by S. K Munt
Georgia evidently hadn’t expected it though, because she made a strangled noise that sounded like a scream as she leapt up and out of her chair again. ‘What? No! No that’s not fair! Not unless Cara’s out as well! After all, the whole party was her idea! So why should-’
‘It’s funny you should bring that up…’ the king drawled then, reclining back in his seat and swivelling a bit, including Cara in on the discussion, who stiffened. ‘Because I have heard that rumour, and was waiting until you were all present to address it.’ He arched an eyebrow at Finn. ‘However, Miss Monroe’s already admitted that it was her party, and that she was the one who picked the location, and I know I saw Cara in the castle on Saturday night a few times myself so… tell me Finn: Was the party your idea? Or did Cara sneak in and out of the castle right under my nose in order to host it? Because if she did, then yes, she will be removed from the bridal party also.’
Finn could actually feel Cara’s wide blue eyes boring into her from across the room, begging for her protection. She’d gotten them into that mess yes, but she wanted Finn to get her out of it now, which left a sour taste in Finn’s mouth as she wet her lips and asked: ‘I’m sorry… who told you Cara was involved?’
The king sighed. ‘Mr Bragg, who said the only reason he went, was because Miss Sullivan was going as Cara’s guest- not yours.’
Finn took that like a bullet, but again, she’d already known that no one had shown up for her anyway, so she swallowed down the pain and rolled her eyes as she muttered: ‘Geez. He really is a piece of…’ she let her voice trail off, and then lifted her head, looking her king squarely in the eye as she said: ‘Well he lied to you, your highness. I don’t know why he wants to get Cara in trouble, and I’m sure that Georgia only showed up because she thought that someone popular like Cara was gonna be there…’ she shrugged. ‘But girls like Cara don’t attend parties for girls like me, let alone throw them, so the whole idea is laughable.’ She snorted when she heard Georgia suck in a breath. ‘Girls like Bonnie might be nice enough to put in an appearance so I don’t feel like a total loser, but frankly, Cara’s just not that thoughtful, okay?’ She looked over at Cara. ‘No offence.’
‘None taken…’ Cara said, with a causal tone but shining eyes.
‘You lying little piece of… why are you trying to defend her?!’ Georgia cried, shoving Finn’s shoulder. ‘She-’
‘Miss Janks!’ the king roared. ‘Keep your hands to yourself!’
‘Question is: why are you trying to attack her?!’ Finn snapped back, getting out of her seat as her eyes spilled over again. ‘Is there a quota of reputations you need to ruin a week or something?!’
‘But you are lying!’ Georgia screeched, pointing at Finn while addressing the red-faced king. ‘She’s lying- about all of it! It was Cara’s idea, so Cara should be pulled from the wedding too!’
‘Not without proof or a valid testimony, she shouldn’t be!’ the king snapped. ‘And I have to say, that I find your behaviour abhorrent right now! You’re the one that came to me the other night, admitting that in a drunken rage you lashed out at both Liam and Finn, and was eager to clear his name at cost to-’
‘When are we going to address that?’ Lady Miriam demanded then, creeping forward. ‘I agree that they’ve both behaved poorly, Amory, but an accusation has been made against your younger sibling, just as it has been made against mine, so in the spirit of being fair… shouldn’t we open the floor to that as well?’
‘But an accusation hasn’t been made against Liam!’ her fiancé retorted. ‘We were warned that one might be, but Miss Monroe hasn’t mentioned it at all, so it seems to me like it was all just a drunken-’
‘I wasn’t drunk-’
‘-and I don’t see why I should have to open the floor to it, if she doesn’t care enough about the matter to open it herself!’
‘Because she might be frightened!’ Miriam cried, making Finn’s eyes spill over again as she recalled how much abuse she’d already copped that day, not just from Liam’s friends and Georgia’s clique but even from a Tutela, who’d called her a foul word under his breath as she’d entered the gates! Yep! She was frightened all right, and the king was demonstrating why! ‘She-’
‘That makes two of us, Mimi!’ the king cried. ‘I am terrified, right now! I have sacrificed so MUCH for these kids to have all of the opportunities they have, so the prospect that my family name might get dragged through the mud because these girls saw the opportunity to stage a catfight over a boy’s interest is utterly demoralising okay?’ He turned back to Finn, and Finn gulped when she saw the vein throbbing at his temple. ‘But seeing as how everyone’s determined to lynch me and Liam anyway, and in the name of doing what is just, tell me, Miss Monroe: Are you here to file an official report against my brother? Or did you only try and insist that you’d been attacked in the heat of the moment, because of how terrified you were by Miss Janks’ attack?’ He held up a finger as Finn sucked in a breath. ‘But before you answer, keep in mind that this is a deadly serious allegation that you’d be making, which could result in Liam receiving a partial dismemberment and being evicted from the kingdom! So if it can be proven that you are falsely accusing him of this, the repercussions of that for you will be equally severe!’
‘Is he being punished?’ Finn demanded hotly, devastated to realise that the fate that Liam deserved might end up being her fate, if enough people ganged up against her to make her look like the liar. ‘For anything? Or is it just the girls that are being raked over the coals and threatened for going to that party?!’
The king scowled at her. ‘Of course he’s being punished- unlike Cara, he has been pulled from the bridal party already, and will be filling Miss Janks’ role of reading to the elderly in our hospice!’
Finn snorted, knowing that neither Georgia or Liam really needed to work anyway. ‘Then I guess that’s as just a punishment I can ask for, hmm?’ she asked coldly. ‘Without running the risk of ending up as an Outlaw myself if I do try to get him the punishment he actually deserves?!’
Lady Miriam clutched at her chest as the king’s eyebrows lifted. ‘Wh-what’s that supposed to mean, Miss Monroe?’ He swallowed hard. ‘Are you intending on filing a report or not?’
‘She’s lying if she does!’ Georgia cried. ‘I saw her with my own eyes moaning and writhing and practically screwing him up against-’
‘MISS JANKS!’ Lady Miriam thundered, every inch the queen. ‘Get a hold of yourself, before I have a Tutela do it for you!’
‘No!’ Finn snapped. ‘I’m not.’ She threw the king’s hanky down on his typewriter, finally making the decision there and then based on her survival instincts if nothing else. ‘But there’s one thing I will say: I truly hope that I do become an Enigma, because although serving you with your brand of justice will be difficult for the next five years- serving you for an entire decade would be a nightmare!’ She snorted as the king’s lips parted and Lady Miriam went grey. ‘Not that any of us in the Pen are gonna last a decade anyway, with your non-existent security watching over us from time to time!’
And then she turned and fled from the room, slamming the door hard enough to rattle everything in his office- the king included! She heard Georgia screaming the second she left, swearing that she’d find proof against Finn and Cara both, but Finn’s lips twisted in a smile for the first time in forty-eight hours upon hearing it, knowing that for once- there was literally nothing Georgia Janks could take from her that she hadn’t already lost!
*
The school day had already been long over by the time Finn had excused herself from the king’s office, so she had kept on running along the promenade, speeding up when she saw how many groups of kids were still out and about, because they all turned when they saw her and whispered things to one another as she raced by, making her mouth go dry. The entire day had been unbearable, and though Mila, Mischa and Bonnie had spent lunch with her, exchanging stories, making apologies and whispering about what might be
going on and why Finn had been summoned to the office, Jade had been nowhere to be seen, and Gemma had gone to sit with her old friends for the first time in weeks, saying that she didn’t feel comfortable with the Hive while Jade was absent.
Finn understood that of course, and that was precisely why she’d stood up for Cara against Georgia- because if she’d lost Cara’s blessing to eat lunch with them then that would have been it for her and she knew it. Oh, Mischa and Bonnie appeared to be genuinely heartbroken for her, and Bonnie had even admitted that she and Aaron weren’t on speaking terms yet, which was why he’d blown off school for the day (a lot of people had falsely reported being ill that morning to avoid getting interrogated over the party), but Finn knew it wouldn’t take much for Cara to decide to cut ties with her completely now, so she was determined to lie as low as possible.
Finn had been gutted when she’d gotten to Rusty only to discover that someone had slashed her tyres, but again, it was technically the least of what had gone wrong in her life of late, so she hadn’t bothered asking the guards if they’d seen anything, and had just unlocked her bike so that she could start pushing it home on its flat tyres. The walk back to the Pen had been hard and nerve-wracking, but Finn hadn’t given into the temptation to run the whole way from fear, because honestly, she was starting to wonder if she’d be better off dead anyway. Besides, it would probably benefit everyone in the Outskirts if she did get murdered on Yuibera Road, wouldn’t it? Because then, their king would have to do something more about protecting the lowly people who kept him in fresh fish!
Finn had made it home unmolested sometime around dusk though, and had rolled her bike down to the dock to check the little box that Simon put parcels in if the receiver didn’t show up to collect them on time. But though there’d been a few letters in there, none of them had been addressed to her and that had set her off again. She’d been wrecked the night before, but far too anxious to sleep, so she’d taken the time not only to fill in her private and official journals, but to write to Reeve in an attempt to explain everything. She’d had no money to post it with, but Simon had taken a precious avocado as postage that morning, which had apparently been for nothing because Reeve hadn’t written her back- not even to tell her to drop dead.
Heartsick, Finn had gone and sat on the edge of the dock and had sobbed her little heart out, remembering the beautiful moment that she and Reeve had shared there, and wondering what would become of her now that she’d lost him. She knew that what she was feeling was only supposed to be puppy love, and the ease with which Reeve had walked away had proven that that was all it had been for him, yet she couldn’t help but feel like she’d lost something vital that was going to affect the quality of her life forever now- like a kidney. Possibly both kidneys, if it turned out that Paige was done with her too!
So Finn sat there, pondering the meaning of life, the worthiness of their king and the very stars themselves for so long that by the time she’d gotten up again, three-quarters of the lights in the park had gone out. One had still been shining out from within Maya’s RV though, and Finn had sighed when she’d seen it, feeling bad for having stayed out so late without first checking on her friend. Finn did not relish having to go in there and tell Maya that she’d chickened out about reporting Liam, but she knew she owed her an explanation before their mothers got home, so Finn steered the handlebars in the direction of Maya’s van- but then stopped when she saw her own caravan rock a little, like someone was inside.
‘Mum?’ Finn called out, pushing Rusty over to the garden, where she locked him up every night against the lattice. And though she knew it was foolish, she couldn’t help but whisper: ‘Reeve…?’ only to freeze when she got to the lattice and realised that it was actually sagging to the left like it had been knocked over, and that the chickens within were clucking fretfully, which was no surprise seeing as how everything within the little greenhouse had probably been flattened or tipped over, trapping them!
Oh no! Finn thought, ducking down to pick a crushed tomato off the ground, and moaning when she saw that there was a broken egg nearby too. How did this happen?! And how do I fix it before mum gets home and sees what’s become of her pride and joy?
‘Finn!’ she heard someone hiss, and she spun to the right, jaw dropping further when she saw a hand waving at her from beneath Maya’s van. ‘Ssh! Someone is-’ but a thunk from inside the van followed by a curse caught Finn’s attention right then and she gasped when she noticed that a pale blue light was bobbing around inside the van, making it clear that it wasn’t her mother or Reeve in there waiting to surprise her… but someone who had no business being there at all!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
‘Hey!’ Finn cried, darting forward now that she knew there was an intruder in there- the kind of intruder that had trashed her mother’s beautiful garden on purpose! ‘HEY!’ she yelled harder, when she heard an even bigger bang resound from within the van.
‘Finn no!’ Maya shrieked. ‘He’s too strong for you! He’ll-’
‘Ring the Outlaw bell Maya!’ Finn cried, as she threw off her bag and reached for the door. But it flew open before she could grab it and suddenly, a large figure in dark clothes and a balaclava barrelled down the steps, only to freeze when he saw her. Finn’s core tensed when realised that he had a huge utility bag slung over his shoulder and one of her mother’s larger kitchen knives in his hand, but his arm with the bag was closer to her so he swung that before she could jump back, connecting with her shoulder and smacking her into the aluminium siding. She shrieked when she felt something sharp on the otherwise smooth wall- like a screw- scrape against her temple, and then again when he extended a leg and kicked her hard in the gut, knocking the wind out of her while knocking her onto her backside, before turning and sprinting the other way. Finn knew she should roll under the van, but a few things fell out of his bag and when she recognised one of her journals along with a banana and two passionfruits, her fear became indignation- especially when the thief paused to pick the book up, instead of the food!
Georgia’s behind this! Finn thought, heart pounding as her breath wheezed out of her. I don’t know how she is, but she is!
Knowing that the only fate that would be worse than death would be to see her diaries in Georgia’s hands, Finn rolled onto her stomach and began to crawl after the man as she attempted to get her feet under her, knowing that if she could just get her breath back, she might be able to follow him for long enough for Maya to ring for help. She grunted and gasped as her lungs constricted around nothingness, but the man’s step faltered then and when he turned and looked back at her, Maya began to scream.
‘Finn roll!’ Maya’s voice pitched. ‘ROLL! He’s got a GUN! He won’t shoot to kill, but he’ll go for your leg or-’ Finn’s heart stopped, but the man whirled from her to face Maya then, and that was when Finn saw that he’d been reaching into his jacket for something with the hand that was clutching the knife.
‘What did you say?’ he rasped in a voice that was too deep to be an adolescent’s, which ruled out Liam and Aaron. ‘How did you … hey! You’re a Harbinger, aren’t you?’
What?! the lightbulb inside Finn’s head burst under pressure again. Maya’s a WHAT? But she was ten during the Strike!
‘But how?’ the man demanded as Finn lunged up to a standing position. ‘All the Enigmas are supposed to be living back at the-’
‘RUN MAYA!’
The man jumped and whirled back to face Finn after she’d screamed out the warning, but she dove inside her door then, stretched her arm out and then began ringing her alarm violently, clenching her teeth as though that action could shield her from bullets somehow. The man raised her mother’s knife in a menacing manner, but Maya was obviously a more tempting prospect as a prize (You could get a reward of two hundred chips if you could bring in a new Enigma alive!) so he took a lumbering step in her direction instead. Maya, however, had already bolted back into her van and was tolling her own alarm, so the man cursed befo
re dashing through the mango trees, like he was making a break for the bay. Finn grunted and pushed off the door, groaning when she realised that he’d given her an instant migraine. But the pain she was in paled in comparison to the agony she’d be in if her most private thoughts became public, so she tried staggering after him, only to have Maya jerk her back.
‘Finn no!’ Maya cried. ‘Why don’t you listen to me? When will you learn that your body isn’t strong enough to support your will? He wasn’t going to shoot to kill before, but he will now!’
‘But I can’t let him go!’ Finn croaked, wiping her hand across her temple and grimacing when it came away slick with her blood. ‘He’s trashed mum’s garden, and he’s got my life story in there!’
‘Yeah! But it’ll be the end of your life story if you go after it!’ Maya wrapped herself around Finn, who moaned before her shoulders sag and she began to sob, suddenly understanding that Maya wasn’t just guessing what the outcome of that situation would be- but that somehow, she knew exactly what would become of Finn if she were to give chase.
Maya didn’t just come into enigmatic powers here and now! Finn realised then, feeling oddly betrayed. She’s been having prophecies for years- since The Strike, actually- but played them off as being night terrors, so I wouldn’t know the truth!
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Finn whimpered, heartbroken to realise that yes, she had had more to lose; the garden that kept them from starving, and Maya’s liberty! She could hear more alarms ringing and more voices in the night but as always it was too little, too late. ‘You’re an-’
‘I’ll be a dead one if your king finds me though,’ Maya croaked, wincing at Finn’s wide eyes. ‘I’m sorry! I tried to warn you when I saw your actions lining up with my nightmares! But I’ve already seen my fate if I end up in that castle, and it’s not pretty! So I couldn’t risk anyone but mum knowing- not even you.’
Finn had been about to ask Maya when she’d learned the truth about herself, how she’d managed to evade Amory Laidlaw’s search for girls like her for so long and where she had been the night of the Strike to get exposed to the radiation, but Maya’s cryptic answer killed those questions dead. ‘Huh?’ It was like someone was squeezing her throat. ‘Why? Was he going to use you until you dropped or-’
