Colourless

Chapter 47

" But-," I took in a shuddering breath, "Kayden this changes so much"

Kayden sighed in reply, he didn't need to agree, it was plain as the day.

" Did you tell Skye?" I asked, turning my eyes to Zane who was looking intently at me, curious to what is so important and sudden to shift my mood instantly.

" You are not with him? Ariel, you are in an unknown town, even the officers can't be trusted. The least you can do is stick with Skye." Kayden reproached, tone serious in disappointment but it only irritated me.

" Kayden, please. This is not the time" I groaned on the phone.

He didn't say anything and his reproach vibrated through the phone. But I can do things myself, I don't need to be dependent on Skye to stay safe I am capable to do that myself.

" I will call you, bye" I whispered softly, silently apologizing but refusing to listen any more of this.

" Okay, bye. Stay safe and be careful"

I hanged up the phone, placing it beside me face down.

" They are not the real officers" I whispered, raising my head to meet Zane's eyes. His face is blank, guarded and I don't know what he is thinking.

" How?" he asked the one-word question through clenched teeth and I lowered my voice even more.

" Kayden, my brother, cross-checked. They were not registered in any training academy, their bios had fake information"

" So they are not even actual officers?" Zane gave a humourless, hollow laugh.

"All those lashings and beatings," Zane announced and my breath hitched at that, eyes widening and my hands turned cold.

What is he talking about?

Zane was visibly shaking, not in fear but in untamed rage. I wanted to ask him to elaborate what he meant, what had happened with him but I held myself back. This is not what he wants to hear now, not a silly girl scratching his wounds.

"They were not even licenced?" He looked at me, eyes burning in slowly spreading fire and whispered harshly. He grounded his teeth together, visibly clenching his jaw; fists coiled.

I didn't have an answer for that, I couldn't reason the injustice and discrimination done against him, against all the colourless stuck here.

But I can do something now.

We sat in silence after that, lost in our own thoughts. But one question kept repeating in my mind, what do the government need them for? Why not use actual officers instead of poorly skilled actors?

------------------

I entered my Nanu's house and shut the door after me with a soft click. I leaned against the door, resting my head on the worn blue door and closed my eyes.

We didn't really talk after that, Zane and me. He had looked too bothered with the revelation, and uncomfortable with me around. It had hurt, he ignored me because he thought there was nothing to tell me that I could relate to and as a pinching truth, there really wasn't. Even though I never appreciated the value of the things I blindly enjoyed, I am really grateful to grow up gullible to the safety I was provided.

"All those lashings and beatings, they were not even licensed?" at that time all I had seen was the anger in his clenched fists but all I hear now is a child like longing to hear that what happened wasn't just done to him.

I hear it in different voices; Zane's baritone, Oreana's commanding voice, Jerrek's articulate dialogues. In all those children at the skate park. In Mick's voice and in those twin's.