The Blemished

by Meredith Bond

  All I had to do was jump and grab hold of it. The dogs kept on approaching, foam and drool spilling from their mouths. I took a deep breath and leapt as high as I could with my arms stretching so hard my muscles hurt. A feeling of pure joy and exhilaration washed over me as my fingers looped around the gnarly bark. The Doberman caught my ankle and I cried out in pain. His teeth sank into my flesh, pulling me back down towards the ground. My grip loosened. The dog pulled me down centimetre by centimetre.

  But I wasn’t ready to give up yet. With as much strength as I could muster I kicked the dog hard with my good leg. The mutt yelped. It released my ankle and I clambered onto the branch, grateful for it holding my weight. It gave me just enough leverage to get over the wall where Daniel helped me down. My ankle stung from the bite and my jeans were wet with blood but it wasn’t broken as I could put weight on it.

  “The gate,” I said between breaths, “we need to shut it or the dogs will come straight through and chase us.”

  “Can you do it from here?” Daniel asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  The truth was that I didn’t feel strong enough. Opening the window had taken a lot of concentration.

  “I don’t think I can try,” I said after a pause. “I might collapse like in the Slums.”

  “Okay, we’ll run round and shut it ourselves,” he said.

  Rain fell. The ground loosened, making it easier to slip. I struggled to run with my ankle, searing pain running up my leg with every step. My body wanted to stop so badly that I almost gave in, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t let Daniel get hurt. They would punish him worse than me because he was a boy with a father who died for almost exactly the same crime. I had to make sure he was safe.

  When we got to the gate the dogs were already on their way, their paws beating the ground. One of them with a bloody nose.

  “Quick!” I said to Daniel.

  We both grabbed hold of the wrought iron bars of the gate. It was heavy and dragged along the gravel. With our injuries and tired bodies we struggled to move it whilst the two Dobermans approached, growling. I leaned back, ignoring the screaming pain in my ankle, putting all of my weight into it. The gate inched closer. The dogs leapt towards us.

  “Pull!” Daniel yelled.

  With every part of me I pulled the gate, using up the last iota of energy I had. The gate almost closed, catching the head and shoulders of one of the dogs in its grip. Daniel kicked at it and the dog snatched at his foot with its jaws. I hurried to his side, pulling him back from the dog and trying to force it back onto the other side of the gate. Daniel cried out in pain and I kicked the dog back again. It yelped and finally relinquished. The dog wriggled back from the gate and with one last pull I slammed it shut.

  “Are you all right?” I asked. Daniel had his hand over his ankle and I couldn’t see if there was any bleeding.

  “It hurts but I think I’m okay,” he replied.

  The rain pelted us and I had to move wet strands of hair from my eyes. Sirens sounded in the distance.

  “We need to get out of here,” Daniel said grimly. “Can you run?”

  “Barely,” I answered.

  He paused for a second. “I’m sorry.”

  “What for?”

  “This is all my fault.”

  The sirens were getting louder and I had to snap Daniel out of it. “I made my own decision, Daniel.”

  “Run,” he said. “Run in that direction. I will be right behind you.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I am not falling for that. I’m not letting you be the martyr. If I go you’re coming with me.”

  “You have a chance––”

  “We both have a chance but the longer we stand here arguing about it the less chance we have.” I took hold of his hand and dragged him away from the gate. “If you don’t come with me I’ll stay with you and there is nothing you can do about it.”

 

  35

  We limped into the darkness. The wails of the approaching Enforcers droned on in the distance. Sirens were an unfamiliar sound. In the Slums and the ghettos the Enforcers dealt with crime quickly and quietly. But in the GEM neighbourhood they made as much noise as possible. Crime was rare, but when it did happen they wanted to create drama.

  Lights turned on. Sleeping houses awoke. The sirens were doing their job. We had to keep out of sight.

  Daniel didn’t complain about his ankle but I saw the tight line of his lips. I gripped hold of his hand, manoeuvring us into the darkest shadows, keeping under cover of trees and bushes.

  “If we get out of this and we actually make it home, Angela is going to kill us,” he said quietly, trying to lighten the mood.

  I smiled. “Just promise me that this is the last time you decide to turn tough-guy.”

  He laughed and I imagined his crooked smile in the dark. “This is definitely the last time, I promise.” He sighed. “I’m such an idiot. I make this big speech about wanting to protect you and all I do is get you in trouble.” He kicked a stone and then winced in pain.

  “Daniel, I make my own decisions. I decided to go after you tonight. I made you take us to the Slums.” I paused. “I like that you let me choose. You’re the only person I know who treats me like an adult.”

  Our conversation was cut off early by the sounds of footsteps on the gravel behind us, footsteps which were coming at a jog and belonged to heavy boots. They sounded close.

  “This way,” Daniel said, jerking my arm painfully.

  He pulled us between trees into a garden. I anxiously checked the house it belonged to. The lights were off and the curtains drawn. I spotted a small tool-shed at the bottom of the lawn and we approached it in silence. Daniel tried the door. It was unlocked. I cringed as the door creaked, keeping one eye on the house, but nothing stirred. We went into the shed and pulled the door shut. Inside it was pitch black and I huddled close to Daniel.

  “Why do you think she had that scan?” Daniel whispered into my ear.

  “She must have been pregnant,” I replied, even though the thought of Mrs Murgatroyd being pregnant horrified me.

  “I wonder what happened to the baby,” he said.

  The footsteps came closer and we froze. I tried to control my breathing, paranoid by how rasping and loud it had become. Behind me I felt Daniel’s breath on the back of my head, the warmth of his body and his arms wrapped around me.

  “I thought I saw something up here,” I heard one of the Enforcers say, his voice muffled by the helmet.

  “I think I see footprints,” the other one replied. I imagined them waving a torch around in the dark.

  “Let’s try through here,” said the first Enforcer.

  I held my breath as the footsteps moved in our direction. Silently, I bent to my knees to look through the key hole of the shed. I saw torches heading towards us, one flashed directly at me and I gasped. Daniel grabbed me and pulled me up, clamping his hand over my mouth, gently shushing me. The Enforcers were just feet away from us now, if they decided to open the shed door we would be found and arrested on the spot. I began to feel that all hope was lost and that we would never make it out of here.

  The footsteps stopped. “I can’t see anything but they might have passed this way.”

  “We should check the house,” the other one agreed. “We don’t want the whole neighbourhood terrorised.”

  “You reckon they were Slum?”

  “Most likely. I keep telling ya, the Slum lot are getting worse. The lot of ‘em need putting down.”

  “They will do,” agreed his partner. “If London falls it’ll be a massacre in the Areas. As if they’re gonna let the Resistance rise up in the North. Go and knock on the door, see if they’ve seen anything, will ya?”

  There were more footsteps as the Enforcer approached the house. Daniel wrapped his arm around me – protectively – and we both held our breath. The Enforcer rapped on the door. He stopped and waited for a few seconds before commencing
knocking again.

  “Enforcers! Open up your property please!” he shouted.

  Another pause and then the squeak of hinges. “Yes, Enforcer, how can I help?” said a woman’s voice.

  “A near-by house has been broken into and we believe the perpetrators headed this way. Have you seen or heard anything suspicious?”

  We could do nothing but wait and hope. If she mentioned the shed or if the Enforcers thought to look here we were doomed.

  The woman sounded frightened. “Oh! How terrible. Was it Blemished handiwork? I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything. I live with my son who is still asleep. We’re both very heavy sleepers I’m afraid.”

  “Well, thank you anyway, Ma’am. Be sure to lock your doors and windows before you go back to bed.”

  “Oh, I will, Enforcer, I will. Although I don’t know if I will sleep now. How awful for the victim.”

  The hinge squeaked shut.

  “Well that was a waste of time,” said the Enforcer who had spoken to the woman at the door. “They’ll have a head start on us now. Come on, I bet they ran through the back garden and over the wall.”

  “All right,” said his partner.

  The Enforcer’s feet dragged in the gravel of the driveway and I heard a thud as they climbed over the fence. Their footsteps turned into a dull plod as they jogged away. I was finally able to breathe again.

  “We should wait a few minutes to make sure they’ve gone and so that woman isn’t staring out of the window,” Daniel whispered. His arms were still wrapped around me and I felt a flutter of nerves in my stomach. His breath on my ear sent tingles down my jaw and I shivered.

  “Are you cold?” Daniel asked.

  “No,” I whispered.

  He seemed to become aware that he had his arms around me and gently let me go, stepping back. He left my body a heaving, jangling mess of emotion, crying out for him to hold me again.

  We waited for what felt like hours in the cramped space, not able to move. My muscles ached and my ankle throbbed. Finally we ventured out, tip-toeing onto the lawn. Daniel took my hand again and we limped into the darkness for the second time.

  *

  I didn’t want to go home. By the time we reached Angela’s house the sun was beginning to rise. We collapsed into the kitchen, Daniel hobbling from the pain of his ankle and me bleeding profusely. Angela silently helped us to a seat, her eyes red-rimmed by tears.

  “Where have you been?” she hissed at us. “Mum has been asking for you.” She glared at Daniel. “And what the hell has happened to you both?”

  I felt so tired that my bones ached. “Long story. Probably best if you don’t know.”

  “You were supposed to bring him back,” she said to me. “You’ve both done something illegal, haven’t you?”

  Daniel and I glanced at each other. Angela angrily ripped at the bottom of his jeans.

  “I’ll get disinfectant and bandages,” she snapped. “Mum leaves in two hours if you even care.”

  Daniel dropped his eyes in shame. From his haunted glance and the dark circles around his eyes it was obvious how much he cared, probably too much. So much that for a second he hit the self-destruct button. He suffered differently to Angela and he dealt with pain in his own way. She just couldn’t see that.

  “So what happened to your legs,” she said on her return, a little softer after seeing our wounds.

  “We were bitten by dogs,” I said.

  Angela’s eyes widened. “Bloody big dogs by the look of things.”

  I winced as she dabbed cotton pads soaked in disinfectant onto my cuts. She worked quickly, cleaning and dressing the wound. When she looked at Daniel’s bruised ankle she frowned.

  “You both should really go to a doctor,” she said.

  “This will be fine,” Daniel said. “I trust you.”

  Angela’s face brightened and she smiled broadly. After bandaging us up she looked proudly down on her handiwork. “That should help. Mina, you should redress that later. You don’t want it infected.”

  “Is Paul home?”

  We all looked up to see that Theresa had walked in wearing her night gown. She seemed to have aged in just a few days and her posture was declining into that of a crooked old woman.

  “No, Mum,” Angela said in a voice full of sorrow. “Go back to bed.”

  We watched her turn around and hobble off, knowing that in just a few hours we would have to say goodbye.

 

  36

  Daniel and I took turns in the bathroom and managed a brief nap. I hadn’t been home and I wondered if my dad had even noticed. There was something going on, I knew it, but I had other things to deal with now: saying goodbye to my best friend’s mum.

  Angela led her down the stairs, dressed in a smart skirt and a blouse. Her eyes were wet with tears and I ran over to hug her.

  “Is today the day I get to see Paul?” Theresa asked sadly.

  “Yes,” Angela replied. “Yes, it is.”

  Theresa grinned like a teenager. “Oh! At last.”

  My dad was true to his word. Things were arranged perfectly. The car came on time. Theresa’s carer was a lovely, kind woman. As Angela and Daniel took it in turns to say goodbye I felt sadder than I had in a very long time. I thought about the day Dad turned to me and told me that he believed my mum to be dead. On that day I hadn’t cried. I’d felt numb inside. Yet, watching Angela cling to her confused mother brought tears welling up in my eyes, and they soon rolled freely down my cheeks.

  “You’re a good girl, Mina,” Theresa said to me as we embraced. “I know that in my heart.”

  I didn’t want to let go, but when I did my face was soaked with more tears. I cried because it wasn’t true. I wasn’t good. I broke rules and laws. I met with boys in secret. I was a bad, bad person.

  Angela broke down as the last car door slammed and Daniel put his arms around her. I went over to them both and Angela pulled me into the hug. Both of them wrapped themselves around me and I realised something then. They were my family.

  *

  It was Saturday. I wanted to stay at Angela’s and avoid everything at home but there was no point. Angela and Daniel wanted to come with me to avoid their empty house. We all wanted to avoid something.

  I opened the door to my house and froze. “What are you doing here?”

  A man in a leather coat sat comfortably at our kitchen table, the man that my Dad introduced to me as Matthew. Daniel moved closer to me.

  “Have you been out all night?” he said. “I can see you’re going to be a lot of hard work.”

  “What are you talking about?” I snapped. “Who let you in here and where is my dad?”

  “Mina, I think you need to take a seat––”

  “Don’t tell me what to do. Tell me where my dad is.”

  “Fine,” he said. Matthew picked up a small manila envelope and tossed it to me. “This will explain everything.”

  I stared suspiciously at the envelope in my hands. My dad’s handwriting spelled out my name on the front cover. I ripped it open and flattened out the lined paper inside.

  Mina,

  Forgive me for what I am about to do.

  There are things that I have kept from you and for that reason I am ashamed. Now I am going to do the one thing I swore I never would, but I have no choice. I have left you and for now I cannot explain why. But I have left you security and I promise that we will see each other again.

  Oh, Mina. I am so very sorry that I have left it until now to tell you that you have other family members in Area 14. I have a younger brother. You have met him. His name is Matthew and he is your uncle. Now I leave you in his guardianship, and I can assure you that you are in safe hands.

  You cannot stay in Area 14. It is not safe. Matthew will help you leave.

  Remember our training, Mina. You are the strongest and most powerful person I know and I am incredibly proud that you are my daughter. I will see you soon.

  With all my love,<
br />
  Your father

  I staggered backwards into one of the kitchen chairs, barely conscious of its existence. The tears in my eyes blurred the words on the page.

  “I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” Matthew said. “We were going to explain everything to you, but your dad had a very small window in which he needed to… do what he needs to do.”

  “What’s going on?” Daniel said angrily. “Why is she crying?”

  I handed him the note. Angela took it and read it aloud.

  “So now I have no one too,” I mumbled.

  “You have an uncle,” Matthew said gently.

  “What? You?” I stood up from my seat. The kitchen table began to shake and my palms itched. Pots and pans jangled. “How do I know you really are my uncle? How do I know that my dad wasn’t forced to write that note?” I pointed to the paper. “You could have killed him. You could be evil.”

  Matthew got to his feet and approached. Before I even realised it, I’d moved the table, slamming it into him, creating a barrier between us.

  “Mina, stop it,” he said. He reached into his coat and I pushed the table back against him, pinning him to the wall. “Let me take this out of my jacket. I swear I won’t hurt you.”

  “How do we know that’s true,” Daniel chipped in.

  Matthew didn’t look at Daniel – instead he focussed his eyes on me. They were level and genuine. I wanted to believe him.

  “Just give me this one chance to prove it to you. I won’t come near you. Just let me show you something.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out something rectangular shaped – a photograph. He threw it over to me and it fluttered in the air and fell to the floor.

  I bent and lifted the photograph, turning it over to its picture side. It was old with dog-eared corners. In the photograph a woman clung on to two boys, one older than the other. I recognised the woman as my grandma. I could see that the older boy was my dad from the familiar eyes. The younger boy could be Matthew, there was some resemblance.

  “So you have a photograph,” I said. “It isn’t much evidence.”

  Matthew shook his head. “You’re named after our mother. Her middle name was Wilhelmina, after your great-grandmother. When you were born I came to visit and held you in my arms, you were so tiny, born in July, during a heat wave. Anna, your mum, was so protective of you. You should have seen the way she fussed over you. I was eighteen when you were born and you are the only baby I have ever held in my arms.”