Page 105 of The Order

“Forest?” Hunter's familiar voice questions, both me and Kai snap our heads to the right.

The bakery door is swung open, revealing a very startled Hunter rubbing his floured hands across his apron. His eyes are wide, barely able to process our sudden arrival into his sector. Hunter's face is bruised, his wrists worn as if he had a struggle. I slowly rise to my feet, wanting nothing more than to drag my father and Adam back here and beat them until they can no longer move. Even Kai looks distraught by the sight in front of him. He kept his hands at his sides in an attempt not to reach for Hunter.

“W-what are you two doing here?” Hunter questions, taking another step closer to avoid speaking too loudly.

“What happened?” Kai questions, unable to control his hand any longer as he reaches up to touch the Hunter’s bruised face.

Hunter closes his eyes when he feels my brother’s touch. I wonder if it’s the first kind touch he's felt in a long time. Kai quickly retracts his hand, his cheeks growing flush as he realizes what he’d just done.

“I don't know if speaking out here is the best idea,” Hunter starts, rubbing his hand across his face and pausing his gaze on me.

Kai and I both look around, ready for yet another Official to show up.

“Don't worry if you look like one of us; they won't bat an eye at anything you do as long as it isn't in the Untouchable sector.” Hunter moves closer to the door he’d come from.

“Hunter, where is Fallan?” I question, his body tensing.

“I think it's best if you come inside, Forest,” he continues, looking back at me with despondency.

“Please, say something,”I yell in the empty cavern of my mind, feeling my palms begin to sweat. My heart races the longer I look at Hunter, wondering if my father's bloodied knuckles are the source of his new wounds.

Why is he not here with Hunter?

“How the hell did you even get in here?” Hunter questions, holding open the door and releasing a burst of warm air from the bakery. It smells of freshly baked bread, and the vile smells from the streets are quickly banished as we follow him inside.

“I stole my father’s ID,” I start. Kai is already cutting me off.

“Where is the re-establishment program?” Kai questions.

The re-establishment program was New Haven’s promise to rebuild the Unfortunate sector, giving them the same quality of living we have had for years. Cleaner food, new buildings, and more supplies are just some of the items promised to them as part of this project.

“You mean that empty promise New Haven has been making for years when they can't even patch up our broken ward,” Hunter says, closing the door to the small bakery, struggling to close it all the way.

I look around the small space, half expecting to find Fallan sitting at one of the tables, throwing me a brooding gaze. There are no cameras in the shop, or anywhere nearby for that matter.

“If you're looking for cameras, they only keep them in some parts of our sector. Makes it easier to dish out punishments when there is no paper trail,” Hunter says, arranging some of the pastries behind the clear cabinet.

Each one looks made with love; the artful details are noticeable in the colorful rows of cream-filled delicacies that are no doubt bursting with flavor.

“Your ward is broken over here? How is that possible? There's no guarantee of anyone's safety!” Kai questions, my mind running to the two Shifters I’ve seen within the past few weeks.

“They only know it's unsafe because they only draft Unfortunates to go beyond the ward, and for some reason, they keep doing it,” Hunter says, pausing his work in the cabinet.

Both men are blatantly unaware of the dangers that lie behind their ears. I can't imagine how much has been stolen from Hunter in this lifetime.

“You never answered my question about Fallan,” I say after a moment, watching Hunter’s eyes dart to me.

He shifts uncomfortably, crossing his arms while letting out a deep sigh.

“He doesn't want to see you, Forest,” Hunter says, my heart sinking at his response.

“Fallan doesn't want to see who? That boy is nothing if not social,” an unfamiliar voice says, pushing past the curtain behind Hunter, unveiling the last person I ever expected to see again.

The woman from the tram.

Chapter thirty-four

Forest

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