Page 98 of The Order

“What are you waiting for?” he questions, coaxing a smile from my lips.

We swiftly move towards the neighborhood’s perimeter, running our hands along the ward as our house fades away into the background.

Our hands hit the glass door of the tram. The doors fly open. Both of us spill into the warm vehicle. We both look back several times, only pulling down our hoods once we take notice that no one but Mark is present. He looks off, glancing between us, unsure what to say in my brother’s presence.

“Your hair,'' Mark finally says after a few moments, pointing out the few strands of gray peeking through the entirety of my mane. Even Kai pauses to look, twisting a piece between his fingers with curiosity.

“Focus,” I whisper, swatting away his hand.

“I need you to take us to the Unfortunate sector,” I say in a rush, watching any lightness in Mark’s eyes quickly wane. Instinctively, Kai moves around me, covering the one camera on the tram with the first thing he can find.

“You know I’m not allowed to do that,” Mark begins, reaching to try and pull away the hat Kai had used to keep the security camera covered. “Besides, you need an Official ID-”

I slap my father's ID down on the dash, impatiently tapping my foot. The longer we wait here, the more time my father, Adam, and Xavier spend with Fallan, and the likelihood will only grow that we’ll be seen by someone getting on the bus.

“Please, Mark,” I whisper, taking another step closer to him. “They are going to hurt Fallan, all because he got near me. He shouldn’t be punished for that,” I say, feeling the fear seep out of my voice.

Mark runs his hands over his face, tapping his fingers against his head.

“He said something very similar to me once when speaking about you,” Mark says, sliding the ID back over to me. “It was just as hard to say no then as it is now,” Mark whispers, turning on the ignition to the tram.

“You’ll take us?” Kai questions, finally breaking his silence.

“I’m taking her, and trusting her faith in you is not misplaced,” Mark says, looking toward the road, letting his foot press down on the gas, taking us away from the bus stop.

“I can’t get you to the front of the sector; the Officials will notice, but I can get you to the side. There, you can breach one of the holes in the fence and use your father's ID to get into the main town square,” Mark says, motioning us to take a seat. We oblige, quickly sitting down, both of us knee to knee.

I feel drained, unable to reach Fallan through our mind connection. I peer at my reflection in the window across the aisle. But something is different. In the reflection, my hands are bruised and worn. My own are clean, completely clear of any damage. What message is this version of me trying to send me now?

“Why are you doing this for him?” Mark questions after a few moments.

I shuffle uncomfortably in my seat, unsure of what to say. Once more, the other version of me takes over, finding the words I cannot.

“Because whether I like it or not, our paths have crossed before and will continue to,” I say. I watch the shift in Mark’s demeanor. “But he already told you that, didn't he?” I push, somehow able to hear the way his heart rate increases at the question.

Kai looks confused, waiting for one of us to keep talking. I watch my brother fidget in his pocket, quickly looking over something in his hands with wide eyes.

“I may know more than I let on,” Mark says after a few moments, keeping his eyes on the road as that other side of me slowly becomes dormant once more.

“Is that why you keep a picture of our family tucked away in your wallet?” Kai says, catching both Mark and me off guard.

My brother raises his hand, holding up a very worn photo my family had taken years ago. Kai and I are both still babies, our parents youthful and glowing. The picture has several creases. It is falling apart from being opened and closed so often. Ink bleeds on the back, and the words are no longer legible. I grab the photo, looking at Mark's petrified expression in the mirror.

“I found his wallet in the hat I used to cover the camera,” Kai starts, folding the photo once more, “I wanted to know who we’re deciding to trust to help us.”

Mark grips the steering wheel, anxiously tapping his fingers against its cover.

“Your father gave that to me,” he says after a few moments, my next words spilling out like a flood.

“Why would he give you something like that? It’s useless to you,” I say, watching the old man's expression turn melancholy.

“If you looked further into my belongings, you’d know that photo is far from useless,” Mark says painfully.

Kai pulls out the old man's wallet, retrieving his ID. We scan it up and down, but then we find a second plastic card clung to its back. This ID is more hidden, meant to stay tucked away behind the first. Slowly, we look over the card, both of us holding our breaths the minute we look over the old man's name.

“Mark Blackburn?” I question, looking over the ID repeatedly.

Kai shakes his head, letting out a scoff.

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