Chapter Five

There was blood…so much…blood. The man’s unpleasant scent became stronger and turned my stomach. 

I think I’m going to be sick!

I jumped out of bed and ran to the nearest bathroom. I barely had the toilet seat up and my knees on the ground when I vomited my breakfast. The oatmeal was as uninspiring going down as it was coming up–swirling around in the toilet in brownish-grayish chunks. 

I heard voices and kept my head down, preparing for more to come up. 

“What happened in here?” Supervisor Rachel asked. 

“That man was the human I was looking for,” Judge Jackson replied casually, as if he hadn’t shot a man in the head who was only inches from my face. I was surprised. I had no idea he was a human and apparently neither did Ms. Harlow or Supervisor Rachel and Sarah. 

It got me thinking…

I cleaned myself up, rinsing my mouth out in the sink and ensuring my hair was in place before I faced them again. I opened the door and wasn’t surprised when all eyes were on me. 

“I’m sorry,” I apologized reflexively. 

“Imani, are you okay?” Supervisor Rachel asked, coming to comfort me. She cupped my cheeks before pressing her palm against my forehead to check for a fever. “I can’t believe that filthy human had his hands all over you.”

“Excuse me, Supervisor Rachel, but I need to have a word with Imani.”

“Of course,” she said, backing away. 

“Imani.” I warmed when he said my name. It wasn’t the time to lose my head, but it was difficult when his voice came out so smoky and smooth.  “Imani, did something seem…odd about the human to you?”

“Odd? Like what?” 

“Anything.”

I paused to think, still reeling from the image of the man’s head exploding in front of me and my churning stomach. 

“He smelled off.”

“Off?”

“Like spoiled meat.”

“Interesting…Ms. Harlow?”

“Yes, Judge Jackson?”

“Did you find that the human smelled like spoiled meat?”

“No, sir.”

“Supervisor Rachel, did you notice?”

“No, sir.”

I became nervous once again when he raised an eyebrow at me. Something was clearly wrong with me and he knew it. I was grateful for the distance between us. I couldn’t let him get too close to me with those analytical eyes.

“Supervisor Rachel, is class over?” I asked rather impatiently. 

“Are you still feeling unwell?”

“Yes, ma’am, May I return to the dorm?”

“Go straight there.”

I left immediately, desperately wanting to get away from Judge Jackson. I located the elevator that led to the dorms on the 14th floor. Although Eden was always changing like a rubix cube or maze, the dorms and the cafeteria always remained in the same spot. I’d return to my room, shower, and crawl into bed. 

“Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll be able to miss out on the rest of the classes until Judgment Day,” I mumbled to myself. 

The elevator arrived with a loud ping. I entered the elevator, swiped my keycard, and pressed the button for the 14th floor. The doors were closing when a hand slid in, blocking the doors from sealing. Judge Jackson grinned at me as I backed away, clinging to the corner of the steel elevator. The doors closed. I was trapped with nowhere to go–no escape out. 

That’s Eden for you.

“J-Judge Jackson, what are you doing in here?”

“We’ll get to that in a minute. Did you plan on letting that man have his way with you?”

My face screwed in confusion. 

“Wh-what?”

He grinned devilishly before repeating, “Did you plan on letting that man have his way with you?” he said, pressing the emergency stop button. I grabbed the elevator rails to brace myself when the car jolted to a screeching halt. “We’re not moving until you answer my question. Take your time playing the innocent confused girl. My mission is complete. I have all day.”

“What was I supposed to do?” I cried out.

“Fight back.”

“Fight back? And what? Get electrocuted until I’m boneless? Or until my brain can no longer control my body?”

“If you’d fight back that wouldn’t happen,” he suggested.

“Judge Jackson, I’m gonna assume by your position alone that you’re an intelligent man.”

“That would be a wise assumption,” he remarked with his signature smirk. 

Signature smirk? What are you talking about Imani? You barely know the man.

“Then you’re well aware how Eden works and “fighting back” is highly advised against.”

I watched him shove his hands in his pockets and glanced away from how his pants stretched against his crotch. 

“I’ve always wondered something.” He paused, waiting for me to ask what he had been wondering. He was so full of himself that he’d tell me anyway. “I’ve always wondered why the young women of Eden never attempted to overthrow the authority. There are certainly more of you young ladies than staff and management.” I snorted. “That was a funny thought, huh?”

“Funny? No. Ignorant? Yes. We’ve been conditioned since birth to know our place in society, and failure to conform does not bring on a pleasant experience. Plus, what good would it do attempting to overthrow them when the military would be alerted. After our attempted coup, our lives would be worse than they already are.”

“You’re smart,” he remarked.

“I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or not. Telling me that I’m smart feels like you expected me to be the opposite.”

“I’m simply paying you a compliment. Here’s a hint…take it.”

I huffed. “Thank you…I guess.” 

“Why did you find the human disgusting?”

“I don’t know,” I said absently. “I never met a human before and assumed they all smelled that way.”

“I see. Did the teacher or the supervisors smell differently to you?”

I shook my head. The topics of smells was beginning to make me uncomfortable. I felt if the conversation stayed flowing in that direction that’d he eventually ask me why I didn’t have a smell.

“Why don’t you have a smell?”

I knew it.

“Maybe I do and it smells like water.”

His face slid into a serious mask, warning me not to toy with him. Gone was the playful smirk that I was beginning to get used to. “For your sake, you better hope that isn’t the case.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because werewolves don’t smell like water. You’d make an interesting test subject if you catch my drift,” he explained before hitting the emergency stop button again. I let out a relieved breath when the car starting moving again. 

My curiosity was eating at me again. I had to know. “Judge Jackson?”

“Yes?”

“What would happen if I didn’t have a smell?”

He stared at me in silence until we reached the 14th floor. 

He isn’t going to answer. 

I stepped out of the elevator when he finally spoke. “Do you sense your wolf? Yes or no?”