*One Day Prior*

The next day, I didn’t go out to look for Tao. As a matter of fact it’s safe to say that I decided to actively avoid him. I left the orphanage at dawn knowing that Tao would try to find me and sway me (while I was disoriented by sleep) first thing in the morning. I was never good at making decisions right after waking up.

I sprinted out of the home in the clothes I had been wearing for 3 days straight now, and headed straight to the nearest train stop. The trains took passengers for free to any destination within the capital as long as you were allowed to be there. Knowing I wouldn’t be leaving the 3rd ring, I took the train to the district farthest from my own.

The trains are extremely fast and I reached my destination in about 10 minutes. A good 200 mile ride gone by easily. The Capital is an enormous place. I haven’t explored the entirety of the 3rd ring just because it was too big, and I had no need to. I was extremely familiar with district 48 of the third ring since it was where I lived. That one district is all that I needed to know.

What better time was there to look around the city than when I’m avoiding my friend, right?

District 3 wasn’t as worn out as 48. There were more cars, and a lot less trash. It was no 2nd ring, but it was definitely a nice change of pace here in the 3rd.

I walked around and in and out of the numerous and expensive buildings for hours just trying to busy myself with some kind of task so that time would pass by faster. I must have gone in and out of at least 30 buildings before I decided that I needed to return. The sun was setting, and I needed to get back to the 48th district before it was too late at night.

I wasted a good chunk of time bumming around, and was cast only a few wary glances by the wealthier citizens. Their crisp and clean black clothes looked sufficiently less ragged than my own brown dress.

I was again obviously out of place, and they knew it.

Kids flew by on hover boards, adults looked down at their tablets or talked to their bronze metallic bracelets. Presumably engaged in a call through the communicator that came with the shiny accessory.

Their sense of urgency was almost contagious and I felt myself feeling as though I had tasks that I should be attending to. I even glanced down to my wrist thinking that I had a notification on my own bronze wrist communicator. The bare skin that greeted me reminded me that I don’t own one of those identical bracelets, and that I was just imagining the feeling of metal vibrating against my wrist. I rubbed my unadorned wrist anxiously and continued back to the station. I needed to catch the bullet train home, I didn’t belong with all of these busy people.

---

I ambled back home in the twilight and the only thing I could think about was Tao. I missed him and it fucking pissed me off. He could be trying to sell me off to a fucking owner, and I should be wary but I still wanted him to be here with me. I trust him...I trust him more than I trust myself.

He wouldn’t do something like that to me right?

I scoffed aloud and kicked at the ground in agitation. My head hurt from thinking too hard about all of this. I decided that maybe if I go lie down for the next 3 days my thoughts would be cleared...or at the very least less scrambled.

When I got back to the home, it was empty. I didn’t see any of the boys around and honestly, I should have taken that as a warning sign. There was almost always someone home, and for all of them to just coincidently be gone so late at night wasn’t a good sign. Even knowing that something was off, I was too preoccupied by my own thoughts to think too much into the case of the missing boys. The door to the kitchen opened ahead of me, right as I closed the front door behind me.

It was Momma.

She was talking in a serious voice to someone behind her. Her furrowed brows and quick words showed that she was deep in conversation with the other person, but she stopped when she finally noticed me standing at the front door. She immediately switched from her concentrated face to that unsettling empty smile and walked towards me, a man following closely behind her.

He was large. Tall and wide. Like a small building…or maybe a big dog… or a small bear. His hair was bleached blond and his eyes were dark brown, almost black. His eyebrows were bushy and unruly. He looked as if he smelt like cabbage and beet stew. Just looking at him I could tell that he was a mutt like Momma. I could almost see the waves of power flowing off him.

Knowing subconsciously that he wasn’t human, a scowl found its way on to my face. He smiled a sickly smile in return. His teeth were eerily straight, and I wanted to punch him in the jaw to make them crooked.

Momma called me over and I snapped out of my stare down with the new man. She tilted her head towards him in an attempt to silently beckon me over. I blinked slowly before taking hesitant steps towards the pair, she reached out and gripped me by the arm.

“This is the one I was telling you about. She’s still young and takes orders very well. Well trained and she isn’t horrible to look at.” She started. The man’s eyes roamed my body and I felt the familiar feeling of embarrassment and shame flowing through me. She turned me to my side so that he could look at me from another angle and she continued on, “As you can see she has reached maturity and is in great shape to be of use to you and your brothers…oh and lest I forget, she’s the only human girl left in the area for miles.” She finished. His eyes brightened at her final statement. It was then that I realized what she was trying to do.

She was selling me. Not renting me out, but permanently giving me away.

She was putting me up for sell like some kind of fucking rare car.

I watched in terror as they negotiated a price.

“600 credits.”

“800.”

“700.”

“775. Take it or leave it.”

“Fine. 775 credits.” He said while pulling out his plastic card used to make the transaction. Everyone had one of these T-Cards, they made buying and selling easier than they had ever been before. They hold their cards to one another and the transaction is made once her card glows a bright blue.

775 credits.

The same price as a month’s stay in a really nice hotel. My life…worth a month in a nice hotel. While my panic seeped in, his dry hand wrapped around my other wrist and Momma let me go. He pulled me towards the door. A second of me limply following passed before I remember that I could fight.

I scratched at his arm and threw myself on the ground so that he had to drag me. I pulled so hard that I was sure I was going to dislocate my own hand, and if that would get me away then so be it. I didn’t like that hand that much anyway.

I thrashed around on the ground and he growled and tightened his hold on me. I cried. I screamed. I called out to Momma hoping that she’d take me back. I told her to take me back. I told her I would be good. I promised to do whatever she wanted, just don’t sell me off to this guy.

When she turned around her eyes locked with my own and like many times before I lost control of my body. The man let me go and I sat on my knees immobile, tears still streaming steadily down my face. She walked over to me with her fists clenched, I started to choke. The first clump of blood sputtered out of my mouth and on to the floor in front of me. Thick and dark red liquid splattered against the light wood of the ground like a painting.

My head felt like it was getting lighter, and my lungs heavier. While my upper body wobbled from the dizziness, I continued attempting to cough out the blood filling my lungs. Each time it was lessened, more would pool in to replace that which ended up on the ground.

She forced me on my feet. Everything faded in and out as my brain suffered from blood loss and the lack of oxygen. Her hand gripped my face making our noses line up. Her frown deepened as her nails dug farther into the skin of my cheeks.

“I don’t need you anymore, sweetheart. You’re taking up space here, and this is the highest bid I can get on your worthless ass. I’m not going to let this chunk of money get away just because you still don’t seem to understand how it all works around here.” I could only focus on parts of her statement, but the message was clear. All of my assumptions were confirmed. Right when I felt myself starting to black out, all of the fluids rushed back to their respective locations. I fell to my knees and coughed out the last of the blood and gasped for air.

The man took the opportunity to throw me over his shoulder while I was trying to gather my wits, and walked us out the door. I could only stare at his back exhausted as I was carried away from my home. The funny part is that I wasn’t even all that sad that I was being taken away. I hated it there, and I knew this day would come along sooner or later. It just happened to happen so suddenly.

He walked for about 2 minutes towards a parking lot before I was able to get back enough energy to start fighting again. I reached down the back of my shirt and ripped off the leather pouch that was tied around my torso and held my small blunt dagger. I knew he could feel me shifting around, but he underestimated just how much energy I was able to summon. Unsheathing the blade and letting the pouch fall to the ground behind us, I took in a deep breath before twisting and slamming the knife in to the back of his neck. I missed the nerve that I was trying to hit, but it was enough for him to fall in pain and drop me on the ground as well. Thank god I started keeping that knife there.

I attempted to fall and land on both feet, but I fucked up somewhere along the way and ended up flat on my ass. When I finally scrambled up off the ground I could tell that the impact had sprained my ankle, putting any weight on it hurt like a bitch. I let my adrenaline keep me going as I tried to limp away as fast as I could, but he was more resilient than I’d hoped. The back of my shirt was grabbed and I was yanked back on to the ground. With the impact, all of the breath was knocked out of me, and tears stung my eyes. I tried to catch my breath while staring up at the sky on my back.

He was hovering over me in seconds. He was beyond pissed, and the blood from where I had cut him was running down his neck. Drops fell on my clothes as they continued to stain his own. He pinned my arms above my head to keep me from stabbing him again. Unfortunately, I dropped my blade about a foot away from where I was lying anyway. He cursed at me and I struggled against his hold. His legs were on either side of my own as he leaned his body over my own. Blood was starting to drip on my face.

When he let out a low growl and put his face closer to my own, I head-butted him with as much force as I could muster. My forehead rammed against his face and his hands flew to his now broken nose. With him disoriented I could reach for my little knife that was near my knees. With a final swing I was able to hit him where I originally intended. Right in the neck, cutting off his central nervous system and preventing his brain and body from communicating any longer. He fell limp on top of me. I was able to let out a sigh of relief.

I had killed him. But it was not nearly enough blood on my hands to make me consider it a misdeed. It was my life or his.

I chose my own.

I was able to slide out from under his heavy frame. I even attempted to crawl off to somewhere. Anywhere, as long as I wasn’t here when his body was found. I didn’t give two shits about what happened to him, but he was still a mutant, and when he was found dead someone might come to look for me. If he was from the second ring, then I definitely needed to get out of here.

Now.

The edges of my vision were getting dark and fuzzy from the loss of energy and blood. I tried to get on to my feet, but it was an impossible task. I was left with crawling like an infant to some place where I could find sanctuary. My vision waned in and out and I knew I wasn’t going to get far in the condition that I was in. I wanted to nap. If I took a nap then maybe I would wake up and be well enough to escape. The last thing I can recall is someone shouting my name before I closed my eyes and blacked out.

*Now*

So here I am. Fully awake. Injured, emotionally scarred, and fairly pissed. I know that it was Tao who called out to me. He’s the only person who knows my name, er- well the name he gave me. I can’t remember how I ended up here, and I don’t know what “here” is. I blink at the ceiling a few times before deciding to run through what I do know.

My name is June.

I am 19 years old.


I am a human.

I’m not in the orphanage any longer, but I may still be in danger.

I’m hurt.

I have no idea where Tao is, but once I get my hands on him I’m going to kill him myself.

Notes