Chapter Six
‘Where are we going?’ Jason asked as we walked along the pavement.
I strode in front of him, trying to get my plan straight in my mind. It wasn’t working. It seemed the more I thought about my approach, the harder it was to think.
‘Tell me about your upbringing,’ I said instead.
He huffed as he fell into step beside me. The roads were quiet. Not many cars existed in the world. Oil had almost dried up. The guards’ cars used electric but even that was limited.
‘It was normal. Mum and dad were in the government before I was even born. I went to school. I finished. And now I’m here. Doing nothing.’
The river came in sight. We headed south towards the bridge that crossed over into Lower Side.
‘And what about girlfriends. Do you have one?’
He scowled. His clean shaven chin clenched as his bright green eyes avoided looking at me. I paused in midstride, which made him stop. His shoulders were slouched. His jeans hung on his hips. The grey T-shirt he wore was plain and boring. His mousy hair was a little longer, almost touching his ears.
‘Is that a yes?’
He shook his head. ‘No. Mother announced that she wants to tell me something later. I’m sure it has something to do with a girl.’
I carried on walking as I frowned. ‘What makes you think that?’
Was Catherine planning on telling him? Would she be cross that I got there first? It didn’t matter. I needed Jason on my side. If that meant creating distance between him and his mother, I wouldn’t regret it. What I had in mind was bigger than any of us.
‘The Perfect officials like to keep it in the government family. Each child that’s born to them is betrothed to one of their colleague’s spawn.’ Jason sighed.
Of course. It had been a tradition for years. It made sense. They were brought up in the same society. Had the same values, or lack of them, so why wouldn’t they marry their children off to others like them?
‘Well, I’m sure whatever it is, you’ll find a way to make it work for you.’
I tugged at my shirt, letting it come out from the waist of my trousers. It was a hot afternoon and the walking made my skin wet.
The river expanded as we came onto the main road that ran along it. I came to stand on the grassy bank and looked across the water. The Lower Side reflected bleakly in the sun as its rays hit the concrete and metal jungle. The brown colour told of its poverty.
‘Have you ever seen an Avoidable?’
When I glanced sideways at Jason, he stared across the river with such intensity, I almost smiled. He took in a deep breath and let it filter out.
‘No, not in person. I’ve seen them on television. I’ve read all about them. I find them fascinating.’
‘In what way?’
I warmed to the lad more and more.
‘They have to cope with so much. They struggle to find food. We only give them rubbish chemical made sustenance that can’t really be classed as food. They fight each other. I mean…look where they live. It’s gross, isn’t it?’
I nodded when he made eye contact with me.
‘I hate them sometimes.’ His words were quietly spoken.
My gaze stayed on the dirty riverbank on the opposite side. His sentiments were beliefs spoken by most Perfects. They despised the Avoidables for making them feel uncomfortable about themselves.
‘Why?’
The question was simple. It was one of those questions that would have never been asked by his parents. They would agree. He would be a champion for hating what they had made him believe was worth hating.
‘I…don’t know.’
The honest answer gave me hope. When Perfects started to question their morals, their hearts would automatically start to open. That was my long term goal.
‘I was made the new government leader today. There’ll be an announcement on television tomorrow.’
Jason bulked, his eyes going wide.
‘Don’t look so shocked, it’s what I came here to do.’
The frown on his face made me smile. He was right to be suspicious. The whole of Upper Side would be shocked at the new announcement. No one had ever seen my face, yet I would be running their city.
‘You came to be head of one of the most brutal…’ his sentence trailed off.
I leant in closer to him to hear his words. I needed to know where his loyalties were.
‘There’s change in the air,’ I said in a loud whisper.
He glanced at me.
‘It’s about time.’ He slapped me on the back. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing.’ His trust in me was unprecedented. ‘But who are you?’
Maybe not as much as I had hoped. His curiosity was a good thing. He needed to think for himself. Perfects were taught such ideals when they were growing up. They had no idea that how they acted was wrong.
‘Just a man that wants to make the world a better place,’ I replied, putting a hand on his shoulder.
His eyes narrowed on me before he looked back over the river at Lower Side.
‘For Perfects? Will you get rid of them?’ He gestured across the water. A flash of emotion I didn’t recognise flashed on his face.
I released him. Everything was moving too quickly. Trust had to be earned. It was rarely given so easily.
‘No, that’s not possible.’ I didn’t elaborate. It was time I rein in my tongue. There would be plenty of time to get Jason on side.
‘Let’s go. Your father said you knew where I could get my hair cut.’
Jason shook his head. ‘Have you not seen the amount of hairdressers in this place? The women practically live in them.’
I laughed as I followed him away from the city divide and into a salon.
‘Jason, what do you want to do with your life?’ I asked.
The hairdresser was a quiet woman. She went about her duties on autopilot. The scissors cut away my hair, leaving a short crop that was longer at the top.
‘I don’t know. More than…this…’
He stared pointedly at the robotic woman. She didn’t even notice that he was talking about her.
‘I need an assistant,’ I said.
‘Good luck with that.’ I grinned.
Jason frowned as he watched me, studying me from head to foot as he sat in a chair.
‘What are you looking at?’
The lad was perceptive. He knew something was up. The intense gaze and narrowed eyes made me squirm in my seat.
‘Are you sure we’ve not met before? Maybe when I was a boy or something?’
He fiddled with the zip on his jacket. His mousey hair was styled with gel. The jeans he wore were smart. No matter how much he tried to rebel against his parents, he couldn’t help but take care of his appearance.
‘No. We’ve never met. Would you like to be my assistant?’
The quick change of topic made him sit back in his seat. The hairdresser brushed my neck. I shivered at the unfamiliar feeling of softness against my skin. I glanced in the mirror. My eyes met hers. She was older, about my age. Her face was clear, her eyes bright. The blonde hair that cascaded down her back made me swallow. Her tongue flicked out and licked her lip deliberately.
My body went tight. Blood rushed all over it, including to places it had never rushed before. I coughed as she giggled and turned away to retrieve my jacket.
‘You feeling okay?’ Jason asked.
I cleared my throat as I crossed my legs. No wonder my angel friend Paul mentioned the ladies. The feeling that had come over me was powerful.
‘I’m fine,’ I said.
My cheeks warmed as I stood. The Perfect approached, swinging her hips as she did. Jason chuckled from his seat as he stood up in the corner as she helped me with my jacket.
‘Nice to meet you.’ She leant up and gave me a quick hug.
Her scent filtered up my nose. I dug in my pocket for some cash but couldn’t find any. Jason interrupted by giving her a note.
‘
Let’s go, boss,’ he said, laughing when I scurried out of the shop without looking back.
We walked quickly at first. I needed to release some of the tension that had filled me all of a sudden.
‘I’m surprised a man like you could get so wound up with a dolly bird,’ Jason said.
How did I explain to him that I had never been turned on before? An angel didn’t have physical sexual desire. It didn’t work that way. I couldn’t tell him anything. I had to-
‘What’s that?’ I asked.
Ahead, a group of people shouted at something. Jason shrugged as we picked up speed. There were about ten people gathered around. We approached them, holding back so we could see what it was they were hollering at.
‘It’s a child.’ Jason gasped.
I pushed through the crowd. He was right. A young boy of about six cowered on the ground. The shouts were mumbled and unclear. Words I didn’t recognise were being thrown towards the boy.
‘What are they saying?’
Jason stood beside me. He turned to the onlookers. His lip curled before he started to retaliate. ‘Leave him alone! Go away!’ I crouched down to the boy. His hands covered his head. The clothes he wore were smart but they were covered in dirt. His hair had been allowed to grow out. The sandy colour was caked in the dust that the Perfects had been chucking at him.
‘Come on, lad.’ I reached to him.
He whimpered as I caught hold of his arms and pulled them away. His bright eyes peeped up at me through the gap I had managed to create. I instantly knew why the people around me were hurling abuse.
‘This is the new government leader. If you don’t go now, I’ll have you arrested,’ Jason shouted.
The group quietened down, backing away when Jason stepped towards them. I glanced up as he looked down at the boy. He cringed and backed up a step.
‘It’s not your fault,’ I whispered to the boy.
He blinked his eyes. One blue, one brown. I was surprised that he had even been allowed to stay in Upper Side.
‘What’s your name?’ Jason said, crouching down beside us.
I turned away briefly to smile. His compassionate heart was a good sign. The Perfect world hadn’t succeeded in turning him into one of them. Not fully, anyway.
‘I’m David,’ the child mumbled.
‘Let’s get you home.’
I rose as Jason took hold of the boy’s hand and helped him up. The lad instantly started to pat the dirt off his clothes. I turned to the people still watching.
‘Go home. There is nothing to see here,’ I shouted.
They shook their heads, their eyes narrowing on me. ‘Who are you? Why are you helping that Avoidable child? What is he even doing here?’ one of them shouted.
My eyes closed briefly. I had a lot of work to do.
‘You’ll know who I am soon enough. That child is just a child. He-’
‘He’s not even old enough for the test, yet. Leave him alone until then!’ Jason interrupted.
The test? I had forgotten about the test. It would take a long time to get rid of that. The Perfects made every child take a physical test when they were thirteen. If they were pretty enough, they were able to stay on the Upper Side. If they weren’t, they had to leave.
The others mumbled between themselves as they moved away. Jason had his hand on the boy’s shoulder. I smiled down at the child that would be emotionally scarred after this moment. He only had about seven years until his whole life would be ripped away from him.
‘Let’s get back to the compound. We have a lot of work to do.’ I nodded at the young lad.
Jason ruffled his hair before waving goodbye. The lad didn’t say thank you as he ran off. He may be an outsider but his manners were just as bad as any Perfects.