Poverty's Pool Part 2

Here's part 2 of "Poverty's Pool". You can read part 1 here: http://writerchics.blogspot.com/2014/05/povertys-pool.html

Ethan helps me off the bed and pulls my body close to his. Supporting me and without a backward glance at the gawking faces around the room, he leads us out into the hall. The shock of the situation leaves me trembling. He holds me tighter. It doesn’t help.

With my mind racing to digest everything I’ve learned in the past two minutes, my body will never relax. Not only is Ethan’s dad alive, he’s rich. Why would Ethan leave money and starve with me in the streets? What drove him away and why is he dragging me back into the world he ran from?

He’s looking at me. He knows I’m about ready to run out of here as fast as I can. I’m only waiting for the effects of the shock bullet to wear off enough for me to feel steady on my feet. He pulls me into an empty room and shuts the door. He doesn’t bother turning on the light. I feel his face in front of mine. My body trembles harder.

“Cass,” he whispers.

My breath catches. He puts his hands on my shoulders as he gently leans me back into the wall.

“When you went to the pool the first time, it was because it was the only way you could think to save my life, right?”

I nod, but remember it’s pitch black in the room. “Yes,” I squeak.

“This is the only way I knew to save you. I know I’ve lied to you, but you have your secrets too.”

My face scrunches up. The only lie I told was about going to the pool the first time.

A low laugh leaves his throat. “I know the look on your face, but I’m not wrong. Sure, you lied to me about going to the pool before, but I know you’re not telling me the truth about yourself, about your eyes.”

The trembling stops and I stand still as stone. No one knows the truth about purple eyes. At least, no one I’ve ever encountered. Once I started practicing as a healer under my dad’s watch, I caught wind of the rumors that began. They were superstitious stories from children’s books, but among the poor, that’s as good as truth. Business at our apothecary dropped off until it disappeared completely. It’s my fault my family ended up on the street. If it hadn’t been for my eyes or for the way I understand medicines, things would be different. Maileen would never have gone to the pool. She wouldn’t have died from the Gutter, leaving me as the oldest sister in her place. And my parents wouldn’t have gotten it from her, leaving the rest of us kids as orphans.

Pulling myself out of this depressing reverie, I whisper, “What do you know about that?”

Ethan has never been dumb, but no one knows about my eyes. Not even my parents. But, Ethan is much more than he ever let on to be. The police chief bowed to him. That kind of power comes from more money than I can even imagine. What wouldn’t Ethan have access to in that kind of environment?

“Probably more than you.”

I tense under his resting hands.

“Hey.”

His fingers lift my chin so my face is lined up with his, or where his must be in this impenetrable darkness.

“If I wanted you for your eyes, I would have made my move long ago. That’s not what makes you the biggest target.”

I can’t imagine anything being more dangerous than having purple eyes.

“Ethan.” A voice echoes down the hall. It’s the police chief. He drops his hand. Whatever he was going to say is gone. Our time alone is disappearing fast.

“I’m asking you to trust me. You’re life is in danger now and my father will be at the head of the mob. Can you trust me and play along with whatever I tell him?”

He’s telling the truth. If he wanted to use me because of my eyes, he would have done that already. I’m trapped in a situation I see no way to escape from. My shoulders droop in resignation. “Okay.”

He pulls me to his chest in the first hug we’ve ever shared. It’s not that we didn’t care about each other before. There just never seemed to be the right moment or mood to express physical affection. That’s not a luxury for people on the streets.

We slip into the hall behind the chief. After a few steps, he hears us following him. He opens the side door to an alley and waits for us to walk through. The nicest car I’ve ever seen sits idling in the brisk wind. A chauffer jumps out and opens the door, beckoning us to go in. Ethan’s words ring in my ears. His father is my enemy and I’m walking into his lair.

I duck into the car. It’s the first car I’ve ever been in. I doubt regular cars are this nice. I look across the seat and see a face I recognize. His picture is plastered all over the walls of the building we just left. He’s the czar of the prostitution pools. Staring at anything I could as I awaited the fate of my virginity in the waiting hall, I studied his picture long and hard. He didn’t share one feature with Ethan. They stare at each other now.

“Did you really think you could hide forever?”

That was it. His opening line to his son he hasn’t seen for at least two years since Ethan’s been in the Terrs with me.

“This is Cass, my fiancé.”

I meet his eyes and then look away. There is a hunger in them that alarms me.

“You seem to be so prepared to provide for a family, sending your ‘fiance’ to the pools.”

“It’s a long story.”

“One you had to use the power of my name to get out of. It’s that same power that has kept you out of the work camps for three years. I’m glad you’ve finally found a girl to marry so I can stop bribing the camp czar to forget about your age.”

Ethan is silent. I add another tally to the lies Ethan has to clear up later. He’s twenty, not turning seventeen. This day couldn’t get much worse. I don’t want to say anything. Hell, I don’t even want to be here. I stare at the floor.

His father sits back in his seat and pulls out a cigar. “How long have you two love birds been engaged?”

My hand is crushed tighter by Ethan as he sits a little taller and says, “Six months. We’re saving money to pay the court dues for our wedding.”

His father rolls the cigar. “Six months is a long time.”

“We’ve already fooled around, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

I grind my teeth. I will kill Ethan as soon as we get out of this car.

The smoke swirls lazily as his father takes in the news. “No you haven’t. Running away might have been a rash decision, but that doesn’t make you stupid. You should know I’ve already checked up on your ‘fiance’. She’s been to the pool before, four months ago. She went through an exam. She was confirmed a virgin and was injected with the ‘vitamins’ to keep her healthy. Now, I know you see where all of this is going. I know what you’re trying to hide, but nothing gets away from me. Not even you.”

Ethan dives for the door, dragging me behind him. He slams his face into the window. The door won’t budge. His father laughs, not having moved from his reclined position across from us. “She’s more valuable than even you, my boy.”

Turning to me, he says, “Welcome to the family.”