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Chapter ten

Forest

A massive white tarp hangs between two aspens positioned side by side in the school's front yard. Bright yellow tape surrounds the area where the koi ponds once were. The fish are no longer littering the ground. Nothing but two holes remain after the handy work of Unfortunate gardeners, no doubt. I half expect a smear of my blood to be on the wall after the events of today.

Thankfully, I see nothing.

Couples and groups join each other on blankets, huddling together to keep warm. Some wear thick jackets. Others resort to sitting on one another, hiding their risky touches from the watchful eyes of Officials patrolling the area at a safe distance.

A couple sneaks off into the thicker brush behind the school, touching each other in every way possible, only looking back at the group once before disappearing behind the bushes. A large projector plays nothing in particular, casting a blinding light over the white tarp. Some hold bags filled with popcorn; a buttery treat we so rarely are gifted due to the nutrition regulations in our food. The savory smell of the popped treat beckons me closer to the small booth the bags come from.

“I’m going to get us some,” I say, motioning to the bag a boy holds as he walks past us.

Raegan carries a bag filled with all we need to be comfortable tonight. Figures she would be the one to be fully prepared for the screening. Since the blowup at my house, everyone has been cautious about what they say around me. My attitude on the tram has only made them question my willingness to cause trouble. Despite my negative demeanor, Max has still managed to stay close.

Raegan begins spreading the blanket, pulling down my brother to join her. Kai doesn’t fight her, letting his body lean into her more than he has in the past.

“I am going to talk to a few of my buddies, and then I can help you carry everything over,” Max starts, grabbing my hand as if I will join him in speaking to his friends.

“I’ve got it. You go ahead and socialize,” I say, plastering on my best smile while yanking my hand back toward me.

“Extra butter for me!” Kai exclaims, only half paying attention to the conversation as he hangs onto Rae’s every word.

I nod, moving away from Max. His hand limply drops to his side. I know it's confusing to kiss him like that in the hallway, only to ghost him once he gives me the same energy back. Max is like one of those things that’s a great idea on paper, but in reality, isn’t quite right. He's safe. His family is safe. My parents love him.

But I need more than perfect. I need flaws.

I need something to feel real for once in my life.

I pull my hood back up, moving past groups of people returning to their spots with their tasty treats. The white tarp flashes with images as the movie starts. The movie's beginning sounds off, filling the speakers with lively music and whatever they considered acting back in the old world. It baffles me how a whole society could idolize and overpay people for pretending to be someone else in front of a camera. No one remains at the booth's small shed-like structure. Everyone is too preoccupied with watching the film or conversing so loud they don’t know what’s being said.

A dark-skinned boy runs the booth, his eyes gentle, like pools of gold. His hair is tightly coiled, cut short but maintained well. He’s standing alertly, holding his posture and shoulders back as he cleans the booth's small ledge where the treats sit on display. I creep up to the window, glancing back at the moving picture and my friends, who only seem focused on their conversations.

“Are we doing soda or popcorn?” the boy questions, pausing his cleaning to give me a warm smile. I don’t recognize him. I’ve never once crossed paths with him if he is at the Academy. His clothes are nice, covered by a white apron that’s had some use.

“Three popcorns, please. One with some extra butter for my brother,” I say, shoving a few coins across the counter, meeting the boy's perplexed look. His mouth is in a straight line. His eyes dart to an Official casually walking by.

“Was it not enough-” I begin.

His voice meets my ears, sending countless chills up my spine.

“Your people don’t pay our people. I’m surprised you didn't vomit when you said please to him,” Fallan’s ignorant tone bellows from somewhere in front of me. The boy working the counter looks nervous, pulling at his collar to allow more breathing room. I look inside the small booth.

Fallan leans against the wall, sporting a black shirt and gray pants that seem to enunciate his better features. His arms are crossed, his eyes dead set on me.

“Don’t listen to him,” the boy begins, shoving the money back toward me. “I should have specified I was an Unfortunate before I began speaking,” he snaps, looking toward Fallan with anger.

“I would’ve personally kept it going,” Fallan says, pushing away from the wall to get a closer look. “She's much more tolerable when she treats us like we’re people,” Fallan finishes, looking me over angrily.

“Fallan…. Shut up,” the boy hisses, trying to silence his voice.

“What’s wrong, Hunter? Scared she’ll tell on us?” Fallan questions, fiddling with a small vial in his pocket he knows will keep me silent.

“Are you ever pleasant? Or are you always a selfish asshole?” I question finally addressing Fallan’s snide comments.

“Selfish would be assuming I like who I am, so no. But I can be quite pleasant given the right scenario,” Fallan says. Something lingers behind his words. It makes my cheeks grow hot with nerves.

“Is your brother the tall one up front?” Hunter questions, breaking mine and Fallan’s heated stare.

I look back toward the group, watching Kai's arms wave in the air as he expressively tells a story.

“Can’t you tell? They look like twins. Speaking of, where’s your blonde puppy dog?” Fallan questions.

I look around for Max, returning my attention to the two boys once I spot him. I look inside the booth, scoffing once I realize who is missing.

“ Max is with his friends. I thought you had a blonde lap dog of your own. Shouldn't she be licking your face right now?” I question, seeing Fallan’s cocky smirk drop at the statement.

“Sadly, she couldn’t join us. Maybe you can take her place since you’re so curious about her,” Fallan says.

My stomach fills with a wave of anxiety at the statement.

Hunter drops multiple bags of popcorn, slamming his hand on the counter fearfully. He looks around for an Official, forcing his attention back to me with a shaky tone.

“Fallan, you ignorant, cocky, son of a bitch-” Hunter begins, sweating from his fear. Fallan looks blissful.

“You know where to find me,” I say, cutting off Hunter’s rant toward Fallan.

I should report Fallan. I should watch him get lashed with a prod for what he said.

But I loved it.

I craved it.

I craved the fear he fills me with. It's a fear to walk the line.

Fallan moves closer to the window, looking over my expression with furrowed brows.

“What?” he questions.

“You know where to find me when you're tired of your lap dog,” I mutter, letting my smirk finally meet my mouth at the sight of his dazed expression. Hunter is wide-eyed, looking between the both of us.

“Is there something so enthralling on my face that you can’t break your pathetic stare right now?” I question, pushing Fallan further.

“Enthralled is not the word I’d use to describe what I feel when I look at you,” Fallan says, lowering his eyes as that typical sense of hate passes over his expression.

“Don’t worry, I’m not too fond of you either.” I begin, turning toward Hunter’s worried expression. “Your friend, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air,” I say, easing his tension with another smile. Fallan scoffs, shaking his head at the exchange.

“He almost makes you forget we're not really people, right?” Fallan says, reminding me once more where we both land in this society.

“I never said you’re not people,” I utter, watching the pair's eyes wince at the statement. “Why are you working this booth anyway? It seems like the last place either of you'd want to be,” I say, trying my best to shove down the feeling of pain I get the longer Fallan’s hateful stare is on me.

“The popcorn most of you are so carelessly tossing to the ground is banned in our sector,” Fallan begins.

“We get to take home the scraps,” Hunter clarifies, popping a piece of the treat in his mouth.

How could something as simple as this be banned in their sector?

“Was that too much for you to process at once?” Fallan questions.

Angrily, I look up at him, wondering just how much badgering I can take before going in there and testing to see if his strength is only an illusion.

“Fallan, you’re not the one who should be questioning someone else’s intelligence,” Hunter snaps, making the raven-haired giant’s smile fade in a second.

I can’t stop the laugh from escaping my mouth. It's the first genuine laugh I have allowed myself in months. It sounds foreign once it leaves me. I force my hand over the noise, stopping myself from drawing more attention to the two than I already have by lingering at the counter. My smile falls away from beneath my hand. Hunter looks pleased, and Fallan, for the first time, doesn’t look utterly pissed off by my existence.

“Glad to know Hunter’s shitty jokes are funny to someone,” Fallan says, pushing away from the counter and nudging the boy playfully in the arm. If I had to guess, these two are more than casual friends. They’re close, possibly as close as Rae and me.

“I have a feeling your humor wouldn’t be any better,” I begin, ready to challenge Fallan again.

“Who’s humor?” Max’s voice questions. I pull away from the counter, looking toward the blonde. His hands are deep in his pockets, his eyes on me.

“Have you just been talking to yourself for the past ten minutes? Every time I looked over here, it looked like you were going on to yourself,” Max says. It doesn’t surprise me that he assumes I’ve not acknowledged the pair of men staring at him from within the booth.

“Actually, Hunter here was telling me a funny joke-” I begin, full of smiles. Max pauses me, pinching the bridge of his nose as his frustrations grow.

“You fucking spoke to her? Outside of your regs?” Max questions to the two. I feel my smile drop. Max’s eyes focus on a nearby Official, ready to wave him over.

“Sir, I-” Hunter begins.

Fallan is going to open his mouth and escalate this situation.

I move in front of Max, placing the treats back on the counter to nudge him back several feet. I grab his chin, dragging his eyes down to face me.

“I asked him to speak to me. Let it be me if you want an Official to be upset with someone. I broke regulation, not them,” I say, holding back his hand, ready to wave over the man dressed head to toe in black.

“Why the hell would you do that?” he questions. I pause, a bit dumbfounded by the nature of the question.

“I just wanted to tell them thank you-”

“We don’t do that, Forest. We don’t thank them for anything. Without us, they would have nothing. The least you can do is take the food and leave them be instead of giving them a smile and a laugh,” Max hisses. His face is flustered, and his eyes are wide.

This isn't about me speaking to them.

I shake my head at him, grabbing the bags from the counter with a frown toward the two men. Fallan crosses his arms as he watches the exchange, eyeing down Max with a similar hatred he often has when he watches me. I whisper a silent “I’m sorry” to Hunter, which grows his look of confusion. I turn back toward Max, powered almost entirely by annoyance.

“I don’t need a lesson from you regarding regulations,” I spit, shoving his bag of popcorn in his chest, mocking his childish emotions.

“What are you smiling at, bottom feeder?!” Max yells. His voice almost carries over the sound of the actors in the film.

Fallan’s mouth is upturned, watching the exchange with a relaxed demeanor.

“You still haven't gathered how little she wants you, have you?” Fallan questions.

My heart drops.

Max looks ready to tear the man apart. It takes all I have to pull him away from the booth while avoiding the Official's lingering eyes. Hunter grabs Fallan, moving him out of the window and returning him to the back of the shed to fill new bags. I yank Max toward me, dragging him closer to our friends while balancing their treats in a tight hold. Max grabs me harshly, straining against my touch, nearly bruising my arms in the process.

“Let it go,” I whisper, trying to get him to calm down.

“That son of a bitch. I will kick his fucking teeth in-” Max begins.

I land my mouth on his again, feeling my stomach recoil. I do my best to feed into the touch, feeling his hands move away from my arms and drop to my sides. A few students whistle. Rae and Kai’s voices question what is going on. Even Colton and Josh egg on the action, telling Max, “She bites,” as they whistle. His lips are like poison on mine. Every part of me wants to get away. It's like a thousand hands are pounding on the door of my mind, screaming at me never to let him touch me like this again.

“Hands off!” an Official yells, making us break apart.

Many eyes are on us, a pair of blue ones from the booth lingering longer than others. I fight the urge to wipe my mouth. Max looks more relaxed, grabbing my hand and lowering me to the blanket with the others. I look behind me, seeing his anger momentarily melt away. Max grabs my waist, pulling me closer to him. Fallan shakes his head, moving away from the booth window once more.

“What was that about?’ Kai questions, grabbing the bags from my lap and dispersing them.

“Two dirty Unfortunates who don’t know when to be quiet,” Max says, shaking his head like Fallan.

“You instigated that,” I say, feeling Kai pinch my arm.

“You’re right,” Max says, drawing in a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he whispers after a few moments. He gives me his soft smile that I have come to find comfort in. My tension eases, and I lean into him more.

“So, are you two … exclusive?” Rae scoffs at me.

“Are you two?” I question back, watching Kai scoot away from Rae out of embarrassment.

“You are incredibly unpredictable, you know that, right?” Max questions, returning to his light-hearted nature.

“I am fully aware,” I whisper. “So, tell me about the film,” I finish, nudging my brother with my foot.

“As far as I know, Gatsby…”

My brother's words fade away as quickly as a fire drenched in water. Every one of my hairs rise, working from my legs to the length of my arms. My mark burns hot, painfully exploring my whole torso. The dull aches behind my eyes are like hammers pounding a concrete wall. Something creeps over the space.

It is watching us.

It is watching me.

I don’t feel the air enter my lungs. My hands shake, my palms filling with a buzz as if they have lost blood flow. Kai’s voice comes out in nothing more than muffled noise. My skin fills with so much heat that Max brings the back of his hand to my forehead, checking for a fever.

“Kai … something feels off,” I whisper, grabbing my brother's wrist.

A blood-curdling scream fills the air, nearly bursting my eardrums. Everyone shoots to their feet, looking around for the source of the torturous sound. The Untouchable woman from earlier, who snuck behind the bushes, looks as pale as a ghost, running toward the screen with a staggered step. Crimson coats her front, blood drowning her scream. More people join in on her screams, backing away from her as her knees collide with the grass. She clutches her throat, holding back the blood that's trying to escape from the massive slash of skin torn away from her throat. I feel my lungs finally exhale, urging me to move forward.

Max grabs my coat. My hands fumble with the zipper to tear myself away from his grasp. The jacket slips off. I run toward the girl, feeling my brother follow close behind me. Hunter and Fallan step out from inside the booth, watching the sight in front of them with looks of shock. Anyone previously near the girl has backed away. Officials begin moving closer, each one of them fiddling in their pockets for med kits. Claw marks work down her front, each one deeper than the last. Her body is torn, and her skin is charred. It's like a burning blade had slashed her up and down.

The Officials continue fumbling, listening to the pleas of students begging them to grab their guns. Another body stumbles from the bush, the boy that the girl had snuck off with. He clutches his side, bleeding just as profusely as her. He runs toward the closest Official he sees. Hunter stays back, trying his best to pull Fallan toward him. I help apply pressure to the woman's neck, watching her wince in pain. The twins stand still, trying their best to get at least one Official to back away from their trance on the devices they all now hold.

They are Re-Regulation devices meant to stop Unfortunates in aggravated states.

A foreign warmth radiates beside me, filling the space around me in a mere few seconds with equal feelings of uncertainty and security. Only a few moments pass before the clarity of who has made their way over to the mess sprawled in front of me finally settles.

Fallan kneels, moving my hands to help the woman breathe. He grasps a corner of his shirt, tearing away the bottom, helping me raise her head before tightening the thin piece of material now around her neck.

“What the hell are you guys waiting for?” Kai yells toward the Officials, joining in on the confusion clouding the area.

I feel my heart race. Fallan continues his hold, looking around at the numerous men inputting code into their devices.

“Fuck,” Fallan whispers, looking up at me in pure terror.

The girl's hand grabs my front, pulling me down closer to her. As she drags me down, her blood streaks along the light material of my shirt. Her voice is filled with fluid, barely understandable, even though I’m only a few inches away from her mouth. Her lips press to the side of my face. The groan of pain in her voice is miserably hard to listen to.

“I saw it,” she says, gasping in between breaths. I look up at Fallan and Kai, trying to decipher her words.

“Saw what?” I question, watching her consciousness slowly leave her.

A few Officials work their way over, relieving Fallan and I from the pressure we’ve been applying to her bloody neck.

“Did she say what attacked her?” one of them questions, looking to me for an answer. Her voice is still cracking. She is unable to get a word out. They focus their attention back on her, their pockets blinking as the screens of their devices flash white. I move around a bit, feeling Fallan’s hand drag me away from my kneeled position next to one of the Officials.

They crowd her, letting the others aid the boy, who’s now unconscious. I move back with Fallan, staying on my knees as Kai tries his best to ease the crowd.

A pain passes over my head once more. It makes me slump forward, pressing my head into the ground. I claw at the Earth, trying my best to stop a scream from escaping my throat.

“Get up before they notice,” Fallan whispers, yanking the back of my shirt, forcing me back up.

He acts like he isn't speaking to me. His eyes are only on the Officials.

“What’s happening to me?” I question silently toward him. He offers me no answer.

“Shif-” she tries to say. Her cough that follows paints the grass in red.

“Shif?” Kai questions. Fallan’s eyes are wide, watching the Officials all dial in on her words.

“Shifter,” she screams in a voice nothing short of a nightmare.

“That’s not possible,” I whisper. Feeling my voice shake, I look up at Fallan for confirmation.

Fallan’s eyes grow dark at the statement, finally filling with the one expression I have yet to see on him.

Fear.