The Rebel (#Wattys2016)

4. Investment Disguised as Charity

Once in the car, Adeen met her aide, Marie. With her blue eyes, she reminded Adeen too much of Prince Skander, and of what she had just done. When they finally arrived at the palace, Marie explained they'd go through the front doors, where they'd get out of the car and join another Selected in order to be seen by the public. Once they got close to the Palace, Adeen gaped at her surroundings.

The streets she had grown up in were packed with people. Some where cheering, others screaming, some even held posters with Adeen's laughing picture and a "Go Adeen!" below. She couldn't help but gape at them all, at their cheers and smiles. They were rooting for her. For a Six. They must have been Threes and maybe Fours, if they afforded posters and paint, and they were rooting for a Six. Adeen's mind quickly formed one thought: what if things aren't as bad as they told us? What if we can change in some other way than violence? But she pushed them out of her head. Thoughts like those were the ones that made trainees slip and make mistakes. Adeen couldn't afford making a mistake. Not anymore.

When she got out of the car, the screams were deafening. For a moment, she stared at the people surrounding her. They clapped and screamed and cheered, and they sounded happy. Not the way trainees sounded when they rooted for their favorite soldier during a fight. No, the people really believed in her.

It was a shame she'd let them all down.

Marie brushed her arm and it was enough to bring Adeen back to reality. She turned and found herself staring at Regina Castley, the Two that stood on top of Adeen's warning list. Her gray eyes scanned her, and when she had decided she was over examining Adeen, Regina smiled the most fake smile Adeen had ever seen. She extended her hand and Adeen took it, her callused palm brushing against Regina's soft one.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Regina." Although she tried to appear friendly for the cameras, up close Adeen could see the hostility spilling out of her eyes, her fake smile.

"Pleasure, I'm Adeen."

"I know." Another scan and whatever Regina saw made her tense, the veins in her neck popping up. "You live here, right?" Adeen nodded, guessing where the conversation was going. "Well, congratulations, being a Six must be hard." Her voice was sweet, but it reminded Adeen of the way the Officials lured their trainees to confess their crimes before punishing them. "I'm fairly sure he'll get rid of you soon, so I hope you enjoy your stay."

Adeen opened her mouth to reply something sassy, but Regina took that chance away from her when she walked to the public and started waving at them. Adeen might have found Regina's hypocrisy disgusting weren't she expecting something like that. Deciding she better not stay behind, Adeen turned to the public and started waving at them, a smile painted on her face.

And then she saw him.

The boy must have been around twelve. He was sitting on a corner. No, more like slumping on the wall. His green eyes were halfway closed, his black hair tangled. His face was dirty. Adeen didn't need to ask him to know he must have been a Seven, or worse. With just looking at him, she knew he was starving.

So, before she could stop herself, she ignored the cameras' flash as she walked to where he sat. The boy looked up at her, and in the few seconds that their eyes were locked, Adeen felt his sadness, his desperation. It was familiar to her.

Adeen knelt down, leveling her eyes with his, and grabbed some money out of her bag. She placed it on the boy's outstretched hand.

"Take it." She said. "It's yours."

"But you're a Six." He replied, his voice weak.

Adeen had to resist the urge to give him everything. He reminded her of herself, a few years before, begging for food on the streets, desperately trying to survive her father's departure.

"And you need it." Her voice was stern. Photographers were all around them now. Adeen ignored them. "What's your name?"

"Lucien."

Adeen extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Lucien. I am Adeen. Now, take the money."

It wasn't until then that she noticed a small figure behind the boy. He was shielding the girl from the cameras, but Adeen could see her. The girl, knowing she had been found, peeked around her brother's shoulder.

"Are you one of the Selected?" Her voice was fragile.

Her startling green eyes penetrated into Adeen's, and shudders went through her body. Although she looked nothing like Liz, the girl reminded Adeen of the time when she and her family starved. She knew if she took off the girl's shirt, Adeen would be able to count her ribs.

"Yes." Adeen extended her hand. The girl, unlike her brother, took it. Bits of dirt stuck to Adeen's hand after they let go, but she wasn't disgusted. If anything, it felt natural. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"What are you?"

Adeen could easily speak the language of the lower Castes, and she understood. "Six. You?"

"Seven. Me and Lucien live here since our momma and dadda left us to find a better place." The girl looked at her small feet. "They haven't come back."

"Well, I'm sure they will. And don't worry, it looks like Lucien has been taking good care of you." The girl nodded and shyly approached Adeen.

"You remind me of my sister, Liz. She is the strongest girl I've ever met." Adeen spoke quietly, trying to keep her words from the paparazzi. "And Lucien reminds me of my brother, Dax. He is the best boy I've ever known." Adeen took out a little bit of money and gave it to Lucien, who shook his head.

"We don't take charity."

"It is not charity. It's an investment. I know someday you two will leave these dirty streets, and I know that this will help you." Lucien looked like he would protest but Adeen stood up. "And when that day comes and I find out about the successful people you turned out to be, I will be proud."

Adeen didn't let Lucien protest as she walked back to the red carpet. She looked back one more time, waved at the crowd, and turned to where the siblings sat. Her eyes locked with Lucien's. It was the last time she remembered so vividly her past in a long time.

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