Read Catalyst for Free Online Page A

enjoy the look of shock on my father’s face very soon. You didn’t want to get me started on my mother. This was going to be epic.
    We sat before the large wooden stage; a blood-red, velvet curtain was pulled back and the announcer, a short, stocky man, made his way to the podium. He tapped on the microphone causing it to squeal. Some put fingers to their ears. Others winced. I smiled.
    He droned on about companions, their importance, how they were here willingly and had applied to be purchased by those citizens in Confidence who could afford such luxury. “The companions are more than just friends. They can assist the elderly. They can help widows around their homes. They can make Confidence a better place. Let us applaud their willingness to help our great city.”
    Loud clapping thundered from all sides of the auditorium, its domed ceiling amplifying the noise ten-fold. Sonnet nudged me. “The companion committee asked for males this time. Perhaps you should choose one. Who knows? Maybe he’d even take pity on you and lay with you before you die.”
    My fingernails dug into the armrest separating us, but through a sweet smile and gritted teeth, I asked, “And have you been tested to see if you’ll make grandparents out of Mother and Father before you and Aric are married? Or would it even be his?”
    Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms, turning her attention to the announcer once more. There were times I pitied her. There were times I hated her. This was one of the latter.
    I smiled and kept my eyes trained on the stage, where the companions were being introduced. Each wore a white piece of paper with a number printed boldly upon its center. The first eight were wide-eyed girls—all young, all half-starved. But the ninth. When he took the stage, I sat up a little straighter. His skin was dark as night, and he smiled, unlike the others. His teeth were pearly white, and he was handsome, huge and muscular. He might be the one. Cason. His name was Cason.
    “The final companion available during this month’s ceremony is Mitis,” the announcer said.
    When the man walked onto the stage, my breath left me. Dark hair, now cropped close to his scalp, blue-green eyes, tan skin and corded muscle that was neither too thick nor barely there. It was just right. Circular spacers sat in the bottom lobes of his ears. And one arm was covered in vibrant tattoos.
    My heart beat out of control. It was the scrub from the soldier’s car, the one I’d helped escape so he could take medicine to his brother. Why would he sign up for the companion program? I swallowed, trying to calm down my heart.
    “The first choice goes to the highest bidder, which was Elect Anderson.” My father stood and waved at his constituents, who clapped, cheered and whistled.
    Father looked at me and offered his hand, which I accepted, allowing him to help me stand. “Please step up to the podium and choose your companion, Seven,” Father said with an arrogant smile.
    With a shaky breath, I nodded and smiled. I thanked him and lifted my skirts just enough to avoid tripping over them. A hush fell over the crowd as I walked past the mass of people toward a staircase at the side of the stage. The clicking of my heels and a few murmurs in the back of the room were the only sounds. Crickets would have been louder.
    The smooth, metal handrail was cold beneath my clammy hands, but I used it to help myself up the five stair steps. I passed the scrub on the way to the podium. And though I didn’t look into his eyes, I could feel his on me. They burned me, made me feel warmth for the first time I could remember.
    The announcer smiled and asked me to step forward to the microphone. “Which companion would you like, Seven Anderson?”
    I smiled and stepped forward, taking a deep breath before proudly announcing, “I choose number ten as my companion, please.”
    Gasps followed by murmurs and then claps filled the air. I looked over the crowd of excited men,