Queen of Diamonds

One and a Half Days After The Sorting (Part Two)

Hugo must see them before I do, because he curses, sitting his lithe body up in the seat and grabbing the controls. Despite the fact that I think the glass is only one sided, I drop to my knees, hunching behind my chair. I expect him to make fun of me, but he doesn't notice. That's when I see them. I catch sight of the boy first, walking straight on through the courtyard to where Sonya and Felix are waiting. The two of them don't move as he approaches, but I lean forward, trying to drink in everything about this strange world. He's wearing tight green shorts, barely thigh-length, with tall fishnet socks pulled up over his knees, and black, thick-soled boots. His hair is cropped short, but dyed bright blue, and half is face inked with a tattoo. He carries a gun, but it hangs limp at his side. As he walks to where Felix stands, I'm reminded of pictures I've seen in history textbooks of gentlemen's duels, bouts of honor that were more about ritual than anything else. That's what this must be, because rather than drawing his guns and trying to defend himself, Felix walks to meet the other boy. I can see them exchanging words, and while the boy gets heated, Felix stays deadly calm. I wonder if he's always like that. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I hear a crash, and the facade of a building across the square is shucked off, crumbling to the ground in a pile of brick and dust. Everyone in the courtyard is on alert now, Sonya drawing her guns, the rival boy in the fishnets dropping to the ground and rolling away from Felix, who himself stays stock still. Hugo curses again. "That son of a – stupid idiot kid – does he not listen at all?" Hugo mutters to himself, flipping a few switches and pressing his eye to a little scope. 
"What was that?" I ask, so quietly that I don't think he can hear me. 
"That, Greenie, was what happens when you put a kid in charge of demo."
"Remy?" I ask, thinking of the white leather bag the boy had been carrying. Hugo nods almost imperceptibly, his focus now returned to the square. I glance back. Felix and Sonya have fallen back to the edge of the square, as a girl in a bright green dress throws herself out of the crumbling building, launching herself into the air, soaring through the rubble, flipping over herself midair, and landing next to the boy in the fishnets, all in one smooth motion. She reminds me of a scarf, floating on the wind, untouched by gravity. Out of the alley to the side, a shrimpy boy with a mop of blond hair scurries out, carrying a gun similar to Alice's, but a little smaller. Behind him lumbers a large boy, twice the size of any football player I knew at school. Sonya and Felix both draw their guns, and I have to look away. I hear gunshots and I feel the whole structure shake as Hugo curses and spins himself around. I cover my face, trying to hide from the terrible noises outside. 

The battle is over after just a few seconds, or maybe just a few years. I hear everything quiet outside, but I can't stop shaking. Hugo stands up, unloading his bandolier. He glances over at me, then sighs through his nose, briefly rolling his eyes, and drops to his knees next to me. I notice a slight sheen of sweat over his thin but muscled chest, and his blonde curly hair is stuck to his forehead. He's inches away from me, and his blue eyes are fragmented with the light from outside, like shattered stained glass. 
"Look, greenie," he says, setting a heavy hand on my shoulder. "I know it's rough. Life is just rough here. And we give you a hard time, but that's just part of it. You'll adapt, alright? You're okay." I force myself to make eye contact with him, even though my eyes are stinging with tears. He stands up, pulling me to my feet with ease, and sets his forearms on my shoulders, pushing his fingers through the hair on the back of my neck and holding the back of my head in his hands. "You're okay, greenie. Say it back to me."
"I'm okay," I stutter out, still feeling my heart racing.
"Good," Hugo says, looping his bandolier around his chest and opening the trap door with his foot. "Let's get outta here."

We retrace our steps to the alleyway outside, where Alice, Felix, and Sonya are waiting. They nod in greeting, looking no more frazzled as if they had gone on a jog. Sonya smiles at me warmly, and I remember what she said about being from the Heart sector. I wonder if she remembers her first battle. I know I'll always remember mine. Felix throws his jacket off, tossing it to Alice, who is surprised but catches it easily. 
"Where's Rabbit?" he demands to no one in particular. "I'm gonna kill that kid." No one answers, everyone looking at their feet awkwardly. Suddenly. I hear footsteps from behind me, and I spin round to see Remy walking up to us, hanging his head, his white backpack stained with dirt. Felix doesn't acknowledge him, instead spinning around and stalking out of the alleyway. I offer Remy a small smile, but he doesn't notice, taking up double time to catch up with Alice. Sonya falls back to walk beside me. 
"You good?" she asks, bumping my shoulder with hers. I nod mutely. "I know this can be a lot." 
"Yeah," I say, although I feel like the part of my brain that could think about the battle has shut down, instead replaced with the image of Hugo's brilliant blue eyes, his hands on my neck. I feel an involuntary shudder run through my body. 
"You'll be okay," Sonya says with a smile. For the first time since I got here, some small part of me believes her.