Page 103 of The Order

I think of his hands on her, touching her, getting to see that smile. Adam moves away from Hunter, brushing past Xavier to leave the space. The blonde glances back once behind him, crouching down to get a good look at me. He speaks quietly enough that Hunter won’t be able to listen in.

“Take my words however you’d like,” he says, my body using all its energy to try and get up from the floor.

The man's hand touches my clothes, stopping once he reaches my pocket. I watch him grab the chain of her necklace, dragging it free from my pocket. “There will be consequences if I find out you went near her again,” Xavier says, tucking the chain into his pocket. My body is depleted, but I try to reach out to her anyway.

“Forest?”I whisper in my mind, feeling the energy the thought takes with it.

“I will kill you,” I hiss at the man, watching him smile as he rises to his feet.

"I do hope you try.” Xavier glances over to Hunter. “Keep your guard dog in line,” Xavier says, turning on his heels to walk away.

“She will never choose you,” Hunter yells, watching Xavier’s body freeze at the statement.

His pause only lasts a few moments. His mouth curls into a smile once he looks back.

“Maybe. But Fallan will make sure she doesn’t choose him, either. Won’t you, Markswood?" Xavier questions, leaving my door gaping as he finally steps away.

Moments later, my strength is suddenly restored. I force myself to my feet and after Xavier. The hallway outside my front door is empty, leaving me hitting the ground with my knees in frustration. I run my hands through my hair, remembering the empty space in my pocket where I’d kept Forrest’s necklace.

Xavier’s words were not just a message.

They were a threat.

Chapter thirty-three

Forest

Mudcoatsourshoes,turning their polished black soles into a mosaic of muted browns. I stop myself from covering my nose to avoid the stench lingering in the air. It smells of rotten fruit and metal mixed to form a nauseating amalgamation that unsettled my stomach. My body feels drained, leaning on Kai more than I’d like for additional support.

Mark quickly pulled away once we got off the tram, leaving us in front of a massive, barbed wire fence. Jagged pieces of wood supported the dilapidated partition, and a thin layer of sheet metal encased the ruins to keep outside eyes from being able to look inside. Black smoke circles the air in small puffs, only adding to the odor. I hear the busy chatter of Unfortunates on the other side of the fence. Some are getting yelled at, and others are begging for help. Beyond this wall is one more line of security. Scanners are utilized in this sector for people to come and go. It's the only way to regulate the Unfortunates enough to keep them confined here. The fence here is far from the sturdy structure we were shown in school when we were learning about our two sectors. Everything seems to be falling apart, and I wonder how much worse it is inside the perimeter.

“Over there,” Kai says, pointing to a small opening on the side of the fence. “That must be the other way in Mark was talking about.”

It's a small opening, shielded by a few wooden planks leaned up against the structure. I hear the chatter of Officials conversing near the fence. Their voices grow closer the longer we stand here. Kai grabs my hand, moving us along the muddy path. We slip occasionally, our eager pace sabotaging our footing. I help Kai move the slats, both of us doing our best to keep our grunts as quiet as possible.

I’m the first to duck my head, forcing my body through the hole and into the other side of the fence. My hoodie protects my arms from getting scratched. Kai’s hand continues to hold my own, following behind me as we both breach the first wall. A pile of junk hides our sudden arrival from the Unfortunates. Some stand in groups, others in lines waiting to make it past the security check with their IDs. Several people shiver in the brisk cold, their coats full of rips and tears, while some others are completely void of proper clothing altogether. Women and men of all ages rub their skin, shaking uncontrollably, being ignored by every Official wearing more clothing than they need. Their faces are hollow here. Where a youthful glow and healthy tints of red are predominant in my people's complexion, the Unfortunates have skin that’s sallow and taut across the bones, with bruises and dark spots. The mask of malnutrition covers the lot like a plague.

“Looks like that's where we need to get through,” Kai says, motioning to the scanners that allow people to enter the sector.

I nod, pulling down his hood before guiding us forward. I look back to the first entrance we avoided, watching the Officials shove down citizens, ransacking their pockets, all while carelessly stripping away whatever valuable items they have. An Official drags a little girl away from her mother, grabbing the woman's hair as he begins hurling insults at her, slapping her hard across the face. Kai has to stop me from pausing, pushing my back to keep me moving forward.

“You can’t interfere,” Kai whispers, visibly disgusted the longer he allows himself to look at the scene around us, “I had no idea it was this bad.”

Stomaching my regret, I turn my back on the woman and her little girl, keeping my head down as we move past a few lingering Officials, both bragging about the vile shit they’ve been doing to these people. I keep the ID face down as I tap it on the scanner, watching the green light flash brightly before quickly tossing it back to my brother. I slip past the entrance, hoping no one sees us use the same ID twice to get inside. My eyes are too focused on Kai to look forward, watching the sweat collect on his forehead as he scans my father's ID once more. Again, the scanner lights up, allowing him to pass through our final barrier to the sector. I quickly take back my dad’s stolen ID, tucking it deep in my pocket. Kai’s eyes are set forward, absorbing the horrific conditions around us. He pauses. I keep my eyes on him, feeling his heartbeat quicken beneath my fingertips.

“What have we done to them?” he silently questions, his mouth nearly hanging open.

I turn around to look at the sight he’s fixated on, my knees threatening to give out in shock as I take in what he sees.

People lie in the streets, clothes barely holding to their bodies as they begin an attempt to cling to what bit of life they have left. Vendors sell food that looks days past what is considered safe, some even eating moldy bread to satisfy their hunger. Children kick around a tattered ball, all of them dirtied and marred with enough scrapes and bruises to last a lifetime. Women are whoring themselves out in alleyways while others trudge through the mud, exhausted from wherever they’d come from, the pained expressions from hours of back-breaking labor abhorrently obvious. The buildings here are worn down, none with the same advancements we see in our sector. Wells surround the grounds. Some people on the streets resort to that as their source of drinking water. I see the small splotches of blood painting the cobblestone roads. Even from here, the stench of death clings to this place.

Someone shoves me forward, using the end of their prod to jab my back, nearly burning through the hoodie to my skin.

“Keep walking, pigs. The workday isn't over yet,” a voice hisses, shoving Kai along with me.

We keep our heads lowered, not uttering another word as we nod to the Official. Slowly, we begin moving, weaving through the filth, doing our best to hold our stomachs. We make it out of the Official’s earshot, our hands shaky.

“They told us they kept up the Unfortunate sector,” Kai says, messing with the small hole in my hoodie the prod had left.

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