Tested

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

We had to wade through water to get away from the boat. The tiny beach was eerily quiet. This was safety, but it felt like fear. I gripped Parker’s hand a little tighter. He had become sullen and sad as though he had given up.

“No matter what happens,” Dad whispered, “we’re all human. No matter what they say, we’re human.”

We had only taken a few footsteps on the sand when figures stepped onto the beach and barred our way. Two tall men stood at the forefront.

“Guardians,” Dad whispered. “Watch yourselves.”

My stomach turned. Urgent whispers behind me made it clear I wasn’t the only one afraid.

“Halt,” the first one said, a tall black-skinned hulk of a man. The second had dark eyes that made me feel as if they had crawled inside my skin and searched around. I recoiled, but Dad gripped my shoulder and held me in place, his grip so hard that I winced. The second’s gaze passed on, but I caught him taking another look.

“Nobody enters the country uninvited,” the hulk said. “Not in these times.”

“Monsters attacked,” somebody called out. “We had no choice but to jump on the boat. People were screaming. We would have died.”

“We’re not turning you away.” The Guardian’s tone had grown gentler. “But you’ll be taken to a quarantined safehouse. It’s for your own safety. The streets are rough right now. The beasts you call monsters are not the only enemy. If you protest, if you struggle, you will be eliminated. Come with us, or leave the country the way you arrived. Those are your choices.”

The boat had gone. We had no choices. Dad shrugged and stepped forward, his shoulders slumped. Parker and I followed, the same defeat in our postures. One by one, the others followed to, as Dad had predicted, yet another prison. 

***

 The safe house was some kind of hostel. We had travelled on buses until daylight. Parker had watched out for signs and told us when we reached Dublin. I was allowed to stay in the same room as Parker and Dad, but they warned we might have to share if people kept sneaking into the country.

Every day was the same. We were woken early. We had three meals a day. And we spent most of our time in our rooms. The only other people we saw were the Guardians, the Irish supernatural police force. They glared at us, demeaned us, made us feel like the worst kind of lowlife, and we let them because we had no choice.

“They should be like Bruce and Sonia,” I complained in our room. “They’re supposed to help people.”

“Power twists souls,” Dad said. “They won’t help us. But we’ll get out of here. We’ll find a way. They can’t keep us all like this forever.”

Parker had been quiet since his grandfather’s death. I couldn’t blame him. If I lost Dad like that, if I had to dump Dad’s body at sea and move on, unable to even take a moment to give a proper goodbye, I would have been worse.

“Maybe we should find the woman in Ireland,” I said. The shouting in some of the other rooms was too much to bear some nights. We had been keeping watch again, prepared and waiting for something to happen. Not all of the people in the hostel wanted a peaceful life, most were angry and upset at being caged, but what did we expect? This was the price of safety.

“She’s not safe,” Dad said. “You told me the people who came to England to help were against her.”

“I know,” I said. “I know.” But I couldn’t figure out whose side I was supposed to be on.