Phoenix

Release

"And that concludes the recruitment ceremony. Make your way to front gate where you will receive permission to leave the premises."

With a crackle, the speakers disengaged and a troupe of guards entered the hall to shepherd them towards the exit. Ash let herself be carried by the shuffle out into the yard, mind awhirl, unable to process anything but the act of putting one foot in front of the other.

They arrived at the front gates—chain-link mesh topped with coils of razor wire and static surveillance cameras. The perimeter guard stationed at the entrance called them forward, one-by-one, to scan their faces. He wore his authority on his crutch, thrusting it out to display the wide range of weapons clipped to his belt.

"Tyde, Amelie, Jules, Ashalia..."

She stepped forward. The guard smirked as he passed the ID rod over her face. "Now, that's a mug we won't be missing."

His comment took her by complete surprise, having been so deadlocked in her own thoughts. She opened her mouth to fire an insult back, then stopped herself just in time. Now was not the time to be back-talking a guard. She reached for the steady comfort of Jai's hand, only to meet empty space. The shock of it was like expecting a chair, only to have it pulled out from under. She fumbled for composition while the perimeter guard continued through the names. But she'd stopped listening. Her mind was on Jai. Where was now? What was he doing? Did he already miss her too?

Once they were all accounted for, the guard strolled over to the black box attached to the gate and removed his dark sunglasses. A red laser beam scanned his retina and the gate opened with a groan. They shuffled through. It closed with a yawn.

The guard then pressed his thumb to the gel fingerprint sensor on the second gate. While they waited for it to open, Evelyn burst forward and threw herself at his feet. "Please don't make me leave!" Her dirty fingernails clawed his steel-capped boots.

The guard shook his foot. "Plug your wailing, woman."

Evelyn spread herself prostrate. "I'll do anywhat you want. Please."

A wide, buttery smirk spread the guard's lips. "Anything?" He swaggered forwards, hips thrust to full extension.

Evelyn bent so low that her nose scraped the dirt. And nodded.

Ash felt a surge of anger which was holstered by the arrival of a second perimeter guard, drawn by Evelyn's high pitched wailing. He pressed his eye to a gap in the wire. "Everything alright, Greg?"

'Greg' looked up, a flush rising in his cheeks like the gauge on a heated thermometer. "We got a wailer."

The second guard frowned. "Yeah. What's the problem?"

Greg nodded towards Evelyn. "She doesn't want to leave."

"And you're having trouble asserting your authority on the matter?" Said with a snigger.

Greg's flush deepened. He prodded Evelyn with his boot. "Get up."

Evelyn remained prostrate.

Another snigger.

Greg's temple ticked. "GET UP!" he said again. This time, his hand moved to the taser on his belt, releasing it from its clip to push it between Evelyn's ear and shirt collar.

Get up. Why won't you get up?Despite Ash's aversion to the candy-floss girl and her 'extra-curricular' activities, Evelyn had shown her how to make comfortable earplugs out of pillow stuffing. She willed Evelyn to move.

Greg pulled the trigger.

A series of metronomic clicks sent an exorcism of spasms though Evelyn's body. Her spine locked, her eyes rolled back in her head and her fingers made ugly talons. Ash felt her own spine go rigid as her muscles reacted to the memory of the dream and the corresponding electric impulses that had rolling-pinned her nerves. Thankfully, it was over quickly. Evelyn went slack and flopped to one side, unconscious, and Greg retracted the taser. Only then did Ash's spine unlock.

"Does anyone else have a problem with their freedom?" He held the taser in the air like a question mark.

No answer came. He grabbed Evelyn by the arms and dragged her limp body through the gate, leaving her sprawled on her side. He turned to the rest of them.

"Well, go on. Scram. Unless you want to end up like her."

The remaining six orphans shuffled past like sheep en-route to an abattoir, side-stepping Evelyn without looking down. They couldn't afford to pity her. They only had a day to scab a job and a place to stay for the night or run the risk of getting caught on the street after curfew. Time was against them.

Greg sauntered away, receiving a quick fist bump from his coworker through the wire. Ash located a weak point at the small of his back and imagined herself tackling him from behind, sprawling him in the dirt and tasering him at close range, just like he'd done to Evelyn. But as soon as the thought entered her mind, Greg was behind the safety of the closing gate.

And that was that.

Ash spared one last look at the place that had been her home for ten years, took in the grey, windowless buildings scattered like oblong coffins in a cemetery and felt nothing. No stirring in her chest, no rush of sentimentality. Nothing. She was the hermit crab, about to abandon yet another shell.

Twenty-four hours. That's how long it had been since she'd left for collection day as usual, with nothing but bottles and cans to occupy her mind. Twenty-four hours. That's all it had taken for the dull predictability of the orphanage to become as uncertain as the lull before a fight.

She turned and walked away, footsteps drumming hollow against the pavement. Orphans spanned out around her, their footfalls reflecting varying degrees of panic. She made sure to keep her back angled towards the corrugated iron fences so she could watch the street behind. Be damned if she got caught letting her guard down again.