Page 3 of Cry of the Damned
As we approached the café, I stopped and stared at my reflection in the window display of a clothing store. I fought the urge to wipe a hand over my lips to remove the pink gloss Bethel had applied just a few minutes ago.
“I hate makeup,” I complained again.
We walked into the coffee shop and approached the counter. There was a glass counter with several shelves of pastries. My mouth watered at the sight of my favorites: pistachio pastries, honey cakes, and strawberry confections. I fingered the change in my pocket, wishing I had money to spare, but we had to be frugal. Our resources were limited.
“One small black coffee and a tea, please,” I told the attendant, a young guy with narrow eyes and a sparse goatee.
As he worked on our order, I glanced around the café. The space was small, with a few round tables packed close to each other, just the reason I’d picked this place. There were several people here already, getting a quick breakfast before work or school. Two young girls sat in the far corner. They were looking at us, whispering behind cupped hands. When I caught them watching, they pretended to look into their phones.
Lux City wasn’t too big, only five thousand inhabitants. The girls hadn’t seen us before and were instantly curious. We’d received similar curious glances at the grocery store. The city didn’t receive many visitors during the year. It definitely didn’t cater to tourists. In fact, the Academy didn’t like them at all, for obvious reasons.
Those few who dared to visit from the outside world had first-hand knowledge of the truth: that Skews and Stales could live side-by-side in relative peace—a fact that the Academy swore was a blatant lie. The magistrates insisted that, despite the rosy picture other cities tried to paint, places where Skews were allowed to live were crime-ridden, and Stales were nothing more than victims of their savagery.
Visitors who could contradict these lies were obviously a risk.
Not that the magistrates really had to worry too much about it. Most of the tourists who came to Lux City were Skew haters, anyway. They were the only ones who wanted to visit a place where only Stales lived. Everyone else stayed far away, refusing to support a community that systematically persecuted minorities.
As I took our drinks from the attendant, Ila got stirrers and sugar from the supply counter. Walking casually, I approached the table next to the two young girls. They appeared to be high school age, perfect for our purposes.
I sat with my back to the girls and emptied five packages of sugar into my small cup of coffee. I had to get my sweetness fix somewhere. Ila used only half a package, which to me was insane, but she insisted city food was either too sweet or too salty—not a surprise since she was used to a healthy natural diet. Me, on the other hand, even though I learned to enjoy Nosh’s cooking, I had to admit that my heart pined for sweets.
My stomach growled as I took a sip of my bitter brew. We hadn’t eaten breakfast. We were limiting ourselves to one meal and one snack a day. If we stuck to that plan, what Ila and I bought the other day should last until Sunday. In the meantime, we were trying to figure out how to get more money for groceries. Either that or the guys would have to leave. They had huge appetites, and our meal plan was barely cutting it for them.
“Mmm,” Ila closed her eyes as she enjoyed her drink.
On his trips to Alberta, Nosh had more than once gotten different teas to share with the pack, and Ila immediately developed a taste for Earl Grey.
“It’s good with creamer,” I whispered so that only she could hear. We didn’t need the others to think we were Martians who’d never heard of creamer.
“I’ll try that next time.”
After a few more sips, she started talking.
“So…” Ila mock-whispered loud enough so the girls behind me could hear what she was saying. “Where do you think the Academy gets all their students? They say every single one of them is an orphan.”
“I read in a magazine that they take in children whose parents were killed by Skews,” I said, using the word Skew instead of wildling to ensure the girls knew we were from out of town.
“Every single one of them?” Ila frowned, looking skeptical.
I shrugged.
“That seems unlikely,” she said.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. There aren’t that many Skews left around here to attack anyone.”
Ila nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I don’t really understand.”
“At least the city is safe, just like home.”
The girl directly behind me cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. You are visitors?”
I turned to face her. She was a pretty brunette with hazel eyes and a heart-shaped face.
“We are.” I smiled. “I hope our comments didn’t bother you.”
“Oh, no. Not in the least. I understand your… ignorance.” She inclined her head to one side, wearing a condescending expression. “I can explain if you’d like.”
“Sure,” Ila answered as I bit my tongue to hold back a mean reply. “We’d love to learn everything we can about Lux City while we visit. My name is Lillian, by the way, and this is my sister, Evelyn.”
