Heightened: The Federation Series Read Online Free PDF

about my father or what Pam said to me this morning? Or did he see me smile? I shouldn’t have smiled, but sometimes it is impossible to control myself. Maybe he noticed Sean standing too close.
    I don’t question or resist. I just follow him. The entrance to the POE is magnificent, with double doors, flanked by tall granite pillars that lead into the lobby. I quickly look over my shoulder and find Sean in line. He’s looking at me again. I see him mouth “ sorry” and then he looks away.
    My shoes click, clack on the tile floor. The lobby is empty; all the students are still outside waiting in line-up for their Proctors to retrieve them. I stare at the back of our Proctors head. He’s been my educator for the last four years, but we aren’t allowed to know any personal information about each other. The students call him Proctor. I call him Proctor, but this afternoon, I’ll call him Adam and in a year, when I finish my internships, I might be calling him husband.
    He’s not much older than I am, 24 years old. I look at him closely; his hair is dark brown and cut into the neat approved proctor hair style. His shoulders are broad, and he’s taller than I am. His brown suit is perfect, and he smells like our classroom: lemon cleaner and plastic.
    He walks past the administration hallway. I look down it, to the headmaster’s office door. I’m confused. If I’m in trouble why aren’t we going to the headmaster? I follow him down the laborer hall and enter a doorway that leads to a staircase. We go down. I want to talk, ask him but I’m afraid. My hands are moist. I wipe them on my jacket. I can feel my throat tighten. In our history classes, we learn about the ways of our predecessors and their crimes against society. A hundred terrible images are running through my head, and I have the urge to run. I shouldn’t be afraid of him, but I am.
    We walk down another hallway, and he opens a door. He turns to look at me and motions for me to enter. He’s looking right into my eyes. I stand there and just stare back at him. His eyes are brown. I had never noticed that before or that he has a dimple on his left cheek. He’s smiling at me. He is a handsome man. He doesn’t look strict or cruel at this moment, but I have seen him discipline, and I know his capabilities. I take a step backward. I want to run, but the thought of the punishment for disobeying my proctor stops me.
    “It’s okay,” he says. His voice is not as stern as it was when he pulled me out of line.
    I enter the room, careful not to touch him as I walk by him. The light comes on when I cross the threshold. He enters behind me and closes the door. I hear a small click and my heart sinks…he locked the door.
    The room is small. There are some shelves to my right with cleaning supplies and a row of stacked chairs to my left. There is no place for me to go, and there’s no way anyone would be able to hear me if I screamed. I take a step back and almost fall over a bucket. I look down; it has about an inch of brownish, gray water and a sour smell, waifs up to me. So I stand still with my hands on my side, trying not to breathe too deeply.
    “You’re afraid,” he smiles at me. “Good, you should be.”
    “What have I done?” I can’t believe I opened my mouth. The punishment for questioning your Proctor is ten education points.
    “Nothing,” he said. “I just wanted to look at you, one last time before you’re heightened.”
    “What?” I step back against the wall. He is overstepping his rights to me. We aren’t married yet.
    “I know you will use your best judgment,” he says, taking a half-step towards me. “I can trust you to maintain compliance and dignity? I will find you after the ceremony.”
    “Yes,” I can feel the bucket against the back of my legs. I push it tight against the wall. My stomach churns and I can feel my throat tighten.
    “You’re going to get Politics first,” he says. “But you should know…” He lowers