My finger slowly wrapped around the trigger.

”Where is she?”

Mr. Karin took a step back, his arms beginning to shake. The cracking sound of ice filled my ears, but I did not look at it. I didn’t want to. Instead, I kept walking until I was only a few feet in front of him. He began to shiver because of how cold the room was getting. The light from the laptop glowed behind him.

“I don’t know.” His voice was quiet and calm, even though the look on his face suggested otherwise. “Templin never told me. We haven’t talked in a while.”

“You’re lying,” I said.

“What are you going to do, shoot me? For someone who regrets hurting people, you sure love threatening them. I should’ve thrown those letters away long ago. You don’t even know the whole situation.”

“Where is she?”

“I can’t tell you something I don’t know,” Mr. Karin said. The magazine of his own pistol was sticking out from the waistline of his pants. “But if you put the gun down, we can talk about this like responsible adults. You’re quite lucky, actually.”

“You knew this whole time that my mother was alive, and you didn’t even try to do anything about it?” I aimed the Glock right at his forehead. “What is wrong with you? Letting them take her away from me. I was eight years old.”

“You think you know so much about me, hmm? The Red Mamba, Baldwin, and everyone else. Let me tell you something, kid. We all have families too. We have our issues, our own things to deal with. Stop thinking that everything revolves around you, because it doesn’t. Why don’t you understand that?”

I struggled to breathe.

“My life was at stake!” Mr. Karin yelled. “You ought to be grateful I didn’t tell anyone. That she’s not really buried in some unmarked grave. You want know the real plan, Adlai? What Templin was ordered to do? How Baldwin got played at his own game?”

The room was spinning, and I slowly slumped down on my knees. The gun felt slippery in my sweaty palms. Mr. Karin slammed his hands against the table and leaned forward. A strand of his gray hair swung in his face.

“You should’ve told me,” I said. “You should’ve—“

“Templin was supposed to shoot Margaret and leave the city so you would’ve thought there was an actual trial. That he would’ve been sent to jail for the murder. He was young and dumb, had just turned twenty at that time. Didn’t really understand what he was getting into. The kid came up to me in tears, begging for help. He didn’t know what to do. I tried my best.”

A chill ran down my spine. “Who ordered him to do this?”

Mr. Karin sighed and looked away. “Baldwin.”

I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood.

“Had Templin refused, he and his family would’ve been executed. He had no choice but to act like he really was going to do it. And he couldn’t tell you because they had every word he said recorded with a device attached to his neck. Baldwin knew he would hatch a fake plan to gain your trust, but he didn’t anticipate that Templin would take advantage of it.”

“Why....” I tried to look up. “Why would Baldwin...”

“He wanted you to focus on training; give you motivation for you to want to join the army,” Mr. Karin replied. “He wanted Margaret to be out of the picture because he thought she was a distraction.” He poured himself another drink and swallowed it down in one gulp.

”A...a distraction?”

“He disliked the fact that you kept asking about her all the time. I tried to tell him that you were just a child, but he was focused on his own plan.” He paused. “We got into a huge fight and I left for a few years. Templin kept sending me letters, that he had managed to switch up the information in the autopsy for another deceased person, hence why there was a funeral for you to go to. Baldwin thinks Margaret is dead, which is the only reason she is alive.”

“You should’ve gotten me out,” I replied, slowly getting to my feet. “You should’ve tried to—“

“Don’t tell me what I should’ve done.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re by far one of the most selfish people I’ve ever met. I was going to tell you at the right time, but I see that it’s too late. Always going by impulse. Never stopping and thinking about what you’re doing, before you do it. Instead, you come in here and threaten me with a gun. You’re not thinking about my safety, or the fact that I have six children to support. No, you just want to take revenge. Shoot me. It will solve all of your problems, for sure.”

I raised the gun at him again, even though Mr. Karin looked less fazed. Ice began to crawl on the ceiling of the room. “I want to be a good person. I can be good. But you’re not making it very easy for me.”

“You can never be a good person. Look at what you’re doing now. Good people don’t exist in this mess of a world. Everyone always wants something in return. Even you and I.”

“I can...I’ll try to be good. Nobody ever showed me how. I...I wished you’ve told me,” I said, fighting back the tears as hard as I could. “What other lies are you hiding from me? What are you guys really doing? What is your true mission?”

“To protect the civilians of Plod—“

“Lies.”

He didn’t say anything.

“I’ve seen how terrified the civilians look when we come into their cities. General Caleb explained to me that we know best, but I don’t understand. What makes us know best? Why are we in charge? If you threaten to do certain things to your own kind, and if you’re scared to tell me where my mother is or else Baldwin will end you, what makes you think that the civilians are being treated any better?”

Mr. Karin came closer to me. “For the last time, I don’t know where she is. We need to be aggressive sometimes, Adlai. People aren’t going to do what we say because we ask nicely. Subhumans need to be dealt with in the best way. Now calm down, go back to your room, and give me the firearm before you hurt yourself.”

“I’m....I’m so confused.”

“I don’t know how many times people have to explain this to you,” he snapped. “Jova is trying to protect all of our civilians by cleansing the land of subhuman filth. Think, boy! Think about the future of Plod. A place with no poverty, disease; a place where everyone has an opportunity to go to school, get a job, and contribute something to society.”

”But what are they—“

“A place where everyone does their part, where everyone is educated. The Khonie are dragging everything down. Curse it all, why are you so dense? They don’t do a damn thing except use up our resources, and attack us. We need to step in. We can have a bright future. Every Khonie is responsible for the economic failures of many cities. They are uneducated, filthy slobs.”

”What are you even saying? So...so you mean to tell me...that I've sent hundreds of innocent...innocent people away?” I stepped forward. "I...I thought you had scientific evidence that showed that they were subhuman, that they were dangerous. What do the security wards look like? You...you never showed me any of it---"

"Why are you calling them people? What defines a person to you? So they're people now because you know that Magaret is alive? They were never innocent. You're not fooling me with this so called transformation. You are delusional, Adlai. You need help."

I stared at him helplessly.

What...what have I done?

His hand reached for the gun I held out, beginning to gently pry it out of my fingers. I felt like I was frozen to the ground. “It’s okay to work for a greater cause. When you join the army again, I can try to contact Templin so that you may be able to visit your mother for a short while, so that Baldwin won’t get suspicious. What you are doing is very, very important for the cities. So stop fretting. This is how things are supposed to be.”

So Baldwin won’t get suspicious.

I didn’t know much about the man, when I thought about it. To me, he was like a strict instructor, or a guide. I was struggling to piece it together. Why he had wanted my mother dead so he could have full control over my abilities. Why he had me work and train all the time.

To manipulate the mind of a child was easy, but not so for an adult.

I recalled hearing that phrase being used lot amongst Red Mamba officials: generals, colonels, lieutenants. Based on the fear in Mr. Karin’s eyes, the anticipation towards what Baldwin would do already made him withhold this from me. I didn’t blame him for that. But if he thought I was going to act like nothing had happened, he wanted to stay delusional to the fact that even people on Baldwin’s side risked being in danger.

My hand wrapped tightly around his wrist.

“No.”

Mr. Karin looked shocked, his mouth dropping open as the gun fell to the floor. I glared at him.

“You’re wrong about everything. That’s not true. Nothing you say about the Khonie is true. What did they even do to us? Why do you hate them so much? They feel things like you and I. I’ve seen it myself; I’m so tired of the lies. I know I’m stupid, but not as stupid as you think I am. How do you expect me to continue working for a man who wants to kill my mother? You allowed him to take the only person in the world who loved me for just me. Whether or not for the fact that I can do things that normal people can’t.”

My fingernails dug into his skin. He tried to reach for his own gun, but I twisted his other arm away from it.

“You tell me that the Khonie are subhuman?” My voice grew louder as he began to struggle. “Are we even human ourselves? What makes you think that Baldwin even cares about the civilians of the cities? As if people don’t think I’m a monster already. I am the sole reason for his success. Portia. Flanders. A whole bunch of these places he couldn’t even get in before.”

A look of pain crossed his face when I tightened my grasp.

“Without me, he’s nothing. You think I’ll trust this system again after all the mess he put us both through? We’re pawns from a game he chooses to play whenever he pleases. Everyone fears us. I’ve seen it; you simply refuse to. You’re not saying a thing because you’re scared of what he might do, having these officers tell me these sweet little lies to hide what really is going on. And I will NEVER let him use my power again!”

Mr. Karin stumbled backwards as he yanked his arms away, slamming against the table.The laptop fell off the edge and crashed against the floor, the shattering sound of the glass screen filling my ears. I backed away slowly from him, breathing heavily. He studied the mess for a moment, before looking up at me, his eyes full of rage.

“I should’ve known you’d turned your back against Plod. You never had the mindset for a true soldier; look at the way you overestimate yourself. Coward,” he spat. “I try to help you, and this is the thanks I get? I will tell Baldwin everything, and I don’t care what happens to me or Templin for it. As long as you get what’s coming to you. And it’s your fault. All of those years of training had taught you nothing, as I can see. You are lazy, immature, and stubborn. You are a complete failure, and you are so foolish you don't even know what's right or wrong."

”You’re crazy,” I whispered. “You all are.”

“And you’re not going anywhere. You take one step out of this room, you are officially an enemy, I swear. You will obey orders, whether you like it or not.”

I stared at him through my blurry vision, my heart beating rapidly against my chest. There were several large popping sounds in the building, and I could hear the sound of water not too far away. With one swift motion, I flung open the door and took off down the flooded hallway, feeling it slosh around my feet. In the corner of my eye, he raised his gun at me, and the blast echoed in my ears.

A sharp pain went through my shoulder, but I didn’t stop, even though a cry escaped from my mouth. Something wet trickled down my arm. I held my hand out towards him, causing an ice barrier to form between us. Three more holes appeared in the surface where the bullets were coming in. I could make out his wrinkled reflection on the other side.

“Guards,” Mr. Karin yelled. “Seize that boy."

* * * * * *

To my relief, there were only two men blocking the gate when I sprinted across the front lawn. Four more were behind me. I froze the ones near the gate before climbing over it, ignoring the pain in my shoulder as I dropped on the other side. Their bodies were stuck stiff in the ice blocks, and as I ran down the dark sidewalk and into town, I could see four shadows of the guards not too far behind me, yelling at me.

I pushed past several people, my backpack swinging loosely behind me. Suddenly I was grateful for all the training I did at Fort Hill. My chest was burning, and gunshots rang in the air as people screamed and ducked for cover. I instinctively reached for my gun, but realized I left it at the conference room.

It was after four miles of running did I finally stop, lingering in dark alley ways and corners. Multiple black cars with the Red Mamba symbol on them flooded the streets, so I knew staying on the sidewalk wasn’t an option. I had no water to defend myself, but worst of all, the pain in my shoulder was getting worse. My sweatshirt sleeve was stained with blood. I leaned against the brick wall, yanking my hood over my head.

There was no doubt that the front of the city would be heavily guarded. When I dared to peek out again, several Red Mamba soldiers were scouring the streets, clutching their weapons. The streets were crowded because the cars belonging to the government officials were blocking them. I tried to remember what Sergeant Mitchell had taught me, but nothing came to mind. I regretted not paying a lot of attention in class.

I kicked at a pebble before my foot scuffed something. A round, circular lid in the cement pavement caught my attention. With both hands, I lifted it up, the stench of sewer water filling my nose as I slid down. It was completely pitch black, and large rats scurried in every corner. Blindly, I felt my way through, heading the sound of cars and shouting and gunshots above. It took me an eternity to get through the confusing maze of tunnels.

The water got deeper the further I went, sometimes reaching my waist, and I held both arms out to prevent my backpack from getting wet. The walls were slimy and covered in something, but I pressed my hands against them to steady myself. It wasn’t until I heard a heavier sound of water at the end of the tunnel did I begin to quicken my pace.

I crawled out into some sort of ditch outside, a large amount of garbage and other foreign objects lying around. The night sky was glowing pink and orange from the uprising sun. I didn’t know how many hours I had spent in the sewers. When I peered out from above, my heart skipped a beat. The sound of water was growing louder, and I realized that I was near a bridge. I stumbled out into the dark, my boots dragging in the gravel. The pinkish orange lights above me only made the drop below seem a little worse.

When several headlights appeared, I didn’t look up. Gripping the edge of the guardrails, I hoisted myself until I was standing at the very top. The sound of car doors slamming made me turn my head. I shoved my hands in my pockets as three black cars with that cursed red snake on it appeared.

And then I saw him.

Baldwin stood in front of four other men. He didn’t have a weapon on him. His face looked calm and collected, and I noticed that he had recently shaven. There was no emotion in his bright blue eyes.

“Long time, no see, hmm? What are you doing up there? It’s such a nice evening; it would be a shame to spoil it with all of this drama. Come down now, and tell me what is bothering you.”

I realized I couldn’t say anything about my mother. I really hoped Mr. Karin had told me the truth when he said that he did not know of her life being spared.

“Get away from me,” I said, pulling down my hood. A cool wind blew over us, and I felt a couple strands of my hair cover my eyes. “Don’t come any closer. I’ll kill you.”

A small smile appeared on his face. “I doubt that. Where are you going? You have nowhere to go. Running straight into the arms of the enemy won’t do a thing; you will be destroyed. Don’t you know that you have a reputation? You are the Mouse. None of these cities will want to have anything to do with you. We are your only friends.”

“That....that’s not true.”

“Really? Who do you have? It’s a very long jump, Adlai. You could hurt yourself. Do you even know how deep the water is? And you can’t get very far, anyways. My men are already positioned at the gates of every city on this island. You should really think about what you’re doing. You have no one but us; it is quite dangerous. Be reasonable, and come down.”

“I’d rather die,” I yelled.

Baldwin didn’t say anything, just gave me that calm look I was starting to hate. He didn’t look surprised or concerned that I inched closer and closer. As the guards started to run towards me, I pushed myself over the edge, letting gravity take control.

When I landed in the frigid water, I closed my eyes for a moment, wanting to scream. Soon as I came back up on the surface, five dark shadows peered down at me. I stayed there for a moment, wondering if they could see me. Hopefully it was too dark. As I began to kick my feet and swim away, I could hear their voices.

“He was bleeding,” one of the guards said.

“Whoever caused that is in serious trouble,” Baldwin murmured. “Nobody was supposed to hurt him. We will have a meeting about this later.”

I felt a wave of relief that Mr. Karin would get what he deserved. The further I swam, their words grew more faint.

“Should we scout the riverbanks and look for him there, sir?”

“No,” Baldwin said softly. His tone sent chills down my spine. “Let him go. I have confidence in my men who are already down there. It’s not worth the effort for you guys to put yourself in more danger, as he could spike you. He’ll be back soon, when time will take its course.”

I truly hoped he was wrong.