Page 44 of Fallen Thorns
Mars moved so I could face The Thorns’ leader, whose face had returned to one of sympathy. “You can go about your life as normal, with our help, of course.”
Mars looked to me and asked a question they had asked countless times before, yet this time felt like the first. A fresh start. “Will you let me help you?”
“Please,” I surrendered, nodding to the floor.
“He stays properly this time. He might even become quite a valuable member, if we train him up.” Marianne joined in the conversation, though her tone was still a little unreadable. There was something else on her mind, something she refused to say.
Mars detected this tone too, and I saw the fear claw across their face as their gaze assessed Marianne’s reddened eyes.
Train?
The lights dimmed, or at least they felt as though they did. I didn’t think it was possible for mood lighting to be automatic.
“On top of everything, someone is hunting him. Something. I don’t know what or why yet, but this is no longer just a case of stopping the Turned. Gather the others.”
ChapterTen
In less than an hour, I was ushered back into that dreaded meeting room: the spotlight stage, I called it. Significantly more members had gathered this time, indicating the severity of the situation. Once again, I was overcome with panic at knowing the focus was yet again going to be turned upon me, and I yearned to be swallowed whole by the stones beneath my feet.
But this time, I no longer felt like an outsider. While I was by no means ‘one of them’ now, I was no longer fresh meat. I stepped in with slightly more attitude in my step and stood close to Mars the entire time. I’ll admit, Rani’s presence, alongside Carmen, filled me with a spiteful mentality that I was in on a secret they knew nothing about. I was certain of my place in all this, which helped me relax, at their unfortunate expense. I snapped out of that mindset rather quickly, but my mind had calmed for the moment it lasted.
In the time between Marianne’s declaration and this gathering, Mars had taken me back to my room and we’d spoken on topics completely unrelated to this whole ordeal. Part of me was angry they decided to simply ignore the issue, while another part was glad I didn’t have to worry too much yet. My mind needed to focus on the present, so I could function when this inevitable meeting took place.
“Tell me about your dog,” was their first conversation piece. It was very much a ‘your house is burning, and your parents are dead, but look at me, what’s your favourite colour?’ sort of condescending crap. I played along. Mars had a way of making things work.
I explained about Bess and shared a few stories that came to mind. In good spirit, I asked Mars the same question.
“My younger sister was allergic to pretty much everything, but when I was very young and we still lived in Caloocan, my grandad had a cat — a tabby cat named Sweet. I used to run around playing hide and seek in the bushes until the sun burned my back and I was dragged indoors by my uncle,” they laughed in reminiscence. “I played with her more than I did with my friends, and I wonder why I was lonely.”
“Pets are sometimes the friends you need,” I said, not really thinking too deeply.
Mars looked at me, shock twisting their features. “But real friends are important too.”
“Oh, of course. That’s not what I meant.”
To be honest, I didn’t know what I meant at all.
We talked some more, narrowly avoiding the elephant in the room, and it worked, as the hour flew by.
Then came the announcement.
“Thorns,”Marianne addressed us all, stood atop her dais. Her voice carried across the hall and everyone turned to face her. Some faces I recognised: Ben, Casper, Lawrence, as well as people I’d seen around the city and therefore deduced they had been looking out for me too. Many were new, however — a vast array of not so friendly looking faces. They stood in clusters, reminding me of various school cliques: the group not to be messed with, the group everyone loved, and the group everyone pretended to love. One group looked like they stepped out of the eighties, dressed in leather jackets and denim. A trio of girls opposite wore matching outfits — fit for the front cover of nineties Vogue. There were also a bunch of, what appeared to be, children, though I deduced they were likely decades my seniors. I wondered how they went about explainingtheirexistence.
I considered where Mars fit into this. They were the most outgoing person I’d ever met, and yet they had a side to them that was not too dissimilar to me. Ben and Casper were the popular boys; everyone envied the popular crowds, though I never understood why. People carried themselves differently around them, as if they thought they were somehow lesser beings to them. Lawrence loved it; a blond woman draped across his lap, toying with the hem of his patchwork skirt. Casper had his arm hooked playfully around Ben’s neck, but neither of them focused on their audience; they both stared attentively at their leader. I wondered what it was like to have all that attention, all while pretending it wasn’t happening. But I suppose that was my envy talking. They were no different from me, not really. I thought back to the night when Ben was outside my flat and we talked about his faith, his family, his feelings. He was hiding so much, I realised. Then again, weren’t we all?
Maybe being popular wasn’t all that great after all. It doesn’t erase your life, happy or sad.
“I’m sorry to have called you all so abruptly, but this cannot wait any longer.” The speech began. Carmen stood at the foot of the dais, and it struck me then — that was the exact position she was in the first time I was here: like a henchman, the human foot soldier.
Mars caught me staring and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Marianne saved her as a kid. One of The Thorns turned and went on a spree. Marianne had to watch him kill her parents and swore she’d never let any harm come to her.”
My eyes widened and shot towards Mars. I had no idea.
Guilt inevitably washed over me, reminding me of every negative thought and feeling I’d had towards Carmen. No wonder she was frightened of me.What if the killer was just like me?
Marianne continued: “As many of you are aware, we’ve been working tirelessly for months to eradicate the threat to this city. We’ve always managed to keep everything under control, but three human deaths in one month raised significantly louder alarms and has had us all on high alert.” Her voice did not falter. “Now, in these last few weeks, they seem to have gone quiet, but that does not mean they are finished.”
“I would be lying if I said we are not a single step closer to catching whoever is behind these attacks though. As you are all aware, we have a name. Lucy, or Lucienne.”
