Chapter Text
I slept funny again. My alarm was going off and I felt like it was way too early to get out of bed now. The screams on the streets and the sirens of the police and ambulances kept me up again. You would think after three years I'd get used to them but I still got scared when I heard the sounds through my bedroom window. It's bolted shut - for safety ofcourse - but sounds still crept into my bedroom at the dead of night. I know I should trust our authorities to keep us safe but after all this time they still couldn't seem to stop it all.
With a big yawn, I stretched and decided to get up. I was awake now anyway. My back was stiff and cracked loudly when I stood up. I really needed a new mattress but according to Father there wasn't enough money to be spent on silly things. Funnily he said that after buying a new tv where he watched news channels all the goddamn day long.
He didn't like me very much. He would never admit it ofcourse, but I could see it in his eyes when he glanced at me whenever I was in his proximity at home. Unfortunately, I was home a lot due to all the safety measures.
I brushed my teeth and stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes took in a tired guy of just 18 with chiselled hair and dark circles under his eyes. I really needed to sleep more. Luckily I already laid out my school uniform for the day, so I could be out in a heartbeat without having to be fully awake.
It was simple, made out of a stiff fabric that itched like hell. It was coloured in our school colours: Dark Greys and Blues, something the heat didn't agree with in summers like these. The left breast pocket carried the small letters of our school in a dull yellow. BS for Balta School. Whoever came up with that name obviously didn't think about the weird abbreviation since everyone called our school "Bull-Shit". A great addition to the fact we weren't the most popular school anyway. Partially because we had to wear school uniforms, but also because we were the cheapest school in our town. "Safety and Unity" was the Bull-Shit's slogan. What they didn't realize was that the uniforms separated us from the rest even more. We might as well have had a bullseye on our back.
When I came downstairs Father was sitting in front of the tv. He gave me a quick glance before grabbing the remote and turning up the volume. As always the morning news filled our small apartment.
'Goodmorning, do you want some coffee?' I asked walking towards the kitchen counter to see there was only a small amount of lukewarm coffee left. I guess Father had a long night too.
'No.'
Good. Saved me from having to make some more.
'We have two more.' Fathers voice drowned out the TV and I slowly put down my mug of coffee and turned around. When I looked at him I saw that he was unusually pale. His hand squeezed the arm of the sofa tensely as he was leaning forward to absorb all the information coming out of the screen.
'...found in his house after a distress call from his wife. As of now the cause of death is still unknown. We urge you to contact your local authorities if you have any information regarding the death of William S. Please make sure to comply with any safety regulations...'
Quitely I made my way over to the couch and sat down at the farthest end. For a moment I contemplated asking Father why he was more distressed than usual but something was stopping me right then and there. I didn't want to set him off by getting too personal. When I studied his face I noticed he was getting older. He've had wrinkles when I was little, but those adorned his eyes from laughter. His face was weathered now, his forehead wrinkled by all the frowning, and his once bright blue eyes now looked grey. He was visibly shocked by the news. My mind went haywire when I thought about my classmates. Would today be another Dark Day? Would I have fewer classmates today? Please don't let it be Liam.
'Are there any Missings?' My voice cracked from the anxiety. Please not Liam, I know he hasn't been Marked yet, but still, you never know. At the sound of my voice, Father jolted his head and gave me a stare that could only be described as disgust.
'There are two people who are just found dead and you are more worried about your friends?' His voice was harsh and his finger pointed angrily at me. 'It would be becoming of you if you'd think about someone else instead of yourself for a change, Louis!' With these words, he turned around again and snagged the remote off of the coffee table to turn the volume up even more. The sounds of crying family members from the tv filling the room. Whether or not there were Missings, it already felt like a Dark Day.
The streets were a bit more quiet than usual. The morning sun shone mockingly over the empty streets through which I always walked towards the school. It's only a fifteen-minute walk, but I still occasionally looked over my shoulder. You never know, especially on such quiet days. Last year I always cycled, but after my bike was stolen twice I started walking. I didn't dare ask for a new bike a third time. Although it seemed as if Father had enough money to spend, he continued to insist that we couldn't afford it. Again, he didn't like me after all.
This neighbourhood seemed to have given up all hope today. The stones were weathered and grey, and every now and then you had to be careful not to sprain your ankle because of a pothole or crack in the asphalt. The trash and remainders of last night's riot still littering this area. Probably several people saw the news this morning and decided to stay indoors today. Not the teenagers, of course. The school was mandatory and if you had the whole family present at breakfast, you were simply expected to show up. I still didn't know if there were Missings but hopefully, I'd find out from Liam soon. At least if Liam wasn't one of them.
After walking for five minutes, I saw him at our usual meeting place. Thank God. Although it was questionable whether that was the right person to thank if there was someone up there looking down on us. If so, they sure had a sick sense of humour to let it all go to shit like this.
Liam was leaning against a lamppost and small puffs of smoke circled his head as he took long, deep draws of his cigarette. A bad sign as he tended to chain smoke when stressed. At first glance, you wouldn't think he was as much an introvert as I was. He was just a bit better at disguising the fact that he was quite awkward socially too. You couldn't blame him though. After his brother became a Missing, he apparently became quieter and shut out everyone around him. I was the exception, and I felt quite special because of it.
I got to know him when he was at his lowest point. That quiet guy at the back of the class, with his wispy dark hair tangled between his fingers and his leg bobbing up and down... Despite the awkward composure I knew he was smart and got good grades. And if I'm honest, that was probably the main reason I started talking to him. It couldn't hurt to hang out with the smart, quiet, and thus safe classmate.
As I approached Liam he seemed to notice me and quickly walked over to me. His long arms engulfed me in an embrace that answered my internal question if there was another Missing. He whispered in my ear and I heard his voice waver. 'It's someone from our class.'
'What? Who?' I asked shocked. Liam let go of me and together we continued to walk towards school.
'Ayden. From History.'
'The one with the black spiky hair?'
'Yep, that's the one.' Liam bit his lip and lit another cigarette. He inhaled the smoke deep before speaking again, smoke trailing from his lips.
'To be honest, everyone saw it coming right? He was defiant towards the teachers, didn't want to study and he even got caught sneaking out of his house last week.' He shook his head in disbelief. 'That's why he got tagged. I even heard that he was hanging with the wrong crowd lately.'
'The ANONseekers?' I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Ayden wouldn't be THAT stupid, would he?
'That's what I heard...'
A big man passed us by, with a gun in his belt. Probably a civilian guard. We both nodded at the man and he gave us a quick nod back whilst laying his hand on his gun briefly. A small sign to let us know he was there for our safety. When he crossed the street we both let out a sigh. I will never get used to all these guns on the street.
'Was Ayden the only one this time?'
'Yes, thankfully. Didn't you see the news this morning?'
I fiddled with my shirt at the question. I didn't want to make a big deal out of the situation between Father and me. Besides, this was nothing, I would gladly settle with his mood of this morning if that was all.
'I was late this morning so I didn't get the chance.'
Liam looked at me funny but I guess he didn't want to press the issue any further. We knew better than to get engulfed in drama. School was the most important part of life. Studying, good grades, and a stable home. I didn't exactly check all of those boxes but nothing someone else needed to know. It was my mess to clean up, not theirs. That and not end up a Missing or being killed ofcourse.
'I feel so sorry for his family...' It's almost a whisper but I heard the words coming from Liam's mouth. I felt bad for him. It must be hard to constantly be reminded of the fact that your brother is still missing and nobody was any step closer to resolving the case. I always sensed a rage inside Liam, towards everything involving ANON... Ofcourse I was mad too, but I was more afraid than mad. Not Liam. He didn't show fear towards it all, something that I admired. I was I wasn't so afraid all the time.
We walked in silence and my mind went in all different directions. I barely knew Ayden but now I felt kinda bad for not trying harder to help him. Maybe I should've talked to him more? Immediately I corrected my thought process. If I had talked to him more I would have been more at risk. School kept saying we ought to keep an eye on the tagged, but in reality, the Tagged were as avoided like the plague. You either became friendless or you joined the defiant clique of the school. Either way, you were one of the people who wanted to get tagged, the ANONseekers, or the ones with troubles at home with no way of defending themselves. The latter got all the help and support they needed from the government and school so there was no way to contribute to that other than put yourself more at risk. And well, the ANONseekers were like a virus spreading, best to be avoided.
"Social prevention is most important" as Rector Neelis kept saying, but in reality, everyone avoided the very group that was most at risk. I opted for one close friend, Liam, to keep an eye on each other and not get sucked into any drama. There was enough of that going around.
'How many got taken by now?' Liam asked.
'Fourth? Fifth this year?'
'Damn...'
We approached the tall black iron fence of our school. The name's proudly displayed on top of it. Maybe we weren't the most popular school, but we sure as hell let the surroundings know we were here. The fence got placed two years ago but still shone brightly in the morning sun. Two guards in full uniform including rifles stood in front of the entrance. Imagine wearing such a thick uniform in the summer. Judging by the sweat droplets on the face of the fat guard on the right, he was indeed about to melt onto the pavement. It was not yet high summer, but I was already starting to get a sweaty bum in these ugly slacks.
Silently we showed our ID and after checking our picture the sweaty guard let us pass. The schoolyard was now filled with students waiting for their turn at the entrance to be checked. Some seemed affected by this morning's news and I saw a girl sitting against the wall, crying. As we pass her, we heard the name Ayden drop. We nodded briefly at her on our way to the entrance. Mornings like these were never easy.
It seemed so long ago that the entrance doors were always open. That you could walk in, without being checked or searched. I missed the times when I had Sunday walks with Mother when Father was still smiling and there were no Dark Days. I understood why everything was so strict now, but still, I missed it so much.
Terry, our janitor, stood at the entrance as usual searching and checking bags.
'Fellas, anything in your pockets that is not allowed?' Terry took our bags from us as we shook our heads.
'Great, that makes my day a little easier.' He quickly searched us and, after a brief check, handed our bags back. 'Have a nice day. Next!" He called out as he beckoned the next one.
Liam and I walked down the hallway and I stopped at my classroom. I had English period but knew full well that the first hour was now devoted to Ayden as it was a Dark Day. Unfortunately, Liam had a different schedule today and we wouldn't see each other again until lunch. For a moment he squeezed my arm gingerly and gave me a weak smile.
'Good luck today with Dark Day.'
'You too.'
My classroom was almost full by now and I sat down in my usual spot at the front left, opposite the teacher's desk. Maybe I was a bit of a teacher's pet, but I didn't care. I needed it for this class anyway. I was failing English horribly.
As expected, "AYDEN" was chalked onto the whiteboard in large ornate letters. Silently the teacher stood in front of the class and watched with a serious expression as the class quietly arrived. The murmurs slowly ebbed away as he cleared his throat and gestured to the whiteboard.
'Today is a Dark Day. One minute of silence for Missing Ayden, the fifth young victim of ANON this year.'