Secret Aversion

Chapter 5

*Ari’s POV*

We were at the brink, the peak of losing our patience and adaptability with life in the Nightingale cells. It started to get to people, and now, they started admitting the truth. They couldn’t move on from their previous lifestyles, and this was a living hell.

          The weather had propelled this hell, bringing the rainiest month deeper into play. We were given raincoats to continue work, and no one was happy to work through the slimy worms and grubs. It was inevitable, and t*****e for those handling the bigger equipment. It got drier towards the end of work, but we were wet nonetheless and shivering.

          Along with a loss of patience, a gain of confidence was slowly growing in the Platform members. Some had discussed working conditions and issues with the Green Squad, and upon request, we might get better waterproof garments. This confidence was dangerous, especially when dealing with the Project. We were, once again, not notified of any riots, but I knew a couple occurred across the Platforms.

          I came to one conclusion, a reason for me to theorize why the Project wouldn’t achieve all its aims. People weren’t robots, no matter how frigid they were. They could bend and break easily, but they were the world’s most stubborn creatures to exist. Along with stupidity, they were the smartest.

          At this moment however, I didn’t feel like sharing these morals or encouraging myself. I was down in the dumps. Literally, I was inside a pit of mud, digging with the shovel amidst the drizzle. Being a muddy mess wasn’t the only disadvantage at the moment. There were frequent, annoyed commands bellowing from the squad and being thrown at the workers. It was truly unfair to expect zero mistakes, especially on weather conditions such as this.

          Florence was a more considerate squad member. She did her job with strictness, but was mindful of our struggles. She understood going to a farmer stage from a newbie didn’t happen overnight. Unless I was proven wrong, she might not be the only one thinking that way. There had to be agents, officials, or other squad members taking pity on us in our miserable situation. It kept getting worse each day.

          “Hey, watch it twit!” A yell shot across the field. It came from a boy’s section of land, and he had a shovel in his hand. A squad man had a pile of dirt on his shoe. I could guess what accident he had done.

          I’d seen him quite a few times. He got in trouble the most of the people around me. It should’ve made me feel better as the biggest klutz here, but I was wary about his reputation with the Green Squad.

          “You need to pick up the pace,” Florence told me as she came to my land. “It’s not your place to observe others.”

          I apologized, peeling my eyes away from the boy and continued with the shoveling. I swore the shovels had gotten ten times heavier from the last time I carried one. Did this mean I was getting weaker or the shovels were getting stronger?

          To our splendid misfortune, we had to eat lunch outside as well. If we were desperate, we’d have to sacrifice the raincoats to cover our food. We didn’t complain, but Crimson silently muttered under her breath. She got crankier each day, and lost most of her cool. I wouldn’t be surprised if she raised a riot herself.

          “I’m officially incompetent,” Crimson said with her voice lowered. We ate against the fence, chowing down our food before the lunch period ended.

          “It’s bad timing,” I told her. “With the weather, and the…” There was no other reason I could think of.

          “Admit it, Ari. You could be the best farmer in the world but wouldn’t want to be here now.” Crimson glanced at the boy who was scolded earlier. “He’s still working.”

          He was, probably as a punishment. He wasn’t doing so well with the work now, let alone getting to his lunch before it was too late. Seeing something like this, I hated to stand and watch. I wanted to go help him or—

          “‘Kay, heading back,” Crimson said, throwing her empty parcel into a nearby garbage bin.

          We weren’t the only ones wondering about the boy. As I headed back, I heard whispers from other members who had become friends through the past few weeks. At least people weren’t afraid to talk amongst themselves now.

          The rain worsened for the second half of our work, creating lines of water that ran across the fields and into our boots. How long would it take before a protest for an extra pair of shoes started? Though, I highly doubted an actual protest would last.

          The Green Squads produced their own tiny umbrellas, and some had gone inside. About a third of the squad had decreased in total, and it gave us more room. The person next to my land asked Florence if they could give him an umbrella, too. She assumed it was a joke, and so did I. It brought a smile to my face.

          I couldn’t move a single muscle, pushing the tip of the shovel into the dirt and wiping my forehead with my sleeve. My eyes subconsciously went to the conflict far across from me. The boy had once again gotten into a fight with his squad member. It didn’t seem like anyone else was watching.

          “You’re being very slow at your work,” the man told him. “We’ll have to keep you late if you don’t finish your tasks.”

          “I’m getting there,” the boy responded with slight irritation.

          The man frowned when the trowel fell from his hand. “Such clumsiness.” Retrieving the trowel, the poor guy bumped into the man. “You need excessive training or something?” What else did the Green Squads expect from us? They had removed us from our houses and deposited us in this crippled field to repair it. With no experience, nor knowledge of what to do.

          With a push, the man began walking away as the boy stumbled forward. Slipping on a smooth, wet sheet of mud, he plunged head-on to the rock boulder between a cluster of weeds. I cupped my mouth as a writhing shout broke loose from the boy. A stream of blood ran down the temple of his head. No, no, no. No one came to his aid, not the squads and not the Platform members. The blood ran into the ground with the rain, and he clutched the wound in pain.

          I removed my gloves and ran towards him. This time, all heads turned in curiosity. I couldn’t hold back to this anymore. They let him be treated that way, and wouldn’t offer help once he collapsed. It wasn’t about confidence, it was about humanity and there wasn’t a lot of it in these people.

          “Hey, are you okay?” I asked, getting him into a sitting position. He gave me a dark look. Okay, obviously he wasn’t okay. “Are you able to move or—”  

          “It’s killing,” he said, his teeth clenched.

          My eyes moved around me. “Is there a first aid kit? Someone help him!” I called desperately. I found the man who pushed him earlier. “Hey!” He turned. “You shouldn’t have pushed him like that. It’s your responsibility to help him.”

          He stormed over and I felt the colour drain from my face. Kneeling in front of us, he brought an umbrella over the injured person. “You made a mistake,” he said, eyes steady on me. “He would’ve been taken care of, but you? You gave yourself uncalled-for attention.”

          “B-but he was lying here.” I started to panic when the guy’s eyes closed. “If you’d done something, maybe I wouldn’t have come over.”

          At that point, Florence came to my defence. Was it defence? She gave me a glance before talking to the man. “Everyone’s distracted from work,” she said. “Let’s close this case. I’ll take her back and lecture her. You take the boy and report the incident.”

          “Of course,” the man obeyed, and took out a walkie-talkie.

          Florence didn’t given me a lecture—she was more impressed than angry. In fact, the others gave me proud stares that I ignored. It wasn’t about being proud, it was about taking action where needed. They hadn’t done that, so they had no right to be proud by being bystanders.

          My mere hope was that this incident wouldn’t bring me into the spotlight. I didn’t want this kind of attention on me, whether it was good or bad. Basically, I was stuck in between regretting and thinking it was worth it by lending a hand to the guy. He hit his head pretty hard, and I knew I’d want someone to do the same if it happened to me.

          I couldn’t be the only one who felt this way. Even I were to be, I certainly couldn’t be the only one who refused to surrender to the Project.

          Then again, I didn’t know what exactly we all had to surrender for.

--

          Another gathering at the Donegans’ mansion took place several days later, and early in the morning. Our ride in the train of streetcars was filled with more tension. Crimson and I didn’t get the chance to sit beside each other, but we reached the mansion’s wall in no time. We met there and stuck together.

          “You’re not going to comment, will you?” I asked her, more like gave her a warning. She was bound to utter an insult or joke during the speech.

          Crimson zipped her lips. “Not after what happened to that kid at Platform A.” What Platform A? Before I could ask her, we were led towards the stadium.

          We had memorized our seating arrangements for the Platforms. Crimson sat next to me near the front where we got a clear view of the stage. The agents and officials were standing in the exact same formation as the meeting we had earlier in the month. I would’ve waved at Arian if I hadn’t remembered where I was.

          I met him several times but for such a short period of time, it made me want to meet him more. Whenever we spent time with each other, I was back in Sunnywind, back in Brilliant Cove. I wanted that feeling again, hopefully after the speech.

          Roscoe was at the front, with Emerson lingering behind. He cleared his throat and silence fell over the audience.

          “This will be short. You will go right back to your Platforms as soon as we are done,” Roscoe told us. “As a small introduction, I have to say, you people are capable of being relentless but choose to stay calm. As a reminder, if you don’t remain that way, you’ll face huge consequences. As you’ve seen already, or heard of.” I hadn’t heard much, but seen in live action. “To the main story,” I could see the cold change in his voice, “We received information that talk has been going around in Platforms C and above. There's been talk going on about the Nightingale evacuation that had occurred ten years ago.”

          The hushed murmur ignited and died in the crowd, but it was impossible to make sure if it even happened. The mention of the past evacuation reminded me of Archie. This, I was interested in.

          “Let us all make this clear,” Roscoe said. “I was there ten years ago in that so-called devastating evacuation.” In a split second and glance, I could see Arian ball his hands into fists. “It was a shame to have that evacuation fail miserably, and solely because the former imprisoners were ruthless and disobedient. Unlike you, of course.” Was he trying to provoke us, or encourage us to act foolishly? “But this time, you won’t get away that easily. Clear?”

          Absolute silence. It was fear, or maybe muse, but there was absolute silence. Emerson took an exasperated breath and came forth beside Roscoe.

          “The first evacuation was poorly planned and the epitome of disorganization,” he nearly shouted at us. “You even think about trying to sneak on us, or even raise a riot that will let you free, you’re in for the roughest time of your lives. This evacuation, it’s not two idiots taking leadership over the Project. It’s two masterminds. Beware, and bury those thoughts in your head.”

          The famous mastermind hadn’t said anything that got us annoyed. Yet. However, I didn’t know much about the topic they talked about and would like to. Arian might tell me if I asked, or Apsara.

          “Oh, and yes we have some of those vengeful people in the crowd who lost their loved ones in the previous evacuation,” Emerson added. Now the crowd was roused. “We are doing you a favour by trying to lower the number of dead bodies and using words to warn you.”

          Immediately, I knew some faces in the stadium that’d think of Archie. I didn’t like Emerson talking casually about human deaths like that. With no emotion nor sympathy, but pure pride and malice.

          “This jackass, is pretty much begging to be hated,” Crimson whispered without moving.

          “Now, forget those lame, mournful memories and get back to your Platforms,” Emerson said. His closing statement stung right into my heart even if I hadn’t been there for the previous evacuation.

          I lagged behind as others swarmed out. How could he say those things? No matter how and who he was, he should feel like trash delivering such a speech.

          Arian found me in the corridors and told Crimson to leave. I didn't know where he came from, and what complicated route he took to make sure no one else saw him. He might as well be a professional spy. With a smirk, Crimson did as she was told.

          “What was that—” I started, but was cut off when he guided us to an empty hall equally as big as the lounging room.

          There were narrow windows reaching from top to bottom, bordered with stone frames and revealed by silk curtains. There was a grand fireplace at the far end, and a matching set of classic furniture scattered around the room with vases of décor. 'Palace' was a relevant, single-word description for what I saw.

          I stayed put as Arian sat on one of the couches’ armrests. “That was a terrible speech,” I mumbled, staring at the mosaic tiles of the floor. They were distracting. “Cruel…with a passion.”

          His anger was gone long ago, replaced with weariness. “Perfect portrayal of Emerson,” he said, and his brows puckered. “I didn’t come here to talk about that juvenile skunk.” Wow, he had great respect for his boss. It sounded like music to my ears.

          “What did you want to talk about?” I asked, holding my hands in front of me.

          “I know close to every unusual event occurring in the Platforms.” It was a fact, a hint to what I might expect. His head angled to the side. “You got into a mess?”

          “Mess?” Did he mean the incident with me and that fellow who almost smashed his skull open on that rock? “It wasn’t a…mess. The guy got hurt and I assisted him.”

          “Doing things like that are what get you on the front page of prying eyes,” he said. “If you’re bringing too much attention to yourself, it’s not good.”

          “But, it’s not like, I’m trying to get attention,” I told him definitely. A sigh escaped from my lips, carrying out the b****y memories and the pained shout I remembered with it. “Are people so scared, to let a person be treated that way?”

          “Humans are selfish,” Arian said. “In this case, they’re deciding to keep themselves safe than take risks.”

          “I didn’t feel like I took a risk,” I said right away. “It’s what a person would do in any case. What if someone was, dying in front of you? You’d leave them?”

          He didn’t speak for a few, long seconds. “It’s easier said than done.” But it could be done. “It comes to you naturally. Being selfless.” Before I could argue it wasn’t a bad trait to have, he said, “I hate that about you sometimes.” Why would…why would he hate that?

          “You’re, why, I don’t,” I managed to say, and gave up. “We're all selfish, though. Someway. I don’t know about you.”

          “I’m being selfish right now,” he said, impassive. I asked him how, since I couldn’t think of any possibilities. “By keeping you here, and knowing we’ll be in deep s**t if we’re caught.”

          “Oh.” It couldn’t be, that deep. Could it? But Arian’s version of selfishness was wanting to be with someone, and if that counted as being selfish, so was I.

          “Ari.” The soft call made my gaze meet his in a lock. “Come here.” I didn’t know why I hesitated, but paused a foot away from him. He bent forward and brought me towards his legs.

          “Y-yeah?” I said, with an odd shyness.

          He took a look at my palms, and upon my own inspection, they were dry and brittle. His fingers were smooth as they stroked the patches of scraped skin on my hands. I didn’t know what it was, worry or frustration or something beyond my understanding, but it lurked behind his remote expression.

          “Maybe they’ll send lotion in the supply packages…” I started, but trailed off when he glared at me, “…next time.” What was he angry at me for? “Are you okay?”

          He pulled me lower and I inclined until our foreheads touched. Sharing the same air, we were like that for some time with our thoughts swirling in an out.

          It was difficult, everything felt like a burden. This, this was just fine. This was what we needed, even if it meant taking a risk to be here. We were both willing to do it, and it never made me happier. More in relief.

          Arian walked me out when it was time for my breakfast parcel to arrive at my cell. The streetcars would’ve been gone by now, so we headed towards the end of the building where I assumed the driveway was. Was it called a driveway, or a parking lot for a mansion?

          Unfortunately, before we could sneak out, we saw the Donegans chatting in another room opposite to us. Emerson caught sight of us in a split second, and excused himself. Arian didn’t let my hand go, letting Emerson see us all he wanted.

          “Ah, you again,” he said to me. He read the situation like a picture book. “Arian’s sure going out of his way for you. We need to stop this before it gets out of hand, don’t we?”

          “If you’ll leave us, I have to go drop her off at her cell,” Arian said without batting an eye.

          Emerson’s eyes narrowed into slits. “No. I’ll have one of the agents drop her off. You can go.” Arian didn’t budge. “I need a word with her, or I’ll call security on you.”

          “Security?” Arian was taking this very nonchalantly. “You forgot what happened the last time you called security on me?”

          “You know I can do worse things,” Emerson said, hiding his snarl. “To this girl.” A forbidding shadow crossed Arian’s face. “You don’t have to worry if you instantly leave us. In five seconds.”

           It was horrible to see Arian listen to Emerson’s command. He was reluctant till the last second to flounce out of the building.

          “Since you’ve become unexpectedly special to this community,” Emerson told me with a phony smile, “I have an offer for you.”

          “N-no thanks,” I rejected.

          He chuckled. “Sweetheart, you don’t have a choice.” Goodness, the sugar in his words was sickening. “Since you seem to cause commotion on the crop-field, I’m shifting you.” Shifting me as in, giving me another job? “I want you here at the mansion, as a maid.”

          A maid. Please tell me he was joking. If all it took was a little helping nature to get another job like this, the girls should’ve done some help back there instead of me.

          “You’re walking here,” Emerson said, turning around. He expected me to walk from the Platforms, to the mansion?

          “Is there another option?” I asked desperately.

          “You come here before nine, and leave as per usual on a regular working day,” Emerson continued. “You start tomorrow.” He wasn’t listening to me!

          “Emer—” I started, and he whipped around with the deadliest glower. My bones rattled, completely frightened by him. “M-M-Mister Donegan…n-nevermind. Can I go?”

          With impressive speed, he returned to his suave composure. “I need a bigger surprise,” he said, more like to himself. “I’ll get Rufus. Let him know where your cell is.”

          How did this happen? Before I knew it, I would be spending more time at the mansion than I had ever imagined. At first, I might’ve been ecstatic to have such a job, but now, I predicted more problems coming my way.

          Emerson shifted me from a gardener position at the field to a maid position at the mansion because of one, silly excuse of offering help to an injured person not taken care of. Maybe he had his own reasons, but were they reasonable?

          Where would I be shifted if I accidentally screwed up as a maid?