Of course. It was everything she had expected. He’d been fired.

  Kayda stood in the Fest-Park, where the stands were just being erected. The stand for those Under the Hill on this side of the Boundary, of course, and the stand for the Overs on the other side. Her eyes greedily feasted on those posh, comfortable seats. She took a step forward, closer to the Boundary, but fell backwards, nearly losing her balance.

  It was only two centimetres high, that Boundary. Surrounded on both sides by six metres of perfectly manicured though completely unreachable grass. What her brother called ‘No-Man’s Zone’. Because no one could ever set foot within six metres either side of the Boundary.

  Not that her idiot brother hadn’t tried.

  In three weeks’ time, though, Kayda would be standing on the other side, looking back. All she had to do was pass the Zam.

  Because her predicted marks were so good, at the Mid-Winner Job Assignment, she’d been the only one in their class not put to work. Just eighteen the other week, Kayda was still a full-time student. Her teachers were proud of her, and she was determined to live up to their expectations.

  But with four people in the family to feed and clothe, her brother needed to keep his skibbing job. At Mid-Winner, he’d been assigned on rubbish cleanup. Just right for him. Maybe he’d sweep himself up in the process and be done with it.

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  Her whole life had been plagued by Denzin. She’d missed so many days of school. She’d been laughed at, called a freak, all because she had a twin brother. That just didn’t happen at City Infant! And then his behaviour was so bad that the teachers had made her responsible for him, expecting her to keep him in line!

  That had been the last swig of soup for Kayda – much too hard to swallow. After school that day, she dragged him down an alley and beat him black and blue – under his clothes, though, so their parents wouldn’t know. She even threatened to kill him if he messed her life up again.

  But, of course, he had. Just not as thoroughly. He went into himself at school. Seemed to just give up. And, of course, their teachers kept asking her what was wrong with him. At least she didn’t get put in isolation with him anymore. Him and his stupid questions.

  That had been a couple months before Mid-Winner. Then he’d left and started his job cleaning streets, while she carried on revising full time.

  He’d lost that job, of course. It lasted longer than she’d expected, to be fair.

  The cleaning job at the City Water – the desalination plant – only lasted a day.

  Working in the food factory was his third job. Was being the word. Last night, though, with only three weeks until City-Fest, three weeks to go until her future was secured, that idiot came home and told them he’d been fired.

  He just couldn’t keep his skibbing gob shut long enough.

  How could she revise with a hungry stomach?

  How were they going to be able to afford to celebrate when she graduated?

  This was much too important. She couldn’t let her idiot brother mess it up. Not this time. It was time for another beating.