“Don’t. You’ll get into trouble.” It was the first time he’d heard her speak more than a few words, and she had a reedy, high-pitched voice, like a sparrow.
“Shh, it’s okay,” he said reassuringly. “Look, you’ve been very kind to me, and I wondered if you’d help me.”
She glanced anxiously over his shoulder at the dining room door. Clearly, the staff at Belvedere were as scared of F as the students.
“Do you have access to the staff room?”
“At break times, yes,” she squeaked.
“F took some photos from me. He keeps them in his locker in the staff room. Could you… Would you try to get them back for me?”
Her eyes widened in fear, and she shook her head frantically.
“Not if it’ll get you into trouble,” he said quickly. “Only if the opportunity presents itself, and you don’t get seen.”
She wasn’t wearing an ID tag, and the doctor had said that A didn’t employ indies, so D was a free woman – she might be scared, but maybe that was her disposition. What possible harm could come to her if she took the photos for him?
She pulled away and ran off down the corridor, leaving Alex unsure whether she had agreed or not. He didn’t care if she told F; he’d handle the inevitable punishment. He was more worried about whether she’d find a way to return his photos.
It was only during B’s morning ironing class that it struck him how stupid and thoughtless he’d been. D had been kind to him, and he’d trespassed on that kindness for the sake of some photos. Maybe he should add that to the list of who Alexander Lytton was – a selfish user, who was more concerned about getting what he wanted than the welfare of others.
He resolved to speak to D at lunch and withdraw his request, but she wasn’t there. This was strange, as she was usually in attendance at every meal, and it made Alex fret even more. The afternoon dragged on and by dinnertime he was exhausted. The previous night’s lack of sleep, combined with the energetic workouts E insisted on, had taken their toll.
He ran to the dining room when the klaxon sounded, but D wasn’t there. Alex had the sudden realisation that while she might be a free woman, that didn’t mean her living conditions were any better than if she’d been an IS. She could lose her job because of him. Supposing she had a family to take care of? Supposing this menial job, waiting tables at Belvedere, was all that stood between her and the Quarterlands? He felt wretched and could almost hear Solange, Mick, and Ted chiding him for his usual lack of understanding of how other people lived.
“Looking for someone?” a voice behind him asked, and F strode into the room. The other students followed on behind, eagerly anticipating their dinner and recreation time.
“I just wondered where D was,” Alex said. ”She wasn’t at lunch, so I wondered… I hope she’s not ill?”
“Why would you care if she was? You don’t give a shit about her.”
“I do,” Alex protested, but he knew it sounded lame.
“Yeah. Right. That’d explain why you asked her to steal for you, then.”
Alex felt himself go cold, and the entire room came to a standstill as the others realised something big was happening. “Where is she?” Alex demanded. “What have you done to her?”
“Oh, don’t worry, she’s right here. I caught her looking through my locker and it didn’t take long to get the story out of her.”
F opened the dining room door and yanked D into the room. She was quivering in fear, her arms raised to ward off the blows she was clearly expecting.
“You fucking bastard.” Alex took a step forward, his fists clenched.
“I’m not the one who placed her in danger – you are. So, who’s the real bad guy here?” F taunted.
“Stop it! You’re scaring her.”
“She deserves it. She knows the rules.” F shoved her away, and D ran to a corner of the room, where she stood sobbing. “So, were these what you wanted?” F reached into his pocket and pulled out the photos. “Why do you want them? They’re just scummy magazine photos, except the ones of the pretty ladies. Who are they? Some bitches you fucked?” Alex took another step forward – but stopped when F held up the photos. “Now, I made you a nice, reasonable offer earlier, and maybe next time, you’ll learn to take me up on my kind offers. Otherwise…”
Suddenly, without warning, F ripped the photos in half. Alex jumped forward, yelling incoherently, but Two grabbed him and held him back. They all watched as F ripped the photos over and over again, shredding them into tiny pieces. Then he threw them into the air, laughing as they fell like snowflakes around Alex’s head.
“Loser,” F said again, and then he grabbed D’s arm and left the room, hauling her with him.
Alex stood, frozen to the spot, struggling with his impotent rage. Two got down on his hands and knees and began recovering all the fragments.
“What’s the point?” Alex snapped. “Leave them. It’s useless.”
“They mean something to you, so it’s not useless,” Two said quietly.
