Unmarked

53. Too Late

I'm in an identical hotel room to the one I've stayed in for the last two nights yet everything looks odd and out of place. Everything feels wrong because I'm sitting here with Teddy rather than Grey.

Teddy's steady hand copies images from photos onto my skin. Fake marks are visible through the mesh material displaying sections of my arms.

My outfit is what I would consider daring whereas most of society would define as modest. The translucent mesh material hides the lack of authenticity of all the markings Teddy is currently drawing as long as no one inspects them too closely.

"I'm finally giving you the mark we spoke about.' Teddy smiles as he adds colour to a fake marking on my shoulder.

"And you kept your word. Not a single image of a building in sight." I return the smile but my lips are slow to react.

I keep telling myself the unease crawling through me is simply due to Teddy being in his Official uniform. It's nothing else.

"I've never seen anyone with no marks up close. It's odd." Teddy's fingers brush my skin gently as he continues to draw and I have to force myself not to recoil.

"Thanks a lot," I say flatly.

"I didn't mean it as an insult."

"I know. I'm just nervous."

"All you have to do is follow my lead."

"You really think this will work?" My heart is racing, my legs restless and all the lack of emotion I'd previously felt towards this task has vanished. I'm a trembling bag of nerves.

"Yes," Teddy says.

"And there are definitely no cameras?"

"None. The State must be under the presumption no one would ever attempt to infiltrate Headquarters."

"I suppose," I say unconvinced because I know there have been multiple attempts.

Did the others manage to get inside or did they not even get past the planning stage? If I hadn't been so wrapped up with Grey and ignoring my memories and emotions, I might have thought to question Jas more about the previous failed attempts. Is it too late to back out? Yes.

"Once this is over, will you let me take you out?" Teddy pauses.

"Sure, just no boating." I smile. I have no intention of seeing Teddy again, let alone letting him take me out.

"I still can't believe you were scared of the ducks."

"I wasn't scared they were evil. They wanted to eat me."

Teddy laughs. "Fine, we'll avoid ducks."

Teddy's hand runs along my shoulder and cups my neck. Leaning forward, he kisses me gently but I freeze. Sensing my discomfort, he pulls back and his hand drops. His eyes lower to the multiple photos of skin markings laid out on the bed around us.

"Once this is all over, we'll go out and take it from there," I lie.

"Sounds good."

Teddy pulls out a box from his bag and opens it. Lifting out what looks like a thin flap of rubber, I instantly recognise what it is. Teddy smears the contents of a tube on the back of the flap and blows it briefly before tentatively positioning it between my collarbones.

"You are now Hannah Jeffrey, a twenty-year-old librarian," Teddy says.

"You've got to be joking," I mutter under my breath.

"It's the youngest I could get," Teddy responds, oblivious to the irony facing me right now. "She died last night but her death won't be updated onto her records until tomorrow due to a clerical mistake." Teddy's voice flattens on the last two words.