Blink

22nd November

Amara Xiandis stood in silence, onlooking the wall that separated Siris from the Warlocks from her office window . She had a meeting with Aeri, daughter of the man she needed rid of. Her father knew more of K12 than any other civilian, so they needed him on their side, but Amara knew he wouldnt go willingly. The only other threat was on their side already; and he didnt know it yet, but he would love their other captive.

*

Since the marking, my wrist had healed up and the tattoo was as beautiful as the sketch itself. Jaks tattoo had a magpie, pretty odd for a marking. The magpie sat on the top line of the J. Most peoples markings had either an animal or a plant, because in Sirus nature was important. I liked Jak and I's similarity, an eagle and a magpie. And for a moment a thought dashed through my mind:
Maybe I met Jak for a reason. Maybe its about more than just helping Zy. Maybe we're soulmates.
Yeah, or maybe its entirely coincidental. I scoffed at myself, what was i thinking? Ive known this boy for 4 days. I looked back at my eagle. It was perfect. The talons flew sharp over the accent as if it were a mountain. The head angled perfectly as if at any moment it could have swooped around and looped my wrist. I didnt mind the fact that my new name was now branded across my wrist. I did mind however that the name connected me to my mother was now so detatched from me. I was now Blîs; not Blaise Crystalek.
"Jak?"
"Yeah Blîs?" He tilted his head to me.
"Who were you before you got your name?" He looked at me like i was some sort of stranger. I instantly regretted asking him. "Are we allowed to talk about that?" His voice was hushed. A lump grew in my throat. I didnt know. Sen never did, it was almost impossible for someone to know if you hadnt known him before. "I- I thought we're friends? Dont friends tell each other about things like that?" The lump grew bigger. But Jak relaxed, "Sure Blissy. We can go back to mine? I just, you know, with the Warlocks supposedly around in Siris." I nodded. He called me Blissy.

*

"Before I let you go, Jak, I must inform you of who you are going to meet this afternoon. She is quite similar to you, actually. Her name is Blaise Cara Crystalek, Cara after her mother. She will be 16 on the day of your Blink Ceremony. Her mark is an Eagle, her brother is Sen, and you must watch out for him. He cares over her as more than a brother, her father was very stern to her so her brother took care of her most of the time. Her mother... her mother is dead. Dead Jak. Dead. Her father shouldnt be an issue, he's hardly in the picture. But Jak, never take your eye off that girl; don't let her go on some journey thatll fuck with her. I mean it. That kids gunna be a glory. And if you listen to me you will be too. Thats a promise, kiddo. Dont let me down. You know what to do."

*

We got to Jaks house, a small-ish bungalow in the outskirts of town, and i took my shoes off and followed him across the hallway into a grey-painted room. The stone colour was complemented with a big skyline art canvas. I sat across his bed and he joined me. "Alright then. Me. Well... uh... my real name is Jackson Skye, so it's a miracle i got Jak cos like, people used to call me Jak anyway. Im 16 as of 2 weeks ago." I touched the magpie on his wrist.
"What about this?" I asked. He smiled.
"Ah, the Magpie. See, my sister died when she was only 18 months old and my mum died in childbirth too her. The week after she was born, my dad fell into a slum, barely eating or sleeping. But his shot was still incredible. He shot at a tree and missed, hitting a magpie. And that magpie was sis' best friend, until she died." I felt bad. I couldnt imagine Jak having a sibling, but its almost like i knew her. A tear rolled down his cheek. I cupped his cheek and wiped the tear away from his eye. And he just held me tight.

"Bliss."