Burn Bright - By Marianne de Pierres Page 0,42

wrist. The mark was beginning to glow. She stared and bit her lip. Her look scared Retra.

‘What do you see?’

‘I should have noticed before, when your friends brought you here. The badge is only temporary. According to Ixion law it can be revoked at any time on the word of the Guardians. You must be very careful, Retra.’

‘Or?’

Charlonge dropped her hand and moved towards the gallery door. ‘Or you’ll be withdrawn early.’ She opened the door and glided out as one practised in the art of vanishing. ‘Now go and rest before you burn out.’

Retra found the petite nuit rooms running off one end of the gallery. Suki was already lying in one wearing a black satin shift. Rollo was on the next bed in red silky boxers. Both had their eyes open but unfocused, telling Retra that they were deep in petite nuit.

She found an empty bed on the other side of the room, kicked off her shoes and slipped under the covers, not bothering to change.

Her drowse was uneasy, filled with whispers and unwanted touches, and arguments with Joel. Demons appeared then vanished to the beat of Markes’s music. She searched for Markes in the dark but could only find Cal. The white-haired girl kept talking to her but Retra couldn’t understand the language she spoke. Then Ripers’ faces crowded in close and she came out of petite nuit with a start. Blinking, she looked around.

Suki was sitting cross-legged on her bed with Rollo. They were playing a finger game, trying to grab each other’s first. Suki was winning easily.

Rollo noticed Retra and poked Suki. ‘She’s back with us.’

Suki bounced up off her bed. ‘We’ve been waiting for you. We’re starving. Let’s get changed.’

Retra stretched and quickly got to her feet. Now she was refreshed, a strong sense of unease had beset her. ‘I’m going to bathe.’

‘Rollo said we should go to Blissed to eat.’

‘Where’s that?’

‘Outside Bella Death,’ said Rollo. ‘They’ve got wicked sausages.’

‘Wait for us while we get dressed.’

Rollo clutched his stomach. ‘Wait for you? I’m surely gonna starve to death.’

Suki led the way to the neglegere, and talked to Retra through the screen as Retra bathed. The girl’s idle words trickled over her like the water, soothing and cleansing.

When she emerged, wrapped in a towel, the room was filled with other heavy-eyed girls, peering in their lockers and chattering.

‘Hey! You’re the Seal who saved Krista-belle,’ said one of them loudly. She was pulling on a mesh top that barely covered the tips of her breasts.

‘Her name is Retra,’ said Suki. ‘She’s going to start her own gang. You wanna join?’

Retra stared at Suki in shock.

‘Whatcha gonna call it?’ asked another girl with violent pink streaks through her short black hair.

‘Naif’s Chosen,’ said Suki promptly.

Retra wanted to wrap her hand across her friend’s mouth to make her stop, but Suki was fired with mischief.

‘The Chosen will do what the Youth Circle is supposed to do. Only better. They’ll make the Ripers listen.’

‘Sounds boring,’ said pink streaks. ‘I like the League. They’re way cool. Clash’s gorgeous.’

‘This will be more than that. Retra knows how to handle herself,’ said Suki.

‘We’ll think about it,’ said the mesh-top girl.

When they’d left, Retra rounded on Suki. ‘Why did you do that?’

Suki shrugged. ‘Like Krista-belle said, you’re famous. In my village if luck comes your way you grab it. One time, my friend, Rani, was attacked by a bear up on the pass. It would’ve killed her but it slipped on the rocks and fell into a crevice. She waited for it to starve to death then she crawled down and skinned it. She came back to village with the skin on her back. Everyone thought she’d killed the bear, and she was given a place on the town senate for bravery. Her family got extra firewood and beef-chew every winter.’

Before Retra could offer comment, Suki pulled open a drawer in her locker. ‘You ever worn makeup?’

Retra shook her head, caught out by the quick change of topic.

‘I’ve been watching the others. Reckon I know what to do. Come over here.’

Retra sighed and submitted. In truth, the process of having her eyes and lips painted distracted her from worrying over Joel, or thinking of Markes, or Lenoir. She could still feel the Riper’s touch, and the memory of his hungry look caused little twists of nervousness in her stomach.

When she and Suki were ready, they found Rollo.

‘Hurry and get your tonics. Got mine already.’ He held out his hand. A blue bead rolled