quarter of the plastic bottle. His mouth twisted once again, but this time, he bore through it without covering his mouth.
“What did you say your friends’ names were again?”
“The short one is Bolt and the tall one is Maverick.”
“Must Sasha give you all such strange names?”
“They’re fitting.”
“Did she give you yours because you’re so entitled?”
Prince gave Jynx a serious look. “It’s because I’ll one day rule this city.”
Laughter erupted from Jynx’s mouth. “Good luck, I doubt my father would let you.”
“First thing I’m going to do is knock out all those damned cameras.”
“Be my guest.” The camera towers all looked misplaced. They were worth more than most could afford. They watched the city day and night.
A calm silence fell between them. Jynx went back to gazing out the window. The moon shone as bright as the sun and every star twinkled as if winking. The sky didn’t look this beautiful in movies.
“To give him some credit, this place is much better than it used to be. And my father isn’t as harsh as he was back then,” Jynx said. Life was full of these little ironies; her father had softened up just in time for the brunt of the city’s hate.
“What?” Prince looked at Jynx like she was crazy.
“My father. There used to be guns and gangs everywhere. It was completely chaos.”
“Thank God someone came and killed them all, took all the guns, and then held us all at gunpoint. Much better,” Prince slurred.
“I never said he was perfect.”
“You should know that better than anyone.” Prince placed a single finger onto his thigh, nodding towards her.
Jynx looked down at her own thigh, the black mark of her branding more noticeable than ever. She kept her mouth shut, nothing she could say would ever stifle Prince’s hatred toward her father. “But if I had to choose between the way it was and the way it is, I’d pick the way it is.”
“The way it is, I can’t even fart without The Dragon hearing about it.”
“He doesn’t care about that, he only cares about his three rules.”
“So why are Hawks allowed to hunt us down then? Doesn’t that count as violence?”
“It’s not a perfect system and they’re just kids.”
“Tell that to Mice.” Prince rolled up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal pale ridges all along his arm. “Tell that to the kids they carve up.” With a grimace, he swung his head back and drank the rest of the liquor.
Prince threw aside the empty plastic bottle before continuing to talk. “Either way, as long as he has his comfy seat at the top, it doesn’t matter who’s at the bottom holding his weight up. We’re just pawns to him.”
“Yet we’re still better off with him at the top.”
“Sorry but his scraps aren’t good enough for me. Perhaps if I was a dog, I’d come when he whistles and beg when I’m hungry. But I’m human. I won’t live underneath him.”
“Humans were always meant to live underneath each other,” Jynx said. “It’s the natural order of things, that’s why history is ruled by kings.”
“Yeah? So where are those kings now?”
“We’re still ruled by kings, we just call them something different.”
“Fuck, I’m too drunk this.” Prince slapped his hands on his face and rubbed his eyes. “Jynx, if you want to be a dog, do it. But I was born human and I intend to act like it.”
Jynx rolled her eyes. “You sound like Sasha.”
“That’s because she understands what it means to be human.”
Jynx paused for a while, thinking of a response. When she opened her mouth, her words were slow, each syllable carefully enunciated. “What it means to be human is to be ruled. The king will always try to remain the king, while the ruled will always try to become the king. All men wish to rule. My father understood that.”
At least he used to.
“Fine Jynx, then here’s a promise. I’ll show you what it means to live as a human.”
“I didn’t realize I was talking
“What did you say your friends’ names were again?”
“The short one is Bolt and the tall one is Maverick.”
“Must Sasha give you all such strange names?”
“They’re fitting.”
“Did she give you yours because you’re so entitled?”
Prince gave Jynx a serious look. “It’s because I’ll one day rule this city.”
Laughter erupted from Jynx’s mouth. “Good luck, I doubt my father would let you.”
“First thing I’m going to do is knock out all those damned cameras.”
“Be my guest.” The camera towers all looked misplaced. They were worth more than most could afford. They watched the city day and night.
A calm silence fell between them. Jynx went back to gazing out the window. The moon shone as bright as the sun and every star twinkled as if winking. The sky didn’t look this beautiful in movies.
“To give him some credit, this place is much better than it used to be. And my father isn’t as harsh as he was back then,” Jynx said. Life was full of these little ironies; her father had softened up just in time for the brunt of the city’s hate.
“What?” Prince looked at Jynx like she was crazy.
“My father. There used to be guns and gangs everywhere. It was completely chaos.”
“Thank God someone came and killed them all, took all the guns, and then held us all at gunpoint. Much better,” Prince slurred.
“I never said he was perfect.”
“You should know that better than anyone.” Prince placed a single finger onto his thigh, nodding towards her.
Jynx looked down at her own thigh, the black mark of her branding more noticeable than ever. She kept her mouth shut, nothing she could say would ever stifle Prince’s hatred toward her father. “But if I had to choose between the way it was and the way it is, I’d pick the way it is.”
“The way it is, I can’t even fart without The Dragon hearing about it.”
“He doesn’t care about that, he only cares about his three rules.”
“So why are Hawks allowed to hunt us down then? Doesn’t that count as violence?”
“It’s not a perfect system and they’re just kids.”
“Tell that to Mice.” Prince rolled up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal pale ridges all along his arm. “Tell that to the kids they carve up.” With a grimace, he swung his head back and drank the rest of the liquor.
Prince threw aside the empty plastic bottle before continuing to talk. “Either way, as long as he has his comfy seat at the top, it doesn’t matter who’s at the bottom holding his weight up. We’re just pawns to him.”
“Yet we’re still better off with him at the top.”
“Sorry but his scraps aren’t good enough for me. Perhaps if I was a dog, I’d come when he whistles and beg when I’m hungry. But I’m human. I won’t live underneath him.”
“Humans were always meant to live underneath each other,” Jynx said. “It’s the natural order of things, that’s why history is ruled by kings.”
“Yeah? So where are those kings now?”
“We’re still ruled by kings, we just call them something different.”
“Fuck, I’m too drunk this.” Prince slapped his hands on his face and rubbed his eyes. “Jynx, if you want to be a dog, do it. But I was born human and I intend to act like it.”
Jynx rolled her eyes. “You sound like Sasha.”
“That’s because she understands what it means to be human.”
Jynx paused for a while, thinking of a response. When she opened her mouth, her words were slow, each syllable carefully enunciated. “What it means to be human is to be ruled. The king will always try to remain the king, while the ruled will always try to become the king. All men wish to rule. My father understood that.”
At least he used to.
“Fine Jynx, then here’s a promise. I’ll show you what it means to live as a human.”
“I didn’t realize I was talking
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