The Rule of Things (2)

Her only comfort was in her studies. Studying kept her mind off the Maidens' teasing and distracted her from her loneliness. She did well in her classes, and she enjoyed them because they were the only places that allowed her a bit of freedom to express herself.

After some time, she also became better at avoiding the other Omote. She always ran into other Maidens no matter where she was in the Maidens' Compound. So, she looked for places in the Outer Palace where she could rest undisturbed.

Exploring the enormous grounds, she finally found such a place in the Eunuch's Compound. It was a small garden in an isolated corner the Eunuchs did not frequent. She often went to this garden whenever she felt lonely or dispirited, and its peaceful surroundings soothed her.

During the two years of the Omote's education, many were sent home upon failing the biannual examinations. At the end of the second year and final exam, a ceremony was held on the Pavilion of Offerings, the central pavilion of the Maidens' Compound, for the Omote who remained.

At this ceremony, each Omote-in-training was officially titled an Égodo Orodje Omote. They were given the gold and silver sun and moons brooch all palace Maidens used to fasten their outer robes in place. Then each was granted an official appointment to serve in the palace.

Emeravwe was appointed to the Bureau of Halls and Chambers, a subdivision of the Department of Cleanliness, which fell under the Ministry of Rites.

That night, after the ceremony, Aye Omojewe called Emeravwe to her room.

She sat dejectedly before the Aye. Barely listening as she was informed, "As part of palace personnel, Maidens are awarded a stipend. It is usually the case that an Omote's wages go to her family, but since…"

Emeravwe looked up, her heart knotting at the words Aye Omojewe did not say.

During the ceremony that night, when each Omote was called upon to receive their appointment, they were addressed by their given name, their tribal name, and the name of their clan.

Only she was addressed by her given name alone, and this aroused whispers among the other Omote.

She looked desperately to Aye Omojewe now, unable to mask the pain in her voice. "Ayeme, do I not have a family?"

Aye Omojewe regarded her with a look that made her shrink inside.

Then she said, her tone like a sheet of ice dragged over Emeravwe's heart, "Whether or not you have a family is something even the Rode Aye do not know. But they have ordered that we Aye who oversee Maidens keep this fact to ourselves. It is already your good fortune that you can remain in the palace, though your origins are unknown. If you ask no questions, we can all live peacefully."

Emeravwe did not completely understand what the Aye meant. But she understood her cold attitude toward her. It was the same as the other Maidens'; she had no place in the world, and they would not let her join them.

Aye Omojewe informed Emeravwe that she would keep her monthly stipend until she came of age to manage it herself, then dismissed her. But all Emeravwe thought of that night was her family. She wondered why they brought her to the palace and left her, and why did they not come back for her?

Having become official Omote, Emeravwe and the other girls vacated the rooms of the Omote-in-training. They were assigned to quarters with other Maidens who worked in the same department.

Emeravwe moved to a room with two other Omote in the Bureau of Halls and Chambers: Omote Oluchi and Omote Ngozi. It was with a heavy heart that she entered her new quarters, for the two girls, with whom she had gone through training, had always antagonized her.

"Do not cross this line!" Omote Ngozi, a handsome girl who was a bit tall for her age, with dark skin and eyes, said on their first night together. She pushed Emeravwe back, then drew an invisible line across the room with her foot.

"You will sleep on that side of the room, and Ngozi and I will sleep on this side," Omote Oluchi, who was shorter, with blue eyes and sand-colored hair, said. "Do not mix our bedding or uniforms with yours!"

"And do not speak to us! We may not be valued," Omote Ngozi said, "but Oluchi and I come from well-known families. We will not be friends with a worthless valued child!"

Emeravwe's heart scrunched at Omote Ngozi's words. She had thought the Omote treated her badly before. Now that they suspected her background was unknown, it hardly seemed as if they recognized her as a fellow human.

Emeravwe did her best to ignore Omote Oluchi and Ngozi. Doing so did not spare her feelings, but her mind was often occupied with other troubles.

Each morning, the Omote rose before the sun and reported to the schoolrooms at the anterior of the Maidens' Compound, where their formal education continued. They were instructed now, in one of their classes, from the Four Classics of Xxene. Books which detailed Xxene's early history according to its four founding tribes. In the other, Mannerisms of a Maiden, they reviewed daily how to conduct themselves as palace Maidens and were given lessons in the arts.

By the time these classes ended, the sun would just have risen. After breaking their fast, they then reported to their assigned departments.

Each day, Emeravwe reported to the Compound of the Ministry of Rites. It contained the Department of Ceremonies, the Weavers' Department, and the Department of Cleanliness. Within the Department of Cleanliness were three subdivisions: The Bureaus of Halls and Chambers, of Wardrobes, and of Toiletry.

In the Bureau of Halls and Chambers, Emeravwe and other Omote were quickly orientated and assigned to clean the halls and offices of the Outer Palace. Emeravwe found the work exceedingly strenuous. The fact that many of the Maidens alienated her making it even harder.

The Agaenaye and Omote she worked with bullied her into cleaning whole sections of halls by herself, and her hands became so dry from cleaning each day that they often cracked and peeled.

When she complained to the Aye of the bureau, it was her word alone against those of the other Maidens. So she learned to bear it as best she could. But often, she could not, and she would run to her secret garden in the Eunuchs' Compound to cry till she was calm again. And though she was often exhausted after each day's work, she gained no rest even in her chamber. Omote Oluchi and Ngozi were there.

One night in April, when Emeravwe had been working in the Bureau of Halls and Chambers for two months, she returned to her chamber after a particularly difficult day.

The Omote she worked with bullied her into doing their share again, and she had even missed supper as a result. Tears were already brimming in her eyes from hunger and frustration, and all she wanted was to lie down and sleep.

Yet, as soon as she reached their chamber, Omote Oluchi and Ngozi hurled her blankets at her, demanding that she move out of their room.

"I cannot bear to stay in the same room with you any longer!" Omote Ngozi declared. "I can hardly sleep with you whining every night like a wounded little beast!"

"Ngozi is the daughter of the governor of Ekporero. And my father is related to the director of the Department of Civil Affairs," Omote Oluchi said, crossing her small arms haughtily before her. "We cannot share a room with a nameless beast!"

Emeravwe clutched her blankets to her chest, tears stinging her eyes.

"But Oluchi," Omote Ngozi snickered, "she is a valued child!"

"Ha! A stray dog is more valued! If she is so valued, her parents would not have abandoned her in the palace! Leave!" Omote Oluchi commanded, violently shoving her out the door. "Valued children do not belong here!"

Emeravwe tripped over the threshold, her blankets billowing over her as she crashed to the floor.

The other girls in the hall laughed as they echoed, "Valued children do not belong here!" And a lump rose from the pit of her stomach to lodge painfully in her throat.

She kicked away the blankets and ran from the building. Stinging torrents of tears pouring from her eyes. She ran to the garden in the Eunuchs' Compound—the only place in the palace she had ever found refuge—and crumpled before the pond there.

She had had enough!

She did not want to stay in the palace anymore—she hated it! She wanted to leave and search for her parents and prove that she had not been abandoned. She had not been abandoned! She had not…

She always told herself that. She repeated it over and over through the years until she believed it. But she had lived in the palace for so long now, yet no one ever came searching for her.

If she was truly valued, she wondered as she sobbed over the pond, why did no one know who she was? Why did no one want her?

"What is this?" The voice came from across the pond.

Startled, Emeravwe looked up to see a boy standing just beyond. He was flanked on one side by the purple fountain grass that grew there.

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