March City: Land of the Gifted [Book 1 | Fantasy/Sci-fi | Complete]

Chapter 13: The All-Seeing Dancer

The blonde girl marched out of the double glass doors on the ground floor, trying not to appear harried, but her stiff shoulders and slight trembles of the hands was obvious to Lira, who kept her eagle-like green eyes trained on her from two storeys above. When Ari disappeared into a pod car destined for Area Seven, Lira turned to face her empty office. The three large screens that took up most of her office walls showed Ari at different times: the left was of her landing amidst the rubbish-strewn roofs of Area Nine, the panel frozen; the right was of her several days prior, watching the first news broadcast of her sister's disappearance, also a frozen panel; the middle was of the interview just now by the new group of Peacekeepers Lira had created.

Lira waved her hand. The video zoomed to Ari's face, pinched and wary. She maintained good eye contact, Lira would give her that, but everybody lied. Inevitably, there would be ulterior motives and deceit, and her job was to expose it.

"That's a bit far for my taste," said Ari in the video. She clasped her hands in front of her, minimising the space her body took up. Her voice was a little too monotonous in a desperate attempt to sound uninterested.

"That's what we thought, too. You reside in Area Seven, correct?"

"Yes."

"So you are saying you never set foot in Area Nine on the evening of Wednesday 8th?"

"Or ever. I have nothing to do in the poor residencies."

Unnecessary added detail. Quel stiffened in the video. Her attempt to distract the interrogators by riling them up through arrogant words worked – for the new Peacekeepers, at least. Lira's eyes flicked back to Ari, speeding up the video.

"Just one thing more. Does the name Kena mean anything to you?"

"Never heard of this person."

Keenness to follow a change of topic; how typical. Lira flicked her finger; the video paused. Ari's pale face filled the screen, bright blue eyes able to meet the interrogator's eyes head-on, but expressed obvious wariness. Understandable, given the circumstances, but Lira was sure there was more to that security. A small grin lurked always at the corner of Ari's mouth, but the rest of her face showed no congruent emotion.

A few times during the interview when Quel revealed more than Lira would have liked – she lamented getting such an inexperienced User as a new Peacekeeper – there were sparks in Ari's eyes. Even without the footage cementing her lies, Lira had a feeling she was guilty. They always lied. It was ludicrous Ari thought she could get away with trespassing in different areas of the city without being caught on camera. March City never slept and security was always tight. It was human nature, after all, to want to do something for a loved one. Lira played the right-sided video. The blood drained out of Ari's face when the news announced her sister missing – genuine emotions, no guardedness, no wariness. And then she was off, leaping through the skies, utilising her ability out of boundaries and breaking more city rules. When a User felt she was above punishment and city law restrictions, it was no surprise she'd trespass, and certainly had no right to complain in the face of inevitable repercussions.

And the Transformer had plenty coming, once Lira received permission from the judicial system.

A quiet knock at the door caught her attention. Through the one-sided glass door, she saw Quel in his green cloak, fiddling with its hem. He was worried. It wasn't unusual; anxiety was a commonly displayed trait by Users in her presence. The haughtiness he displayed with the Transformer was nowhere in sight. She waved her hand, turning off the screens, before allowing the door to slide open.

"Lira," he said, bobbing his head, keeping his eyes downcast. Lira leaned against her smooth metal table, arranging the stray paperwork into order. "I hope the interrogation was satisfactory?"