Life Unnormal

by Jill Caplin

  “Well, here we are again. It won’t be long until you’re my servant too after the Union. What do you say to that?”

  “I work for Miss Audra.”

  “You do realize you would have to report to me as well,” Mason said, grinning. “Besides having Aden to do her bidding, I’d have you as well to attend to me.”

  Mason then stepped closer to her. His finger crawled from her cheek to the scape of her neck and stopped at the top of her breasts. It felt as if he wanted to lean forward and kiss her when Aden showed up.

  “Sir, your parents, are asking for you,” Aden said.

  Tessa watched as Mason turned and scowled at him. She sighed when Aden arrived.

  “You’re in no position to interrupt my business.”

  “Just following your parents’ orders, sir.”

  “If they didn’t ask for me, then you can consider yourself traded. Come on then!” Mason said, with bitter anger in his voice.

  Shaking for a few moments, Tessa watched Aden return with Mason to his parents. By the reaction of Mason’s father, it appeared as if the father shook his finger at Mason. She hoped Aden would not lose his chance for a day off.

  Back in the kitchen, Tessa wondered what was the point of having a day off if Aden did not show up. She didn’t think she had a choice. She needed to figure out a way of getting in contact with Aden if Mason ended up trading him.

  Tessa went to say goodbye to Glenna. She walked over, and Glenna whispered a few words in her ear. Tessa nodded and left out the servants’ entrance. Walking down the alley with Wilson, she decided to talk to him.

  “Glenna says hello. She hopes you two can see each other very soon.”

  “Well, isn’t that nice. It’s been a month since we have had the same day off. Are they finally ready to go?”

  “Yes, they are…so am I.”

  “What happened with Miss Audra tonight?” Wilson asked

  “Oh, she will be in a Union with Mason.”

  “That’s good news, right? But you don’t seem too happy.”

  “It’s fine. I’m worried about Aden.”

  “Why?” Wilson asked, concerned.

  “Mason was bragging how I’d be his servant too. Aden came to my rescue.”

  “Think Aden will get into trouble?”

  “I don’t know, but Mason seemed mad. You happen to know whose Mason’s driver?”

  “Sure do. Let me introduce you.” Wilson said, pointing to a tall young man with black hair wearing a brown suit and leaning against a wall a few feet away. Tessa watched Wilson wave him over.

  “Baron, this is Tessa.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Baron said with a smile.

  “She has a favor to ask of you if you don’t mind,” Wilson said.

  “Sure. What can I do for you?” Baron asked.

  “Since you are Mason’s driver, could you tell Aden I have the day off tomorrow?”

  “Will do. You know, if there were a match, Aden also would have the day off.”

  “I know that except Mason didn’t seem too happy with him tonight.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me. Will let him know. There goes my pager. See you later,” Baron said to both of them and left.

  “Thanks, Wilson,” Tessa said.

  “No, problems. We better get to the Hills.”

  Wilson drove Tessa in the car to get Audra and her parents. After they arrived, Tessa got out, opened the door to let Audra in, and then sat next to her in the back seat.

  No one said a word during the short ride to the apartments. Letting herself off out of the car, Tessa opened the door for the two women. After they arrived home, Audra dismissed her, so she walked to her room.

  Once inside, Tessa took off the party clothes, folded them, and placed them in the bottom drawer. Grabbing her towel, she left to take a quick shower. Changing into her nightgown, she climbed into bed.

  Closing her eyes, Tessa tried to imagine if life would be like in a different New City. She wondered if the next one had apartments for those servants who worked in the shops. Or would each New City be like the other?

  Tessa heard a knock on the door, wondering who would visit so late after the bells.

  “Come in,” Tessa said. She smiled at Carey, standing there, holding a small bag.

  “I want you to have this for your day off,” Carey said, handing the bag to her.

  “What is it?”

  “Odds and ends I collected: some protein bars that were a few days past due, a few pieces of fruit, two bottles of water, plastic bandage spray and a kit to mend your clothes.”

  “Why would I need those things?”

  “You ask interesting questions. I learn things from listening to Glenna.”

  “This is so nice of you. I was sorry to hear you’re not here with your husband.”

  “I sure miss him.”

  “Hope you can see him someday.”

  “Hope so, too.”

  “Thank you so much for this.”

  “All of this will fit in one of those green shopping bags you carry around New City. It will look the same as the others.”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  “Will miss having you in our family. You don’t have to come back until supper.”

  “Thanks again.”

  “Good night,” Carey said. She left, and Tessa placed the bag under her bed. After hearing Carey use the word “family” again, she hoped Baron spoke to Aden so they could keep their plans. Tessa kept grinning about Aden almost figuring out a code for the exit door of New City. She counted the hours before she could leave New City.

  16

  Escape Plan

  The next morning Tessa noticed on the schedule how Audra would be out for the day. Upstairs in Audra’s bedroom, she finished her early morning chores.

  Tessa ate breakfast. Back inside her bedroom, she decided to layer her clothing by wearing a short shirt under the long sleeved one. She placed the picture of her parents and the carving in the pocket of her jeans.

  Picking up the bag from under the bed, Tessa placed it inside a shopping bag she grabbed from the kitchen. Tessa scanned her eye to leave the apartment at the servants’ entrance. She spotted a notice printed under her name. It said, “Permission to leave until the bells for supper.”

  It felt to Tessa like it took longer than she anticipated to get from the apartments to the first block of shops. She glanced up at the bright lights shining through deep solar panels and tubes, allowing in sunlight from outside. New City seemed cleaner and more polished than The Annex.

  Walking at a leisurely pace, Tessa passed by a variety of shops. Each shop had its three-dimensional sign painted with different, bright neon color. Tessa recalled the contrast to the dark plain wood for the one shop in The Annex.

  Peering briefly inside the opaque windows, Tessa observed how each store carried clothing, shoes, and jewelry had the colors representing each position in society. She detected the scans installed on the inside and outside of each door.

  Out of curiosity, Tessa checked out the sides and behind a few shops to see where the deliveries arrived. After noticing a long, dark alley, she made a mental note to figure out where to locate an exit.

  At the end of the block, an over-sized, green, neon sign with a huge arrow pointing to “Entertainment Center” grabbed her attention. Tessa remembered hearing the rumors in The Annex how the Center had everything from live musical theater, hologram games, to casinos and strip clubs as several of the choices for entertainment.

  Curiosity almost overcame over her to go down the block, but she didn’t have the time. The several, uncomfortable, odd glances coming her way from the few people passing her by made her stop and head in the opposite direction. The streets seemed busy with lots of people walking after breakfast. Tessa smiled, seeing several servants walking around by themselves as well.

  Tessa located the bookshop easy enough, but finding Aden appeared to be a whole other problem.

  Tessa peered inside a
small store with few shelves. She noticed how books were such a rare commodity. She decided to walk around the side of the store and headed towards the alley.

  Once Tessa turned the corner of the shop, she noticed Aden, who smiled at her.

  “About time you showed up,” Aden said.

  “Right here, right after breakfast. Thought you weren’t going to make it.”

  “Gabriel, the person Mason traded me to, is my new owner. He is in the Men’s Shop. He won money gambling last night. Gave me the day off.”

  “You were lucky he won.”

  “We’re lucky he didn’t lose.”

  “So, you got it? The code for the exit door?”

  “Said I would. We better go,” Aden said, grabbing her hand.

  They walked down the side of the store to the alley.

  About halfway towards the exit, Tessa felt Aden tug on her arm.

  The closer they were to the door; the more Tessa felt the urge to look back.

  They weren’t alone for long.

  Two members of Security running down the alley.

  “They’re coming,” she said, her insides starting to shake.

  “It’s the right exit. . . Give me a few seconds to enter the code.”

  Tessa scrutinized Aden. She noticed how his hands were shaking as he tapped the numbers into the keypad on the side of the door.

  She tapped his shoulder.

  Security would be too close within minutes.

  She needed to stay out of the range of their Tasers how well how they operated, stopping people from a distance.

  He tried the numbers again. Tessa heard the door click open.

  She dashed first through the door. Aden followed behind. He shut the door behind them.

  “Better keep walking,” Aden said.

  “Can’t Security follow us into the tunnels?” Tessa asked.

  “Nope, the problem with this door is once you use the code, another one is set. We’d have to learn a new code to come back to this place.”

  “Fine with me,” she said.

  It would take quite a bit of time to walk to their destination. Tessa remembered the Glenside entrance to a New City would be a few days walk to the west. In the back of her mind, Tessa remembered her promise to Felicia. Tessa knew she’d come back to try and find her, but locating and reuniting with her parents came first.

  17

  Tunnels

  Tessa wanted to create a distance from the exit, so they started walking in one direction.

  “My parents said they’d try to go to the Glenside New City.”

  “Hope they made it.”

  They started walking for what she first felt like several hours in one direction until they hit a split. She tugged on his arm, breathing hard and needing to take a short break.

  Sometimes the distances between the tunnels seemed to Tessa like they went on forever. Coming from the east, they kept heading in the opposite direction.

  Her insides felt cold even with the two layers. As they walked, Tessa kept feeling surrounded by concrete walls, passageways from one to another. It seemed to her the dull lighting cast their shadows on the walls.

  The long walks felt like Tessa trudged up several flights of stairs. Stopping to rest, she showed Aden the contents of the bag, which included the food, a water container, and the sewing kit. He smiled. They drank a few sips of water.

  “Nice of someone to give you some stuff,” Aden said.

  “Met some kind people,” Tessa said. “Except when they called my family.”

  “Never did like that word they used.”

  “Doesn’t make sense to me. The owners don’t even treat them like family.”

  “You know, I salvaged a few items myself,” Aden said, as he opened the bag he carried. He showed her two light sticks, a small knife, two water bottles, and a compass.

  “It’s great you brought those things with you.”

  “We’ll have to guard this compass. Maybe the only way to the Glenside entrance of that New City.”

  “You have that knife. Think other people live in the tunnels?”

  “There must be people who found a way to wander these tunnels just like us.”

  “Let’s get going. You need to rest?”

  “No. We can take turns keeping watch while we take a few breaks.”

  Their plan of walking and then each taking short naps worked for several hours until Tessa had to stop and rest. Her legs heavy like potato sacks and her feet burning, she examined Aden’s ashen face thinking he must also be exhausted.

  They balanced time between resting and walking. Tessa had to admit the closer they were to her destination, the more it made it harder for her to sleep on the hard ground. The dimmed lighting also made it too difficult to judge the time of day.

  They walked for several miles in a straight direction until they reached a turn. When the tunnels turned at sharp angles, it made it hard to tell if anyone lurked around the corners. Tessa started biting her nails again, thinking it would be hard to believe they were the only ones there.

  As they turned one corner, Tessa heard noises sounding like grumbling. She stayed behind Aden as he placed his body in front of hers. She had no choice but to keep walking forward.

  The grumbling they heard belonged to two scrawny men standing in front of them, blocking our way.

  The men glared at the green bag on her shoulders.

  “Give us what you have, man” one man growled, menacing “We’ll let you pass.”

  “No way!” Aden yelled at them.

  “You’re not going anywhere till you give us that bag!”

  Tessa watched Aden step forward.

  He punched one of the guys in the nose, knocking him back as he fell to the ground.

  The other guy tried to grab her bag.

  Aden grabbed his wrist.

  With his other hand, Aden then gripped the guy’s elbow and turned it backward.

  “Get lost, or I’ll break his arm,” Aden threatened the man.

  He screamed in pain, telling his friend, “Let’s get out of here, man. This guy’s no joke.”

  “Get out of here!” Aden screamed, showing them his fighting stance by putting his firsts straight in front of him.

  They watched as the two men scrambled away in the opposite direction.

  “You okay?” she asked him.

  “Fine. Are you?” Aden asked, hugging her. He seemed filled with adrenaline, and Tessa’s whole body couldn’t stop shaking for a few minutes.

  “Fine. Shaken, I guess. Just want to get out of these tunnels.”

  “Hopefully we won’t run into any more trouble. If we do, let me show you a few moves.”

  Aden showed Tessa how to block a punch from a few directions, how to hit someone in the nose if she needed to and a few other tricks. After she hit him in the arm hard, he laughed then stopped teaching her.

  “Okay, maybe you’re getting too good at this,” Aden said. “We better get going.”

  What might have taken a train to travel from one station to another in minutes took them about a day? Worried their food supply ran low, Tessa kept praying they would reach the entrance sooner than later.

  “What do we do if I find them and things are just like it is in our New City?”

  “Though you had this all planned out,” Aden muttered.

  “I have a back-up plan,” she said. “Would you want to find your parents afterward?”

  “Why do you keep talking about them?” he asked with a loud raised tone. “They were on their vacation to the city before the last broadcast. Doubt they even made it underground in time.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Tessa said. Aden sounded more angry than sad by what he just told her. She stopped, turned, and hugged him. She felt how he did not return the hug. He never shared anything personal with her before. Tessa wondered about Aden except at the moment she needed to think he told the truth.

  “My problem from the start,” he said. “Didn’t want to share
it with you till now.”

  “Glad you told me. If we do run into any problems with my parents, could we find a way to enter The Annex.”

  “Why would we do that?”

  “What’s the point of staying?” Tessa asked. “In The Annex, we could form a Union when we turn nineteen.”

  “Form a Union with me?” Aden asked, touching his finger to his chin. “How would we do that?”

  “We’ll figure it out. Could be our best way to stay together. Then we think of our next plan?”

  “Like the way you’re thinking. We only do this Union thing if we have to.”

  Thinking of the men who attacked them, Tessa wondered what would have happened to her without him being there. Tessa figured a Union would make it easier to achieve her goals with him.

  Frustrated from what felt like days of walking, her feet were burning as the tunnels kept twisting then turning. Tessa and Aden then tried opening every door. Most of them ended up locked and a few looked like old utility closets.

  After their idea failed, Tessa noticed Aden glancing one of the doors in the distance with a new curious look. At first, she wondered what he stared at, and then she finally noticed it.

  “You do see that door?” He asked.

  “Yeah. Looks like an entrance. Not another stupid closet.”

  Tessa and Aden raced towards the door. It appeared different from the other utility closets, flat and embedded into the wall.

  Noticing Aden seemed hesitant to use the retinal scan next to the door, Tessa decided to give hers a try.

  Walking up, she tried scanning her eye.

  The door opened.

  “What made you think that would work?”

  “Don’t know. So, used to scanning my eye everywhere. I thought, why not here?”

  “Well, glad you did, but it does mean Security will know we’re here.”

  “We should have just enough time to look for my parents.”

  “Okay, first things first. Let’s go,” Aden said. They walked inside and shut the door behind them.

  18

  Reunion

  Once inside, it seemed natural to figure out where they were. Surrounded by the walls of a tunnel, Tessa figured they stood in the back alley of the shops. It felt to Tessa as if everywhere appeared the same, even though she knew better.