by Amy Cross
“I'm gonna survive longer than that!” she hisses.
“I'm sure you are,” I reply, “but what's your plan? Come on, everyone has a plan when they come to the island. I remember my journey, I spent the whole time working out what to do, working out how I'd be the smartest one here. I really thought I had it figured out. And then after I was dropped down in one of those white sacks, the whole plan turned to hell. I was attacked within five minutes and I had to literally fight for my life.” I pause, before pulling up my tunic's left sleeve, showing her the untidy scar that runs from my wrist to my elbow. “I survived, but I almost bled to death. I wish I'd found someone to trust when I arrived. You have no idea how lucky you are that you ran into us.”
She doesn't reply, but I can tell she's starting to consider my offer.
“I spent the next few days alone,” I continue, “starving and scared. I was lucky, a storm came so there was plenty of water, but I was shivering and -”
Suddenly Jude twists free from the girl's grip and punches her hard in the face with three quick blows. Before I can even react, blood starts spraying from the new arrival's neck, and I see that somehow Jude was able to get hold of the knife and slit the girl's throat. I step closer, but I can see it's already too late and all I can do is stare down at the girl's terrified eyes as she gasps and clutches at her wound.
With the girl's blood having sprayed across her chest and neck, Jude turns to me with an excited smile.
“More meat,” she points out breathlessly. “We're gonna feast tonight.”
Chapter Nine
Iris
“No,” I reply, trying to keep my frustration from spilling out, “with a D. D-E-L-L-A. Della.”
“I tried that,” the woman replies, “and she's not in our system.”
“Can you look again?”
Sighing, she swipes the screen and taps at a few boxes. “She's not listed,” she says finally. “I can search a hundred times, but that won't change anything. The database isn't going to miraculously change.”
“So what does it mean if she's not listed?” I ask.
“It means she's not in an official residential facility.”
“But does that cover orphanages?”
“Yes, it covers orphanages,” she mutters, rolling her eyes. “She's not in one!”
“But that can't be true,” I reply. “He said she'd be picked up and taken to a home somewhere.”
“Not my department. I can only tell you that she's not in the system, which means you can't use one of the prison terminals to call her 'cause you don't have a user-name for her. It's not complicated, okay? As far as this screen is concerned, your sister doesn't exist, which means there's literally nothing I can do to help you. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Nothing!”
“So she's alone?” I ask, feeling a sense of panic as I imagine my little sister trying to survive on the streets without me. I thought the idea of her being taken into care was terrifying, but suddenly I realize it would have been the lesser of two evils. At least I'd have been able to get her back eventually, but if she's making do alone... “She can't handle herself out there,” I stammer. “There are gangs who'll exploit her, people who'll trade her for food...”
“I'm very sorry,” the woman says flatly. “You have my utmost sympathies, but you'll have to speak to your case worker about that.”
“She's eleven years old,” I continue. “She's smart, but she's only eleven. You can't leave an eleven year old kid alone on the street.”
“I'm not leaving anyone alone on the street,” she replies. “The appropriate department -”
“You have to call someone!” I tell her.
“There's nothing I can do, if you -”
“You have to call someone right now! You have to make them go and check on her, give her food, make sure she's not freezing to death...”
“If your sister is in trouble,” she replies, “and if she's smart, she'll be able to access help at one of the government way stations. Your sister is smart, isn't she?”
“Sure, but...” Pausing, I realize that Della hasn't left our cramped home space for a long time. I should have taught her how the world works, I should have trained her for something like this, but I thought I'd always be there for her. I thought I'd be smart enough to avoid trouble.
“There's a line,” the woman says suddenly.
Turning, I see several disgruntled prisoners standing behind me, waiting to use credit for phone calls.
***
“Iris, you need to sit down -”
“No,” I reply as I hurry over to the table, “you need to find my sister.”
Logan sighs. “Sit down...”
“Did you send someone to look after her or not?” I ask, sitting on the chair as Logan sets his files out. “You said you were going to!”
“I know,” he replies, “but -”
“She's eleven years old,” I continue, trying not to panic. “She's smart, but there's no way she can survive on her own out there. Do you have any idea of the kind of people who'd take advantage of her?” Staring at him, I realize I already know the answer. “You don't have any idea, do you?” I add. “You're like everyone else in the cities, you have no clue what it's like for people in the rest of the world. Please, my sister -”
“I have everything under control,” he says firmly, interrupting me. “If you'll just let me get a word out, I'll explain about your sister, but first you have to let me get a word in.”
“So you've found her?”
He pauses, with his hand lingering near the controls of the table screen.
“What are you waiting for?” I ask. “Tell me what's happening!”
“And what do I get in return?”
“What do you -” Staring at him, I realize that he's serious.
“I have information,” he continues, “and it's information that you very much want, Iris, which makes it a valuable commodity. Now, I can't help wondering whether you have any information that I might want. You seem like a streetwise young lady, someone who gets about... Maybe someone who hears things. I'd be more inclined to help you out if you showed the same inclination in return.” He hesitates, as if he expects me to simply spill my guts out. “You've been living out in sector G for a while, haven't you?” he adds. “There's that big stadium, I've seen it a few times from the air. Big marketplace in the area, too. Obviously we have eyes and ears in the sector, and patrols, but there are still people who manage to keep things from the government. I'm willing to bet some pretty good money that you must know something interesting.”
“I don't,” I reply, even though I'm pretty sure he knows I'm lying. “I swear.”
“What about the riots last year?” he asks. “Do you know who was behind them?”
I shake my head.
“Do you know how those people communicated?”
“I had nothing to do with the riots. Della and I hid underground until they were over.”
“Smart girls.” He pauses again. “What about the Ballion Exchange? Do you know anything about that?”
Again, I shake my head.
“Do you know who shot those two guards last month outside the Brigade's residence?”
“Please, I don't know anything about -”
“What about the Committee of 2238?”
I open my mouth to tell him I don't know a damn thing, but the words catch in my throat. I've never been a good liar.
“What about... What was his name again? Locke? Darius Locke? A lot of people think he might be hiding out in sector G.” He stares at me for a moment, as if he's trying to read my eyes.
“I don't know anything about any of that,” I reply, but I immediately realize that my voice sounds weaker now. I try to focus on my expression, so I won't give away the fact that I'm hiding something, but I can tell I'm not very convincing.
“Okay,” he says after a moment, “well, it seems to me that maybe you do know something after all. This little fishing exercise was worth my time.”
“Darius Locke is a fugitive,” he continues. “He's a dangerous man, he's spreading sedition throughout the community. Our sources indicate that he's been directly involved in the commission of a number of attacks over the years, and indirectly involved in almost every major terrorist incident of the past ten years. I've seen videos of him talking and he's clearly a very persuasive man, he's been able to fool a lot of perfectly comfortable people into thinking that they're miserable, that the government doesn't care about them. Have you heard one of Darius Locke's speeches, Iris?”
“I... No. Never.”
“But you've heard of him, haven't you?”
“I...” I take a deep breath, but my chest feels tighter than ever. “Maybe.”
“Not maybe. You have heard of him, and we both know why.”
“I think so.”
“You're lying,” he says firmly. “I can see it in your eyes, and I can hear it in your voice. You might have a lot of skills, Iris, but I can assure you, lying is not one of them. You're terrible at it.”
“I just want to see my sister again,” I tell him, trying not to panic.
“And I just want some information I can use,” he replies, with his hand still just a few inches from the table's control unit. If he activates the console, he could bring up a video link to Della, or photos, or just some other kind of information that'll let me know she's okay. “What do you know about Darius Locke?” he asks finally. “I want to hear it all, even the parts you think don't matter.”
“I don't know anything,” I stammer.
“Liar.”
“Please -”
“I don't like it when people lie to me,” he continues. “When you were first brought to me, I wrote you off as just another scraggly little wretch from the gutter. To be honest, that's still how I see you, but it seems you most likely have heard some information that could be of use to me, so I'm simply offering a straight deal. Tell me what you know, and in return I'll not only let you know how your sister's doing, I'll also see what I can do to improve your situation and maybe get some of the points cut from your record. No promises there, but I'll try.” He leans forward. “But you've got to give me something in return.”
There's a part of me that wants to scream at him, to tell him that Darius Locke is being sheltered at the house where Bran lives, but I can't betray my only friend. Not even for my sister.
“Thank you for not denying that you know something,” Logan continues. “I'm glad we've moved past that pathetic stage.”
“I...”
For a moment, I try to imagine what would happen if I did tell him everything. He'd let me know about Della, and maybe he'd even be able to get me back to her within a few days. At the same time, soldiers would storm Bran's house and drag them all away, most likely to their deaths. Another dead-ended little rebellion would be snuffed out.
“How about this for a little sweetener?” he says finally. “On top of everything I've already offered you, I might be able to get you a job at the ministry.”
“A job?” The word immediately makes my heart leap in my chest.
“Low-level,” he adds. “Just an entry position, most likely a desk clerk, something like that. There'd be the possibility of promotion, though, if you worked hard and turned out to be an asset. Your destiny would be in your own hands, and I get the feeling that's something you value very much.”
I take another deep breath. All I need is a job, any job, and then I can earn money and take Della to a proper home. I wouldn't even need to break her out of the orphanage, because they'd most likely recognize me as a responsible adult.
“So what do you say?” he asks. “Do we have a deal?”
“I... I really don't know anything,” I tell him finally, even though I hate myself for turning down the opportunity. “I'm sorry.”
“Well think about it some more,” he replies, clearly aware that I'm lying to him. “You have twenty-four hours to change your mind, or the offer's off the table.”
“What about my sister?” I ask. “Can you at least tell me if she's okay?”
“Our conversation is over.”
“Is she being looked after?”
“You know how to get that information,” he replies, getting to his feet and hitting a button on the wall, calling a guard to take me back to the cells. “Sleep on it, Iris. I hope you make the right decision.” He glances back at me. “I hope you're not being loyal to the wrong people. There are solid leads connecting Darius Locke to the group who carried out the Delta-9 train station attack. I'm sure you know what that means.”
My parents.
“I'm sorry, Iris,” he adds. “The world is an infinitely complex place, and it can be difficult finding your way. I hope you choose the right path.”
As he leaves the room, I realize what he's trying to suggest. Looking down at my hands, I see that they're trembling more than ever. The truth, though, is that I have to choose between betraying my sister and betraying some lousy rebellion, I already know what I'll do.
Chapter Ten
Asher
“We're brilliant,” Jude says with a grin as she strips more flesh from the dead woman's body. “Seriously, you and I are, like, the perfect team. It has to be fate or something that brought us together. I mean, the whole island is massive and we could've been dropped anywhere, but we got dropped within a few hundred meters of each other and we met up. How crazy is that?”
“Pretty crazy.”
“Maybe it was God or something,” she continues. “I never believed in God before, but now I'm thinking, like, God moved us together for a reason.”
At this, I raise a skeptical eyebrow.
“Sometimes I feel this spiritual peace settling in my chest,” she adds. “I don't know where it comes from, maybe it's just gas or something, but I get to wondering now and again. Does that surprise you?”
“We've been lucky lately,” I tell her, sitting at the edge of the cave and watching the treeline carefully. I know we can't have been the only ones who saw that 'copter a few hours ago, so there'll be others in the area, searching for the new arrival. They'll be pumped for blood, and they won't want to leave empty-handed. Lurkers are usually cowardly, but there are some who actually seem to enjoy violence.
“Are you sure you don't want to set up here for a while?” Jude asks. “I meant what I said earlier, we'd be awesome at building a town. I mean, how hard can it be?”
“I don't think you've thought it through,” I tell her, wincing a little as I hear her knife scraping against bare bone.
“I've thought it through plenty. Remember that place we were in last month, at the mouth of that river? Remember how those people were scrabbling in the mud, trying to get something set up? I reckon that's the model we should follow, except we should be even stricter about who we allow to join us and we should be totally ambitious. Only really, really, really useful people can be part of it. I was thinking maybe only women, too.”
“We need men,” I mutter.
“Yeah, but not -”
“If we build a town,” I add, interrupting her, “we treat people equally, based on their skills, not based on dumb things like age or gender.”
“So you think we should do it?”
“I didn't say that.”
“But you're considering it, aren't you?” Again, her knife scrapes against a section of bone. “I'm tired of always being on the road, Asher, and I don't like the idea of joining someone else's settlement. The island's all about freedom, right? So let's make our own place and turn it into a really good place to live.”
“We'd be painting targets on our backs,” I point out.
“So we'd defend ourselves. At least we wouldn't be on the move every day, constantly risking attack. Face it, sooner or later we're gonna stumble into somewhere bad, and then we'll be the ones whose bones get stripped and chewed on.”
Turning to her, I'm shocked to see that she's already got mos
t of the meat pulled away from the corpse. For a moment, I watch as she arranges the meat in careful piles, and then she starts gathering the bones into a clattering pile. I have to admit, while the whole idea of cannibalism really disgusts me, Jude's got a real knack for this type of thing.
“Setting up a town is a really big commitment,” I say finally. “You're right, it's a good idea in principle, but...”
“Commitment's not a problem,” she replies, not even looking at me. “It's not like either of us is going anywhere. We're too good together.”
“Yeah,” I whisper, feeling nauseous as I stare at the pile of meat. “Yeah, we're great.”
***
“There's someone out there!” Jude hisses, nudging my arm. “Listen!”
Opening my eyes, I take a moment to remember where I am before turning and looking out at the darkness beyond the cave entrance. I can just about make out the dark trees, but the only sound I hear is the faint rustle of leaves in a night breeze.
“I heard voices,” Jude whispers, her voice filled with excitement and fear. “They were calling to each other. There's at least three of them, two men and a woman.”
“Are you sure?”
“I'm sure. I think they're, like, Aussies or something.” She pulls the tunic blanket closer, pressing her bare chest against my shoulder as we both wait for any more sign of visitors. “What should we do?” she whispers, her mouth close enough to my neck that I can almost feel her lips against my skin. “Should we try to scare them away, or should we -”
“Just wait,” I tell her, “we're not even -”
Suddenly I hear a shout nearby, calling out in the darkness. Whoever it is, they're clearly no more than a hundred feet away.
“What about this side?” a male voice calls out, with a distinct Australian accent. “Hey! If you're out there, we only want to help you! We came to make sure you're okay! We all know how confusing it can be when you first come to the island, so let us help you!”
“Liars,” Jude whispers, her hot breath blasting the side of my neck. “They're just out to see what they can get, like everyone else on this stinking island. Including us.”
