expected him to tell her, “No, Iris. Not everything around is a lie. Just some silly paintings we might come across every now and then.”
But Charles didn't say any of that. He said nothing, and his silence was puzzling. Iris waited for him to answer her, but then her mother's voice came interrupting.
Charles raised his head and winked at his daughter to go upstairs for now. "We'll talk about this in more detail later," he bowed down and kissed her. "Now I have to put on my boxing gloves. Your mom probably knows you know about my secret, and we'll have a little ‘conversation’ about you."
Iris tried her best not to laugh. She loved her mother. But her dad was right, one had to wear those gloves sometimes, when negotiating with her. Iris stopped by the door though and turned around, although she could hear her mother's footsteps stomping angrily down to the basement.
"Is it necessary that one figures out the layers underneath, daddy?" she thought this was a much easier question for him to answer. And she needed an answer before her mother arrived. "I mean, does the truth matter so much?"
Charles smiled. "I think it does. So we might have a chance to know who we really are."
10
"Your dad is really something, Iris," Colton said, standing in front of the building in the Ruins. "How come he wasn't hired by the Council? Such mentalities should serve the nation, and not be buried in a basement."
"My father isn't buried," Iris protested. "He does what he likes, and doesn't care about the Council."
"I didn't mean it that way," Colton shrugged, the sadness still pulling on his face. "So tell me, what does this Pentimento thing have to do with this building?" his eyes inspected all the wooden ladders climbing diagonally on the surface of the walls.
"The building is a Pentimento," Iris sighed. "Don't you get it?"
"How can a building be a Pentimento?" Colton scanned the building with his eyes, in case he missed something. "It's not a painting."
"Actually many of the brick and stone buildings in the Ruins are," Iris explained, ushering him closer to the wall. "Look," she pointed at a certain post that was shoulder-high.
"It's a wall, Iris," Colton began losing his patience.
"Look closer."
In spite of how absurd it seemed, Colton stared through the smoke surrounding them, unable to see something special on the brick wall. Iris pulled out one of her weird instruments from her bag, the one that looked like a silver torch. She clicked a button on it, and a purple light spread out on the wall.
"Can you see what the wall really is now?" she said, remembering when her father told her the same thing about the painting years ago.
"Actually yes," Colton grimaced, as his face shone with curiosity. "It's sort of painted. What is this?" he snatched Iris's instrument and strode back about ten feet, splaying the light on the wall, taking in the bigger picture. "It's an advertisement," he declared. His sudden excitement drew a small smile on Iris's face. The sadness on his face disappeared momentarily. She was glad for him. "It's an advertisement about The Council's bank, offering a great loan to better your life. The same advertisement that fills the streets of The Second," he strode back and gazed at Iris. "Why is there such an advertisement painted on a wall in the Ruins?"
"I’m not sure," she said, happy with Colton's enthusiasm. "My guess is that people still used to live in the Ruins when the Council first ruled. Maybe this place was a beginning, just before they designed our land. But that's not the point."
"It isn't? You're such strange girl, Iris," Colton pursed his lips. "Then what is the point of this building, and the ladders you designed yourself? Seriously, I thought you were going to tell me something that will help me know what happened to Eva."
Iris shrugged. Had she overdone the suspense? Or was it her subconscious trying to spend as much time as possible with Colton? After all, he wasn't here for her. It was
But Charles didn't say any of that. He said nothing, and his silence was puzzling. Iris waited for him to answer her, but then her mother's voice came interrupting.
Charles raised his head and winked at his daughter to go upstairs for now. "We'll talk about this in more detail later," he bowed down and kissed her. "Now I have to put on my boxing gloves. Your mom probably knows you know about my secret, and we'll have a little ‘conversation’ about you."
Iris tried her best not to laugh. She loved her mother. But her dad was right, one had to wear those gloves sometimes, when negotiating with her. Iris stopped by the door though and turned around, although she could hear her mother's footsteps stomping angrily down to the basement.
"Is it necessary that one figures out the layers underneath, daddy?" she thought this was a much easier question for him to answer. And she needed an answer before her mother arrived. "I mean, does the truth matter so much?"
Charles smiled. "I think it does. So we might have a chance to know who we really are."
10
"Your dad is really something, Iris," Colton said, standing in front of the building in the Ruins. "How come he wasn't hired by the Council? Such mentalities should serve the nation, and not be buried in a basement."
"My father isn't buried," Iris protested. "He does what he likes, and doesn't care about the Council."
"I didn't mean it that way," Colton shrugged, the sadness still pulling on his face. "So tell me, what does this Pentimento thing have to do with this building?" his eyes inspected all the wooden ladders climbing diagonally on the surface of the walls.
"The building is a Pentimento," Iris sighed. "Don't you get it?"
"How can a building be a Pentimento?" Colton scanned the building with his eyes, in case he missed something. "It's not a painting."
"Actually many of the brick and stone buildings in the Ruins are," Iris explained, ushering him closer to the wall. "Look," she pointed at a certain post that was shoulder-high.
"It's a wall, Iris," Colton began losing his patience.
"Look closer."
In spite of how absurd it seemed, Colton stared through the smoke surrounding them, unable to see something special on the brick wall. Iris pulled out one of her weird instruments from her bag, the one that looked like a silver torch. She clicked a button on it, and a purple light spread out on the wall.
"Can you see what the wall really is now?" she said, remembering when her father told her the same thing about the painting years ago.
"Actually yes," Colton grimaced, as his face shone with curiosity. "It's sort of painted. What is this?" he snatched Iris's instrument and strode back about ten feet, splaying the light on the wall, taking in the bigger picture. "It's an advertisement," he declared. His sudden excitement drew a small smile on Iris's face. The sadness on his face disappeared momentarily. She was glad for him. "It's an advertisement about The Council's bank, offering a great loan to better your life. The same advertisement that fills the streets of The Second," he strode back and gazed at Iris. "Why is there such an advertisement painted on a wall in the Ruins?"
"I’m not sure," she said, happy with Colton's enthusiasm. "My guess is that people still used to live in the Ruins when the Council first ruled. Maybe this place was a beginning, just before they designed our land. But that's not the point."
"It isn't? You're such strange girl, Iris," Colton pursed his lips. "Then what is the point of this building, and the ladders you designed yourself? Seriously, I thought you were going to tell me something that will help me know what happened to Eva."
Iris shrugged. Had she overdone the suspense? Or was it her subconscious trying to spend as much time as possible with Colton? After all, he wasn't here for her. It was
Similar Books
