Zero

3 : The Visitor

P A R T 3

When I return to the orphanage, one of the Zero kids, a cute little girl called Elli, runs up to me.

"Hey, kid," I smile. "What's up?"

"There was a woman here today," Elli tells me.

"A woman?" Usually no adult cares to enter the orphanage.

"Yep. She came this noon," Elli says. "She looked kinda important. Had glasses, thick glossy hair, carrying a suitcase, wearing a turtleneck..."

I stiffen, alert at the last part. A turtleneck will cover the collarbone, meaning the woman wanted to hide her number.

"What else was she wearing?" I probe.

"Jeans and boots," Elli lists, shrugging. "Oh, and jewelry."

Jewelry. Only Eights and Nines can afford these. "Did you ask her what she wanted?" I say.

"Nope. No one spoke to her, but she seemed to be looking for someone. The only thing is, she just stepped in, glanced around at us kids for a few seconds, then left," Elli describes.

It is only later, at night when everyone is sleeping and I am lying down on my cardboard pillow that I realise the woman could be looking for me.

With my hair, I am far too easy to spot within even a glance.

What could she have wanted?

Maybe I'm just paranoid. I convince myself of this just before drifting off to sleep.

☆☆☆

The next day, I walk into the town square, hoping to get a job. The first shop I step in sells watches and has a 'Help Wanted' sign on its windows.

However, the moment the shop owner - who is a Five - sees me enter, he takes one look at my number and shoos me out.

The same thing happens for the other shops I step in. By lunch time, I have made no progress and am starving. I have not eaten since the day before yesterday.

It is quite crowded in the town square - it usually is in the afternoon.

I sit down at a kerb and see a One, a young man, sweeping the streets. Then I spot the Zero near him, begging on the street, holding out a tin cup which everyone ignores.

I sigh. How can I have hoped to get a job in the shops when the best job a One can get is a road sweeper?

I wait for people to look away before sidling over to a food stall selling sandwiches. The stall owner turns to talk to the Three in the stall next to his and his attention is diverted.

I walk like I am just passing by, then reach out and slip a packet of sandwiches from the counter into my jacket's pocket.

The owner does not notice.

The second half of school shall be starting soon. I begin walking to school. On my way there, I open the packet of sandwiches and bite into them. Within seconds, they are gone.

I slide into my seat in the classroom just as the teacher enters.

Jet's here, in a seat in front of me. He turns behind to face me and grins. "Well, look who's here," he teases. "I heard you skipped morning classes."

"Like anyone cares," I mutter.

"I do," Jet tells me.

I give him a doubtful look and to my irritation, he mimics my expression.

"Really, though, " he assures me, laughing.

I look at him properly for the first time. He's got jet black hair, bright green eyes and a wide grin. Today he's wearing a pair of black rimmed glasses that I'm pretty sure do nothing to help his eyesight.

I narrow my eyes at him. Nines can afford glasses as decorative items while most Zeros actually need them, their eyesight deteriorating from as early as nine years old.

Then I stare at his clothes, definitely expensive and branded. Overall, he is what girls think as hot, and I suspect he knows it.

"What?" Jet says, noticing me staring.

"Nothing, " I reply, looking down at the worksheet he passes to me.

His eyebrows knit together and tells me, "You should try smiling sometime. "

"Not anytime soon," I declare. There is nothing to smile about when most of your life is spent worrying about finding your next meal.

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A/N: This was mostly a filler chapter, but some things here will progress soon in the story! Thanks for reading!