Amber & Ice

Chapter 9: I don't trust you

Dyo was running late. It was Ariadne's fault, really. He had been bombarded with so many messages during her lecture that he had struggled to see straight as he left.

 The time popped up in the corner of his glasses, glowing an angry red. 12.10. "I know, I know," he muttered under his breath. "I am very, very late."

 But he was also nearly there. He started to watch the numbers on the buildings he was passing. The facades looked much the same as they had always done; a sign of London's lingering heritage. Only the buildings uses had changed: this street was close to the old palace. Once frequented only by royalty and the elite, it was now a luxury hotel and spa. Horse Guards Parade had become a trendy bar and club and the once chaotic roads were now filled only with bicycles.

 Dyo came to a stop diagonally across from Horse Guards Parade. 12.13. It could have been worse.

 No one was watching him; they were all too busy trying to keep the snow from their eyes. He was cautious none the less and slipped into the doorway casually. He was careful to keep his gaze straight ahead, so that if anyone did look across, he would look like someone sheltering from the snow in a bid to read something on his feed glasses. Without looking, his right hand found the key pad to the door. He had already been told the code: 8569. The door gaze way as he hit the 'unlock' button and he slipped inside.

 The corridor was lit by cerise wall lighting, giving the white paint a pink glow. Dyo scowled. What was wrong with people? Who would want to work in offices like this? Five seconds and he could already feel a headache developing.

The first three doors Dyo came to were locked, but that was okay; they weren't the ones he needed. The fifth door on the right, they had told him. It would be unlocked. He could be in and out in two minutes and no one would be any the wiser. He checked his watch again. 12.15. He didn't have more than two minutes anyway. Not if he wanted to get out unseen. He uttered a silent pray that there were no cameras in the building; sometimes the voters got it right - especially when it came to privacy.

 He passed the fourth door, refusing to increase his pace; he had plenty of time and he needed to stay quiet. When he reached the fifth door he breathed a sigh of relief. So far so good.

 "Planning on tormenting more innocent pop voters?" The voice was cool and confident and Dyo's heart sank at the sound of it. It couldn't be her.

 He turned round, his eyes shut, as if he was in great pain. He was willing the voice to be a figment of his imagination. He would have happily accepted the fact that he was hallucinating her voice if it meant that she wasn't actually there. But it wasn't a delusion. When he opened his eyes, she was stood directly in front of him.

 Athena was channelling her inner Cress. Perhaps that was the reason she hadn't wanted Cress to come along; if she had done, it would have been Cress speaking to Dyo now, staring him down and talking in her most condescending tone. Athena had wanted it to be her who spoke. She wanted to prove to Dyo that she was stronger than he thought. She wasn't vapid. She wasn't shallow. She could be every bit as confident and opinionated as he could - she just had to work at it.

He looked gutted to see her. Athena almost thought that there was actual pain in his eyes. Well, too bad. He should have thought about that before he was so mean last night.

She opened her mouth to tell him so when she heard the sound of footsteps coming from around the corner.

Dyo heard them too and his eyes grew wide. He launched himself towards Athena, grabbing her by the shoulder and pushing her towards a door to her right. Athena just had time to register the silver number four on the door, before Dyo was shoving her through it and closing it swiftly behind them. Still gripping her soulder, he forced her down onto the floor with him.