Guardians by Susan Kim Page A

good,” she said sincerely, meeting Silas’s eyes in thanks. The boy smiled, gratified that he had made the right choice—or swiped them from the right place.
    Soon, the shower was over; and Esther had to admit, all of her guests seemed as if they had had a good time. After they left, Michal stayed behind and offered to help carry the presents back to Esther’s room, but she declined.
    â€œYou’ve already done so much,” said Esther, squeezing her arm in thanks.
    In truth, Esther was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to return to her room for a few precious moments of solitude before Joseph returned with Kai and Sarah, whom he had been tending on the roof.
    Yet she was surprised to find someone waiting for her inside. A small figure wearing a short robe stood at the far end of the room, her back to the door as she gazed out the window at the afternoon sky.
    At the moment she saw Skar, Esther felt the excitement of the party dissolve.
    Throughout the shower, Esther had been keenly aware that her friend had not uttered a word. Although she had stood in the background watching, Skar had not once leaned in close, nor exclaimed at any present, nor had she laughed or even smiled. In fact, Esther realized now with a pang, her closest and oldest friend had not even given her a present .
    â€œYou think it’s a mistake,” Esther blurted out.
    Skar turned in surprise. “What?”
    Esther shook her head. “You don’t even have to say anything,” she said. “I know you think it’s wrong.”
    But as her friend approached her, she looked only puzzled. “What do I think is wrong? That you are partnering with Gideon?”
    Though Skar was expressing no negative opinion, Esther still felt as if she were being judged. “He’s not so bad,” she retorted, her voice louder than she meant it to be. “We want the same things—and we know what we have to do to get them. We both know we can’t do it by ourselves. We can help each other.”
    Skar nodded. “That is good. That is important.”
    Esther glanced past her friend and felt her face flush. Right in front of Skar, stuck on the windowsill, was the end of a white candle: It was the last one Esther had lit for Aras, two nights ago. Skar had probably not even noticed it, nor would she understand what it meant if she had. Still, Esther wrenched up the lump of wax and stuffed it in her pocket.
    â€œI’m doing what’s best for my children. And for the District.” Was she talking to Skar, Esther wondered, or to herself?
    Skar nodded. “I understand,” she said. “All that matters is that you are sure of your reasons and that your eyes are open.”
    Somehow, Skar’s lack of condemnation only made it worse. As if sensing this, her old friend smiled. “I did not come here to argue, Esther,” Skar said, “only to give you this. I felt shyin front of all of the others.”
    She held out a small object, unwrapped, in the palm of her hand. It was a tiny stuffed bear, no bigger than her thumb, with a metal tag in its ear.
    To those who had rewarded her with luxurious items, the gift would have seemed a childish trifle. Yet it wasn’t—not to Esther. As her fingers closed around it, she felt her throat tighten.
    â€œThank you,” was all she said.
    A female voice broke into Gideon’s thoughts.
    â€œAm I doing it right?”
    He turned and looked at Nur. She was posed on a makeshift bed in the corner of his office, covered only by a diaphanous scarf tied around her neck that extended to her knees. In a few hours, Esther would wear the same item, a veil, at the partnering ceremony; Gideon had seen girls do the same in Joseph’s magazines and had secured one for that very purpose. Yet in a moment of happy inspiration, he had decided that Nur should wear the item first, in private. That way, he would be able to keep the teasing memory