Ultramarine -- REWRITTEN

Twenty Three. [h.s] -- REWRITTEN

          I worried about nothing as my mind reconstructed the sights, sounds, smells, taste, and feeling of the open world. Blue waves, green grass, white foam, spots of fluorescent color. Rolling waves, howling wind, birds calling out above. Salt stinging my senses. The world, indeed, was much larger, more beautiful, and more lively than I once thought.

          But between the city limits and the ocean was pure wilderness; crawling with exotic animals that didn't dare show their faces in civilization during the day, invisible trails that hadn't been walked along, and thick greenery that brushed leg and fingertips with every step. Anyone would find themselves lost if they stepped inside and lost sight of the town behind them--perfect for escaping if needed. We would have to leave sooner than later.

          I opened my eyes, my vision adjusting to the darkness surrounding me. I denied myself of sleeping. The ocean scenery, the forming plans to escape, and our shared kiss stimulated my brain. The kiss. Sweet, simple, and forbidden; I craved more, but understood why the Association striped its citizens from the feeling. My thoughts had turned into liquid gold, mixing and pooling with everything else as I became overtaken with a clouded sense of lust. In the moment, it was wonderful.

          Tap, tap, tap.

          I sat up and rubbed my eyes, looking at the window where shadows of trees danced across the blinded glass. An outline of a figure pressed himself against the glass and tried peering inside even though the glass was shaded from the outside, so no onlookers could see inside. The man tapped again, waited a few more moments, then looked down at his side. Faint mumbling, an exasperated groan, then more tapping. Another figure popped up beside the man from below.

          With caution, I stepped out of bed and walked to the closet in darkness, grabbing one of my anesthetic guns. As I headed out of my bedroom, I looked back frequently, seeing the silhouette of the two figures talking next to the window. Silence and darkness slipped across my body, my steps agile and mute as I headed across the house and out of the door, making sure to check my surroundings while my back was pressed up against the wall. I was trained for stealth, precision, and control. Not even the lack of Panacea in my body could take that away. It was ingrained and written in my muscles, even though the pounding of my heart thought otherwise, which screamed at me to back down and go back to bed, for nothing good happens when you break the rules. At the moment, I didn't care about my heart. Their hushed whispers grew as I approached the corner, half of my attention focusing on any suspicious movements around me.

          I peered out from behind the corner, the gun cool against my palm and the trigger throbbing against my finger. A masked woman and man stood next to each other, the woman trying to look through the window. I stepped out from the corner, afraid of nothing. My hand lifted, my finger burning against the trigger when I locked eyes with the color blue.

          "No, no, no!" he hissed, lifting his hands and waving. The woman stepped back and looked over, lifting her hands in front of her as well in surrender. Indigo.

          "Harry, it's okay, we're here to talk with you," the woman sighed, taking a step forward.

          I stayed silent but glanced side to side, still waiting for a Commissioner to spot the three of us.

          "Take off your masks," I instructed, stepping to the side in the hopes of masking myself against the wall if anyone were to see us. The moon was too bright.

          "Put down your gun," the man shot back. The woman smacked the man on the chest with the back of her hand. He groaned and rubbed where she had hit.

          "We can't get caught, so we can't. But it's me, Brielle. Do you remember?"

          Charmaine had mentioned the name once. Like before, the ghost of a memory whispered past, but left no trace of what was. My hand slowly fell back down to my side, but I refused to loosen my grip on the gun. When I didn't respond, she continued. "This is Leon, Charmaine's brother."