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After the first rush for dinner clears, I slip out of the dining hall and head towards my quarters. My brothers and I gave up our shared space for a family with young children over a year ago, so at least I don't have to face them until tomorrow. A smile crosses my face when I see Ethan waiting for me in the corridor outside of my room. Finally, I'll get to celebrate properly, but his expression stops me in my tracks.

"You can't be serious." He huffs and pushes himself off the wall.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, babe. When exactly were you going to tell me about the trials?"

I can't believe he thinks I'm hiding something from him. This is the most ridiculous conversation we've ever had. "I was going to tell you as soon as I saw you. I've only known myself for an hour. Who told you?"

"You should have told me. You should have made it a point to seek me out. Fin ran into me on his way out of the dining hall. He told me everything."

I swear under my breath. Fin, the master manipulator that he is, did this on purpose. "Look, I had to tell my brothers first. It was a disaster."

"Of course it was. So again I say you can't be serious."

I look at Ethan's face with disbelief. He has been aware of my plans from the start and has always supported me. It was one of the things I liked the most about him. I was counting on him to stand by me. "How can you ask me that? You knew this is what I wanted."

"Yeah, but I never thought you would actually be considered for it!" He makes a noise in the back of his throat after that sounds like a raw laugh. Laughing. At me.

"You thought I wasn't skilled enough to be a real candidate?" I can feel myself shutting down. How many times had he told me that he believed in me? That the Elders would be insane not to consider me. He stares at me stonily. I'm not sure if it's because he knows he's said too much, or if he really doesn't care about me enough to answer my question.

Ethan steps to me and leans in close much the way Archer did at dinner. Only this time it makes my temper rise. His breath hits my face when he finally speaks, "You complete idiot. I was going to wait until you were passed over and guide you to a more suitable track. Once enough time passed, I'd marry you. You would stop working after that to raise our children while I became an Elder. Are you standing here saying you would throw all of that away for a chance to die up there?" He points aggressively to the ceiling above our heads for dramatic effect.

Everything he just outlined sounded horrific to me. I don't want that life. I told him that wasn't for me when we started dating. Children are the last thing in the world I want right now. Who would raise a child with this kind of life? Children who quite possibly would never see the sky or feel wind on their face. Lunacy. It was as if he hadn't listened to a word I had said throughout our entire relationship.

Apparently, I take too long to answer him because he pushes past me roughly with his shoulder to stalk off down the corridor. If he's holding out hope that I'll follow him, he's going to be sorely disappointed.

"Tough break there, Scrawny Sammy." A shiver runs down my spine in response to the taunting voice behind me. I whirl on my heels and spot Ryan in the shadows where the corridor branches off. His blue eye shines like a beacon in the low light in sharp contrast to his muted brown one.

Regrettably, the stunning combination of the two colors wore off years ago when I became acquainted with his abhorrent personality. I loathe him and the fact that he has called me by that foul moniker since he first laid eyes on me. My fists clench at my sides, aching to strike out at something and relieve the pressure that's been building within me all night.