Evermarked, p.12
EverMarked, page 12
“Information,” Em offered, as she played with a strand of her long, blonde hair while she watched her tablet. It was well past midnight when Em had arrived, sneaking silently into our quad without even knocking. How she’d programmed her own handprint to unlock our door I had no idea, but here she was.
I let out a sigh. “What kind of information?”
Em slowly dragged her gaze away from her screen and settled her cold glare on me. I regretted pushing for more than a one-word answer, but I locked my jaw and did my best not to look away.
“When we want you to know more, we will tell you more.” Her voice was that of a silent assassin.
Vic did what she always did, mediated between me and everyone else. “How do you know so much about the DEZ?” she asked.
Em took her time pulling her glare from me, but as soon as she turned to Vic, her features softened. It was the only thing I liked when it came to this woman. She seemed to have a soft spot for Vic, and that terrifying mask fell a little for her.
“It’s my job to know about everything,” Em said simply.
“Were you…were you in the DEZ?” Vic asked.
Em snorted. “Hell no. And thank the stars for that.” Em lifted the sleeve of her shirt to show her unmarked wrist. She smiled, but it had no warmth behind it. Vic waited for more, and to my surprise, Em continued, “I’m a genetic kid, but I didn’t grow up in the DEZ. I hate the title of Pur and Marked, but as you can see, no marks on my arms.” Em shrugged her shoulders. “I come from a wealthy family, fairly high up in the rankings of Cytos. My father is the Keeper of Histories for all of Armestes. So, outside of the past few weeks, I’ve never stepped foot in the DEZ, and hopefully this is the last time I have to.” She glanced back to her tablet, ending the discussion. Vic pressed on, and I nearly pinched her to tell her to stop.
“How did you become a Watcher?”
Only a second of annoyance spread across Em’s face before her expression relaxed and she said, “Even as a Pur outside of the DEZ, things don’t come that easy for us. There aren’t many of us; it’s rather expensive to create a genetic kid. Most tend to stick together in the same social groups – elitists – but we’re still better off than you Marked kids.” Em’s cold glare quickly turned to me before I even had a chance to say anything. “And don’t worry, this isn’t a ‘poor little rich girl’ sob story.” I put my hands up in defence. “My parents created me mostly for status. Being parents gave them another title, but they loved me—still do—and they were good to me when they were around. I was raised by my MaidBot more than my own mother. I guess the stoic, cold demeanor of the Bot kind of wore off on me.” Em shrugged, glancing back to her tablet. “I didn’t have many friends at school because I didn’t like any of them. A waste of time, chatting about the latest Linked Show or new clothing trends. And being a genetic kid still meant I was different, and not everyone is as open as you’re led to believe. The Pur are accepted and liked even in Cytos, but we’re all different, just like the Carbons, and this scares the average person. So, I searched for something to give me more meaning…someone to show me a different way.”
I don’t know why I shivered at the way she looked at me, but my blood went ice cold.
“Ava has trained me since I was nine years old,” Em said, and I was sure my mouth gaped wide open. Beside me, Vic’s eyes were round as she hung on every word coming from those pretty red lips. “She doesn’t go easy on anyone, as I’m sure you know. I left our training with more than a bruised ego, but I kept going back. She continued to train me, just as she’d been trained back when she was a Lady of the Muted Forest, back when her mother pushed her to the breaking point, despite her limitations.”
Ava had told me once she’d lost her sight as a young child. She hadn’t wanted any sympathy from me, nor did she want to be seen as some sort of inspiration because of her circumstances. She merely saw it as a minor inconvenience that helped her heighten every other skill and sense she had. She used what others saw as a weakness and made it a strength.
Em sighed. “When I turned eighteen, Ava brought me to Commander Reyes, the leader of the Watchers, and they quickly took me in. I had a skillset they were looking for.” A smirk spread across her mouth. “I met Jayla and Caspian shortly after, and I’ve been tied to them ever since.”
Vic’s mouth was open, and she watched Em with wonder. “So, you were trained by a Lady of the Muted Forest, and now you’re a Watcher! That’s like…you’re like a living legend.”
Em snorted again. “Hardly, but I’ll be sure to rub that title in Caspian’s face.”
“Are he and…are Jayla and him…” I don’t know why I stumbled over the words. Maybe it was the fact that prying into any part of Emery’s life felt like a lethal choice to make.
“No, not in that way, anyway.” Em’s mouth twisted. “Jayla’s had…a rough life. And Caspian has been there for her for a long time, but there’s something about letting people in that breeds fear and anxiety into someone like Jayla. But she’d be lost without him, and she wouldn’t be too proud to admit it. So would I, even if he’s usually annoying as hell. Just don’t tell him that.”
I knew what that felt like. I didn’t know Jayla’s history or what she’d been through, but I understood that letting someone in was hard, and the fear of rejection or losing them could outweigh the benefits of keeping them too close. But then I almost died and in that moment, it felt stupid to push away someone that made me feel strong and comfortable. Someone I wanted to be around—I needed to be around.
“Why are you doing this for us?” Vic asked. I flinched, waiting for the sharp tongue of Em to lash out, but instead she eased back, and something like a smile spread across her face.
“You remind me of my sister,” Em said.
“You have a sister?”
“Had,” Em corrected Vic. “I never knew her, didn’t even know she existed. She also grew up in the DEZ and was killed here.”
I stilled. “She grew up here?”
Em nodded, glancing down to her nails as she tapped them against her leg. “I don’t know much, only that her public execution made national news, and the stories they told of her are the reason everyone is so terrified of the Marked kids now.” My brows scrunched. Em sighed; she looked unwilling to relive the story, but she continued, “She was killed trying to escape the DEZ, but the story they spread was that she went crazy and killed five guards before trying to burn down the entire place. They said something in the Marked kids’ genetics when they were created was the reason they weren’t accepted by their parents—and why they are kept in the secure facility. Rumours, as you know, spread like wildfire, and the people of Cytos quickly pinned the Marked kids as their next target to fear and hate.”
My eyes widened. The people of Cytos were scared of us because they thought something was wrong with us. Like we were mentally unstable or something? And I knew first-hand the rumors were well received among the people.
“Didn’t Governor Grayson or a representative of the DEZ tell the people we shouldn’t be feared, that there was nothing to worry about?” Vic asked.
Em shook her head. “She was the one who warned us. My sister’s death was public knowledge, so Governor Grayson cleaned up the mess by expanding on the rumors and ensuring people didn’t come ask questions. Everyone just accepted that there was something wrong with the Marked—and as you know, that fear brought out violence from some.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. What happens when we get out of here? Will they still fear us?” I argued.
Again, Em shrugged. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
I blinked. It didn’t make sense. We were supposed to be training here, so we could integrate into their society. We couldn’t do that if they feared us.
“If you’re done with the twenty questions, the upload is finished, too.” Em tucked her tablet into her jacket pocket and shifted around us to the steel quad door.
“Did your parents know about your sister?” Vic asked, and I nearly kicked her to make her stop asking questions. I wanted to know, too, and I understood why Vic had asked the question.
Em was quiet for a long while, staring at the door before she finally said, “No, they didn’t.”
Her hand rested on the door for a moment longer before she glanced over her shoulder to where Vic and I huddled. “The people you love matter more than anything else in this world. Always remember that. Always fight for them.” She waited for me to nod and I did.
She creaked the door open only a sliver as she slid out. As the door closed behind her, she said, “Jayla has requested you all join us for dinner Saturday night at her place. Don’t worry about getting caught leaving; we have control of every camera bot in this place. And bring the brooding one with you.” The door closed without a whisper.
Today, the first of our graduating group would complete their final testing, and everyone was a bit anxious. Instructor Yarik still hadn’t told us much about what to expect, but we were told a final test would happen in our pairings before we could leave.
All classes were cancelled for the afternoon as James and Scott, the first two to graduate from the DEZ, completed final testing. Everyone was far too curious to be happy about our Friday afternoon off, so instead we sat in the oversized couches of the library situated across the hall from the room they had brought James and Scott into an hour ago.
Camilla and Blane sat at a table not far from us, the latter shifting in her seat as if she couldn’t quite get comfortable. None of us knew what to expect, and it had everyone on edge.
That was the weird part, the unsettling thing about all this. In our time here at the DEZ, we had always been told exactly what to expect. We were prepared and trained for the outside world, told it would be hard, and we were to be strong. Every test was practically laid out for us, so we knew exactly what to expect and what to study. The fact no one knew what our graduation test entailed was unnerving.
“What do you think we should wear tomorrow?” Vic asked beside me.
She, unlike everyone else, wasn’t thinking about the final test. She was already thinking about our dinner tomorrow with Jayla and her team. Theo had been less than excited about it, but he wouldn’t let us go on our own.
“Wear whatever you want. I doubt they expect us to come all dressed up. There’s not exactly that many options here to choose from,” I snapped back, a bit sharper than intended.
Vic didn’t even bristle at my tone. “I think I’ll wear my black leather pants and silver blouse.”
I shrugged, hardly listening, as she went into what she would pair with her clothes and what she would dress me in.
My attention moved to Camilla and Blane, who were whispering between each other, the latter looking unhappy with the conversation. I stood up and circled around the couch, hardly hearing Vic complain I never listened as I waved my hand at her to be quiet.
Theo followed my gaze and quickly turned his attention back to Vic, as the two continued talking to avoid any suspicion while I ducked behind a stack of library books and inched closer to Camilla and Blane’s table. Dust coated the shelves of the hardly used books. Everything was kept on tablets, so physical books were hardly necessary.
“I know what I saw, Blane. Stop trying to convince me it was nothing,” Camilla snapped. Her voice was low, but the anger in it rose. “Things are not normal in here, and I don’t think anyone else has any idea what they’re getting into.”
“Do you really care what happens to any one of these people?” Blane hissed back. “Let them get what they deserve, what they have coming to them. I could care less about anyone but you.”
Camilla rolled her eyes. “I don’t care about them…it’s just. It’s not right. We should tell someone, warn them at least.”
Blane gripped Camilla’s chin and turned her face to his. She winced at the pressure. “If you warn them, you expose yourself. When someone finds out what you’ve been up to, what you’ve seen, they’ll end you before you even have a chance to warn anyone.”
My throat went dry. What could Camilla possibly have seen that would cause anyone to end her life?
Camilla’s eyes dropped and she nodded. “I know…it’s just…”
“Stop going soft on me, Cami. This isn’t the time to fall apart,” Blane demanded, and Camilla nodded again.
I was about to sneak back to my spot when the door across the hallway slammed open, and voices shouted from the room. A guard carried a body in his arms, and Instructor Yarik was close behind them as they sprinted down the hallway.
We all rushed to the hall. Camilla’s eyes widened for a moment when she noticed where I’d been standing, but I brushed past her quickly.
James walked out of the open door and into the hallway, his hands and clothes covered in black blood, his face pale. Eyes wide, his mouth moved up and down, as if he was trying to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Camilla reached his side. “What happened?”
James slowly turned to Camilla, and he looked as if he’d seen a ghost. As if he hadn’t noticed all of us standing, watching him, waiting for an explanation of what happened.
He shook his head, and his entire body shivered uncontrollably. “Scott’s dead…he’s dead.”
Chapter 19
Jayla
“Can you stop pacing? You’re making me dizzy,” Caspian drawled from the couch he was sprawled across.
I’d sent Emery to get Sienna and her friends, but waiting around for them to return was painfully boring. Caspian, despite quickly pulling out of his mood from the other night, was equally as bored. Neither of us were the kind to sit around having dinner parties, but this one was all business.
We hadn’t talked about what he’d said the other night, and as if it had never happened, we went back to our usual routine of teasing and flirting. It was a comfort to me I didn’t dare admit to anyone; something I was used to that made me feel normal and forget the responsibilities I had. The burden I’d always carried with me disappeared a little when he was around.
I could always count on Caspian for two things; first, that he’d always tell me the truth, and second, he’d be whatever I needed him to be. Most of the time, it was a distraction. Because if I spent too much time thinking of everything, thinking of losing my mom and what I almost became, thinking about my past, it would consume me like it once did. So I leaned on him, and he happily obliged.
“If it bothers you, don’t look at me,” I argued back and continued my steady pace back and forth in front of the window. It was raining outside, dark clouds covered the sky, and a thunderstorm brewed in the distance. I knew Em would take the long way home under the cover of the main streets and buildings to avoid having our guests soaked to the bone before they even got here, but still I was impatient to get this over with.
Caspian settled back into the couch, crossing his arms behind his head while his gaze draped over me.
I finally stopped and glared at him. “Can you stop gawking for one night?”
Caspian smirked and shrugged. “You shouldn’t have put on my favorite tight pants if you wanted me to be professional.”
I rolled my eyes. “These are what all my pants look like.” It wasn’t a lie, not entirely. Most of my clothes were black—easier to hide in the shadows—but I was well aware these ones were a little tighter and more flattering than most.
“Right.” Cas’s brows flickered up with amusement.
I turned back to the window to hide the smile threatening to expose me.
“You know that window is reflective, right?” Cas said.
I stuck my tongue out at him in the reflection of the window as the door behind me opened.
“Welcome to our humble abode,” Emery said, as she held the door open for Vic, Sienna, and Theo. The latter wisely took his time assessing everything in the room, including the exits.
“Wow.” Vic strolled in, her eyes lit up at the extravagance of the room. The plush chairs and couches and wall-to-wall windows draped with grey velvet curtains. The floors were ripe with marble, flowing to the kitchen island like one smooth waterfall.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Vic. I’m Jayla.” I stretched out a hand, inclining my head to Cas. “And this is Caspian.”
Vic shook both our hands, and the genuine smile on her face nearly melted me. Now, I understood why Em had already taken such a liking to the girl.
“Would you like a tour?” Caspian offered, and Vic gave a quick nod. He began pointing out everything in the house and the city of Cytos sprawling before the large window.
I strolled up to Sienna. “You’re looking in better health than the last time I saw you.”
“Yeah, I’d say so. Still a little sore, but alive, so that’s something.” Sienna shrugged.
Emery had joined Cas in showing Vic the bedrooms, and Theo stayed close to Sienna and me, though his attention was on Vic and Emery. Good, he was at least smart enough to know who the biggest threat might be, even if Em was little more than a spry kitten around Vic.
“Can I offer you a drink? Do you guys drink?” I asked.
“Tonight, we do.” My brows rose at the tone and implication, but Sienna shrugged me off with a weak smile and continued looking around the room. To her right, Theo watched her with the sort of male concern I’d grown used to receiving from Cas.
Sienna followed me to the island where a bottle of wine was already chilled and ready to pour. I filled up two glasses and passed them to Theo and Sienna, filling my own last before nodding to the table where we all took a seat.
Sienna sipped on her wine, as she looked around the room. “So…I assume you didn’t invite us here just for food and wine.”
I smirked. “Right down to business.” She shrugged. “It can wait until after we’ve eaten. Don’t want the food to get cold.”
Caspian and Em returned with Vic trailing behind; her eyes danced over every detail in the room. She wore a dazed smile as she gleefully took it all in. This was probably the first time she’d even left the DEZ.
