When she got there, Mara took a good look at the girl. She seemed to be about thirteen years old, had dirty-blonde hair, and was short. Very short. And Liz was right, the girl was far to thin. Mara stepped to the table. "Hey."
The girl, who didn't see Mara walk up, shuddered at the sound of her voice and turned away.
"I didn't mean to startle you." Mara said softly. 'I just wanted to give you some cake."
Mara placed the plastic plate on the table and slide it over to the girl who looked down at the slice. Up close, Mara could see the Liz and Hillary were not exaggerated. The girl had completely covered her face and arms with make-up. She had applied it very well, from a distance there didn't seem to be anything wrong. But, while standing next to her, Mara could see something was very wrong. She didn't even want to imagine the kind of bruises she was covering up. She sat down next to the girl. "My name is Mara. What's yours?"
The girl didn't answer.
"It's ok." Mara reassured. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I just want to say that you're safe here. You can take it from me. I was about your age when I first came here after my parents died. I was scared and alone. But Liz and tutors, they helped me. And they can help you...you came to the right place."
The girl turned slightly to look at Mara through her hair. It was then that Mara noticed that she had yellow-green eyes that were so lovely they seemed to simmer. "Oh, your eyes are beautiful."
The girl had a sudden fit of panic. She turned back away and allowed her hair to cover more of her face.
"I'm sorry." Mara tried to calm the girl. "I was just trying to complime...never mind, How about you just eat some cake."
Mara slide plate further and set it right in front of the girl. "Go ahead. It's a birthday party, you have to eat some cake. Those are the rules. It's very good."
The girl lifted her trembling hand to grab the plastic fork. The poor thing seemed so scared and confused but she ultimately did try some of the cake. She didn't give much reaction to the taste of it though.
"I hope you liked it." Mara smiled. "I'll leave you alone. But before you do, can I have your name. That can be your birthday present to me."
The girl's eyes shifted around, as if she was trying to think of what it was she was going to answer with. "Sa...Si...So-Sorena."
"Sorena." Mara stood back up. "I love that name. It was nice to meet you, Sorena."
Sorena took another bite of the cake as Mara slowly walked away. She went back to Liz. "She says her name is Sorena. But, I'm pretty sure she made that up."
Liz sighed. "Well, it's a name at least. I'll run it against the missing children list along with her description and see what comes up."
"Ok." Mara looked back at the traumatized girl sitting alone before stating to Liz and Hillary. "Somebody definitely needs to get their ass kicked."
"We'll let you know who just as soon as she tells us about them." Hillary said firmly as Mara returned to the other kids to resume the party. The party went about another hour before it was time for all the kids to go to bed. Mara said goodbye to them all before being brought back into the kitchen by Liz. She grabbed some food and placed it in a bag. Mara shook her head. "No, you don't have to do that."
"I insist." Liz tied off the bag and handed it her. "It's the least I can for all you do here. I just wish I could put you on the payroll."
"No, I get it." Mara put the bag of food into her large oxygen bag. "You can't have a 'Traitor's Blood' on the payroll. People will think I'm 'corrupting' the children."
"Yeah, but I can buy you a drink. Have a little grown-up birthday celebration."
"If you insist."
"I do."
With all the kids settled into their beds, Liz took Mara out to a nearby bar. Mara knew this last detour was more than celebrating her birthday but she would cross that bridge when Liz brought her to it. The bar was close enough so that they didn't need to walk far from the orphanage and it was late enough in the day where there weren't too many people walking about in this part of Wakefield, though the screens were still blaring obnoxious nonsense. When they arrived at the steps of the bar, to door suddenly opened up with someone being tossed out. Liz and Mara made sure to get out of the way before the man tumbled all the way down the steps.
The man slowly stood back up, quickly reaching into his plain dark coat to grab a flask that he had tucked so he could get right back to drinking. The man then stumbled off, presumably to another bar. Mara just shook her head as she followed Liz up the stairs. They entered the facility as Mara attempted to make conversation with the largely silent Liz. "So, it was cute how that one boy wants to join the 'hoods'."
"Yeah." Liz responded as they reached the bar. "I don't quite have the heart to tell him that most hoods are just conmen who would probably sell him once they finished smuggling him to the Rogue-Sectors. There are exceptions, of course."
"Yeah, a few exceptions maybe. Though, I don't really know much about it myself. I don't even know how to find one."
Liz and Mara each took a podium at the bar and were quickly greeted by the bartender. "Welcome back to the Serenity. How can I serve you tonight?"
"Hey, Mal." Liz said back to the man. "Just a couple of beers for me and Mara here."
"No Problem."
"Oh, hey." Liz quickly added before Mal could make the drinks. "Just out of curiosity...You wouldn't happen to know any 'hoods', would you?"
"Sure." Mal answered by pointing to the door. "We just threw one out."
Liz and Mara looked at each other and laughed. Liz then jokingly said. "We'll wait for the next one."
"Smart choice, my lady." Mal went back to getting the drinks.
Liz looked at Mara, "So, how is life?"
"It's fine." Mara answered.
"You seeing anyone?"
"Like I have time for that."
Mal set the drinks on the bar. "Enjoy, Ladies."
"Thanks, Mal." Liz swiped her credit-card on a sensor near her and turned back to Mara. "You would have time for a relationship if you didn't spend so much at the orphanage. Especially since I can't pay you for it."
"I like helping with the kids."
"Then meet someone and make your own. Or adopt one, make my life a little easier."
"I'm not really in a position to start a family right now." Mara drank her beer, she really didn't want to have this conversation.
"Well, again, if you didn't spend so much time at the orphanage-"
"I don't want to talk about this right now."
"I just want what's best for you, Mara."
"Well, I'm not allowed to have what's best for me. I'm 'Traitor's blood', Liz. What few jobs that haven't been automated won't hire me and.." Mara suddenly began to feel ill.
"Are you ok?"
Mara stood up from the bar and ran to the bathroom. Once there, she started puking her guts out. Liz was right behind her, she pulled Mara's hair back as she continued to throw up. She then grabbed some toilet paper for Mara after she was done. Mara apologized. "I'm sorry. I think I ate too much."
"You barely ate anythi...what's that?"
"What?"
Liz pointed to a red spot that was spreading on her shoulder. "That. What the hell is that?"
She pulled back the collar of Mara's shirt to see that the skin that had cracked from her lugging around her oxygen tank had split open and started to bleed. Liz became angry as she grabbed more toilet paper. "You've been selling your vitamin-D pills again, haven't you? And you're Vitamin-C packs."
"I was low on oxygen, what am I supposed to do? Suffocate."
Liz pressed the toilet paper down on Mara's shoulder. "So, you just to do some drug deals in the Wakefield Sewers. You're lucky those sewer gangs don't just take your meds, rape you, and leave you for dead down there."
"I don't need a lecture."
"Like hell you don't."
Mara shoved Liz's hand away, fixed her collar, and stood up. Liz reached into her purse and pulled out her bottle of Vitamin-D pills. "Take these."
"I'm not taking your pills."
"I'm healthy. You're not. Take my pills or I'll just throw them down the drain and you can feel guilty about me wasting them."
Mara took the pill bottle and attempted to leave the bathroom. Liz stood in the way. "You need to get out of those Sewers, Mara."
"I don't have enough money to live anywhere else. I don't have any choice."
"Yes, you do. Hillary told me she offered you a couch and that you turned it down."
Mara scoffed. "Yeah, just take advantage of my friends until they all hate me."
"You'd rather just suffer and die down there."
"I'm not having this conversation." Mara shoved pass Liz and stormed out of the bathroom. She grabbed her giant oxygen tank, rested it on her other should and left the bar. She went out onto the platform and began to make her way to the nearest Transit-Terminal when Liz came out after her. "Hey, so this all you want in your life. Just to slowly wither and die."
Mara turned and fired back. "Hey, I'm not the Hardsand that crossed the wrong people. I'm not the one that turned me into a stigma in my own city. I'm 'Traitor's Blood', Liz. I have no future. The Union made sure of that."
"Just because you are a victim doesn't mean you have to play victim, Mara."
That got under Mara's skin in a bad way. "Oh, piss off."
Mara turned and stormed off, ignoring everything else Liz was yelling to her. She went up to the Transit-Terminal, swiped her card, and got onto the train that would take her home. She sat in her seat fuming, which wasn't helped by that damn screen in front her switching back on. More news about 'Rhea Day'. Mara couldn't handle that right now. She quickly switched the screen back off. She didn't need help remembering that Rhea Day was just a couple of days after her birthday, how could she ever forget it. It still burned in her mind like it all just happened. The day that everything went wrong...the day Humanity learned to fear the stars...
Comments (0)
See all