Page 61 of Rite of Unity

Iliftedontomytoes,reaching into the deep cabinet for a bowl.It slid forward and I tugged it down, examining it.Porcelain, like the kind they sometimes used in Upper-Middle homes.

I set it on the counter and opened a cabinet.Rows of glasses were lined all the way to the back, but no food.

I opened the next to find stacks of plates.

Mother above, was there no food?

“Hey.”

I spun around and froze.“Hi.”I tucked my hair behind my ear.“Nami?”

The girl who had snuck up on me smiled.“Yep.Looking for breakfast?”

I nodded just as my stomach grumbled.

Her smile stretched wider.“Dry food’s in here.”She touched a silver handle that I had thought was a wall panel and slid it aside.“Cereal.”She pointed to a row of canisters.“Oats.”

I stepped forward, reaching for the closest metal jar.

She backed up.“If you want sugar—”

I nearly dropped the canister.“Sugar?”

Nami held a hand up to her mouth.“It took me a while to get used to it, too.”

My mind ran over the recaps I’d seen of her.Nami was from the Middle, like me, but they’d made the first exception in history and elevated her family all the way to Elite when her mom had not one, but two sons.Twins.The first pair of boys in a hundred years.

She shuffled past me, crouching and sliding open a drawer.She pulled out a glass bowl with a bit of cloth over the top and set it on the counter.“Spoons are here,” she said, opening another drawer and lifting the utensil.

“I guess you’ve been here a while.”

She shrugged.“Those of us inside the wall came straight here after Trial Four.”

I spun, flipping the lid off the canister of oats, pouring enough in my bowl to last me the rest of the day.Nami was nice enough, but I’d rather avoid the other girls if I could.

A spoon appeared in the air beside me, and I reached for it.“Thanks.”

Nami dipped her chin.“No problem.”She bit her lip, watching as I scooped two spoonfuls of sugar into my bowl.“What are you doing today?”

I looked up, searching her face.“Just… resting.”

“Of course.”She backed up.“Well, if you want company, let me know.”

I set my bowl on the counter, raising a brow.“We’re not family.”

Were the rules more relaxed in the center?

She laughed and touched a button on a freestanding object beside a cabinet.“Hot water is here.”

I stared at her.

“It’s automatic.”

I frowned.

She stepped forward, taking my bowl from my hands and slid it under the object.She pressed the button again, and a stream of water poured out.Steam rose from the bowl, and she released the button, handing the bowl back to me.

“You’re not in the Middle anymore.”She reached for my spoon and held it out.“And your family isn’t here.I don’t think they expect us to sit in our rooms alone every Monday.”