Steven Santos - The Culling

Gideon’s eyes swell. “Mother!”

My extended hand drops to my side.

Deep fissures burrow into the corners of Mr. Warrick’s eyes. “This is a family discussion. You’re not welcome here.” His voice is gruff.

“No, Dad! Please!” Gideon steps between us.

I clap Gideon’s back and can’t help notice his wince. “It’s okay. Really .” I turn and nod at the Warricks, then look back at Gideon. “You should be very proud of your son. Enjoy your evening.”

As I walk away, I catch a few of Mrs. Warrick’s hushed words. “An enemy of the state! You don’t want to be mixed up with him . You know I always do what’s best for you-”

But her voice is drowned out by the thumping of blood ringing in my ears.

Something must be wrong …

Pushing my way toward the tall glass doors at the rear of the hall, I almost crash into Ophelia and her family.

“I’m so sorry,” I mumble.

Ophelia is beaming. “It’s okay. I was coming over to introduce you to Mama and Maddie.”

The girl’s a couple of years younger than Ophelia. Whereas Ophelia’s hair is- was -a tangle of curls, her sister’s hangs limp and lifeless. It matches the blankness of her narrow eyes, which are hammocked by pronounced folds of flesh. Her forehead is broad on her small head. Her tattered dress drapes her body with all the finesse of rumpled laundry on a clothesline.

Ophelia hugs her close. “This is my little sister Madeleine.”

Madeleine drops her eyes and ducks behind her sibling, peeking up at me from the shield of Ophelia’s shoulder.

I wink at her. “Hello, Madeleine. My name’s Lucian.”

“She’s a little shy around new people.” Ophelia squeezes her again. “It’s all right, Maddie,” she coos. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

I peer around Ophelia and stare into the child’s eyes, smiling. “What a pretty dress.”

She cups a hand over her smile and looks down at her shoes. “Nife to meetchu,” she mumbles.

Her mother sighs. “For goodness sakes, Ophelia. Don’t let her ”-she glares at Madeleine-“cling to you like that. It’s embarrassing enough we have to parade her around in front of everyone without worrying about her wrinkling your uniform.”

Madeleine’s eyes puddle. Her smile fades and she shrinks into the background like Ophelia’s shadow.

Despite their mother’s warnings, Ophelia kneels in front of her sister and wraps her in a hug. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Mama’s just nervous. You look sooo beautiful tonight. That’s why everyone’s staring at you instead of ugly ol’ me!” She plants a kiss on her forehead.

Mrs. Juniper rolls her eyes and smiles at me, exposing pointy teeth. Her resemblance to Ophelia is uncanny. Sure, there are a few more creases the cheap cosmetics can’t conceal, but it’s like looking at Ophelia fifteen years from now. Despite the worn fabric of her dress, she wears it with an elite air over her hourglass figure.

Her eyes twinkle. “You’re Spark, aren’t you?”

I nod, bracing myself for the same disdain I received from Gideon’s folks. Instead, she surprises me by clamping her arms around me in a tight hug and planting wet kisses on both my cheeks. A hand slithers across the back of my neck. “Such a bright boy. And handsome, too.” Her lips brush against my ear. “Pity we had to meet under such … trying … circumstances. Perhaps we can work out an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial to both you and my daughter … ”

She rambles on and on, something about working with Ophelia to eliminate the competition during the Trials, but her words become an insect’s drone as I focus on the scene taking place just behind her.

Two sets of bright green eyes are peering up at Cypress, belonging to a little boy and girl not much older than Cole. Her twins. Their hair is shiny black, just like Cypress’s; their cheeks are flushed with pink. Both are dressed in neatly pressed matching amber jumpsuits. Their little hands are entwined.

Cypress turns away from them. Her eyes meet mine. She’s trembling-rage or pain, I can’t be sure. Tears stream down her face.

A crushing weight squeezes all the air free of my lungs.

I have to get out of this room.

Nodding as politely as I can, I pull away from Mrs. Juniper. “It was a pleasure meeting you. But I really have to find my family.”

Before she can protest, I barrel past her and push open the terrace doors with such force I can feel them rattling in their hinges.

Under the blanket of a thousand stars, Digory leans against the railing, gazing out at the coastline that’s just beyond the entrance to Infiernos. The sparkling ocean is kissed by the shimmering rays of the full moon. Digory’s uniform seems painted on over his broad shoulders and narrow waist; his hair is combed back and glistens like spun gold.

When he notices me, blue dawn blooms in his eyes. His mouth melts into a smile that almost blinds me with its brilliance.

I simmer in his warmth, which is as comforting as a pot of broth on a cold wintry night.

“You clean up nice, Recruit,” he whispers.

“You don’t look too shabby either, Tycho,” I whisper back. “Guess you made a full recovery after our encounter with those Fleshers.”

“Feeling much better … like I could fly right now … ”

I chuckle. “Probably all those enhancers they loaded your blood with in the Bio-Pool.”

He closes the gap between us. His smile disappears, replaced with a look of burning intensity, like comets ripping through the atmosphere. “I don’t think that’s the reason at all.”

The radiance of his eyes … the moon … the stars … overwhelm my senses. I feel lightheaded. “I didn’t see you inside … was wondering where you were … ”

“Sorry. I got tied up. My Incentive … we had a lot to talk about.”

My eyes risk blindness and find his again. “Your family ? You’ve seen them?”

He seems surprised. “Why, yes. Haven’t you seen your brother and Mrs. Bledsoe yet?”

The simmer in my blood starts to bubble into panic. The Warricks. The Junipers. Cypress’s twins. And now Digory. Everyone accounted for except Cole and Mrs. Bledsoe. “No. I haven’t seen either of them.” I can feel the color draining away from my face.

“I’m sure they’re okay.” His hands grip my waist and pull me into him. “Don’t worry. Everything’s fine.”

I nestle my head against his chest. My ears are filled with the deep sounds of our pounding hearts, beating like a hailstorm until they synch into one strong, steady rhythm.

“I’m scared, Digory. And not just for them … the others too. Cypress, Gideon, Ophelia. I saw them inside, with their families … it hit me just how real this all is … how much they’ve all suffered … everyone … it’s just like you told me when we first met, but I was too wrapped up in my own situation to see it … it has to end … ”

“It will. But we have to be strong.” He tilts my head up with a delicate touch of a finger on my chin. “No matter what.”

My heartbeat ratchets ahead, leaving his trailing like its shadow. “What do you mean?”

“ Please . Let’s just have this one moment, just you and me, no one else … one moment where we don’t talk about any of that … where none of it exists.” He pulls me close again and nuzzles his head against my collar. “Where we can pretend tomorrow is a lifetime away … ” His voice is burdened with a deep emotion that I haven’t heard before, and it makes me wonder just how much he’s been bottling up inside.

For the first time, I feel that it’s him who needs me .