Amber & Ice

Chapter 34: They Wanted Blood

Green. Green. Green. Athena had to own something green. Wasn’t that the point of not following the pop vote colour anymore? Being able to wear whatever colour she wanted, which should mean that she owned something in most colours. Athena riffled past a grey denim skirt, lilac dress and long sleeved blue top, desperately searching for something emerald, sage or even lime. “Aha!” she cried as she swept a blue and grey tea dress to one side, revealing a soft jumper the colour of green glass. She pulled it off of the hanger and put it on the bed next to the green ballet pumps and headband she had already found. She ought to be able to get away with neutral trousers, so she completed the outfit with some black jeans. After nodding approvingly at her reflection in the mirror, she left the room to try and force down some breakfast. To her dismay, Athena discovered that Cress was already sat at the counter, sipping from a mug of tea. 

“Oh, you’re already up!” her friend exclaimed. Her hair was pulled back into its usual messy bun, but her eyes, behind her thick, black glasses, had shadows beneath them. “How are you feeling? I assume you’ve caught up on the feeds?”

Athena didn’t feel like telling Cress that she hadn’t been to sleep at all and that she had seen the feeds go live in real time. Instead, she settled for nodding as she put her bread in the toaster. 

“I’m really sorry about your friend.” Athena turned around slowly, her eyes wide in surprise. She had expected a lecture, or an ‘I told you so’ smugness, not sympathy. “You know I’ve never liked her, but I could tell that you did and it must be horrible to discover than she isn’t who you thought she was. A bomb… Even I wouldn’t have seen that coming. She was quirky, sure, and a bit odd, but a murderer?” Cress shook her head. “I’m astounded. But how are you feeling?”

“A bit numb,” Athena answered truthfully. Her anger, fear and frustration had all melded into one, unfeeling mess. She was focusing on the task ahead of her and nothing else. Failure wasn’t an option, so panic couldn’t be either. She put her toast on a plate, drizzled a healthy dose of honey over it and sat next to Cress at the counter. 

“They’ve been talking about reinstating the death penalty,” Cress added softly, not meeting Athena’s eyes. “I think that sounds a bit too extreme, personally, but I agree that something has to be done. I’m just relieved that she was caught before she could cause any real damage - or suck you too far into her ideology.”

Athena knew she should say something about her commitment to pop votes, or her dismay at Ariadne’s actions, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Cress didn’t seem to need for her to speak though. 

“As awful as this is, I’m pleased it seems to have brought you back from the brink; you look great in green.” She continued approvingly. “I guess losing your new friends must be a bit of a blow, but you still have us, don’t worry. It just goes to show how difficult it is to trust someone. I wasn’t the biggest fan of your boyfriend, but he seemed nice enough. Have you spoken to him since? Do you think he knew what she was planning? I’m sure he will tell you that he didn’t, since he won’t want to go the same way as her, but these crazies rarely work alone.” Cress paused, suddenly thoughtful. “I hate to ask this, Athena, really I do, but I must check: you didn’t know, did you?”

Athena shook her head. 

“I didn’t think so - I told Castor you would never agree to something like that.”

“You’ve been discussing the bomb with Castor?”

“Of course! I’ve got to admit, he was sceptical about you when he heard that you knew her. They’re certain she has an accomplice.”

“They’re sure she was trying to bomb the place?” Athena tried to keep her tone neutral. She didn’t want Cress to think she was sceptical. 

“Yes,” Cress said softly, her voice laced with sympathy. “Irrefutable evidence.”

“Did Castor tell you what?”

“No. He said that was for the trial.”

Once the Freedom Institute had long enough to plant something convincing… Although Athena thought it was unlikely any of the idiots voting would even bother to look at the evidence, or the case notes, since they were already so certain of Ariadne’s guilt.

“I was so upset when I heard - can you just imagine if he had been there when it had gone off!” Cress seemed to have completely forgotten that Ariadne had only been accused of planning to bomb the FI - no explosion had actually taken place. She prattled on regardless, her voice beginning to grate in Athena’s sleep-deprived ears. “There was me being angry with him last night because he was so preoccupied - flitting in and out of the party like he didn’t really want to be there - when he was actually dealing with all of this!”

Maybe Castor had been absent more than Athena had realised. “I didn’t realise you two had argued.”

Cress frowned. “I was furious with him! I thought that he was working too hard. Last night was supposed to be time for us. I just wish he had told me what was going on! I feel so guilty now. But he must have left the room half a dozen times - I could never find him when I was looking for him - and when he was there, he was always too busy on the feeds to pay any attention to what I was saying to him. I’m going to meet him now actually. He’s treating me to breakfast to ‘apologise for upsetting me!’ But I should really be the one apologising to him.” Athena liked Cress, she really did, but sometimes the other girl just didn’t know when to pause and take a breath. 

“Are you on your way out this morning too?” Cress asked at last, when she seemed to have exhausted her anti-Ariadne rant for the time being. “We can leave together if so, I’m meeting Castor downstairs.”

Athena could just imagine how Cress and Castor would react if they discovered she was going down to meet Dyo. They’d probably hand her over to the authorities ‘for her own good’. Athena really needed to leave, but she was going to have to give Cress a head start. “It’s okay. You should go on ahead; I’m not quite ready yet.”

“Are you sure? If you need company today, just ask. You don’t have to go through this on your own.” Cress squeezed Athena’s arm then went over to the sink to wash out her cup. 

She gave Athena an upbeat, encouraging smile as she put on her shoes and left. 

Athena took her time washing her own plate up, mentally following Cress’ departure from the building. When she was sure that the other girl should be halfway down the street, she grabbed the green coat she had borrowed the previous night and headed down to meet Dyo. 

He was waiting for her just outside the building, wearing a pale green shirt with a dark green leather jacket over the top. 

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, as he took her hand in his and led her down the street at a brusque pace. 

“I understand - I spent a good five minutes hiding from Castor before Cress came down and they left.”

They travelled to the holding prison by tube, both too caught up in their own fears to talk much. But even if they had been talking non-stop, the sight that met them outside the prison would have stunned them into silence. 

It was just like the result announcement when the first bomb had gone off. Hundreds of pop voters had gathered outside the prison doors. But this time they weren’t chattering excitedly. They were angry. And they wanted blood.