conversation might lead somewhere.
"I don't think the Beasts are capable of feeling guilt," Colton gazed down at Iris. "They took Eva."
"And many other girls." Iris reminded him.
"Yes," Colton felt ashamed. "You know, I feel horrible that I had never questioned the Call of the Beast until they took Eva. I mean horrible things could be happening around us, and we'd never care, as long as we think they won't happen to us. Then when a close one gets hurt, we suddenly realize we are so vulnerable and weak."
Wow. Iris wanted to run up the ladders and hug him now. It was childish, she knew. Absurd. And almost disrespectful to Eva. But when someone you like so irrationally adds some rational reason for liking them, that's when it really feels right. Iris didn't think Colton thought deeply about others. He may not have been that way all along, but now he cared. Iris liked people who cared.
"If we work as a team, we might find the truth," Iris said.
Colton gave her that damn stare again, as if he wanted to apologize for not meeting her before. "So why don't they mention such a place in our schoolbooks?" he changed the subject. "I'm smelling a great conspiracy here."
"If there is a conspiracy, then it's the Council who must know what happened to the world in the past."
"Tell me, Iris. How much did you peel off of this wall?"
"Not much," she said. "It's a tiring and slow process. The black light-or any X-ray instrument-only shows what has partially worn off, but never what's buried underneath. I only worked on places where I thought the words underneath seemed to make sense. If you notice, what lies beneath the Council's painting is tons of scribbling and older ads. Someone thought this wall was a great place to rant. There are parts full of weird graffiti too."
"I noticed," Colton focused the light on a part near him. "Co," he began reading a peeled part that caught his eyes. "Ca," he continued. "Co again, and then the Council's advertisement hasn't peeled off yet. What do you think that is? Some kind of message? Co-ca-co?"
"I'm suspecting the letter after it is an L, but I abandoned this part, because the word didn't make any sense to me," she said. "Co-ca-col. What could that be?"
"You're right. It's like gibberish, although someone took the time with the calligraphy of the words, making them look nice and unusually big. Maybe that was what the older government in the First United States called themselves. Cocacolton." He smirked, knowing it wasn't funny. Iris thought he was just trying to ease the tension. She'd never considered Colton funny. Hot boys usually weren't.
"That'd be silly," Iris joked. "It also isn't what I am looking for."
Colton stopped on the ladder and pointed the light down at her. "I understand. We should be looking for something that could tell us about what happened, or what the world was like before the Beasts."
"Someone must have left a clue that's hidden underneath the Council's advertisement."
"Are you saying the Council's advertisement was here to cover up the past? The history of the Earth?" Colton said. "But why didn't the Council just blow up the buildings?"
"I'm not saying this was done intentionally," Iris said. "My father told me it's a natural process through the years. Newer generations paint their graffiti and their advertisements on the older painting of generations before. Every generation marks their words on the walls of history. When time passes, the older painting sometimes shows through, like on this wall."
"But you couldn't have spent all this time and not found something interesting," Colton noted. "What was the spot you found and think means something that makes sense?"
"Actually, I did find one sentence. Come down here," Iris said, and Colton did. She took the black light from him, and pointed it at a part of the wall that was eye-level to them.
"What the freaky deaky holy mushrooms is that?" Colton squinted. Iris almost laughed. "Oh," he scratched his head. "It's
"I don't think the Beasts are capable of feeling guilt," Colton gazed down at Iris. "They took Eva."
"And many other girls." Iris reminded him.
"Yes," Colton felt ashamed. "You know, I feel horrible that I had never questioned the Call of the Beast until they took Eva. I mean horrible things could be happening around us, and we'd never care, as long as we think they won't happen to us. Then when a close one gets hurt, we suddenly realize we are so vulnerable and weak."
Wow. Iris wanted to run up the ladders and hug him now. It was childish, she knew. Absurd. And almost disrespectful to Eva. But when someone you like so irrationally adds some rational reason for liking them, that's when it really feels right. Iris didn't think Colton thought deeply about others. He may not have been that way all along, but now he cared. Iris liked people who cared.
"If we work as a team, we might find the truth," Iris said.
Colton gave her that damn stare again, as if he wanted to apologize for not meeting her before. "So why don't they mention such a place in our schoolbooks?" he changed the subject. "I'm smelling a great conspiracy here."
"If there is a conspiracy, then it's the Council who must know what happened to the world in the past."
"Tell me, Iris. How much did you peel off of this wall?"
"Not much," she said. "It's a tiring and slow process. The black light-or any X-ray instrument-only shows what has partially worn off, but never what's buried underneath. I only worked on places where I thought the words underneath seemed to make sense. If you notice, what lies beneath the Council's painting is tons of scribbling and older ads. Someone thought this wall was a great place to rant. There are parts full of weird graffiti too."
"I noticed," Colton focused the light on a part near him. "Co," he began reading a peeled part that caught his eyes. "Ca," he continued. "Co again, and then the Council's advertisement hasn't peeled off yet. What do you think that is? Some kind of message? Co-ca-co?"
"I'm suspecting the letter after it is an L, but I abandoned this part, because the word didn't make any sense to me," she said. "Co-ca-col. What could that be?"
"You're right. It's like gibberish, although someone took the time with the calligraphy of the words, making them look nice and unusually big. Maybe that was what the older government in the First United States called themselves. Cocacolton." He smirked, knowing it wasn't funny. Iris thought he was just trying to ease the tension. She'd never considered Colton funny. Hot boys usually weren't.
"That'd be silly," Iris joked. "It also isn't what I am looking for."
Colton stopped on the ladder and pointed the light down at her. "I understand. We should be looking for something that could tell us about what happened, or what the world was like before the Beasts."
"Someone must have left a clue that's hidden underneath the Council's advertisement."
"Are you saying the Council's advertisement was here to cover up the past? The history of the Earth?" Colton said. "But why didn't the Council just blow up the buildings?"
"I'm not saying this was done intentionally," Iris said. "My father told me it's a natural process through the years. Newer generations paint their graffiti and their advertisements on the older painting of generations before. Every generation marks their words on the walls of history. When time passes, the older painting sometimes shows through, like on this wall."
"But you couldn't have spent all this time and not found something interesting," Colton noted. "What was the spot you found and think means something that makes sense?"
"Actually, I did find one sentence. Come down here," Iris said, and Colton did. She took the black light from him, and pointed it at a part of the wall that was eye-level to them.
"What the freaky deaky holy mushrooms is that?" Colton squinted. Iris almost laughed. "Oh," he scratched his head. "It's
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