The Broken Ones

Chapter 16:1 -Family

The brokens all paved way for Ana as she limped in her white dress towards Jack. Her face was pale, she looked like a child about to be punished. She stopped in front of the Academy’s new chairman and curtsied obediently and all of the brokens were astonished.
-Welcome, lady Ana. I believe this is the first time you partake in the ball.
Ana nodded stiffly in response.
-All the more joy for us, Jack smiled and the brokens all smiled automatically. –And Sam, thank you for convincing Ana to come this year, I know it can’t have been easy, we all know she’s such a headstrong girl.
Soi snorted scornfully. It was all an act and not a very good one either, to fool everyone to believe Ana had come on her own accord, that Sam wasn’t a monster at all, as the rumours all had said and that everything was as it should be. Ana and Sam, Sam and Ana, together as always.
Ana limped to Jack’s right side and Sam settled beside her. Jack smiled down to her and Soi saw Ana twitch. Was this it? Soi prepared himself. Any second Jack could call his name and Soi had to go to him. Soi felt his body stiffen in anxiety. He wished it all could be over. With nervous eyes he looked at Ana and Jack, both dressed in white. The white colour looked smug on Ana, showing off the Academy’s control over her while appearing all innocent. Ana was already Jack’s prisoner. How could Soi and Nibbles ever save her? Soi really hated the colour.
Jack raised his head with a victorious grin.
-Music! He called out and the orchestra begun to play.
The brokens all formed couples and the dance begun. Nibbles tugged Soi’s arm.
-What? Soi whispered.
-I’ll be right back, Nibbles whispered back.
Soi wrinkled his eyebrows.
-Back from where?
Nibbles sighed.
-What do you think? Is this a ball or not?
-You’re going to dance? Soi asked and regretted it at once.
-Should I repeat myself, do you think? Nibbles said with a grin and winked his eye as he disappeared into the crowds of dancing couples before Soi could stop him.
Soi found a chair, in velvet, and sat down to observe the dance. It was not like in Sofara with its merry and spontaneous spirit. Perhaps it was the presence of the chairman that inhibited the festive mood because the dance felt strict and organized and not at all as Soi had expected from the brokens. Maybe Soi’s image of brokens were subjective, he had actually only met a few of them and although all of them were far from being like normal people that didn’t mean other brokens behaved the way Nibbles and Sassa did. But Soi decided it was all because of the little act the chairman just played out. Who could have imagined that Ana, the most powerful broken would bow like a dog to the Academy’s new chairman? Even if she’d always worked for the Academy.
As the dance continued the mood did improve and the brokens got more spirited. From his position Soi could overlook Ana as she remained by Jack’s side with Sam hovering beside her patiently. He tried to stir up a conversation but Ana simply ignored him and his face looked more and more rueful. Not only did Soi find that pleasing but he found it ironic that Sam wore red clothes, as to indicate that he really was a monster.
Suddenly Sam straightened his back and put on a defensive look and even Ana straightened her back. Walking towards them was Ciron and his smile was all but pleasant. He stopped and bowed before Jack and then bowed to Ana as well. Soi could see from his posture it was all mock. Ana kept a blank face but Sam’s eyes seemed to spark of fire. Ciron held out his hand and Ana shook her head. So far Ana had declined every hand that had been offered to her. But Ciron didn’t except her rejection and grabbed Ana’s wrist and Sam immediately intervened. Soi could hear his growls from across the ballroom. Some of the brokens stopped their dance and watched the scene that now played out before them. Sam showed his pointed teeth in a mean snarl and grabbed Ciron’s wrist and was about to pull out his dagger when Jack said something Soi couldn’t hear but he could hear his sharp tone of voice and he could see Jack’s annoyed expression. His hay coloured eyebrows had wrinkled together and his light eyes were unforgiving. Sam released Ciron instantly as if had burned himself but Ciron kept his grip on Ana. Jack spoke again and Ciron nodded and took Ana out on the dance floor. Soi felt uneasy for her sake. She looked so tiny and vulnerable in the white dress as Ciron pulled her roughly out on the floor. He gripped her hand and waist and smiled maliciously towards Ana. She didn’t even smirk back to him or speak up against him. She let herself be tossed around as she was a doll without a will of her own. Soi was about to walk right up to her when Nibbles reappeared from the dance floor and gripped his wrist.
-This is not our time, he whispered.
The music stopped playing and a black haired male dressed completely in black walked up to the orchestra and the brokens all fell silent. The man smiled and bowed a little. Suddenly a beautiful song filled up the ballroom. It wasn’t a human voice but rather like a bird filling the air in the early morning with floating tones. Soi’s first thought it was the black haired man who sung but when Soi looked at him he had his mouth shut, it couldn’t be him. Soi turned around to see who it could be but all the other brokens looked in the direction of the black haired man. Soi looked confused at Nibbles.
"Who’s singing?" Soi asked but Nibbles put one finger in front of his mouth and told him to be quiet.
Soi had no choice but to wait for the performance to end. He let the song seep into him and fill his mind for a moment. He let go of all of his questions quivering in his body and his shoulders relaxed from the constant pressure. Slowly he closed his eyes and remembered home with its green mountains. When the song ended Soi felt at ease with what was awaiting him. It was his fate.
Nibbles snorted and shook his head.
-His name is Blackbird, the singer.
-Blackbird?
-You heard him sing, didn’t you? Anyway, I heard he lost his tongue when he couldn’t pay off some gambling debts. But it worked out fine for him, he’s the most famous singer on this side of the mountains.
Soi was dumbstruck by the flow of information.
-How…how does he sing if doesn’t have a tongue?
Nibbles sighed and rolled his eye.
-Let me explain. Blackbird here, as you obviously don’t get, is a broken.
-I do get that.
-Good for you.

To be continued...
By J.L.Frick