Miss Virtue raised an eyebrow. “A valid choice.”
“Virtue!” Miss Bilphena glared at her. “You don’t have to endorse the killing right in front of the kids.”
“Look, if there’s anyone who deserves to be hunted down by an angel, it’s Theron,” Miss Virtue said. “Am I still going to help stop that from happening? Sure. But let’s not pretend he doesn’t deserve some punishment.”
One of the Assata kids dragged a whetstone along the blade of their machete. “He made a hundred billion dollars in a crisis, off the backs of his workers. They dropped like flies in the warehouses, or they went home and died like dogs. He deserves more than punishment.” Someone else nudged them to be quiet, glancing worriedly at Ube, whose head was hanging down. The kitchen got uncomfortably silent before Ube lifted his head.
“No one knows better than I do the harm Theron has done,” he said. “But we are not murderers, and his justice will not be death at Assata’s hands.”
“It’s a bit late for that.” Everyone whipped their heads around to see Eddie walking in slowly, her face even more swollen under the gauze. Several machetes clattered to the floor as Assata kids rushed to her side.
“Why are you up?” Aloe scolded. “I told you to stay in bed.”
Eddie flapped a hand at him. “Then you shouldn’t have let them update me last night. There’s a fucking war going on.” She sank gratefully into a chair that someone had pulled up for her and accepted a glass of water. Bitter wanted to say something, but her tongue felt too large and clumsy in her mouth. Eddie was surrounded by her friends, her people, in her home, and Bitter felt like an intruder, like she’d been shunted to the outside and had no right to be anywhere closer to her friend, who didn’t even look her way. Her only consolation was how out of place Miss Virtue looked as well, even though she was as calm as if she owned the safe house. Just having the principal there made Bitter feel a little more anchored, like a piece of Eucalyptus was with her, like nothing could happen to her because the promises Miss Virtue made to her students extended through space and time, and it meant that Bitter would always be safe close to her.
“What do you mean, it’s a bit late?” Ube asked as Aloe reached into his satchel and counted out some pain meds for Eddie.
She looked around the room with her good eye. “Has no one been monitoring our update channels?”
Alex glared at her. “We were a little preoccupied, what with the angels and then the breach.” Bitter noticed how easily she’d slipped back into Assata, the unspoken affection that passed between her and Eddie.
“All the more reason,” Eddie answered, shaking her head. “Everything’s going to shit. They have Theron.”
Ube’s face went gray. “They what?”
“Yup. There’s a contingent of angels and protesters moving him to the town square in plain fucking sight, taking on any cops who get in their way. Hibiscus and the others are with them, and they’ve blacked out everything. We’re only active because Sunflower shields our channel.”
Blessing moved closer to Alex and Bitter. “What the hell?” she whispered.
Alex wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry, baby. We’re safe in here.”
“Why are they moving him there?” Aloe asked.
Miss Virtue sighed and sat heavily in her chair. “Because it’s the center of Lucille. They’re going to make an example out of him.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Show the monsters what’s going to happen to them. Strike terror into their hearts.” She looked up at them. “Have you ever seen what an angel does when it wants you to be afraid?”
For not the first time that morning, Bitter wondered how Miss Virtue knew the things she seemed to know. “Have you seen this happen before?” she asked the woman, her voice tentative.
Miss Virtue looked into a nowhere that was floating in the air. “A time too many,” she replied. “History is so repetitive, you know.”
The kids looked at each other. “What happens now?” Alex asked.
“If I were to make an educated guess,” Miss Virtue said, “the first sacrifice is the bloodiest.”
The color drained from Bitter’s face. Her fears were growing legs and walking into reality. “They’re going to kill him when they get to the town center.”
“Yes, I believe you’re right.” Miss Virtue gave them all a somber look. “The angels will execute Theron in the heart of Lucille.”
The words swirled around in the kitchen, stunning everyone into silence. “They wouldn’t,” Blessing said. “They wouldn’t just execute him.”
Alex wasn’t so sure. “You forgetting how pissed Hibiscus was? Together with the angels? Who’s going to stop them?”
“We have to,” Bitter said. Her blood felt cold, but the words still tripped their way out of her mouth. “I can’t … I can’t let Vengeance do this. I’m the one who called it out. If it kills someone, that’s on me.”
Aloe took her hand. “No, it’s not, Bitter. Ignore whatever nonsense I said last night. You’re not the one doing it, and it’s not your fault.”
“Doh talk like it already finish!” Bitter pulled away from him. He’d meant what he said in the hallway, and even if he’d been angry, it didn’t mean he was wrong. Besides, this was so much bigger than Bitter’s feelings or holding herself accountable. If Vengeance started bloodshed on such an enormous scale, with someone so powerful, what would the retaliation look like? How would the police react? Would the angels be able to get to all the monsters in time? Bitter remembered Eddie in Mr. Nelson’s house, explaining that if there was no head to Assata, then it couldn’t be cut off. The monsters in Lucille weren’t like that. If you cut one of their heads off, how many more would spring up, hissing and desperate? Bitter couldn’t look over at Eddie, who was acting like she didn’t exist, speaking only to other Assata kids. Like Eddie had said, there was a war going on. It was ridiculous to think that those in power wouldn’t fight with everything they had to keep the balance of Lucille skewed in their favor, angels or not. So that was that, Bitter decided. Theron dying was unthinkable. She had no idea what it would unleash, but she was certain that it would be nothing good. “I can’t let this start.”
“You can’t go out there,” Aloe countered.
Miss Bilphena raised her hand for silence. “He’s right—you can’t just go out there.” She stood up and tightened her robe. “We will all go. Everyone, be ready to move out in fifteen.”
Assata gave up a sharp cheer and raised their machetes, but Miss Bilphena shook her head. “No weapons. We will not raise up arms against our own.”
Eddie folded her arms. “You sure Hibiscus is gonna feel the same way?”
A shadow of sadness passed over Miss Bilphena’s face. “No,” she answered. “I’m not sure at all. But I know we will not.”
“What about the Elders who were supposed to come today?” Ube asked.