The Marked People

Stop lying to yourself

Indigo

I sit staring at the screen in front of me. Phoenix looks on beside me, both of us watching the news reel in silence. At the moment the reporter is commenting on stock prices. News like this, it had never worried me out in the forest. We didn't have stocks or companies or shareholders. Instead we had hunting groups and stock supplies of weapons. You know, life or death sort of things.

Listening to how the stock prices for Phoenix's company have dropped considerably with the knowledge that he's returned doesn't make much sense to me and turning I ask "So you're back from the dead as far as everyone's concerned, and so you're company loses value?"

Phoenix shrugs while Patrick answers "A big change like that in management means that stockholders are nervous, many would have sold their shares which means a drop in value. This won't last long, as soon as they see that it does nothing to their profits the share price will increase again."

I open my mouth, about to ask another question when the reporter is replaced on screen by Phoenix who sits with an interviewer. "So you were kidnapped by the small rebel groups of humans, how did you survive?" The reporter leans in, desperate to hear the truth behind the gossip that has been flying around since his return.

Phoenix flick the screen off and turns to me "They've been playing that interview for the past week now."

I flick him half a smile "And here I thought you were obsessed with yourself."

Phoenix ignores the jab and instead replies "The official report is that while everyone assumed I was dead my brother never stopped looking for me. Unfortunately when he discovered I was in the rebel stronghold he was unable to save me. I was taken away by the human survivors and eventually escaped on my own a week or so later before making my way back to civilisation."

Patrick glowers "As soon as Phoenix revealed himself to the public Aradonious was quick to play the joyful brother who got his sibling back."

I nod trying to figure out exactly how much of this I missed while becoming one of them "So you and Aradonious are both pretending that he didn't try to kill you. Why haven't you outed him?"

Phoenix huffs "Aradonious has too much sway over powerful people. To call him out like that is foolish. At the moment the public loves me, the miracle who escaped the enemy. Aradonious can't afford to make a move on me again, not until I slip out of the public eye."

Patrick hands me a plate of food which appears to be some sort of seafood dish. According to them this is normal food. I've never seen the sea and so eating something from it is almost as alien as the people who sit in front of me.

"Which is why Phoenix is going to become the number one thing talked about by anyone. So long as he stays famous Aradonious loses power." Patrick says as he hands me cutlery half frowning as I ignore it, deciding my hands are quite capable of putting food into my mouth.

"We're also going to have to work on your social manners, eating with a knife and fork being one of them." He says with a distasteful look on his face.

My marks flicker with a slight yellow, the only sign of my annoyance but I grab the cutlery and after watching Phoenix and Patrick eat for a moment begin to copy them, though rather clumsily. Table manners are fine and all but I have slightly bigger issues on my mind "What about your company and the work camps?"

Phoenix gives a sigh "I thought you might ask about them. When I 'died' half my shares went to Aradonious while the other half were entrusted to Patrick as directed by my will. If this was a fair world I would have received all my shares back but my brother has pulled some strings and has either found loopholes in the law or resorted to more underhanded dealings. Either way I've lost half of them to my brother."