Unmarked

21. Property Not A Person

I love clothes. Wearing Lena's leggings and Grey's jumper, I'm enjoying my skin being hidden. They may all be aware I'm unmarked but I cling onto the coverage of clothes like a child's security blanket. The fitted material is holding me together, containing my fractured insides.

Since the last customer left, I've been placed in my own room and separated from the others. Bo waits outside my door then follows me downstairs when it's time to eat. I now have my own personal living breathing shadow. Walking into the main area, silence descends.

"Hide your knives, everyone, Cady's here," Darla shouts jokingly, attempting to help get rid of the awkward tension rippling across the room.

I roll my eyes and a few people laugh, genuine and forced. Lena and Lottie wave me over to the empty seat between them.

"You know, we all know you're unmarked now. You don't have to cover up anymore," Darla gestures at my clothes.

"I'm not blessed with beautifully adorned skin like all of you so I thought you'd appreciate a bit of coverage. I don't want to put you off your food," I joke as I pile a plate up with the food from various dishes.

"Thanks for that. Your bare skin is rather repulsive," Darla flashes me a large smile and I know she's teasing me, trying to put me at ease in her strange way.

"It's not that bad," Lottie says.

"You get used to it after a while," Lena adds.

"Don't pretend like this is ok," Mariana spits out. "Having an Unmarked living here is asking for trouble. I don't want to die because of her." She jumps up and storms off. Josh follows.

"Always the drama queen." Olexander laughs.

"Don't listen to her," Lottie murmurs.

'She's right, and I wouldn't blame any of you for thinking the same." I stab at the food on my plate, my stomach knots.

Mariana is telling the truth, and I can't help but care what happens to these people, the same individuals who I assumed would be gone from my life by now. I've never had to worry about others, it's always been myself and my mum. But now, all their lives are linked to my fate.

"Don't stab any more customers, and maybe we can get through this without any Officials finding out about you." Gloria approaches the table, tucking a small set of keys into her front pocket and a small chain connects them to her belt buckle.

Keys found. Now, I need to figure out how I can get them off her.

Gloria looks at me. "Grey said the man had his hands on you. You'll have a guard watch you closely from now on. The man will be back tonight, but he has promised to be on his best behaviour."

"You're not seriously going to let him back in?" Grey spits out.

Everyone turns around in surprise.

"I have to. You didn't help the situation," Gloria snaps. "He threatened to go to the Officials and the only way I could get him to agree to keep quiet was by promising he would be allowed to return."

Grey doesn't respond and he continues to stare at Gloria, his face unreadable. I wonder what he did and how he made the situation worst. It's already pretty close to rock bottom.

"What did Grey do?" I whisper to Lottie.

"He practically pulverised the guy who was hassling you. Took all the guards just to pull Grey off," Lottie says quietly.

I stare at Grey surprised. Why would he be so upset about a random man's actions towards me? He's watched everything else go on and hasn't said a word. He doesn't look at me once through the meal and I can only assume his actions are due to his past history. Some childhood trauma, I imagine he's trying to ease the guilt over.

I shouldn't care about Grey, he doesn't do fun or serious and neither do I. I can't protect myself when I start worrying about trivialities like being attracted to someone. I learnt that the hard way. If I hadn't waited around to see Teddy, if I'd left when I knew I'd been compromised, I would not be in this position because Lars would have never caught me.

When you start to lower your guard and let someone in, it only leads to problems. I'm not making that mistake again.

"What's your new room like, Cady?" Lena asks.

"Empty and quiet." I shrug. "I would have preferred to stay with you three but Gloria insisted."

"We understand. You're precious property now," Darla says.

My appetite vanishes and her comment stays with me for the rest of the day. I'm not a female nor a person. I'm property now, to be used and discarded as the owner sees fit.