Wildlings

9: Freak Brigade

Total skitting freaks.

Rama and Judit had entered a wide room, the ceiling and far wall made entirely of glass, revealing a vista of the pink-bottomed evening sky. But Judit couldn't see that. She couldn't see any of it.

All she could see was the kids.

Every single one of them bore that curse that, until now, she had thought was hers alone.

Orange.

The shades changed, running from peach-blonde to amber: the mottle of rust; the bright shimmer of a dimming flame; the lurid tangerine of a gummy sweet.

The hair. They all had the hair. She'd never seen it before, on anyone else, and here it was. On every single inhabitant of this room. Except me, Judit thought, moving her hand to the blue brushing her collar.

The kids were frozen, all looking at her. They were teenagers, a similar age to her she guessed, some older, between about fifteen and twenty. They were all wearing the same sober tracksuit she was.

Their poses suggested they'd been relaxing before she came in, their recreations paused while they stared at her.

After a short moment of utter scrutiny, some of them returned to what they were doing, albeit with a degree of self-consciousness. Others continued to stare.

"Hi everyone!" Rama said, all bright cheerfulness. "This is Judit. She's going to be joining us tomorrow, so I'm sure you can help her get settled in!"

A few of the other kids looked towards her, perhaps ready to offer greeting, but she avoided their eyes, surveying the room around her instead. It was chic and minimal, full of slouchy white sofas. There was a long, empty table along the glass wall. The whole place was rose-tinted by the long-shadowed sunset.

Judit moved to the window quickly, keeping her back to the room and its inhabitants. Outside was a rectangular grass courtyard, enclosed on all sides. Slap bang in the middle of the little field was a pile of dark stones, neatly stacked into a long, squat rectangle. Bundles of what looked like grass were leaning against it.

"Do you want a drink?" Rama joined her. His tone was intimate, as if they were kin. She didn't like it here in front of everybody. It was like he was trying to make her look weak.

Judit nodded, keeping her manner as distant as she could, and took a bottle of juice. She nursed it, glad to have something to do with her hands, and went back to staring out of the window. Beyond the grass yard she could see into the building at the other side. It looked like conference rooms, stylish white chairs in semi-circles, pointing towards large wall-mounted screens. Everything was chic and brand new.

Rama started talking, as if she actually gave a dag what it was she was looking at. "This is the social room. You have your meals here. Beyond the quad are the classrooms." He waved toward the courtyard, and smiled at Judit. "Beyond that, there's a larger outdoor training ground. Do you want to see the blackhouse?"

"No. I'm alright," Judit said listlessly. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Okay." He was still upbeat, despite her hostile response. "You'll be able to see it tomorrow, anyway."

Judit stared at the plastic rim of her bottle, giving it the same level of attention that she'd previously given the window.

"They're doing thatching at the moment," he said. "We won't let you miss anything, even though you've joined us late. We're hoping—"

She purposefully turned and walked away before he finished his sentence, pretending to study a boring picture on the wall, more forest scenes.

After a while, he started up a conversation with someone else behind her. She felt both relieved and disappointed. She didn't want to be in this room, standing alone. She kept her back to the crowd. Trying to act natural, trying to be Lox.