ANON. || l.s.

B.S.²

He whispered in my ear and I heard his voice crack. 'It's someone from our class.'

   'What? Who?' I asked shocked. Liam let go of me and together we continued to walk towards school.
   'Ayden. From History.'
   'The one with the black spiky hair?'
   'Yep, that's the one.' Liam bit his lip and lit another cigarette. He inhaled the smoke deep before speaking again, smoke trailing from his lips.
   'To be honest, everyone saw it coming right? He was defiant towards the teachers, didn't want to study and he even got caught sneaking out of his house last week.' He shook his head in disbelief. 'That's why he got tagged. I even heard that he was hanging with the wrong crowd lately.'
   'The ANONseekers?' I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Ayden wouldn't be THAT stupid, would he?
   'That's what I heard...'

A big man passed us by, with a gun in his belt. Probably a civilian guard. We both nodded at the man and he gave us a quick nod back whilst laying his hand on his gun briefly. A small sign to let us know he was there for our safety. When he crossed the street we both let out a sigh. I think I'd never get used to all these guns on the street.
   'Was Ayden the only one?'
   'Yes, thankfully. Didn't you see the news this morning?'
I fiddled with my shirt at the question. I didn't want to make a big deal out of the situation between Father and me. Besides, this was nothing, I would gladly settle with his mood of this morning if it would stay that way.
   'I was late this morning so I didn't get the chance.'

Liam looked at me funny but I guess he didn't want to press the issue any further. We knew better than to get engulfed in drama. School was supposed  to be the most important part of life. Studying, good grades, and a stable home. I didn't exactly check all of those boxes but nothing someone else needed to know. It was my mess to clean up, not theirs. That and not end up a Missing or being killed ofcourse.

   'I feel so sorry for his family...' It's almost a whisper but I heard it, even if I wasn't meant to. I felt bad for him. It must be hard to constantly be reminded of the fact that your brother is still missing and nobody was any step closer to resolving the case. I always sensed a rage inside Liam, towards everything involving ANON.. Ofcourse I was mad too, but I was more afraid than mad. Not Liam. He didn't show fear towards it all, something that I admired. I wish I wasn't so afraid all the time.  

We walked in silence and my mind went in all different directions. I barely knew Ayden but now I felt kinda bad for not trying harder to help him. Maybe I should've talked to him more? Immediately I corrected my thought process. If I had talked to him more I would have been more at risk. School kept saying we ought to keep an eye on the tagged, but in reality, the Tagged were avoided like the plague. You either became friendless or you joined the defiant clique of the school. You were with the people who wanted to get tagged, the ANONseekers, or the ones with troubles at home with no way of defending themselves. The latter got all the help and support they needed from the government and school, so there was no way to help them, other than put yourself more at risk. And well, the ANONseekers were like a virus spreading, best to be avoided.

"Social prevention is most important" as Rector Neelis kept saying, but in reality, everyone avoided the very group that was most at risk. I opted for one close friend, Liam, to keep an eye on each other and not get sucked into any drama. There was enough of that going around.

   'How many got taken by now?' Liam asked.
   'Fourth? Fifth this year?'
   'Damn...'

We approached the tall black iron fence of our school. The name proudly displayed on top of it. Maybe we weren't the most popular school, but we sure as hell let the surroundings know we were here. The fence got placed two years ago but still shone brightly in the morning sun. Two guards in full uniform including rifles stood in front of the entrance. Imagine wearing such a thick uniform in the summer. Judging by the sweat droplets on the face of the fat guard on the right, he was indeed about to melt onto the pavement. It was not yet high summer, but I was already starting to get a sweaty bum in these ugly slacks.

Silently we showed our ID and after checking our picture the sweaty guard let us pass. The schoolyard was now filled with students waiting for their turn at the entrance to be checked. Some seemed affected by this morning's news and I saw a girl sitting against the wall, crying. As we passed her, we heard the name Ayden drop. We nodded briefly at her on our way to the entrance. Mornings like these were never easy.

It seemed so long ago that the entrance doors were always open. That you could walk in, without being checked or searched. I missed the times when I had Sunday walks with Mother when Father was still smiling and there were no Dark Days. I understood why everything was so strict now, but still, I missed it so much.

Terry, our janitor, stood at the entrance as usual, searching and checking bags.
   'Fellas, anything in your pockets that is not allowed?' Terry took our bags from us as we shook our heads.
   'Great, that makes my day a little easier.' He quickly searched us and, after a brief check, handed our bags back. 'Have a nice day. Next!" He called out and he beckoned the next one.

Liam and I walked down the hallway and I stopped at my classroom. I had English period but knew full well that the first hour was now devoted to Ayden as it was a Dark Day. Unfortunately, Liam had a different schedule today and we wouldn't see each other again until lunch. For a moment he squeezed my arm gingerly and gave me a weak smile.
   'Good luck today with Dark Day.'
   'You too.' I answered with a growl. Today would totally suck.

My classroom was almost full by now and I sat down in my usual spot at the front left, opposite the teacher's desk. Maybe I was a bit of a teacher's pet, but I didn't care. I needed it for this class anyway. I was failing English horribly.

As expected, "AYDEN" was chalked onto the whiteboard in large ornate letters. Beneath it was the red starlike mark, shaped like the letter "A". The mark was forbidden to be used, but on Dark Days it was displayed like a warning. A reminder of whom to fear.

Silently the teacher stood in front of the class and watched with a serious expression as the class quietly settled. The murmurs slowly ebbed away and he cleared his throat, gesturing to the whiteboard.

   'Today is a Dark Day. One minute of silence for Missing Ayden, the fifth young victim of ANON this year.'