Chapter 12

The sun shone brightly in the clear, cloudless sky. If Naomi hadn't witnessed it herself, she would never have imagined there had been a storm. They hurried along a narrow street, passing by buildings that were more patched up than properly constructed.

Gabriel had arrived the night before, completely soaked, and told her what he had seen. She knew him well enough to recognize his tendency to exaggerate certain facts, but at that moment, she didn't think he was doing that. It hadn't been a pleasant first day.

They were following Guilhermina's instructions to the meeting place of the Heirs, which, according to her, was in a large, formerly abandoned warehouse. It wasn't hidden, as per the Bunker's rules they weren't allowed to interfere with such matters, but still, Naomi didn't doubt for a second that they might encounter some Ravens lying in wait.

Gabriel walked sullenly beside her, chewing a leaf he had gotten in one of the squares, walking quietly, lost in thought. Whenever the guy was nervous, he had this habit of chewing on something.

"We're going to attend one of these Heirs' meetings," Naomi said, going over what they had planned earlier. "And tonight you'll visit those places with the most disappearances."

"Yes," Gabriel replied, even though it hadn't been a question. "I'll pose as a homeless person. Naomi, are those people walking in the same direction as us members of the Heirs?"

Naomi noticed a group of people walking in the same direction ahead and behind them, some others too. It could just be a coincidence, she hoped it was, even though the street was narrow, and after the storm the next day, it was still quite dirty, which didn't help dismiss that thought. Up ahead, a cluster of people caught her attention. In front of a building's entrance, people were greeting each other excitedly, slowly entering in groups. Greeting them was a woman in a long burgundy dress that reached the floor, hiding her feet. The outfit resembled more of a nightgown.

"Good morning, Interlocutor!" a girl, no older than seven, greeted the woman as she entered the building.

Naomi paid close attention to the way the woman was addressed and turned to Gabriel, who only nodded. The meeting was being held in that place.

"Welcome, my dear," the woman replied to the girl, and then fixed her eyes on the pair in front of her. "Is this your first time?"

Surprised by the sudden question, Naomi instinctively agreed, and other people looked at them curiously.

"Welcome!" the woman said with a catlike smile, as her gaze lingered on them both. "I hope you find what you're looking for with us."

Stepping to the right, the Interlocutor opened a space for them to enter the building. The Raven passed through the open door, which led directly to a waiting room with long wooden benches. A second door, with only one side open, was to the right, where four men were chatting animatedly on the bench, constantly stopping to eye newcomers shamelessly.

Gabriel greeted them as he passed and entered the room, with Naomi quickly following behind. It was just as Guilhermina had said—the floor was concrete with some cracks, but very well preserved. The windows were nearly touching the beams that supported the ceiling, making it impossible for any curious onlookers to peek inside. Wooden benches similar to those used at the reception formed long rows. Naomi counted twenty rows, almost all full, some along the walls where people were seated. And just like before, those people stared at each new entrant with piercing gazes.

"There in the corner," Gabriel observed, pointing to the edge of an almost empty bench in the last row. "We can sit there."

"Sure," Naomi said, moving closer to her partner while whispering. "The men at the entrance and those sitting on the sides are guards."

Gabriel confirmed; he had noticed too. They sat on the bench, which creaked slightly, and began to look around at the people. There was nothing extraordinary about any of them—men, women, and children, all well-dressed and gathered. Up until that point, it didn't seem like a dangerous group, but the fact that there were so many guards and how easily they had been accepted didn't help them relax.

Struggling not to grab the hilt of her hidden knife beneath her clothes, Naomi noticed that further ahead, beyond the benches, there was a wooden platform stretched on the ground where some children were playing. The number of people entering didn't stop growing, and soon the benches were fully occupied, forcing those who had arrived late to sit on the floor. Conversations happened in hushed tones, giving the place a mysterious air, if not for the children shouting. Then, two claps made the whole room calm almost instantly.

"Welcome to everyone who has come," said the woman who had greeted them at the entrance earlier. "Let's have a good meeting."

"Thus, the Ancients provided!" the whole room chorused.

The Interlocutor glided through the open space between the benches toward the platform in a theatrical manner. Naomi noticed the way people looked at the woman—it was with reverence.

"We have many new faces today," the Interlocutor said. "Which makes me happy—more people willing to see the truth."

A wave of agreement passed through the crowd, and once again, the claps silenced them.

"Welcome to the Heirs," the woman continued, walking across the platform. "You may call me the Interlocutor. Our great leader, the Healer, is doing her work in the Bunker but has left capable women in each of the Pits to convey her word!"

"The Ancients provided!" came the chorus again.

— Everyone here knows that the Ancients tried to purify the world seven hundred years ago through radiation! But there are those who dare to say that radiation is a curse!

— Absurd! — shouted someone.

— But — the woman continued indifferently — it shows us the true face of people. Why do you think no one here turned into some repulsive abomination in their mother's womb? — she didn't wait for an answer. — Because we are deserving! These disgusting things, no, I won't call them people, because a person is not born with more than two arms!

— Or a hunchback on their back! — shouted a childish voice.

At that moment, the place erupted in mockery of the deformities of people, some laughing and giving absurd examples of babies with their organs completely outside, using their intestines as ropes for others to jump over.

— Imagine those things fornicating! — shouted a young man, generating a flood of laughter.

The Interlocutor just stood there watching people talk with a smile. Naomi noticed that she was letting the worst of the people come out while watching calmly. Again, the clapping.

— Laughing is important — said the woman. — But we must focus on the more important things at the moment. Don't question why these things aren't simply discarded when they're born, instead of being sent away, and we need to call these abominations people?

— Yes! — shouted someone, followed by others who agreed.

— The reason is simple! When the Ancients fought among themselves, they tried to erase the existence of what was useless among them, they tried to remove the pus from the wound, and the consequence of that is what we all know.

— Didn't they succeed? — asked a woman, her voice filled with dread.

— Almost — replied the Interlocutor, turning even redder. — You don't see any other different from us walking around, they were all killed! But the stain didn't go away, it never goes away, because even after all these years, these things keep being born, and nothing is done!

— Someone needs to do something! — shouted an outraged woman.

— And they will!! — retorted the Interlocutor, arms outstretched toward the people, seeming to want to embrace them. — That's why we are here, we are the heirs of the Ancients, we are the heirs of their will, we are the heirs of their world.

— What can we do? — asked someone.

— We resist, the Healer is fighting for something to be done, right now she is holding meetings with the leaders at the Bunker, something will be done. This world is ours and ours alone, not for those things, we are special, each one of us here was born special, never forget that. We are ready to heal our species when the time comes, and if no one removes this stigma from the streets, then we will be forced to do it!

Everyone stood up, shouting in agreement, making the place chaotic. Naomi stood up, having seen enough, and made her way to the exit. She passed the security guards who just looked at her with disapproval.

Stepping into the street, she took a deep, slow breath, feeling sweat run down her back, and both her hands were cold. She needed a bath urgently and remembered that Guilhermina had mentioned the bathhouses, where there was hot water, or simply going to the beach as many did.

— What happened? — asked Gabriel, who came right behind her.

— Nothing, I just think I've seen enough.

— Yeah — replied the young man with a sigh. — And it's just begun.

They walked down the street, distancing themselves as much as possible from the location, each lost in their own thoughts. Gabriel then broke the silence.

— I doubt they have anything to do with the disappearances.

— I think so too, it was just a bunch of angry people, but this could end up becoming a problem.

— Yeah, this idea of being special or better than others never ends well. In the end, we're just a sack of meat full of blood.

— Wow, that was deep — joked Naomi.

— See, maybe I'll quit being a Raven and become a poet!

— Seriously now, Gabriel, we should focus on these two places they gave us.

— Yeah — said the young man. — Looks like I'll have a lot of work tonight.

He stopped suddenly in front of a store, catching his partner's attention.

— What?

— Since I'll have to blend in with the homeless — he said, heading toward a bottle of distilled alcohol. — Nothing better than a drink.