Page 4 of The Order

Feeling my frustrations rise as I look at the small girl's flailing figure, I see it now: no more smiles for her parents, no more small euphoric laughs, no more stolen moments of happiness.

"Grab her," I utter, both of us moving toward the terrified child. Her hands barely reach her teddy bear as I hold her head down. Her arms and legs begin to kick, her body thrashing against our strength. Amy looks distraught at the sight, only adding to the weight of shame suddenly looming over me. As I reach for the Halloway Gas, my eyes fill with a blurry mess of emotion.

"I promise I will do better!" Lily screams at the top of her lungs as I continue to hold her down. Feeling my hands shake, I force the small mask over her screaming mouth, her lungs burning with determination to pull away from us. Her instinct to fight runs through her, urging my hand to press down harder. Listening to her pain escape her throat, I motion for Amy to flip on the gas.

"It wasn't your fault. There is no other way," I yell in a petrified tone, doing all I can to hold it together, the odorless gas working through the mask with ease.

Her strong kicks and hard grasp on us slowly decrease the longer her screams force her to intake the gas. Her body's valiant fight only grows weaker with each small whimper escaping her lungs. Her chest's large heaves die down to nothing. The bright sparkle in her eyes fades away, shrouded by the watchful shadow of death. The hand clenching the tail of the teddy loosens its grasp, her eyes hazy as life drains from her. My hands shake, trailing across the switch that dictates the gas's release. Stopping her body from slumping to the floor, I move her back into a comfortable position in the chair, no fight left in the small, lifeless body. Amy looks flustered, her eyes scanning over the young child. Tears roll down my cheeks, painting Lily's front in wet abrasive splotches.

"Time of death for patient Lily Evermoore-" I begin, letting my eyes land on the one clock in the room.

It's hard not to laugh at the vile humor in how little time has passed.

Only twenty minutes.

"4:35 PM," I finish, urging Amy's reluctant figure closer to my computer to update her chart. Feeling my emotions grow as I touch my stomach; Lily's blonde curls are now a matted mess from the resistance of her head against my hand.

"She was Tainted," I continue as I draw deep breaths. "She's no longer an Untouchable,"

"What is her class now?" Amy questions, my hands searching under the small girl's shirt for any sign of her altered genetic makeup. Right on her hip bone, I see it now, an intricate white scar with overlapping crescent patterns and circles. It clings to her perfect skin like a diamond in the rough. With astonishment, I allow my fingers to pass over the slight imperfection—scarred, rigid skin.

Imperfect in all the right ways.

"She's Marked…Change her class to Tainted," I whisper, Amy's head returning toward the screen. Feeling myself move the teddy bear back into Lily’s arms as I draw shaky breath, Amy's hands still on the keyboard as if she struggles to fathom what to type. Watching her blankly stare as her eyes absorb the screen's light, her once quick movements are now sluggish.

"Take your break, beautiful. You didn't see anything happen in this room," a booming voice says as the door swings open.

Watching Amy blink back her stare, a dull green light gleams behind her ear, her body moving in uniform precision as she blankly stares toward the door's exit. Two Officials stand, holding the door open with cheeky grins, a Re-Regulation Device pointed straight at Amy, her eyes blank as she casually walks past the pair. I see the tiny black bag slung over the tallest man's shoulder, my throat going dry, my hand already using my sweater to wipe away the few tears that had escaped my eyes. Lily's open file still has no class. With a few steps, the men move toward the computer, changing her class to Tainted as I had instructed Amy to do.

"She was going to change the class. Why utilize her chip? She was doing her job just fine," I question, shaking my head at the men.

"Commander’s new rules. The fewer people that know of the Marked, the better," the taller man, Adam, says with a great deal of disgust toward me.

I've seen Adam at quite a few socials thrown for Official families every so often. On the surface, he seems charming. He's a man my husband often finds companionship in. Personally, I have always found him insufferably egotistical.

"That would have been lovely to know before I allowed her to help me administer an Expulsion Test," I hiss with annoyance. Adam shakes his head as his counterpart, Nick, pulls the bag away from his large friend's grasp. The men move toward Lily with careless banter. Moving in front of the men, my hands are raised in front of me in defense.

"She has parents waiting outside in the lobby for her-"

"Good thing their chips work. Maybe they never really had a daughter," Nick says, his hands shoving the black bag to the floor, his knuckles white as he forces the bag open. Adam's hands gently move me, pulling me further from the chair. I can feel Forest's kicks accelerate as my heart rate begins to climb. Adam's hand spins his Re-Regulation Device, tapping it to the side of my head with a taunt, his finger rising to my cheek to wipe away a wet spot I had missed. I watch his eyes narrow the longer he watches me, the clench he has on my arm becoming that much more uncomfortable.

"I hope you were not crying over something as filthy as a Marked," Adam hisses, both of us watching Nick drag Lily's body off the chair and straight to the floor. Her motionless figure rolls into the body bag with ease. I wince at the sight of Nick tossing her teddy into the bin where all the discarded needles go. Her lifeless eyes stick to mine as Nick slowly zips up the bag. My jaw clenches in a sorry attempt to try and refocus my thoughts. "Because if you were, we would need to reconsider your position as head of the Expulsion Test Administration," Adam finishes, forcing my chin toward him to allow my eyes to meet his own.

This is how Officials are. They are arrogant and cocky bastards who feel as if they are above everyone else. Hand one of them a light sensor prod and give them the authority to dictate, and you get Adam. His gray beard and piercing dark brown eyes make him look years older than he is. I feel it now, his utter want to be above everyone in this room.

"If I recall, you have a mother who was saved bymyCure-All and a sister whose kidney was replaced in advance of thirty other Unfortunates who were in line before her simply because you knew me. I suggest you tread carefully in how you speak to me. Don’t ever question my commitment to my job or my loyalty to Sanctum," I hiss back.

Adam's face pulls into a look of satisfaction, his mouth releasing a small scoff. Grunting as he slings the bag over his shoulder, Nick shoves past me, hauling the girl's frail body away from the premises.

"For the sake of your daughter's life," Adam says with a small press to my stomach. "I hope your loyalty runs true," Adam says in anything but a sincere tone.

Is that a threat?

"What do you do with the Marked?" I question. "When an Untouchable or Unfortunate dies, we take them to be cremated. Why bag a Marked body?" I ask with a great deal of sincerity.

"Knowing that information is outside your job description, Katiana. I would focus on getting this place back together. You still have one more Expulsion test, and it's on anUnfortunate," he says disgustedly. "So, make sure you use the thick pair of gloves before getting nearit," Adam says in a snap.

Like Nick, he moves toward the door's exit, tapping the clock above the doorway. Watching his mouth upturn into a cat-like grin, a maniacal laugh gently bellows from his chest.

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