Not Heartless Yet

By Emily Hutnyak

The other thieves whisper that I’m cursed. Dangerous, like all unknowns. They say I’m cold as ice. Heartless. They call me Sixth—a nickname I’d earned in my initiation into their gang—not the name my mother gave her son.

To them, I’m nothing more than the mask I’ve presented.

They might be right.

I slip down the half-cobbled streets and past the tired wooden houses, shivering. Predawn dew combined with the bitter fall wind makes the air cold enough to slice through skin.

If they’re dunking someone in the lake, the situation is worse than I thought. We’ve lost too many members of our found family to hypothermia.

I can’t let this happen. I may be harsh, I may be dangerous, but I am not heartless enough to let the other kids kill a fellow gang member.

I jog on, my boots crunching loudly over dead leaves.

As I round the last corner and the lake comes into view, a wiry hand grabs my arm.

I swing a fist, but register a familiar face at the last minute. “Quill. What are you doing here?”

He lets go of me, shaking his head. His mournful eyes stand out against his gaunt face. “Watching. They’re gonna kill her, Sixth.”

I stiffen as another blast of icy wind whips through the streets. “Then why are you watching, you idiot?”

He cowers farther into the shadows. “Because I can’t stop them. Inferno’s heading it up.”

Shouts ring out from the dock. I can recognize the unlucky target—Echo, one of the new recruits. She’s as bitter as a sour apple and feisty as a wildcat.

Impressive she’s lasted this long, but she doesn’t stand a chance against Inferno.

Quill clears his throat. “Sixth, she can’t swim.”

“And you aren’t going to help her?”

“Inferno’s gonna kick out anyone who interferes. I’m not getting kicked out.”

So he intends to cower in the shadows. I wince, watching the fight on the dock as indecision tears at me.

I need the gang. Without it, my family will starve. No one in the city will hire a criminal like me, let alone one fabled to be cursed.

Maybe Quill is right and saving Echo isn’t worth it.

But you’ll prove them right when they say you’re cruel, an insistent little voice whispers in my head. You know you shouldn’t let this happen.

Oh, for tides’ sake. It’s not like I’m some knight in shining armor. I’m under no obligation to help her. It’ll risk my reputation, too.

Wasn’t showing you’re not heartless what you came to do today?

Bothersome conscience.

I glare at Quill. “Aren’t you—”

Echo’s scream slices clear to my heart, making me jolt like I’ve been stabbed. I whip around in time to see Inferno fling her into the water, far from the dock.

I whirl back towards Quill. “We have to help her!”

He shakes his head. “I told you, I can’t!”

So, he didn’t feel that piercing scream the way I did. At the lake, Echo flails, her head barely above the water. She sinks lower and lower, choking on the waves.

No. I can’t watch this. I can’t let it happen.

I’m running before I realize it and leap onto the dock. It sways beneath me, throwing me off balance.

Inferno and his cronies turn toward me, but there’s no time to bother with them. Echo hasn’t come up for air yet.

I take a deep breath and dive into the lake, aiming for the spot I last saw her.

The freezing water shocks me and pushes against me as it tries to claim another victim. I won’t let it.

Forcing my eyes open, I catch a glimpse of blurred tan sinking listlessly into the darkness. I lash out against the water, propelling myself deeper into the hungry depths.

When my desperate fingers close around Echo’s arm, it’s like I’ve grabbed a lead weight. I was wrong about the water. I can feel it now. It intends to claim both of us.

No, I silently scream into the depths, struggling upward with Echo in tow. My lungs burn—I can’t imagine how she’s feeling if she’s conscious.

Just as my numb hand loosens around her arm, I break the surface. I gasp in breaths of icy air and pull Echo’s head above water.

She’s limp.

No!

I grind my teeth together and swim for the dock. The water is reluctant to release us, still trying to suck us down, down, down. My strokes slice into it viciously. I’ve come this far. It won’t win now.

Finally, I latch onto the rough, warped wood and just breathe, holding Echo afloat with a shaking arm. We made it.

“Need some help, son?”

I nearly let go in surprise. Whipping my head around, I stare up at a pair of wizened fishermen kneeling on the dock.

Inferno and the other thieves are nowhere to be seen. They must have run when the fishermen arrived. The cowards.

“Saw the whole thing,” one of them drawls, sympathy in his eyes. “You did well.” He reaches out a calloused hand. “Let’s get that water outta your friend.”

I hesitate for a moment before nodding. “Thanks.”

They pull Echo up onto the dock, fill her lungs with air, and press her chest over and over.

I did the right thing. I know I did. I just hope I won’t regret it.

At least I proved I’m not heartless yet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Hutnyak is a young writer with dreams that touch the sky and an overactive imagination. She spins stories about teens like herself finding their place in the world and tales of the light and hope that can be found even in the darkest of places. When she’s not writing, you can generally find her hanging out with friends and family, reading, or, on rare occasions, venturing outside to get some fresh air and sunshine.

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