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"Yeah," Harley says "But Doc’s not doing the lesson there The Recorder is "

My eyes grow round at this The Recorder is going to teach us from now on? But

" Why? " I ask

Harley shrugs Aout na:

to lessons on the Shipper Level Doc tells the apprenticed It’s people like Buck and Britne and Tailor--the ones good at the science and h and Harley--the ones who like art--are being sent to the Recorder Hall

By the ti the studious ones to the Shipper Level, only a handful of us reo to the Recorder Hall

"This should be fun," Bartie, Harley’s best friend, tellsthe heat I feel rising up in me isn’t reflected in my cheeks I can’t ripthatme out of my reverie Victria shoots me a look, and my eyes drop to the metal floor of the elevator I don’t want her to kno I feel about Bartie I don’t want anyone to knoant to keep it in the secret place of s to hope

3

The Recorder Hall is dark and musty, like always We’ve only been here a few times, to be honest

Lessons about the ship and its iven to every child, mad or not, at least once a year until their apprenticeship It’s vital that every person on Godspeed knows and understands the significance of e’re doing We’re carrying the hopes of an old planet across the universe in order to create a whole neorld

The entryway to the Recorder Hall is huge, with a tall ceiling and tiny, narros that are supposed to streaitalthe walls We call the on the wall and they’re, well, floppy Each one gloith an

i, another a sculpture

We stand aardly in the center of the rooers surrounded by the history of both the old world and the ship The nurse who escorted us slips out the door and closes it behind her, the sound a solid thud compared to the electronic doors of the Hospital that zip shut with a whisper

" So" Harley says, his voice ringing throughout the tall roo "

Bartie, standing behind hihter Victria rolls her eyes at them both, and Bartie silences i with envy My eyes are drawn to clear hazel eyes--those of Luthor, the straggler of our group He’d been watchingto hide his interest

I blush and turn away

"Thank you for cohout the Recorder Hall A es fro, unkempt hair that almost covers a spider web scar on the side of his neck

"Like we had a choice," Victria mumbles

The man’s head whips around "You do," he says " You always have a choice " He opens hismore, but ss the words Instead, he says, "I a us today?" Kayleigh asks " Why not Doc?"

" Or one of the Shippers?" Bartie adds "Are we not getting an apprenticeship?"

"Apprenticeships are for labor," Orion says "You are not going to be laborers "

" Because we’re loons," I can’t help but say

"Are you?" Orion asks sincerely He blinks atto determine if I really am loons or not

"I take the mentalat ood indication of whether or not you’re crazy," Orion replies I start to snap soh’s elbow jabs me in the ribs and I silence

"The Recorder Hall is not just a record of knowledge and history," Orion says, sweeping his ar He crosses the room to the floppy labeled HISTORY We all trot obediently behind hihts up as he swipes his hand across it, and a map of a peninsula and islands illuminates the screen

"This is Greece, a country in Sol-Earth," Orion says