Chapter Ten
The panting of my breath echoed around the alley. The darkness had descended quicker than I thought. Three days in the concrete jungle. I was nowhere near my target.
‘Who’s there?’
The shout made my heart race. I put my hand to my chest as I left the alley and came face to face with a guard.
‘What are you doing?’ the guard asked, his eyes narrowing on the plastic bag I held.
Swallowing, I moved my arm behind my back. He couldn’t take the only thing that I had in this stupid place.
‘You need to show me that,’ he said.
Why couldn’t he leave me alone? Couldn’t he see I was distressed?
‘Please. I need help, I’ve lost my way. I’ve rented a room but can’t seem to find it.’
He took a step forward, raising his gun as he did. I froze to the spot but only for a second.
‘Show me-’
I ran. My legs moved of their own accord. My shaking limbs wobbled as I tried to get away from the guard. He shouted and came after me. What was I doing? I had no idea what was going on.
‘Wait!’ The guard called.
It was useless. I was useless. My legs slowed as my heart struggled to pump blood around my body. I wasn’t fit enough.
‘I will arrest you if you don’t stop.’ The guard wasn’t far behind.
So this was what fear felt like? Watching humans had been insufferable. I had always wondered why they scared so easy. Now I knew.
‘I’m sorry.’ I huffed as I slowed to a stop.
He came around me, taking my arm in his. The pinch of his fingers made me gasp. Pain was a shock. It was only mild but different all the same.
‘What’s your name?’ he asked, his gaze tracing the outline of my figure.
My whole body shivered. He was eyeing me up. In the same way I had watched men eye up women for thousands of years. I couldn’t decide whether I liked it or not. He was handsome. Of course he was handsome, he was a guard.
‘I’m Melissa,’ I said, hearing my chosen human name aloud for the first time.
His hand slipped down my arm and covered my clenched hand. My eyes grew wide as he smiled down at me. I opened my mouth to speak but he ripped my bag out of my hand.
‘Why did you run? Do you have something to hide?’
I shook my head quickly. He undid the bag and pulled the paperwork out. It had appeared in my hand an hour after I had left William a few days before. My life was in the bag.
‘Why are you carrying around your identification?’ He glanced back up at me.
Biting my lip as I thought, I looked down when he grinned at me. Why was he watching me that way?
‘Like I say, I’ve just rented a place. I was on my way there now.’
He brought his finger to my face. I froze as he pulled on the bottom of my lip, making me release it from my teeth.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I’ll take you home.’
I gasped when his finger stroked my chin. It felt nice but it was wrong. I didn’t know the man…plus, he was a Perfect.
‘To my new place, yes?’ I asked. There was no way I would go home with him. Not in a million years, even though I had been an angel for that long.
‘Of course, where else did you think I would take you?’ He winked at me, letting his hand drop.
I released my held breath as he gave me my documents and put his hand on my arm to guide me to his car. He was a kind man. Usually a Perfect would-
‘I need to take you to the station to check that you are who you say you are. There’s a reason you ran from me.’
I slumped in his grip. I had thought too soon. What was I doing? My angel brain hadn’t caught up to my human one yet.
‘Please, I’ve had a long day. You’ve seen my documents, you know I’m legit,’ I pleaded, tugging on his arm.
He growled as he lifted his gun towards me. I let go and went with him willingly. I could sense danger in the weapon he held. Many Avoidables had been killed with a gun.
Opening the car door, he shoved me in the back. I stayed silent as he drove to the compound. William probably didn’t mean that I should get myself arrested. That wasn’t the way for me to get into the Perfect government. Where was William?
A tall figure came into view as the car went under the barrier entrance of the compound. The dark hair was familiar. When the man turned, I put a hand over my mouth.
William stood speaking to a young man. My guard pulled the car up next to them and wound down the window.
‘Is everything okay here?’ he asked.
William nodded, glancing into the back of the car. ‘Who have you got here?’
His eyes flashed recognition when they landed on my face but only for a second. No one else would have noticed. The young man with him stared at me, his eyes wider than my own.
‘I’m just doing a routine check after she ran from me,’ the guard answered.
William waved him on. I frowned when he nodded at me before we left him behind. Why had he let the guard take me in? Why not stop him?
‘That’s our new leader. He seems decent enough. Don’t worry, love. If you check out, I’ll take you home.’
Parking up, he got out. He spoke into a little machine and moved a few steps away. I thought he would leave me in the car while he did a quick check. My hopes were dashed when he swung around and opened the door.
‘Let’s get you inside.’ He wrapped his hand around my bicep and guided me to a building.
The night was cool. A slight breeze swung my hair into my eyes. The brown strands were styled into soft waves. Using my hand to swipe it out of my face, I cringed at the grease that was starting to work its way down from the roots. I hadn’t bathed since I had got to the city days ago.
‘You’ll stay in here. I’ll be right back,’ the guard said, pushing me through a door and into a cell block.
I let him lead me into one of the cells.
When he left me, the bars slid back into place, trapping me in. I was in jail.
I had done nothing wrong, yet they treated me like a criminal. My skin started to tingle. It grew warm as I grasped the bars in my hands.
‘You’re a pretty one. Why are you in here?’ The voice came from a man in the cell opposite mine.
I hadn’t noticed him at first. His hair was going grey but his skin was still taunt over his face. The chancellor. I recognised him. My memories of watching him from above were blurry, though.
‘I don’t know. There’s been a misunderstanding,’ I replied sheepishly.
Maybe if I could get him on my side, he could persuade the guard to let me out.
A siren started to sound throughout the building. I fell to the floor and put my hands over my ears.
‘What’s going on?’ the chancellor bellowed.
No one came. He didn’t get an answer. The alarm was so loud it pierced straight through my head. What was I doing? I was an angel. Not some weak willed human.
Getting to my feet, I ignored everything and closed my eyes. I had been a simpering woman since I had arrived on the earth. It was time to man up…in a womanly way.
I am okay. I thought the sentence over and over again.
My spine straightened. I held my arms to the side and allowed myself to become calm. It was the perfect opportunity to be noticed by someone I would eventually work with.
‘It’s probably routine,’ I shouted over the noise.
The chancellor glared at me before pointing at the camera in the corner of his cell.
‘Look here! I’m the chancellor, tell me what’s going on!’ His face turned red as he clenched his hands around the metal bars.
‘How can you just stand there?’ he yelled at me when I smiled at him.
I shrugged and let his anger wash over me. ‘I’m in here with you, sir, they won’t forget about us. You’re too important.’
He released the bars and took a step back. Smoothing his jacket, he let a small smile play on his lips. Fla
ttery was the only way to get through to a Perfect. He was a slim man with cropped hair. He held his shoulders back and his head high. As if he was looking down at everyone. Which he was.
‘What’s your name?’ he shouted.
The siren cut off half way through his sentence. The words echoed around the block. We laughed as they faded away.
‘I’m Melissa. I’ve actually applied for-’
‘Pretty name! You’ve applied for a job? We’ve been interviewing for new officials. What are your credentials?’
He winked as his gaze raked over me. I forced myself not to shiver under his scrutiny.
‘Sir!’
The door banged against the wall as a guard rushed in. The bars to the cell of my new friend squeaked back on their wheels.
‘What’s happening?’ the chancellor asked.
The guard held his gun towards the entrance of the block. He looked over his shoulder at me.
‘Who are you?’ he stuttered.
‘I’m Melissa, I-’
‘Let her out, she’s coming with us!’ the chancellor ordered.
I smiled at him, teeth and all, as the guard pressed the button to allow me to leave with them. The bars were almost open when my guard came in.
‘What are you doing with my prisoner?’ he called.
The other guard froze, glancing between me and my original captor. The chancellor stepped forward, blocking his path.
‘What is happening?’ he demanded. ‘Why has no one told me why the alarm went off? This woman is innocent. In fact, she’s coming to work here!’
The guard glared at me as he held up my plastic bag. ‘Yes, she’s innocent. I had to make sure, sir.’
‘We need to get you out of here,’ the other guard said. ‘Catherine has ordered that all officials hide in the safety bunker.’
The chancellor grabbed my wrist and dragged me along with him. We followed the guards out of the building and over the small courtyard.
There were several buildings with little courtyards separating them. The grass was lush and well cut. The concrete walkways were lined with flowerbeds.
It was almost pitch black. Little lanterns that hung from tall old fashioned metal poles helped me to see where I had to step.
‘Are you going to tell me what’s happening?’
The siren started up again. The chancellor kept glancing behind him, which made my body shudder.
‘An Avoidable has been spotted in the city. In fact, there’s several, sir. Catherine is at her home. She ordered anyone on site to get in the bunker.’ The guard’s words were rushed. His breath was short as he kept a lookout.
We walked fast. I wanted to run. What would the Avoidables do if they got inside the compound? I tried to remember if they had ever succeeded. My memories had been wiped. I could only remember bits and pieces.
‘We’ll be fine,’ I barked, slowing down.
The others looked at me, their eyes narrowing. ‘What do you know?’ my guard asked.
I realised my mistake and sped back up. Playing it cool wouldn’t work in this situation. Perfects were terrified of Avoidables. I had to convince them that I was too.
‘We’re with the chancellor. You’ll protect him because he’s the most important person here.’ I took hold of his hand.
He squeezed my fingers. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought.
‘So true, dear. She knows her stuff. Come on, let’s get you safe.’
The guards shook their heads, dismissing me. I had to get a crash course in how to be a Perfect. William had abandoned us to our fate. However, I hadn’t planned on getting into the compound quite like I had. It was fascinating how quickly life unfolded without me even realising what had happened.
‘Here, go in,’ the guard said, leading me to a small flight of steps that went below ground.
A metal door stood open, waiting for us to go inside. I paused but the chancellor rushed in so fast, I got dragged along with him. The door was slammed shut behind me.
‘Why are the guards not coming in?’ I asked.
The chancellor paced the tunnel before heading off down it. ‘This way!’ he ordered.
It was a short tunnel. At the end, there were three wooden doors. Two of them were closed, the other was open. I followed him into the room. It was a communal area with sofas, televisions, a kitchenette and even a corner with toys.
‘What is this place?’ I muttered, wandering towards the play area. The idea of little children stuck down there made me shiver.
‘It’s a bunker. It’s been here a long time. We actually built the compound over it so we could use it in case of emergencies. Now, tell me a bit more about yourself,’ the chancellor said, pouring himself a drink from a bottle of cut glass. The liquid was dark brown. He gulped it in one go before pouring himself another.
‘I’ve been…’ I searched my brains for the lies I would need to make it sound like I knew what I was talking about. Closing my eyes briefly, I asked for help in my mind. ‘I’ve been studying at the university. My degree in politics helped me to become addicted to the welfare of Perfects. Especially…’ I glanced at the children’s play area. ‘Children’s welfare. I want to work in that department here.’
He raised his eyebrows as he got out another glass and poured two drinks. Stalking over, he handed one to me. I brought the liquid to my lips and tasted a small sip. The bitter taste touched my tongue. My face screwed up in response. He towered over me, like most of the men I had met. Why had I been given such a short body?
‘You’ve never tasted anything like it, have you?’ His smirk made me swallow more of the vile tasting stuff. It burned my throat as it travelled into my stomach.
‘No, I haven’t.’ I didn’t know what else to say. His smarmy grin grew as he leant towards me. His suit was immaculate, even though he had been in a prison cell. I glanced down at my crumpled clothes.
The chancellor took another step towards me but paused. His nose scrunched up when his eyes landed on the top of my head. I cleared my throat and eyed my shoes. They were black with little heels. The more I looked at them, the more they hurt the bottom of my feet. I hadn’t even noticed them before.
‘Is there a shower down here?’
He laughed as he shook his head and flung the drink down his throat. ‘Yes, through there.’ He gestured back towards the hall. ‘Shall I join you?’
My gaze shot to his. He was being completely serious. His face was straight as he waited for my answer. This could make or break my chance to get in his good books. However, I would not jeopardise myself for that.
‘I’ve only just met you, sir.’ I took his glass and went over to the counter to pour another drink.
Mentally shaking myself, I brought back the fearless Perfect that I had managed to pull from somewhere when I was in the cell.
‘Does that matter?’
His breath hit the back of my neck. I swallowed hard before turning to place the newly filled glass in his hand. He smiled down at me as he wiggled his eyebrows. He fingered the tip of my blond hair.
‘Sir! Don’t be so naughty. There is a serious situation going on outside. We need to-’
‘Stay exactly where you are!’
The shout came from the hallway. The chancellor jumped away from me. I did as I was told, rooted to the spot. A guard backed into the room with his gun held out in front of him. He was aiming at someone down the hall.
‘Don’t think I won’t break you,’ someone said.
The voice was regular but the words made me grit my teeth. Who was the man that threatened us?
‘Back up!’ the guard shouted.
It was pointless. He still retreated into the room. I was about to open my mouth when a short man with a big nose came around the corner and into view.
‘Ah, there you are, Chancellor. I believe you have something that belongs to me.’