Revealing Eyes

I

{ Rowena }

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As my eyelids fluttered open, I could not sense the familiarity of home. All I could see was a light pink sky and feel the rust of a rusted bench beneath me. I pushed myself off of the old street furniture and rubbed my eyelids.

Utterly confused, my eyes opened slowly. Baby blue.

The early morning's sun rays made me feel as if my situation was being mocked. It cast upon me like a shadow tracking my movements, watching me awaken from a slumber I didn't put myself in.

I was away from the comfort of my cushioned bed, from the comfort of room service. The comfort of maids and butlers awaiting my every demand was stolen from me. Not to mention, instead of needing to look out of my window to see the impoverished, they were all around me.

I drifted my attention from one person's set of eyes to another, noticing the different colors. There was no need to pay attention to the shaggy hair they all shared or the ripped clothing that appeared to be as helpful as another penny in their broken pockets.

I didn't care about them. Besides, I essentially already knew them.

I then slipped my phone out of my pants pocket. A split minute later after writing notes on my phone, I figured out one thing. Most of the people around me all felt the same emotion.

Despair.

From crimson reds to emerald greens, everyone's different eye colors symbolized their most intense mood. I had been trained since I was six to connect people's eye colors to their overwhelming current emotion. This was so that any traitor of my father's, dare they even try, pay the price of defying the government.

Poverty and isolation.

They knew it all too well already.

Might it be the fault of their ancestors, the ones who committed crimes had to suffer the consequences. It usually took a family name a century before they could move back up the social scales.

I wrapped myself tighter in the black coat I was in. It was sealed around my body so that nobody could see anything other than my face. I could see the tears that were made by a knife in it's fabric, a pathetic attempt really at trying to get it off of me. It was one of the many customs and forms of security that all relatives of the government leader's had to do so that their identity was not disclosed. Nobody could never be too careful, for there were spies occasionally. I had to always use a fake name, either dye my hair three times a year or use different wigs, and never leave a lasting impression on anyone.

Before I fall asleep every day, no matter the season, It's a requirement to be completely covered. We have complete control over air conditioning so if it was hot, it wasn't a problem. During the day, I was allowed to wear dresses or regular civilian clothes alongside one of my many masks. My masks ranged from all colors, showcasing different emotions. It was all a game we played, hiding behind what we knew how to decipher best.

Furthermore, the way relatives were differentiated along one another was a small tattoo on the back of their neck. Hair had to be at least a few inches past shoulder length for girls, while boys had to wear special masks with a neck patch on the back which covered their tattoo. The tattoo was a simple roman numeral; the numbers— absolutely random.

Defenses in headquarters go down at 11:49pm for eleven minutes every December 31st. It's the day we reset the servers and clear the dead out of it. Everyone's data is kept in the server and once someone's dead, it's disclosed. All funds and money go to the government and then there's no more use in the information. The time never changes because New Year's has always been heavily celebrated by practically every single person. No attention was ever directed towards the Headquarters for it was only ever known as a time to get drunk. Until now.

There must of been a spy, one that was helping the renegades.

My whole body then froze as my eyes started to glaze over. I felt as if I was in a toxic fog. Pain began to spread through my body with no real beginning point. Hurt overwhelmed me entirely. Brain and bones.

A rush of frustration began to consume me as well as I realized it must be around eight in the morning. It was time for the pill that I didn't have on me. I'd have to endure hell as I tried to figure out exactly where I was.

{ Asa }

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"Eli—" I paused, the word stuck in the back of my throat.

I stared into a ten year old's pitch black eyes. My sister was born with a rare mutation which some call a blessing and others a curse. Her eye color never changes so it is impossible to figure out what her most intense mood is.

She looked like a cartoon character.

"Elaine, you can't look out of the window today. The ambush has just finished and the girl is wandering the streets only hell knows where." I murmured to her, my voice soft as I tried to comfort with my hand hesitantly resting on her shoulder. I was hoping to get a nod in response, but all I got was a plain expression. I'd be the same way if I've only ever left my home three times in my entire life.

The mission was to get the girl as far away as possible from government headquarters. All she has to do is go seven days without their influence. Then, we can take her in and interrogate her. Perhaps, even use her as leverage for information.

Taking her in before then would be pointless. She'd be extremely dangerous to everyone in here.

The little information we have gathered on the pill they take has one big tie-in. It brainwashes whoever that has taken it to be obedient to those in control.

"Asa, you've gotta see this." a slightly deep male voice called out to me, causing my thoughts to scatter as my attention was given to Cade. We had a bond which was as tight as a brother's. Even though I was born into the hidden life, Cade was brought into it very early on as well. Thus, we basically grew up together.

I jogged over to him, noticing that he was holding a slightly beat up piece of parchment. My warm brown eyes widened as my eyebrows narrowed. The text on it was tiny and barely legible. Especially without my glasses.

I squinted my eyes. Closing my left eye entirely.

"C'mon, you're not wearing your contacts again? I know you only ever can see once a month but seriously." Cade paused, his arms crossing, parchment still in hand. "Today was a big win. I know you were only on hacking duty but still."

My hand scratched the back of my neck as I sheepishly yet playfully smiled, not bothered by his remark. "Ah whatever, just tell me what it says." I almost shrugged right after the words left my mouth but I stopped myself. Cade, my wanna-be older brother, really younger by two months, could roll his eyes back so much that he'd be able to see out of the back of his head.

"To sum it up, it's a copy of the birth credentials of the girl we just kidnap--"

"We didn't kidnap her, Cade." I glared at him now, my hands raising from my sides in the slightest. We were doing this for us. For good. Hell, she'll thank us for it later if she complies.

"I have no idea how you could of possibly picked that up.. But does it have her name?" I bit my bottom lip, curiosity seeping into my tone of voice.

"Actually, no." Cade snorted, amusement clear in his voice. "Most of it had been drenched in water or so we assume. All we know for sure is a bit of her physical description."

Cade then held up the parchment in front of my face. I could now make out one of the few  legible words.

Green eyes. Brown hair.

"So the child of satan himself looks almost exactly like every other girl?" A sigh escaped my lips as I began to pace, looking down at my feet before looking back at Cade.

"We've got our work cut out, don't we." I spoke rhetorically. My thoughts were running through my mind as if they were stuck in a maze and only reaching dead ends. We may have gotten her out of the enemy, but she was still one.

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hope you enjoyed! it might be a lil short but also i want to just get a bit out & see if it's worth continuing :'). probably will do nonetheless but ya know!! constructive criticism & thoughts are always helpful!

update: this is around 1500 words. each chapter will be around 1500 to 2500 words :')