Chapter 8

In my seventeen years of life I'd never experienced pain like this before. I flew in and out of consciousness. Flashes of bright light, faint voices. The smell of medicine and cinnamon crashing into me. I dreamt about Mum, about all the 'fun' trips I'd been on. A rollercoaster that made my head swim and my stomach flip for hours.

Poking and prodding. Being rolled over. Bickering and snapping. Bloody sheets. Over and over, a continuous cycle. But one thing was constant – the smell of cinnamon.

I finally came to, my eyes fluttered open. Harsh white light made me squeeze them shut again.

I forced my eyes open again. Boots raised on the edge of the hospital bed, Kira's arms crossed as she shifted in her chair – asleep. Neat clothes pressed as always, platinum blonde hair perfect. She smelt of cinnamon, that's where the smell came from.

I searched the hospital room. A small tv mounted to the wall to my right, a large window next to it. White walls with the occasional holographic doctor popping out of it, giving me a thumbs up. My heart monitor beeped softly, a steady rhythm humming in the room.

A small head of red hair rested in my palm. Runt's soft snores brushing against my forearm.

I shifted in the bed, I was in an embarrassingly light gown. I gingerly pulled the sheet over my chest, accidentally tugging Kira's boots.

She stirred awake, her blue eye blinking. "Oh, you're up," she yawned, stretching her arms into the air – bones popping.

"How . . . how long have I been here?" I croaked. My throat was raw, my mouth as dry as the lights in the room were bright.

"'Bout a week." She leaned back in the chair, front legs lifting from the ground. "Week and a half, maybe?"

"You've stayed here for a week?" I questioned, gulping down a glass of water near the bed. The smell of cinnamon had been one of the first things I picked up, and one of the things that had stayed.

She laughed. "'Course not. I only come here once a day to take a power nap." She shrugged and said, "That and I'm in the dog house because of the apartment fire fiasco."

I pushed my head into the pillow, the memories dripping back to me. "Why would you be in the dog house for an apartment fire?"

"Because, Stray," she stood up and stretched, the smell of cinnamon got stronger, "the fire spread, the way fires normally do, and burnt down a few other buildings. Gatekeeper owned buildings. So Hera's been busy trying to talk it over with the Council."

I squeezed my eyes shut. Gatekeeper buildings, The Blacksmith, credits bars, fires, the Council. All of them big problems. None of them sounded like my problems. I'd done my side of the deal, so Kira would stick up for hers. I'd find Mum. Finally.

"This your first time? In a hospital I mean," she asked, finishing a glass of water next to mine.

I cocked my eyebrow.

"I'm only asking because of what everyone says about you," she said, rolling her hand through the air. "The stuff about how you've never been in a hospital, or how the Stray was actually born on a skin farm, or how you're allergic to medicine. All those rumours, you know?"

"I've been in one more times than I'd want to remember," I muttered. Allergic to medicine? I'd never heard of that one.

"You don't have any sense of self preservation, do you?"

"It's a talent," I grinned. She gagged.

The white door in the corner of the room slid open. Tick walked in, dark circles around his eyes. His thick hair mottled and messy, clothes hanging off of him awkwardly. No way could this actually be him, Tick was never messy. But the number two tattooed on his cheek ticked all the boxes. "Is he …"

I smiled at him. "Hey man, what's up?"

"Don't 'hey man, what's up' me," he snapped. He stomped towards me, jabbing a finger into my face. "Why the hell did you lie to me?"

"I … I wasn't lying directly. I did go and look for her…" I trailed off, his brown eyes raged.

"Oh, yeah sure. Because jumping out of a freakin' building like some sort of superhero with a girl in your arms is looking for her." He walked around the room, running rigid hands through his hair. "I mean, for Christ sake, Dan. I asked you to do one thing. Not even that hard. And you burn down a building, no, several buildings and announce your location to the entire city."

I tried to and failed to sit up. My back screaming in protest as I tried again. "Dude, it isn't my fault."

"Then whose fault is it? Huh?"

I glared at Kira, amusement playing on her face. "Hers."

She laughed, "Dude I'm a bounty hunter. You chose to follow me into the building."

"You said you wouldn't help me look for my mum if I didn't," I cried out.

"Again. I am a bounty hunter. I'd have helped you if you paid me enough," she said. "Pretty surprised you didn't catch on."

Runt had woken up in the commotion. Red circles around her eyes, her mouth pulled down. Great. I'd even managed to make her cry.

"I don't get why you're so angry," I muttered. I ran a hand through Runt's hair, she had showered at least. She leaned her head into my hand and shut her eyes again, asleep in seconds. I wished we could swap places. My head pounded from keeping myself upright, my mouth dry and throat raw. It wasn't the time for an argument.

"I'm angry because you've been Listed by the Council and every other gang in this city." He crossed his arms, his eyes dug into me.

"Listed?"

"Listed. As in, you're officially a Rogue in their records," Kira explained. "The great and mysterious Stray – a Rogue. Welcome to the team."

I paused. My mouth hung open. I must have heard her wrong. I wasn't a Rogue. No way. She must be lying. I scanned both their faces. Tick glared at me, Kira was smiling. I leaned my head against the wall, blowing a frustrated sigh at the ceiling.

"Fine. I'll just leave," I mumbled.

Tick laughed a humorless laugh. "You can't just leave. Once you're in, you're in. No two ways. If you try and leave you'll be hunted down like a dog."

"That isn't anything new for me." I looked at him. "I'm Stray remember? People have been looking for me for years now, bounty hunter after bounty hunter. Some person looking to make a name for themselves. Leaving the Gray isn't a pain."

Tick stood like a statue. Not even the soft air being blown by fans hidden in the walls around us moved his hair. A flicker of sadness broke the guise, the stoic look coming back soon after. "You're a Rogue now, Dan. That's it. Things work differently once you've been listed. If you try and leave, Hera's soldiers are just going to drag you back here." He stuffed his hands into his jeans, his shoulders hunched. He left the room, leaving behind a heavy air.

"Tick, c'mon man," I called after him. The door cut me off.

I groaned and stared up at the ceiling, someone had left behind a smiley face sticker on it. Would have been a nice touch in another time, but right now I felt like ripping it off the ceiling. Why did I even bother with this place? It was just a mix of one bad and another bad, no good. Just pick one, a cult or another cult. Oh, and don't forget that other cult!

I should have stayed with Tick last week. I should have just searched on my own. And now I couldn't leave. Mum was out there somewhere, and I couldn't go and find her. Three years I've been walking; spending Christmas and my birthday by myself. Sleeping in abandoned buildings, eating anything I could get my hands on. Staggering through rocky hills, sliding down dunes, seeing things that I wished I could forget. Only to end up in this place. Not any closer to finding her.

Hot tears streaked down my cheeks.

"Didn't think you were much of a crier," Kira muttered.

"I'm a little frustrated."

"Well you're not gonna get any sympathy from me," she sighed. "Sometimes you just have to accept things for what they are."

"So I'm supposed to just give up looking for my Mum?" I snapped.

She scoffed, "whether you do or you don't isn't my issue. What is my issue, is keeping you around. Not because I care about you, but because your name has influence. And now that people know that you're with us, they'll be a little more flexible."

"Are you serious?" I growled. "All of this is some sort of game? I don't want any part of it."

"Well too bad, princess. Because you are."

"Oh screw you," I spat. I was angry. Angry because these people had played my like a fiddle. Angry because Tick couldn't even look at me. Angry because of Kira. Hera had probably sent her to 'help me' find Mum. And I fell for it, like the talented idiot that I am.

"You think I want any part of this?" she shot back. "I never did. But I'm here. So I accept it. And now you have to do the same, because life isn't fair and people don't get to achieve their dreams. So stop being so freakin' soft and look at life in its true god awful colours."

"This is the reason I steer clear of this place," I groaned, frustration heavy on my voice. "No one has any real goals. And whenever someone does it's just something that'll end up hurting people."

She laughed. "Hurting people? That's what you care about? You want to play the hero, Stray? Be the big man everyone looks up to?"

"That's rich coming from the girl who's hired to kill people. Tell me, how does that feel? Going to sleep every night with that on your mind? Must be terrible."

She paused. She had been walking back and forth against the far wall, staring at the floor. Now she glared at me, her fists wrapped around the butts of her holstered pistols. Her jaw flexed. "You don't know anything about me."

"And you don't either."

A thick coat of tension hung between us. She glared at me, I glared at her. All of these people were liars. And nothing good ever came from liars, I learnt that from my father. That sick, sick man. She made a rude sound and left the room, the scent of cinnamon lingering.

What would Mum think if I ever found her? If she found me in some gang with a bunch of people who have no preservation of life, would she even bother staying? She'd always preach about how valuable life is, how it should be cherished and taken care of. The same way a fruit tree can be taken care of, watered, and loved until it was thick with more fruits you can use to plant more trees. And now I was lumped in with them. The apple tree planted amongst weeds.

The door whirred open again. I turned towards it, Hera's athletic figure stood in the doorway. The biggest weed of them all. "The biggest problem and asset I have is awake. How are you feeling, Daniel?"

She walked in, her boots thudding against the floor. Her golden eyes illuminating in the hospital's white lights. Chocolate skin soft, a small scar split her left eyebrow – something I had been too intimidated to properly look at before. She held several envelopes in one hand, the other in her slim trousers.

"Why would you care?" I muttered.

An expression flickered across her face. Pain? Hurt? It couldn't be. Probably amusement. "Of course I care about you. And so do they." She tossed the envelopes onto the bed.

I picked one of them up and opened it. A get well card. A colorful cartoon character in a wheel chair blew large red hearts at me, the animation hovering above the page.

"From the Rogues. You're a hero to them, you know?" She sat down in the chair Kira had been in, crossing her legs. "Saving Mei from a burning building, brilliant. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction for you."

"That wasn't meant to be an introduction. Kira promised to help me find my Mum. And I doubt that's gonna happen now," I said, pushing away the envelopes.

She sighed, digging a hand into one of her trouser pockets. She brought out a small bar, pressing it into my hand. "A credit bar. Five thousand on it."

"I don't want it."

"Oh don't be so short sighted, Daniel," she said, a smile on her face. It made her fine features stand out even more. She was stunning but terrifying. Her eyes held something in them, like she wanted to be tested. Like one of those long extinct big cats being prodded. "Consider it a thank you from me."

"I said I don't want it."

She chuckled, a sultry laugh. "You're going to take it because you can use it to pay Kira to help you. You may not like her, but I wouldn't put money on anyone else if I wanted someone found."

"Right. Like I'd trust her."

She stood up, brushing off her trousers. "You know as much as me that you can't trust just anyone with that much money. Especially in this city. Kira solely operates on money and respect, so put your ideals of life preservation aside and trust her." She walked towards the door, pausing at its empty frame. "Oh, and you'll be living with her. Don't want my precious Stray to leave me all alone."