Avoidables

by Rachel Medhurst

  *

  Purple had answered my call to meet us on Lower Side Bridge. My best friend frowned at me when Jason explained that we needed to go to the government compound.

  ‘Are you mad?

  Grinning, I nodded. ‘I think I might be. But, Jason can get us in. If we approach the officials, we could try and bargain.’

  ‘Bargain for what?’ Purple narrowed his eyes on Jason.

  The smaller man folded his arms across his chest. The light blue of his eyes twinkled from the rays of the rising sun. ‘Freedom. It’s what you want, isn’t it?’

  Scowling, his favourite pastime, Purple rolled his eyes. ‘And a little trip, straight into a trap, will get us our freedom?’

  Grabbing hold of the ridges on my friends arm, I tugged him away from Jason. ‘I know this is hard for you to believe, but I trust him. You don’t have to. You just need to be there for me. First sign of danger, you can leave.’

  ‘You really think I’m going to leave you? In this state?’

  ‘What state?’

  Clearing my face, I tried to adopt the look of innocence. ‘I can hear your thoughts, Hope. You’ve gone all…mushy.’

  The curl of Purple’s lip made me laugh. Jason frowned as we whispered between ourselves. As a Perfect, he wouldn’t have any abilities. Least of all, being able to hear others thoughts.

  ‘Stay out of my head!’ My snappy response was laced with amusement. I had never been one to be sappy. Something was going on.

  ‘You trust him?’ Purple said, looking over his shoulder at the Perfect who had crashed into our lives.

  ‘You saw what happened when he touched me in the ally. I don’t know what it is, Purple, but I need to investigate this more. The Perfects have access to knowledge. I want to know what’s going on with me.’

  Running his hand through his hair, Purple sighed. ‘So, it’s not really anything to do with freedom?’

  ‘Of course it is! It’s what we’re always working towards, isn’t it? That’s what Artie tells us. If we behave. If we become better people, we’re more likely to experience freedom from the reign of Perfects. I have to go. With, or without you.’ I squeezed his arm hard, even if it was thick with muscle, preventing me from hurting him. I would get my point across.

  ‘You know I won’t leave you to go on your own. We need to go straight away, then. Before the city gets up.’

  Flinging my arm around his neck, I hugged him. Purple always gave in to me. He was truly my family.

  Jason swallowed as we approached him. He eyed my muscular friend as the frown remained on his face.

  ‘I’ll follow in a second,’ Purple said, flexing his arms in preparation of releasing his dragon wings from his back.

  Nodding, I clapped him on the shoulder before reaching for Jason. I still didn’t have control over the changes that occurred when my wings came, but touching Jason made it happen automatically.

  Stumbling to my knee as my shirt was ripped, I cringed into myself. It was strange that sometimes it hurt, but in the night it had happened without me even feeling it.

  Jason held on to me as my body formed. As soon as I could get my breath, I took hold of him and leapt into the air.

  ‘Fly to the roof of the compound. There’s one building that doesn’t have surveillance.’

  The air rushed around us, helping us on our way. ‘What building is that?’

  The man in my arms coughed as he opened his mouth. ‘Just…don’t ask.’

  Sandor had mentioned a place where Perfects held Avoidables. They weren’t prisoners. They were slaves.

  My blood ran hot as we neared the centre of Upper Side. The concrete compound made up most of this side of the city. Houses, shopping centres and everything else circled the main buildings.

  ‘That building,’ Jason shouted, pointing.

  Following his instruction, I lowered us to the roof. The sun was starting to creep over the horizon. Purple landed silently next to us, folding his wings instantly. Shutting my eyes, I willed my own to retreat. It didn’t work.

  Huffing, I clenched my fists. Jason wrestled his hand from mine. I hadn’t even realised I still held him. As soon as our skin was free, my wings and arm sunk back into my body.

  ‘Some of the officials will be having a morning meeting.’ Jason looked from me to Purple.

  My best friend shuffled from one foot to the other. He was right to be suspicious. If I hadn’t felt the connection with Jason, I would never had trusted him. However, Purple was a warrior. And, so was I. If anything went wrong, we would get out of it.

  ‘Okay, let’s storm the room. Maybe take an official or two hostage.’

  Jason nodded, the glint in his eyes calm. He didn’t seem worried or afraid. His confidence made my insides stop shaking. I had no idea why I was so happy to step into a potential trap. Maybe I was just stupid.

  ‘Let’s just go.’ Purple wanted it over and done with. His usual stealth demeanour was switched on. We were on a mission.

  Following Jason, we climbed down the building and shot into the doors. Purple held back, making sure no one saw us.

  The hallway was lined with thick lush carpet. Something I had never set foot on.

  ‘In there,’ Jason whispered as we drew nearer to a set of double doors.

  Nodding, I dug my gun out of my waistband. Jason’s eyes widened. He had no idea that I carried a weapon. An Avoidable girl had to be careful.

  Thrusting my weight against the wood, I burst through the double doors, coming to a stop on the other side.

  Perfect officials sat around a long table.

  ‘Can we help you?’ The man at the head of the table watched as Jason and I came towards him. The rest looked towards the doors, expecting guards to come in after us. Little did they know that we had snuck in undetected.

  ‘Yes, you can help us,’ I replied, holding the gun towards his chest as I walked around the table. I had seen a picture of the man. Artie had a catalogue of all Perfect officials. Part of his work collection that Purple had let me have a sneak peek at once.

  My survival instinct kicked in as heat travelled up my arms. It was either kill or be killed when it came to confronting, or even being around, a Perfect.

  ‘Hope…’ Jason called.

  I stopped still to look at him. He grinned. Growling, I walked towards my enemy.

  ‘I believe you were actually expecting us?’ Jason said from the other side of the table.

  We both reached the man at the same time. My jaw dropped as I looked at Jason. The older man chuckled. It sent the whole table into hysterical laughter.

  I snapped. How dare these people laugh at me? They must have thought I was a fool. To be led into a trap. I obviously was.

  And there they sat, judging the people that were not like them. How did they know what we had been through? They thought their lives were perfect, but what about the pain and struggle that some of us had to face? Couldn’t these people just try to understand why we did what we did to survive? Why I had taken an opportunity to get to them.

  Lifting my gun, I kicked the chair from under the man and landed on top of him as he hit the floor, the barrel pressed against his chest. I wasn’t afraid to use it.

  ‘Everyone, I would like to bring you Hope,’ the official called.

  A round of applause echoed around the room. The man’s body moved. He shuddered, smiling widely as white feathers pushed out from underneath him. They were squeezed against the floor and his back, but they were unmistakably wings. Just like mine.

  Jumping up, I looked around. Those sitting at the table suddenly had wings. Purple was in the doorway, staring at us all.

  My wings thrust out of my back, the bones forming from my shoulder blades. I clenched my hands as they settled.

  Looking over at Jason, I gasped. He was sporting a pair too.

  ‘Hope, we’re angels too. We’ve managed to become a part of the Perfect government,’ Jason said.

  ‘Thank you, Hope, you’ve been the most imp
ressive Avoidable I’ve ever met. Don’t you think it’s about time we saved the planet?’ said the man I had just threatened with a gun.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  The man smiled kindly. ‘There are a couple more angels hidden in government. Even more powerful than us. We’re here to help the world again. This time, we’ve gone about it in a slightly different way.’

  ‘So, no one knows you’re here this time?’ Purple stepped into the room, his gun still held by his side.

  ‘That’s right. We need to trust that you can keep our secret.’ The man raised his eyebrows at Purple.

  My own loyalty was unquestioned. I stood with them, wings on my back. There was no way I could let the secret out. It would put me in great danger.

  Purple glanced at me, his purple eyes glistening. ‘I can keep your secret. It’s about time you decided to return.’

  Smiling at my friend, I nodded my thanks. He was the only one in the room that didn’t have angel in him. The only true Avoidable. He was brave to stand with us.

  ‘Let’s take a seat, shall we?’

  Lowering myself into the nearest chair, or basically collapsing into it, I tried to smile at the woman next to me. Her kind face radiated something I had never seen in a Perfect. Acceptance.

  ‘That’s Nick, he’s standing in for our leader for tonight.’

  Jason made his way around the table to sit in the chair on the other side of me. He took my hand, keeping his gaze on Nick.

  ‘Hope. Purple. We need your help. Our mission is to unite the Avoidables and Perfects. To show both sides that love exists. That peace can exist.’

  ‘Sounds like he’s preaching,’ I whispered, slipping into my normal personality.

  Jason grinned. ‘He does that.’

  ‘I heard that,’ Nick said, staring at us.

  ‘Sorry.’ My mumble was received with a nod.

  ‘We have one goal in mind. It’s going to take time. A lot of time, but the more we show that Avoidables are people too, the more Perfects will accept them. Many years of discrimination will not be healed instantly. However, we know how we need to start.’ Nick glanced between me and Jason. Did we have something to do with this?

  Reading the question on my face, Nick grinned. ‘Don’t worry, Hope. You’ll learn more as you go. For now, just know that we’re very glad to see you.’

  ‘Why didn’t I know that I was…this…growing up?’ My sudden question made them stare at me. If I had known what I was, I might have been able to live a better life. Eighteen years of hating who I was. Eighteen years of hating who they were. It seemed like a waste.

  ‘You had to be an Avoidable. To feel their pain. To understand why we need to do what we’re aiming to do now.’

  It made sense. If I had known I was an angel, I wouldn’t have related to being an Avoidable. Whatever my mission was, I had to help those that needed saving.

  ‘I need to ask you to hide your wings and arm the whole time you’re around other Avoidables or Perfects.’

  ‘I’ll try. My arm only comes out at the same time as my wings. I need to learn to control it better.’ I ran my hand through my hair, shoving it out of the way.

  It was annoying that I couldn’t have both arms in front of others, but I knew my secret had to be kept safe.

  ‘We all had to do that,’ Nick said, laughing softly.

  ‘So, where do I start?’ I asked, gesturing to the others. ‘And, where do you fit into this?’

  The angels smiled, their amusement obvious. I had always been an eager worker. Ready to get on with the job in hand.

  ‘We’ve been infiltrating the government for five years now. Slowly, we’re overturning ways in which the Avoidables are treated unfairly. It’s taking longer than we initially thought, but we’re getting there. Jason is administrator to our leader. His job, in regards to you, will unfold on a much more natural ground. Spend time together and it will become clear.’

  The other angels murmured their agreement before the conversation started between themselves.

  I blanked out the talking around us as Jason faced me. He took both my hands and squeezed them.

  ‘I was the dark and you were the light,’ I said, letting him lean over to kiss me on the cheek. When he pulled away, he took my new arm. The skin started to glow.

  ‘No. You’ve always had the light in you, but you buried it deep inside.’

  ‘Do you think Avoidables and Perfects both have light and dark?’ I looked at Purple who was deep in conversation with the head angel. He fit in perfectly with those around him.

  ‘Yes. It’s just a case of deciding which one you want to be more of.’

  ‘You think we can choose?’ I asked, putting my arms around him.

  ‘We do every day,’ he replied.

  Chapter Four

  ‘What are you doing?’ I hissed.

  Jason looked over his shoulder at me, winking as he ignored my question. We had known each other for two months, but he still baffled me. A Perfect through and through, it was taking us time to understand each other. Our angel nature was overshadowed by our upbringing.

  Jason had asked me to meet him by the bridge on Lower Side. We currently stood down a side alley, watching the guard who picked at his nails. The darkness was heavy, almost suffocating. I didn’t like being out in the middle of the night. Not on Lower Side. Too many Avoidables did dodgy business in the early hours of the morning.

  ‘How did you get here?’

  Jason put a finger to his lips. ‘I asked Purple to get me. He flew me over.’

  Taking hold of his arm, I tugged him. ‘Then why are we here?’

  ‘Because I have a surprise for you.’

  Huffing, I shoved my hair away from my face. Whatever Jason had planned, I wasn’t in the mood. The Avoidables had been up to their usual tricks, taunting each other. It had been a long day of trying to keep the peace. Purple had lost his cool when one of them threatened to run away to the rebel camp. A mountain camp where outcasts lived in the desert.

  ‘Jason…’

  ‘That’s our queue,’ he whispered when a long loud whistle sounded.

  Taking my arm, he pulled me from the alley. I followed along, looking around to check that we were safe. The guard had conveniently disappeared.

  ‘What’s going on?’ I asked, trying to keep my voice down.

  Jason pointed towards the bridge, guiding us onto it. In the distance, a tiny glow of light beckoned to us.

  ‘Dinner.’

  He ignored me when I pulled back, wrapping his arm around me and dragging me along with him. It was forbidden for Avoidables to be on the bridge.

  ‘Dinner? What do you mean? How did you bribe that guard?’

  A grin spread over his face. ‘He’s an angel, he’s filling in for one of the Perfect guards…who happens to be knocked out at the compound…don’t worry,’ he added when I stared at him. ‘He won’t be found before he wakes up.’

  I was speechless, which was unusual. I could do nothing, but let him lead me across the bridge. As we got nearer the centre, I sucked in a breath. The light grew bigger, revealing what looked like a table.

  ‘Dinner?’

  ‘Dinner.’ Jason gestured with his arm, moving me towards a chair.

  I had seen a dinner table in one of the few books on Lower Side. The Perfects ate around the table. We had all done it back in the day.

  ‘You’ve brought me to the bridge to…to have dinner?’ I stuttered, unsure what was happening.

  Looking over at the water, I stared at the twinkling lights that reflected in the waves. Pretty little bulbs lit the side of the bridge, just where his surprise table was laid. A candle fluttered on the surface, illuminating two place settings.

  ‘You’ve never had a Perfect dinner. Now’s your chance.’

  Jason tucked my chair into the table as I lowered myself to the comfortable chair. How had he got away with such an extravagant date? Surely the Avoidables and Perfects would see the lights.

>   Glancing up, I smiled to myself. Fog had descended onto the river. It was a cool night, which always produced a thick fog over the water. He was using it as a disguise.

  ‘I can’t believe you’ve done this for me. I’m not even scared of being caught because I’m too excited.’

  Jason sat opposite me, watching as I studied the wine glasses. Reaching to his side, he pulled up a bottle.

  ‘Is that…?’ My mouth hung open as he nodded. Popping it open, he poured dark red wine into my glass.

  ‘I want you to experience everything. Nick was a little dubious about my request, said that you had to remember who you were.’ Jason sipped his wine.

  Picking up my glass, I did the same. A burst of flavour hit my tongue, making my eyes widen. ‘Wow.’

  ‘He said I could choose one thing to do with you. One luxury. I don’t know why he’s being so horrible. You deserve the best of everything.’

  Leaning over, I took his hand in mine. He stared into my eyes, not even blinking when I tried to look away. I couldn’t. No one had ever looked at me that way. Our little time together had been sweet. My chest fluttered every time I saw him. He treated me so well.

  ‘Hope. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I know we’ve only known each other a few months, but I…’

  My throat closed as he reached over and cupped my cheek. I had never felt whatever it was I was feeling before either. I wanted to spend every moment with him. Every time he had to go back to Upper Side, I almost cried.

  ‘Me too.’ I couldn’t say anymore.

  ‘Before we eat, I have something for you.’ Leaning down to the other side of the table, he retrieved a book. Giving it to me, he kept his hand over mine. ‘Don’t read it now. Read it later, okay?’

  Frowning, I nodded when his eyebrows rose. ‘Okay, I promise.’

  Smiling, Jason gestured for me to remove the silver bowl covering my plate. Placing the book beside me, I ripped the lid off, too excited about what would be underneath to be elegant about it.

  ‘What is this?’ I asked, inspecting the slab of dark food on my plate.

  ‘It’s a steak. They’re very rare, but I managed to get one from my mother’s stash. She didn’t mind. She was glad that I took an interest in whatever she was speaking about.’