Coze (noun)
A friendly talk; a chat.
Chapter 23
(Mako's P.O.V)
"It's okay, I have a dog and they're not aggressive if trained so. Besides, they're behind cages." I reassure her waving with my hand. I swallow brushing at my bangs trying to believe my own words. Amelia doesn't buy it; her face is stricken with fear, eye wide open and lips pointing downward.
"This is karma for you as well... snitching on me like that... now you're on your own!" Amelia says picking up a bag similar to the one that came falling with me. She offers me a scowling glare then takes off towards the forest in her red pajamas and bouncing curls by her shoulders. I shake my head at her, placing my hand on my hips... how many times do I have to say I didn't snitch...
I jump at the dogs' louder barks, counting; it's around twenty bullmastiffs behind cages in a straight row integrated in the building... I mean they're behind cages... they can't get to me...
My mouth gapes open as the cage doors begins to lift simultaneously...
"Oh for goodness sake!" I shout; my feet shifting beneath me. I swallow stepping back a few steps, then going back forward grabbing hold of the bag that fell with me just incase... it must have fell with me for a reason and if Amelia took it, I better do too. I gasp as the cages fling open and the dogs rave out. I stumble back, picking myself up and running towards the forest entrance. I pick up the pace and run ahead glancing back.. the dogs are free and are running my way now; their snarls following me. I zip through the entrance; jumping into the forest; the tree branches tickling at my cheeks and sides. What is happening... I didn't snitch on Amelia like she thinks... are we really being punished?
I run; already out of breath just for a few minutes; but I hear the dogs' barks are turning faint now. I jerk at the sound of screams, my hair slapping against my sweaty face... Amelia!? Scanning the trees, I step forward towards the noise, my shoeless feet tugging at the harsh wood twigs and soft dirt just like back at the dot.
I rush towards the noise; hurrying over. I slow down spotting a few figures ahead. I push myself standing motionless behind a tree; trying to understand what's happening... A tall women in a brown jumpsuit with gold striped thigh high length tights, fastened in place around her hips; stands with her foot on someone; laughing out loud like it's a game. A man standing beside her with little hair in the middle of his head; black tattoo drawn over the rest of his bold head... Are they here to be punished for some reason too?
I peer down, pushing my face against the harsh surface of the tree spotting a little person on the ground... is that... Shay!? The women bows down; still pressing hard on Shay's stomach with her foot. She pulls her hand up; her fingers like claws... I jump out of the bushes and run straight ahead towards them. The women glances up stepping back; startled at my appearance. She jumps back; her foot regardless stays planted on Shay. Her black lined eyes wide; her face mask gold and smeared in read stokes, as if she grabbed some red lipstick and smeared it over the fabric.
"AH! I know what this is!" I clap my hands smiling; my voice satiric. I squat down, my legs tight in my pink soft pajamas. Shay glances up at me,
"This is what you call bullying!... bullying right!?" I call out loud, hugging my knees towards me. The women steps off Shay holding her head high. Shay grabs at his stomach standing up. I straighten up hurrying over; dusting at his outfit.
"Do you normally just step on children!? is this your idea of fun!?" I ask her smiling and straightening myself. The women and her partner stare at me in silence as if the taut, bluish skin of their foreheads is about to burst.
"Do you mind if we do the same back? just a little? let's have fun shall we? let us step on you next!" I jump up and down clapping my hands.
"I...." The women hisses, her layered cut hair bleached with dark blue ends. If I had met her in another setting and situation, I would have probably admired her hair and complimented her... but not here, not when she steps on Shay. She shakes her head; finally braking her stare, giving a hesitant glance at her partner.
"I'll find you when we get them tools, we can have fun then." She promises pointing at me then stepping away. She nudges her partner who keeps gazing at us, eyes blazing at us. They spin around disappearing into the crowd of trees. I kneel down pulling at Shay's mask;
"Are you alright?" I ask him looking into his honey eyes. He rubs at his face, dusting himself a few times. He looks away pressing at his lips; embaressed face flushing red.
"I'm fine, thank you." He says meeting my eyes, placing a small giddy smile. I smile back; dusting at his outfits taking away her shoe prints. I spot a clear transparent plastic bag hanging from his neck; with a human figure embroidered in red, buttoned close on him, with a little booklet in it.
"What is this?" I ask him curious, running my hand on the red drawing.
"First we need to find some tools; specially you." He informs me, pointing to the right. I stand straight;
"Tools? what tools? do you know what's going on? are we being punished or something?... or you can't tell me?" I nudge him playfully. He shakes his head adjusting his little blue hat, his bangs pushed to the right, fastened by two sparkly white hair pins.
"We're not being punished, my brother was sent here before but I don't know much. We need to find someone who's been here before to tell us what's happening." He elaborates spotting the bag in my hand. He points at it,
"Let's get you changed first. You can't be fighting in this." He nods at my pink fluffy material pajamas.
"Fight?" I peer, swallowing at the fear. He nods walking to the left, his shoes in the form of a trainer; open-toed but his feet are protected by his high length flower pattern socks.
"Okay... I'll change and then let's find someone who knows." I input walking beside him; smiling and shaking his hat to annoy him.
.
We come to a bit of clearing, a few blue black stalls stand in a line. Shay raises his eyebrow at me and I nod heading in with the bag. Shutting the door, I face a bright blue lighted space; small and empty. I open the bag made of simple beige cloth. Finding a different than usual pink-black uniform with shoes and a few hair bands with a light pink transparent bag similar to Shay with a little book inside. After putting all the outfit on, a tightfitting black long sleeved shirt with wide baggy trousers and an overlay pink plastic dress, it's skirt with openings in the sides. The shoes fit perfectly, a black pink laced slipper with stretchy fastens to my ankle. I fasten my clear pink bag around the hips as it seems that's where it fits unlike Shay's simple shoulder one. I braid my hair in two tails, like this it won't get in the way incase I need to run for it or something. I abandon my pajamas in the stall as Shay tells me.
.
We walk around the forest, not having an actual destination in mind. The bizarre forest having no bird chirping or any animal noises of any kind as I would have imagined. The thick air sits with humidity; making us sweat and having to catch our breath very often. Shay pulls his mask down every now and then, saying he has a hard time breathing sometimes if he walks around too much or runs.
As we proceed further, I swing lightly brining forward the little plastic bag that's attached to my hips, I open it pulling out the little book. Bright yellow with a gold graphic saying 'CREDENTIALS' I flip it open, slightly slipping at my missed step on the thick green tree roots.
"Any idea what's this for?" I ask Shay, finding numerous pages empty. He shakes his head quietly giving his own bag a quick glance.
.
After what seems an hour of walking through the trees; it begins to heat up even more. Sweat trickling down, I grab at a tree for support. Shay taps at my hand pointing ahead. A frail thin man stands before us; eyes darting around shaking. A headband lays on his forehead. He spots us and jerks in fear stumbling back.
"Oh hello sir..." I call out waving at him. I squint reading his headband... 598.
"Stay away!" He hollers his voice wobbly and cracking, hands in fists.
"It's okay, we mean no harm. We just want to ask if you know what's going on?" We walk forward slowly. He steps back shaking; his face mask in the form of a worn out rag.... he looks like he's from the dot... are we back at the dot!?... impossible, I don't think there's electricity at the dot to make the lift I came down in to work.
"I don't know... I just...." His words are cut off as he jerks forward; with a cracking noise his eyes turn glossy, tears streaming down. His wide eyes scan us for a few seconds and before I could ask if he's alright, he falls forward on his face.
"AHHH!" Shay screams in horror at the sight falling back... bones with...red bits of flesh hang standing from the back of the man... blood seeping through his ripped shirt as he rests there motionless. Different emotions battle for dominance in my mind. Confusion. Panic. Fear. But emerging through it all was the dark empty feeling of utter hopelessness... as if the world has come to an end. A person that was just now breathing and thinking is probably gone...
"We need to leave!" Shay hisses at me; pulling at my arm. I glance at him; breaking from my stance. I swallow moving forward towards the man, ignoring Shay's request... just keep your eyes away from the stuff... I kneel down and shake him;
"Are you okay.... sir?" I whimper lightly but receive no response. I wipe at my forehead feeling a sickness growing in my stomach like a poodle of infestation.
"I don't think he's alive... we need to leave." Shay comments, shaking me from the shoulder. We jerk up at hoarse laughter. A figure jumps down from the trees above; landing before us. Standing there for a second then throwing his head back laughing... obnoxious and loud, sounding forced.
"Are you okay sir?" The jumping boy repeats my words in a giddy skinny tone... sarcasm filling his voice. Shaken, I keep my eyes on him. Tall, lankly but slender with wide board shoulders, an arrow sticking under his right arm... seeming to be made of... a bone... impossible.
"I'm sure I landed the bull's eye..." He implies audaciously, stepping forward standing a meter away from us, leering down at us. I had never heard or seen such arrogance before. Shay stiffens his hands curving them into a ball. Panic clenches inside of me as the boy breaks into laughter once again even louder.
"Come on; look at it! I'm sure I get a praise for that shot!" The boy hollers his eyes wide with madness, placing his hands in his black red spotted vest shorts. Standing with pride holding his head up high, his black mask stretching from his inside tight fitting shirt that's under a matching short sleeved vest. I spot his transparent bag with the book, attached to his belt it seems, like a key holder. I stand up straight, feeling my panic turning lucid anger towards the laughing boy.
"You killed him? on purpose?" I ask him wondering if someone would actually commit such a horrid thing, trying to put as much spite into my words as possible.
"Nah... just accidentally pointed my weapon at him!" He raves laughing out at the end of his sentence, throwing his head back. I grit my teeth at the sight, taking a deep breath to keep myself sane. He lands his eyes back on me, stiffening back into his straight posture.
"Wow... You must be so happy that you're immortal!" He goes on, trying to stop himself from the fake laughing. I pull at my eyebrows;
"What?" I spit, ready to throw hands even though I know I don't stand a chance against him.
"Stupidity lasts forever." He prods cracking another laugh at his own words; scoping down holding his stomach, as if it's the best joke he came up with when in fact; I heard it countless times before from my siblings.
"You just murdered someone!" I shout at him, frustration raising the volume of my wobbly voice; unable to hold myself even as Shay tugs at my arm to stop.
"You call it murder... but I think it's a conversation starter. Just wanted to speak to you to be honest; and this thing was there... so I used it to start up a convo with ya." He adds in shrugging, waving his red gloved slim hand at the motionless man. Did he just call him THinG...!?
"You're awful... your brain is preposterous. How can you just... kill him... did he ever do something atrocious to you? I don't think you even know him." I shout shaking my head at him, my voice cracking.
"Judging from your earing... you're the fourth gen from group zero. But bloody hell; I've met apples smarter than you." He prods, scanning me up and down. I spot a similar earing on him, noting that my family isn't the only one with such earrings... counting Shay's too. I open my mouth to say something, but find myself dumbfounded that his insults could even be the issue right now. He spots Shay by my side;
"Who the shlock are you?" He asks raising his eyebrows at Shay. I notice his foreign use of the word shlock, has he been in contact with people from the dot to pick up such words?... he might be one of them for all I know.
"I'm a third gen." Shay implies in a threatening voice; pushing his chest out. The boy nods his head at him; his black mullet cut hair frozen in place as if he used a ton of spray.
"Apparently you know what's going on here, care to share?" I ask him, my voice spiteful.
"Well well... would love to stick around to chat but got orders not to speak a word about... hmmm everything really. The third gen seems to know how to follow orders too." He puts in, winking at Shay. I glance back at him and he looks away.
"Well; I'll be on my way." He finishes off, bowing and running off. We stand there in silence; dead body by our feet.
"I'm sorry... I can't say anything. They might be listening." Shay whispers tugging at my sleeve; his eyes blinking up at me. I shake my head;
"It's alright. I can figure it out myself." I tell him pulling him towards me rubbing his back. I glance at the motionless man blood all over...
.
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(Botan's P.O.V)
I march forward; stopping in shook at the sight. Mako pushing her bangs away, with a fat tree trunk in her hands. She smiles at Shay who's by her side and continues what she's been doing... digging? I wipe the sweat off my face walking up to them, glancing around making sure no one else is in sight then pulling down my mask;
"Mako!?" I call out stomping through the trees. She looks up and smiles widely.
"What are you doing!?" I hiss spotting a little spot of hole; her and Shay seem to have made...
"We're trying to dig a hole. Never done anything harder." She elaborates out of breath as she continues digging and so does Shay; giving me a few nervous glances.
"A hole? what's that for?" I run on trying to understand her absurd behavior. She points up ahead, her face loosing the smile; turning into an expression of horror. I glance up finding a... person on the ground; with bones in his back... Freaking Raeburn, his technique is disgusting... I sigh looking back at her, quite impressed with her composure. I didn't think she would be this calm after seeing a dead person for the first time... but being at the dot might have changed her. Father was right about it.
"We can't just leave him here like that... we decided to give him a proper goodbye." She elaborates, throwing her braided hair back. Tugging at the dirt with her tree trunk.
"A what!? a proper goodbye!?" I find myself shouting at her absurd behavior.