Dim morning light played across the surface of my father's desk, lighting the pages of my sketchbook. I watched the colors fly by, flipping the pages beneath my fingers. Green and blue and pink, the Souls of the Gathering melded together. I made out the hurricane of Jen Harth, her little red house a tiny drop of color in a whirlwind of grey. My mother's cat flipped by, orange and black patches standing out in my mind.

But there's no golden eagle in this City. I tried for years to find him. And now my time was up.

I rose stiffly, crossing my dust patterned floor. There was nothing left to do but give up. Or pursue my last, disgusting hope.

My sketchbook fluttered closed, whispering softly. Light shined off the ebony surface, rippling across the smooth cover. It was a Level Two item, snuck to me by Lily, my best friend. Once I had a true Level, I would have to give it up unless I made a high enough Level. I grabbed it and stuffed it into my bag. I had to go while I was still somewhat calm.

A Recitation flooded my mind, "Fear not your truth for it will set you free." We had learned this the first day of Lessons, along with the first lesson on our Soulmates.

I hadn't believed in it for years..

This day could be my last sunrise in Clearlake. Clearlake, named for the shimmering the lake beyond the wall. A City of the Gathering, we looked forward to release into the Between in our Final Forms.

That was if I could find my Soulmate.

I tried to ignore the blank unknown past today, but I had lived all my life in this little house, whose floorboards creaked as I walked towards the kitchen. The regular grey of the Burrows coated the hall, a swirling mass of identical houses for Level One families.

Finding my Soulmate would force me away from the home. Even if I failed to find him, I was sure I would never live here again.

I paused before pushing open the door to the kitchen, peaking an eye through a worn hole at eye level. There sat my mother, stirring her coffee with a smile as she talked to my father. Her gaze focused on him, and from my peephole, I could make out the worn lines around her turquoise shaded eyes that crinkled like the wrinkles in her standard grey shirt and factory-regulation pants. For years now, her once admirable poise and posture had shifted into an exhausted slump of her shoulders that crumpled despite the elation in her voice.

My parents were both Creators, factory-workers in the huge building just past the wall. We were supposed to honor them for their work for "Hard work is close to trueness."

I believed they were important, worthy of praise. They were the basis of the Gathering, but I dreaded becoming a Creator as well. With any hope, I would do better than them. But there were worse things than being a Level One.

My father was hidden from view, but I didn't need to see him to remember his face. While my mother was distant, my father was immediate, a smiling comfort with his cobalt eyes twinning mine and night-sky beard that had faded slightly to grey near his ears.

Taking a breath, I pushed through the worn door and into the room, hoping to get out before my mother could draw me into her illusion. I had little time left.

"Isaac, isn't it great that today is Melanie's--," my mother trailed off as I pushed the dingy gray door wide. "Oh, there she is! How is our little birdie today?" She hurried towards me, her work boots clomping on the dusty wood floor.

"Hi, Mom. I was just about to head to the Lessons Hall," I said awkwardly, plastering her favorite smile on to appease her. At least she was in a good mood. If she had decided to blame me for her fate yet again, I wouldn't have been able to keep my liar's face on.

"Of course, best to get an early start on Counseling Day!" she exclaimed as she gathered me into her arms. I froze, feeling her frailty as I rested my hands on her back. Her life would crumble along with mine if I failed.

"You're right. I'll see you after, Mom," I said, finally pulling out of her desperate grasp. I was the only human touch she ever felt, but it was hard to feel more than pity for the woman who had fallen so hard.

I didn't have time to pity her, even if today was the day she needed me the most.

"Say farewell to your father! He's excited for today and told me he's very proud of you no matter what your job assignment," she breathed, keeping her eyes low as she hid her words from him.

I had no reason to whisper, or even to acknowledge what she said, but I tried to keep her happy before the world collapsed on us.

"Bye, Dad." I scooped an apple off the counter and looked to his spot at the table.

Today was no different than any morning. When I cast a sad gaze over his chair, I still saw no one.

I fled, my strength to stay and perpetuate my mother's delusions were gone. The door screeched behind me as it swung shut.

No! Today would not turn me into a glass girl whose thoughts were as clear as if she said them. I would put my liar's face back on and show the others what they wanted to see until it was too late and they found my truth. Or I found what I was looking for.

Around me, people streamed up the gray paved road; garbed in the grey of Creators or the bright solid color clothes we wore to Lessons. Among them were a few black-clothed Guards, brown-shirted Technologists, and yellow Lecturers.

Already in assigned posts, they headed for the City Center to vote in the Protector's ballot and begin work.

The stream was slowing and time was running out. Why was time always running out? Why not running in?

For a moment, I stood on the porch of the home I had lived in since I was born, torn between joining the flood of Souls, or hiding in my mother's pretend world..

Then I saw the sky.

Beautiful in the blazing glory of pinks and reds, the morning sky told me to drop to the ground and open my sketchbook.

Everything faded from view but the last sunrise I would see as a girl safely hidden behind lies. This was my calling, my purpose in life.

It was impulse to me and the wooden porch beneath me went unnoticed as I became numb.

Before my eyes, a delicate sunrise cresting the housetops took shape, my pencil twisting and turning to create delicate shades from the passerby that darkened the windows of the house.

When I finished, I remained stuck in the trance as I took in what my brain had made of the image.

Just before the house, bathed in the sun's glow, a small girl danced carelessly in the yard, her small shadow casting a bird's image onto the window of her house. Inside, her parents stood, arms wrapped around each other as they watched their little bird grow.

Only my mother was left, but in her mind, he was still watching, urging me on.

I had to go. I had to finish my quest or fail trying.

The world caught up to me in a snap. I had been sitting for a while. Only a few Guards were left to walk up the dark gray path. I scrambled to follow, shoving my sketchbook in my black knapsack.

Above, the sun now glinted in full gold glory, glazing the glassy City Center in shimmering light. Towering high above the squat gray houses of the Burrows, I was blinded by its opulence. I had to look away as I ran faster. The bell was ringing, the Voice about to announce the time. Houses blurred into one, interspaced trees giving the only indication of individuality.

The path beneath me shifted from deep gray to shimmering silver in an instant, the first indication of leaving the Burrows. The next, and most obvious change came as towering two-story homes of silver, windows opening to reveal fine clothing and finer people. We were taught the Recitation long ago. "Fret not over your birth Level for you too will have your day of Truth."

These words had calmed my worries of becoming a Creator too as a child, but now I knew my truth would be harder to explain than the normal Soul's.

To become an occupant of one of these gleaming homes of The Aerie, you must be a Counselor, Doctor, or Writer; all those jobs were of a Level Two standing and therefore were higher than those living in The Burrows.

The chime sounded and I slowed to a brisk walk to hear the announcement. My legs and lungs burned, the cold morning air like sandpaper in my throat.

Good morning, Clearlake citizens. I trust your Souls are well on this fine Counseling Day. Speaking of, we are wonderfully blessed to have a Protector's Ballot on the same day. How auspicious! It is the ninth hour, and the Counseling begins in a mere hour! How wonderful!

"How wonderful," I muttered, beginning to run again. I didn't mean those blasphemous words. It really was wonderful. For everyone else.

I tore through The Aerie, my black curls streaming behind me in the cool spring weather. Around me, the silver pathway was clear of people and I hurried to the main road that lead to the massive buildings that made up the City Center.

To my right laid where I needed to go, but I couldn't help but steal a glance towards the Concerto. There lived the talent of our people, living in ivory houses that defied the relative equality of the first two Levels. Just up the shimmering opal path were beautiful depictions of the artforms of each occupant sculpted into the very homes themselves.

I would have liked to visit the house of my idols, Danielle and Allen Tao, once more, but the constellations of their house were imprinted on my mind, alongside Danielle's drawing of the Angel, the first Artist.

"Miss, the Counseling begins in an hour." I spun towards the voice, a shock racing through me as I realized I had attracted the attention of a Guardsman.

"I'm sorry, Guardsman. I am on my way there right now," I said, my voice perfectly high-pitched with excitement. I hid my hands behind my back, twisting my thumb anxiously.

"May I have your name and Gathering Number, please?" the black-clad man asked, pulling out a pocket interface to check my information. I should have known better than to stop so close to the massive gate to the Between.

"Melanie Baird, 129185." I smiled, showing I had nothing to hide.

His mask hung around his neck, shiny black reflecting me in his visor. I saw the image I portrayed, it was perfect. I would get out of this as long as he remained kind to the nervous and late girl before him. And I was quite late.

But, if he saw my Soul, all this would be over quickly and quietly. If the rumors of what they did to people worse than me were true, I didn't want to disappear without anyone to know what had happened to me.

"Make sure you head straight there and remember that there is no use in fearing the inevitable truth which is your deliverance." I nodded quickly as he snapped the Pocket Interface shut and waved me on away to the Center.

"I will, thank you." I turned on the toe of my worn white shoes and hurried away from the man. If he thought I would try to run, he would have detained me and no good would have came from that.

The plain brown path that made up the main road suddenly blazed gold as the hot sun sent sparks off the pavement. I could spend every second of my life on this path and never grow tired of the radiant glare. Entering the circle each time gave me the same feeling of awe. The buildings were beautiful and terrible, all angles matched with bright colors and shimmering glass.

Ahead of me, a crowd grew before the clear-paned Meeting Hall, a looming giant with its display of votes past and present. The idea was transparency, seeing Counselors select which ideas should go up for vote, reading about our history, or being able to contribute your own ideas on special days.

Today was one such day, and work was temporarily suspended to allow everyone time to share. You simply had to step up to an Interface, enter your Gathering Number and send a message to be displayed in blue script on the walls.

My destination stood just beyond the Meeting Hall, where the Lessons hall stood with golden walls forming a rectangle topped by an airy glass pyramid. Beneath its peaked roof sat the Atrium where my truth would be read aloud by a Counselor.

Before me, the stairs were filled with eager Souls ready for what laid ahead. Ducking and weaving, I forced my way up to doors held wide open in welcome. Their chatter deafened me. If only things had gone differently, then I would be as enthusiastic as the.

Beyond them laid a large hall with more students, some going about their daily Lesson work and others my age chattering like excited blue jays. I kept my wrist close to my side, hiding my raven, my Soul.

Around me, Souls of all different types were waved excitedly; everyone wanted to brag that their particular Soul would be powerful enough to be a Level Two, but behind their gestures I saw panic that they were no greater than their own parents.

Even if I wasn't bragging over the inky feathers of my Soul, I knew I was different from my parents. I only feared what that would mean for my future.

I knew all of their Souls, having drawn and memorized every Soul of my age in the City. Except one boy as stubborn as me.

"Mel! How is your Soul?" exclaimed my friend Lily Dellings in the customary greeting, bouncing up to land perfectly poised before me.

Lily was a musical movement, her lithe body flowed like rippling waves of notes accented by her soft pink dress and swinging blond ponytail. In comparison to her, I was a drab girl in a loose blue shirt and standard black pants.

Of course, she was a Level Two and had luxuries afforded to her that I didn't have.

"My Soul and I are well," I replied with a smile. "How is yours?" The words were merely tradition, Lily had no idea what form my Soul took. She had only pushed me once, but true to her kind and understanding nature, she had never asked again.

I had never risked telling her. Sometimes I wished I had. The secret had been a lake between us and the truth a worn boat I feared couldn't reach the opposite shore.

Lily beamed at me and proudly thrust out her wrist. Highlighted in soft lavender and rose hues, the simple tune of her Soul embraced her skin. She often whistled the lovely melody but it had remained incomplete, her Soul missing its other half.

Only her Soul wasn't alone anymore.

"I met him at the symphony over the Restday. Melanie, he's been living up the street this whole time and I never found him until now!" Breathless with excitement, she couldn't keep from smiling. Her hand tapped a frantic beat on her hip, the other showing me the wonderful news.

With the connection to her Soulmate had come a new addition to her Soul, lime and azure notes that connected to her own melody. As one, the music shimmered and shifted in a beautiful display. Twining and undulating together, they were a beauty that would last forever, a haunting song whistled that would be whistled in the wind of the Between or uttered from the beak of a songbird.

"I'm so happy for you!" Even if my world would inevitably crumble today, Lily deserved this happiness.

But I had been trying to find my Soulmate for years and Lily's just fell into her lap!

"Aww, thanks, Mel! I'm so excited for you to meet him." Lily twisted from side to side, her energy fighting my need to hide from the prying eyes of those around us.

"What's he like?" I fidgeted with my thumb, careful to hold my wrist to my chest.

Everyone knew me for my resistance to showing others my Soul. The vultures around us could see I had to give in today and they all wanted to be the ones to make me reveal myself.

"He plays Piano and Cello and Trumpet and French Horn! He's kind and funny and definitely not ugly." she proclaimed, oblivious of the stares focused on us. I had to hide.

No! I had to confront him today.

"Lil, he sounds amazing. When can I meet him?" I said, panic wearing my cheerful disguise thin.

"He'll be here soon, he's voting in the Protector's ballot. It's so exciting that we could have new Protectors on the day we receive our Truths!" Lily's green eyes flashed with joy, everything was positive on her perfect day. She wasn't seeing clearly, otherwise my pathetic excuse for excitement would be noticed by her.

"We're going to officiate our bonds immediately after the Counseling so we can get our new home and really start living!"

Here was my chance to leave.

"That's really great, Lil. I'll meet you two at the Counseling." I gave her another liar's smile that hid my true feelings. My stomach twisted, reminding me of what was coming, what I had to do.

"Alright, I wish you truth in your future!" Lily said as she pulled me into a warm embrace before waltzing away gracefully.

With her gone, the others had a straight path to me. I needed to run before they made their move.

An angry voice cried from behind me. "Your protection is gone, how do you plan to hide your Soul from us now?" Fanned in a semi-circle before me stood those who had hated me for eight years now. Mitchell MacArthur stood at the center, a hot-headed red-head who had taunted me for years. My privacy was an affront to him and today would be his revenge if I let it.

"It's the Counseling, can't you wait until after to find out who I am?" I said logically, hoping it would sway him. Ian's face remained still, impassive and unwilling to help. If only he would step forward, finally let me get a good look at his Soul and claim responsibility for these attacks.

"Like you're going to tell us after. Come on, Melanie. Isn't now a good time to stop hiding? " A wide smile split his reddened cheeks, his eyes narrowed to cut through my secrets and reveal what he wanted to see.

Ian's thin lips tightened as he watched his prey. I knew he was the ringleader, the real mastermind behind these traps.

He was who I was looking for, my terrible last hope.

The others, closed in, and as I whipped my head around to escape, the hole in their almost circle quickly closing. I looked back at Mitchell, looking for one last insult before he tore away my truth.

"Your parents may be Counselors, but that sure doesn't mean you are. I hope they find your Soul so disgusting that they throw you out," I said, feeling a rush of heat as his mouth lost its maniacal smile.

My heart thumped as I turned and ran, ducking just beneath the arms of Mitchell's followers. I raced down the hall, hoping they wouldn't follow. Teachers dressed in yellow watched my progress, unwillingly to intervene. They had mroe important things to do than comfort a peculiar girl

"It'll be you who gets thrown out!" Mitchell yelled from behind me, anger pitching up his voice.

He wasn't wrong. If I wasn't a true Soul, if I was Severed from my Soulmate like my mom or declared a Soul Traitor, I could be cast out of the Gathered Cities, doomed to be separated from my Soulmate.

I kept running, trying to stop the tears threatening to fall. This day had been coming for so long and even if I had told myself every day that I lived on borrowed time, the reality of it hadn't sunk in.

What Mitchell had wanted to do would have only sped up the fate that waited for me in the Atrium. I saw that now, maybe I should have just made a run for the Between and skipped the embarrassment of the Counseling.

Or maybe the Counseling was my chance to see Ian's Soul.

Nearing the end of the hall, I stopped, breathing hard. A quick turn of my head showed the hallway to my left was empty. I pressed my back against the wall and slid slowly down to rest before I faced what I had avoided for so long.

I had failed on my own. Now it was up to the Gathering to save my Soul.

Cupping my face in my hands, I sank into the one relief about today; I wouldn't be tormented by my mother's delusions anymore.