Perfectly Scarred

The Blame

Cary howls for her child

Some of the other Whistleblowers seem to look at Dahee and Ella in amusement, though they are all human and I hope, behind those helmets, some are finding it heart-wrenching.

"Roseanne, my lovely niece. Don't you miss me? Come out and give me a hug" Dahee says and it gives shiver down my spine.

"I miss you so bad! I've made an effort in dressing up as a Whistleblower for you, thought you missed one now that you are a Deviant. Don't you want this little girl have a good life?" She says sarcastically. I think of giving up for a moment but Lisa warned me not to fall for her trap.

"If you don't come out, this child will suffer the consequences" i was about to speak out when Carina suggested.

"Judge, can't we just take them both together?" Carina asks, and her sounds deep. "The mother and the child?"

"Yes! Yes!" Cary leaps up from her knees, eager to be taken away, ready to be taken to the ends of the earth if it means staying with her child.

"Take me instead," a voice suddenly booms from the opposite side of the gate. Somi appears. She was out; she was free. What is she doing?

The Whistleblowers turn to stare at her.

"I'm an F.A.B. child, too," she says, voice cracking with fear, but she's trying to appear strong.

"Somi! No!" Lisa's mother screeches.

"What the hell is she doing?" Lisa says, moving from her position, and it's my turn to pull her down. It takes Jennie and I to hold her down as well.

"Leave Ella here. Take me," Somi says, pleading with them all. "I'm fourteen years old. My parents are Flawed. I've been living outside the system all my life. Take me!"
Carina barely glances at her. She gives a signal and the Whistleblowers all move out, ignoring Somi as they pass her by, some bumping against her shoulders, knocking her about, teasing her as they pass.

"Take me!" She shrieks now in a high-pitched, desperate voice, arms out in surrender.

They move by her and load themselves into the vans.

"Am I not good enough for you?" She yells. "My sister was good enough, but I'm not?"

I look at Lisa, who is shaking  her head angrily, eyes black as coal.

"I'm not playing games with you anymore. Bring Roseanne out and I will let this child live in peace, but too bad, she's playing hard to get; So Suffer"

Chi runs to her youngest daughter and wraps her arms around her, both of them barely able to stand with the tears. Somi is exhausted from the shouting.

Ella is taken into the van, her screams still audible from outside. Cary sobs uncontrollably, back on her knees on the ground. It reminds me of when my neighbor Shay was torn away from her family in front of my very eyes. The sound of children screaming for their mother, the anguished sound of a mother's heart being ripped apart.

Shay's detainment had been the first moment with Whistleblowers that I'd witnessed. I'm going to make sure this is my last.

The red vans drive away, taking Ella with them.

_______________________________________________________

"WHAT THE HELL did you do?" Back in the recreation room, Lisa pushes Bahee up against the wall. We've gathered here, wild and angry with one another, nobody trusting anybody, to try to make some sense of this. Bahee yelps as his tiny frame is crushed.