Prologue
“Following the riot, Noel Garage gave a heart-stirring speech in honour of his deceased political partner, and best friend, Martin Stellan.
“Martin, along with his wife, Sheriah, were found dead in the aftermath, along with the bodies of identified guards and riot-officers.
“The damage done to law enforcers and officers was immense, and equally, lives were lost on the rioter’s side. The terrorists fled the scene in the middle of the night, dispersing around the city. Many are still injured in hospital, with a total of 67 people dead.
“Following the incident, Noel Garage has vowed, for the city’s sake, to capture the Trauma terrorists that committed this atrocity. The city will have a two minute silence at twelve o’clock, after which three days of mourning will take place.
“During this time, the city will be on lockdown indefinitely, tightening and increasing security along the city’s borders. This means that extensive preparation must be taken for those who want to leave the city. Leaving the city must be approved beforehand, and a quick scanning of background searches will take place at the city’s station borders.
“Noel Garage is doing his best at hushing the city of crime, but the people of the city find it hard to think of anything except their anger and loathing for Trauma. Trauma, having stood for so many years as a part of the city’s pride and community, has found themselves labelled as domestic terrorists. The fall of the Urban Heroes’ reputation is a disgusting one that has both shocked the public, and left the city speechless.
“Meanwhile, action has been taken into the people’s own hands; copycats who have worn the masks in the streets have been attacked- one boy has been left severely hospitalised after scaring his neighbours when he was reportedly seen dressed as a member. No place is safe for Trauma anymore, and still, Noel vows to have them taken out of the city, no matter the cost. Trauma, once perceived to be innocent, has been declared as criminals of the city, and hostile treatment of them has been permitted by Noel himself in a particularly dark and moving speech. Their crimes will not go unpunished.”
My mum phoned me in hysterics once I had messaged her a new number to reach me on. She had seen the news and had practically screeched down the line in concern.
I was tired and ill, not wanting to have a conversation with her. “Darling, I saw the news. Security has increased?! Boarders are up?! What has happened?! There are terrorists about?! These arsonists?! The Stellans are dead?!” I ran a hand over my face to soothe my nerves.
“It’s fine, mum,” I sighed. “Some riot happened in City Hall. Our town is untouched, so there’s nothing to worry about. Nothing’s really happened in the outskirts. It was just that one incident in the inner city.”
“Are you sure? Are you kids alright?”
“Yeah.”
“What about Artemis?”
I sighed heavily again. “I don’t know where he is. At a friend’s house or something.”
Mum didn’t like the answer, but she accepted it. “Are you sure I shouldn’t come back? It seems dangerous. I want to make sure you kids are alright.”
“Stay where you are, mum. It would be more trouble getting back in than it’s worth. Security is so tight around the borders right now that it would probably take a month to cross it. Just look after Auntie Lily. You’ve still got at least two months with the bitch, anyway.” Mum gasped at my language, and I idly made an unapologetic apology under my breath. She still tried to protest about coming back, but the very last thing I needed from her was to come back and find both of her children missing, both having been labelled as domestic terrorists.
“No, I’m going to come back-”
In a flare of frustration, I raised my voice and slammed the flat of my hand against the top of my drawers. “- Stay where you are.” She jumped on the other end, and she became silent. In a much calmer tone, I ended the conversation. “Stay there, mum. It would be a real pain to even attempt to get back in. You should just wait until all of the drama dies down. At least until Noel sorts Trauma out one way or another. Trust me. You’ll be back before you know it anyway. Trust me and stay.” She didn’t sound pleased at all, but she begrudgingly took heed. She told me she loves me, and I told her too. She then told me to pass on my love to Artemis. The line then cut off immediately after.
It was the third day of mourning. Trauma had been silent for a while. The halls were empty, and the people that remained in Trauma were ghostly, staying out of each other’s way, not daring to make real conversation with one another in fear that it would be a gross sign of disrespect.
I’ve barely spoken at all for the past week and have become even more silent these past three days.
When I finally woke up, Nyra was beginning to open his eyelids. His mohawk was a mess, dry and un-gelled, looking as rough as hay. I wanted to run my hands through it and comb out the small kinks where my fingers would meet resistance, but I decided to keep my hands where they were- atop my pillow, touching his.
His eyes trained on mine for an intense moment; they were watery, and I wasn’t entirely sure if it was from sleep or grief- most probably both.
In a small whisper, I asked him, “Did you have a nightmare?”
He gave me an utterly dead smile. “Did you?” he replied. He caressed the back of my hand, but I clasped it to stop him. “It was nothing.”
I didn’t press the issue. Everything still felt a bit too raw in that moment.
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