12 Luke

If I had known that being interviewed by Riu would have been one of the most terrifying experiences of my life, I might have reconsidered volunteering my services, albeit it being, for the most part, unconditional.

It wasn't so much the general atmosphere that he gave off that frightened me so, but it was rather the questions. And the fact that I didn't have the answers. Made me realize just how oblivious of my own life I was.

"What's your name?"

"Luke"

"That's an odd name. What's your last name?"

"I-I don't know."

"Of course, you don't. How old are you?"

"10"

"Where were you born?"

"I can't answer that."

"You can't or won't?"

"I can't. I don't know where I was born."

"How long have you been in Citadel?"

"I can only remember as far back as 6 years."

"And before that?"

It wasn't hard to tell that he was frustrated. He wasn't getting anything particularly enlightening out of me. I looked down to the floor and shook my head.

"How is it that the only thing you know so far is your age and your first name?"

"I don't know."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him looking at Riu as though he were disappointed. I may have just gotten myself along with Danev into a world of trouble. Despite not being on the best of terms with my kidnapper I felt kind of bad for him.

"Alright then. Do you know how you got into Citadel?"

I paused and thought. I may not have known where I came from, but I did know how long I've been in Citadel. I knew my age which meant there were at least 4 years I spent outside of this city.

I remembered the ride through the gates. I was under some hay, or straw, or something. I remember that I had to be quiet for some reason. I knew that it was night when it happened. Though precisely what did happen was a mystery.

"I was brought in on a wheat caravan. Some night six years ago."

"Do you know who was with you?"

I shook my head.

"Do you remember your time on the streets?"

I shook my head. While I may have known nothing outside of my stay in the city, I was knowledgeable in my field. Everything I did and observed around me, I had to remember. If you didn't, that was something that could hurt you down the road.

"Yes."

"Good. Something you remember." He motioned to Danev. "You can leave for this."

Danev looked up. "Are you sure?"

"He's of no threat. I'm positive. Now go."

Danev left.

The moment the door closed, he resumed the questionnaire.

"Have you ever fought somebody?"

Fought was a strong word. I've gotten my fair share of beatings. From people I tried to rob as a kid to people who didn't take kindly to me selling information about them. None of them did much in the ways of permanent damage aside from a finger that still made cracking noises when I moved it.

"A few here and there, though I wouldn't call it fighting. I'm not built for that. It's mostly been me getting beat."

"I see."

Most likely the wrong answer. Who wants a fragile bitch working for them?

"Have you ever stolen from somebody?"

"I have."

"Can you be more specific?"

It wasn't a memory I liked to keep close at hand, but like all others, it was there. I told him about Mini. The individual robberies, our closeness, and his death. He knew what I was talking about. Everybody in the slums saw the corpse, but he was intrigued to know the story behind it. Who Mini ran with, who he was, and why he failed. My answer seemed to please him that time. I knew my way around buildings. I was no pro, but I could rob people if I had to.

"Last question." He said. He straightened himself for the last question as did I. "Have you ever killed somebody."

I was surprised, but unsurprised at that question. Aside from rare occasions, there were rarely murders in the slums. There were beatings, sure. Rapes, ODs, but not so much murders. Riu's killing of the Fire Nation recruiter was the first killing since Mini and it had shaken the slums. Violence increased with the arrival of the hornets. Beatings escalated, robberies, rapes. That isn't to say things were all sunshine and rainbows before them, no. It's as I said. They escalated.

"No."

Riu smiled. He motioned for the 2 guards at the door to open it. Danev practically fell inside considering he had been seemingly leaning against it from the other side. He stood to attention to listen to what his leader had to say.

"Well done, Danev. You've brought me a blank slate. Now all that's left for us to do is to paint him hornet colors."

So, I had passed. Yay me. I was now in a gang of murderers, rapists, thieves, and overall criminals despite all odds and all chances of being spontaneously killed.

The day became the night. All hornets were recalled to the Hive as a bonfire was lit in the center and I was shown off as the new recruit. Recruit. Not initiate as some of the others around the fire were. No. Recruit. I was in the Hornets. I was a hornet.

My introduction to the gang that night was simple. I was given new clothes to change into. My possessions being my rags and my knife that had been kept somewhere during my imprisonment and questioning were thrown into the fire along with the person I had been.

Luke, the street urchin, the information broker, was dead, turned to ash. At some point during the "feast" around the fire, I was pulled up by the wrist by Riu who pulled me to my feet as if he were showing me off to the other 25 hornets that gathered around.

"Hornets!" he yelled, gathering the attention of those who had been preoccupied. I spotted a few familiar faces. Aden, Meeko, Danev, and a few others I had seen on the streets. One that I didn't see was the kid who had barged in earlier today. The one with the Fire Nation supplies. He was nowhere to be found despite how hard I looked. Riu let go of my wrist and prepared himself for one hell of a speech.

"Yesterday, we were 27. 27 of us, brothers in rags, members of the dumpster of society, but brothers nonetheless. We came together because we put aside our differences and saw a common goal. The common goal of everybody in these slums. 'Survival.' That's all there is to it. Outside our merry band of thieves and hooligans, the rest of these slums go on their own. Sure, there are a few ragtag groups here and there, but we are no ragtag group. We are the solution to the problem in these slums and the problem beyond these walls."

He motioned to the wall that led to the outside and my head followed. With his left hand, he slapped me around the backside of my head striking laughter from the crowd.

"Not those walls." He said, and turned my head to the walls that separated rich from poor. Slums from gardens and mansions. The inner wall.

"Those walls." I whispered

"Those walls." He echoed louder. "Beyond those walls, lie the rich and powerful. Those who have never had to fight their dogs for a tender bone. Those who have never had to trek for miles to find a warm spot for the night. And beyond those walls, protecting them, is a military with no boundaries. A regime of lies and deception that treat us as a human shield."

He saw the confused look on my face. The same look that I had when I saw them bring in exposed Fire Nation supplies. Supplies hey had bartered for.

"The Fire Nation believes us to be the police force of their human shield. To make sure that it stays nice and compact. So, we play their games. We do jobs for them every now and then. We deal with people they consider threats, help them out when they need it, but as soon as we have the men and the power…" He said, turning from the Hornets to gaze at those steel inner walls. "…We will tear those motherfucking walls down right on top of them."

The cheering that followed was like none other. He had the people behind him all the way. People willing to die for their leader. He was charismatic, I'll give him that. A few more speeches like this one and he just might win me over.

"And today!" he continued. "We keep our numbers from dropping to 26. We welcome our newest friend. Our newest brother in our quest for survival and his name is Luke!"

I've never heard a chant before. I've heard cries of outrage at executions either calling for death or forgiveness, but this was a chant and it was my name.

"Luke!"

Generally, one might consider this a victory. An insurance of safety. A membership in such a brotherhood might do just that, but despite what they claimed, this was just another gang. A gang that had killed one of their own mere hours ago. One who had had their name chanted just as mine was being right now.

While I may have been relieved and terrified at the same time, the chant took me. I wasn't alone anymore. I had people around me and it was a pleasant change from the last 2 years. I fell asleep that night in a sleeping bag atop of small pile of hay hearing my name being chanted by my new friends and potential killers.

"Luke!"

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