by Emily Shore
The first thing I do is punch his chest. Feeble attempt, but he takes it all the same.
“I can’t believe you would kiss me like that and then leave me with no opportunity to speak,” I cry, feeling hot tears soaking into the fabric at his shoulder.
“I know.”
“You’re an ass.”
“I know.”
I poke his chest, pressuring him. “You’re good at talking. So, talk.”
“I fell in love with you, Ser. I didn’t plan it. Tried to fight it, but the harder I fought, the worse it got. And when I saw you in your exhibit for the first time…Just torn. Came this close to throwing you over my back and marching out the front door. No one should see you like that, except for…” He doesn’t finish, the implication lingering like dust bunnies in the air.
I grate my nails into his clothes. “You should’ve told me.”
“I’ve kept a lot of secrets from you. But that was the biggest one.”
Sky’s heat coils around me, thawing Luc’s winter chill. It’s too much. After a minute or two with his arms around me, I change the subject. “Have you learned anything else about my parents?”
He nods, solemn. “Got my hands on a memo. The Guild has them in custody, in one of their prisons.”
“What’s Luc’s father planning?”
“Don’t know yet. DNA tests have been done, so he knows who they are. Probably plans to use them against Force in a Guild/Temple power play.”
My heart sinks. “Is there any way to get them out?”
“The prison is very secure, but your exhibit is giving me the time I need to get more information.”
“I can’t stay in limbo like this!”
“Oh, Serenity.” Sky’s voice is an amused reprimand. “You’re the key in all of this. You’re the one everyone’s watching. And the Guild wants to gauge how much you’re worth.”
I lower my head, biting down on my bottom lip because the pain helps keep back the tears. Sky scoots closer, reaching up to cup my head so he can lean it against his chest.
“Tell me more about the Sanctuary,” I say.
He nods, running his fingers through my hair. “The Sanctuary’s network is called the Task Force. They find girls everywhere from Glass Districts to graphicker studios to carnivals to museums, and they get them to safety. We smuggle the girls from safe house to safe house. The Sanctuary provided me with everything I needed to get here, to the Aviary. You know I’d never give up on you. And that’s not just because of how I feel.”
He pauses before explaining, “Your parents always wanted to be sure you were safe. I wasn’t part of the plan the day you were born, but Serafina kept me all these years because of you. I loved you since I first looked into your baby eyes. I know she doesn’t love me the way she loves you. But that’s never mattered. I care most about who I am in your eyes.”
“Why did you hide how you felt for so long?” I thread my fingers into his.
I feel him shrug. “Was trying to do right by your mother. It wasn’t easy, especially since it’s always just us and all.”
“That’s why you stopped swimming with me. But you still watched over me.”
“Over the last year, it was almost impossible. You’re more and more beautiful with every passing day.” Sky’s hand on my neck makes me flinch. “Do you mind me watching you?”
Snapping, I shove him hard, but I barely make a dent. “That’s not fair. I’m still trying to process everything.”
“You know what’s not fair? Your damned exhibit. Seeing the way their eyes rake all over you. Knowing their sick thoughts.”
“And what are you thinking, Sky?” I counter, striking him harder than I know I should.
He groans. “Not gonna lie to you, Ser. I’ve had some thoughts, ‘cause I’m just as much a sinner as any man, but your mother raised me to be a gentleman. Hope that counts for something. Unlike your precious Luc, who’s turned you into his little puppet bird,” he adds.
“I’m no one’s puppet, Sky. If you say one more thing like that, I’ll—”
“Serenity,” Sky interjects, “I saw him kiss you. More than once. And I know what he asked you tonight about sex.”
“I’m getting close to him for my parents. For you. I can’t help what he asks me. You know I’m not a good liar. Try being the one performing, not watching.”
“I wish it weren’t this way. The way you are in that exhibit…I can’t stand all those eyes on you. Trust me when I say, if I could, I’d stab each one and serve them to you on a giant platter.” The sweet gesture makes me smile. That’s just Sky and me on the same wavelength. “The last time, I was close to hauling you over my shoulder and pulling you out of there.”
“He would’ve killed you.”
“I’d put up a hell of a fight.”
“Don’t curse. You know Mom wouldn’t like it,” I reprimand him.
Sky grunts but sidles up next to me again, and we both shift so our heads lean against each other’s even if my feet don’t make it past his shins.
“Did it scare you, when you saw what Luc did to those graphickers?”
“No.”
“Figures. Not much does.”
“You scare me sometimes.” I pause, wait to see his reaction, but Sky waits for me to explain. “Sometimes, I feel like I can trust him more than you.”
“How can you feel that way?” Sky questions, surprise in his tone.
“You know me too well. You’ve been feeling this way for a long time. But I’m coming to grips with it all. It’s overwhelming with him—and now with you, too. And that’s not fair.”
“I never said I would play fair.”
19
B l a C k b i r d’ s B e a U t y
The next morning, Dove wakes me up early when the sun is still low on the horizon. Well before breakfast.
“What is it?” I ask while she shakes the sheets loose from my body.
“Monthly physical.” Dove draws my groggy form to a stand. “The girls are all tested and inspected. The Guild reads the reports, and yours will be included in your auction records.”
It seems odd, given my recent Immortal Treatment and implant, but I don’t complain. After showering, I wear a simple white dress with lace trim at my knees. To prevent my hair from soaking into the dress, Dove intricately braids my strands and twists them into a knot at the back of my head before ushering me to the main room where Luc waits for me with Sky bringing up our rear.
My physical must be the earliest since he isn’t escorting any other Birds. Apparently, Luc wants mine done and out of the way. From what I can tell from his rigid spine and squared shoulders, he’s not looking forward to this examination. Only when we reach the Inspection Room where Luc directs me to a medical bed do I understand why.
I recognize the Temple uniform of the older woman who meets Luc inside the observation room on my left. Luc closes the door, leaving Sky outside, which is even more unsettling. Next, I hear his voice waft through the Inspection Room speaker as he explains the woman is an inspector commissioned by the Temple, a concession made by his father.
“A fine specimen,” the Temple inspector remarks. She is a tall, thin woman with narrow, black eyes, a sharp, crooked nose, and hair with ends so pointed they remind me of nettles. “Force would be most pleased by this one.”
I swallow back bile.
The room is dark, but I see a glow and hear faint humming sounds. Spotlights bathe me before the room darkens. The humming sound increases as the hospital bed moves forward, and a machine scans my body. I am instructed to remain perfectly still, but midway through the inspection, my stomach starts to churn like a hooked worm. This has nothing to do with me—just my body’s reaction to the machine’s wavelengths. I hold my breath until the sensation passes. Once the machine shuts down, I look through the glass to where Luc and the inspector stand behind a projected screen. Their voices issue through a speaker, and she informs Luc of how pure I am. Maybe they don’t know it’s turned on.
>
“I’m aware of her purity and what my father deigns for her. I would prefer her here.”
I clench my hands into fists at my sides as they discuss my future.
“Her repute is growing. Force is taking a keen interest.”
“I know what repute she has gained.” Luc keeps his voice firm, but no matter how faint, I can hear the undertones of rage lacing it like poison in wine. “I have seen to her repute.”
“Nonetheless, her results from today, along with her blood samples, will be shared with Force.”
It won’t be long before he discovers I’m his lost little princess.
“The Guild will continue negotiations with the Temple. My father will see to it,” Luc says pointedly.
“I’m certain. Your repute is well-established,” she compliments him. “Your museum is the only one I’ve inspected where the girls are healthy and without much signs of abuse. Some, but nowhere near the Glass District.”
“I monitor the client sessions on museum feed every night I can,” Luc explains, which causes my stomach to churn. It means he won’t allow clients to outright assault girls. Glass Districts don’t have the same strict regulations. Museums do, but it’s ridiculous to assume clients will play by the rules every time. The inspector just confirmed it for me.
“There is another matter I must discuss with you. One of your girls is pregnant.”
I listen closer even when they speak in lower voices.
“I found her in the bathroom. She tried to excuse it as sickness, but I could see the lump on her stomach.”
“Yes, I’ve been aware of Stork’s pregnancy for a good deal of time. None of the other Birds are fertile.”
“You understand the Centre allowed you to keep her here because each one of her labors results in a stillborn. Any conception is so rare, it warrants our immediate notice. But it is not Stork to whom I refer. You need to turn this one over to the Centre as quickly as possible. The Aviary is not equipped with a breeding wing.”
I watch Luc as he steps forward, lowering his voice to a hum. “Which one of my Birds?”
Even as her mouth forms the word, it takes me a beat longer than Luc to react to the news.
“Blackbird.”
For some time now, I’ve been sitting on the ledge of the window that overlooks the garden. All I’ve managed to do is smother the glass with my fingerprints. Blackbird will leave. For months, her body will become the Centre’s test tube, succumbing to whatever tests, injections, inoculations, and studies they deem necessary.
And I’ll stay here. Alone.
More fingerprints than glass now.
“She wants to see you.”
I don’t look up at Luc. And I say nothing. I don’t know he’s so close until he tugs the swan chain at my neck and juts my chin forward. He tilts my head from side to side, allowing his eyes to drift along the skin on my chest, arms, to my legs and bare feet. Checking me over.
“Your eyes are cold.” Luc’s fingers circle my wrist, but his eyes devour mine. “Has my Aviary so swiftly worn you down?”
More and more each day, Luc seems to comprehend how to get under my skin. And I loathe him for it.
“Let her in,” I sigh while forcing my back to him.
Luc gives us a moment alone.
For the first time, Blackbird wears a black dress that dangles to her ankles with long sleeves. They seem to strangle her arms. But her eyes are the same. Still ferociously black, they haven’t lost their luster, though she seems to carry herself with more caution than normal. As if she feels her skin is glass and can crack at any moment, destroy the budding life inside. Just a faint bump.
She eases herself onto the window ledge opposite me, takes note of the fingerprints kissing the pane before arching her back against the wall.
“Don’t look at me like that, Swan. You have no right.”
“They’ll take you from here now.”
“This place is part life and part survival. You should know that by now. You can’t keep pretending it’s something it’s not.”
I gaze up at her in scorn and deny, “I’m not pretending.”
“Then stop dreaming. Girls look out for each other here, but that’s all. It’s about assets and survival, nothing else.”
“But—”
Blackbird interrupts me with a glare. “But nothing. I’m not going to be able to look out for you anymore. If you keep depending on Luc or Dove to do it, you’re going to get in trouble.”
“I’m already in trouble.” I draw my knees up into my chest. “I’m the white rose when all the others are painted red.”
“If you keep talking like that, you’ll wind up like Cuckoo.”
“Just like you’ll end up like Stork,” I quip.
Blackbird pauses, and I watch her mouth pinch. “I’m proud of what happened. After generations of inborn sterility and stillborn babies, I am one of the rare few who could make a difference.”
“And what if every time it’s just another dead—”
“At least I’ll have tried!” Blackbird gets to her feet. “Whether I carry him for just another day, a week, or just the six months till my due date, I’ll have done something not every girl out there can do.”
My mouth stitches shut, and all the words in my throat become broken butterfly wings fluttering back to my stomach.
Sighing, Blackbird runs a hand through her thick hair. “I didn’t expect this. It’s not like it’s common with how many managers and directors force girls to stop their fertility.” Blackbird fans out her fingers along her covered belly. “Guess they never thought the population would die out so quickly.”
I nod. That and the drugs just made it worse. Babies who got through paid the price. With defects or inherited infertility. “Too many busted girls…” I speculate.
Blackbird flutters her fingers in little circles along her abdomen before continuing, “I’m not busted, Swan. My mama wasn’t busted. She worked hard in the Glass District for years to get me here. And now, I have a way to help her. The Breeding Line pays more than the intimate services here. She’ll come with me to the Centre. She’ll get to be a grandmother.”
“But all the stories about the Centre—”
Blackbird narrows her eyes at me. “I’ll take the risk. My grandmother did.”
“Your grandmother was in the Centre?”
She nods. “My mother found her, spoke with her before she died. Told me stories growing up because she wanted me to know where I came from. Gave me some roots. My grandmother had a purpose. Even though she had to give up her baby, she said it was like a dream come true. She said that giving birth was the most beautiful thing in the world.”
It’s the first time I hear Blackbird giggle. Her reaction to raw oysters can’t compare to the sprinkle of laughter inundating her lips and soaking up the air. “I’m looking forward to feeling beautiful. For just once in my life.”
Blackbird does nothing else except stand and walk away. Not like Mockingbird, who’d give me a parting kiss on the cheek or an embrace. No, this was just Blackbird telling her piece and nothing more.
My thoughts jump around like chopped-off snake heads that won’t stop snapping. When she was in the Temple, my mother was a chemical girl with her fertility forced back. Was I just a baby who got through? Some sort of glass doll with inherited chemical shards?
Maybe I am broken. No better than a wind-up doll.
Even at dinnertime as I hear the other girls cheer when Luc announces Blackbird’s pregnancy, I can’t rid myself of the selfish thoughts. Later, I’ll make it more about Blackbird. I will tell her in my own way how I am glad for her. It will be enough. Congratulations will come later. Maybe I can visit her someday.
As usual, Finch sits right next to me. I hardly even notice her until I see that much of my plate is now empty. Even after the meal, the little girl shadows me as usual. I should be thankful I’m not alone, but I’m too numb.
It’s evening, the busiest time of day for the Aviary. I
’m glad I can’t see the line of men waiting outside the museum. This weekend, my exhibit will open again, and Luc is determined to keep the surprises coming. Maybe next time I won’t wear a dress, and I’ll just be covered with white feathers or paint. “Look but don’t touch” is the ultimate thrill of all for them. The chase. And I am part of it.
Too much too fast.
I am sinking, enjoying the moments of all eyes feasting on my skin like my body is a carousel they ride. I shouldn’t feel excited for that. It should make me feel like a half-eaten apple core kicked into a gutter. The Aviary is sucking me in just like the Temple sucked my mother. Luc, the other girls, the Swan—they’ve all fused and imprinted themselves like a seal on my skin, worse than the feather tattoo. I’ve become part of the act.
My mother’s words: the greatest act of all time.
You give your client what he wants, she’s always said. He never sees the tears behind the smile.
Finch’s constant proximity begins to feel cloying. There are only so many places to turn in a glass prison. And everywhere I go, there she is, underfoot.
With all those thoughts jangling like a thousand loose keys in my mind, on my way back to my room, I finally snap.
“Get away from me!” I shout at the little girl.
She stops, momentarily shocked, but still pursuing. “I want to see your room.”
“Quit following me,” I say, trying to shoo her away. “I just need some space! You’re always around me!”
Her bottom lip trembles; I can see she’s about to cry. I read the dreadful emotion on her face and reach out, but she flees.
“Finch, wait!”
I growl and face one of the glass walls, stare at my reflection, and scrape my nails across the glass, wishing I could scrape them across my flesh and seal scars into my cheeks.
Feeling a presence behind me, I sweep around to see Sky. I want more answers from him, but the heat from his eyes and his stiff body muzzles my words. He’s disappointed in me.
I walk down the hallway to my room to find Blackbird waiting for me just outside my door. At first, she regards me with a measure of reproach. More than likely, Finch has told her what happened.
