Citizen

Chapter eighteen

He held out a wrinkled hand. "It's Kyra, correct? I've heard a lot about you. All good things, don't worry."

His words made her stomach contract, but she took his hand nevertheless; it was strong and rough, the palm calloused, his grip tighter than she thought possible. Up close she could see the salt-and-pepper colouring that dusted his dark hair. He was much taller than her, and wider too, so much so that the little distance between them filled her with dread.

Kyra smiled a tight lipped smile. "And you are?"

"Straight into the questioning, I see. They said you were inquisitive." The man smiled and sat back down at the head of the table. He motioned for Kyra to sit at the other end. "My name is Arthur Everett, but the people here call me the Commander."

Kyra didn't know what to say to that. For one, who was 'they'? The more demanding question was who was the man across from her. A commander was a leader, a visionary, someone to follow - but they had the president for that. Before she voiced any of her queries, the Commander spoke.

"I am truly sorry about the way you were collected today; I told my soldiers to be civil, but you know how youths are, driven more by their emotions than they are by their minds. I understand your need to defend yourself." He leaned forward and rested his chin on his fingertips, his gaze so focused on her she looked away. "You must be wondering why I brought you here."

Kyra nodded, but the words hadn't settled in yet; soldiers in particular.

"Don't worry, all will be explained soon. First things first: since you became a Controller, have you started noticing strange occurrences? Ones that you weren't aware of before your Vinctures?"

She nodded once more, unsure. "Small things, yes."

"I'm sure you believe you have changed due to the job, that it has opened you up to more possibilities, altered who you are and how you view the world. But you haven't; all that has changed is your eyes."

Frowning, Kyra asked, "What do you mean?"

"From the day you are born you are given a drug. In addition to connecting you to the Control Centre, it does something to your brain, puts up a wall. That wall glosses over your eyes and changes your memories, so that all you see is what the government wants you to see."

"That's impossible." Kyra said it like a question. She shook her head; her choice to not trust the Commander was definitely the right one.

"You're a bright girl Kyra. I'm sure you've noticed the changes. Most are subtle, little cracks in the pavement, uneven paint jobs, run down buildings that once looked pristine. All of those aspects are glossed over to create the perfect world Citizens see. But there are some changes you can't deny. Memories that are different to how you remember them, words you've never heard before suddenly sounding natural as they roll off your tongue. If you can tell me you haven't experienced any of that, I'll let you leave right now, no questions asked."

Kyra's hands clenched and unclenched in her lap as she took in his words. Her mind flashed back to the dream she had the night James was injured; it was almost identical to a memory she had - except for a dead body, that was definitely a new addition. On that same night she'd said the word 'devil'; it sounded familiar, though she couldn't for the life of her define it. "Why wouldn't the Controllers tell me that?"

The Commander smiled a grim smile. "Because they don't know it either; just like a majority of the Citizens they were kept in the dark. There are a lot of things they don't know that I do, things I can tell you."

"Like what? All you've said so far are observations anyone with working eyesight could make."

The Commander's hopeful smile didn't falter as he pulled a small metal object out of his pocket. It had a glowing red top. As he pressed down the chilling scream she'd heard earlier that day pierced the air; she ducked and covered her ears to block the sound.