The Green Ones

Episode 4, Part 10

Yetic spits the gummy tzapotl resin out of his mouth and stares at me dumbly. He blinks. “Wait, you’re serious?”

Unfaltering, I stand my ground.

“No offense, Bluehair, but I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

“I’m making you an offer,” I swallow. “One you might find more tempting than Neca’s.”

“Let me get this straight. Instead of entering the academy as the undisputed champion, I enter as a laughing stock. That’s your offer?”

I chew the inside of my lip. Too late to change my mind now, I bull forward. “I win, you leave Neca alone and answer my every beck and call within the academy.”

Yetic shrugs, humoring me.

“You win,” I pause. If I’ve misread Yetic’s level of interest in me, I’m about to make a total fool of myself.

“Yes?”

“You win, I agree to couple with you.”

Yetic freezes, clearly surprised by the offer. I’m about to retract it and excuse myself when his eyes grow big. “You and me?” He gestures between us and nods, as if double checking my meaning.

“Is there any other way to couple?” I roll my eyes. “I’ll commit to you completely for at least the first year, with the option to extend.” I flush, struggling for the right words. “You know, if we find the relationship beneficial. Of course your protection would extend over Olin as well.”

Yetic nods absently, his mind already a million miles away. “Of course.” He paces the narrow alley, mumbling to himself. Finally he faces me. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t dreamed of the possibility.” He laughs. “This way is even better than I imagined—less schmaltzy and more efficient.”

I relax and drive home the deal. “Together with Olin, you and I would be unrivaled. We’d be almost guaranteed ometeotl status. It’s rare they break up a bonded couple, and they’ll see the value of keeping Olin and me together.”

“You drive a mean bargain, Bluehair. I’ve dreamed of crushing Neca for over a year, but Masa is more important.”

I raise a brow, waiting for his final decision.

“I accept your offer.”

I close my eyes, both relieved and anxious. My mind flits across all the ways Yetic will exert ownership of me in the year to come. Shame bubbles to the surface, but I push it down deep.

Yetic is strong. He improves our chances of graduation significantly. He’s skilled. He can help us learn. In one swift move I’ve turned a potential enemy into an ally.

At the same time, I can’t believe what I’ve done. In a few hours I’ll be locked inside a cage with someone who kills twitchers for sport. Olin will hate the arrangement, and Neca will probably never forgive me. At least he’ll be alive. We’ll all be alive. Suddenly it strikes me who I’ve forgotten. “And Zorrah. I forgot Zorrah.”

“Who?”

“She doesn’t look like much, but trust me, you’ll like this girl. She brings a unique skill set.” I pause. “And I think her and Olin are sort of developing a thing.”

“A foursome, sounds good.” He nods. “There’s only one problem.”

I narrow my eyes and tense, afraid he’s about to signal Huemac’s men to rush me.

“Getting you into the cage could be difficult. Huemac’s men will be everywhere. Afterwards, he’ll wanna kill us both.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh, that.”

“Luckily for you, I haven’t revealed my most advanced skill to anyone.”

I roll my eyes. “And that would be?”

“Human manipulation.”

“Umm, I don’t think that’s your most advanced—”

“Telekinetically, not emotionally. Keep up, Bluehair. I’ve never met anyone else capable of it, except the old man of course.”

“Yeah, I experienced the ability first hand in Centavo’s apartment. Not my funnest moment.” I shiver at the memory of being frozen in midair.

“As far as preventing a riot…” Yetic strokes his chin. “There is one way—an old rule. I’ve never seen it used, but its practice is well accepted. If we can pull it off, no one will argue. There’ll be plenty of grumbling,” his expression sticks somewhere between a solicitous leer and sheer rhapsody, “but we’ll give them a good show in the end.”