidden threat. Titus doesn’t know what
happened last night. Not truly. But the last line is a stark
reminder of what I am. The fact that it’s written here gives me
pause. It is the same slogan painted in block letters above the gym
doors and on multiple walls throughout Twig City. Again I wonder
how Titus knows so much about where I come from.
    I am no longer hungry but I’ll need
the calories now, so I fold the paper and lay it aside while I
finish eating. The routine of exercise is nothing new, but I’m
still weak from the hit I sustained on the rooftop. Plus I haven’t
been sleeping well. I doubt any of this will matter to Gus. I dread
what sort of activity awaits me.
    I swallow the rest of my eggs without
chewing and chase it with juice. Gus is there before my plate has
been cleared. I rise and follow him out. He leads me down a hall I
don’t recognize and we take a flight of stairs down to a lower
level I didn’t know existed as part of this apartment. I pay close
attention to details like doors and exit signs before I curse
myself for the futility. Although I know I’m imagining it, I swear
I can feel the GPS in my arm pulsing to the beat of my heart as I
walk. Taunting me. Reminding me there is no escape. Only duty and
purpose.
    “ You can change here,” Gus
says, stepping back and ushering me forward.
    Gus leaves me alone in a small room
with a cabinet full of sports bras and Lycra shorts. There isn’t
enough material on either for my taste, and when I emerge, I feel
naked. Gus gives me a cursory glance but the other two guards
who’ve positioned themselves near the exits give me a thorough
once-over that makes my skin crawl. I do my best to ignore them and
follow Gus to a wall-mounted cabinet that contains fencing
equipment.
    My experience with this particular
sport is limited. The equipment in Twig City is second-rate because
the women get the men’s hand-me-downs. The foils are all dull by
the time they reach us, dangerous in their disrepair. Lonnie loves
it, though, so I am often talked into it against my better
judgment. I usually walk away with some bruise or another when we
abandon the foils and it deteriorates into a wrestling
match.
    Ida always fusses at that.
    I grit my teeth and force my
concentration back to the equipment Gus is handing me. I slide the
gloves on and then the mask. My injured cheek smarts as I slide it
over my face. It smells stale, not of sweat but as if it hasn’t
been used in a while. I wonder if Authentic Raven is a skilled
fencer. I am tempted to ask Gus so I know what level of skill to
strive for, but I keep silent. I remember my encounter with Titus
and how Gus stood by and watched in silence. I don’t want to talk
to him any more than I would Titus.
    The door opens and a girl enters. I’ve
never seen her before. She is young with dark features and reminds
me of the kitchen staff with her olive skin tone and full lips. She
spots Gus and then me and begins to make her way over. She is
dressed like me, although she has a shirt covering her torso where
my halter leaves my abdomen bare. Again, I feel naked.
    “ Raven, this is Sofia. She
is your