The Last Red

Chapter 27: Scars & Lies

I run fingers across the wall's slick surface.

"We can't climb it..." I narrow my eyes, already trying to find a solution. "There's no rocks that stick out."

"Plus," he rotates his hand above his head, "I think you're forgetting about the patrolling drones..."

"Yeah," I open my eyes in a grimace, "that, too."

"If the Original City's behind these walls, they really need to modernize," Koben raises an eyebrow.

"Quira did say it was the oldest establishment on Mars..." I look at him. "But with a wall this thick and tall," I tap onto it, "who needs modernizing? Looks pretty unbreachable to me."

"There's no door in sight," he states the obvious. "Which doesn't mean there isn't one," he taps me lightly, already on his way. "C'mon."

"Koben!" I yell after him, but still rush to catch up. "Will you stop for a second?"

He turns. 

"None of the blocks we've seen had a door, either," I shake my head. "These establishments weren't made to be walked out of. You know that."

He purses his lips in defeat - he knows I'm right. "The only incomers were brought in by drones."

"Exactly," I nod. "We all had yards to go out to and these people have gardens that are alone bigger than our entire block. Why would they need a door out?"

"So what?" he says, agitated. "What's your proposal?"

"I don't know," I say. "Yet."

"Well, I'm too nervous to sit and wait," he continues walking around the Wall.

I exhale loudly.

This guy...

"Could you... tone down your energy just a lil' bit?" I say playfully.

He chuckles. "No. By now you should now that. I was raised to thrive in tough moments."

"By your grandfather," I nod even though it's a question.

"Yes," he says. "Mostly."

There's that mostly again.

"I'm guessing your Mom had something to do with it, too."

He keeps silent for a few moments, looking in front of him. Then he speaks gently. "My mom was too kind-hearted."

The curiosity's killing me too much to let the subject go. "Too-kind hearted for what?"

"The reality of life," he says melodically, "the cruelness of it."

It's obvious be really doesn't want to go into details, so I try to stir the subject a little. "You said your father was mixed. How do you know?"

"My gramps told me," he looks at me in a bit of an irritation. "Many, many times."

Fine. I won't beg him to open up.

We continue walking around the wall long after Midnight.

But still no sign of a door.

My bare skin feels tender from all this time spent under the Sun.

If I didn't know better, I'd think I'll get a suntan and then stop worrying about taking tanning pills.

But I cannot tan under the Sun - I only burn.

"Koben, are you gonna quit finding a door any time soon?" I lean against the wall and exhale in pain as the rocks scratch my back.

He stops immediately, observing me.

"Still feeling Sunburnt?"

I nod. "I don't think it's a condition I can evade with the life we're living."

He scoffs with a smile. "Y'know, you're getting pretty pale... May be time to renew your tan."

I shake my head. "I spent all of the pills you gave me," I sigh in desperation. "Most have fallen out of my backpack somewhere," I tap on the holes in it.

"Guess you'll have to be your true-albino-self from now on," he jokes.

But I don't laugh...

"That's it!" I exclaim, getting shivers down my spine.

"What is?"

"Quira said there's people like me behind this wall," I gaze up, something building inside of me now. "The albino myth?" I raise my eyebrows.

He bites his lower lip nervously. "I know. It's what's supposed to get us in. But there's no one to talk to." 

"Maybe we don't need someone..."

"The drones," he gasps.

I nod.

"But how do we attract their attention...?" he looks up the wall. 

"I think we can work on that in the morning," I slide down the wall to the ground. "We'll be smarter when the Sun shows us what's at disposal. Maybe you could throw some rocks over it, cause some type of a commotion - I don't know..." I'm too tired to talk. Too tired to think.

"Fine," he finally quits and sits down. "The wall seems to go on forever, anyway," he scratches his growing beard and my eyes catch on that large scar he has on his inner wrist. I've seen it before, but not from this angle.

"Even if there's a door, we'll spot it easier at daylight."

It's not an Omnia scar - it's long and... round.

And in the same place as Quira's half-bracelet beneath her skin.

Suddenly, it dawns on me.

My breath becomes shallow as my heart almost jumps out of my chest - I'm now cooking with anger.

"You said you used to live East..." 

He only shares a glance with me, then his eyes run to his wrist scar.

His face looks almost as if he were saying 's**t. I'm busted. '

I scoff with disbelief. 

My nostrils widen as the dots connect - how he knew houses and plants existed, how nonchalant he was after Quira told us she lived in one...

"You used to live in a house, didn't you?"

He clenches his jaw, looking at me intensely.

My eyes grow big with inner rage. "I cannot believe you," I squint in disgust, shaking my head. "What else are you hiding from me?"

He looks away into the distance. "I did live in a house. For a short while," he says. "Before my mother sent me to Base Zero, like I told you."

"That's not the whole story, Koben, and you know it," I say through gritted teeth. "If your mother had a house, it means someone in your family was a transfer from Earth," my eyes sting because I simply can't believe what I'm about to say is true. "And that means you knew about Earth all along."

I can see him swallow hard, then he looks in front of him. 

"What do you want me to say?" he asks. "I'm sorry you had to hear it from Quira before I told you myself."

"If you were ever planning to." He obviously wasn't planning to tell me about himself, not even after a month of us being together, so I can't really believe anything that comes out of his mouth from now on.

"Your tricks are cheap, Bradley," is all I say.

And yeah, the name was on purpose.

He exhales without saying anything, then opens his backpack to retrieve a blanket we got off a rogue who attacked us in the Wild. 

"Here," he reaches his hand out. "I'm assuming we won't be sharing it tonight."

"Obviously," I scoff with shock. "Or any other night, for that matter. You can consider it over between us," I  install myself farther away. "Keep the blanket. I don't want anything from you," I hiss, patting a rucksack to use as a pillow. 

He cups the space between his eyes, shaking his head. "Please don't do thi-"

"Shut up," I cut him off. "I'm not in the mood of hearing your excuses. Unless you plan on coming clean with everything. Once and for all."

Last chance.

There' only a second where he seems to be weighing the options, before he slides down the wall and hits the ground.

"Fine," he says, intent on not explaining his lie to me.

"One last thing," I say before I lie down. "I better not find you at my spot in the morning. No matter how cold."  I don't want lame excuses like 'you shivered.'

It needed to be said.

* *

During my lifetime, I've been awakened in many different ways - the Sun, Omnia, rods rustling over bars, the wind...

But today, it's something completely new.

"I told you we can't. It's too dangerous."

"Billy... Don't do this. I love you!"

I frown even before I open my eyes. 

I look around me in silence and notice Koben's already up on his feet, staring into the wall in complete shock.

"Is that-" I whisper, "coming from behind the wall?"

He nods, not even looking at me.

I jump up, now also staring into the wall, trying to focus so that I can hear the conversation better.

"Lianna, stop. We still haven't made the capital mistake," the boy says. "We can still walk away from this."

"How can you say that? I thought you loved me, Billy!"

There's a loud thud and then I hear a female cry fading into the distance.

"Lianna, stop!"

Silence.

My eyes meet Koben's. 

"He'll be gone any second now," I urge him.

I can tell his heartbeat is off the charts, trying to decide on the next step.

And then, before I know it, he yells.

"Billy!"

Oh my God.

"Can you hear me, Billy?" he shouts at the top of his lungs.