Aura aura jax 1, p.5
Aura (Aura Jax #1), page 5
“It’s so cruel. I’d let them loose.”
I give her a look to shut her up.
The screen is counting down. Five minutes until show time.
“Aurora!” I hear my name, and I tear my eyes away from the bears. “Aurora! Is that you?” A tall woman in a pink dress and matching hat is pushing through the crowd, making a beeline for me.
When she gets closer, I recognize her as one of my old teachers. Mrs. Jackson. Society History.
Great.
“It is you,” she smiles as she approaches. “I never forget a face.” Her eyes have an amber hue, a telltale sign that there’s too much DN8 in her system. She’s been binging.
“How are you?” she asks, but before I can answer, she rushes on with her drug-induced prattle. “I’ve got my relocation date for the Neighborhood – I’m leaving the Old City in a week!” She looks over my shoulder. “Is your mother here? I’d love to celebrate with her!”
I blink, not expecting the question. “Mum is watching at home tonight.”
“At home? It’s much more fun to watch on the big screen if you don’t have a ticket for Central Square! Especially with three executions.” She nudges me and winks. “One of the prisoners is actually quite handsome!”
I have to force myself not to react. She has no idea how absurd she sounds.
Onscreen, President Wolfe is hovering in the wings, ready to walk out to the podium. To his left, I spot Dr. Calvin Aldrich, the President’s right hand.
I shudder. The sight of Aldrich gives me the creeps – I can’t help but remember Mum’s warning that I might end up as one of his science experiments.
One minute to go.
“The President is about to make his address,” I say, trying to shut Mrs. Jackson up.
“Ooh, I’m going to try to get closer. Give my love to your mother.” She blows me a kiss and moves toward the screen.
The bears are led away, and people spill onto the dance floor to get a better view of the screen.
The lights go down, and a hush falls over the crowd. Onscreen, a stray amateur firework explodes into golden tendrils, then disappears into a black sky. The camera pans across the expanse of expectant, smiling faces watching the Assembly live in Central Square.
The President says something to Aldrich and then, flanked by two Cogs, he steps out on stage to thunderous applause.
People jostle past Selena and me to get closer, crushing us up against the flimsy barrier in front of the screen.
I keep one eye on our exit route. After the executions, we can go. It’ll just look like we’re attendees heading home to The Creek.
From our vantage point, I can see behind the screen where the bears are being poked and prodded into a makeshift pen.
Once they’re inside, their keeper – a gaunt man in a shabby purple suit – removes their leashes and locks them in. He grabs a big plastic bucket and tips it over the top of the gate, dumping a pile of food at the bears’ feet. They wait for his command, then eat hungrily.
“I don't feel so good,” Selena mumbles.
I look at her. Her skin is waxy, and she's struggling to keep her eyes open. “Just hang in there a little longer.”
“Thank you. Such a warm welcome!” Onscreen, President Wolfe is waving his hand for silence. “We begin this evening by once again cleansing The Society of enemies found in our midst.”
The camera zooms out, and I see the silhouettes of three prisoners lined up at the side of the stage.
There's a roar of applause, both on-screen and off.
The spotlights come on, illuminating the prisoners as they’re led into the center of the stage.
Wolfe pauses for effect.
“Cast your stones.”
This ritual happens before every execution, and the crowd at Central Square doesn't need to be told twice.
The people around me cheer as the camera zooms in on the prisoners and the gemstones raining down on them, thrown by the enthusiastic crowd in Central Square. The gems arc and shimmer beneath the lights, some of them hitting their targets, some just scattering onto the stage.
The woman, Tia’s mum, jerks up in shock as a tiny jewel embeds itself in her forehead.
Angry tears well up in my eyes.
Is this how it’s going to end for my parents?
I hear the rumble of an engine behind me, and I glance around to see a Society truck pulling up the main road, coming to a stop at the edge of the crowd.
The sight of it makes me uneasy.
Onscreen, Tia's mum is read her crimes.
Her eyes are closed. The lights are shining on the jewel embedded in her forehead, creating a kind of halo.
Another jewel hits her in the cheek, and there's a ripple of laughter from the crowd.
“How do you plead?”
There's a pause, and it looks for a moment as if she isn't going to answer, but then she opens her eyes. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
The crowd around me boos and hisses at the screen, as her words break The Society’s ‘no religion’ rule one last time.
The bear keeper has been craning his neck over the barrier, not wanting to miss any of the action. At this unexpected bit of drama, he unhooks a section and comes out front.
Over the noise of the crowd, I hear barking, and doors slamming. I look back to see a large group of Cogs unloading Teks from the truck and guiding them into the crowd.
“Aura – ” Selena starts.
“I see them.”
Four of the Cogs take up positions along the width of the road, blocking our planned exit. The others disperse among the crowd.
Onscreen, the marksman has raised his gun, aiming it at Tia’s mum.
Aurora Jax.
Instinctively, I turn, but then I realize that my name wasn't spoken out loud.
They’re here for me.
Aurora Jax.
We’re looking for Aurora Jax.
Have you seen this girl?
Have you seen Aurora Jax?
The Cogs’ thoughts rush into my head, the different frequencies overlapping, getting louder and louder.
My mind races as I try not to panic.
If we run, we'll draw attention to ourselves.
If we stay where we are, we'll be caught.
That can’t happen.
Bang.
The sound of the gunshot brings me back to myself.
Everybody cheers and stamps their feet as Tia’s mum sinks lifeless to the ground onscreen.
Behind the screen, the bears shuffle in their pen, making strange mewling sounds. One of them backs up against the screen, and it sways slightly. The keeper barks something in their direction.
I have an idea.
I promised I’d keep Selena safe. One way or another, we’re getting out of here.
“Follow me,” I tell her.
Slowly, we weave our way through the crowd until we’re standing next to the barrier that the keeper has left ajar in front of the bear pen.
Selena looks at me in disbelief.
“Trust me,” I tell her. “I'm getting us out of here.”
Nobody is looking our way.
We slip through the opening in the barrier and disappear behind the screen.
“What are you going to do?” she slurs. The bears look at us with big, sad eyes through the slats of the pen. I’m so close I can feel the heat emanating from their bodies.
“I'm going to set them free like you said.”
She looks at me as if I’ve gone mad. “Right.” She gulps and nods her head.
The gate is fastened with a single sliding bolt and a rusty padlock.
I pull a clip out of my hair and jam it into the lock.
I’m an old hand at this.
When Reece and I were younger, breaking into abandoned storerooms was our favorite pastime. Though the buildings were usually dilapidated and mostly empty, the thrill of finding a left-behind stash of sugary treats like Dinkies or crispy snacks like Waffos outweighed the risk of getting caught.
At least in our nine-year-old minds.
We’d sit in the dark and the damp, a tiny flashlight between us, stuffing our faces before heading home.
That was before we learned to be afraid of Cogs and executions.
The padlock springs open. I toss it onto the ground and slide the bolt, pulling the gate towards me a fraction.
The bears look at me in confusion.
Bang.
One bear lets out a startled roar as the second gunshot booms through the speakers. The cheering and stomping in the street grow louder.
Two of the bears start pacing in the pen, butting up against the back of the screen again.
Still lost in the action onscreen, the keeper absently barks an order at them, but the bears are distracted, and his command is lost in the noise.
The third bear ambles toward me, tilting his head, curious. A jolt of alarm runs through me. The animal could crush me with just one of his giant paws.
I back out of his way as he nudges at the gate.
The opening widens, and he pauses, considering his options.
Bang!
With the final gunshot, the animal behind him rears up on its hind legs, and the bear nearest me squeezes out of the gate to get out of the way.
As he brushes past me, his thick fur leaves a glittering silver mark across my front. I brush it off and see that it's paint.
The bears are fakes, made to look like magical creatures from the Golden Belt.
Sensing freedom, the other bears begin to follow the first.
This has to work.
The animals take their time with their escape, sniffing the air and stretching their limbs. Slowly, they amble into view of the crowd.
“What the – hey! The bears are loose!” comes a confused shout.
Mayhem ensues.
Screams erupt from the crowd at the sight of the three sparkling giants unleashed and outside of their pen.
The flimsy barrier is trampled as the Assembly descends into chaos.
Selena and I creep to the edge of the screen as the emergency lights go up. The animals panic, moving into the crowd, knocking people over as they go. The screen begins to topple, pulled forward by the mangled barrier. Everybody is running for cover.
“You did it,” Selena breathes.
“It was your idea,” I tell her. “Now let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 7
We clamber over the twisted barrier and weave through the melee on the other side, dodging fleeing attendees. The air rings with the sound of gunshots as the Cogs struggle to bring the bears down and restore order to the crowd. We slip past the empty Society truck and press on toward The Creek.
We’re back in familiar territory now, navigating the narrow streets leading out of the Old City. Selena moves a little faster as the Ice wears off, and soon we’ve reached our destination.
The trouble is, now that we’re here, I’m not sure how to find Caleb.
The tiny shacks all look empty from the street. The windows are boarded. No lights come from inside. After the chaos we left behind at the Assembly, it’s eerily quiet here.
Dull yellow streetlights illuminate pools of stagnant water on the pavement. There are heaps of garbage everywhere. The smell makes my eyes water.
It’s no wonder the authorities don’t set foot here often. This place makes the Old City look like the Golden Belt.
“Which house is it?” Selena asks.
“Good question,” I say, moving toward a house. “Let’s go round the back –”
I hear the low growl of the Tek before I see it.
There’s no time to hide.
I freeze as the huge silhouette of an electronic dog appears from behind a heap of garbage, its wolverine form steaming in the cold night air.
We’ll never outrun it.
“Get behind me,” I tell Selena.
Careful not to make any sudden movements, I shrug the rucksack off my back and slowly unzip it, feeling for the knife I packed, keeping my eyes on the Tek.
I’m not fast enough.
It bounds toward me, and I cry out as its razor-sharp claws connect with my flesh. The dog pins me to the ground with its hot, drooling, half-ton weight.
“Selena, go,” I croak out.
I can hear the Tek’s simple thought pattern in my head. It wants to extract information from my memory disk to take back to The Telepathe, but it can’t work out who I am.
My vision starts to blur. All I can see are the Tek's eyes flashing red above me. Selena is screaming somewhere.
I can’t move.
It’s slowly crushing me.
It’s agony.
Just as I think that this is the end for me, the red lights stop flashing. The Tek's eyes go dark. It takes a step backward, off my chest.
I gulp and cough, trying to fill my lungs with air as the pressure lifts.
It looks me over one more time, then bounds back the way it came.
Selena is by my side. “What just happened?”
“I don’t know,” I choke.
“I thought it was going to kill you.”
My breath is coming in ragged gasps, and I'm soaked in sweat and Tek drool.
“I’m fine.”
I lie.
Everything hurts.
“Can you stand?”
All I want to do is huddle here in the dirt, but I know the van for the border will be leaving soon, with or without us. I haul myself up, limbs and lungs aching, and force myself to keep going.
“Let’s find the van.”
There are no vehicles in front of the houses, so we stagger around to the back alley. Finally, as we round the corner at the end of the street, I hear an engine splutter.
Parked up the street, fifty feet away, we see a battered white rust-bucket of a moving van with blacked-out windows. A figure is disappearing into the house across the street.
We move closer to the van. I see that the driver's seat is empty. I look at the house opposite. The back gate is half-open, and the yard is full of junk – broken pots, a rubbish bin tipped on its side, a threadbare sun lounger.
Selena and I warily cross the street and pick our way through the yard. Before I can bang on the door, it screeches open to reveal an overweight man wearing a gold chain and a t-shirt two sizes too small.
I'm no fashionista, but even I know it's not a good look on him.
“Who are you?” His bloodshot eyes dart from me, to Selena, and back to me again. His thoughts are muddied by a large dose of Ice.
“Are you Caleb?”
“Who wants to know?”
I’m running purely on adrenalin now. For all I know, I have this all wrong. I hope I’m not dooming us both.
“The van outside. It’s leaving here tonight, isn't it? We can pay to get in it.”
He picks something out of his nose before standing aside. “Come on in.”
We follow him inside. The place stinks of body odor and cigarettes.
“Ca-leb!”
The “house” is little more than a cobweb-filled room. Aside from a sofa, the only furnishings are a coffee table overflowing with beer cans and cigarette butts, and a filthy mattress in the corner.
The man stands in front of us, arms folded. “He’s on the john.”
As if on cue, a toilet flushes behind a closed door to the left. It slides open to let another man out. This man looks as if he hasn't slept for days. He has thick, matted hair and dark rings around his eyes. He studies us, wiping his wet hands on his jeans.
Caleb.
We’re in the right place.
“They’re looking for you,” the first man says, by way of introduction.
“You get beat up on the way here?” Caleb says, pulling out a cigarette and putting it between his lips. He's looking at my dress, sweaty and stained from the Tek attack.
I ignore his comment. “We need to get across the border. We heard you were taking a van. We can pay.” My words tumble over each other.
“Oh really?” he says, lighting the cigarette.
I open my bag and take out the bottle of DN8. “Here,” I say, handing it over. “This should be enough.” My voice sounds shrill, scared, not like my own.
Caleb blows out a mouthful of smoke and grabs the bottle, cigarette in hand. He gives the bottle a little shake, flicking cigarette ash onto the floor with the movement.
“Where’d you get these?”
“Does it matter?”
He opens the bottle and takes a pill out to inspect.
“I suppose not,” he smiles. “Davy, my man, check this is worth what they say, won'tcha?” He passes the pill over, and Davy disappears into the bathroom with it.
In the awkward silence that follows, I hear Caleb’s thoughts in my head.
Know her from somewhere.
Looks familiar…
My heart starts to pound.
Has my face has been broadcast from the Assembly already? Has an image been posted online?
“Do I know you from somewhere?” he asks.
Keep it together, Aura.
I frown and shake my head. “The food bank, maybe?” I shrug. “I must just have one of those faces.”
“What’s your name?”
I swallow. “Tia Emery.”
Caleb is about to say something else when Davy waddles back into the room.
“It’s DN8, Boss. Quality stuff, too.”
I breathe a quiet sigh of relief, silently thanking Seb. The DN8 will be worth far more to Caleb than a runaway Worker girl. “So you’ll take us?”
“Divvy the pills up; we’ll keep half here,” he orders Davy, tossing him the bottle. “Ladies, I’ll meet you out back. Your chariot awaits.”
We go outside the same way we came in, and hover in the yard until Caleb reappears in a cloud of cigarette smoke to lead us to the van. He opens the back door of the van, which is already packed with people: men and women, young and old.
They look at us warily.
“Don’t be shy – jump in,” Caleb says, slapping me on the back.
People shuffle out of our way and we climb in, squeezing ourselves into the cramped space. He slams the door behind us.
The van roars to life and suddenly we're moving, swaying in the vehicle over an uneven road.
“You okay?” I whisper to Selena.
