Chapter Text
Dublin, Ireland - February 2046
Paige had heard the name Scion, whispered when she was awake, shouted when they thought she was asleep. Her father and Finn argued, sometimes Aunt Sandra joined in on Finn’s side. Paige knew that Scion meant England, the thing her mother had run from, to avoid being given to one of the shining giants, like a trinket, her father said. Scion meant danger, especially for little girls like Paige. And now Scion was coming to Ireland.
Finn pulled her along. “Come on, Pip,” he said, “you need to see this.” His happy smile was gone, his face looked hard and serious, so much like Paige’s father’s face.
“Finn,” Kay, Finn’s girlfriend, yelled, “she shouldn’t be here.”
“This is about her, Kay,” Finn said, his voice hard. “She should see it. She should know why we’re fighting.”
There was a crowd, some of Finn’s friends from Trinity College, lots of other people. All chanting, holding signs. Paige knew they wanted Scion out of Ireland. She wanted Scion out of Ireland. But she was just a little girl. And Scion did bad things to little girls. Especially little girls like Paige.
The protesters yelled and yelled. Some of them threw rocks. And then the soldiers came.
Paige had never seen anything like it. The soldiers were dressed in red and black, heavily armored, wearing helmets and visors that hid their faces. They all looked alike. A wave of blank faces that would not stop. The protesters yelled louder, they threw more rocks, but the soldiers just kept coming.
“Finn, we have to go!” Kay yelled, pulling on his arm.
Finn turned around, scooping Paige into his arms. He tried to push through the crowd, but there were too many people. Paige started to cry, clinging to him.
“S’okay, Pip,” he said, his voice breathy. “S’okay. I’ll get you out of here.”
He held her close, shielding her with his body. But there was nowhere to run. The soldiers herded the crowds down a narrow streets. They had batons and cattle prods. Some of the protesters were bleeding. Everyone was screaming.
“Shit, shit!” Finn yelled, trying to find a way out, but there were too many people. The only way was forward, toward waiting trucks.
Paige was loaded into the giant truck with Finn and Kay and at least thirty other people. The sides of the truck were draped with heavy canvas and they could see nothing outside. They were forced to sit down so they didn’t fall over as the truck rumbled over the uneven cobblestones.
There was an old man sitting opposite them, his head bleeding. He looked at Finn shaking his head. “What were thinking?” he asked. “Bringing her here? You’ve just given her to them.”
Finn shook his head, but he didn’t reply. He held Paige tighter.
It seemed like hours before they stopped. The back of the truck opened and they were led out single file into a large warehouse. Cattle pens had been set up inside in a big grid, forcing the people single file through a maze.
Paige still cried, but Finn no longer tried to console her. His face was tight and ashen.
It took hours. The sun had set, before they reached the end of the maze. Paige was separated from Finn and Kay, taken to a small white room with no windows. She was scared, but out of tears. She was hungry and tired and she wanted her father more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.
She sat in the chair, her feet swinging, shivering.
It was a long time before the door opened and when it did, all Paige could do was stare. Scion. A shining giant. She was the tallest person Paige had ever seen in her life. She had to duck under the doorframe to avoid hitting her head. Her long, ash brown hair was coarse and had been pulled back in a loose braid that hung down her back. Her skin was the color of dark honey and it shone under the fluorescent lights like polished metal.
She crossed the room and knelt down in front of where Paige sat, still looming over the child, even in a crouch. Paige could see that her eyes burned like blue flame beneath her hooded lids. She wore black and red body armor, like the Scion soldiers.
She reached out and grabbed Paige’s chin, turning her head left and right. Her fingers were so hot they felt like they were burning Paige’s skin. She finally released Paige’s chin and stood, nodding.
“This one,” the shining giant said, speaking to a woman in a lab coat who had entered the room without Paige noticing.
The shining giant left and the woman in the lab coat asked Paige many questions. Her name, where she lived. She asked about Paige’s parents. She took detailed information about Paige’s height and weight. She took her blood and filled a neat little row of vials, all marked with Paige’s name and age. Lastly, the woman removed Paige’s jumper and pressed a machine against the back of Paige’s shoulder. It stung, like a thousand little bees. When the woman pulled the machine away, Paige looked at her shoulder and traced the mark XX-59-40.
When they finally got home, Paige’s father held her so tight. His cheeks were wet and shiny with tears. Paige wasn’t allowed to see Finn or Aunt Sandra or Kay again. It was less than a month later when her father was conscripted by SciSORS. They were moving to England. To London. To Scion.
END CHAPTER