Dust

XLVI

Soon after being dragged from the Echeart's house, Shi and I are thrown into some sort of government-owned vehicle, complete with curtains over the windows so we can't know where we're going. We're cuffed to the side of the car as if we're merchandise, one of the policemen sitting and watching us with those frigid eyes. I get the feeling his center of attention is a bad place to be, but it's not like I can escape it: He watches my every move, Shi's every move.

I rattle the cuff linked around my wrist, but it's no use, plus I earn a glare of disapproval from the police guy. I look to Shi, who is supposed to be the one with the super strength, but he doesn't look he's any more successful than me. "Any luck?" I whisper to him.

He shakes his head. "The stuff like's titanium, or something-"

"Got something to say, wolfboy?" interjects the policeman, directing his gaze towards Shi, who blinks up at him with wide eyes.

Shi drops his gaze, adjusting his glasses with a nudge at the bridge as he mumbles: "N-No..."

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you; you're going to have to howl a little louder."

Shi jolts to attention, eyes narrowing. "You think you're funny, don't you?"

The officer's face splits into a smile. "Aw, come on, man, I think you're barking up the wrong tree there."

Shi surges forward, teeth bared, but doesn't even get that far; not only does the handcuff draw him up short, but the officer draws his police baton and-instead of whacking him with it, what I would have expected him to do-he presses it to Shi's cheek. Immediately Shi's face begins to burn, a red blotch forming on the skin, and he rears back, grunting. "The hell..."

"Silver," I observe. "You know more about us than I thought."

"Mr. Echeart told us everything," the officer tells us. "How much did you think you could really hide from the kid?"

I swear under my breath; we'd bumped into him outside the back room after Shi got in that fight-he'd been standing out there for much longer than he told me. God, I really have to stop believing people. It always seems to get me into trouble, such as a ride in a government car on the way to God knows where.

Luckily for me, however, the officer has already given me excess information he didn't have to. "Who's Hersch, then, and why are we 'just what he's been looking for?'"

"That is for me to know and you to find out, sweetie," the officer says, grinning with contempt. He sits back in his seat, folding his arms, staring at us levelly. "Trust me, it'd be in your best interest to stay still and shut up. Looks like your buddy here learned that the hard way."

I glance over at Shi, whose face is red both because he's blushing and because he's been burned. If he were in a comic, a dark squiggly tornado would be drawn over his head; he wears the kind of expression perfect for that.

So, because I have decided to stick this out until I figure out a logical way to escape, I sit still and shut up the rest of the ride. The ride's smooth for around half an hour, until we take a sharp left that causes me to slam into the side of the truck-from there, the road underneath us is bumpy, unkempt, and uncomfortable. By the time we finally come to a stop, my tailbone is aching, my spine not far from the same feeling.

The officer unlocks the cuffs and links our wrists instead, sliding the door open and shoving us out onto the ground.

I get a mouthful of dirt, sitting up and sputtering. "You okay?" Shi asks me, eyebrows furrowed. I nod at him, then further examine what's before me: it appears to be some sort of prison, a giant gray-brick monolith hidden behind steel gates and surrounded by barbed wire fences. It sits on land with no vegetation whatsoever, the ground underneath me nothing but dust. I'm beginning to feel more homesick than I ever have; how much I would give to have Damien swoop in and get me out of this somehow.

"Up," an officer barks, so Shi and me stagger to our feet. They lead us through the gates and into the doors, and we keep moving for fear of consequence. Down a dark hallway we go, where I can feel the moisture creeping on my skin, and can barely see. Lights flicker above our heads, and in their fleeting illumination, I see the worry twisted into Shi's face, as if he has no idea what this might mean. It's not a good thing to see him this way, but it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one scared out of my mind. Damn you, Kip.

Suddenly, I'm tugged to the right, then shoved into an open space I hadn't noticed was there. The next noise I hear is the clicking of a heavy door as it shuts. Desperate, I come to the barred door, trying to pull it free, but it's no use: They've locked me in a cell like a prisoner. It's dark, dingy, and bare, and I hope I don't have to be in here very long. I don't know how long I can stay in here without losing my mind...it seems unpromising.

I hear another door shut, then two officer's voices: "Which one do you think Hersch will want to see first?"

"I'll say it's Fido over there."

"Is that a bet?"

"Sure," one of the officers finishes, then their chortling voices echo down the hall as they get further and further from us.

I try opening the door again, but am unsuccessful, as I have to stop when my hands begin to tremble. I drape myself against the wall, sighing in exhaustion. I will figure out a way out of here. I must figure out a way out of here. Shi's voice interrupts my thoughts: "My name isn't Fido."

Thankfully, the sound comes from behind me, so he's much closer than I thought. "Yeah, Shi, I know. Just ignore them."

"They're pissing me off."

"They probably piss everyone off."

Shi sighs. "Well, what did I tell you? We should have left."

I scoff, sliding to the floor and pulling my knees to my chest. My eyes shut. "Now is not the time to rub it in my face, Shi. Now is the time to figure out what the hell we're here for."

"How am I supposed to know that?"

I pause. "I don't know. Hersch must be Revlin's president, I'm assuming...but why would he want us?"

"Beats me," says Shi. "Kip did say we were exactly what he was looking for, though. Ugh, Kip. That little piece of sh-"

"Shi!"

"Sorry, Mom."

I groan, rubbing my eyes, the chains around my wrists rattling as I do. They'd better take these handcuffs off me soon, because I'm already sick of them. "I just hope it's nothing serious."

"We're not human, and they know it," Shi counters in his blunt we're-all-gonna-die fashion he seems to enjoy using in a crisis. He's more pessimistic than Damien, which is saying something. "It's serious-no, more than serious. It's, like, terminal disease serious. It's 'my girlfriend's pregnant' serious. It's 'I lost my house key' serious."

"I lost my house key? Seriously?"

"Serious-ly."

"Dear Lord, Shi, you keep this up and they'll send you back because you're so annoying," I say with a chuckle. "On second thought, keep it up."

"Yeah," Shi replies with an exhale, and thought I can't see him, I can picture his smile. "Will do."

The two of us fall into a momentary silence, and I lift my gaze to the ceiling, craning my neck back to examine it-what I can see of it, anyway. It's mostly just dark. For a second I let myself drift down a morbid path of thoughts: Was being outside just now the last time I'll see light? How many hours will I stare at this blank ceiling? What if last night is the last time I ever kiss Gael; what if this morning is the last time I'll ever see him?

I shake my head.

Maybe Shi is not the only pessimist here.

Speaking of Shi, his voice enters my ears again: "Hey, Gemma, you should know...there's no one I would rather be locked up next to, you know."

"Yeah?" I say with a little smile, drawing a circle on the ground with my nail. "Me either, Shiloh."