expire

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Nothing happened, of course. Well, at least, I didn't feel anything.

It was just their cool, empty eyes prying into mine; a tad creepy, yes, but perhaps this was normal, for someone who lived in Kerran. Maybe it was a greeting?

Some part of my mind highly doubted it. Seren still looked guilty, and regretful, and I got the feeling that that was something she really didn't want to do.

Before I could consider it any more, the eyes left mine, and plates clattered together as Forrest gathered them up. I handed him mine and he smiled, but his eyes gave him away. The guilt lay exposed within his empty eyes.

what was this?

I met eyes with Solstice and shot her my best what the hell? look, but she just shook her head, stood up, and followed Forrest out to the kitchen. Feeling put out, I turned to Seren, but she was caught in some kind of daze, and I did not wish to disturb her. One by one my dorm-mates left the table, occupying themselves with other things, and I was left with Jola and silent Seren, the delayed feeling of being uncomfortable finally dawning on me; in someone else's clothes, sitting in someone else's home, with no one I knew there to feel awkward with me.

Jola then stood up, having been in some kind of world of his own for the past few minutes, and brushed past my shoulder, heading across the glossy floor towards the lounge, concealed behind the wall of the kitchen. I sighed, and leaned back on my stool.

“So pretty. It's a shame, though,”

I turned, and found Seren, now awoken from her stillness, unthreading her flower anklet and placing the little blooms on the table, a blur of blues, pinks and yellows. “What?”

“The flowers. So pretty. So sad. They only last a day, after they're picked.”

“Hmmm...” I murmered, staring in awe as the petals, once shades of rose, lilac and peach, shrivel up and darken, disintegrating into ash as they touched the table.

“Seren...”

“Such a waste. They're dead now, Ivy. Just as we should be.”

I wished she would stop talking in riddles.

“Seren, what's going on here...”

“Ivy Connelly?”

I stood up, having not heard the door open, and turned towards the voice.

“Yes?”

A white girl entered – and by this, I do not just mean the colour of her skin. She was white, blank all over, dressed in starch white overalls with a single band of grey encircling her head. Her hair was white, drawn into a tight bun, and her lips shared the same pale pallor, along with her feet, encased within white pumps. Her eyes, in contrast to the rest of her, were black, pure darkness, and reflected the light from above the table like mirrors. In her hand she held a small notepad and pen, and a crack, barely visible against the brightness of her skin, stood grey, jagged, in the centre of her palm.

“You have been requested to attend to Quarter Seven. Her Whiteness awaits you there.”

“Her Whiteness?”

“Excuse me, my dear, but Her Whiteness is waiting for you – and she does not wish to be discussed within cell walls. Please, make haste.”

And with that, the white girl pivoted round and disappeared around the corner, not a trace left save the memory of her visit. I had just enough time to grasp Seren's hand before I sped down the corridor after her, my bare feet sliding along the slick floor. It wasn't easy; her white condition made her almost impossible to make out against the alabaster walls; a chameleon if I ever saw one. Her eyes gave her away though; like a cats in the night, they gleamed unmistakably at the end of the hallway and, relieved, I followed them, and found myself, and Seren, being led into a large, glass building. We slipped through a pair of still white doors and entered a long walkway, with a curved glass roof and grey tile floor. It reminded me of the tunnels you could walk through in aquariums, where you could see all the fish swirling above your head in a stream of silvery bubbles and shiny scales. Minus the sea life, it looked fairly similar, and I found myself gazing in awe at the scenery behind the glass. From here I could see the flower field, merely a smudge on the horizon, that Seren had shown me earlier.

“Where are you taking me again?” I quizzed, quickening my pace to catch up with chameleon girl. She turned her head so that her dark eyes met mine, and I felt my breath catch in my throat, once again shocked by the blackness of them. She reassured me with a smile.

“Quarter Seven. Usually Transparents are not allowed through here, but just for today, I suppose, we'll have to make an exception...”

“...Transparents?”

“People like you, and your friend Seren here. We only call you that because you are the opposite of us – Whites, or you may know us as Chinas.”

“How do you know Seren?”

“She has been here before. You see, Miss Connelly, we handle the Special Cases of Kerran. It is what we have been assigned to do. Seren's family suffered an unfortunate mishap after her death...one we thought urgent enough to tell her.”

“Why didn't Tine tell her?”

“Transparents don't deal with Special Cases. Only Chinas do that.”

“Oh.” I paused, momentarily lost for words. Then,

“What was the mishap?”. Chameleon girl sighed, and you got the feeling that she was tired, although her smooth white skin would never show it.

“Perhaps Seren would like to tell you.”

I turned around, my eyes sliding over to where Seren was skipping along behind us, her little bare feet making gentle tapping sounds against the grey tile. She kept glancing behind us, her bright clothing whipping up in her own personal whirlwind, as if she was expecting someone to suddenly burst through the white doors and come running for us. But of course, no one did. She swivelled back around and our eyes connected. “What?”

“Seren. Tell me about your family.”