Sitting on a hard metal folding chair, Lester watched the long line of people scooping food out of mismatched cookware. He looked down at the lonely dinner roll in the middle of the plate resting on his knees. By the time he’d uncovered his third batch of cold sliced ham and baked beans, Lester had decided to settle for bread and butter. He wasn’t that hungry anyway.

There had been no chance to think about what he’d seen through the vent, as the other kids had quickly found him, no doubt guided by his mustached companion’s uncontrollable giggles. By the time Amanda had helped Lester extract everyone from the tunnel, they’d all been called into the main hall for dinner.

Now, sitting alone among the chattering crowd, the room seemed achingly normal. Like a bad dream, the bizarre details of the ceremony had faded quickly in the light of day. The poem, the glow, the humming, while overly theatrical, were all easily achieved with coordination and store-bought parlor tricks. A little something to add gravity to a mundane initiation, the effect accentuated by Lester’s burgeoning claustrophobia. It was not dissimilar from what he’d read about ceremonial rites used by groups like the Freemasons, another organization with rumors of less than legitimate activities. Still, the feeling Lester had seen something he shouldn’t have lingered.

He scanned the room until he located his parents standing by the stage. They were both beaming with pride while Bernard shook hands with various well-wishers. As far as Lester could tell, his brother showed no signs of any lasting effects from his Drawing-In.

“Wow. Don’t overdo it, Lester,” Amanda said, sitting down on the chair next to him and eyeing his plate.

“I’m just not that hungry,” said Lester.

“Right.” Amanda gave him a knowing look. “Besides, I’m sure that roll was only touched by two or three dozen kids as they pawed over the basket, looking for the perfect one.”

Lester watched a runny-nosed toddler eat macaroni and cheese straight out of a serving dish, unnoticed by his chatting parents, and set his plate on an empty chair.

The hall was full of adults, most of whom only saw each other once a year. They laughed and talked excitedly while holding sagging paper plates piled high with food. No single conversation could be heard above the din, and Lester was reminded of the babbling brook sounds his mother used to play to help him fall asleep. Perhaps it was because family gatherings always made him feel invisible that he didn’t try to stop himself from blurting it out.

“I saw the Drawing-In ceremony,” he whispered.

“You what?” Amanda said, half choking on her sandwich.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Lester waited until she’d managed to swallow and then quietly told her what had happened. Though her eyes widened at all of the strange details, she did not interrupt. When he was finished, she sat in silence for a long while.

“Okay,” Amanda said at last. “It was a mistake, an accident almost. And since no one saw you, no harm done.” She paused when Lester didn’t immediately respond. “No one saw you, right?”

“Well —”

“What! Who?” asked Amanda.

“Maybe, Mr. Noxumbra?” said Lester.

Amanda took in a quick breath and leaned closer. “Mr. Noxumbra saw you spying on your brother’s Drawing-In ceremony?” she asked, her voice low.

The worried look on her face filled Lester with worry too. “I don’t know, maybe? It was hard to tell. At one point, he seemed to look right at me.”

“But you don’t know that he saw you.”

“No, but —”

Amanda shushed him and scanned the crowd. “Alright, listen. We assume he didn’t see you. If he had, he would have done something, right?”

“I guess, but what about all of the other stuff?”

“Lester, you need to keep your head down and stay quiet about this. Whatever you think you might have seen pales in comparison to how many Council rules you don’t want to get caught breaking.”

He knew Amanda was right. The thought of facing his father and trying to explain his actions quickly outweighed the need to satisfy his curiosity. “Okay,” he said.

Amanda relaxed. “Good. Look, you’ll feel a lot better if you eat something. This barbecue sandwich isn’t half bad. Try it?”

“No, thanks,” said Lester.

“Oh, come on,” she said, holding it out.

Reluctantly he took a bite, and his mouth instantly watered. Amanda was right, it was delicious, and before he could stop himself, he was devouring it.

“Easy,” Amanda said, laughing. “It’s got a kick to it. I think it’s the jalapeños.”

“Sorry,” Lester said, his mouth full, and tried to hand what was left back to her.

“Um, yeah, no problem. You keep it. I’ll get another one.”

Amanda walked off, and Lester finished the sandwich, licking his fingers clean. He was trying to get her attention to signal for her to bring him another one when he accidentally locked eyes with Mr. Noxumbra. Lester quickly looked away and then back again, but his father’s boss was still staring at him. Lester tried to reassure himself that because of Noxumbra’s ever-present sunglasses, he could have been looking at any number of people. But that didn’t lessen the feeling of being watched.

As anxiety overtook him, the noisy hall suddenly seemed way too hot, and Lester felt beads of sweat begin to drip down his back. His hands went clammy, and his stomach lurched. Fearing he might vomit, Lester jumped to his feet. He was about to make a mad dash for the bathroom when he let out the loudest and longest burp of his life. Relieved and a little embarrassed at the number of heads that had turned, Lester excused himself to those around him and sheepishly sat back down. He could see Amanda coming his way, carrying two sandwiches and shaking her head.

As casually as he could, Lester looked back across the room in time to see Mr. Noxumbra slipping out a side door. As the dour man in black stepped into the night, Lester thought he saw him laughing.