The Decoder - Chapter 3

Edith

“What are you doing, father?”

“I am deciphering codes.”

“Codes?”

“Would you like to learn them?”

“Are they difficult?”

Edith did not realise at which point the memories from her childhood days started to fill her thoughts, but sometimes, she couldn’t help it and allowed herself to bask in it. So much so to the point she did not realise the occupants of the Marketplace were beginning to pack up for the day. When one of the ladies waved a hand in front of her, Edith broke from her reverie.

“It’s time to pack up for the day.” The elderly lady with streaks of grey hair pulled into a neat bun, smiled.

“Yes, thank you.” Edith rose to her feet and started packing the remainders of her red bean buns. Today’s sale was low, and she sighed. She wondered if she should try out new flavours instead. Edith stashed the buns into a basket and covered them with a white cloth, keeping in mind that those buns are for the Hathagians. Lady Ada would stop by the clinic to collect them.

Being the last occupant to leave the Marketplace, Edith made her way down to Dastren Street, preparing herself mentally for the next tasks in the clinic. She often busied herself assisting her uncle if there were patients. If the patient had come injured, Uncle Vern would leave the task of disinfecting and bandage work to Edith. It took her a year to excel at it before moving on to the next stage, and she secretly took pride in it.

As she approached the City Square, Edith noticed a crowd of people ahead of her. It was unusual unless an interesting activity was taking place at the City Square. The City Square is the entertainment area of Rayard, the heart of Rayard. Various shops surround the vast area and there was a large fountain at the centre and a small stage where announcements were usually made to the citizens. Festivities were often held here and Rayardians would gather and enjoy to their heart’s content.

Stepping closer to the crowd, there was a shout and sobbing. Edith realised the sobbing belonged to a child. Curiosity piqued and she pushed her way through the crowd, thankful for her petite size. The scene before her churned her insides. That unmistakable black military uniform belonged to the Elites and the Elite was pointing a gun at a boy who was sobbing and crouched on the ground. His clothes were ragged and there were smudges of dirt all over his clothes. He was unhealthily thin, and his entire body was trembling with fear. Edith could discern immediately the boy was from Eder Street or probably a Hathagian. There was a small package clutched in his left hand, drawing it close to his chest as the Elite continued to shout.

“Surrender the package or you will face severe punishment for theft!”

A few of the citizens standing close to Edith winced at his harsh words. She balled her fist as the little boy’s sobs grew louder.

Do something. Stop hiding from those Elites, her inner voice played in her mind.

Deep down, she wanted to be of use, wanted to help as much as possible without troubling others. There must be other forms of kindness that she could offer to people.

You can’t let them do that to a child. Edith braced herself and took several deep breaths. She clenched her fist and took a step forward. And another, and another, and another, until she was standing several inches away from the officer. Her hand grabbed the barrel of the gun and pointed it away from the boy. She was surprised herself that her hands weren’t shaking. Where did I summon the strength…?

“He is just a boy, let him go.” Edith glared at the Elite officer who was now returning her glare.

“And who are you, miss?”

“No one of importance. Just a regular human being trying to protect a little boy.”

“Release the gun now or you will share the same fate as this boy. Theft is a serious misconduct!”

“No. Inhumanity is a serious misconduct.” Edith hoped that her glare would burn a hole in his skull. She had seen enough of the Elites’ brutality. Though, she knew deep down she does not have the power to demolish the entire rank, she could at least help the victims who suffered under their brutality. She refused to back away even when the officer swore in her face, not even flinching when the officer raised his arm.

Just when he raised his free hand to strike her, Edith was prepared to receive the unfavourable impact when a gloved hand stopped him, seizing his arm tightly from striking her face.

“That’s enough, Officer Clive. I will take charge from here.” A deep voice broke her death glare from the unmannered officer to the man standing next to him. Recognition dawned upon her at the sight of the tall man who was holding back the officer’s arm. His emerald eyes seeking hers once more, pinning her with its intensity. Now that she could see his face clearly in broad daylight without the cloth obscuring the lower half of his face, he bore a striking resemblance to someone from her childhood days. He was handsome with high cheekbones, a strong defined jaw, despite the deep scar that ran down diagonally from the top of his right eyebrow to the nose bridge, and she wondered what horrors he had gone through to receive that kind of scar. His chiseled features might as well have been carved from one of the Greek Gods. What bothered her was that the deep scar reminded her of someone…

“What happened here, Officer Clive?” The man asked, diverting his gaze from her to the Elite officer named Clive.

“I caught this little thief stole a package from the confectionary shop. And, this impertinent woman decided to interrupt.” Clive spat the words at Edith, and she made a face, amused by his childish and irrational behaviour. She chose to stay silent and looked away. No point arguing for her case when there was an audience here. Edith knelt before the little boy who was still sobbing. She put an arm around him and murmured assurances in his ear.

“You are dismissed, Officer Clive.” The tall man said.

“Aren’t you going to take action on them?” Clive questioned, his brows raised, dumbfounded.

“No. I will take charge from here.” The tall man replied calmly.

Without another word, Clive stalked away and flung his arms skyward in exasperation. Edith couldn’t help herself from smiling in satisfaction.

The tall man crouched before them, lowering himself to her eye level. Edith held her breath as she hadn’t expected that. The sunlight glinted against his short hair, the colour of dark chocolate, lustrous and thick. He was silent and reached out to pat the boy’s head. He did not utter a word and only smiled, a heartwarming smile that she hadn’t expected from Elite soldiers. A smile that reminded her very much of her childhood best friend, Avery. That’s it. The deep scar reminded her of Avery! But, for some unknown reason, she couldn’t summon the name from her lips. She couldn’t be certain and did not wish to risk it. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself.

They remained silent for a heartbeat, two heartbeats, three heartbeats, before the tall man spoke.

“You will see to this boy’s safety?”

“Yes…” Edith managed.

“Good.” He rose to his feet and looked around. The crowd had already dispersed, returning to their daily lives.

“Good day to you.” He said and stalked away without a backward glance. Edith could only stare as he ambled down the street, his hands clasped behind him. His gait was composed and confident, and she noticed the citizens kept a distance from him. They shrugged away as he approached. His actions were unexpected, and she ought to thank him and with all her courage, ask if he was indeed her childhood best friend from eleven years ago, if only she had the chance to bump into him again.

She decided today was a lucky day. She realised she had left her basket of red bean buns on the ground next to her. Edith pulled back the white cloth and handed two buns to the boy.

“Here. For you.” She smiled and the boy took them. He stared at the buns and looked at her, as if asking for more.

“For your siblings?” Edith guessed, and the boy nodded. She smiled and handed him the entire basket. She would need to explain to Lady Ada later.

“Bring them home.”

“Thank you, big sister…” The little boy muttered and hiccupped, still recovering from his sobs and fear.

“You’re welcome.” She rose to her feet and held the boy’s hand.

“Let’s get you home. Where do you live?” Edith asked though she could guess the answer.

“At Eder Street, the Kyron House.” The boy answered and held the basket tightly. He placed the small package of cookies on the white cloth. At the mention of “Kyron House”, Edith let out a sigh of relief.

So, he is indeed a Hathagian, she thought to herself. The Kyron House was where the Hathagian refugees resided. It was a secret she believed only Lady Ada, herself and a small number of residents of Eder Street knew.

“What an interesting day.” Edith murmured, soft enough for the boy to pay no attention to her as they ambled down the street. Lady Ada was indeed expecting her, and she had explained the entire situation to her. Lady Ada only nodded her approval and took the boy’s hand in turn. She expressed her thanks and left Edith in front of the clinic.

Out of habit, she raised her hand to her collar bone, feeling for her star pendant whenever she felt at ease. To her surprise, she felt only the fabric of her blouse. The star pendant was missing. It was a gift from her father, which she treasured very much. It was the only thing that kept her connected to him. Panic began to build in her, and she searched frantically in her memories from this morning to the previous night.

Did I drop the pendant last night? She couldn’t recall and she did not bother to feel for her pendant this morning. Sweat formed at her forehead despite the cold, and she ran the back of her hand across her forehead.

I need to find the necklace, she told herself and she ascended the slight slope of the street to the Marketplace at Bren Street, all the while keeping her eyes on the ground, searching for her necklace. Edith nearly bumped into a pole, but managed to side-stepped it in time before colliding into it. The collision will add to her already throbbing bum, which felt less painful compared to last night. Uncle Vern’s soothing balm was a miracle.

She strolled along the empty Marketplace, searching every corner she’d walked earlier. To her dismay, her necklace was nowhere to be found. She sighed and looked skyward, noticing the darkening skies. Daylight was shorter during winter. There were three planes that soared past, and Edith frowned. Those were definitely Militia’s planes, probably patrolling the city from the air, monitoring for unusual activities.

Edith shook her head, focusing her attention back to her task. She continued searching the entire Marketplace and the City Square. Her frustrations began bubbling to the surface when her necklace was nowhere in sight. She looked at her surroundings, noticing the lights coming from the shops and knew it was probably past dinner time. Her uncle might be worried about her, but she couldn’t return, not after she found her necklace. She will need to explain to her uncle the reason for her ‘temporary disappearance’ later. Edith blew warm air into her freezing hands.

With a silent determination, Edith continued searching the street thoroughly till she reached Cyel Street. She stopped before the archway that led into the colourful street. It was bustling with people, but for some unknown reason, the thought of entering Cyel Street to search for her necklace was not a good idea. Not when this street is known for street fights and nosy people. She shook her head and took several deep breaths.

Suddenly, strong arms circled her waist and pulled her backwards, away from the archway to one of the nearby dark alleys. A hand clamped on her mouth, preventing her from screaming. The action caught her off guard and she struggled to free herself, but she stopped when the man whispered into her ears.

“I will drive the blade into your flesh if you don’t cease your struggling.”

Edith felt the sharp tip of the blade pressing into her right side and she squirmed against his tight hold on her waist. His body reeked of alcohol and so was his breath. The blood drained from her face as fear took hold. Bandit, she thought as a chill ran down her spine. Though she rarely came across bandits and thieves, she had seen what they were capable of. She swallowed deeply. Hadn’t Caden taught her some self-defense moves? She tried to remember them, but she was at a disadvantage at her current position.

“And don’t you dare scream. If you do, this blade will not show any mercy.”

She forced herself to nod and the man released his hand from her mouth while the blade was still pressed at her right side. She couldn’t risk herself getting stab now. If only she could remember some of martial arts steps Caden had taught her. She bit her lips and silently swore under her breath.

The bandit searched her overcoat and dress pockets. He found some notes and Edith bit her lips once more, mentally cursing him. There goes my hard-earned money.

While she was busy cursing the bandit in her mind, suddenly the bandit grunted in pain and released her. Edith took the opportunity to push herself away from him though she was unsure the cause for his grunt. She whirled around when she felt she had kept a good enough distance from the bandit. Edith noticed there was a knife stabbed into his left arm, blood was flowing and trickled to the ground. How did the knife ended there? As if on cue with her thoughts, there was movement at the corner of her eyes, and she noticed a tall man dressed in the black uniform she dreaded. The tousled hair and height reminded her of the tall Elite officer from earlier in the evening.

“Come here.” He urged and held out his left hand at her. At this point, if she were to choose between the bandit and the Elite officer, she would definitely choose the Elite even though she was afraid of him. Just when she was about to take his gloved hand, the bandit let out a guttural cry and lunged at the tall man with the short knife. The tall man raised his left arm as a self-defense. The blade sliced into his arm and there was a loud gasp. Edith didn’t know if it belonged to her. Either way, the tall man swore and delivered a bone-cracking punch at the bandit, the impact caused the bandit to fall and blood spluttered onto the ground. He lost his consciousness in an instant.

Edith was horrified by the sight, and she just wanted to flee from the scene at that moment. She did just that when she approached the tall man, grabbed his hand and ran down the street as fast as her feet could carry them. Fear for their survival propelled her forward. When she neared her uncle’s clinic, she slowed down and took several deep breaths, controlling her heartbeat and adrenaline rush. Edith released the tall man’s hand without a backward glance at him. It took her a while to regain her momentum before the tall man spoke.

“Is this where you live?”

Edith turned to face him, her eyes wide, and nodded.

“Then, I wish you good night. This is one interesting night.” He chuckled and started to walk back to the direction they came from, his back to her. Edith couldn’t help but to notice the slight agony in his voice, which he tried to hide by sounding normal. The medic in her knew that he was in pain. She noticed he clutched his right arm where the bandit had slashed him. If he hadn’t been there, who knew what would have happened to her. She owed him for this evening as well. Besides, she had yet to ask that one ‘question’. Without a second thought, she called out to him.

“Please wait!”

The tall man stopped and turned around.

“You’re injured. Please let me treat your injuries. My uncle owns a clinic.” Edith gestured down the street. Her uncle’s clinic would be only few yards away, judging from their current location.

“Are you certain?” The tall man raised his brows, clearly surprised.

“Yes.” At least she could return the favour.

The tall man fidgeted a second longer before approaching her and she led the way back to the clinic. They were both silent and Edith didn’t like it, but she did not know what kind of topic to start with the tall man or when to ask that question, for he was an Elite. Deep down, she was still afraid. Her nerves couldn’t seem to calm down. She decided for the better to remain silent till they arrived at the clinic.

Edith pushed the door, glad that her uncle hadn’t lock it. She shrugged off her overcoat and ushered the tall man to the consultation room and told him to sit next to the table while she brought some iodine and bandages, and a basin of clean water with a clean cloth. She had done this many times before, and she would not falter this time just because of her fear for the Elites. She reminded herself that she had to return this man’s favour for his kindness, and nothing else.

She set down the supplies and rolled up her sleeves.

“Please remove your overcoat.”

The tall man nodded, stood and tugged off his leather gloves before removing his overcoat one-handedly. He grimaced at the occasional pain that stabbed at his left arm whenever he tried to move his left hand. Edith assisted with pulling his sleeves gently. His black leather jacket lay beneath the overcoat and its left sleeve was ripped and stained with blood. The angry and bloody gash on his left upper arm stared at her, but she was used to such injuries. She had helped countless patients who had somehow managed to inflict such injuries onto themselves for the past years. She had flinched in disgust eight years ago, but not anymore.

“Please sit.” Edith rinsed the clean cloth in the basin of water and proceeded to dab on the angry gash after the tall man was seated. He flinched in pain, but she held his arm in place with her other hand.

---