Wilde Card, page 47
He leaned forward so that she could hear his response clearly.
“Chloe, you are beautiful. Inside and out. Beautiful.”
◆◆◆
Tia wasn’t in the library, so Kalvin and Chloe ended up waiting outside the council room. They didn’t have to wait long before the door was opening and the Council was sweeping past them with barely any acknowledgment. Kalvin had only dealt with Tia and Natalia, no one else. The council didn’t know who he was, and he didn’t know a single one of them - only that they were important people. Once gone, Chloe pulled him into the room. He had only been inside of it once before. Tia sat in one of the high backed chairs, looking down at something on the long, wooden table. Standing by the wall of cabinets was Natalia, who looked furious and was glaring down at her feet. There was a palpable tension in the air.
Chloe closed the door and the two were startled by the sound. They had obviously retreated into their own thoughts with what little privacy they had. They hadn’t been expecting company but Tia was the first to react, a smile struggling across her face at the sight of Kalvin. She had seen him only the day before but the fact that he was standing in front of her now meant that he had been successful. She approached him, pulling him into a fierce hug.
“Good news?”
He nodded, letting himself flop onto a chair. Tia and Chloe followed suit but Natalia remained on her feet. She spared no more than a half-hearted twitch of the mouth for their visitors. Kal ignored her, tossing the glass reader onto the table.
“Good news,” he confirmed. “The reader contains the information for Dr Shireen Shah. She has high security clearance and an office on the seventh floor.”
“Appearance?” Tia asked.
“Average height. Long, dark hair but she always keeps it up. Dark eyes. Brown skin. Slim build. But I’ve discovered that if you swipe your card right before or after someone else, the ID doesn’t flash up on the screen.’”
“Amazing,” Tia clapped. “And how did it go? Did you gain entrance to the basement?”
Kalvin tilted his head, pausing before he answered. She was acting peculiarly, it was something in the way she was sitting, in her speech. She was different, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “I did, they barely paid attention to me. I-” he hesitated. “I found something in the second corridor, hidden in a room labelled as the cleaner’s cupboard.”
Tia leaned forward, and even Natalia put aside her scowl to look interested. Chloe raised her eyebrows at the news, something she obviously felt she should have been told. He would have to deal with that later.
“The whole back wall seems to be some kind of fridge/freezer, and the room is naturally quite cold. But there’s also a hospital bed in there. It didn’t seem to belong in there, so maybe it was just temporary, I don’t know. Tia, they’re hiding a woman in there. She looks sedated, but when I opened the door, she twitched a little. She’s conscious.”
Tia’s eyebrows were drawn heavily. “A woman? What did she look like?”
He shrugged apologetically. “It was dark and I was caught almost as soon as I opened the door. I couldn’t see much, just that she was white and had light hair.”
“It could be that Zeta has a sister she didn’t-”
“Tia,” Natalia warned, cutting her off. Tia turned to glare at her. She simply inclined her head towards Kalvin. “We can discuss this later.”
“Easy mistake to make,” Tia muttered, turning to look at Kalvin with attrition.
“A second doesn’t make mistakes,” Natalia stated.
Kalvin jolted. There it was again: talk of a second in command. There was clearly friction between the two, how could they possibly work together that closely? He bent his head towards her. “I heard some gossip in the canteen. Are you her second in command now?”
Tia blinked. “Unfortunately.”
Ah. That would explain the sudden formality in her actions, her words, although she was obviously still adjusting. Natalia sighed and it was a sound that could have lasted for centuries. “Kalvin, thank you for all your work. One more week and your services will no longer be needed.”
Tia smiled, though it wasn’t without difficulty. “Summer delayed her final consultation for long enough that her appointment is now scheduled for three days time. We have everything we need.”
“And when you say Summer, you mean you,” Chloe piped up.
“Correct.”
Natalia focused her navy blue eyes on Kalvin once more. “We’ll see you soon for briefing.”
Kalvin wasn’t ready to leave, not without talking to Tia about her heavy eyes and the clear dissatisfaction on her face. Natalia’s expression left no room for debate, and Kalvin was reminded of why she was the Leader of a whole organisation. He clambered to his feet and Chloe moved with him. He was expecting her to follow him out but Natalia called her back.
“Wait in the corridor, Kalvin. We need to talk to Chloe for a moment.”
He did as he was told, pulling the door behind him and waiting outside. He felt a sudden flare of irritation at the way he was being treated. He was literally putting himself at risk day after day for the Rebellion and they were still alienating him at every chance. Was that their idea of equality? He was as much a part of the cause right now as he could allow but he wasn’t allowed to know exactly why he was putting himself at risk?
28 - The Only One With A Death Wish
Once Chloe and Kalvin left, Tia slumped forward onto the table. Her back was hurting, no doubt from all the glaring Talia was aiming at it. She was in such a foul mood that Tia knew it wouldn’t take much aggravation for her to throw a knife deep into it. She wasn’t the only grouchy one; Tia hadn’t had a single minute to herself all day and she was tired. Not that she would sleep, even if she wanted to - her mind was chasing circles within circles. A sedated woman in a hospital bed in a secret room? A gigantic fridge behind a locked door? It sounded promising but there was no point getting her hopes up. Nothing ever came easily, especially not to her.
Behind her, there was finally the noise of Talia moving. She had been standing in the corner of the room, a brooding hermit, for over an hour. Tia didn’t mind, at least she hadn’t been forced to look at her glower. All they had done was argue and she was all out of steam after that frustrating Council meeting.
Second in Command: Valentia Wildehurst. What a joke.
Tia didn’t want the honour and neither did Talia. She couldn’t believe the gall of the Council, had said so herself. They sat, righteous in their high backed chairs, the creases in their skin becoming more prominent as the smiles faded. This was a good idea, they believed, had discussed. This was a way of both integrating hierarchy into a growing Rebellion and ensuring that important people were given important roles. That last comment had pissed Talia off the most. Tia knew what she was thinking, of course: that her fear of being replaced by the famous Wildehurst name was that bit closer to becoming reality.
Tia didn’t bother to reassure her. She could barely look at Talia, much less offer her comfort. Talia wouldn’t have accepted it anyway. She practically hated Tia, and Tia was disgusted by her - they made a fantastic team, she felt like screaming at the Council. But even though they were relics, just support in the background, their vote counted. So a Second in Command, it was to be. Talia couldn’t have been more murderous, and Tia couldn’t have been more irritated. The last thing she wanted to do was work any closer with her. She had been avoiding Talia as much as possible, as much she could with her current mission underway. The only conversations they ever had were about impersonating Summer and infiltrating the bloc.
Sometimes, Tia caught Talia watching her with something like curiosity but then it would harden into cold hatred and she would have to look away to prevent herself from insulting Talia out of a sense of self-preservation. Such was their work relationship. From the intense connection they had formed to the dregs of acquaintanceship. It was so typical that Tia couldn’t even be upset about it anymore. And now she had to take on the responsibility of being Talia’s Second.
Talia sat down at the furthest end of the table. Tia raised her head as the chair dragged its legs across the floor, and raised an eyebrow. Usually, if she was the only other occupant, Talia left the room as fast as she could. “Is there another meeting I wasn’t aware of?”
Talia scowled, her face contorting. She made even that look like a favour she was bestowing upon Tia. “We need to discuss this new...development.”
Tia brought herself into a sitting position, sweeping her hair back from her face. She liked to keep it loose when she was around Talia now, in order to hide her expression when she was too tired to control it. The last time Talia caught Tia sneering at her, they had argued for hours. That was at least a quarter of her day that she would never get back. “What is there to discuss?”
“Your lack of discretion, for one.”
“Of course,“ Tia rolled her eyes. “Any more insults?”
“They’re not insults. It’s your job to keep the Rebellion safe as well. To do that, you can’t just go blathering on about what happens down here to every Tom, Dick and Harry-”
“Woah. It’s Kalvin; he’s no Tom, Dick or Harry. He has a right to know what he’s risking his life for.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“He picked a lock today, Talia. This is a boy who has never missed a day of school, has never once sworn at a woman, and who believes in the law. He is risking everything for us, including his integrity.”
Talia’s expression was thinly veiled mockery. “You brought him in.”
It was a truth that hurt to acknowledge. She sighed and rubbed her face, smearing her eyeliner across her wrist.
“Let’s discuss these developments then.”
Talia spoke and she listened. It was, after all, her domain. There were preparations to be made and announcements to be broadcasted. There would be an assembly to make the Rebels aware of Tia’s promotion and another Council meeting to smooth over any hiccups. She would need to increase the frequency of her training to maintain her health and her morale. She would need to adjust the way she approached certain people, the things she said, her actions. She would have to be a Second that people respected, trusted and feared.
“You have to show the Rebels that you’re my Second in Command, not just Duke Wildehurst’s granddaughter.”
It was a comment designed to hurt Tia but after everything she had been through, it was water off a duck’s back. If it was a Second Talia wanted, it was a Second she was going to get. She continued to talk away, about Tia’s duties, her new responsibilities, her limitations. As Talia spoke, her face gradually loosened until she almost appeared to be letting go of her anger. But then Tia’s own mind filled in the blanks and all she could see was Talia’s tongue plunging into Summer’s mouth, her eyes cold and dead as a puddle of water. Tia pictured her hands anchoring Summer’s head, whose own hands scrabbled for purchase in Talia’s clothes.
It was the same image that had been intruding on Tia’s mind for a fortnight. No matter how hard she tried, it was all she saw when she looked at her. That day, whatever hope she had for their relationship had gone up in flames. There was no coming back from that, was there? Talia’s behaviour was unnecessary and cruel - retaliation was ugly on everyone. It didn’t help that she hadn’t apologised to Tia for the traumatic experience, or that - for the sake of their mission - she had been seeing Summer ever since. Nothing helped, not even the harsh deadness with which she looked at Tia. Something fundamental had broken in the two of them, and she didn’t think it would ever mend. It was a shame, because they really could have had something.
She pushed away from the table, her chest suddenly bursting with irritation. She tilted her head as she rose, her hair falling forward to form a curtain. Talia stopped halfway through her sentence.
“We’ll continue this later. I have to go.”
She headed for the door as Talia protested She was calling her immature, inadequate, along with a myriad of other insults. Talia might as well have been talking to a wall. Tia skirted the hefty table and the pocket of her jeans became caught on the edge. She paused as she remembered what she had stuffed in there.
“Before I forget,” she muttered. She dug out Talia’s kunai and skimmed it across the table. The beautiful dagger came to a rest not far from her flattened palms. She picked it up, hesitating. For the first time in two weeks, Tia saw something other than contempt in her eyes. She left before she could place the emotion. Her chest hurt enough as it was. Giving Talia back her kunai was the definite closure on a very brief chapter of Tia’s life. She had grown attached to it, and always carried it close with her. In fact, giving it back was harder than she could have ever imagined. She swallowed down the grit that had appeared in the back of her throat. It’s just a knife, damn it.
The walk through the Tunnels was a noisy one. Since a group of five Rebels had been attacked by a scout team, the Tunnels had become a lot more busy. The patrols had been increased to four people at the entrance, and a further eight spread throughout the park in pairs. Following on from that decision, the dorms were now also under reconstruction. They needed cleaning, painting, new furniture. Each dorm room was reduced to four beds each, the old and damp ones destroyed, with whatever could be salvaged going to recycling. Tia, for one, was glad to smell the strong paint as she passed. Those rooms were harboring spirits from the past, and a fresh look would do the whole complex good.
She passed piles of wood, buckets of paint, trays of splattered brushes. The sound of hammering and drilling filled the air. The odd Rebel in disposable overalls milled around, glancing at blueprints or plans. She heard a few discussing fairy lights and almost laughed at the idea of Talia coming to check on their progress only to find fairy lights strung up over every bed. The temper Talia was in, someone would end up embedded in the freshly painted wall. Tia’s amusement didn’t last long.
Jay, the head of this particular committee, looked up and caught her eye. His split lip had healed nicely, barely a scar left behind. Instead, a dark purple bruise adorned his right eye and made his green eyes appear almost brown. He wore the signature overalls tied at his waist, ever the rebel, a vest revealing his tensed muscles...and the stitches all over his arms. He was one of the five who were attacked that night, and the dorms had been his idea.
She breathed out, long and deep. “Hi.”
After they had stumbled back to the Tunnels - bruised and bleeding - Jay had turned to the only person around at three in the morning. Tia, shocked into a surprising calm, sat them down in the infirmary and tended to the damages. Two girls and two boys, not including Jay, they were sporting a myriad of bruises and cuts. The worst of the injuries were inflicted on Jay, who had several deep cuts across both arms and another slice in his side. It was three soldiers, he said, but the Rebels had taken them by surprise and escaped before the soldiers could call for backup.
She took care of the kids, let them go off to get some food with the promise that she would be catching up with them in the morning. Then she dealt with Jay, disinfecting his wounds and stitching what she could. He sat silently the whole time, even when she poured alcohol into the open wound at his side, the most he did was bite down on his own tongue. She inspected his eye, which was quickly darkening into a powerful bruiser, and gave him some fresh water to wash down his painkillers.
She sat down beside Jay when he was all wrapped up and he thanked her. After a moment of silence she began to rise, to leave. He reached out for her with a wince, took her arm in his grip. “Stay. Please.”
The next day, a kindly woman known as Arizona found them curled up on the infirmary bed. A meeting was called not long after to discuss the attack.
“Are you here to help?” Jay smiled at her now, slight.
“I’m not much of an option. My odds with a paintbrush are against me.”
He chuckled, well aware of her clumsiness. “True. What can I do for you?”
She inclined her head, gesturing for him to follow her into a more private corner. He did so, bending his head towards her. “I wanted you to find out from me. The council has pushed for a hierarchy and I’ve been chosen as Talia’s Second in Command.”
He stilled. She was close enough to smell the chemicals on his hands, and the lighter much more pleasant scent of his hair. She was close enough to see the way he narrowed his eyes.
“You?”
“Without even putting it up for a vote?” he asked. “Without even giving everyone a choice?”
She swallowed hard. “I know, it’s ridiculous. Neither Talia nor I want this, but they do.”
She could understand his anger. He was the best fighter this Rebellion had - a devil with weapons and a beast at hand-to-hand combat. He was at the forefront of all offence, a major player in all raids, the go to guy for training. He was a strong candidate for Second. And he hadn’t even been given the opportunity.
He shook his head. “This is bullshit.”
“They’ll announce it soon-”
“You keep saying ‘they’ but you are ‘they’ now.”
She paused. Their friendship was already on tenterhooks as it was, she didn’t want this to be the final nail in the coffin for them. Knowing that she could turn to Jay was one of the only reliefs she had right now.
“Jay, it’s just their way of trying to stay relevant. Don’t think too much into it.”
“Sure,” he snorted. “I have to get back. Jimmi wouldn’t know paint from white spirit if someone wasn’t there to point it out for him. I’ll see you around.”
He disappeared, leaving her to ruminate in her own irritation. Great, she thought, another thing to worry about. And if she thought her problems ended there, she was wrong. Because when she got home, she found Harry sitting in the living room. She froze, her bag tumbling from her shoulder to the floor.
“Valentia-” he began.
“Really? My father’s house too now?” she asked.
