The Trial

Chapter 9 - Edited

I have to wait until state clerk forty-two is alone, which isn't easy considering just how popular she is. Maybe that's the reason someone made the claims, since it makes more sense than her having the audacity to look at a single banner in any manner not fitting of the state. I've no idea which member of state whispered into the ear of state clerk fourteen, but it doesn't really matter who it was. All that matters is finding some means to twist this to my advantage.

The crowd starts to thin and walk over to her with no sense of stealth, since any action taken at this moment must appear to be nothing more than a friendly meeting. How I appear to her is not my concern, since it's the eyes of others who watch in judgement from more than this place and have no interest in anyone becoming suspicious of anything I do. My eyes scan the room as I make my way to her and press against the black lightly enough to get those who stand in my way to move, but not with enough force to bring their attention to me.

I place my best false smile on my lips as I reach my target and can smell the soap drifting off her. Had she been as unkempt as state clerk fourteen, I would've changed my mind and been done with the both of them. There are far too few in this place who believe in hygiene and I want to keep those few around as long as possible. It's the others who need to disappear, all of the unwashed masses, but that's a problem for another time.

I position myself with my back to the camera, since I know where they are, and whisper to keep from being heard by anyone other than state clerk forty-two. "Pretend like I'm telling you a private joke." She smiles and her dark eyes sparkle a little as she nods just enough to show she understands. "Good. You're being watched. Don't do anything to call attention to yourself. Do you understand?"

Her voice isn't as quiet as mine and has a natural sound to it. "That's a good one. I'll have to remember it."

I continue to keep my voice down as I listen for any change to the background noise. "Good, state clerk forty-two. We can't talk now, but I'll find you later."

There's a false softness to her voice. "I look forward to it, state clerk..."

I'm not upset that she doesn't know my name, since I've gone out of my way to avoid attention. "Ninety-three."

She nods as her voice sharpens. "Ninety-three. I won't forget."

I hear the threat in her voice and know she didn't intend to hide that part of her from me. This is a person that I never want to owe and she's more intelligent than the others I've come across, but not by much as I see dullness behind the daggers. Her dark eyes flash with fire for a moment before they start to soften and her mask returns to its proper place. There's nothing about her mask to show she's a threat to anyone, but she did let slip for a moment and I won't soon forget.

My younger self leaves state clerk forty-two to her hidden thoughts and feel my legs carry me back to state clerk sixty-eight. She'll want to know why the suspected anti-revolutionary was confronted. My muted voice prevents me from telling my younger self to slow down. Movements need to be more relaxed, but I can't even trip myself.