Page 26 of The Order

“What happened?” he questions, my eyes focused on the crimson now smudging his sleeve.

“It’s just a cut,” I whisper, leaning my head into his chest, letting the sound of the tram’s wheels in motion numb my thinking. He messes with his bag, utilizing some of his Cure-All to fix the wound. I silently thank him with a small smile, allowing his hand to rub up and down my back in comforting strokes.

“It’s never just a cut with you,” Max whispers in a light-hearted tone, leaving me to force a smile at a statement I can no longer find the humor in.

Chapter eight

Forest

Therestoftheride home was uneventful, filled with nothing but quiet gossip and multiple stares in my group's direction. My comforting lean into Max quickly turned into sleep I wasn’t aware I needed. Twenty minutes later, we arrived at our usual stop, and I was ready to get off and leave the events of the day far behind. I quickly work my way off the tram, making sure to be the first one off to avoid Colton and Josh. Whatever Kai had said to them managed to silence both of them. Even when they walked past me, they remained quiet, getting off without so much as a look in my direction. The twins and my brother were next, all drawing in sighs of relief. I expect the tram to leave, but it lingers.

“I can break curfew, kid, don’t-”

“Let it be, Mark,” Fallan’s familiar voice demands. He is speaking to the driver, trying to wave away his worries. Fallan exits the tram with a few Untouchables, leaving Valerie to watch him from the window with a longing look. Mark hesitantly closes the tram doors, pausing before starting the vehicle and continuing his route. Fallan casually continues his walk away from the stop. You'd think he’s an Untouchable if you didn’t know better.

“Your sector is across town. No dirty Unfortunates allowed in our neighborhood,” Max says, moving ahead of the group. Fallan continues his walk forward, ignoring Max and keeping his back toward us all.

“Let it go, Maxey,” Raegan says, utilizing one of his least favorite nicknames.

“An Official will drive by and eventually deal with him,” Kai adds, only adding to my list of questions about why Fallan would want to get off at this stop. He was here this morning, but I assumed that an Official dealing with transfers was the cause of that. Maybe I was wrong.

“Fallan!” I yell, watching his body pause at my use of his name for the first time. His shoulders tense. Even though his hands are concealed within his pockets, I know he’s balling his fists. “What are you doing here again?” I continue, watching his head turn backward to look at me. His mouth opens as if he’s going to answer. Quickly, it closes, dropping into its familiar frown. He continues moving forward, giving us all nothing but silence.

“How did you know his name?” Kai questions. Rae is quick to answer.

“We have art with him, don’t start deep diving into it.”

Max moves forward, his rage spilling free from him. He grasps his blade, filled with a sudden need for violence. I press my hand to his chest, stopping his march toward Fallan. I think of the vial. As long as he has that Cure-All, I have to play nice.

“I think we've dealt with enough today,” I plead, feeling his body relax the longer he watches me.

“Maybe you’re right, Blackburn,” he pauses, turning toward our regular route home, “If I’m ever paired with him in Defense Class, I’ll paint the mat with him,” Max finishes, guiding us away from the tram and closer to the normalcy of home.

My father's voice carries through the hallways, bouncing from wall to wall in angry shouts. The house's touch panel at the entrance confirms our presence, lighting green with a tap of our IDs. My mother and father's pictures are checked off, both home hours before us. My mother's figure is nowhere to be seen in the low-lit living area. More than one voice joins in with my father's shouts. The unfamiliar voice says my father's name repeatedly to calm him down. The wall closest to us shakes with a thud. I hear the men's volume grow, with words like “deviants” and “un-orderly” finding their way under the door of my father's study. My mom's office door is shut. The small golden light of her lamp coats the floor. The twins tap their IDs on our touch panel, sending a signal back to their own house with their current whereabouts.

I motion Rae to follow me, lingering by my father’s now silent study. My body leans toward the door, pressing my ear to its cool surface, trying my best to decipher the hushed whispers of the men behind it.

“If they wanted us to hear it, the door would be open,” Kai whispers, pulling me away from the door and guiding me closer to my room by my elbows. I stumble into the perfectly laid-out room, turning to hurl a whirlwind of curses toward my older brother. He moves Rae into my bedroom with me, while Max stands next to my brother, shaking his head with his signature smile plastered on his face. His own bedroom door closes just in time to silence me. I let the hateful words fade away, deciding maybe a closed door is best for everyone right now. Raegan hurls her body on my bed, looking up at my ceiling. Her blonde hair surrounds her head like a halo. Her natural beauty can catch me off guard even after all these years.

“Give me a good reason not to grab his curls and pin him down on the floor,” I hiss, joining her on my bed. My back hits the soft sheets, my hands dragging across my tired eyes.

“Because he only wants what's best for you.” She props herself on her elbow, turning her body to face me. “And you haven't been the most cooperative today … is something going on, Forest?” she questions.

I long for an answer to give her. I want to say I am okay. I want to tell her I hate the hybrid program and am unsettled by the Unfortunate's presence. I want to laugh at their pain with her and throw away all my corrupt thoughts that seem to spill into my mind each time I am alone.

But I can't.

“If I tell you something … can you promise me it stays between us?” I question, pulling myself back up into a seated position. Her interest is peaked. Her body readjusts to get a better look at my worried expression.

“You should know by now you can tell me anything. I still haven't told Kai who is responsible for his broken blade hilt.”

The vivid image of me tossing his weapon against a wall after one of our arguments passes through my thoughts.

I shake away the image, looking at the clock on my nightstand. Its camera blinks, watching over the room and all who inhabit it. I move closer to the device, pulling its cord away from the wall, timing the five minutes I have on Raegan’s watch until it alerts either of my parents of its deactivation. I cover her mouth, giving her no time to try and question my actions. There isn't enough time for her to start hitting me with her line of questioning.

“You know the two transfers on the tram today?” I question, still feeling the presence of the note in my front pocket. She nods, pulling away my hand from her mouth.

“Yes,Fallan,” she says his name as if it's poison on her tongue. “He spent a great deal of that ride glancing over at you as angrily as Josh and Colton had,” Raegan whispers, side-eying the clock lying face down.

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