Page 120 of The Order

My father winces at the remark as my mother clears her throat.

“I don’t want to hear any more about this. You’ve been hiding things from us, sneaking around, and now you got caught.”

“Everyone should see their sector,” Xavier states. “At least once.”

“You know better than anyone about those conditions,” Kai starts, ready to argue his next point.

“The Unfortunates keep tearing down the new developments. And we’ve tried to seal the ward for months, but they refuse to let us. They'd rather risk going outside to the unknown than accept our help. If they live like animals, they’ve brought it on themselves,” my father snaps.

Lies.

“Is that true?” I question without thinking, turning on my heels to face Xavier. He scans my face, looking carefully between my father and me. He crosses his arms, tapping his foot anxiously.

I need to gain his trust. He’s the only way I can uncover what’s really going on in New Haven.

“I've heard more convincing truths,” Xavier admits with complete honesty, whispering so low even my father cannot hear before broadcasting a different answer to the rest of the group.

“Our people are doing the best we can, Forest,” he says, clearly waiting until my father is pleased before giving me an apologetic look.

“I raised you to believe and respect the purpose of New Haven. The rules we have in place, the way things are set up here protect all of us,” he starts, stiffening his posture. “You’ve continued to break the rules, and you’ve put us all at risk.” His eyes set on me. “There are consequences for the people you drag into your messes too. For years, we’ve cleaned up after the Unfortunates, picking up the slack to make sure things keep running smoothly-”

“I don’t think a history lesson is what she needs right now. She’s banged up. Let it go for today, Andrew. They're safe,” Xavier snaps, his voice unnerving.

My father’s mouth closes, set in a straight line.

“People know about where they were today. If the Commander-”

“Our Commander is a spineless coward who can’t even be bothered to come out and talk to his people. A childish dare gone wrong isn’t something he’ll be concerned enough about to make an appearance. I will tell him what happened was nothing more than fleeting curiosity. Clearly, they saw enough," Xavier’s confidence that the Commander would be less than interested in what happened today surprised me. It’s becoming more apparent the longer I'm around him that he’s got the answers I'm looking for.

“I’m cleaning her up. Let her brother have a moment to himself. We are no saints, Andrew,” Xavier says, his fingers interlacing with my own as he begins guiding me away from the conversation.

“They see it all, boy,” my father says, his eyes on the cameras as his arms wrap around my mother. “Your defiance is putting a target on your back,” he warns. Xavier scoffs at the warning.

“I’d rather the target be on me than them, Andrew. Protecting your family should be your top priority,” Xavier says, not giving my father another look as he moves away and guides us closer to the bathroom. I let out a sigh of relief once we’re inside, and Xavier finally closes the door behind him.

I stand awkwardly in front of the door, watching his hands work as he fills the sink with running water. He removes his jacket, his muscular frame more apparent as he shrugs off the sleeves. Once again, I notice the black ink that coats his skin beneath his shirt, hidden away by the uniform he wears every day. I lower the shields in my mind, feeling the connection flood through me.

“Why have you been so quiet?”Fallan’s voice echoes. A smile of relief spans across my face when I realize he’s been worried.

“Did I do something to warrant that smile, or is your head elsewhere?” Xavier questions, watching me in the reflection of the mirror.

“I can sense that blonde twit,”Fallan says sarcastically. A wave of his anger passes through me.

“Thank you for getting me away from all of that,” I finally settle on saying, unsure how long I can remain silent, mindlessly listening to Fallan’s voice before Xavier grows suspicious.

“Happy to help,” Xavier says, moving toward me with a towel. He works it gently across my skin, holding my eye contact.

“It didn’t go well when we got back home. Xavier got me away from my father,”I start, drawing in a deep breath once his hand begins to rub along my neck in all the places Fallan explored earlier.

“Did I hurt you?” Xavier questions, pausing.

“No,” I begin, urging his hand to keep working. “You can keep going,” I whisper.

“I don’t need eyes to sense how much he enjoys being alone with you,”Fallan whispers, my mouth curling up again.

“Why do you care? Maybe I want him alone with me,”I say, feeling the space in my mind grow crowded as Xavier’s hand presses down harder.

I wince once more, letting go of the connection, unable to gauge how much more energy I can expend trying to speak to Fallan.

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