Chapter 13: Silent Determination
Officer Jones was the head Peacekeeper for Capital East Secondary School. "Come with me to the station." He said to Castor and Cressida. "You will complete your punishment there then return to school and write a little something for the principal. You will then join your classmates in observing the Games. You will not speak a word and you will be under guard." The two nodded. They were hand-cuffed and walked out to a Peacekeeper's car where they sat in the back. Cressida stared out the metal grating separating them from the front seat. Officer Jones drove to the East Zone Peacekeeping and Justice Center which was a Peacekeepers' station and prison complex combined into one.
Officer Jones led them not through the lobby where the public waited to file claims on stolen items or to pay parking or traffic tickets, but he led them to a small whitewashed room with a metal bench along one wall. They sat down and he unlocked a heavy metal door with bars over the windows. The screams of people on the other side of the door could be heard over the creak of its rusty hinges. Cressida and Castor looked at each other, terror mirrored in their faces. "Castor Smith." Officer Jones said. Castor stood up. Officer Jones took him by the arm and led him down the hallway.
Be strong, Cressida. Cressida thought to herself. She took deep breaths and imagined Tom next to her. She closed her eyes trying not to imagine what they were doing to Castor or what they may have done to Pollux already. Imagining Pollux executed somehow was too much for her. She blinked tears back. Castor came out what seemed like a long time later. The color had drained from his face, and he had tear streaks on his cheeks. He was visibly shaking as he sat down. "Castor?" Cressida asked quietly. Castor shook his head before putting his face in his hands before breaking into sobs.
"Cressida Wilson."Officer Jones said. Cressida stood up shakily and walked toward the officer. Her wrists were hurting from being in the cuffs. The officer took her by the elbow and led her down a hallway. It smelled of paint and a metallic smell she couldn't quite place. The fluorescent lights were flickering intermittently, giving the hallway an eerie feel. She could see long hallways full of cell blocks through the windows of the doors that lined the hall. Officer Jones unlocked a door near the end of the hallway and pulled her through. Immediately, Cressida's stomach lurched. The metallic smell was stronger, and she could hear the moans and cries of the prisoners in this hallway. She willed herself to keep walking though her body was trembling uncontrollably. Officer Jones stopped her and removed her hand cuffs. "Two minutes." He said simply. He pulled her over to the side of the hallway so she was looking into a small cell.
Cressida clasped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. Pollux's pale scared face stared at her through the bars of his cell. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit. and had shackles on his feet, and cuts on his wrist where he was presumably handcuffed but had fought against the restraints. The sheer amount of blood covering his shirt and that leaked out the side of his mouth leaving droplets on his cot caused Cressida to nearly scream in horror. "Pollux - what happened?" She stammered. Tears leaked out of his eyes and he shook his head. He swallowed before wiping his mouth on his sleeve leaving another bright red smear on his uniform. "Oh - no -" Cressida whispered as the awful truth of his punishment hit her. She reached her hands through the bars. "Come here - I'm not scared and I'm not ashamed. Come here, Pollux." Pollux slowly stood up and held her hands through the bars. Cressida laced her fingers with his and gripped his hands until her knuckles turned white. "I'll never ever forget you or stop loving you." She said quietly. Pollux stared at the ground. "I promise." Pollux bit his lip. A tear came down his face. Cressida pushed her face close to the bars. Pollux leaned his head against hers and they stood there in silence.
"Time." Officer Jones said. Pollux looked at him, tears welling up in his eyes. "Well, boy, be grateful that your brother and girlfriend got to say their goodbyes." He said to Pollux before spitting on the ground in front of his cell.
"I love you too." Cressida whispered. She reluctantly broke her grasp with Pollux and allowed herself to be handcuffed again. She looked back at Pollux until Officer Jones yanked on her cuffs to nearly cause her to stumble. "We won't forget you. We promise! We promise!" Cressida called before she was shoved through the door leading to the main hallway.
Once she met Castor's eyes, she began crying. She and Castor realized that they had probably said goodbye to Pollux forever as many Avoxes rarely lived past ten years of servitude due to disease, untreated injuries, or brutal punishment and torture. She stared angrily at Officer Jones who leaned against the wall, a smirk plastered on his face. Suddenly she stopped crying and stared hard back at him. Castor looked at her puzzled. "Do you need anything else from us, sir?" Cressida asked in an even tone.
"You will return to school now." Officer Jones said. "After all, your lesson on what happens to less than model citizens of the Capital is over." He sneered. Cressida nodded. She would not allow the Capital to break her. She would be strong for Pollux, for Wiress, for her fellow rebels Tom and the Smiths. She would even be strong for her parents as they were fellow victims of the Capital's lavish lifestyle as they lived for really nothing. She looked over at Castor who was thinking the same thing. The Capital had silenced one young voice of the rebellion, but had only sparked determination in two others. Cressida and Castor knew they would fight so Pollux's silence would not be in vain.
A/N: Epilouge coming soon!