Page 25 of The Order

It only seemed to grow.

But maybe that was my own delusion.

“What the hell was that? What does he have on you?” Kai questions silently, while stealing the seat next to me. Josh and Colton stagger onto the tram, eyeing me down with nasty looks that only fall flat.

“Do you suggest I continue to let them walk all over everyone? He has nothing, Kai. Calm down,” I snap, waiting for his following snide remark.

“She’s right,” Max says, sitting beside me. “It should have been us roughing them up after Rae said he hurt Forest. Now is not the time to cast judgment,” Max says, keeping his eyes on my furious brother.

Kai throws his arms in the air, forcing himself back to his feet. His hand grabs Max’s front, pulling him up and into a standing position.

“If you’re so adamant about getting involved, then you won’t mind helping me convince them not to put marks on Forest’s scorecard for her outburst,” Kai says, dragging Max closer to the two devils. They look unamused by my brother’s presence. Still, he sits next to them, using his most professional tone to create a mind-numbing conversation that will only go over their heads.

Raegan shakes her head, looking over her textbook, ignoring her twin’s vicious side-eye.

“Thank you, kiddo,” the bus driver silently whispers, smiling ear to ear at the sight of Valerie and Fallan on his tram. I press my head against the cool glass next to me, observing the silent banter between the trio meant for them and only them. Pain from the cut on my head still lingers, throbbing every so often, indicating the start of a headache.

Fallan pulls away from his conversation, looking over Valerie as she walks in front of him. I scoff at the sight, keeping my eyes away from his once they finally pull away from his blonde lap dog. My hands fidget with my bag, trying to find any source of distraction.

A small piece of paper falls to my lap. Fallan’s hand quickly retracts to his side. I’m almost sure I envisioned his hand dropping the paper toward me in the first place. He moves forward and down the tram car until he is again in his section. He doesn’t acknowledge me once.

I notice Kai and Max continue trying to talk to Josh and Colton. Rae’s eyes are too focused on her textbook to notice anything. I tuck the note between my legs, opening it delicately to unveil whatever it contains.

I know it was you hiding behind the wall.

Tell anyone what you saw between me and Valerie, and I will ensure everyone knows about your generous contribution of a bottle of contraband Cure-All to an Unfortunate. How long would it take an Official to question how I got my hands on a bottle? Maybe Mommy should leave your name off the next one she slips in your bag. Wonder what a violation like that would do to you?

For shame, Little Dove.

I linger on the name he’s given me, hating it with every fiber of my being. The paper crumples beneath my hand, smearing my fingers in black ink. I cram the note into my pocket, feeling my chest’s heavy rise and fall as I process his arrogance. Valerie’s legs are strung across his lap, absorbing the small rolls of his thumb over her thigh. She takes up several seats, almost lying down to indulge in his touch. While her eyes are on him, his stay on me. His head cocks, watching me, waiting for some type of reaction.

I lean forward on my knees, raising my head, mocking his movements with a challenging stare. His eyebrows gently raise, pulling the familiar metal vial casing of my mother’s Cure-All free from his pocket. He twirls the tube between his long fingers. Glancing over at Josh and Colton, he pretends to drop the vial right in front of them.

If they find out I “gave” Fallan anything, I’m done for.

I lean back in my chair, shaking my head out of frustration. He continues rubbing Valerie’s leg, even dipping his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt to rub her lower stomach. I force my gaze away from the sight, feeling the start of a pounding headache creep through my mind as my birthmark begins to burn. I grasp my lower stomach, focusing all my energy on working through the pain. The headache continues to grow, and I’m consumed with silent whispers in my mind that no longer feel like they’ve come from my own inner consciousness. I feel something creeping into my mind, lingering in the empty spaces, waiting to find an opening. It expands out, increasing the pain in my head, taking all of my rationality with it. At this point, I’m nervous that I’ll blackout again, and that can’t happen on the tram. There are too many people.

I draw in a deep breath, forcing my mind to push back on the pain with each expansion of my lungs.

“Get out!”I scream in my mind, closing my eyes to focus on where it’s coming from.

It persists. Once more, I fill my mind with a painful scream.

“Get out! Get out! Get out!”

All at once, the pain slips away, causing the pressure in my lids to become lighter. I finish my exhale, feeling a great weight lift away from my now vacated mind. The crowding of another presence in my head melts away, making me question how much of that pain was real. I turn my head, expecting Fallan’s taunting stare to eat me alive.

Instead, I find him looking out the tram window, running his hand through his wild locks, moving Valerie’s legs off of him with frustration. She tries to speak to him, getting nothing but silence. His eyes snap shut, his hand wiping something away from his face with a drag of his sleeve.

“Did you hear me?” Kai’s voice questions, pulling me away from my reverie and back into reality.

“What?” I question, looking over his frazzled face.

“It’s dealt with,” Max says. He steals the spot next to me, forcing Kai to sit beside his twin.

“How did you-”

“Just trust us, Blackburn,” Max says, slinging his arm over my shoulder. He narrows his eyes at my head, gently running his thumb over my cut. Red coats his finger and he quickly wipes it away on the white cuff of his uniform.

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