The Ask and the Answer

I’m still pounding on the mirror and shouting while he talks. He turns and looks over to me. He can’t see me from his side but his eyes lock right on mine.

“VIOLA!” I scream and pound the glass again.

He’s frowning a little–

“VIOLA!”

And he strikes me with his Noise.

It’s way stronger than before.

Like a shout of a million people right in the middle of my brain, so far inside I can’t reach it to protect myself and they’re screaming YER NOTHING YER NOTHING YER NOTHING and it feels like my blood is boiling and my eyes are popping outta my skull and I can’t even stand and I stagger back from the mirror and sit down hard on the bench, the slap ringing and ringing and ringing, like it ain’t never gonna stop–

When I can open my eyes again, I see the Mayor stopping Davy from leaving the Arena and then Davy looking back towards the mirror.

And in his Noise he’s worried.

Worried about me.

“Tell me when the Answer is going to attack,” the Mayor says to Viola, his voice colder now, harder. “And from where.”

She shakes her head, sending water drops flying. “I won’t.”

“You will,” says the Mayor. “I truly am afraid you will.”

“No,” she says. “Never.”

And she’s still shaking her head.

The Mayor glances up to the mirror, finding my eye again tho he can’t see me. “Unfortunately,” he says, “we don’t have time for your refusals.”

He nods at Mr. Hammar.

Who plunges her into the water again.

“STOP!” I shout and pound. “STOP IT!”

He holds her there–

And holds her there–

I pound so hard my hands are bruising–

“LET HER UP! LET HER UP! LET HER UP!”

And she’s thrashing in the water–

But he’s still holding her there–

She’s still under water–

“VIOLA!”

Her hands are pulling hard against the binds–

The water is splashing everywhere with her struggling against it–

Oh jesus oh jesus oh jesus oh jesus viola viola viola viola–

I can’t–

“NO!”

Forgive me–

Please forgive me–

“IT’S TONIGHT!” I shout. “AT SUNSET! OVER THE NOTCH IN THE HILL SOUTH OF THE CATHEDRAL! TONIGHT!”

And I’m pressing the button as I shout it again and again–

“TONIGHT!”

As she struggles under the water–

But no one looks like they hear me.

He’s turned the sound off–

He’s turned the effing sound off–

I go back to the window and pound–

But no one’s moving–

And still she’s underwater–

No matter how hard I slam my fists against the glass–

Why ain’t it breaking–

Why ain’t it ruddy breaking–

The Mayor gives a signal and Mr. Hammar lifts up the frame. Viola swallows air in huge raking gulps, her hair (longer than I remember) stuck against her face, twisting in her ears, the water falling off her in great ropes.

“You’re in control here, Viola,” the Mayor says. “Just tell me when the Answer are attacking and this will all stop.”

“TONIGHT!” I scream, so loud my voice is cracking like dried mud. “FROM THE SOUTH!”

But she’s shaking her head.

And no one can hear me.

“But she betrayed you, Viola.” The Mayor’s making his voice do that fake surprised thing. “Why save her? Why–?”

He stops, as if realizing something. “You have people you care about in the Answer.”

She stops shaking her head. She don’t look up but she stops shaking her head.

The Mayor kneels down in front of her. “All the more reason to tell me. All the more reason to let me know where I can find your mistress.” He reaches forward and pulls a few wet strands of hair away from Viola’s face. “If you help me, I guarantee they won’t be harmed. I only want Mistress Coyle. Any other mistresses can remain in prison and everyone else, innocent victims of inflamed rhetoric no doubt, can be released once we’ve had a chance to talk to them.”

He gestures for Mr. Hammar to hand him a towel which he uses to wipe Viola’s face. She still don’t look at him.

“If you tell me, you’d be saving lives,” he says, gently sponging away the loose water. “You have my word on that.”

She finally raises her head.

“Your word,” she says, looking right past him at Mr. Hammar.

And her face is so angry even he looks surprised.

“Ah, yes,” the Mayor says, standing. He hands the towel back to Mr. Hammar. “You should look upon Captain Hammar as an example of my mercy, Viola. I spared his life.” He’s walking again but when he passes behind her he looks over to me. “Just as I shall spare the lives of your friends and loved ones.”

“It’s tonight,” I say, but my voice is a rasp.

How can he not hear me?

“Then again,” he’s saying, “if you don’t know, perhaps your good friend Lee will tell us.”

Her head goes right up, eyes wide, breath heavy.

I don’t know how he coulda survived the explozhun–

“He doesn’t know anything,” she says quickly. “He doesn’t know when or where.”

“Even if I believed that,” the Mayor says, “I’m sure we would have to Ask him long and hard before we could possibly be sure.”

“Leave him alone!” Viola says, trying to turn her head to follow him.

The Mayor stops just in front of the mirror, his back to Viola, his face to me. “Or perhaps we should just ask Todd.”

I pound the glass right at his face. He don’t even flinch.

And then she says, “Todd would never tell you. Never.”

And the Mayor just looks at me.

And he smiles.

My stomach sinks, my heart drops, my head feels so light I feel like I’m going to drop right to the ground.

Oh, Viola–

Viola, please–

Forgive me.

“Captain Hammar,” the Mayor says and Viola’s plunged into the water again, unable to not scream out in fright as down she goes.

“NO!” I shout, pressing myself against the mirror.

But the Mayor ain’t even looking at her.

He’s looking right at me, as if he could see me even if I was behind a brick wall.