"I'm Daniel Fliker, foreign representative for the Cygnet Dynasty."
An once again the Cygnet's were back in my life. Though they were not exactly right in-front of me, I sensed they would soon.
The man was quiet handsome and seemed to look related to the Cygnet family. His dark skin and slanted dark eyes, he was easy on the eyes and seemed young enough to charm me with a sweet bright smile. Tall and lean, he looked liked he played the government official type.
"Oh, well its nice to meet you, my name is-"
"Mare Molly Barrow, don't worry. Your name is still famous as ever in the Lakelands."
I couldn't tell if that was a backhanded compliment but I took it well I much as I could.
"Well, I was kind of thrown up here, I'm guessing its for a reason.
After standing pretty stiff for a while, he finally sat down on the couch. "Please, come sit, you are needed, even if the General did not specify why."
I sat down across from him and enjoyed the fancy, leather couch that had a brown tint to it.
"So…" I began tapping on my lap waiting for a start of some plan or secret that he was going to tell me, "what's going on with the Cygnets that they need me."
He picked up a cup and started stirring up a tiny silver spoon without touching it.
"You can manipulate metals?"
He smiled in a too charming matter that it made my fingers curl. "Yes, my father taught me many tricks." Pulling the spoon out, he placed it on his palm and it began floating.
"Would you like to see some tricks?"
I simply nodded, honestly intrigued.
Placing his other hand slightly over the spoon, the spoon began twisting smoothly but slowly. It began bending until it was now a flat metal bow.
"Wow, that pretty impressive, and you can do that with any type of metal?"
"Yes. But silver is the easiest."
He formed it back into a spoon in seconds, leading it back into the cup. "Tea?"
"No thank you." I said leaning back into the couch.
"Well, lets get started than." Out of no where, he placed a fat file on top of the table, missing the tea delicately. He gestured for me to pick them up and I did so slowly. When opening it, there were very lengthy written information about people I had never seen before. The pictures were black and white but beside them was a silver thumb print and while skimming the details, most of them had various hate crimes against the reds.
I flipped though the pages, "Are they are like this?"
"Most of them, with the technology from the Lakelands, we are able to provide information on the deviants of the upcoming rebellion about the growth of the Scarlet Guard."
"Yea, I heard about those, but I didn't think they were such a threat, aren't they just protesting at the moment."
He laughed so suddenly, that it caused me to jolt backwards into the cushions. He didn't take notice since he was laughing in his breathes.
"No, no. Actaully, many have died because of them."
"Oh…" I said, he acted so comfortable with the notion that red were being murdered for there now equal rights. I assumed he was a silver, maybe still at ease with the oppression of reds. I began to grow a distaste for him.
"These names are the ones who have caused the most damage, gathered the most people." He pulled on the paper down to his face. Leading my hand down along with the file. "These people must be detained and you must tell your highest rank about these people if you wish to use our resources in the North."
"What's in the North."
He shrugged and smile. "Though you are the Lightning girl everyone is so… so talked about, even some stuff must remain a secret. Its nothing big, but that just how things run."
I mumbled, "Has it been?" I looked again at the pages, many of the silver were very young, ranging from teens to young adults.
"Why are they so young?"
His eyes turned into a upturn confused look, "You haven't been kept to date have you?"
I don't know why, but it made me feel embarrassed that he was somewhat right. "I mean I have, but…"
"It's ok, I understand." I tired to smile, my cheeks were becoming an obnoxious red that I sunk into my seat. "There is something similar to the Scarlett Guard, like a copy cat. They call themselves the Silver Bullets." I restrained my laugh on how pathetic a name could be. "These bullets, as they call themselves, target the young because they believe, like Newblood, can adapt and change to combat the reds. The group aids the younger generation that had lost most of there wealth because of the civil equalities and many children left there homes to be one with their 'cause'."
"So, children are killing reds, just like that? Are they adapting?"
"Yes, and no. There have been no significant changes besides there strength physically."
I flipped though the pages, so many children put into a situation they did not know enough about.
I reached the back, it was no child but instead of a name written with scribble handwriting. I pulled it out.
"Whats this?"
He snatched it out of my hand without me flinching. "Hey!"
"Sorry, this was in the wrong pile. Nothing for the Guard to handle, more of a Lakelander problem."
I frowned, but when I heard the elevator door ding I turned around expecting a Cygnet infront of me. Instead it was the General.
My frown grew.
The man stood up, and bowed. "General."
The General sat down near us, "Fliker." he turned to me with a grin that made me sneer to the side. "So, have you told her about her assignment?"
My assignment?
"Yes, she has all the information about the childr- I mean deviants." He lifted his arm and scratched his head in embarrassment.
I folded my arms, hoping to have some say. "So, I have to do this alone."
"Well, its something to keep you busy."
I stood up in a fit, "I don't want to kill a bunch of kids."
"No one said anything about killing, detaining yes. So we can get closer to that stupid little group they call themselves." the General said.
"But by myself?"
"Well, you did come here, uninvited and seem bored with you coming and eavesdropping on my soldiers."
"Excuse me?"
"Well isn't obvious Barrow, you've been here long enough doing nothing, time for you to be put to work… alone."
I wanted to loose my temper but something was holding me back, a voice telling me its not worth it. It was his voice, and I could feel him behind me.
"Its not worth it Mare, save you energy for something that's worth it."
Like you? I thought.
"If you want, but won't that be hard?" I could feel him breathing down my neck and wanted to turn around and tell him to leave me alone.
"So, Ms. Barrow. Here are you papers, a train will take you oustide the city were you can visit some Lakeland intel."
I snatched the file away from him and headed toward the door, furious more than ever. Maven followed and stood next to me.
The door closed and I turned to Maven. For some reason he was wearing something different, a suit instead of lounge clothes.
"What's with the get up?"
He smiled and relaxed his shoulders. "I felt like being fancy, you look nice yourself."
I turned myself to the reflective golden walls. I was wearing that stupid red dress Maven made me wear. It wasn't torn up, but instead fitting nicely on my body, and jewels on top of my head.
"I hate this. Get it off me. Get it off me!"
I starched at the dress until the red tore into my hand. I tore and tore until it was nothing but red scraps below me.
"Jesus Mare are you alright?"
I looked down and saw my plain brown shirt had looked liked a wolf had torn through it. Farley looked terrified.
"I…I got my- my shirt got stuck on something and torn… really…bad."
"Uh, are you sure-"
"I'm fine Farley, I have to catch a train."
I walked fast past her, and she turned to watch my back face her.
"You're leaving." she shouted toward me.
I turned. "No, I have mission."
A very stupid mission.
The train took forever to arrive, the autumn was less bearable than I expected here and as the sun began to fall, the fog drifted from the lakes and hit my nerves.
I gripped my arms to warm myself and the train arrived.
A hologram popped out and began scanning my ticket, opening the red door. The train was empty besides a few people, most asleep. I stepped to the back and curled up near the window. I was set to go to a place called Laval. Looking at the file, it used to be a big city before the calamites, a city for the French, who ever that was.
The file had a lot of historical things that I never seen before. I wished Julien was at least here, to help me learn about things I've never knew about.
The train followed a thin river along the tracks, the fog was heavy and blocked most of the views.
The freezing fog wrapped around the river like a blanket, the everyday familiar sights of the forest laid mysterious looming out like whitened haze. My fingertips grazed the cold window and smudged the frosty window.
I didn't know what I was writing, but my fingers circled around and around, the tracks of it blending into the windowed. I rested my head on the hard cushion, the fabric sticking to my hair.
I felt so alone in the stupid train, so quiet as if I was in my own head.
"You so pretty when you're tired."
I opened my eyes to see him sitting across from me. I curled up even more and signed. My voice was raspy from the sleep crawling up on me.
"Leave me alone."
"Why, you seem so lonely?"
"I'm tired."
"But you can't sleep? What's on your mind?"
I stood up slowly, my body shifting against the fabric. "Why-" I caught my breathe, my throat seizing like it would before I would cry. "Why did you leave me.?"
He looked like a ghost, he looked liked he wasn't a real person. I stood up closer, "Why didn't you come with me and Cal, why… why couldn't you just. Why did she change you." My throat was clogging up. "Why couldn't you just, fight her off?"
He leaned into the chair, "because I loved her."
"But… I loved you."
"No you didn't, you loved the thought of me, you loved nothing but yourself next to me and decided to fall for someone like Cal. Pathetic honestly."
I stood up in a rage, like my skin, that was previously paled to the cold was now red hot.
"You fucking idiot, you crazy, no good asshole! You took everything awa-"
My eyes darted up and the few people that were sleeping darted there attention to me. Most of them were terrified. I looked down and Maven was gone. He left again.
The train halted and I grabbed the chair from falling. I grabbed my file and opened the door without hesitation falling into the dirty ground.
My hands gripped the ground and the soil dug into my fingernails. I couldn't feel myself breathing. I collapsed the ground, feeling someone press there hands into my shoulders, forcing me down. I didn't weep or scream. But instead squirmed as the train began taking off. The wind slapped my cheeks.
Pain swallowed my head like water. I was drowning on plain land and couldn't breath.
Was I breathing? I clenched my chest with my hand and curled up. The dirt grazing my eyes and cheeks.
Someone kept pushing me down into the dirt, but there was no shadow, no one at all. I saw the files laying on the ground, scrunched up aginst some rocks and leaves. My eyes widen and the fear took over my limbs. I got up and frantically rumbled against my weight. My breathing hit the ground and shot back up in my nose.
I used my arms to push myself up. Me knees locked again but I kept myself stable. The forest was slipping from my view. The darkness swarming in and out. The trees tilting until the blackness hit again, and again, and again.
I leaned against a tree and my eyes went back. The darkness swarming me. Then the breathing was in my ears. I was breathing again. I wasn't drowning in the water.
Crunches of the leaves were distant until my eyes shot up slightly. The boy walking closely, in a hood.
"I don't want to see you." I said under my breathe.
He kept walking. His face was darker than before, before he was on the train.
"I said I don't want to see you."
My body was unable to move as he kneeled in front of me. He lifted his hood and signed.
"I'm sorry Mare."
His voice was only in my head as his face was swarmed by the darkness going in and out.
"I've changed Mare, I can promise you that. I found a life were I live in peace…" Each word faded into a blur after that.
"Maven!" A faint voice called out from the trees. I opened my eye a little and saw a women in a dark rain coat come over to Maven. He stood up and was looking towards her face.
"What did you do to her."
"I didn't know I knocked her out that much."
"She was supposed to be relaxed not drugged."
"I'll fix it alright."
She knelt down and I squirmed but felt stuck to the tree. Her hands reached up to my temple and felt my brain be erased. Like a shadow digging into my brain was scraping away the pain I felt.
I gasped loudly that it sent the women back.
"Mare?"
Maven stood in front of me and walked toward me. I widen my eyes a bit more. It was him, he was real. I think. I scrambled back to my feet. I went out to reach for him but a shock went up into my arm. My lightning shocking me for a second time.
I gripped my arm in pain and they backed up thinking I was gonna kill them. I saw my chance to run and took it. Turning the tree I ran.
"Mare!" There voices followed and so did there footsteps. I ran and my vision was getting blurry again. Oh god, oh god not again. I didn't want to lose it again.
The wind rushed to neck and I turned my head for a second, the branch slapping my forehead.
I was down on the ground and heard the footsteps get closer and closer, loosing its pace as did my breathing. My eyes began to fall slowly and the darkness swarm. My head hurt so bad.