Page 53 of The Order

I look over the photo, feeling angrier the longer I think about my men trampling my children.

“If you find out who’s responsible, let me know,” I say after a moment.

Xavier gives me a wide grin while throwing his head back with closed eyes. His body leans into his chair, making him look much more relaxed.

“It wasn't hard to piece together that it was Nick with all his arrogant table talk in our unit. Let’s just say I might have been late today in between eating lunch and dumping laxatives in his morning brew,” Xavier says, causing me to slip out a laugh I didn’t know I had in me.

“They told me you were reckless, that you had few cares in the world. I think I’m starting to see that,” I say, trying my best to maintain my professionalism.

“I have too many things to care about, Andrew,” Xavier says, pulling himself closer to my computer. “I think that’s part of my issue,” he finishes, looking over my tab of “to-do’s” lining the side of the screen.

“So, are we going to keep talking, or will we get this done?” Xavier smiles, clapping me on the back as he opens the video files of today in the Unfortunate sector.

He crosses off “Review footage of Deviants” from my list, both of us wincing at the footage in front of us.

The muddy ground and rotting buildings take up the screen. There are feeble shopkeepers lining the streets and sickly children tossing around mangled toys while weaving in between barbed wire fences that aren’t standing upright anymore. Emaciated citizens work their way through the streets. Some shops are lively. Others are decorated with slumped-over citizens lying on the sidewalk. I think about the quality of life we’ve created for these people, reflecting on the facade of lies we tell the Untouchables about the Unfortunates’ living conditions to make them feel better. Every day, grueling labor for our gain is forced onto them by a chip they think is in their head to help them.

“For the glory and grace of the fucking New World Order,” Xavier says in a scoff, shaking his head at the screen in disgust.

“Glory and grace for some people,” I whisper, worrying once the room fills with silence.

“I always thought that motto was a sham anyways,” Xavier says after a few moments, giving me one last conspiratorial smirk before we begin reviewing hours of less-than-pleasant footage that very few can stomach to get through.

Chapter seventeen

Forest

TheuniformforDefenseClass is an oversized gray shirt and soft black pants meant to maximize our comfort when working in hand-to-hand combat. This is one of the few classes I have without my brother or friends, leaving me exposed and alone. I’ve managed to find a spot on the farthest wall away from my classmates in an effort to avoid Colton and Josh’s malicious stares. The pure thrill those two get from dragging Unfortunates across the mats as they spar is hard to watch.

Keeping my stare forward toward the constant movement around me is all I can do, hiding each wince as another Untouchable’s back meets the floor. A few Officials linger around, waiting to use their prods on anyone but our people. I try my best to avoid contact with them, keeping my head held high to luck out on a partnership, hopefully.

“They're looking at you like you’re their next meal,” Fallan whispers silently.

I turn my head to meet his stoic expression. His back is facing away from the group as he wraps his knuckles, bracing his hands for the hard work that I’m sure he’ll be off to after classes this afternoon. He’s quiet enough to avoid any looks in his direction while he engages me.

I watch him work the gauze around his knuckles, observing how his arms move. He focuses on his large hands. The gray shirt, unlike on me, fits him nicely, clinging to a build I’d rather not challenge one-on-one. As he continues to move, his shirt rides up, revealing his weathered back and enticing abs.

“My eyes are up here,” Fallan says in a snap, forcing my gaze back to his face.

I can feel my cheeks fill with heat at the comment, only growing redder once I realize how little amusement he’s gotten from me ogling him. He pulls down his shirt, hiding the parts of him I allowed my eyes to explore.

“Who’s looking at me like a meal?” I question, keeping my head down as I speak.

"The two idiots dragging my people over the mat like they’re nothing,” Fallan says, finishing up the gauze around his hands.

I see Josh and Colton’s presence isn’t just a nuisance to me, then.

“Trust me, their existence is less than pleasant for me, too,” I sigh, pulling my head back up to meet the smirk that’s found Fallan’s face. It fades as quickly as it came, leaving me questioning if it was even there to begin with.

“You’re finally starting to see how I feel,” Fallan says, returning to his typical snarky demeanor.

The sweet smell of vanilla hits my nose, followed by a flash of blonde hair swaying in my vision. His blonde whore, Valerie, slides next to him, running her hands over his own with a look of satisfaction. I watch her hand reach under his shirt, gently caressing the skin above the waistline of his pants before pressing her lips to his arm. I roll my eyes at the exchange, knowing she had only requested they be sparring partners to get as close to him as possible. Her eyes flick up to me as I mock her over-the-top need to be all over him.

“Is there something I can do to make you happier?” she questions toward me in a sincere tone, grinding her teeth as she tries to stomach a genuinely kind response to my aggravated state. It’s the most standard question an Unfortunate can ask, yet she’s made it so backhanded.

I look at Fallan, watching him gently move her hands away from beneath his shirt as he stares down at her with a smile. He rubs the tops of her wrists with his thumbs, calming her down. His hands are familiar with her body. A rare and genuine smile encapsulates his face. I feel something deep within me fill with annoyance when I see his smile drop the minute he looks back at me.

“Get a room. Not everyone likes watching you be a slut,” I hiss, pushing myself away from the wall, allowing all of my frustrations to pour out of me in a single statement. I grab my blade from the rack, strapping it to my side, leaving her gawking at me with a pitiful excuse of a confused expression. I don’t even try to look at Fallan, only letting my shoulder hit him as hard as possible as I make my way closer to the mats.

---