Inner Circle

by Y A Marks

  “Yeah!” I perked up. “Everything has been great. Mari and Miko seem happy. I’ve even been thinking of painting my fingers and toes.”

  “You should make it a spa day. I could… even give you a massage afterward?” His voice lifted as though the last statement was a question. His eyes danced with the implications.

  “I’ll consider that.” I grinned. “Do you have a color you’d like to see on me?” I wiggled my fingers and did my best not to turn completely red from embarrassment.

  His head bounced from side to side. “I’m a guy. Isn’t it like, red or black that girls wear?”

  “I can do red,” I said. I don’t know why I expected more of a response from him. Boys don’t have a mind for feminine details. “I have a great color called Hot Lava that I bought like three months ago. I got it on a great sale, eighty percent off.”

  “Well, okay. That sounds kind of sexy.” His lips curled.

  Something beeped on the computer, and his gaze snapped to the Atlanta hologram. He quickly returned his attention to me. Expression darkening, his gaze rolled down.

  I stood and started to walk out. “You’re busy. I’ll just, um, talk with you later.”

  His footfalls rattled the floor. My hand swung backward, and he spun me around.

  “What? What’s wrong? I’m sorry about the computer. I’ve been running algos,” he said.

  I stared into his eyes, they were tight—worried. “I don’t want to interrupt you. You’re doing important save-the-world stuff. I mean, I…”

  “Just tell me.”

  I pushed the butterflies in my stomach down with as much willpower as I could. “I just want to know what we are? I mean, are we dating, kissing? Are you my boyfriend? Do I…” I mustered all of my confidence from seeing Sun Hi and Bryson earlier, grinned, and leaned in. “Do I get to sneak into your room late at night? I mean, what are we?”

  He smiled, a little too much at the late-night remark. “I think we… I think we’re being us—enjoying us.”

  “But, I haven’t seen you. You can’t just kiss a girl and then not say anything to her for like twenty-four hours. You can’t imagine all the things that go through our heads.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, Paeton.”

  His thumb rubbed the back of my hand. My fingers melted followed by my palm and wrist. Just that small touch meant so much for whatever reason.

  “You still…” I was two steps from falling to pieces. This was why boys like him were so dangerous. He was pulling me in, making me think about him every day, every moment. Focusing was hard, and he acted like we were just friends. “You still like me, right?”

  “Yes. Don’t you see me in here going crazy?” he whispered. “Now that you told me about the nail polish, I probably won’t be able to concentrate for the rest of the day.” He took a step forward, grabbed my other hand, and stood in front of me.

  “Are you mad at me for asking you to kiss me?” My gaze slid along the floor. After a second it rose to meet his. My rambling floodgate opened and it sent a thousand words downstream to my mouth. “I know some guys want to make the first move, but I almost died, literally. And when the Governor was going to kill me, all I could think about was what I would have missed in life. I should have kissed you on the truck. I knew it at the time, but stupid AJ, and I just feel like—”

  His mouth covered mine and silenced me. Instinctively, I closed my eyes, savoring the moment. His fingers slid over my exposed arms, and tiny bits of warmth passed from him into me. The tightness in my stomach released. My heart absorbed all of his warmth and tripled the heat until the feeling tickled the tips of my toes.

  He pulled me closer and our bodies touched. His skin was hot even in the cold room and his savory, sweet scent covered me.

  I didn’t understand how he could be so gentle and yet be in control. His lips forced mine open then closed like he was leading me in a dance. Following his rhythm was effortless.

  Everything inside of me paused. I wasn’t in time anymore but gracefully guided out of it. There was nothing around me that was important. The darkness of the room gave way to a glowing pink. A beach spread around me with the sun warming my face and a peaceful ocean blowing a gentle wind across my neck.

  After a few moments, his lips left mine. I opened my eyes as though I awakened from a dream. I stared into his gray irises, which caught enough light in the room to appear as though they glowed. I think my mouth was still open, waiting for more.

  “What was I saying?” I asked.

  A slight grin curled his lips. His eyebrows pressed against his temples. “Is it okay if I meet you at six o’clock?”

  I nodded. At least I think I did. Honestly, I didn’t know what was going on. My mind couldn’t concentrate on anything but the way he tasted.

  With a smile, he ran his fingers across my cheek. My skin ignited. The warmth from my cheeks spread through my body.

  Somehow, I made it out the room and back up the stairs. I wasn’t sure what this feeling was. I was high on drugs the first time we kissed, this time I didn’t understand what was causing this sensation. It had to be mental, but calming me with a kiss was like, tastier than the best chocolate crème mocha ever!

  I went back to my room and pulled out all of my stuff from my backpack. One pair of jeans was trashed thanks to a generous supply of blood, which left me only with the pair I had on, the same pair I had worn for the last two days. Yep, I’m such a fashionable girl. I’m totally Upper-C. I mean, I’m hot. I have flawless skin that looks beaten with a bat. I have a perfect, hourglass shape if I stand in front of one of those weird mirrors at the fair. Don’t get me started on my shiny, bounce around, perfect hair that never needs any kind of spray and only exists in my dreams. I mean, even my fingernails are perfect—perfectly short, which end at my fingertips.

  You know what? Forget it. I’m going to paint my happy-trappy toes and not worry about it. Next time I’m at the Perimeter Market, if I can ever show my face on the street again, I’ll go crazy. No more money to pay to old Ms. Cooper at the Stadium. All my money can go where I want. I just need to steal some first—cause that’s right, I’m broke. I paid Ms. Cooper before I went off joining a rebel organization that wants to thwart the American government.

  “Crix, life is definitely not fair.”

  CHAPTER 2

  At five o’clock, I emerged from my room with my jean legs rolled up. I had tissues stuck between my toes because even though the nail polish had dried, the top coat, Platinum Shine Glass by Allison Riley, was still wet. I hobbled back and forth like a penguin, keeping my toes away from anything that could mar them. My fingers stuck out. In my desire to please Rylan, I decided to paint them. All of this created a new dance called the Nail Polish Shuffle because that’s exactly what happened as I avoided obstacles and all human contact.

  The problem I had, well the reason for my dramatic appearance, was the fact that with painted toes and fingers, I needed something other than blood-stained jeans or the same, dirty-to-the-core ones I had worn for the last few days. So, off I went in search for better clothing options.

  By some kind of miracle, I made it down the ladders. I stood outside Sun Hi’s door and slapped it with my palm.

  The door slid open. Her eyebrows danced while every single tooth appeared in her mouth.

  “Going to the ball, Cinderella?” she asked.

  “Yeah well, sort of. Can you let me come in a minute?”

  “C’mon.”

  I wiggled my way inside, walking on my heels. I sat on her bed and lifted my feet to double check the finish on my toes.

  Her room was exactly like mine, except everything was in reverse. Her bed was on the left side while mine was on the right. She had a bunk bed set, but she didn’t have a roommate either—unless she counted Bryson, who practically lived in there.

  She grabbed my ankle and turned my leg a bit to examine my feet. “I like the color. It’s like a fuchsia.”

  “It’s called Hot Lava.�
��

  She tightened her chin. “It’s cute. Where’d you get it?”

  “At a shop over off Ponce. It was on a great sale.”

  “Very nice, very nice girl.”

  I smiled and glanced over at her far wall. The last time I was inside Sun Hi’s room there was a painting of a window with actual cloth curtains placed on both sides. Next to the curtains, a sketch of a little, Asian and black, biracial girl with two, long braids on each side of her head had been added. It was mainly pencil, however, the forehead and cheeks were painted a medium brown.

  “Who’s the little girl?” I asked.

  Sun Hi turned to where I was facing. Her lips pulled into a wide line. “That’s Jayla, Bryson’s daughter.”

  “I didn’t know he had a daughter,” I said.

  “Yep. I asked him to paint her on the wall because I thought it might be great for us.” Sun Hi’s shoulders slumped. “Now, I feel her eyes watching me when I’m with him. She keeps saying, ‘You’d better take your skinny arms off my daddy!’”

  She laughed, but I had a feeling she wasn’t completely joking.

  “Is that why Bryson’s gone all the time?” I asked.

  “Nope. He’s gone because he has a thousand jobs.” She turned to me. “There was an accident with the police a year ago. The police fired into Bry’s car, wounding him, and shattering the bones in Jayla’s thighs. He works extra jobs trying to get the money to pay for the surgeries so maybe by the time she’s sixteen, she’ll be able to walk normally.”

  “Wow, that sucks.”

  “Yepper, he’s always gone. But, I did hear him say he did some bouncer work for your favorite fashionista a few times.”

  I thinned my eyes before rolling them. “Allison Riley is not my favorite fashionista.”

  “Then, why did you say her name?” She grinned, and her mouth rotated a few times with the gum she was chewing.

  I sighed. Was I really that obvious?

  “So anyway, I know you didn’t bring your Hot Lava toes down here to talk about Bryson. So, what’s up?”

  I took a moment to reorient myself—date with Rylan. “I know this may be a weird request, but do you have a skirt or something I could borrow? It would only be for tonight. I promise.”

  “Ooooooh. You’re doing something with Rylan?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.” My mouth spread into a gigantic grin, but hey, I was excited.

  “You two are becoming an item. This is so cute. Paeton is growin’ up. Just last week you were saving orphaned children and destroying mobile command bases, and now you’re going out on a date.”

  “Actually,” I exhaled. “It’s my first date, ever, like ever-ever.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Well, I’m Lower-C. I mean, who has the money or time or anything. I didn’t even dare trust anyone.” I glanced at her face, which tightened under the weight of my words. “You don’t think I’m being weird, do you?”

  The more I listened to myself and thought about my actions, I did feel a bit odd. I was in a rebel society with people who literally killed other people. Their days were spent studying blueprints and watching for areas they could conquer or at least make a political point. I had literally passed a guy on my way to Sun Hi’s room who was carrying what looked like a grenade launcher.

  Sun Hi rubbed my arm. “Paeton, you’re sixteen-years-old. I don’t think the world can fault you for wanting to look nice on a date.”

  “So, do you have anything I can borrow?”

  “Yes, in fact, I do.”

  She leaped off the bed and kneeled down in front of it. Her hands disappeared into the empty area underneath the mattress, and she dragged out a long, wooden box. Inside were dozens of clothing items. She thumbed through a few of them before pulling out a beige skirt.

  “What do you think about this?” she asked.

  “Oh wow, that’s cute.”

  “It’s not really a skirt, they’re shorts, but they have the skirt flared look.”

  “I don’t care. They’re super nice.”

  “I also have this top.”

  She pulled up a shirt that was mostly a sweater but it had laced, open shoulders and blue jean fabric sewn along the borders.

  “Oh my goodness, Sun Hi you’re the best.” I hopped up and tried to hug her.

  “Nails,” she reminded me.

  “Oh yeah, thanks.”

  I palmed the clothes as best I could and wobbled out the room. It wasn’t until I reached the cold metal of the walkways that I realized I couldn’t climb the ladders with painted nails and clothes pressed between my palms. I considered asking Sun Hi for help, but I could manage. There were a few ramps that spanned floors. I just had to hobble my way around the gigantic walkways.

  I spun around in a circle remembering the direction of the closest ramp. I turned left, away from Sun Hi’s room. Several people’s eyebrows lifted as they saw me waddle by. Part of me wanted to put up a front. I was after all the face of Escerica and had killed Governor Read, but I didn’t really know how to be that person. I was doing my best just trying to be Paeton.

  I limboed under a ladder some guy was carrying and scurried away from a few kids playing jacks on a solid piece of concrete. When I made it to the ramp, three older men sat around watching the news on a hand-held monitor.

  I peeked at the screen as I snuck past. I hoped something else was on the news besides me.

  An Indian newswoman with a long ponytail pulled to the front and a white male, about twenty-eight, discussed something. The camera cut to a close of the newswoman.

  “It’s the first week of March, and it’s time for the semi-annual Death Days. Seven years ago the lieutenant governor ran his entire campaign on the creation of the event to control inmate populations. His landslide victory is credited to the Death Days. This year due to Governor Read’s death, Lieutenant Governor Dalton definitely has his hands full. The government discussed canceling the Death Days because of security concerns. Escerica’s attack on Perimeter Market was added into the talks several times. However, Lieutenant Governor Dalton has expressed that the Death Days event will go on as scheduled,” she said.

  The screen cut to a scene inside a gigantic greenhouse. My best bet was that it was the Summit. I had seen it lots of times on the news. Generally, politicians and other important people spoke in the garden area which spanned several blocks. There were five floors within the Summit. The top was the gardens with over a hundred mansions, townhomes, a full-sized golf course, spa, and other amenities. The bottom levels were lavish condos large enough to put half of Perimeter Market inside.

  A handsome, forty-something guy appeared on the screen. A flurry of cold shocks rattled through my rib cage. The face was the same as the man who had appeared on the LCD of the android when I saved Mari and Miko.

  He tossed up a hand and took a step forward.

  “We will not allow rebels to stop any of the normal proceedings that occur during the year. The Death Days are important to maintain the safety of our prison systems.”

  “If you call killing a few hundred people important,” one of the old men watching the screen said.

  “Lieutenant Governor, what do you say to the people who consider the Death Days barbaric?”

  “First, the people who are in prison are barbaric by what they have done. These are criminals—murderers, rapists, psychopaths. It’s important to eliminate the worst of them if they haven’t killed each other already.”

  I took a deep breath. Lt. Gov. Dalton was the same guy from the android. Knowing he was in charge of the Death Days made my stomach knot. I hated the Death Days. For forty-eight hours, the prison guards armed the weakest of the prisoners and let them butcher the others. For every person killed, a month would be removed from their sentence. I had heard of people taking years, that’s years, plural, off their time in jail.

  The problem with the Death Days was the really bad people had connections or were smart enough to disarm the young or stu
pid. They’d use the time to remove their rivals. It was a blood bath that would kill thousands—and not just men, but women and children, too. Dhyla had told me about the days when the prisons were segregated by sex and age. Only kids under thirteen were spared, but not all the time. Capt. Davis had said that Mari and Miko could have been processed or thrown in jail.

  The news showed a few people protesting the Death Days in the next shot. My exuberant energy drained from me. I didn’t need this. I was going on my first date tonight, and I wanted to be happy.

  I quickened around. My pinky toe scraped the side of the metal railing. I gazed down and half of the gloss from my top coat was scratched.

  “Crix.”

  ***

  After my nails dried, I put on the outfit Sun Hi gave me. The shorts were a little big but luckily, they had a drawstring around the waist. I was used to loose clothes and had plenty of safety pins to tighten the shorts. The shirt sleeves were a little long, but I liked that look. I felt more wrapped up when only my fingers stuck out of the long, tubed sleeves. I put on two pairs of socks and dawned my fabulous, but busted boots. I did have a few bracelets, but only one of them matched.

  For my hair, I decided to take the top half and roll it up into a messy bun. That way the bottom half could brush my shoulders. I still didn’t know what Rylan’s type was. I’d play it midway.

  My life or death experiences scared the pimples out of my skin or maybe fresh blood was a natural skin cleanser. Either way, my face looked good. And even though I was broke, I had picked up a pink lip gloss for myself when I had gotten paid a month ago. It was also by Allison Riley, a shade called Rosemary. I always knew it would come in handy one day, even though I paid full price for it.

  I glanced at myself in the scratched mirror above the little basin. I grinned at my reflection. Sure, I wasn’t some tall super-chick with breasts and legs for days. But what I had worked, and on days like this, I loved my smile. When people actually see me, not a Lower-C, but actually saw me, I had learned that my smile could open doors and hearts.