“So what is Maggie Grey?”
He refused to answer. The judge leaned to the side at his council as they began to whisper amongst themselves once more.
“Do you realize how damaging it is to mislead an entire generation of people with lies in order to strike fear in them?” The judge asked. Marvin slowly rolled his neck from side to side, uncaring of it all as he looked up at the ceiling. His fangs pulled down from his gums, silently hissing at the bright ceiling before closing his eyes as he lowered his head. “You lied in order to–––”
“I created an entire economy that is made up of multiple factions with healthcare being free and education being a top priority. I created a place for us where the world above isn’t as forgiving. We would have been hunted down…We would have been in museums, and labs had this place not exist. You all have the jobs, the homes, the food on your FUCKING TABLE!” He shouted angrily before suddenly calming down and reeling it in. “You have everything because of me, and you all put your trust in me because of Gaia. You’re claiming I used lies to put fear in you all in order to remain in control. I used an old folklore, a mere rumor, in order to protect and maintain what I’ve built and to keep you safe! Now it’s being threatened…the Underground is being threatened to….” He suddenly went quiet. What is he talking about?
No one said anything. It was as silent as a library as everyone took in the biggest shock of Underground history. Gaia wasn’t real. It was all a lie…The First Family was built on a lie only that wasn’t the case anymore.
“Are you the last of your siblings?”
He remained quiet as people started to shift uncomfortably in their seats.
“That is a direct question Marvin. Are you…the last of your siblings? The others died at the hands of Wilhelmina. Areyou the last living relative and descendant of Gaia in your generation?”
He stared as my brows came together, confused. He knew something. The old fuck knew something. Marvin’s eyes glossed over the room before making eye contact with me as I gave him the slightest shake of my head. I knew that look all too well. He was getting ready to say screw everything and fuck everybody over to save himself.
“Dr. Holmes?”
He looked back at the judges on the stand before slowly letting his head fall forward with a slow roll of his neck.
“No. I am not.”
…
I pushed the doors open and stepped out onto the court steps of the building smack in the middle of the Big City. Bright lights, neon signs, pedestrians of all shapes and sizes in the shades of black and blacker were walking by. The media vans and trucks were just outside waiting for some sort of announcement, but I already knew what was coming next.
“Excuse me.”
The abrupt brush of a short woman with bright orange hair like it was freshly dyed walked by when my phone suddenly caught my attention. I swiped to answer the call and turned back around to see the woman was no longer around. Just the media standing around the steps waiting for everyone to walk out for a chance to speak.
“Any news about your sister?” Namir asked as I looked towards the parked cars lining the streets.
“No…Not yet but soon.”
Chapter Eleven
Himora Clarke
“Himora Clarke,” I repeated. “My name is Himora Clarke, and I have a scheduled meeting with Dr. Marvin Holmes.”
The visitor check-in room was quiet and dark. Just a few people sitting behind a glass barrier on their computers while guards stood by the door waiting. I stood with my arms by my side, black turtleneck shirt with black slacks and matching flats. My face, stoic, unmoving as I tried to remain neutral without giving it away that what we’re about to do is completely illegal especially for my company.
The Mortal Affairs Department.
“Ma’am, he’s not taking any visitors nor is he scheduled for one,” the woman said as she searched through the computer.
“Please check again,” I said, reiterating the line I was told to say. I glanced at the clock on the wall above the glass barrier then looked back at the woman who continued to shake her head.
“I’m sorry, I’m not seeing a…”
“Himora Clarke. That’s Him, spelled as the pronoun, and ora. That’s O.R.A, and Clarke with an E at the end. Do I need to speak with someone who is above you? I am with the Mortal Affairs Department. Do I need to spell that as well?”
“No…I’m capable of searching and spelling, thank you,” the woman muttered with a roll of her eyes. She dug her face backinto the computer and sighed. I ran my tongue across the sharp pinch of my fangs that sat behind my main teeth. I could feel the guards at the door become tense as they shifted their stance and glanced at one another before looking at me. There were only two other people in the room. An older woman who sat limp in the chair staring at a picture of her son who I could only assume is a felon above and below, and a young woman with wild curly hair that fell into clusters against her face as she held a baby close to her chest. When I saw her tuck her hair behind her ears out the corner of my eye, I stepped closer to the window.
“Ma’am, I don’t see where–––”
“May I speak to someone higher up? I believe Dr. Holmes and I requested this be handled privately given the nature of his crime and heightened attention on this case. I doubt you know about our scheduled interview, but someone here approved of it and he’s expecting me–––”
