Romey: A Short Story

She wakes to nothing. She knows only what her body tells her: dry eyes, numb fingers, and cotton bones while her chest aches like hunger. Violent and all consuming, a pain procured by absence. It’s not until she shifts, lashes fluttering, that she notices the string. The color of blue summer skies, her heart is its axis as it stretches through the room and into oblivion. She blinks, and the string remains. "Hello?" She flinches, a white coat man beside her. “Romey?” She swallows, and it aches. "Where am I?" His mouth curves into parenthesis. “You’re in the hospital,” he begins. “Don’t worry, it’s normal to be disoriented after The Cut.” Nodding, her focus wanders to the string, stationary in her peripheral. “I don’t understand,” she breathes. …show more content…

“That’s not possible. They must have made a mistake. You need to go back and get it removed. You must—” “I can’t.” His eyes narrow and Romey stands taller. “I-I don’t even remember who’s on the other end. I promise, I won’t be distracted. I just can’t go through that again,” she insists. Her Commander’s gaze is steel and he spits, “You’re a cerberus now. This is what you wanted. You do not follow the string, do you understand?” She scrapes the words from her tongue, falling flat, vapid as a shotgun shell. “Of course.” He turns on his heel, and disappears into the fog. . The briefing is short. They’ve finally pinned down the coordinates of the woman—The Vice, they call her—that killed the Sovereign. She has eyes that glow with magic, he says. And it’s time for her to be taken down. Romey’s brows furrow. How could she not remember the Sovereign being killed, the leader of their country? How could she not— The feed flickers and red continues to fall like— “This is our most important mission. And Romey, you’re taking lead.” Romey’s a part of the Cerberi now. She is to serve as a weapon, only ever as a weapon. She inhales. “Yes sir.” …show more content…

. It’s two days before Commander Kemp finds her. She’s wrapped in her bed, watching the string rise and fall. “You have to get it removed, if you want to stay a part of the Cerberi,” he says. She peeks over her sheets, glaring. “The string is what led me to her,” she hisses. “I’m not getting it cut.” He scowls. “The Cerberi do not love. We are weapons. Your connection compromises your judgment.” Sitting up in bed, she laughs, dry and mean. “You know, I became a soldier because I wanted to protect people. And now I can’t even remember the people I wanted to protect.” Her voice breaks, and she swipes at her cheeks. Pain procured by absence. “You said before that I’m your best soldier.” The string stays steady, blue in her peripheral. “But maybe that’s because I have someone to fight for.” Her Commander falters. “I’m not getting my string cut,” she says again, and this time, he doesn’t fight. . When she finds the Sovereign, their blue string remains. “Hi,” the woman murmurs. “Hi.” Romey’s pulse pounds in her ears. “You got your strings cut,” the woman says, matter-of-fact. “Well, yeah.” Romey’s mouth twists. “But I think—I think I remember