Snow
Hunter was acting strange. There was no doubt about it. But what did it mean? Was he having second thoughts? Or was he still playing both sides?
Did he ever mean what he’d said to her, or was he just trying to earn her trust to betray her later down the road?
Snow hated that she couldn’t stop thinking things like that. She wanted to believe in him, in them, but when he wouldn’t talk to her it made things difficult. She was brought up to question everything, everyone, and every motive. She couldn’t just turn that off because her heart skipped a beat when he smiled.
And after the talk with Beaver, there was no chance she could fully trust him, either. Though she had a feeling that they would need his help before this was all said and done.
Was there anyone she could fully trust? She wasn’t even sure she could trust herself. Every time she thought she had something figured out, she was wrong.
Footsteps rang out on the stairs behind her, but Snow didn’t turn to face him. “All set?” she asked.
“Yep. Let’s go to the library.”
She started marching toward the shuttles that would take them to the surface and into Givva City. What had changed? At some point, between falling asleep last night and this moment, their relationship had taken a turn. It was obvious that a schism was there, but beyond frustrating that she didn’t know the reason for it.
There was no use in dwelling on it in any case. He seemed determined not to let her into whatever was bothering him. If he wanted to deal with it alone, she wasn’t going to force herself into the situation.
It had been nice, for a little while, to think that they were in this together, but Hunter’s behavior now only reaffirmed that she could only rely on herself.
As they left the ship behind and ventured further into the port hub, Snow tripped over her feet, lurching forward and catching herself on the slick metal walls.
Her face was everywhere. On vidscreens, on posters, all with big block letters that said: WANTED.
Hunter cursed under his breath. Snow couldn’t say she disagreed.
Her face was plastered on one side of the split screen while the Queen’s was on the other side. She was saying something, but all Snow could hear was a swarm of hornets buzzing in her ears.
“Come on,” Hunter hissed, nudging her forward. Her feet felt stuck to the floor, like some magnetic force was keeping her from moving. “You’re going to draw attention to yourself.”
She shook her head and snapped her jaw shut, fighting to remember how to walk. One foot in front of the other. Don’t let your knees buckle. Don’t take off running. Easy now.
They exited the hall that led to their ship and entered the atrium full of images of her, clearly taken from Hunter’s ship. Was this part of the ‘message’ he’d sent out? Or something he’d gotten specifically for the Queen to use against her?
As Hunter steered her, she caught bits and pieces of what the Queen said, though the message was at a different place on each screen.
“...says she knows the troubles you’ve faced, but where has she been?”
“...remember who fed you during famine…”
“...traitor to the Empire…”
“...wasn’t there when invaders threatened…”
She was going to be sick. Snow stumbled again, but this time Hunter caught her and shoved her toward the shuttle. “Let’s go,” he said, pushing her through the doors.
There were other people on the shuttle on seats that lined the walls. Some stood, holding on to metal bars for support. When Snow stepped aboard, a man stood and offered his seat to her.
She tried to say thanks, but the words came without sound. She didn’t try again.
Her face was plastered all over the shuttle, too. Her eyes dark and tired, her appearance weak and beaten down. How did Hunter think that was a good idea?
Or was he just playing her still?
Could she trust him with the device?
He stood next to her, his arm looped around a pole, looking out the window opposite her as the shuttle lurched forward and began its descent. Snow kept her head bowed, her shawl pulled tight around her face. She was certain that every eye in the shuttle was trained on her. Could see right through her. Was calling her a fraud.
But she didn’t have the courage to look up and meet them. She felt the pressure of all those eyes weighing on her, making her squirm. She imagined someone snatching her shawl away and identifying her. The pointing, the accusations, all the passengers piling on her and holding her down until the Guard arrived.
Would Hunter stand aside and let it happen?
She still didn’t look up.
Her nerves vibrated, her chest buzzing with the pressing need to jump up and run away. To flee all the suspicious stares and accusatory looks.
She was so consumed by these thoughts that she didn’t notice the shuttle coming to a stop. It wasn’t until she felt Hunter’s hand on her shoulder that Snow’s gaze darted up, her body jolting, and she saw that no one paid her any attention at all.
“Come on,” he said gently, leading the way without waiting for her. Everyone tried to get off all at once, crowding into the doorway, pushing, making it hard to breathe. Even at the back of the pack, Snow felt trapped.
Her vision tunneled, sounds fading away like she was underwater. People pressed in on all sides, squishing her, waiting to discover her. Her knees started to crumple and she reached blindly for a nearby pole, holding onto that lifeline with an unshakeable grip.
Finally, the pressure broke and the crowd burst free from the shuttle. Snow still stood there, her hands and face sweaty, her heart racing. The strangers all cleared away and it was just Hunter on the other side of the shuttle doors, waiting patiently for her. But her feet were glued in place. She couldn’t do this. Couldn’t face a city of people that didn’t want her.
He stepped one foot back inside the shuttle and extended his hand, his voice a soft lure. “Come on. It’s alright,” he said.
Her mind still couldn’t wrap around the fact that she wasn’t in immediate danger. Everything in her told her that she needed to run for her very life. And even though she could logically see that there was nothing to be worried about at that very moment, the knowledge did nothing to soothe her panic.
Only Hunter did.
“You’re safe,” he promised, nudging her hand with his. Her fingers were bright white from the fierce grip she kept on the support pole, and now that she focused on it, her fingers throbbed from the pressure. Slowly, she let go, one finger uncurling at a time, and slid her hand into Hunter’s.
“Just play it cool,” he said, pulling her off the shuttle with him. “Can you do that?”
Out in the fresh open air, the tunnel that had closed in on her vision dissipated and left the world a little brighter. She drew in a deep breath, the fist on her heart loosening its grip just a little.
“I think so,” she choked. “I don’t know what just happened.”
“You looked shell-shocked,” he said. Then, seeing her confusion, he added, “Panicked, you know? But it’s okay. No one’s going to recognize you. And you have me as a buffer. We just need to get to the library.”
She nodded once, taking another deep breath. The air here wasn’t as sweet as it had been on the last planet. There was no scent of flowers in the air. Instead, smells of the city came to her. Exotic spices wafted from storefronts as busy citizens hurried to get their lunches. There was an earthy, musky kind of smell too, the smell of millions of people living in a concentrated area.
“It should be in the center of the city. We’re on the North End now,” she said, her voice regaining strength. Focusing on the things she knew made it easier. She’d studied that map for hours.
Looking at the map didn’t really prepare her for the grandness of the place, though. Gleaming towers of steel and glass clustered together, stretching toward the sky in the distance. Squatter buildings, made of white stone, with charming steps leading to brightly colored doors lined the streets nearest to them. There were flower boxes in the windows and gauzy curtains billowed out with the summer breeze.
And yet, every charming little shop and home was marred with her face glaring back at her. She was everywhere. Hollow eyes staring out at nothing.
“Don’t pay attention to it,” Hunter said. “Nobody else is.” He took her hand, like she was a child, like he wanted to make sure she didn’t dart out into traffic. It wasn’t the affectionate romantic hand-holding of before and she had the urge to shake him off.
But he held on tight as they set off south, toward the city center.
The further they went away from the shuttle terminal, away from the safety of their ship and anonymity, the more Snow’s heart raced. But she realized he was right. No one was paying attention to the posters or to her. No one seemed to notice them at all until Hunter had to shove past them.
She couldn’t escape her own eyes though. They peered out at her, seeing right through her calm exterior, reflecting ugliness back at her like the shards of a broken mirror. This wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for Hunter filming her without her permission. It was his fault that everyone on Givva — maybe everyone throughout the Empire — had to see her weary and defeated on wanted posters.
Snow pulled her hand from his grip and wiped it on her trousers, trying to get the feel of him off of her. Regardless of his intentions, Hunter had done this, made her more of a target, and she wasn’t ready to forgive him for it or ignore it.