‘Who’s that?’ Hope said, jumping up.
‘It’s the guards. The Chancellor has been found dead in his bed and Perfects are protesting outside the courthouse. We need to get back.’
‘How does Alia know that?’ I asked, looking at my phone and noticing that I had loads of missed calls and texts. I’d forgotten that I’d put my phone on silent. I hadn’t wanted any interruptions when I was with Hope.
‘The rebels know everything. Don’t ask me how,’ Purple said, grinning like a love-sick teenager. I smiled back at him, knowing that I reflected the exact same look.
‘Aw, isn’t this nice. Go and answer the door, Purple,’ Artie snapped, clicking his fingers between us.
‘It’s my dad,’ I said as I checked the last message on my phone. It said that he was coming to get me. This was confirmed as the doors burst open and about five guards stormed in.
‘I’ve only just fixed that lock from the last time, brother, did you have to?’ Artie said, growling at my dad as he walked towards us.
‘Sorry, but when Jason doesn’t answer his phone and moves out without telling us, I get a bit tetchy,’ my father replied, glaring at me.
‘Why the hell do you care? You left me to die.’
I jumped off the stage and walked towards him. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked unsure. For the first time in my life, I would stick up to this man. He was hard, cruel, caring and funny. He had great qualities, but he was a Perfect through and through.
‘I didn’t, son, I…’
I stopped right in front of him. I was the same height as him and I was able to look him square in the eye. He swallowed and for the first time in my life, he backed down. Taking a step back, he glanced at his men.
‘You can leave us,’ he said, gesturing for them to go. Slowly they backed out of the theatre.
‘My job is important to me,’ he said, lowering himself into a chair.
I heard the others’ footsteps moving away. They were going to give us privacy.
‘Wait, Hope…please will you stay?’ I called, turning to see her about to exit the stage. She hesitated, her foot in mid-air.
‘Son…?’ my father said from behind me, ‘this is between us.’
Hope heard him and came over to us. She took my hand as we looked down at him.
‘I’m not marrying Gina. I don’t love her and you know that. You and mum may be happy in a loveless marriage, but I won’t be. Hope is my soulmate.’
My father snorted and I grit my teeth. I had to squeeze Hope’s hand to stop myself jumping on him.
‘There’s no such thing as love, Jason. Have you not realised by now?’
Hope laughed then and I let her. She looked up at me and I grinned back. My father sighed and I turned back to him.
‘I remember a time when I felt that way. You say that your mother and I don’t love each other and that’s true. There was a time when I was in love though.’
I felt my eyebrows shoot up. My father, the head guard, had been in love? That was something I would never have thought possible.
‘Ironically, it was with your uncle’s woman,’ he said, running a hand over his cropped blonde hair.
‘What…?’ Hope said, letting go of my hand.
This was going to get a little uncomfortable if my dad knew the connection. What if he knew about the angel that mated with Hope’s mother? What if he connected the dots and realised what Hope was?
‘Who was that then?’ I asked, winking at Hope when she glanced up at me. My father was looking at the wooden floor, rubbing his clean shaven chin.
‘I don’t want to talk about her. I’m just letting you know that there was a time when I looked at a woman the way you’re looking at this Avoidable.’
‘Dad!’ I shot forward and grabbed his guard jacket at the front. I twisted and pulled him up to his feet.
‘Jason, it’s okay, stop!’ Hope said, putting her hand on my arm.
‘No, it’s not. This is not an Avoidable. This is Hope and you will talk to her like the human being she is!’ I hissed into his face. His cheeks were bright red and he was struggling to loosen my grip. I used all I could to lift him off the ground when he didn’t say anything. I was about to throw him when he nodded.
‘I’m sorry, son, I didn’t…I…I’m sorry, Hope,’ he stuttered.
My whole body was shaking. I let him drop and he fell back into the chair I’d pulled him from. I heard chuckling behind me and turned to see Purple and Artie watching us. Purple had his arms crossed over his chest and had a grin on his face. Artie was shaking his head, looking sad.
‘I knew you’d grow a pair someday,’ Purple said.
‘Won’t be long until I can do that to you,’ I joked back, feeling my shoulders rise a little higher.
‘Stop being such a bloke!’ Hope said, punching me in the side. I jumped back and laughed before sobering up as I looked back at my dad. He was slouched in the chair. I’d never seen him look so small.
‘You’ve grown up. I’m sorry I didn’t come after you when you were kidnapped. Those rebels looked fierce and I did ask for backup, I promise. They wouldn’t let me have it though.’ He sat up straight and swore.
‘You were kidnapped?’ Artie said climbing off the stage and coming up to me. He was slightly shorter than me, but his energy was powerful. I cringed as he poked me in the ribs.
‘I need to be informed of everything that happens to my warriors!’ he hissed at me. His face was red and his breath was huffing in and out of him.
‘Warriors…?’ I said. I felt a flutter start in my stomach. I’d never felt like I belonged with the Perfects, even if I had acted like one for the past twenty-four years. Now, here was an Avoidable, offering me a chance to belong.
‘Well…you’re basically one of us, aren’t you? Except you’re too good looking really…’ Artie glanced at my father. He looked horrified, but proud at the same time. It was a weird look.
‘I can fix that,’ Purple chuckled, cracking his knuckles.
‘Thanks, uncle Artie, I’d like to be one of your warriors,’ I said, putting my arm around him.
He growled and pushed me away. ‘You will not call me uncle. It makes me sound old.’
We all laughed as he walked over to my dad. Hope stood up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. If the Avoidables knew that I was one of Artie’s warriors, they might accept me. There would be many that wouldn’t and I would have to be careful, but I had now fully integrated with the Avoidables and it felt great.
Chapter Thirteen
‘As you may have heard, the Chancellor is gone. There is an ongoing investigation into his death, but we still need to concentrate on the trial,’ William announced into the cameras a few days later. The trial had been postponed for a while, but we were now back in the courthouse.
‘To recap, we’ve heard from Leon and our unexpected witness, Matthew, and learnt that they both have a deep respect for Sandor. Leon and Sandor are in love.’ As William said the last part of his sentence, I glanced at Leon who was sitting with a guard. He was giving Sandor a secret smile. She returned it. Everyone was watching her and saw the affection between them.
‘Sandor, I’d like to hear your reasons again. I want a statement of why you bombed the government compound,’ William said, coming over and standing in front of her.
‘I bombed the government compound because I want this discrimination to stop. I’m deeply in love with Leon and I want us to be able to live a long and happy life. I want to be able to eat fresh vegetables and not fake ones. I want to be able to stop looking over my shoulder expecting a Perfect to hurt me. I want to give the children on Lower Side some toys so that they can play. I want the world to live in harmony so there is not so much pain. I love you, Leon, and no matter what happens I always will.’ Sandor was crying. Hope had tears running down her face. I saw Purple swallow and I swallowed too.
‘I needed to get your attention. The Perfects pretend that we don’t exist, so I did it on purpose
. I’m sorry for killing people, but if there was another way, then I would’ve done it. For hundreds of years we’ve been shunned by you. I know that you all have it in your hearts to open and accept us. We can show you how to love one another in a way that is free and easy.’
I glanced at Catherine and saw that she had her head in her hands. The Perfects in the balcony were silent as they listened. A couple of them were dabbing their eyes with tissues. I was surprised that so many of them seemed affected. I’d always believed that they didn’t have hearts at all, but this simple trial was starting to open them up. The jury looked like they had mixed emotions. Some were wiping their eyes, while others shook their heads.
‘Thank you, Sandor. Catherine, do you have any other questions?’ William said, going back to his seat.
‘Yes, a couple,’ she said. Her back was hunched. I wondered if the death of the Chancellor had actually made her feel something.
‘Matthew, who is a Perfect, said that you made him feel something that he’d never felt in his life. It wasn’t love, but it was an openness that he never even knew was possible. You toyed with him, hurt him and abused him, but you pushed his boundaries open.’ She read from a piece of paper she held as she walked over to the dock.
‘Yes,’ Sandor said, glancing at Leon. She was reassuring him that it had happened before she was with him.
‘Would you say that the Chancellor did the same with you and Leon?’ The wobble in my mother’s voice drew my attention. She was cracking and I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t think she’d cared that much about the cruel man that had abused many Avoidables over the years.
‘No…the Chancellor used his hate and disgust to hurt us so badly, we almost died. I used my hate, before I met Leon who showed me that there was no point in hating you, to break a Perfect. I thought I was hurting them by hitting back, but apparently, I was helping them to feel. It wasn’t the best way to do it. Now I know that to be opened to love, it’s best done with affection and respect.’ Again, she looked over to Leon. Everyone couldn’t help but notice the love that radiated from her.
‘I’ve never seen Sandor look like that. She’s got it bad,’ Hope whispered in my ear.
‘Like you then?’ I whispered back. She punched me on the arm softly. My mother glared at us and I straightened my expression.
‘But you admit to abusing and killing Perfects?’ Catherine was reaching to find something that sounded incriminating, but it wasn’t working. For a split second, I felt a little sorry for my mother, but the feeling quickly vanished when she looked directly into the camera.
‘This Avoidable killed ten of us! She abused others at every opportunity she had. If you think she is guilty of the crime that she’s admitted doing, press one. If you think she’s innocent, which she clearly isn’t, press two. Voting closes tomorrow, along with the jury decision.’ Catherine actually winked into the camera and then looked over at William.
‘Jury, please will you go out and make your decision. Please take all arguments into account. You have twenty-four hours,’ William announced. The room exploded in noise. Leon managed to break away from the guard that was holding him. He jumped over chairs and ended up in front of the dock. He put his arms around Sandor and kissed her fiercely. The Perfect with the camera zoomed in on them. Hope laughed and I grabbed her. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her hard. Purple was wolf whistling and the chatter was getting louder as people gasped at what was happening below. Little did I realise that the cameras had panned in on us. A Perfect government official’s son was kissing an Avoidable in front of everyone. Catherine would probably have me executed.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Gina, I’m sorry. As you can probably guess, I’m not going to marry you,’ I said.
We were sitting in a coffee shop. The round table between us didn’t feel far away enough for me. I felt my stomach clench as a fresh burst of tears erupted from her. She’d been telling me about her father. She’d said that there was no way he’d killed himself or done the things that the Avoidables said he’d done. I knew that breaking off the engagement right after her father’s death was a little heartless but I’d been caught kissing Hope on camera and if she hadn’t already seen it, her friends would be telling her all about it.
‘I’m sorry. I’m in love with Hope.’ I said, reaching over the table and taking her hand as she wiped her eyes.
‘It’s okay, Jason, I was never in love with you either. It’s just my father wanted us to marry and I can’t quite get over the fact that you prefer an Avoidable to me.’ She hiccupped and I bit my tongue. There was no point in making her feel worse.
‘I don’t think you can help who you fall in love with. It just happens.’
She sobered up and patted my hand. I knew that she’d felt love for another Perfect and he’d been killed in the bombing. I’d guessed from the look on her face when the pictures had been shown in the trial. It amazed me how unaffected she’d seemed about him. It confirmed what I knew was true. Perfects didn’t love each other unconditionally.
‘No, I suppose so,’ she said, glancing out of the window as a waitress came up and gave us our coffee. It was quiet in the shop with only a couple of Perfects sitting across the room.
‘I thought I was in love with someone once,’ she started, glancing at me from under her eyes. ‘Don’t worry; it wasn’t you,’ she added, laughing when I wiped my forehead and said, ‘phew.’
I nodded at her to carry on.
‘Seeing Sandor and Leon. The way they looked at each other. Then seeing you and Hope. Now you’ve told me, I can see what it was between you. I knew there was something, but I’d never seen it before. Do you think we could all feel that?’
I scooted my chair closer to her and put my hand on her shoulder.
‘If I’d lost Hope in the bombing, I would’ve wanted to kill myself. I would’ve felt broken apart in many pieces and I’m not sure that I would ever recover.’
A tear slid down her face and she let it drop. Following her gaze, I watched a young child walk past the window with his mother. He was unhappy as he pointed at the cakes in the coffee shop window but his mother refused him.
‘I never felt like that when…I lost him,’ she whispered. ‘I’m not sure Perfects can.’
‘I’m a Perfect, Gina,’ I said, taking her hand again.
She glanced at me and something in her eyes sparked. She nodded and sniffed, squeezing my hand.
‘I’m my father’s daughter though. I’m twenty-four and have never seen what true love is. Well, except in old films, but it doesn’t seem real. I’m not sure I could ever change.’
A burst of laugh escaped me and she dropped my hand. I moved away again and shook my head.
‘You can be and do anything you want to. You just got to stop believing other people’s lies.’
‘They’re not all lies, Jason, we are better than them,’ she said, running a hand through her perfectly made up blonde hair. I nodded slowly and rose from my chair.
‘I’m sorry for your loss, Gina, I truly am. I’m also sorry for breaking the engagement.’
She smiled and then dismissed me by turning away. I stood for a few seconds before leaving her sitting in the coffee shop, all alone.
I wandered along the pavement thinking about the last few months. I never thought that I’d break off the engagement to Gina. Her father had been one of the most powerful Perfects in the city. He’d been the Chancellor for many years and my mother had always pandered to him. It seemed that everyone had. My mother had refused to talk to me after finding out that I was alive. It was like she’d already written me off and was happy for it to stay that way.
‘Hello, Jason,’ said a voice from behind me. An old friend of mine approached. I had been so in my thoughts I hadn’t noticed him. He was very tall and lean with a chiselled jaw and perfectly straight nose. His hair was gelled and styled into a perfect quiff.
‘Hello, Kyle,’ I said, stopping to talk to him.
‘I saw
you kissing that Avoidable on television, good on you!’ he said patting my back. I laughed, remembering how free spirited Kyle had been.
‘You hate the Avoidables. You used to say that they were dirtier than dog…’
‘Yes, I used to think that, but watching the trial has made me see them in a different light,’ he said, coming closer to me and lowering his voice. ‘Do they make you feel more?’
I couldn’t help the way the corners of my lips sunk into my cheeks.
‘There! That’s it! Everyone’s talking about the way Sandor and Leon were looking at each other. You have that look about you too. Is it because of the Avoidable?’
I laughed as he got excited. It was like a soap opera to him. He didn’t see them as real people. He saw them as actors on a screen. Seeing me smiling like a Cheshire cat because of Hope made it more real to him.
‘Yes, her name is Hope.’
I started walking again and he followed me, skipping as we went along the street. There were a few people that went about their business and most of them glanced our way.
‘Are you in love with her?’ Kyle asked.
I hesitated for a minute. Did I want to tell everyone how I felt about Hope? Did I want everyone to know about my feelings and judge me for them? I stopped again and glanced at my friend. He was smiling brightly and it was infectious. This was it. This was part of the mission. To show others how to open their heart, by opening mine. By showing them that I’d allowed myself to be drawn in by Hope, but changed for the better because of it. It would help men to see that there was no danger in letting themselves feel that way with a woman…or a man if they were that way inclined.
‘Can you not tell? She keeps me breathing. She makes me want to live and protect. She gets me hot all the time and she’s kick-arse too!’ I laughed at the look on his face. It was a longing to be able to feel the same.
‘It really is real then? I’ve read about it in history books but it never seems the same when I’m involved with a Perfect. Can you introduce me to any of your Avoidable friends?’
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