"Telvi, get up and try that again," Irena says as I fall onto the ice.

I frown at the clock, hoping the time will pass quicker. It's as slow as a slug today.

My pants are soaked, and I am positive I don't have anything more in me to give. Skating after only a one day break is harder than I thought it would be. One day isn't enough to recover, heal, but it seems like it is enough time for everyone else.

"Telvi, get up."

With a sigh, I scrape myself off the ice and skate over to Irena.

"Those boots are still not working for you, are they?"

I shake my head. The fresh scabs on my ankles are now broken. Blood stains the top of my white leather boots. There is nothing more I want than to rip these stiff things from my feet.

"Why don't you take off an hour early. Just wear those skates around your dorm room." She placed a small glass tube on the wall. "And put this on your feet tonight. It'll help."

I stuff the clear tube in my pocket. "Thank you."

"Oh, and take this." she hands me the empty grid paper. "I want you to weigh yourself every morning and give me this paper weekly. You are looking thicker. We might need to stick you on a diet."

I consider myself small. I was the smallest in my class in Hell. Kol always begged me to eat more. Plentiful food was hard to come by. The word diet is not in my vocabulary.

I nod.

"Good. Now take a lap and get off. I will see you tomorrow."

I follow her instructions and get off the ice.

As I stumble to an empty bench, I hear my name ring out. My head snaps up to see Ezra waving. Meeting him a few days ago feels like such a lifetime ago. So much has happened since meeting him. It feels like if I imagined him. But he is here, in front of me with a smile.

"Hey!" Ezra says.

I waved to him, welcoming the hello. Most people don't bother to even look at others, but he is so friendly. I want to be friendly back.

"Nice to see you here."

I give a small chuckle. It is the ice rink. I am always here. Might as well, put a bed in the corner of the lobby. Make it official. But I wonder why he is here.

He sits down next to me and looks at my skates. "You know, I used to skate. Used to play hockey."

My ears perk up. It isn't every day I find a fellow skater. "Why did you stop?"

He frowns. "Wasn't good enough. The thing is, if you aren't good enough, they make you stop, save room for actual talent."

"That's terrible," I mutter. If someone enjoys the activity it doesn't seem fair to make them stop. Life isn't always about being the best. Sometimes it is just about enjoying the journey.

He shrugs as he picks up one of my skates and wipes the snow off with his fingers. "It's just life. That's how it is in Regal."

Silence fill the space between us as I try to come up with something to say. There is sadness in his eyes. He wants to skate still. It just isn't in his cards.

"Since you were born here. What's your favorite thing about Regal?" I ask, trying to change the topic.

He chuckles. "Honestly, I don't know. It's all I have ever known so I have nothing to compare it to. What do you like about Hell?"

"The snow and cold and fresh air," I admit, cleaning the snow and ice from my other blade. The answer is clear. No thinking is necessary.

"I can't say I like the cold. I always wanted to go to Eydis' city. It's warm there and so much culture. I would like to see it."

"Can't you go?"

He chuckles, shaking his head. "The Commonwealth citizens aren't the only ones trapped. We cannot leave the Motherwealth. I'm stuck here until the day I die."

I hum in understanding. If it is so hard to leave, then how did Mr. Green end up in Hell?

"Maybe if I play my cards right, I can take a Talent Seeker trip with my father to a Commonwealth city. That is one of the reasons why I'm here today. He has a meeting, and I want to show interest in the things he does."

"If you want to be a Talent Seeker, can't you just sign up to be one?"

He shakes his head. "It's never that simple even if you know the right people. You cannot always pick the thing you actually want to do. Sometimes outside factors choose your path." He stands from the bench and points to my feet. "Are you alright?"

I nod as I try to play it off. There is no way I want to stare at my bloodied socks for longer than I have to. "It's the skates."

"Did Irena give you anything for it?"

I hold up the small glass jar.

"Good. Well, it was nice talking to you, Telvi. Anyhow, I have to get going. Dad will be out of his meeting soon, and I should meet him by the gates."

I nod as I bag my skates away.

"See you around, Ezra."

He smiles in silence then turns on his heels and leaves the rink.

Ezra's words float around my mind as I walk back to my dorm. The more I learn about Regal the more I realize it is not as special as what everyone thinks. It really is flawed, just like all the other Commonwealths.

I walk into my dorm room and hear music playing. It is from a stringed instrument. It's moody with a raspy man's voice. There is a beat to it that I hadn't heard before in anything from Hell.

"What is this music?" I ask as I drop my bag by the door, refusing to pick it up until tomorrow. I lock eyes with Eydis who is lying on her bed.

She instantly sits up and turns the music off. "Sorry. I didn't hear you come in. I must have lost track of time."

I sit down on my bed and stretch. "It's fine. I've never heard music like that before."

"It's because it's from my Commonwealth. In fact, the signer was from Solano. We are known for music like this."

"I like it."

Her mouth fell open then smiles. She brushes her hair from her face then glances at the speaker. "You do?"

I would not lie to her. "It's soulful."

She rolls onto her stomach to look at me better. "That's what I always say to people. This was one of my favorite signers from my Commonwealth. I play it when I have a lot on my mind."

"What's on your mind?"

She shrugs as she places her oval head in her hands. "I don't know. Just thinking about life."

"Do you do that a lot?"

"Sometimes. It depends, I guess. There's just a lot I have to think about since I'm going to be leaving early. They told me I should be done in the next two months. It's either staying here or going back to Solano."

Selfishly, I want her to stay here in Regal. I don't know if I could bear this place without her. She is my only friend. I need her.

"This is where everyone wants to be. So, I should be here, right?"

Not everyone wants to be here. I still don't want to be here, even with Eydis. When my two years are up, I will go back to Hell. No question about it. My heart longs for Hell and my brother. Anything that reminds me of home, I cling to. It doesn't help that I have not received any letters from him since I arrived. I fear he is forgetting me.

"But it's not as safe as the Commonwealths."

I stare at her intently.

The plane yesterday. Yuri seemed so afraid. He knew something about the plane. They both did. Until this moment, I had forgotten about it, too wrapped up in my skating to remember.

"That plane you saw over head. That was from a different country. It wasn't supposed to fly this close to Regal, but we all know it's because it's surveying the city. Probably for attack. Ezra seems to believe so. That was why he was on campus today, to make sure it is safe."

Safety was never a concern in Hell. People watched out for one another. We protected ourselves from the Motherwealth and the elements. To be honest, I never gave much thought about outside countries. I suppose they existed, but we never learned about them in school.

"Those flyovers are rare, but they do happen. There's probably nothing to worry about. However, Ezra once said that his family has a bunker if something bad happens. Most people try to avoid the topic all together. Poor Yuri is too scared they will find out about what he says. Unlike us, they will imprison him. He works for the government. They watch them closer than most."

"Working for the government? Working for the Motherwealth? It sounds miserable."

Eydis chuckle. "Tell me about it. I've asked Yuri a few times why he wanted to work for them. He always tells me something different. I'm not sure he even knows."

There is a knock on the door and without waiting for a response, Odett opens it. She glares at me for a moment before turning her attention to Eydis. "You alright? You seemed off in class today."

I never gave much thought on what skill Odett has, but now I feel jealous that she is in class every day with Eydis. Why couldn't I be so lucky?

Eydis nods, not moving from her spot on the bed. "I'm alright."

"Alright. Well, if you need anything, I'm here for you."

Eydis smiles kindly, but it isn't the same smile she gives me. At least that gives me comfort. She likes me more. "Thank you."

Odett stares at Eydis for a moment longer, waiting for more, maybe? Then glare at me before leaving our room.

I turn my attention to Eydis as she sniffles.

Thank goodness she's gone. All my interactions with Odett leave me feeling uncomfortable. She doesn't like me. Until now, I have never understood why. But now I think I know. It just seems too foreign to admit.

"So, Odett... she's..."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. She's just jealous of you. Give it time, she should stop soon enough. Eventually she'll get tired." She pushes herself into a sitting position. "You see, we used to date. But I broke up with her months ago and shortly afterwards I asked her to move out. She's still torn up about it."

I don't have to ask, she admits it. But even when she says it, it feels too outside of the norm. Two girls dating? I never heard of anyone dating the same gender before. That kind of stuff didn't happen in Hell. People would say it is unnatural, against the grain. People don't go against the grain.

"I'm guessing that wasn't a thing in your Commonwealth?" she asks with a tone in her voice that denoted anger.

"It surely wasn't done."

"It wasn't done in my Commonwealth either. But here in Regal, it seems to be alright. That is one thing I like about this place. I feel like I can finally be myself. Boys have never been my interest. But here, I feel like I can be with who I want. No one would judge."

I close my mouth. I'm sure what I should say. I am seeing Eydis in a new light. A light that I didn't know existed. Did she want me to hug her or tell her something personal about my own life? Instead, I stay silent.

She stands up from her bed. "I'm going out. I'll be back later. Probably when your asleep so don't wait up for me." Without another word, she slips on her coat and leaves.

Normally Eydis was cheerful. But there is something that seemed off. She is in a mood. And I feel like I am to blame. She wanted more from me. She wanted me to say more. I couldn't. I failed her. I failed myself. I was too caught up with the idea of being with another girl. Never did I think that was possible. Never did that cross my mind.

I flop my back onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling in frustration.

"Walter, Telvi," I mutter under my breath. "What was I supposed to do?"