Firedown Sun

Lunch came, and the three of the other remaining rebels joined us down the hallway. There were the four of us that usually stuck together: Lune, Hexa, Resh and I. Then Poppi, Jaz, and Pharis, of course. We'd lost Fawkes- like he was really a loss- Havva, Zarthur, Tyeson, Perisnow, Jestia, Puna, Kirtessa, and Hammil. The last four I didn't really know that well at all, but I remembered their names well enough. Not to mention their faces. It was sickening to think their eyes were now black, empty holes of hatred and heartlessness. But I was happy for the kids we had left, and maybe we could gain some of the others back if we explained about what the pills were most likely doing, or maybe punch them in the face to knock it out of their system. It sure had worked for Tummel.

As a pack, we felt safer. We all figured being alone was a really bad plan, since we'd all suffered some pushing and name-calling, not to mention my most recent attack. So we moved to the Eating Room quietly, glaring at the rebel-haters and refusing to be messed with again.

And they let us go without a word.

But then we entered the Eating Room, and we realized we wouldn't survive in there for five minutes. As if our presence alone was revolting and horrendous to them, they turned to glare, all conversation silenced and everyone watching our every move.

We began searching for a place to sit, but there was none. It was like they'd planned this out, to steal every table so we couldn't eat. Hexa even tried just slipping her lunch token into an ordering slot at a random table, and a humongous guy even she wouldn't mess with slapped her hand away, barking, "This is OUR table, rebel, back off."

Hexa bristled at being smacked away like that, but she coiled away and nodded. "Sorry," she said, and I knew she really didn't mean it.

We all tried sneaking our tokens in a slot at various places, but it was impossible. We were pushed back, insulted, and given dirty looks from all around.

"Hey, troublemakers, get lost. We don't want you here."

"Stupid dogs. Don't you know no one likes you anymore?"

"You freaks!"

"Rebel scum!"

I sighed. I hadn't exactly planned on starvation today, but it looked like that was what I would get.

And then the boy sitting at the table to my left stood and pointed to his ordering slot. "Here you go, you can use mine," he mumbled to me.

"Tummel?" I could barely whisper the name before an uproar echoed painfully in my ears from all sides as I moved my token forward. Before anything could happen, I slid it in and ordered quickly, "Ten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, seven lemonades, and eleven surprise desserts. Hurry!"

The food began appearing in flashes, and the crowd exploded. The group of us reached out, grabbing what we could and running. "Wait!" Tummel shouted, but I heard someone clamp their hands around his mouth to shut him up. I sprinted away, carrying lemonade and two sandwiches, not bothering to wait around for someone to snatch my spoils up.

I literally booked it down the hallway, shouting for the others to follow me. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew we needed to get out of there. I hoped they were each able to grab something. That was why I'd ordered more than we needed, for everything except the lemonade. There were drinking fountains people could use. But food was a necessity. With only seven of us, ten sandwiches and eleven desserts should be enough.

If we'd all gotten our hands on our portions...

I sped hurriedly away until I reached Sorin's classroom, then screeched to a halt and ushered them inside. I wasn't sure why, but I thought he wouldn't mind if we came in and ate lunch. Maybe just because Lune was among us, at least. Maybe because I'd gotten a question right. Or maybe because I was growing to like the Teacher who I was naturally supposed to hate.

Spinning around once all seven of us were inside, I heard the door click closed, and my hair was in my face. I blew the strands from my eyes and tried to determine whether Sorin looked frustrated he had visitors at such a random time or just plain surprised.

"Uh, welcome, kids," he said, getting to his feet stiffly. He was eating a green apple, which I focused on. It was hard imagining him so human and normal, even just by the fruit he held in his hand. He seemed almost like he was a whole other species all by himself that didn't need to breathe or sleep or anything a human would. He watched me like a hawk usually, never blinking and seeming so cruel and annoyingly opposed to people like me.

And yet there was a softness in his eyes as he finished his apple and threw it in the trashcan by his desk.

"Sit down," he told me. I knew it was directed at me. Who else? I was the one who had decided to come here. Maybe he knew that. Maybe he read that in my eyes. I wasn't a hard person to figure out.

I settled into a desk at the back of the room, motioning for the others to follow suit. They sat down, watching Sorin carefully.

That was when I saw the girl hunched over the notebook. She was way up in front, right in the row by Sorin's desk, apparently doing homework or something. What was she doing here? I didn't even see food on her desk.

When she turned to look at me, I flinched at the sight of normal eyes again. It was so strange. She wasn't like the others, and yet she didn't eat with them.

Why?

After I made sure everyone had their own share, I took an extra sandwich and a random dessert selection- apple crisp, it looked like- and moved over to her. I held it out cautiously, wondering if she would take it.

"Hungry?" I asked.

She glanced at what I held, then at her notebook, and then she sighed and took the food. "Sure, thanks."

"No problem..." I sat down in the desk across from her. "Um, I don't know you. What's your name?"

"Does it matter?" she snapped. Then she looked guilty, and she bit into her sandwich without meeting my gaze. "Sorry," she mumbled after she swallowed the mouthful down. I handed her my bottle of lemonade, and she drank a few sips, murmuring another thank you.

"Don't worry about it, I've had worse."

She smiled. "That's why you got to act like them. It's all a game, you know."

"A game?"

"Mm. If you're strong, you survive. If you're not, well... you don't."

I nodded. "Huh. That's really encouraging. Thanks for the tip."

She wolfed down half the sandwich, then glanced back over at me, still chewing. "I'm Margolo, by the way."

"I'm Kitten. Wow. It seems like I'm meeting someone new every day."

"It happens," she murmured. Spooning a mouthful of apple crisp into her mouth, she shrugged. "Sort of figures, right, that after all this happens, that's when I meet you? It's like it was bound to happen."

"It was," Sorin said suddenly. We both glanced up at him, and his eyes shifted away awkwardly. "I mean, the leaders don't just let things happen at random. They're, uh, always watching, so.... they know when things need to happen and when they don't. It's like Margolo said. It's all a game."

I nodded knowingly. "And we're the moving tokens."

Both Sorin and Margolo made no move to disagree with me, so I knew it was right. We were the little figurines the leaders used to play a game for their own entertainment. And if they sick and tired of a token, they just chucked it aside and changed the rules to fit the absence.

"So what did Asrid do?" I asked out of the blue. "Why did they suddenly decide to-"

"Don't say it," both Margolo and Sorin interrupted. "Bad decision to speak the fates of someone aloud," the girl I'd just met whispered. "Trust me, I've done it, and it only makes you look like the next target."

I flinched instinctively. "Well, that makes sense," I mumbled. "Because, I mean... she was my grandmother, wasn't she?"

Sorin sighed, like he knew more about all of this than he let on. He nodded and leaned over his desk to look me in the eye. "You don't know the half of it, Kitten. But I'm not the one to tell you."

I sat up straighter, curious. "Well, I'd be very excited to know about the half I'm clueless about. Since it's not like I can ask my parents currently about my genealogy."

He smiled, then sighed again. "Well... let's just say you're not the first in your family to rebel. Okay?"

"Great. What's that mean?"

"Just you think about it. And do what Margolo suggested. Keep your mouth shut about things. Act like the others. Try and change your eye color if you can, just like they do. You'll survive longer that way."

"My eye color changes!" Hexa piped up randomly. "If I'm really angry, they turn red."

I smiled at that. Hexa was amazing.

"Well, trust me," Margolo said, laughing without humor and twirling a strand of her red hair out of her face, "you're going to need to be angry all the time, then. Scare them away. Do ANYTHING to keep them off your back. It's dangerous to let yourself-"

"Dangerous?" I rolled my eyes, unscrewing the cap and chugging more lemonade. "Margolo, when haven't we been in danger? We're used to this. We rebels live every second looking over our shoulder to see if anyone's noticing our differences, glancing at every dark corner to see if an Orderman is following us. We already know it's dangerous to be BREATHING. You want us to stop that, then?"

Margolo didn't even blink. She stared me right in the eye and stated softly, "Then I suggest you breathe quietly."

Sorin, leaning over his desk still, laughed at the suggestion, but then he said, "You've got a point there, Margolo. Like we've already said, Kitten, you can't just speak out what you're thinking all the time. Look at Fawkes Evarren. He learned to shut his mouth earlier than he had to, but it was a good thing, wasn't it, Kitten?"

I swallowed and I felt like someone had slapped me in the face.

Sorin gave me a warm smile. "Fawkes is normal, you know."

"What?"

"He and Margolo were among the first to recieve the, uh... medication." He looked away as he said that, like he didn't want to say "pills" for some reason. Maybe just because it echoed the truth of the evility of it, of the monster fate the stupid pills created in you when you swallowed them.

"It's true," Margolo whispered faintly. I barely heard her. "And I learned something..." She cleared her throat lightly and peered into my brown eyes carefully. "Don't... PLEASE don't... swallow... the blue ones."

The blue ones. I remembered seeing some blue among all the purples and greens, but why shouldn't I swallow them in particular? I stared back into her green silvery eyes and felt a tremor go through me. "Why?"

Sorin didn't even flinch when I asked why, even though it was against the rules. But he did give me a dark look, and I knew I needed to follow their advice to hold my tongue and not say stupid crap all the time. I had already figured it out that I always said the wrong thing at the wrong time. I gazed back at the remainder of the rebel gang. Could my stupidity get us all killed? Or would they just get rid of me and call it good?

Lune glanced up and we locked eyes. I inhaled and exhaled, chest and face burning.

No, none of my friends would let them do that. And if they did take me away, they'd fight nails and teeth to get me back.

Which would result in pain for them.

Standing, I murmured, "Thank you," to Margolo and Sorin, hoping they understood everything I was saying behind it. "No blue ones."

"No. And be careful with the green ones, too. The purple ones are awesome, but green?" Margolo smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. See you, Kitten."

And I turned, the gang getting up and following me.

None of us knew where we were going, but the important thing was we were moving. It felt good to be walking together like that, with no more fear.

No more problems.