(Ophelia)
***
I turned to see a baton held behind my skull. Cutting my exhale short, my body became tense at the thought of that weapon clobbering me. I held still as if I played dead, but Koharu and I brought our hands above our heads quickly.
It was the end of the road for us. For *me*, especially, as I had violated the town's rules.
A rush of guilt slapped me.
We suffered from the blood (or dust) on my hands. Koharu suffered because of me… That wasn't the way I wanted things to be.
*I'm absolutely awful!*
The baton remained brandished as if it were a sword that would be used to decapitate me. I gulped. It was waved mere inches beside my head like a flimsy water toy.
*That's not a trainee's plaything; that's the general's arsenal!*
"The two of you are under arrest under the orders of the jurisdiction of Flor and the Royalty of Orbis!"
I was so surprised by that statement that I had to act.
*Isn't it all my fault?*
I said to them immediately, "Officer, officer. I think you are severely mistaken."
I paused to face the older men whose physiques frightened me in the same manner as that scum from inside the pub.
"She did nothing wrong. It was only me. I swear."
*As if they'd believe anyone as messy and guilt-ridden as me.*
Staying silent, Koharu gave me a startled look.
The man holding the baton read from a piece of paper that one of the other cops grasped. "According to what I have here, your charges are both significant. They will be presented to you inside the jail. If you comply with us, this will go much easier."
I became scared for my life, but I couldn't force my mouth to speak.
I wanted to shout. I wanted to scream. I wanted someone to hear me.
But there wasn't anyone who would.
All I could do was take a few steps back and hope for the best.
The tallest man, who had not said anything before, unclasped two pairs of handcuffs from his belt, passing one to the empty-handed officer.
The sniper stood still as the quietest policeman with wispy gray hair grasped Koharu, locking her hands behind her back. He wrapped the handcuffs around her wrists so harshly that the skin was strangled and bunched up, turning deathly pale before fading into patches of red and pink. The rings of iron seemed to cling to the bone, and he then locked them with a small key.
Koharu was tense enough to worsen the pain. She tried her best not to sob, yet her eyes soon turned glossy as she writhed with the pieces of metal around her wrists. The man then shoved her around, practically slamming her against the wall as she was led back into the bar.
*I won't cry… I've got to be strong for her after she was for me…*
Well, lofty wishes went unfulfilled most of the time.
As I tried to move away, the other man walked behind me, and it all felt like a rehashing of my experience with the bloke inside the bar just minutes ago. He handcuffed me just as harshly as the old man had done to Koharu, emotions overwhelming me as if I had been punched in the stomach.
I teared up soon but got little—if any—empathy from the officer. He led me into the bar behind Koharu, bumping me into the decorations while I tried to avoid the cacti.
The third officer brought his baton to his side and followed me. I didn't dare to look back.
We were escorted through the establishment in an awkward zigzag. The third time the bell chimed that day, it felt haunting as tables of sweaty people stared at us, supposing we were in trouble for a bar fight. The usual.
*If only I was that cool… Instead, I got caught for being sanitary!*
The officers' vehicles were placed around a corner between the lines of a yellow grid. They had followed us on foot for longer than I expected, and I gulped when I stood in front of the bull, its eyes coming to life at the twist of a key. It growled at me, telling me I needed to move out of the way if I didn't want to get trampled in a stampede. But the policemen tamed it, opening the door to a mouth with no teeth.
"Throw 'em in the car," the tallest man said to the other two, who then nodded.
I finally had a name for the thing. He then threw Koharu into the *car*, sliding her onto a scratchy seat. At the very least, he had enough courtesy to stabilize her before she toppled onto her side, helpless and trapped.
I was then pushed into a chair beside her, and at that point, we both cried so much that everything appeared blurry.
Reaching in front of me, the hard touch of a metal barrier that separated us from the cops chilled my lukewarm skin, but the man who had held the baton scolded me when I poked a finger through it. I retracted my pinky as if an animal had bitten it, leaning my back against the dark cloth seat with countless stains on it from innumerable predecessors. One of the cops then strapped a piece of fabric over us to keep us captive.
*You think I can go anywhere regardless?*
All the doors slammed shut before a cop took off, and I got to feel what it was like to fly once more (or the dizzying speed). It made me sick as we soared over the bumps on the road, which helped staunch my tears. No sickness fazed Koharu as she continued weeping, though, which led to me being irked by the fact I could not reach out to wipe her face.
*Still, I'm right here for you—bad decisions and all.*
As the fields swept by in painterly strokes of green, she leaned her head on my shoulder, and that alleviated some of my guilt. She took that opportunity to whisper gently in my ear as the two men in the front (one rode in another car) yelled at some black device in strange codes.
"I'm only crying because this hurts so much. Feels like he broke my wrists." Her voice sounded pained but somehow amused. "I've always wondered what it was like to be a fugitive."
Weary folds under her eyes deepening, she giggled. "Guess I got my answer. It's exciting."
Then, she wouldn't stop chuckling. I wondered if the pain made her so high that she couldn't help it.
*Has the air here gotten to you? Because it's not the fucking time for that!*
"You really think so?" I asked her, affronted.
I turned away from her beady eyes. Otherwise, I would have caved in to her.
"Of course you do," I spat. "I shouldn't be surprised. I really shouldn't. The hell did you do to get in trouble this time?"
"You think I'm gonna implicate myself that easily right here?" she asked playfully. "I think it's the chase that's fun. Anyway, I could ask the same of you, love."
Though the expression seemed devious, she tried smiling.
"I don't think you're dumb. Just reckless. You know I won't talk here either."
She dug her chin into the place where my shoulder met my neck.
Her tone felt mocking and dismissive when she responded, "I wouldn't expect any less from you, Lia."
As she spoke, I stared out the window, watching us approach Orbis' Royal Jail. An acrid feeling consumed me, but I felt a vague sense of hope somewhere deep inside since our trip had been sped up exponentially.
*I hate to be the idiot optimist, but now I'm off my feet…?*
*What use is that anymore?*