Chapter Four
‘This is where we keep the Avoidable prisoners.’ Catherine pointed at a high security block as we marched past.
I had begged her for a tour of the government compound.
‘Why are you so interested, anyway?’ she asked as we paused by the fountain.
I shrugged as I gazed down at her. She was tall but I was still able to make her look up at me. Her eyes blinked in the sunlight. Her gaze was hard, judging.
‘I’ve been studying politics for a very long time. I’ve wanted to be an official since I was a kid. I watched the chancellor on television for years. My great grandfather was the government leader once. However, since he died before I was born, I’ve not had the connections, you know?’
She eyed me up and down. Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips.
‘And do you have any qualifications?’
I let a small smile come to my face. ‘Of course. I have a bachelor’s degree.’
I hoped the record would materialise out of nowhere.
Catherine spun away from me. I followed her to the next block. ‘If you’re kind to me, William, I may be able to get you in.’
Was it my charm? I took her arm and linked it through mine. Maybe I could play the same game as she did. It was how the Perfects worked. Especially Catherine.
‘I will most certainly be kind to you,’ I replied, laughing when she did.
A guard ran up behind, alerting us to his presence only when we fell silent.
‘Catherine, an Avoidable has been spotted on the Upper Side. He is known as Noland and is currently making his way to the compound.’
Catherine’s back stiffened. She shrugged me off before marching in the direction of the main building. I was torn. Should I snoop around on my own? Or go and see what Noland was up to?
‘William!’ Catherine shouted.
My mind was made for me. I ran to catch up. When I fell into step beside her, she glanced at me.
‘I don’t usually allow outsiders to know government business but there’s something about you. I think you may be good for us.’
I was concerned at the lack of suspicion from one of the top officials. Did a handsome face get me a first class seat into the main boardroom?
‘I’m honoured,’ I replied, taking her arm again.
She led me into the building. The halls were adorned with paintings of famous historical figures. Not just recent ones but ancient ones, too. Men in war when the world had been normal. Philosophers of ancient Greece. A place that no longer existed. Each man or woman had one thing in common. They were stunningly good looking. There were no ugly leaders from the past haunting the walls of the Perfect government compound.
‘Through here,’ Catherine announced as we entered a plush room.
The table in the middle was carved in solid oak. It was massive. Almost as long as the room. Chairs with red cushions on them surrounded it. A roaring fire was placed behind the table. Comfy armchairs were gathered at the other end of the room. I liked it. It was very old fashioned.
‘Catherine, you can’t bring your toy boy in here,’ an old man barked.
He was shorter than me with greying hair. His face was still handsome, even with the plastic surgery he’d used to try to cover his age. I had never understood why humans were not happy to age gracefully. Looks were so unimportant, yet they had obsessed over them for thousands of years.
‘He is not my toy boy, thank you very much, Chancellor. He is a new candidate for our leader.’ Her words were spat from her mouth. The venom that attached itself to them hit the older man straight in the chest. He clasped his hand against it as his eyes went wide.
‘You can’t just bring in a stranger-’
‘I can do what I like. I’m appointed leader until an appropriate replacement can be found.’
I listened to the way they spoke to each other. Each word was laced with poison as they stared each other down. The energy in the room was dark. The electric shot back and forth between the two biggest egos. What did Catherine mean I was a candidate for the leadership?
‘I insist that more research is done before we-’
‘Please, let’s get on with it,’ another man said. He gestured for Catherine to sit.
Catherine bent to whisper to a colleague. Her eyes watched me as she spoke. Probably asking the woman to dig into my history to see if I was telling the truth. When she had finished, the woman got up and left.
Catherine led me down to the middle of the table. There were several empty seats, which wasn’t surprising considering how big the table was. As I lowered myself into a chair, I caught the eye of the chancellor. His face was bright red as he flicked his gaze over my suit jacket. I glanced down at myself. John had lent me the navy blue suit. Catherine had played dress up with me as soon as I got out of bed that morning.
‘Please explain who this man is,’ he said through gritted teeth.
Catherine cleared her throat before standing. ‘Everyone, I would like to introduce you to William. He has a bachelor’s degree and has taken a keen interest in politics since he was a young boy. He is not too far off my own age-’
‘You wish!’ The chancellor laughed.
Catherine’s glower shut him up. My human body was at least ten years younger than hers. I was in my early thirties, according to what Arion had told me before we came down.
‘Anyway. His great grandfather was leader once. We need fresh meat…I mean, fresh insight. I would like to interview William first. I’ve not-’
‘Wasn’t this meeting supposed to be about-’
‘Sir! Noland is approaching the compound on foot. He’s gaining steady ground.’ The guard stood by the door. I had no idea how he knew the information.
‘What are you waiting for? Execute him,’ the chancellor said, waving the guard away.
The guard coughed. ‘We can’t, sir, he’s carrying a bomb.’
Silence filled the room. Catherine gripped my hand as her eyes grew wide.
‘Right. Let’s go and talk to this lunatic! Then we’ll kill him.’ The chancellor got up. Everyone else followed, letting him lead them out of the room.
‘Will we go?’ I asked Catherine when we were alone.
She sighed and rubbed her hand over her blonde hair. Her nose was dainty, along with her lips. Physically, she was beautiful. Energetically, she made my skin itch.
‘I’m wary of you. Surely you understand that?’
It was the first show of weakness I had seen in her. She squeezed my hand tight, pinching the skin as she did.
‘Of course. You don’t know me but you have nothing to fear,’ I said, leaning towards her. ‘I’m genuinely interested in being a part of the team that ensures our safety. Avoidables must be avoided at all costs.’
I stared into her eyes, softening my smile as I did. She melted under my gaze. Her shoulders relaxed as she sighed again. I could see why Perfects valued their looks. It seemed that they used them to get what they wanted. If I wanted to be a Perfect, I had better start acting like one.
The door opened suddenly. The woman Catherine had sent out of the room earlier stood on the threshold. ‘All checks out,’ she muttered, gesturing at me.
I hid my smile as I thanked the powers that had yet again written my fake history.
‘Let’s go and see what happens with Noland. I could do with seeing an Avoidable fall today,’ I said.
Her tinkling laugh echoed around the room as I pulled her to a stand. She let me lead her out of the building and towards the entrance.
‘Catherine, get back inside!’ John called.
He was on guard. His men formed a line at the front driveway. They held their guns aimed towards the street. I let go of Catherine and moved to get closer.
‘Don’t go too far,’ she called after me.
I winked at her as I snuck between the guards. They didn’t seem to notice me standing with them. They focused on the tall Viking-like man that stood in the middle of the concrete road. The l
ong thick braid down the back of his head swung as he spun towards us.
‘I want to speak to whoever’s in charge,’ he shouted in his ridiculously deep voice.
The guards chuckled as they watched him. He held something in his hand, which I assumed was the bomb they had spoken about. I had never seen a bomb so I didn’t know what one would look like.
‘What do you want?’ John shouted.
Noland’s gaze shot to him as the guard stepped forward. His gun aimed at the warrior’s chest. The slight shake of his arm was the only thing that gave away his nervousness.
‘I want to speak to the person in charge.’
Maybe it was because I had never faced an Avoidable that made me unafraid. Maybe it was because I was an angel. Or maybe it was because I was determined to achieve my goal.
I stepped through the guard wall and approached the Avoidable.
‘William!’ Catherine called.
John glanced at me, frowning when he saw me move closer to the enemy.
‘Who are you?’
I shrugged as I casually came to a stop in front of him. He didn’t flinch and neither did I. His eyebrows rose as I slowly did up the buttons on my shirt cuffs.
‘I’m William. I’m in charge now.’
The gasps behind me went ignored as we stared at each other. He was reading me, I could tell. He had a gift of reading the soul. I didn’t know how I knew but the thought came to me as he delved deeper. I smiled and ripped my gaze away. He couldn’t see that I wasn’t a genuine Perfect.
‘John, escort this man back to Lower Side,’ I called.
The guard blinked and glanced behind him. The chancellor stood behind the guard wall. His face was bright red. He spluttered when I looked him directly in the eye.
‘I’m not going to Lower Side,’ Noland said.
Turning back to him, I raised my own eyebrows. He wouldn’t stand down. I kept my eyes on the device in his hand. It was a misshapen electronic device, taped together with rough black tape. Wires stuck out at irregular points.
‘What have you got there?’
I was genuinely interested. The world of science and electricity was one I had been fascinated by when I was an angel.
‘A bomb. If you don’t agree to let me have a meeting with the government officials, I will blow you up.’ The quirk of his lip was cocky. His whole demeanour was arrogant.
The way the Avoidables were treated was unfair but this Avoidable deserved to be brought down a peg or two. His features were symmetrical, with no scars or marks on him. He could have been a Perfect save for his gift. Did they even know he had it?
‘Okay. Give over the bomb and we’ll talk,’ I said.
He tilted his head to the side as he smirked. ‘You think I’m that stupid?’
I was surprised that the Perfects let me take the lead. I was an unknown to them. How did they know I wasn’t involved with Noland? I could have set this whole thing up.
As I glanced back at them, it clicked. They were scared. Noland petrified them because he was unpredictable. I knew they didn’t have much of a backbone but the position I found myself in was precarious.
‘How do you want this to happen?’
‘Don’t pander to him, William. He needs to be shot,’ John called.
He wasn’t far behind me but even the head guard didn’t want to go near the bomb. Maybe it was my plain ignorance that made me step closer to the hulking man.
‘You hear what he said? You wonder why we treat you the way we do. Standing here with a bomb in your hand, threatening to kill people. Not exactly the best way to gain our trust.’
His eyelids lowered as his gaze narrowed on me. His demeanour relaxed. He glanced over my shoulder to the people waiting behind me.
‘I only have one request. Release Sandor,’ Noland shouted.
If I didn’t have a clue before, I certainly didn’t know anything now. I looked over my shoulder to see the chancellor almost having a heart attack where he stood. His mouth gaped open and closed like a fish. His hands clenched at his side and his cheeks almost turned purple. I guessed from his expression that he knew who Sandor was.
‘She’s a prisoner,’ Catherine called, standing between two of the guards. ‘She’s being held for-’
‘No, she is a slave! You captured her and-’
‘Enough!’ the chancellor shouted. ‘You will leave here this instant or I will personally cut off your head.’
The guards laughed heartily at the threat. I stood stock still, waiting for the man’s reaction. If someone had spoken to me so harshly, I wouldn’t have been calm about it. My skin started to heat. I wanted to clear away the negative feeling. There was a time and a place to release everything that bothered me. It was time to develop a thick skin.
‘I will blow you up before you have the chance to get near me,’ Noland shouted back.
His voice thundered through the gathered people. He held up his hand, holding the bomb high in the air. Gasps echoed around me as his arm hovered above him.
‘Wait. Ignore the chancellor. I will talk to you. Here, now. Sandor is nothing to do with me but I promise to investigate your claim. If you go back to Lower Side now, I will perform my own interrogation. There should be no slaves in the government. There should be no slaves anywhere. If you find that I do not live up to what I say I will do, you can come back and carry out your threat. If, however, I do what I say, you will never dare to come back to the Upper Side.’
I held out my hand. It was a wild shot at trying to get him to see reason. I had to prevent as much carnage as possible. It was my mission after all.
‘And how do I know that you won’t have me executed as soon as I turn my back?’
I pointed at the bomb. ‘You have a weapon. You can blow up my people anytime on the way home. I would not jeopardise that.’
He glanced up at the only thing that stopped the guards from killing him.
‘You’re going to let me leave with my bomb?’
His grey eyes tried to make contact with mine. I met them for a second, just so he could see that I was telling the truth. His straight back lengthened as he stretched.
‘Yes. I’ll keep my word, if you keep yours.’
His eyes narrowed on me again.
‘Who are you? I’ve never heard of you.’
My smile grew as my new persona took over. I had to show him that I wasn’t someone to be messed with. I was supposed to be a Perfect. I had to keep reminding myself to think like one.
‘I’m the new leader. So warn the other Avoidables that no one ever threatens us and gets away with it. The difference between me and them.’ I gestured behind me. ‘Is that I play a little fairer.’
The sound of talking grew louder behind me. They couldn’t hear what I said to Noland and that worried them. I didn’t blame them.
‘It’s okay. I’m leaving,’ Noland said when the guard wall took a step forward. ‘But if you don’t investigate the illegal activity of enslavement, I will personally come and blow every single one of you into pieces.’
He turned on his heel and sprinted away. John went to run after him but I put a hand on his shoulder.
‘Let him go. He needs to warn the others that we will not take his threat lying down.’
He glanced at me. His eyes were wide but he nodded as if he was in a daze. Was my angel influence making people do as I asked?
‘Who made you boss?’ the chancellor spluttered as he hurried up to us.
Catherine was fast on his heels.
‘I apologise for overstepping the mark. I saw an opportunity and took it. I didn’t want to risk the life of someone of such high importance so I stepped in.’
The man bristled at first. A slow smile started to form on his arrogant face. ‘Well, that was very…’ He couldn’t finish his sentence.
‘Commendable,’ Catherine finished for him.
She stroked my arm as she fluttered her eyelashes at me. John caught the movement but glanced away. He was totally indif
ferent. He didn’t care that his wife sort out entertainment with other people.
‘Yes. I suppose it was commendable. Well, then. Let’s send a party out to execute him.’ The chancellor turned from me and gestured at John.
‘That won’t be happening,’ I said, slowly.
My back was as straight as it could be. Catherine’s eyes lit up bright as I defied the stuffy chancellor.
‘I mean to stick to my word. How can we prevent these people from constantly attacking us if we keep giving them reason to?’
John’s gaze flicked between us. The rest of the government party stood behind the chancellor. Every single one of them stared at me as if I had lost my mind. Catherine patted my sleeve.
‘He’s right, of course. He knows what he’s doing. I think we should appoint him as our new leader.’
I had bewitched the stuck up female. Her charms rubbed off on everyone else but not me. I could play her at her own game.
‘I disagree. We don’t know this man!’
The chancellor went ignored as the others started to chat amongst themselves.
‘Can you tell me something?’ one woman asked.
I nodded as I held my head high. It was hard to adopt the haughty expression that they all seemed to have.
‘What would you do if you became leader? Why would you be better than any of us?’ Her arms crossed over her chest. She was middle aged but she looked younger. Her nose stuck high in the air as she spoke to me.
‘For many years, Avoidables have been able to sneak into Upper Side. We’ve been terrorised by these…people…’ I feigned disgust at the right moment. ‘For too long, the Perfects have not been able to enjoy life without the threat of danger. I will end this. I am a fair man. I work very differently to the rest of you, I’m sure. But one thing I guarantee. I will get rid of the stigma of Avoidables forever.’
The chancellor rolled his eyes. Catherine clapped. The others stared at me open mouthed.
‘We still don’t know who this man is,’ the chancellor moaned as the others started to move away.
‘Who cares? It’s been boring for years. I think William will make things a little more exciting.’ Catherine wiggled her eyebrows at the woman that had asked the question.
The others paused in their retreat. Each of their ears pricked up at the sound of excitement.
‘Okay, let’s vote!’ Catherine called. ‘Who wants to elect William as our new leader for a trial period?’
I glanced down at my new friend. She shrugged at me when I raised my eyebrows.
Hands shot up into the air. Every single official, bar the chancellor, voted to have me as their new leader.
Was it really that simple? What was wrong with people?
‘That’s settled,’ Catherine announced. ‘Welcome to your dream job!’ She laughed heartily and the others joined her.
‘That’s crazy, this can’t be happening!’ The chancellor huffed.
‘Thank you, everyone. I’m honoured and a little surprised. Before you go, John,’ I said as they went to turn away again, ‘I’d like you to arrest the chancellor.’
The officials turned into statues at my statement. The man in question balled his fists and started to shake with suppressed emotion.
‘What for?!’ he spat.
‘I’m arresting you on suspicion of enslaving an Avoidable,’ I announced, hoping that I wasn’t about to get shot. ‘Please lock him up.’
William’s Infiltration Part Two