“Who is it?” he called out to the closed door.
To his delight, the soft voice of Maya called back to him, “It’s just me.”
Standing, he happily made his way to the door wondering why she hadn’t left the clothes like she said she would, although he was kind of glad she didn’t. There was something about her, something he had not experienced with anyone else he had ever come across, and though he knew he could never investigate these feeling any further, he would gladly settle for the opportunity to talk to her once more.
He pulled the door open and there she was, holding his freshly washed clothes, neatly folded in her arms. She was now dressed in a form-fitting, long-sleeved dress that hid the bruise he had created, while hugging her narrow body like a second skin. Her dark hair was worked back into a braid, and had several tiny metal flowers adorning it randomly throughout.
After a moment of silence, in which he was certain he could feel her eyes scanning over his scantily dressed body, she finally spoke. “I’m sorry to disturb you, I was going to let you keep sleeping and leave your clothes, but there are some patrol officers downstairs asking for you.” Her voice, though still soft and friendly, sounded off somehow.
“That’s fine,” he answered. “Did they say what they wanted?”
He reached to take his clothes from her, and to his surprise she immediately withdrew. There it was, the reaction he was used to getting from the rest of the world. Something had happened while he was asleep, something that had transformed this trusting, sweet girl he had talked to last night into another one of the hoard of Full-bloods who looked at him as a monster.
He immediately backed up and raised his hands, showing her his palms. A flash of surprise crossed her face, but instantly the fear returned, only this time it was mixed with a hint of sadness. And though he was unsure of the reason, he had no desire to make it any worse.
“Leave them, I will be down in a minute.”
She hesitated then carefully placed the clothes on the floor before heading back down the hall. When she reached the top of the stairs she paused and looked back at him as if she wanted to say something, but instead she changed her mind and descended silently into the bar below.
The Enforcer waited until she was out of sight before gathering his clothes and going back into the room. He got dressed, gathered his belongings off the table, and headed downstairs. The restaurant area was full of people and the entire roomed smelled of food cooking in the kitchen for the Terrian customers. The tension in the room doubled immediately as he stepped off the stairs into the dining room. A few brave souls even dared a glance in his direction, before rapidly averting their eyes and whispering to each other over their coffee.
He continued across the room toward the bar, where Maya stood hovering close to her mother. He found a seat on the far end closest to the door and planted himself on the stool, effectively scattering the small group that had been standing there.
Making eye contact with Maya, he then demanded, “Give me two bottles of the black formula over there.” Maya looked up at her mother, who gave her a reassuring nod, then walked silently toward the self and handed him the bottles. “How much?” he asked coldly, his eyes locked with hers.
Maya seemed unsure of herself as she desperately tried to control the trembling in her voice. “F-forty merits.”
He hated himself for treating her this way, but it couldn’t be helped, he had to keep face in front of all these people. At least that is what he told himself, but the truth was he was hurt. Hurt at how quickly she had gone from being sympathetic and understanding, to being fearful and distant. He held out his arm and pulled up his jacket sleeve, exposing the tag encircling it, the same one she had been so astute at pointing out only a few hours ago. He then watched as she programed a scanner and ran it over the band until a beep sounded registering the merits being docked.
A set of patrol officers who had been standing by the door quietly, now approached. As he pulled his sleeve back down over the tag he glared at the officers. “Did you want to see me?”
The officers turned to each other in a silent debate over who was going to talk to him, until one finally got the nerve to speak. “We were sent to pick you up and drive you back to the Tower.”
Already upset, the Enforcer found himself once again struggling to control his raging temper. He popped the top off one of the bottles and drank the formula in three swallows before slamming the bottle down on the bar. “Who said I was ready to leave?”
The officers, sensing the anger wafting off of him, took a step back. “The chief thought that after what happened last night with the workers in the street,” he paused, looking to his companion for support, “well, he thought you might want to leave.”
“We know it’s a long walk, so we would be happy to drive you,” his companion offered.
His blood was boiling as he picked up the second bottle and drank it down as rapidly as the first. Glancing back over his shoulder, he realized the entire room had gone silent and all eyes were watching him.
He was doing his best to maintain his composure, but his anger got the best of him as he slammed the second bottle down, this time shattering it into hundreds of tiny pieces. Maya turned just on time to cover her face with her hands, preventing the glass shards from cutting her as they flew past. He wanted to apologize, but decided against it as the door of the restaurant opened and in walked the Chief of the Patrols.
He looked over at the mess on the bar before speaking, “Are we ready to go here? I would hate to keep the Shadows waiting.”
The Enforcer turned on him and growled, “What do the Shadows have to do with this?”
The chief straightened proudly with a cocky grin on his face. “Oh, didn’t my men tell you? I telegrammed the incident into the Tower this morning. I figured the Shadows would want to know their attack dog was now going around beheading people in the streets.”
The Enforcer took a deep breath before turning to face Maya, once again safely cradled in her mother’s embrace. So that’s what happened. The whole town knew, which explained why she was suddenly fearful of him. He took another deep breath, stood, and walked toward the chief.
The patrol officers scrambled from his path, but the arrogant chief didn’t budge. Instead he bravely held his ground as the Enforcer advanced in on him. He made a point of getting as close to the fat imp of a man as he could, then glowering down at him from the tip of his nose, he growled. “Well, by all means let’s go.”
The chief smiled in his false confidence and headed out the door with the Enforcer close behind.
Two solar cars awaited them outside. “You can ride in that one,” the chief instructed, pointing to the front car, “and we will follow behind in the other.”
He walked silently to the front car and groaned. He hated these things as they were not built for someone of his stature. Sighing, he opened the door and squeezed into the passenger seat as a patrol officer climbed into the driver’s seat; with a trembling hand he started the car. This would no doubt be a long, quiet drive. He glanced out the window as the car pulled away from the inn and spotted Maya standing by the door watching.
She had a sad look about her, and if he hadn’t known better he would have thought he saw a tear roll down her cheek. It is for the best, he told himself, gazing ahead into the distance. What could I have been thinking, allowing myself to hope someone like her could see me as anything other than the monster that I am?
Chapter 5
Shattered
The morning after the inspection, Citera awoke on the couch in Rigar’s living room to the sounds of him and his family getting ready for the day. Sun shined in through the windows forcing her to cover her head with her blanket as a particularly annoying beam of light landed directly in her eyes. She didn’t want to get up just yet, so she delayed a few more moments, enjoying the sounds of the busy household calling back in forth to one another across the house.
It reminded her of the way her own
family had been before her mother had passed away. Her mother, calling to her and her father, telling them it was time for breakfast; her father yelling back he was running late and that he didn’t have time to eat; then the two of them calling to her, telling her to hurry or she would be late for school. It had only been six months since her mom had passed away, but it was already starting to feel like a lifetime ago. All those precious moments they had spent together were beginning to fade away like scenes from a wonderful dream after you awaken.
She continued to lay there on Rigar’s old, lumpy couch until there was a knock on the front door. Startled she sat straight up, sending her covers tumbling to the floor. She was definitely awake now. She contemplated getting up to answer it, but remembering Rigar’s warnings the night before about spies in the housing district, she decided it was best if she stayed put. It wasn’t that it was illegal for her to be in the housing district, but a Terrian girl, alone, in a house full of Full-bloods would definitely raise suspicions, and could land Rigar in a shit load of trouble.
The knock came again, this time slightly more impatient than the first, causing her heart rate to double. Her mind ran amok with visions of a patrol battalion standing outside coming to hunt her down for not being on the correct side of town. Moments later Rigar cautiously entered into the room. He motioned for her to be still and quiet while he unlocked the door, a request she happily obeyed. Rigar cracked the front door slightly and peeked through before opening the door the rest of the way. To her delight, a very disheveled looking Dirik appeared through the opening.
“You look awful. What did you do, sleep in the street last night?” Rigar asked, studying the young messenger closely.
Ignoring him, Dirik turned his attention to Citera. “I need to talk to you.” Then glancing back at Rigar he added, “Both of you.”
Up until now Citera had done a very good job of blocking the prior day’s activities from her mind. Even when her father hadn’t sent for her after the inspection, she had managed to convince herself that it was only because he was being overly cautious as usual. However, the look on Dirik’s face and the tone of his voice sent shivers down her spine. In just a few words he had managed to dash all of her hopes for a good outcome.
Rigar motioned to Dirik to hold off as his twelve-year-old daughter came darting into the room, grabbed a stack of books off a chair, and shouted as she disappeared through the front door, “Bye Dad!”
She was more than halfway down the street by the time Rigar called his fatherly advice after her, “Be careful and stay out of the alleys!” but he was too late, she was long gone. Rigar shook his head. “I remember when I used to be that naïve … those were good times.” His eyes became distant for a moment as he led them from the living room. “Oh well, let’s go into the kitchen, Mirna bought a few eggs this morning and she is trying to cook them for you.”
“Oh, Rigar, you should have told her not to. I could have eaten when I got home, she doesn’t need to go through all the trouble or waste so much money on me.”
Citera meant what she said. In her mind she was picturing the last time Rigar’s wife had tried to cook for her. She wasn’t even sure what it was supposed to have been, all she knew was that by the time Mirna got through with it, it was burnt beyond the point of recognition. She had done her best to eat a few bites, knowing how much it must have cost them to buy real food, but the majority of it was slipped under the table to the dog while Mirna wasn’t looking.
“I tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t listen. Maybe Dirik here can save you from having to eat all of it by yourself.”
“Good morning all.” Mirna smiled as they all came into the kitchen. She was standing by the stove dressed in her overalls, ready for her mandatory service to the local factory. “I made you some eggs, Citera, they’re on the table.” Then, spotting Dirik behind them, her smile spread. She bounced over to the cabinet to retrieve another one of her rarely used plates. “I think there is still enough for the both of you, even though Sara ate a good bit of them herself. Here, sit down and give them a try.”
Dirik and Citera exchanged glances as they sat across from each other at the small two person table. In the center of the table sat the eggs in a pan, and to their relief, they looked pretty good. As they spooned their portions onto the plates, Rigar turned to Dirik and asked the question they had managed to avoid to this point, “What happened yesterday with the inspection?”
An eerie silence fell over the room as they all turned their attention to Dirik, who had frozen with his spoonful of eggs in mid-air. The expression on his face made Citera both anxious and fearful. She had so hoped that it would all go fine, that she would wake up this morning, go back to the clinic, and resume the normal monotonous routine that she had grown so accustomed to.
Unfortunately, it did not seem like that was going to be the outcome; the news was bad, there was no doubt about that. Part of her wanted to reach across the table, grab Dirik, and shake him, demanding to know her father was all right. Yet another part of her was scared; too scared to ask what had happened in fear that she would be forced to live out what was left of her childhood as an orphan.
Dirik finished placing his scoop of eggs on the plate, took a deep breath, and began to narrate the events of the clinic, all of them, despite Mikel’s request for him not to. By the time he came to the part about Janil and the confession that had saved his life, tears had begun to well up in his eyes and he was having difficulty speaking. Struggling, he managed to finish his story, telling them how he had left with the Enforcer still in the clinic, and how Mikel had told him to go directly to Rigar’s house. Which he had done, but when he arrived he couldn’t bring himself to knock on the door, he instead spent the night wandering the streets and avoiding the patrols, trying to come to terms with his part in Janil’s arrest.
The kitchen had gone silent, all them hanging onto every word Dirik said until he finally reached the end. Rigar stood by the doorway, staring at the floor and kicking some invisible object as he tried to process everything that had been laid upon them. Mirna, who had begun braiding her long sandy-colored hair in preparation for her day at the factory, had stopped mid-way, and then given the task up completely. The only sound breaking through the silence of the room was the sound of Citera weeping.
Dirik hated himself for telling them, he had wrestled with his conscious all night as he roamed around aimlessly. If he told them only what Mikel had asked him to then they would have returned to the clinic with a false sense of hope, only to have the truth slap them across the face. Instead he had decided during his night’s wandering that it would be better, for all of them, if he let them know in advance so they wouldn’t be caught off guard when they arrived home. Mikel would likely be angry with him for telling them, but that was better than allowing them to leave here thinking everything was going to be the same.
It was Rigar who broke the silence first, his voice booming in the deafening silence. “Citera, get ready and I will drop you and Dirik off at the clinic on my way to the site.” And with that said, he turned quietly and walked out of the kitchen.
“I’d better finish getting ready. You two eat something.” Mirna added softly, wiping her eyes as she followed Rigar.
Dirik was left sitting alone in the room staring at Citera. He had not taken his eyes off of her since he finished relaying to them the events of yesterday. Her eyes, however, were locked on the plate in front of her. She was pushing the eggs back and forth across its surface, a steady stream of tears rolling down her cheeks. It was tearing him up inside to be the one to tell her what had happened, it especially weighed heavy on him was that he really couldn’t reassure her that her father was safe. She probably hated him for leaving her father alone in the clinic with that monster, maybe she would never speak to him ever again. He glanced down at his plate. The eggs really did look good, but he no longer had an appetite, so he just pushed the plate away.
“Do you think she really knew?” The question t
ook Dirik by surprise, mainly because Citera hadn’t moved or looked up from her plate as she asked it.
“I don’t know, and I don’t think it matters either.” Dirik stood up and walked toward the sink with his plate and stared out the window. “They came to take someone and she confessed.” Tears rolled down his cheeks as he finished, guilt knotting his insides, “She saved my life.”
Rigar walked in, saving Dirik from further questioning. “The cart is ready, let’s go. We should hurry so we can check on your father.” Citera stood silently and followed him toward the door, Dirik only a few steps behind them both. In front of the house was the horse and cart Rigar drove to haul away debris for the road crew. Once they were all loaded inside, Rigar snapped the reins, and the cart jolted into motion.
Mirna stood in the doorway with a solemn expression and watched them pull away. “Please be careful, all of you.”
The ride to the clinic, although short in distance, felt like one of the longest trips Citera had ever taken. No one spoke, they all just faced straight ahead and listened to the horse’s hooves clopping against the stone road in a comforting, steady rhythm. When they finally arrived, the three of them sat in silence staring at the front door. None of them wanted to be the first to go inside and face whatever was awaiting them. Finally, after several long tense moments, Rigar made the first move, and they all piled out of the cart together. Begrudgingly they made their way up the steps to the front door. Rigar had his hand on the knob, ready to go inside, when a voice called out from behind them.
“Hello there!” It was Marta, coming toward them from her market next door. “Citera, how are you my dear? Your father told me what happened, about Janil and the Enforcer. And don’t worry, you can stay with us as long as you need. We have a room ready for you, just come over whenever you are ready to get settled.” Citera looked questioningly to Dirik, who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head; he wasn’t about to get blamed for this.
K: The Awakening (The Shadow Chronicles Book 1) Page 8
