The Knowledge of the Hidden

Chapter 2

Minutes pass, then hours, and soon I can see the edge of the sun rising over the horizon. The end of curfew is just minutes away, and there's been no sign of the patrols in hours. The wind has died down substantially, and I take a moment to stretch and take inventory. Although I am stiff and shaky, I'm all in one piece. Truly, the night could have gone a lot worse, especially being in such close proximity to the machines as I was. I guess I should consider myself lucky.

The chimes in the square toll seven times, indicating the end of curfew. I slowly slide down the tree, careful to avoid drops that would be excessively painful to my achy body. When I've reached the ground, I begin to walk slowly and robotically toward my house.

I focus on my steps, trying to push thoughts of the impending day from my mind. I see a squirrel scurry away from my feet as my boots crunch the ground and alert it to my presence. In the distance I can hear a bird calling to another. It seems strange, somehow, that everything is so normal.

When I reach my house I raise a shaking arm to press it against the sensor on my door. It opens instantly and I wobble slightly, my slow movements allowing me to be bumped by the sliding door. I shake my head to attempt to clear its daze and step through the frame, into my house.

After being in the cold for so long, the dry heat of the house makes my face sting and body burn. I methodically remove my boots and socks one at a time, tossing them into a heap on the floor with my coat and scarf.

I climb the stairs and make my way down the long hall to my bedroom and find Luke sitting on my bed. He jumps up as soon as he sees me, grabbing my waist tightly before I can even make it into the room.

"Where have you been?" he demands, lifting his head to meet my eyes. "I woke up and you were gone."

"I just went out for some air," I say, hugging him back firmly while simultaneously trying to avoid his gaze. He steps away, holding me at arm's length the way our mother used to, when she knew we were lying. Such a look should seem strange from an 11 year old, but on him it looks normal, even more so than the rest of him. It's as if he can see right through me, that he knows everything I've been trying to hide.

"I would have come," Luke says, and another wave of guilt crashes against me. "I miss him too, you know."

I nod, unable to say anything else. He hugs me again and I expect to start crying, but no tears come. Instead I just feel empty.

There's a sharp knock at my door, making us both jump, as our dad pushes it open. I expect him to yell, to scold me at least for staying out past curfew and risking the family's reputation. But he doesn't look angry. In fact, his eyes are as dead as ever. Or, as dead as they've been since the day that official knocked on our door and handed him a certificate of death for his wife.

"Julian just messaged. He'll be here in an hour to pick you up."

I nod absently, still waiting for a lecture. "And?"

"Wear something nice," he mumbles. "Come on Luke, we're leaving for school in five minutes." Luke follows him out, casting me a final look of concern, before shutting the door behind him. I stare after them.

I know I should feel relieved, but instead I feel irritated. Didn't my dad even care where I was all night? I storm over to my bed and throw myself across it, intending to remain there until I was forcibly removed, when my side collides with something hard.

I groan and sit up, pulling the offending object from my sheets to find that it's an old hardcover book. I frown, turning it over in my hands. I've never seen it before, but I assume it is one of Luke's. He's fond of the ancient relics, and with the help of Josh, the two of them have compiled quite a collection despite their relative rareness in the city. People mostly stopped using them years ago when everything was transferred online to our slates, but for some reason Luke is drawn to them.