chvpter 7

<3 <3 <3

...

Nicola Gage

...

Age: Twenty-one years
Height: 5ft 9inch
Nationality: [unknown]

Employment: Trim Bow Manufacturing
Note: Affiliated with the Ghoul Criminal Organization

...

We stand just outside the Cruella, Elias and Saxon arguing over some shift they wanted for Crippy's security watch whilst Masaki and Reid watch on. "Myers, Myers, surely if I heard back first then I've got it." Elias tries to pull Reid into the debate but he just arches a dark, masculine brow, the corner of his lip tugging down like he don' know whether to laugh or shrug.

"Nah, nah, I've worked for Crip for so long. I get dibs, he always puts me on jobs over new recruits." Saxon, a dark-haired guy with a buckled nose and nice lips argues.

The chilly air brushes a wave of goosebumps up my bare legs, so I curl my hand around Reid's hard bicep and settle into his side.

My friend Mirri, a short girl with voluptuous hips and pudgy arms, glances at Reid and I with questioning eyes.

"You looked tense as before, I was gon' come over until I saw that bitch." Mirri says as E and Sax bicker.

I open my mouth, confused, but then my face drops.

"Princess got a mean streak now," I snark.

"Did you hear how she cut up Mal? Because he offered her a fuckin' drink, like what a deranged cunt. I swear she caught M.A.D from the reservoir or something." Mirri pushes, wrinkling her face up.

I laugh, but then I clamp my mouth closed and bite my lip. I really shouldn't laugh about what happened to Vi. But fuck I hate her.

She never comes out anymore, but of course, the night Reid comes back, she shows herself out. Fucken, dressed like she don' want anything to do with us, drunk and high, only smiling for Elias. Other than him, she hates all of us by now, but it's fair because since she came back, none of my friends have trusted her. She's a shady bitch, and I hate that E sticks by her so adamantly.

It's like, people snap their heads when she walks past and all for fucking what? Like is everyone forgetting that she's just an insufferably boring brat? She's never been loyal to Craig, never been grateful for what the Ghouls have to offer.

"What?" Reid's voice is deep and smooth, but his interest surprises me. I look up at him through my lashes. Irritation grabs me by the throat, but I swallow it down, holding his gaze. But his eyes get hard and his lips flatten like he's bored of me laying it on so thick. Maybe he meant it when he said we were just gon' be friends.

"You know, how they nearly drowned her in the reservoir? The bitch must've caught M.A.D because she came back so different." Mirri chirps.

"Drowned? What you mean came back?" Reid frowns, digging around his pocket absently before revealing a cigarette deck. He nudges my hold off, gentle but dismissive, as he takes a dart by his lips, and before the pack is back in his pocket, he already has a lighter to the tip. I take the hint, releasing him, but I run my hands down his chorded arms.

Mirri gawks at the question.

"You didn't hear?" I ask, smug that not everyone in this city gives a shit about her.

"She like, disappeared. For like half of last winter and all the summer." Mirri laughs, dismayed that the Yakuza aren't being fed the same pipeline of gossip that she lives off.

"Oh who's this?" Saxon sticks his nose in. "When Craig sentenced Vi to the cage?"

Reid just pulls on his dart, but he looks at Sax like he wants to know more.

"Babes, haven't you told him anything?" Mirri squeezes my arm, turning her full attention to Reid with sparkling eyes, "you know how like, at the Docks there's the cages that like hang over the Reservoir?"

"Mhm." He barely answers the stupid question, instead casting a glance at the throw of people filtering in and out of the Cruella. It bugs me that he even wan' to know about Vi, or that he seems more interested in his fucking cigarette than me but for some reason, I keep listening to Mirri.

I love her, but she's annoying when she's drunk. Still, I know shit went down that day but I never actually heard how it played out.

"So, something went down between Vi and her dad," Guilt pinches in my stomach. I know about that part. "This is like ages ago by the way. So yeah Craig flips his shit, right, and orders her to the cage. She's all stroppy about it, but cut a long story short, these junkies." She hiccups: "She got into a fight with these junkies and basically while this crowd started forming, she kicked her way through one of the rotten bars in the cage. And, and she fuckin' fell into the reservoir, and, like they started taking turns drowning her and shit. But then, you know the gross ass fish that eat holes through the bodies in the reservoir?" She makes a face, like we didn't grow up on stories to keep us away from the fish in the Reservoir. Guilt squeezes my stomach. "Yeah, well one ate a hole through this one junky, so they started freaking out, and like they all got-." I nearly gag.

"Were you there?" Saxon balks, repulsed but also drunk enough to be fascinated.

I snag a glimpse of Elias's face and my stomach pinches. "Oh god no, I just, like, know. But yeah like-." I gesture for Mirri to stop, my bracelets clinking from the slight urgency of my dismissal. Elias glowers silently, no longer interested in joking around with Masaki.

But the rest of the story goes begging, so I look to him, "We thought she was dead." I add, trying to soften his unpredictable temper. A spiteful part of me hoped she was dead. We were inseparable as kids. Maybe it was, confusion, or guilt for how it ended that made me want her gone.

Elias clears his throat, turning his gaze to Reid who nods for him to explain. "She got sick, if she didn't have G.H.O.O.L engineering she would've died. But she refused to let me tell Craig she needed help."

Reid cocks a brow in question, so Elias explains with a shrug. "Stubborn, and fuckin' pig headed when she wants to be. But yeah, cut it short, slowly we were getting her on the mend, Ibis was practically sewn to the edge of her bed because god forbid wasting a moment that he could spend with Aunty Vi," He flashes Reid a little grin, eyes sparking. With the flash of warmth that flickers across Reid's impenetrable features, I get the impression he knows Ibis better than I could have suspected, "but one day Craig wanted to talk to me about a wall duty that went bad, and Shell was busy at the factory so I had Binnie and he accidentally let on that Vi was with us. I went home, told Vi he was gon' come looking, but I don' know man, like I was telling her it'd be good because he could pay for the medicine that she needed." He cusses slightly, laughing a bit to try alleviate his true feelings, "Sorry man this get's me so fuckin' riled. I should've fuckin' thought, cause I mean, sure, she was antsy, biting at the chomp to get away, but keep in mind she lost fucking twenty kilos, like she was honestly a skeleton by then, so I didn't think to keep an eye on her. I went to bed, then suddenly, Binnie starts shouting, like the kid is fuckin' freaking out... and. Boom. Aunty Vi is gone. Eight or nine months roll past, an'." He flicks a hand, though a warm grin returns to his irritated features, "Knock knock. E, can I stay at yours tonight?" He makes a girly voice, laughing like he can't even be bothered holding a grudge.

Reid watches Elias, not really confused, not really alarmed. He's always been hard to read, but for some reason, he seems smug, like he knew that part. "She's Tokyo's baby sister, that's for sure." He mutters, only looking at E like Mirri and I no longer belong in this conversation. It pisses me off, "Where'd she go?" He doesn't even look at me.

"We thought Yakuza...?" Sax tries, but Reid shakes his head, putting his hands in his pocket as he pulls on the cigarette wedged between his lips. The action is so hot that it makes me wan' jump him.

I jam myself back in the conversation, "So eight months go by, and then she just shows up. Wearin' different makeup and dressing different, acting, savage." I wrinkle my nose, "It was weird. She went from being shy, you know how Vi was, like, reserved and kind of, boring, or I don' know. Brooding. To flat out rude and stand offish."

"Rudegirl as fuck." Mirri rolls her eyes, but to my dismay Reid's eyebrows loosen, the corner of his lip tugging.

"No you don' get it, she fuckin', started winning fights and, disappearing for weeks at a time. I haven't seen her at a party for fuckin' weeks-."

"Jesus Cola. That's because you're such a fuckin' bitch to her the whole time. She's over at my place like every other night, and I don't blame her for avoiding this shit. Like she walked in and already Mal started threatening to fuck her in front of everyone if she didn't come sit with him, and, I mean fuck, you gotta admit since Tokyo enlisted and since she got back things have never been the same. You fuckin' play daughter with her mum while she's pulling doubles to put food on their table-." Elias clears his throat, shaking his head, "Whatever man. All I'm saying is she only came tonight because Craig threatened her into it. He's fuckin' selling her to Hito, so fuckin', god blame me for saying I get why she don' like all you bitches no more." He refers to the other factory girls who sometimes spin tricks too. "She sure as hell has better shit to do that stand in a circle gossiping." His last little quip pisses me off the most.

I glower at E, my nostrils so flared and my lip so curled that I probably look like a damn tiger, but I jus' swallow. "Yeah fuck, Elias, we get you're pussy whipped but fuck me I can see all the shit she apparently has to deal with and still think she's high handed and stuck up."

"Pussy whipped," He laughs, shaking his head before his gaze snaps to Reid, "You pick 'em good, huh?"

I realise Reid has lost interest in the conversation altogether because his eyes are fastened on someone leaning against the Cruella. A lightning bolt of anger strikes me. Violet. God I can't get away from her.

She seems to think she's alone, but the bitch was too drunk to pick a spot that's actually out of view. Potent, bitter, anger grips me.

She's mid cigarette, looking at a damn phone, but what's worse is she's smiling. Where and how the fuck did she get a phone to herself? Who is she talking to?

"What yous think about that hospital?" Masaki changes the topic and I realise my lapse in attention left them in awkward silence. "I can't get it out of my head how damn interested they were in my fuckin' dick." He cracks a grin and Elias tears his glare away from me, making a small laugh.

"Yeah, it was so weird how they split us up this time. I'm just cut that Kel only gave us an hour reduction on quotas, cause they kept me there for like two so when I got back to shift I had to hustle to make the numbers." Elias whines, but Sax rolls his eyes.

"That's why working for one of Duncan's factories is shit, I told you this man, seccie work is the real gig. Sure it's under the counter, but the pay makes it," He pretends to nut with a vulgar hand motion, a cavalier grin on his features. Seccie is just the lazy way to say security work.

Vi presses her phone to her ear quickly, listening to a message or something, before she snickers to herself, talking back around a pull of a... vape? How the fuck did she get one of them?

Reid flicks the dart butt at the floor, crossing his arms over his chest.

Elias sees her. "Aw, yo, Vi! Come here dickhead!"

...

Violet Warrendale

...

I glance between the six of them as I join their circle, unsurprised to see a Glimm-Screen appear over Saxon's breast pocket. He has this shit box of a phone that my father gave him because he pulls a lot of jobs and organises men to help. But then I glance at Reid, and that expensive model phone in his left pocket pops up in my eSight.

I look back at him quickly, greeting Elias with a quick hug. "I was gon' come look for you but you seemed to like chatting with Jordi." He teases.

I was talking to Jordi? "That was Jordi? Shit he looks so different now."

Elias opens his mouth to prod and pry for more information, but then Sax barks a dismissive laugh at Masaki, snagging our attention.

"Who gives a shīt," Saxon exclaims, "If the government is dropping solar panels don't you reckon they'll start putting their laws and shit back? It's better that Michigan runs the police because at least he lets us run the streets. Soon they'll have the army marching around pointing MG's at us for wearing a Ghoul or Yakuza mask." MG's is war slang for machine guns. Saxon is a cöcky prick who's friends with Trent, but other than that, he's alright.

Cola's perpetual glare digs my cheek until it stings.

"We're stronger than a couple of soldiers," She rolls her eyes, and I grit my jaw.

She has no idea what she's talking about—none of them do. They've never been outside the walls and they think it's a wasteland out there but in reality, this is the wasteland. They think the only place still standing is Newcastle.

"Stronger than the Australian army? Or what, you think we could take on a tribe of Manics?" Reid arches his proud brow like he's frustrated with the juvenile conversation, and I look at him quickly. What?

Why would he even think to ask something like that?

I look at his pocket again.

A drunk man laughs as he stumbles past us, earning a few looks, but then three of Crippy's men emerge. They're like my father's Generals so no doubt dad will join them for a private discussion soon. Hito is due to arrive any minute, and Reid seems to know it because he keeps looking at the gate behind me.

While everyone stares Reid and I catch eyes; he's looking at me like he knows something. It makes my skin prickle... is he smug? About what?

"The Manics couldn't organise anything that we can't handle," Cola says as she curls her arm around Reid's bicep, wearing my fur coat like a crown jewel.

Masaki contributes, "Well how big is the army?"

"It's nothing like it was before the war," Saxon says.

"Yeah, nothing is. But how many soldiers do they have?" Masaki pushes.

Silence.

"Not enough to spare. They barely have enough supplies to help us." Cola defends.

Her stupidity irritates me, "Cap." I mutter under my breath, but she scrunches her face up like a dirty rag.

"Why's that?" She condescends.

I don't bother to restrain myself, pummelling a nasty glare at her. "How'd they produce the Solars? How can they provide advanced gas masks for every soldier? Those jets they used to fly into the city are brand new, how'd they make them?"

She rolls her eyes, "That doesn't mean anything. Of course, they'd have some resources."

"What about those machines at the hospital? They scanned us and said we weren't in the system. What system?" I arch a brow, hating when Reid notices my smooth lie. I never got into the hospital, but she doesn't know that. I'm just making a point. "It's obvious they have resources, but that's not the point. Resources mean manufacturers, which means infrastructure... power. We make, clothes and, phones, tech, sure, but I never done seen car parts come through our factories. Don' jump to their defence because if they can dress their soldiers like that then they sure as hell could've been giving us more than seeds all these years." I finish and Saxon nods along whilst Masaki shares a look with Elias.

She pops her hip and cocks her eyebrow at me like I'm some absurdist trying to get attention. "That's ridiculous. You're talking like there's some government plot going on."

"Don't ask me for my opinion, then," I mutter under my breath as I tip a drink down my throat, relishing the burn as it takes the edge off the brittle night. What is her problem?

"You on that mad-genius shīt again, Vippie?" Elias jokes, trying to dissipate the tension with a stupid nickname and an even stupider smile.

It wins me over though because I snicker, "Vippie?"

"Yeah, like Viper, but cuter. Remember how Binnie used to call you that—," Elias says but Cola cuts him off.

"You've always been so... opinionated, Vi."

The smile on my face dies, replaced by a bitter scowl.

Elias clears his throat, his put-out glare flaring into a hot sizzle as he looks at her, "Cola, can you back off?" He snaps, pulling a one-eighty. He's either peacemaker or the first to throw a punch.

She smiles at him, "Come on, don' you wan' know more of what she thinks? She is the princess, bound to know a lot more than us."

I pick Mal's blood off the blade as it hangs in my belt, but just as I'm about to change the topic with a sweet smile, Reid's glare pins me in place. "Where'd you get these opinions?" He runs a new cigarette along his lips, looking at me with that smug glare. I hate it, but I get the impression that he knows something.

His tone, the arrogance in his face... I stifle the urge to reveal just how wrong that condescending glare is.

Play dumb, Vi. "What?"

"You got proof?" Something in his eyes eggs me on, pinching at me. I glance at the phone in his pocket again, curiosity pinching me.

"Their weapons are more advanced than what they used in the war," Masaki comes to my rescue.

"Yeah, makes sense they'd update things." Reid shrugs in justification, and I narrow my eyes.

"With resources that they should be sharin' with us." Saxon takes my side. "Letting billionaires buy up the city meant we never actually had a rehabilitation scheme."

"So, they have a couple guns, a warehouse or two to make solars. And?" Cola places a hand on her waist when Reid draws his arm out of her grasp, sinking the last of his drink. "We're still technically at war with the rest of the world. They're probably preparing for when the cease-fire stops."

True. The global war never ended; she has a point.

"It was fair enough to dump our parents in this shīt hole with the Manics; the plague would have wiped everyone out and the infected needed to go. Sure. But now they have enough to cater for us ten times over, and, prepare for the war. They got new weapons, new bases, everything. They let Duncans and Osamu buy us up, work people to the bone or rot and that's fücked, no excuses." My voice is low, but to my dismay they all fall quiet to listen.

"What?" Cola snaps and Elias rolls his eyes.

"Stop bickering," He groans, taking the bottle off me, "You give me that."

I barely notice his silent hint to sober up. You're going to be wasted in a minute. Cola's irritating glare grates at me like a bath of gravel. She adjusts my jacket like a cat parading a mouse. Stupid bītch.

"What you mean 'what'?" I grit out.

"What new weapons and bases? You're acting like they have a whole fleet."

I laugh to myself, "Not no more."

Elias snaps his head at me, his brows shooting up as they fall into confused silence.

"Whatchu mean?" Cola snaps, but then I sight a man approaching us with a dart rammed between his lips. My father only smokes when he's real mad or real stressed... Fuck. Fuck.

"Cola, can you fuck off me? You're always in my fucking face." I try to divert. "Shouldn't you be getting in his?" I jerk my chin at Reid.

She barks a bitchy laugh, passing Mirri her drink, but then she sees Craig too and halts her empty threat to attack me. With mean eyes she grins. "Can't help it when you say suspect shit like that."

Elias frowns, that stupid brain of his tinkering away as he gazes at the ground, "Are you saying they lost a fleet?"

The liquor and the pillies make my head spin, but I clear my throat, "Have you heard when Hito is meant to show, because I wanted to dip like two hours ago." I sight my father out of the corner of my eye.

"No don' try get out of this." Painfully, the song dulls just when Elias laughs, "Don' tell me you left the walls or some bullshit."

"E," Reid snaps, casting his gaze behind me.

This lie is about as spent as the gun that my father's gon' put to my head. I can try to deny it, because maybe he just needs to hear what he wants so he isn't forced into outlawing me... but a spiteful, self destructive part of me don' like that. I can feel my father's presence behind me.
The same thing that made me stab my mask in the fire makes a little smirk grip my features. "Well I sure as fuck didn't go to the Yakuza."

"What?" A deep voice grates behind us, and I flinch.

Everyone spins around except me. They all freeze, arching to attention. His shadow looms over my back, but I refuse to turn as I blink my eyes closed, trying to savour this last second of peace.

Silence.

My father grinds his feet behind me, and I flutter my eyes open, sucking in a deep breath.

"Don' know, Sir," Elias dips his head, his features sober and flat.

"We were talking about the army. Vi said they lost a fleet." Cola purrs.

In my, state, I notice weird details about my surroundings. The way the Reservoir curls in my peripheral vision, Elias's shoulder's rising as he prepares for a fight, Cola's feline eyes narrowing in spite.

Knowing I'm dead meat, I lean into Elias's side, "Check behind those drawers in your room." I say lowly.

"You left the walls?" My father's gravel voice rumbles with unreserved anger. "Is that where you went last winter?"

I wet my lips, closing my eyes one more time, drawing in a tight breath as my heart coils into a seized corpse. I can't deny anything because it will point to the truth.

"I heard a War tribe robbed it." Liar.

"Who told you that?" His voice is cold and brittle.

"This guy from the markets. Look, you said I had to come to this and now he hasn't even showed." I try to divert.

"He changed the plans. Vi who told you that?" Why won't he fuckin' drop it? My heart starts beating faster.

"Could've fuckin' told me that, aye." I snap, bratty and insolent, but only so I can try get him to back off the markets thing. "Meaning I can go? Now that you don' got no one to sell me to?" I grin at my father, wrapping my arm around Elias swiftly before I kiss him on the cheek. He looks at me suddenly, confused, concerned.

"Love you," I start, But Dad lurches forward, wrenching my shoulder back to face him. I glare up through my lashes, fighting off hot defiance. The world spins. Everyone's stare makes my skin burn and my heart stop. Bile rises in my throat.

"Who?!"

"What is your problem?!" I shove, putting distance between all of us. But it only attracts the attention of other onlookers. My attempt to get away puts my father between Elias and I, but he's the only one who will help me if this goes bad. Fuck. Fuck. Stick as close to the truth as possible. "It's not that deep, just this guy named Scorpius." I force out, glaring at his leather face and black eyes.

He goes still, "Scorpius Voytah?" He snarls, and my jaw drops as my blood chills, "You been fucking around with some manic while we all thought you was dead?!"

I run but he grabs me and I try to shove myself away, kicking a fuss that makes everyone except Elias skitter away. He stands right behind me even though his disloyalty will earn him a whipping. Reid just stands there, cigarette to his lips. His dark glare crackles between my father and I.

"No."

"You sound like Tokyo, always—."

Hot rage lances through me and I curl my lip in disgust, "Like Tokyo? You think you have the fücking right to talk about him?" I shove myself free and point Reid's knife at his chin.

Silence. His glare could kill.

"Who do you think you are—?"

"Your daughter!" I shout, and he flinches. "You really gon' ask me that? You fücking sold me, like, like a whore for Hito to fück!" People from the party are watching now. I wan' his reputation to be collateral from this.

"Shut your mouth!" His nose flares, his fists shaking, his top lip pulling back to reveal a ghoulish sneer as he glowers down at the point of the knife. I could've snuck off. Done one colossal Irish goodbye to this whole damn city, but I want this. He commands so much control that a bad look from him has men on their knees, but he's my dad, if he tried to kill me again it'd be his conscience that'd undo him.

Craig Warrendale knows he has nothing over me anymore, because I should've been hung ten times over, and look at me. Fighting fit.

He snatches the knife, letting the blade slit his palm, but I realise he's shaking.

I don't let him see the throwing knife in my other hand, "Vi what are you hiding?" He snaps, though a thread of concern sews itself into his gravel voice.

"I said it already." Goodbye.

"I can overlook the mask, so long as you-."

Grief knocks me in the chest. He'd overlook my denouncement of the Ghouls? Is he genuinely concerned?

"So long as I promise to fuck the enemy?" I spit, refusing to let him play me into thinking I matter to him. "You know?" I start walking backward, "Tokyo had the right idea. An' you have hated him for a selfish fucking reason."

Everything happens in a matter of seconds. Dad charges at me, fist raised, "You fücki—." I fling the throwing blade and it bites into his rib. He hisses, grabbing his side.

He's gon' kill me... but fuck him if I'll cry about it. I stick my chin in the air, holding my ground when he curls his cracked knuckles. I dare him to do it, but... he blinks, averting his gaze. His punch dies before he can throw it.

My heart clenches. The gravel under my boots grates as I give up on the whole ordeal.

"Go!" He bellows, but I'm already walking.

...

hiyaa

dang

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