Through Glass(72)

I didn’t dare move, I didn’t want to lift my eyes to see my brother sitting there, watching everything happen. Suddenly, the fear and sadness behind his eyes made sense. It wasn’t for the verdict that was to come, it was for the beating.

I lifted my head slowly, a loud groan escaping my lips as my back fell against the chair heavily, the impact ricocheting through my spine. I let my eyes lift to the ceiling where the false sunlight filtered through the glass and hit my face. I closed my eyes at its warmth, letting the faded memories of a life I would never get back flood over me; letting the warmth seep into me as tears rolled silently down my cheeks.

I wasn’t even aware that the noises from the crowd had stopped until Abran’s voice boomed around me, the thick accent making him sound larger, menacing. The sound cut through me, tensing everything. His voice boomed and echoed and I opened my eyes to the light, waiting for the worst to come.

“The creature before us has registered positive at a rate of eighty-seven percent, it is estimated that she will become one of the Tar within one month’s time. It has been presented before the council to dispose of the thing for testing with an approval of eighty percent. It has also been set before the council to let the thing live for observation with an approval rate of twenty percent.”

My trial was a vote—a vote for the majority—and I had lost. I should have known better. I could already feel the bruises throbbing into my skin, the only marker of the “say” that I would get. I could tell by Abran’s words that they had already decided.

I lifted my head to look at Travis. His eyes were already boring into mine as tears flowed down his own cheeks. For one day—no, for a few hours—we had found each other, we had been given a second chance, and once again, that was going to be taken from us. I would be gone and he would be alone again.

My heart broke for him. I knew what being alone was like.

I tried to smile at him, but my lips refused to move. My fear had frozen them in place.

“It has here-by been decided by the council that the thing will be disposed of for immediate testing.”

The crowd erupted in joy.

My heart fell; frozen, heavy and forgotten within me.

I watched Travis until the crowd had grown and swallowed him up; just like the black had swallowed up Cohen. Just like the world would swallow up me.

The noise of the crowd grew as the happy exclamations turned into revelry. You would think they had just won the lottery with the noise they were making, not that they were about to commit murder. All because my blood gave them a scary number.

I let my head fall back to the light just as I saw two guards approach me, their guns already drawn. I let the light hit my face as I focused on their footsteps, on the shadow of their guns as they pointed them down on me.

The light was warm, like the sun and Travis’s hand against my arm; like Cohen’s touch against my lips. Warm like I was. Warm like life. They had a number that said I was going to die, that I would turn into a Tar. Yet I didn’t feel that way. Not completely. They thought I was already gone, but I didn’t. I would fight to keep that, to remain human.

I lifted my legs as they grew closer, my tiny frame coiling to strike. The kick would be somewhat lifeless against the towering, well fed men before me, yet I didn’t care.

I sent my legs forward with one massive heave, the impact of my feet against their knee caps moving the men backwards in a stagger. I tumbled toward the ground, the chair collapsing as the chain that bound me to the floor snapped easily, pieces of metal flying into the air as the chain broke apart and a loud pop filled my ears. I guess Travis had slipped me something, a second chance.

I jumped to my feet, my body rushing toward the two men before me. I lowered my head and hit one straight on, the pain in my skull swelling at the impact against his chest. The move caught him off guard and he stumbled away from me, my hands barely grasping the gun out of his hands as he stumbled back. I turned quickly, my braid swinging through the air as I pointed the weapon at the guard who stood directly beside him.

I pulled the trigger and a beam of light shot out of the tip, hitting the man right in the chest. The man froze as the light hit him, his face stretched in horror before the light intensified and his body disintegrated into a perfect circle of white ash.

Ash.

Everything froze at what had just happened. My brain was unable to process what I was seeing. The sounds in the room turned from excitement to fear as the light erupted in the room and everyone began to comprehend what they had just seen; what had happened.

I stood still as I stared at the wide circle of ash. Bridget’s words from before repeating themselves over and over. The gun was only a weapon if you were one of the Tar… and this man was one of them.

A man who had lived among them, fought with them, protected them. A man who had stood in the light.





The screams continued to grow around me, my brain slowly moving beyond the shock at what I had just witnessed.

I turned from the pile of ash to aim the green gun toward the crowd as they began to scatter. Their faces were horrified as they ran for the exits, scooping up children and herding elderly out of the way. I didn’t watch them, I didn’t care.

I was more focused on the three people who had begun to charge me, their own guns held out in front of them as they made their way down toward me. The three men had sat at the long table only moments ago, Abran and my brother now missing from their number. I scanned the crowd for either of them, but both were gone. I wanted to be mad at Travis for abandoning me, but something told me that he had a plan.