Fast-Tracked (18 page)

“I’ll forgive you, this time,” he teased. “Look, to prove it, I even come bearing a gift.” He grandly flourished a white piece of paper in front of me.

 
Snatching it from his hand I realized it was my class schedule. “How did you? We’re not supposed to get these until the ten o’clock orientation,” I said in disbelief.

“I have my ways.” His face split in a crooked and cocky smile.

“I bet you do… hey, wait! Is this some kind of joke?” I croaked as I started to read my course titles.
Getting a Fast-Track Proposal.
The Silver Path to a Golden Marriage.
The Consequences of Overreaching.
Before my eyes could finish the list, I started to crumble the paper up, but Avery grabbed my wrist to stop me.

“
Zandria
, it’s not a joke.” His voice was stern and when I searched his face I couldn’t find any trace of amusement.

“So it’s just the fast-trackers’ way of telling all the
newbies
we’re not welcomed and we don’t belong,” I grumbled.

“No.” Avery sighed. “Look, I’m sorry if my attempt to comfort you about your sunken friend gave you the wrong impression. Gaining any kind of power as a newbie is a daunting task at best. As a new fast-tracker you have no inheritance, no legacy to give you power. You have no way to ensure your children will be fast-tracked. These are serious classes designed to help you with that.” He tried to put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I knocked it off as I jumped to my feet.

 
“Wait a minute,” I growled “Are you saying the assessment test has no bearing on who does or doesn’t become fast-tracked? Does the assessment test have any value at all or is it just a farce to get everyone else to stay in their places?” The sudden anger that flared across my face startled Avery enough to make him stumble back from me.

For a moment he just stared at me, unable to form a response. Finally he said, “No, the assessment test is not a farce.” His voice was shaky, and it made me wonder if he was trying more to convince himself than he was me. He took a steadying breath and continued, “It determines all the levels through silver. Fast-tracker status is inherited by all except a small handful of
newbies
.”

“And just how is newbie status determined?” But though I asked, I was afraid I already knew what the answer would be.

Cautiously, like he could tell what I was thinking and was carefully choosing his words, he explained, “Well unless one of your parents is somehow owed a serious favor from a very powerful fast-tracker, it’s determined by your ranking in the assessment testing.”

“So then I am only here to make an example out of my dad’s versus Byron’s dad’s behavior,” I admitted aloud as tears welled in my eyes.

Avery took me by the shoulders and held me firmly at arm’s length. Slowly, he said, “No. Don’t believe that for a moment. You’ve already proven you’re smarter than any of the other girls that got here. You were always at the top of your classes. So don’t you think for a moment that you don’t belong
here.
You deserve to be here more than any of those other girls do.” There was seriousness to his expression that I had never seen before. He wholeheartedly believed I was here on my own merit, and his confidence in me made me uncomfortable. But how smart could I be when I had deluded myself for so long that the assessment program was fair? Even after seeing what happened to Byron and knowing that fast-trackers inherited from their parents, I still wanted to believe that fast-trackers had to test into their class like everyone else. I was such a naïve fool.

“If I’m so smart than why am I getting stuck in the most ridiculous classes?” I grumbled. “Let see what classes you have.” I snatched his schedule from the table where he had carelessly left it unguarded.

“Hey, give it back,” he chided as he attempted to dart around me and grab it back.

I was faster and kept turning my back to him as I read.
Running Your Business, Acquiring Businesses, Managing Your CEO.
I would have read on, but Avery finally managed to snatch the paper back.

“This is so unfair,” I whined in frustration. “You’re taking all of the classes I should be taking.” I crossed my arms and pouted. I was seriously pissed.

“Ha ha, like you’d have any use for …” He stopped talking the moment he caught sight of my face. “
Zandria
, you have to realize just how unrealistic it is to think you can own anything more than a local bakery or grocery store without marrying into it. And even then, it will be on paper only; an established family’s not about to let an inexperienced newbie hold a position in the company that actually matters.”

I refused to believe what he was telling me. It would be incredibly difficult, yes – but not impossible. “It’s been done. If I could time it right with a business that has the potential to expand…”

“And just where would you get the income credits to expand?” Avery scoffed.

“Mrs.
Glabough
suggested I find myself a mentor to help me out with all the details of owning a business, until I have the knowledge I need to run it on my own. Perhaps I could find myself a mentor that would be willing to invest in my expansion,” I explained in a tone that made it clear his condescension was not appreciated.

With sudden alarm, he cut me off. “No! You can’t do that.” I froze and stared at the expression on his face. “No one’s going to give you anything without expecting something back, and you only have one thing that you could possibly give.” For a moment I didn’t understand what he meant – then I saw the hurt and disgust on his face. “Besides, what you’re talking about has a million to one chance of being successful and that’s assuming that you don’t anger the wrong person in the process. Your status is still tenuous and there are fast-trackers more powerful than I am. If one of them feels you crossed them, I won’t be able to protect you from their wrath.”

I wanted to be furious with Avery for what he was saying. But as he talked, I watched his face and realized there wasn’t a trace of arrogance in it. He was honestly concerned for me.

I let out a defeated sigh. “So what you’re saying is I’m screwed no matter what I do. I can’t get any real power on my own. And let’s face it, what fast-tracker in their right mind would marry a girl that doesn’t bring anything to the table?” I huffed out a sigh. Not that I considered marring an option; I was just frustrated. Power was what I needed, but the entire fast-tracker system was designed to keep me from getting it.

“It’s not entirely hopeless. There are fast-trackers out there whose families have more than enough power and wealth to allow them the luxury of marrying for love.” Avery stepped forward and clasped my face between his palms. His eyes searched mine for the answer to an unasked question. He leaned closer, but then quickly pulled back when the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat interrupted us.

“Mrs.
Glabough
wanted me to make sure you didn’t get so caught up in your research that you lost track of the time. Orientation starts in five minutes,” Vera interrupted in her most scathing tone. I had never been so happy to see her sour glare and pursed lip expression.

Avery was back to his usual playful tone when he said, “Please, for my sake, just try to stick with the schedule you were assigned.” He gave me a playful jab on the arm before he swaggered out of the library.

While I begrudgingly followed Vera out of the library, I couldn’t shake the feeling that if she hadn’t arrived when she did I would have received more than just a kiss from Avery. It didn’t make any sense, but the way he was looking at me, he seemed ready to declare his love for me and propose or something.

Our first class,
Getting a Fast-Track Proposal
, was as ridiculous as its name. Our ‘teacher’,
Adelynn
Blankenshire
, was in her mid-thirties with porcelain perfect skin, impeccably styled hair and make-up. She was wearing a dress that accentuated all of her curves in just the right places. At first glance she looked the exact image of what a fast-tracker wife should be. But there was something about her that screamed to me low class.

Then she opened her mouth and confirmed it for me. She was a complete and total gold-digger who had manipulated a man forty years her senior into marrying her, and she was willing to shamelessly brag about it. Did I say low class? I meant no class.

Twenty minutes later, when she finally stopped bragging about her conniving path to marriage, she began to instruct us on the different ways to land a man of our own. She prattled on about how to use our feminine charms to lure a man to us, but was quick to warn it wasn’t enough. We needed to make friends with his friends, because if they didn’t like us, we didn’t stand a chance. Plus it never hurt to make some powerful friends of your own. You might not be able to increase his wealth, but there was value in being able to increase his social horizons.

Next she went on to describe different tactics to finally hook them once you have their attention. Such as being coy or playing hard to get…

As she spoke I realized just how many of these steps I had inadvertently taken with Avery. I’d have to figure out something to redirect his interest.

“You make it sound just like a fairytale,” Nola breathed as Mrs.
Blankenshire
described the damsel in distress angle.

“Like
Cinderella
,” Myra chimed in.

“Or
Rapunzel
,” Nola purred.

Everyone’s heads snapped in my direction when I involuntarily let out a sound of revulsion.

“Is there a problem, Miss
Zandria
?” Mrs.
Blankenshire
asked. Her face was downturned in a sneer.

“I never cared for any of those fairytales. I mean really, all those princesses unable to fend for themselves and just waiting for a prince to come rescue them,” I scoffed. “I prefer stories where the protagonist finds a way to help themselves.”

Surprise, surprise.
A sea of disapproving stares came back.

“Well I have to disagree with your assessment of the princesses. Their situations made them powerless, but they used the few resources they had to get what they wanted.” She walked over to the stylus board and wrote
Rumpelstiltskin
, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White
and half-a-dozen other fairytales.

We spent the rest of the class picking apart the stories to find out the ways each girl both helped
herself
or foiled herself in her attempts to get the guy. I thought it was a complete waste of time, but the other girls seemed to completely buy into it.

“So what do you think now?” Mrs.
Blankenshire
asked me at the end of the class.

“All of those girls still looked to a husband as a solution to all their problems. I’d still rather rely on myself,” I answered.

“You certainly
looked
like you were relying on yourself in the library earlier,” Vera sneered and the rest of the girls joined in and laughed with her, causing me to roll my eyes. I knew she hadn’t had a chance to tell them what she saw, so they were just laughing to copy her.
Lemmings
.
“You’re a complete hypocrite.” She said each word slowly and drawn out, finally punctuating it with a haughty laugh.

“Think what you want. The two of us are just friends,” I insisted.

“Well you certainly were being friendly,” Vera cackled.

Someone else coughed, “Slut.”

My patience was wearing thin. I was tired of being stuck with these girls and I was fed up with being stuck in ridiculous classes. So I barked back at them, “I’ve made it clear to Avery I have no interest in a romantic relationship right now. I can’t help what he feels for me.”

“Avery Huntington?” Mrs.
Blankenshire
suddenly looked excited. “So, we already have someone utilizing the hard to get tactic. I should caution you, however: play for too long and he could lose interest.”

“I’m not playing at anything!” I threw my hands up, gathered my things and stormed out of the room. It got me away from Mrs.
Blankenshire
, her insufferable ideas and the girls– but unfortunately for only a few minutes. I smoothed out my class schedule and realized I was stuck in the same gray-walled room with its tiny little desks for the rest of the day. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the girls were the only people in all of my classes. I had to listen to their constant smug snickering without any reprieve.

But their torment helped me make an important decision. One way or another I would find a way to get my own business. I might take advantage of Avery’s and
Autumn’s
help, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to allow myself to be dependent on them.

I skipped lunch and spent my time doing more research in the library.

Chapter 12

In the afternoon I got myself prepped and primped. It might sound strange, but I felt powerful and confident in my little black cocktail dress. Wearing it I looked like any other fast-tracker. I looked like I belonged. I clipped a black-rose colored flower to the dress, did a final check in the mirror and headed to Senator
Blackfield’s
gala that I had been invited to.

I wasn’t surprised to find
Autumn
was at the event. After chastising me for avoiding her during lunch, she once again brought me around the room making all the necessary introductions. After being introduced to the third Senator and fourth Congressman I finally asked what was going on. Autumn just laughed and said, “The Capital is all that Kansas has to offer. Anyone who’s anyone spends their non-session time in New York.” My naïveté only seemed to increase
Autumn’s
determination to mentor me.