Chapter 4
"Let me go!" I cried out as the Peace Guards began to seize me. "I didn't kill him!"
"Then how do you explain his death? They retorted, "Liam is dead, the first death to occur in over a decade. You were the last one to talk to him, is that not correct?"
"Yes, but-"
"But were you not the last one with him before he died? Answer the question, little girl." The guard's face was inches before mine. I could feel their hot breath on my face, their dark eyes burned into my skin.
"I was." I gasped. The guard picked up their paddle from the floor and began to strike me with it. I yelped in pain as the wooden board made contact with my bare flesh, leaving blotchy, red welts in its path. No matter how much I cried, the guard wouldn't stop. They only insisted that they hit me harder until a new sense of pain washed over me. My skin began to burn, as if someone had set an open flame to my flesh. My bones felt as if they were crumbling from underneath me. Horrified, I looked down at my arm. My tan flesh was now charred and began to peel back from the bone. If I looked close enough I could see the entire inside of my arm- my blue veins, broken and gushing out blood, the tiny sinews and tendons torn and pink. The guard wouldn't stop beating me and moved onto my back, the burning feeling radiated throughout my spine as my skin reacted the same way it had on my hand.
My vision became blurry and my legs, which had given out from underneath me long ago, remained limp and motionless. As the blur transformed into a never ending darkness, I knew my body would not hold on for much longer. Tired, I felt, from swimming in this pitiless sea. I felt the guard deliver their final strike of the paddle to the top of her spine and let herself be free. My body spiraled into oblivion and mind completely blank. "It's over, I'm free." I thought to myself.
I landed with a soft 'thud' on an unknown turf. I examined the ground, soaking in its soft texture and moist complexion. And, when I turned my head to the sky, I noticed not clouds or a sun but a hand, extended out towards me. I accepted its gesture without hesitation and stood up.
"Welcome home." Liam said and pulled me into a strong embrace.
I awoke as a small scream worked its way out my lips. The sound that escaped me sounded reminiscent of that a caged, terrified animal would make. My eyes fluttered open just in time to see a woman bend over me. I opened my mouth to scream again, but the woman's hand clamped down firmly on my mouth.
"Miss, please do remain quiet." She hushed. "You wouldn't want to wake the others." Her voice was calm, yet a sense of urgency could be heard from underneath it. Her cool hands moved themselves from my lips and forced me to lay still on the white cot I had been placed on.
"The others?" I questioned. With the hundreds of questions that ran through my mind, that happened to be the only one I could muster the strength to ask.
"Right, I'm sorry, Miss. I had forgotten of your current state. You've been out for a while." She shook her head. "I meant, you wouldn't want to wake the other children. I'll introduce them to you later- I'm sure they'll be eager to see you. But for now, lay still. We need to run some tests on you." My eyes scanned the room. Several other cots lay in rows beside mine, all dressed in the same basic white linens. The room appeared to be set up as a make-shift hospital ward. It was not large by any means, but it seemed to serve its purpose appropriately. Cabinets lined the wall opposite of mine, with a small sink placed underneath the far right one, adjacent to the door. I shuddered as I noticed the monitors that sat beside me, similar to ones used in the process of Cleansing. I let out a small moan and clutched my head. The mere thought of the last Cleansing sent a wave of nausea throughout my body. The woman, who ran around the room as to hastily gather medical supplies, nearly dropped the items in her hand and turned around abruptly. Undoubtedly she heard my small cry of pain. I shook my head and assured her it was nothing. She nodded and turned around again, continuing to gather the supplies.
When she turned around to face me I noticed that her features were quite beautiful. Her straight blonde hair fit perfectly with her long, narrow face. Her eyes, which were a dull grey, still shone from their large sockets. Her frame was tall and full, and seemed to lack any imperfections. Her frail hands were completely occupied when she finally walked over to the side of my bed. Carefully, they fumbled with the machine next to me. I broke out into a nervous sweat as she toyed with it. She picked a needle off the end and held it towards me. As she reached for my arm I jerked back and held it to my chest.
"Please don't," I whispered. "Just.. Don't touch me with that!"
"Whoa, okay, I won't hurt you." She stepped back and threw her arms into the air. "I'm just trying to help you, sweetie. You've been out for a while now, and I just want to restore some fluids back to you."
"Exactly how long have I been out?" I questioned as she attempted to prod my arm with a small needle.
"Hon, if you want this over faster then you're going to need to quit wiggling." She said. Reluctantly, I agreed to her notion and held my arm out to her. I winced as she stuck the needle in the blue vein that protruded from my arm. "Anyways, you've been out for a good... Four days, maybe? The kids weren't sure if you'd wake up, but I knew you would eventually. Your vitals were too strong to expect otherwise." She's shrugged.
Four days. I was supposed to search for answers, yet, here I was sleeping for four days. My mind raced as I thought about where to go from here. Unfortunately, my options looked fairly slim. My eyes felt sluggish; a result of the fluids this woman gave me. I forced them to remain open, for I did not want to run the risk of falling asleep in an unknown territory. A sharp knock at the door broke me from my lethargy.
"Come in!" The woman called out. The door burst open as several teenagers piled into the room.
"Is she awake?" A rather squat boy asked. He couldn't have been much younger than me- fourteen, perhaps. His short, red waves and freckled complexion matched that of another boy that stood before me. He bore the same appearance, though his stature wasn't as... Robust as the other boy's.
"No, she's dead, Lu. What do you think she is? She's sitting there staring at us, isn't she?" The second red headed boy deadpanned. He took his hand and smacked the first boy- Lu, on the back of the head, creating a soft 'thud' to echo through the cramped room.
"Boys!" The woman cried. Her hands flew to her face in horror. "Please, don't be rude in front of our guest!"
"Yeah, Benton, don't be rude in front of our guest." Lu laughed and smacked the other boy back.
"Ignore them," a quite voice spoke. A small girl about my age stepped forward. Her choppy, jet-black hair reached her shoulders and fell slightly over her hazel eyes. "They do this all the time. I'm Delta, by the way." She walked over to my bedside and took my hand in hers. She flipped my palm up so it faced the ceiling and examined it with close concentration. "Strange." She mused.
"Is there something wrong?" I asked. She shook her head, but continued to trace the lines embedded in my palm.
"Nothing's wrong.... Just, peculiar."
"What do you mean?"
"Kid, stop asking so many questions. I'll explain to you later. Once you've rested properly." She gave me a look that told me not to ask anymore questions about it. Her fingers stills kept tracing my palm idly, not missing any dent or crevice.
"Quit being such a show-off, Delta." Lu scoffed.
"Well, I'm so sorry if I'm trying to acquaint myself with out guest." She retorted and rolled her eyes.
"As you can see," the first woman said, "we don't always get along the best here. But we make it work." She shrugged.
"Are you all related?" I asked.
"Oh heavens, no!" The woman cried. "I probably should have introduced myself. I'm Bridgette Collins, head of this household. You've already met the twins, Lu and Benton. Evidentially, they're related. My little brother... Oh!" She cried and turned her gaze to the others. "Where is Cale?"
"I don't know," Delta shrugged. "He woke me up early this morning, said he was going for a walk..."
Bridgette sighed. "He must still be agitated from last night..." Her attention turned back to me. "Anyways, my little brother is somewhere around here."
"So, wait.." I said slowly. "You all aren't related, but you live here?"
"Well," Delta piped up. "Live is a term we use loosely-"
"What she means is, we can't live here, or anywhere, really, for extended periods of time." Benton said. "Our stay is limited, and in fact-"
"Benton!" Bridgette chastised. "You don't know that for sure. Stop scaring the poor girl!"
"I'm just being honest. Besides, if she's going to be staying with us, she might as well know..."
"Know what?" I blurted out.
"I'll tell you later, Hon." Bridgette said and placed a warm hand on my shoulder. She tampered with the machine once more before she unhooked it from me completely. What was it with everyone saying they would 'tell me later', as if I was a child that needed to be coddled? "See, that wasn't so bad, was it? It's late-get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning." She smiled and departed the room, with the teenagers hot on her heels.
"Night, kid." Delta called before she slammed the door shut.
I tossed and turned for what felt like hours before I realized the idea of sleep was just a hopeless reality. I pried the covers off of my body and stood up slowly. Much to my surprise, my legs were bare- only a thin, hospital gown covered my body. My legs shook as I took small steps and grasped onto any object I could for support. I made my way over to the other side of the room, where a small clock and calendar lay flush against a wall. 11:45 pm, on the seventh of February 2181, it read.
I made it.
Once I was sure that everyone was fast asleep, I took it upon myself to scope out the rest of the house. It was not large, though it was well sized. The makeshift infirmary which I had been contained in resided on the third floor of the house, the smallest by far. Beside the infirmary was a bedroom, which appeared to belong to Bridgette. I opened the door quietly and found
her fast asleep. The room was no bigger than a shoebox. I shut the door and went down the first flight of stairs, where three more bedrooms were. Presumably, they belonged to the other kids. Not wanting to run the risk of waking one of them up, I went down the last flight of stairs. The bottom floor was just as small as the others. Two large, Victorian-style sofas resided in the living room, next to a scarcely-stocked bookshelf. The living room lead straight into a kitchen,which consisted only of a fridge, sink, and a few counter tops. No stove, no microwave, not even a coffee maker. My stomach roared with hunger. I couldn't recall the last time I ate a decent meal. I opened the fridge and searched for food inside- nothing. Everything was either spoiled or had somebody's name written on it in thick, black writing.
"Can I help you?" A voice grumbled from behind me. "You know, you really shouldn't lurk around the house this late at night "
"Oh really?" I replied. "And why is that?" I turned around and noticed a boy, dressed in dark checkered pajamas seated at the dining table behind me. His hair shone in the dim kitchen lighting, and stood up in messy, jet black spikes. His face closely resembled Bridgette's in that they shared the same, sculpted features. From their grey eyes to their curved noses, high cheekbones and small mouths, they were almost as similar as Lu and Benton were. That's when it clicked. "Oh, you must be-"
"Cale Collins, pleasure to meet you." He smirked.
"Why didn't I see you earlier?" I blurted. Instantly I regretted my words as an amused expression crept upon Cale's face.
"A curious one, aren't we?" He chuckled lightly. "Anyways, I was dealing with some business. Now, are you just going to stand there like a tree? I would expect that much from Lu, but from a girl like yourself- no. Sit, lay, roll on the floor. Do whatever you please."
I walked over and took a seat in one of the mismatched chairs that was placed around the circular table. His eyes locked on mine, and examined my every movement. "Um, is everything okay?" I asked.
He ran hand through his hair and stared down into the mug he held in his hands. "Oh, everything is quite dandy now that Sleeping Beauty has awoken. You know, the whole household has been fussing over your arrival since we found you the other day."
"Found me?"
"You don't remember?" I shook my head. The question had burned in the back of my mind since I had awoken earlier in the evening, though I don't know why I never bothered to question it. He continued, "Delta was... Out, doing some errands when she found your body laying in the alley next to the house. She called Bridgette, though I still have no idea why she did that. Needless to say, Bridgette came and got you and brought you back here."
"That was awfully nice of her." I said to no one in particular. "Bridgette, I mean. And Delta. I don't know where I would have ended up had she not bothered to do anything."
"Yeah, well I wouldn't get so comfy around her if I were you." He suggested with a small edge to his voice.
"And why is that? She was very kind to me earlier." I pressed.
"Oh, I bet she was. Did she, by any chance, read your palm earlier?"
"That's what she was doing!" I exclaimed suddenly.
"Yeah, she tends to do that. Just listen to me when I say that trusting her is not in your best interest."
"And how should I know that you're in my best interest." I retorted.
A smile toyed on his face as he shifted his piercing grey eyes so they met mine. "Follow me. I have something I think you'd like to see." He got up from his seat and held out his hand to help me up. Grateful for the help, I reached out and took it. He dropped it as soon as I was back on my feet, and proceeded to out of the kitchen and up the first flight of stairs. As we walked up, I noticed dozens of picture frames that lined the wall next to the stairs. Portraits, they appeared to be, of men and women dressed in Victorian-era clothing. Their attire matched the overall decorum of the house perfectly.
Cale must have noticed my slight interest in the artwork. "Ah, intrigued by the art, I see? I wish I could tell you more about these pieces, but they are not ours. They, along with the rest of the furniture, was already here when we took over."
I frowned. "You mean, you're not secretly an art museum curator that steals priceless pieces for your own home when nobody is looking? Such a shame."
He laughed, "Well I'm sorry that I lack amusement. Ah, here we are." He said. We had reached a door on the left wing of the second floor. I had passed by it while I explored the house, though this room had remained locked up. Cale winked and pulled a small key out of his pocket, jammed it into the door, and stepped inside.
It was no more than an ordinary bedroom. In fact, it was quite plain. A small cot, identical to the one had stayed in, was pressed up against the far corner of the room. Next to it, sat a small wooden dresser with only two drawers. Across from it was an identical desk and small chair.
"You're bringing me to your room?" I asked and took a seat on the bed.
"Yes, but not for the reason you're probably thinking of." He smirked. "Perri- that is your name, isn't it?"
"Yes, though I don't recall giving you my name."
"It doesn't really matter." He said. "Anyways, I need to ask you something."
A wave of anxiety washed over me. "Go ahead." I urged, though my voice shook as I spoke. He took several steps towards me. His stature towered at least a foot over mine. He moved his head down so his lips were right next to my ear.
"What year are you from?" He whispered. "And don't think you can lie." He turned around and reached into the top drawer of the dresser and pulled out something I had completely forgotten about.
The Retrograde.
My hands began to shake furiously. "Give that back, now. You don't have any right to have that." I stood up and yanked it from his grasp. My blood felt as if it were on fire. All I could think was that he knew. He knew about me. It hadn't even been a day and my secret was already out.
No, I was wrong.
It hadn't been a day- it had been four days, three of which I spent sleeping. Three days that I remained vulnerable enough for him to take the Retrograde right from my grasp. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes "Where did you get this." I stated slowly as my voice dropped to a deadly low volume.
"I'll answer your question when you answer mine." He said. An utterly bemused expression formed on his face as he scrutinized my actions.
I took a deep breath. "I'm from 2181. Crea- born, sorry, 2165. Happy, now?" I muttered and rolled my eyes.
"Liar." He said. His tone made it seem almost like a mix between an accusation and a tease.
"You didn't say I had to answer it honestly." I insisted. "Your only requirements was that I answer your question, which I did. Honesty was never part of the deal."
He shook his head. "My, Miss Perri, just what are we going to do with you?"
"Well, you might want to consult with the others on the we part of it, but you? I think you're going to tell me where the hell you got this." I demanded. He looked insulted, shocked, even, to be treated in such a manor. Part of me felt bad for doing so, but I knew that I would not get what I wanted otherwise. He paused for a while before he answered. I tapped my bare feet against the carpet in a rhythmic pattern as I awaited his response. "Cale? Any day now." I pestered.
"Since it clearly matters so much to you, I found it on my desk when I returned from my run this morning. Bridgette must have thought it was mine." He spoke the last part in almost a hushed whisper. His? He couldn't possibly be serious.
"Now don't you lie to me." I said with a bit of a nervous laugh. Cale didn't find this amusing in any way. His eyes looked fearful, sad, even. This wasn't the Cale that I had spoken to five minutes ago, nor the one I met two hours ago. No. This was the Cale that looked as if he could crumble into pieces with a single touch. That's when it hit me, "you're not lying, are you?"
Slowly, he shook his head. "No. No, Perri, unlike yourself, I am not lying. I had one too."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please do take a moment to leave your thoughts, whether or not you loved it, or if you hated it. I want to know! Thank you all so much for reading, it really does mean the world that you support this story. Be sure to give it a vote if you liked this chapter!
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P.S. To all those celebrating, merry Christmas! May you all have a wonderful day with your loved ones. And, if you do not celebrate, then happy holidays and I wish you all lots of love and light this season and into the new year.