Øverturning the lies (a twenty one pilots fanfiction)

~Clancy~

The tall, red-hooded figure pushes him forward.

"I don't want to-" Clancy protests.

"You must," the figure urges him on.

The boy takes a deep, shuddering breath and steps forward. The room is dark, the only light comes from the neon lights on the ground.

The boy takes a hesitant step forward. He carefully makes his way to the closest mat on the hard floor and sits on it. His education, for better or for worse, is about to begin.

~~~

He can barely pay attention. He brings his knees to his chest.

Focus, he tells himself. Focus.

But his attention is diverted away from the lesson when another gray clad figure enters. Wordlessly they make their way to another one of the thin mats and sit down. The lesson continues as though there had been no interruption.

Clancy glances once at the red-cloaked figure in the front of the room, then at the newcomer. She's a girl. And her hands are shaking. Throughout the rest of the "lesson" he can't help but look her way several times. Once or twice their eyes even meet.

When the lesson ends-Clancy gleaned enough information from the bishop's teachings to understand that the layout of the city of Dema was being described-he sees the girl being taken away without a sound. He's shocked, rooted to the spot.

He never sees her again.

~~~

"What did she do?" Clancy asks pleadingly.

"Why does it matter?" Keons asks calmly.

The boy is silent.

"You're worried, aren't you?" the bishop asks, correctly interpreting his silence.

The boy shakes his head. "No, I-"

"Silence, child," Keons says.

Clancy stops talking.

After a few moments, the bishop says something else.

"There are certain rules that must always be followed, do you understand?"

The boy nods.

"Good. It is not your place to ask questions, to cast doubt upon the very system that has sheltered you."

The boy nods again. "I understand."

He turns to go.

"Wait."

He turns around.

"What is it?"

"That girl-she broke the vialist code of conduct," Keons says. "And for that, she has to deal with the consequences."

"You aren't going to kill her, are you?" Clancy asks, afraid.

"That's not for me to decide," Keons says. "But I could never stand to see anything like that happen to you, child."

"How did she break the rules?" Clancy asks.

"She fell out of line. Three times. She was warned. Oh, she was warned. But she didn't listen. Tell me you'll listen, child. Please do it."

Clancy looks up at Keons. "Of course I will."

He means it.

But he doesn't know then just how hard it will be.