I can’t wrap my head around this. Mind-altering drugs? Genetic anomalies? If they could have had me, why did they keep Evie? I have to see Myra. Now.
Chapter 7
My head feels like it’s on a carousel, picking up speed and never stopping. Granby escorts me back to my apartment in silence, which I welcome. What could I possibly say at a time like this? It’s like I’ve been living in a cave for the past year. Marcus greets us at the door, dressed in his fatigues and a dark grey tee shirt.
“I’ll send Drake back in an hour so you can run the course,” Granby says as he departs.
“I’ll be there,” Marcus replies with a sharp nod.
“Be sure to eat, Marcus. You’ll need the energy,” Granby calls back, his voice reverberating through the lengthy corridor.
Once we’re in the safety of our apartment, away from eager ears. I confide in Marcus. I tell him everything Granby told me. I get the feeling that he’s heard most of it before.
“Take me to see Myra,” I beg.
“What, now?”
“Marcus, she knows why they need Evie. Why they want me so badly. Whatever it is, our child is in danger and I need to know. You need to know.”
“Okay,” Marcus agrees. “We’ll go see Myra.”
***
The atrium still spills over with newcomers finding their way around the facility, learning checkpoints, and stopping to socialize and ask questions. Marcus pulls me as we wind our way through the crowd to the administrative offices where Myra is usually posted.
Marley is leaning over a young man with curly blond hair and a burn scar over half of his face, teaching him how to enter data into the computer system. I assume he’s also one of the newcomers.
“Marley,” I shout over the noise filtering in from the atrium.
She holds up a single finger without shifting her eyes off the computer screen.
“No, like this,” she says and types rapidly on the keyboard. “Just a sec.” Marley looks up and forces a smile, even though she wears her frustration on her sleeve. “What can I do for you, Pollen?”
“Do you know where I can find Myra?”
“She’s down in the medical lab today. We’re still processing the newcomers from Doborec. She’ll be there all week I presume.”
“Thanks,” I say as I grab Marcus to leave.
The medical lab is in on the same floor as the clinic, where I go for weekly appointments with Dr. Yipolis to check on the status of my pregnancy. I swear I know that floor better than the one I live on. Just like the atrium, the waiting room is bustling with activity. Every chair is full and those who don’t have a seat pace the speckled carpet impatiently.
I approach the receptionist, Violet, with Marcus shadowing me. Violet and I are on a first name basis since I’m here so often. She’s a sweet older lady; about the same age my grandmother would be had she not died when I was a teenager. Violet always wears tops with vertical stripes, swearing they make her apple shaped figure appear slimmer.
“Hey, Vi. Can you call back to the lab and let Myra know I need to see her?”
“Sure thing, darling,” she replies with a sweet twang in her voice. While I wait I can hear the impatient sneers of patients behind me.
“Are they ever going to call us back?” one woman cries.
“What’s taking so long?” a little boy whines.
“What’s the damn point of all this?” A middle-aged man stands fuming behind us.
“Chill, man,” Marcus says calmly. “We all had to do this when we moved in. It’s for safety and preparedness.”
“Yeah, we did all this shit back at Doborec. They should already have it on file somewhere.”
“Sorry man. I know it’s frustrating. But once you’re processed in, the worst is over. Then you can get on with your life.”
“Whatever, man.” The man throws his hands up and stalks back to a corner of the room where he leans on the wall with his arms crossed, scowling at every face that passes him.
“Hello? Yes, Myra. I have Miss Pollen McRae here to see you.”
“Tell her it’s urgent,” I whisper to Violet.
“Okay, yes, she says it’s urgent. Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay. I’ll tell her.”
I stare expectantly at Vi. She shakes her head.
“I’m sorry, darling. Myra said she’s swamped and can’t meet with you at the moment. She says she’ll be in touch. She has something important to speak with you about.” Of course she does. I nod slowly, dejected.
“Thanks, Vi.”
Marcus and I step into the back of the elevator with a mob of people crushing us against the glass. My belly is wedged between Marcus and the backside of a man who looks like he’s enjoyed too many rashers of bacon. The smell in the elevator overwhelms me. I probably wouldn’t have noticed five months ago, but this pregnancy has heightened my senses and I seem to be very sensitive to the odors of sweat and alcohol. Someone in here has been drinking. Heavily.
The elevator stops at the commerce floor, in front of cafeteria at the food court. Like everywhere else at Ceborec, the crowd is swimming. But something is different here. Marcus can sense it too, and he shoves his way out of the elevator as I trail him.
To the far right side of the cafeteria, a chair glides through the air and crashes on to a table. A horde of people has congregated around the ruckus, pushing each other to catch a small glimpse of what the commotion is.
Marcus shoves his way through the crowd and I follow the open trail left behind. When I reach the front, Marcus is already gripping Glenn under his arms, pulling his writhing body away from the man he’d been fighting. He’s young—in his late teens I’d guess—with spiky light brown hair the color of toffee. Glenn’s clothes are torn and his eye patch pulled to the side, revealing his empty orbital cavity. Cain, the new bartender, steps through the crowd and holds back the other guy.
“Say it again, you little punk!” Glenn shouts.
Cain wrenches the other man around and pushes him back through the crowd. He turns and shouts over Cain’s shoulder, “Next time, asshole!” Cain shoves him forward again and shouts down at him as if they were brothers. Maybe they are.
Across the way my eyes meet hers and that nauseating pang hits the pit of my stomach again. Siera sneers just as the crowd disperses; she disappears among them. That girl spells trouble. And I won’t have her causing trouble between Marcus, Glenn, and me. My fingers twitch with the urge to smash her perfect pretty face into a table.
As I approach Glenn and Marcus the stench of alcohol nearly knocks me down. Glenn’s been drinking again.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Marcus scolds. “Who gave you the day off?” Glenn was supposed to be training with the other soldiers. Instead, it appears as though he was spending the afternoon drinking his worries away at The Snake Hole.
“I had a prior engagement,” Glenn slurs. “I was on my way to the armory when that little punk rattled my cage.” Glenn yanks himself from Marcus’s arms and adjusts his eye patch back in place.
“Marcus, let me take him home,” I say.
“I’m fine,” Glenn mumbles.
“What? No.” Marcus scowls at me. “I’m not leaving him alone with you. Especially not in this state.”
“Marcus, he’s drunk. He needs help.”
“And what happened the last time he was drunk and alone with you?”
“It won’t happen again Marcus. Please, trust me.”
“How could he possibly protect you in this state? You are the one we are supposed to be watching. Not the other way around.”
“I’ll take him back to our apartment and stay there until you come back. Please. By the looks of him he’ll probably pass out on the couch anyway. You go on and train.” Marcus contemplates for a moment.
“I said I’m fine,” Glenn insists.
“Okay,” Marcus sighs. “I will trust you. But I’m going to send someone by to check on you. Glenn, sober up and get your shit together.”
“Yes, sir,” Glenn jeers as Marcus stalks toward the elevator.
“Come on,” I say, pulling Glenn’s arm toward one of the beverage dispensers in the serving line. “Let’s get you some water.”
***
“Marcus is right. You need to get your shit together.” I drop Glenn on the couch and shuffle to the sink to fill another glass for him. But instead of handing it to him, I swing the glass forward, showering his face with ice-cold water.
“Damn, Pollen!” he bellows, jerking upright on his seat.
“I’m serious, Glenn! Wake up! You can’t fall apart now, not with all that’s going on. I know you’re upset. I know you’re lonely. But there are more important things to worry about right now than your self-pity. Evie’s gone. The Trinity are after me. I’m about to give birth to a baby that is most likely yours, and you’re spending your days getting plastered at The Snake Hole! You can’t do this, Glenn!”
Glenn rubs the heels of his hands into his eye and the cavity beneath his eye patch. Then he rakes his fingers through his soggy hair as he lets my words sink in.
“I’m sorry, Polly. I know you’re right.” I fill his glass again, this time giving it to him to drink. “Wait, did you say the Trinity are after you?”
“Yeah, didn’t you know?” Marcus had a clear understanding of the situation before I told him. Apparently, Glenn’s been left out of the loop.
“No. Why you?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d know, after all the time you’d been at Crimson, all the things you know.” I ease myself down onto the couch beside Glenn.
“They didn’t tell us anything we didn’t need to know. And we couldn’t just ask. It wasn’t like that. What I learned there, I learned through eavesdropping. It’s an unspoken rule among Enforcers; you do what you’re told, you don’t ask questions.”
“Granby said that I have the same genetic anomaly as Evie. But he didn’t know what that was. I tried to see Myra today to get more information, but she was too busy.”
“So that’s why we’ve been commissioned to babysit you. I thought they just didn’t trust you to stay here with Evie gone.”
“Well, yeah, I’m sure that’s why they were having me watched initially. And they were probably right in doing so. I was so upset when I found out; I probably would have risked myself to go after her. But then they discovered the files. Now it’s about keeping me from being recaptured.”
“You won’t be. You know we’ll make sure of that. Marcus, Drake, and me.”
“Speaking of, how are things between you and Drake?”
Glenn laughs nervously. “Well, as long as I don’t step on his toes, Granby’s made sure he won’t kick my ass. I can’t say I blame him. If I were in his place I’d want me dead too.”
“Don’t say that, Glenn. You’ve more than atoned for your crimes. It’ll take time, like it did with Marcus, but Drake will come around eventually. I’ve never known him to hold grudges very long.”
I reach out to take Glenn’s hand in mine and as he squeezes it I instantly regret the gesture. I try to pull my hand away but he hangs on and presses my palm to his chest where I feel his beating heart thumping quickly against my skin. I’m afraid to look at him. His one-eyed gaze is burning into me like I’m standing too close to a bonfire. I can feel the flush on my cheeks and beads of sweat begin to form on my brow.
“Glenn . . .” I start. But I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to hurt him more and cause him to drown away his troubles in alcohol. But I also can’t lead him on and give him the false hope I’ve been guilty of before. I risk a glance up and find his hazel eye fixed on me.
“Glenn, don’t.”
“Tell me you don’t feel it,” Glenn says, holding my hand firmly in place.
“I can’t.”
“Tell me.”
“Don’t do this, Glenn.” The sound that leaves my lips is shaky. My lids begin to swell. No, don’t cry Pollen! I shake my head trying to block out the emotions that are slowly bubbling to the surface.
“Pollen?” Glenn cups my chin with his other hand and pulls me up to meet his gaze again. I can’t stop it. Tears stream out of both my eyes, run over my cheeks, and drip down to the front of my blouse. “Don’t deny it, Pollen. You still love me.”
“Yes, Glenn. I still love you. I will always love you. But, that doesn’t change anything. I love Marcus and I’m not leaving him.”
“We’re having a baby, Polly.” Glenn releases my hand and caresses my bulging belly. I catch his hand and push it away.
“It might not be yours. You know that.”
“Oh come on. Don’t tell me you really believe it could be his. Use your brain Pollen.”
“Yes, I do believe that. Maybe it’s not, but either way, he’s going to be the best father any kid could have. Even you can’t deny that.”
Glenn huffs and slumps back into the couch. “I don’t know what to do without you. I don’t think I want to live without you.”
“Don’t say that. Please.”
“It’s true. I only joined the Enforcers because I thought you were dead. And you saw how screwed up that made me. Who’s to say I won’t do something like that again. Pollen I need you. You’ve always kept me from doing that kind of shit. You keep me grounded.”
“And I still will. But only as your friend—your best friend. Glenn, you need to move on. Find someone else. There are so many beautiful girls here that would swoon over you, if you’d just let them. Please. Just try?”
A sharp knock at the door startles me, although Glenn looks like he’s ready to pass out. I approach the door, hoping it’s Myra here to tell me what’s so special about my DNA. I open the door. It’s Harrison.
“Why so glum?” he asks with a devilish smirk. Even though his hair is short like Marcus’s now, he’s streaked it again with slivers of gold contrasting against the black. He looks more like himself.
“Nothing. Why aren’t you training?”
“Granby, i.e. Marcus,” he says in a hushed tone, holding his hand next to his mouth, “wanted me to come by and sit with you for a bit. Said Glenn needs to go sleep it off. So off with you, Glenn!” Harrison walks in and makes himself comfortable on the couch as I help Glenn stand.
“Remember what I said? Please try.” Glenn sniffs and nods as he hobbles out of the apartment.
“Maybe we should walk him back to his place,” I wonder out loud, noting his demeanor as he ambles down the corridor.
“He’ll be okay,” Harrison says. “Let him get it out of his system. He needs a few killer hangovers to get his head straight.”
“I suppose you’re right. I just hope he doesn’t do anything stupid.” His words haunt my memory. “I don’t think I want to live without you.”
“Sure he’ll do something stupid. That’s what drinking does to you. It makes you stupid.”
“I mean, I hope he doesn’t hurt himself.”
“Stop talking nonsense, Pollen, and come sit on my lap.” Harrison leans back into the couch and opens his arms in a welcoming gesture.
I laugh. “Not a chance, Harrison!”
Chapter 8
Marcus folds my hand into his and caresses my skin with his roughened thumb as we stroll along an unmarked path through the woods. The morning air is comfortable in the dappled shade of the trees. The light breeze feathers my cheeks and whips my hair around like flames in slow motion.
Most people here don’t train on Leisure Day. It’s the only day of the week we all have a reprieve from the mundane tasks of work and onerous training. Since the arrival of the refugees last week has thrown the entire facility into disarray, many of the residents have to work today, processing in and placing the remaining newcomers. The outdoor training arenas are practically deserted.
I’ve been dying to get outside and into the woods, my sanctuary. Since Granby wouldn’t let me train over the past couple weeks while I recovered from my gunshot wound—which has healed unusually fast—I’ve not been permitted in
to the training arenas. But since nobody is out training today, he’s granted me permission as long as I have an escort. Marcus and I wander out into Arena Eight, where it borders Arena Seven. There is a huge grove of birch trees surrounding a quiet pond where fish used to dwell. The water is no longer the pretty light blue of my childhood crayon drawings. It’s empty and murky now, reflecting the crimson haze that coats sky above.
Marcus steps to the edge of the pond while I sit on the ground, taking in this warm autumn day. The leaves have all yellowed and some of them dance and twirl in the light breeze as they float to the surface of the pond. Marcus plucks the stem of a cattail and joins me.
We lie on our sides facing each other at the base of a tree, where the bark is peeling off into white papery shreds. We should be training, but neither of us wants to waste this opportunity. For the first time since Evie was kidnapped, I feel at peace. The woods have always been my sanctuary, my refuge; and being here, sharing this moment with Marcus, is like a little corner of heaven sheathed from the flames of hell. We are one again; two souls intertwined through space and time. I can’t imagine anything could tear us apart now, except death. But even that wouldn’t last long. If he goes, so do I.
“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” Marcus asks as he traces the taut pink line across my nose and down my cheek with the tip of the fuzzy cattail.
Heat rises to the surface of my skin. The scar that rips across my face isn’t something I consider to be a mark of beauty. Of course without it, I might not be here. Without it, I’d probably be back in that deplorable prison, all my freedoms stolen away, never to live out my happy ending with Marcus.
The Trinity (Fall of Venus) Page 5
