I sit up, first I check my planets, four beautifully drawn planets. Each with a slightly different style, Noah's was just plain planets. Mine was different. I smile. I'm led over to the mirror; I keep my hair over my shoulder as I check the back of my neck. Covering up a huge skin graft on my neck was a stunning rose. I nearly cry.
"Thank you, so much." Is all I can say, she understood. I think.
I've had a few grafts, and too many scars to count. I even have a huge scar on my face, lip to eyebrow. It used to bother me, a lot. I never showed my face but once I got used to this place, which took years, I didn't care anymore. I leave the shop and for the first time in years I can tie my hair back.
I suddenly remember arriving at the hospital, the nurses saying I was the most injured they'd had. I nearly died, if it weren't for the hospital I would have. I continue walking along the corridors and stop abruptly, I'm in the dorm areas and I happen to be near Dezzie's room. I knock, not expecting an answer.
"Come in," he says, surprised I push open the door. He's sat in his blue painted wheelchair, drawing; he looks up in surprise.
"Mercury! Come in!" I go in and shut the door. I'm not even sure why I'm here.
"Hey, what's up?" he asks, filling the silence.
"I got tattoos today." I say randomly, he looks as if he understands something.
"ah, you got your hair up, let's see." He says as if we're kids again. I show him and he smiles.
"Anything else?" he says. Filling the silence.
"New kids yesterday," I say stupidly, everyone knows that.
"Right, bet that was hard, I never understood how you could go back after what happened." I look at him for a long moment, he looks different with blue hair and taller, but somehow, it's like a day hasn't gone by since we last talked. I still remember his terrified face as he stared at me in our cages.
"Kids needed help." I say shortly, he nods, and I awkwardly turn to go.
"Wait! I've missed hanging out with you." He says.
"I've missed you too. Are you free?" I ask, randomly getting an idea.
"When?" he says in surprise,
"Now?"
He throws down his drawing and grins, I push his chair as I run through the crowded halls just like we used too. I climb over broken pipes and remember his chair so we go the long way. I reach the door and open it with ease. I see Dezzie recognise it.
"Our secret place!" he breathes. I let go of his chair and we go over to one of the benches, it was a sort of garden, mostly fake plants since there's no sunlight but as kids it felt like our secret magical place. Hardly anyone comes here anymore. I sit in between two cobweb ridden pot plants.
"I never told you this, but I am really sorry." I say, the air suddenly tense.
"Sorry?" he chuckles.
"You know, about…" I say and nod to his chair. He looks horrified and wheels back.
"What?! This wasn't your fault!" he yells, making me jump.
"Yes, it is! I always made sure they left you alone, and that one day, that one day I was too sick and injured I let them have you, I let them! And now you're stuck like that forever!" I yell, suddenly tearing up. His face turns to thunder.
"You didn't let them; you were dying on the floor and it's not your responsibility to take care of everyone. Besides, I'm not stuck in this chair, the chair gives me freedom." I sit there, stunned. I'm about to retort when a distant boom makes me go on alert.
The siren.
Oh shit.
The siren is never used for practice. never. They found us. I look at Dezzie, his face full of terror. We run into the corridors, too the picture of chaos.
"Go hide!" I yell to him and turn to go. He grabs my arm,
"Where are you going!" he yells over the noise.
"The kids, they're in the classroom and that old b- won't help!" I yell and sprint off towards the class, I look behind to see Dezzie follow close behind. I run through the door and see the kids crying, huddled in a corner. I lock the door behind us and run over too them.
"Ok. Everyone quiet! We all need to get into that cupboard there, Mrs Patricia will lead us through the tunnel and to safety!" I yell, raising my eyebrows at the unmoving teacher. She springs up and unlocks the cupboard.
"Everyone, keep moving!" I yell ushering them forwards. I see Mike join last, and picks Venus up to carry her, he looks at me expectantly.
"I'll catch up," I lie and lock the door behind them.
"Now what?!" Dezzie yells, I throw the keys to him.
"Follow them," I say and leave. Of course, he doesn't and I see him trail behind me. I push past the flow of people, all trying to find tunnels to escape.
I keep moving, finally I reach the canteen. I see a line of government officers with guns pointing at a row of innocent people, among them Josephine and Noah. I hide behind a wall, thinking of ways to get them out of this.
I feel a hard grip on my hands, I turn to see a menacing looking officer. I gulp. I'm dragged forwards by my hair, I kick and struggle against them but it's no use.
"Got another one." The officer says smugly, I turn and realise Dezzie is nowhere to be seen. I'm forced to my knees, next to Josephine and Noah.
"84, 108." I mutter to Josephine, the code we made up to say the kids are safe. She relaxes slightly.
"SHUT UP!" shouts an officer, I feel a hard smack against my face and bite back a reaction.
I realise quickly the officers are deciding to kill us, now. I have to think quickly, so I do the first thing that pops into my head.
"You know, why are you so threatened by our existence, is it the fact we're more... loving? More accepting?" I say, I see Josephine and Noah tense.
"What?" spat the head officer, I brace myself to get shot. He raises his gun, but then an officer stops him. He whispers something that sounded like,
"Not her," I'm confused but I don't complain.
BANG!
I look behind me to see the four guards behind us laying lifeless on the ground and Dezzie sat stunned with a gun in his hands, I leap up and, with my hands tied, kick the officers in the face, the others line up and take cover. I try fighting them off, but I hear six loud shots. I look over horrified, all six of the people who were lined up, dead. Every. Single. One. My heart stops when I see Noah and Josephine, in a pool of their own blood. I turn my pain into white hot anger, I kick the guns out of their hands and kick them hard. It takes four of them to detain me, Dezzie is already handcuffed. I spit at the officer standing in front of me, he growls and punches me. My world turns black.
I wake up groggily. This must've been a dream. No, I open my eyes to see the inside of a van, and bars. I'm in a cage. I bang against the bars, trying not to freak out, trying not to think of Josephine and Noah.
"It's no use." Says a deep voice behind me, I turn and raise my fists ready to attack.
I relax when I see he's in handcuffs to, sharing my cage.
"Right, is everyone else?..." I say, unable to say the word.
"That or escaped." He mutters. I look around the cramped cage and realise there are four other boys;
Casper, Dezzie, a tall skinny boy with ginger hair and wearing a flowy skirt and Alec, who's pale with kind coal black eyes and hair to match.
"Hi, I'm Mercury." I say, not knowing what else to say.
"I'm Casper, after the ghost!" says Casper, almost cheerfully.
"I'm Dezzie." Says Dezzie, staring weirdly at me.
"Flynn." Says the ginger boy, his voice with a tint of Irish, his eyes, I realise, are the colour of forest green.
"Alec." Says Alec bleakly.
"How old are you guys?" asks Alec, looking round.
"Seventeen," says Casper,
"Same." Says Dezzie, still staring at me.
"Eighteen." Mutters Flynn.
"Same here," says Alec and they all turn to me expectantly.
"oh, um I'm sixteen." I say, embarrassed.
"Sixteen?! That's a load of good, she's way to young!" Flynn snaps.
"Hey! If it weren't for her, the kids wouldn't have escaped, and she was the one who tried fighting the guards, and she's the youngest one to rescue the kids! And she's a nurse!" snaps Dezzie, I flush. My mind reels back to the cages at the hospital, I never liked small spaces.
"Reckon we're going back?" says Dezzie quietly, looking tearful.
"Yeah." I say and wipe an escaped tear from my eyes.
"You say she's so tough and yet she's crying!" snaps Flynn, seeming determined to pick on me.
I turn at him, furious.