Broken

.8.

I stood beside Rhex in front of the Council. I could feel their stern gazes on me and I looked at the floor, tracing the patterned tiles with my eyes. I had known they would find out eventually but I thought they would have been quicker. It had taken them three days of me being on the ship before they realized I was there.

"Have you lost your mind, Rhex DharSon?" The man's voice was cold and I lifted my head slightly, trying to see who it was. He stood off to the left, his face was twisted into a sneer and his eyes were a cold grey.

"I am perfectly aware of where my mental faculties are, Councilman Khos." Rhex's words were even and bland but I could hear the slight gritting of his teeth. I lowered my eyes back to the floor, continuing to trace the patterns with my eyes.

"You have just broken every law, tradition and code we have. You have paired with a half-breed!" There was venom in his words and I flinched at the last one. Slegrnd. I learned that it was a favourite word for Orrians to use in regards to me and other humans. I hated the word. I had been called it more times than I could possibly count in the past few days. It seemed more and more Orrians hated humans, at least on this ship.

"Watch your tone, Khos. We must discuss this rationally." It was a soft feminine tone and I glanced up once more. Her hair was so blond it was nearly white and her eyes were a vibrant lilac colour. Her gaze locked onto mine and she gave a small smile. "Now, Liviya Burch, I'm going to state some things. I need you to let me know if they are true or not." Her words matched her mouth and I realized she was speaking English.

She tilted her head and I gave a small nod. I could feel Councilman Khos's eyes on me and the gaze was so cold it felt like the air around me had lowered several degrees.

"Your name is Liviya Mary Burch. You grew up in the Northwest Settlement near the Old Ruins. At the age of eighteen you found you could not pair with your chosen soulmate." Her tone was soft and I nodded. I looked at her, trying my best to ignore the stares of everyone else. "You spent seven years with your caseworker, Ami'la, trying to resolve the issue of being unable to bond." I gave another nod and she gave me another small smile before turning back to her notes.

"That is enough, Nadila! She needs to be recycled. Enough with your sympathies! She has broken our law and needs to be taught what that means." The councilman's voice sent a shudder down my spine and I could feel Rhex stiffen at the words.

Councilwoman Nadila turned to look at the cold man and gave him a serene smile before turning back to her papers. "You have been introduced to forty-four possible mates but found no bond with any of them despite the many forms of therapy you had to try." She looked up at me and I gave another nod. She set the papers down and clasped her hands together, resting her chin on them. "You were aware that on your twenty-fifth birthday, if you didn't find a bond you would be recycled. Am I correct?" I lifted my head a bit more, feeling a touch braver at her soft kindness. Not every Orrian hated humans and I was glad there were a few on the Council.

"Yes, I was aware." It came out strangled and I gave a small cough, trying to clear the tightness from my throat.

A strange smile crossed her face. "So, after you last meeting with Ami'la, where you failed to bond with one James Levi, you were taken up to this ship. Correct?" There was something about her smile, something secretive that made me almost uneasy. I didn't trust what I didn't know or people who knew things that I didn't. I wanted to trust her, she was one of the only Orrians who had shown me kindness, even if it was a smile. To be fair I hadn't really looked at the others either but having someone want to kill you would keep your curiosity tamped down.