♛
The next week the lift driver had news. “The president is excited to announce he has received a second Painite. That’s right, undergrounders—two entries in the first two weeks. Maybe the third will be you!”
Kjersi’s chest constricted, pressing in like a collapsed mine. The chatter in the lift escalated as she slumped into a corner and struggled to catch her breath. A second Painite? How was it possible?
Nabil’s voice made her focus back on her surroundings. “Did you hear that? It was another 98er—980918.” His face was beaming as if every worry in the world had been lifted. “What are the odds? And you never thought any of this was possible. Don’t you feel silly now?”
Anger filled her insides, pressing back against the pressure of her worries. “Was it you?” Her voice escaped in a whisper.
Nabil frowned. “What?”
“Dammit, Nabil,” she said louder. “Did you do this?”
Before he could answer, Kjersi stormed from the lift toward the dining hall. She managed to make through the line and to her spot before Nabil dared to speak again.
“For someone not interested in Earth, you sure get worked up about this contest,” he said.
Kjersi ignored him and ate her food. Behind their seats, Ronan bragged loudly to his table. “Yes, yes, I am the winning entry!” He stood on his chair, presenting himself to the entire room. “I am 980918 and I am going to Earth!”
“Good riddance,” Nabil mumbled.
Kjersi pushed her tray forward, unable to take it any longer.
“Wait,” Nabil called after her. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Not now, Nabil,” Kjersi said, running from the dining hall before her disappointment made her lose control.
She fought back tears as she made her way down the hall. How had Ronan found Painite at such an opportune time? He’d stolen Jaala’s only chance to survive. If only there was some way she could convince him to give up his spot for her sister. But even Kjersi wasn’t naïve enough to believe Ronan would ever be so selfless.
Opening the door to her room, Kjersi froze immediately, sensing something was wrong. Scanning the room slowly, she instantly saw that Jaala was missing from her bed. “No!” Kjersi cried out, running inside. There Jaala lay on the floor, drenched in sweat as she mumbled to herself.
“Jaala, are you okay?” Kjersi knelt beside her sister, scooping her head into her lap. “Can you hear me?” But it was no use. Jaala was unconscious, mumbling over again and again a single word.
Painite.
♛
“You are the last person I ever expected to show up at my room,” Ronan said, leaning against his doorway, half-dressed in cotton pants.
Kjersi glanced down the hallway, worried someone might hear them. “Can’t we talk inside?”
Ronan raised a brow. “You, in my room at night? Why, whatever will the other undergrounders think?”
“Just let me in.”
Ronan leaned back, leaving Kjersi a tiny space to squeeze in between his body and the jamb. Kjersi spun around to face him as soon as she was inside. “I need to talk to you about the Painite.”
“So, I get a ticket to Earth and you finally come running.”
“It’s not like that,” Kjersi said quietly.
“Then what is it like, Kjersi?” Ronan asked. “Because I remember chasing after you since we were kids, and you snubbing me as if you were better than me.”
“This is important, Ronan. That ticket to Earth is the only way to save Jaala’s life. I need it for her.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister,” he said. “I truly am. But if I did have more Painite, what would you do for me?”
“Do you have more?” Kjersi’s heart raced in her chest as a smile played at the edge of Ronan’s lips. He was definitely hiding something. “I would do anything.”
“Really.” Ronan took a step toward her, backing Kjersi against the wall. “You’d do anything? Would you marry me?”
Kjersi’s gut churned as she slowly shook her head. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am dead serious.” His voice was deep and hot against her cheek as he leaned in closer. “If you expect me to stay in this shithole, then I need you to commit to being with me.”
“I can’t,” she said, choking on her words. She closed her eyes tight as an angry groan escaped Ronan’s lips.
“But of course, you’d do anything except be stuck with me forever. Get out of here.” He stepped away from her, the gap between them like a cold rush of air, slapping her awake.
Her eyelids jumped open. “No, Ronan, wait. Please reconsider. I just—I can’t—I’m not the one you want to be with forever. I won’t make you happy.”
He faced the opposite wall, his back turned to her as his shoulders lifted and fell with each breath. “Fine. Whatever. If you want another piece of Painite, you can give me half your workload for a week.”
“Half! That’s insane. I’d have to work extra shifts just to get my own work done.”
He shrugged. “You want me to give up my only chance to ever leave this place and you won’t sacrifice a little extra labor.”
“I want you to help me give Jaala a chance to survive.”
“Then you know what you need to do,” he sneered.
♛
“Where did you go last night?” Nabil asked at supper the next day. He was already finished eating when Kjersi walked in. Exhaustion had crept past the dust, into her muscles where it rested in her bones. But good old Nabil, loyal to a fault, had stuck around to sit with her.
Kjersi shrugged. “Jaala isn’t doing well.”
Nabil had tried to be his usual jovial self all day. But the pressure of the contest and the extra hours she put in today for Ronan were wearing on Kjersi. It was all she could do to keep everything from Nabil, but she needed to do everything she could to give Jaala one last entry. Today she noticed people were watching the lift, ready to pounce on any entrant who dared to ride to the surface.
“Why do you care so much about this contest, Nabil?”
“Why don’t you answer my questions?”
“I said I was helping Jaala last night.”
Nabil shook his head. “Funny thing is, I stopped by to make sure you were all right. I even brought you your tray of food that you didn’t finish. But no one answered.”
She shrugged. “I was probably sleeping.”
“Dammit, Kjersi.” Nabil slammed his hand down on the table, making her jump. “All I ask for is honesty. Don’t I deserve that? We’ve been friends since we were children.”
Before she could respond, Ronan appeared at the table. “Trouble in paradise?”
Nabil jumped from his chair, his hands balled into fists. But instead of taking his frustration out on Ronan, he stormed from the dining hall. Kjersi slowly released her breath as she set her utensils down on the tray.
“People are getting testy,” Ronan said. “There’s going to be a lot of disappointment at the end of this week. I’d hate to be on the receiving end of it.” He winked at Kjersi as he strutted down the aisle.
Kjersi had to get Jaala out of here before it was too late.
♛
At the end of the week, Kjersi was beyond exhausted. The only thing that kept her going was knowing that Jaala would be saved. As she approached Ronan’s room she was surprised to find him pinning another miner against the wall.
“Just show me your goggles and I’ll let you go,” Ronan said, pulling at the man’s gear. With a snap, the goggles came off and Ronan dropped the man to the ground.
“What’s going on here?” Kjersi asked, keeping her distance.
“Nothing,” Ronan said tossing the goggles back at the man. “Nothing at all.”
The guy scrambled away as Kjersi followed Ronan into his room. “Are you still looking for that first entrant?” she asked, shaking her head. “Seems stupid to care once you moved ahead of them.”
“How do I know the first
guy isn’t holding back another Painite?” he said, reaching up for a small box that sat close to the ceiling in his room. “If I had two, how do I know that guy doesn’t?”
“I’m sure he would have entered it by now,” Kjersi said, watching as Ronan pulled a Painite from the box. She couldn’t help but gasp out loud. This gem was much larger than her first entry; it was definitely going to get Jaala in.
Kjersi reached for the gem, but Ronan grabbed her wrist before she could reach it. “What are doing?” she asked, struggling against his grip.
He was staring at the goggles on her head. “I just realized that I never looked at your birthcode. What was it again? I remember you’re older than I am by only a month or two.”
Her eyes grew wide. What would Ronan say when he found her wearing Jaala’s gear? “It wasn’t me,” she said, shaking her head.
“I just want to peek,” he said, pulling her against his chest as he twisted her arm behind her back. Kjersi used her other arm to try to fight off Ronan, but he only twisted her arm tighter until she cried out in pain. When he finally got the goggles off her head, he pulled some hair with them.
“See,” he said, letting Kjersi go as he peered at the inside of the headgear. “That wasn’t so hard.”
She reached forward and snapped them from his hands. “Hey,” Ronan protested. “I only saw the ‘10’ at the end.”
“That’s proof enough I wasn’t the first entrant,” she said. “They ended with a ‘16.’ Now give me that Painite so I can get the hell out of here.”
“Don’t be such a poor sport,” Ronan said, handing the gem over.
A loud knock came from the other side of Ronan’s door. “What’s going on in there?” It was Nabil.
“Did you ask your boyfriend to watch out for you?” Ronan laughed, going to the door.
Kjersi shoved the Painite in her pocket as the door opened. Nabil appeared with worry crossing his face in dark lines. “What were you doing to her?” Nabil’s eyes narrowed as he looked from Kjersi to Ronan.
Kjersi quickly straightened her disheveled hair as Ronan burst into laughter. “Seriously, what do you think boys and girls do behind closed doors?”
Kjersi’s face flushed red as she met Nabil’s gaze. He took a step toward her, but she stepped back from his reach. “See, Nabil,” Ronan continued, “she doesn’t want you here. Did she tell you I proposed?”
“You—what?” Nabil’s face twisted as he looked at Kjersi. “You didn’t—you can’t be serious.”
“Of course not,” Kjersi said. “Why are you here?”
“I heard you call out,” he said. “I thought you were in trouble. I never expected you to be with him—”
“I can take care of myself,” she said, embarrassed, as she stormed past Nabil into the hallway. “And there is no me and him.”
She stormed away, trying not to listen as Ronan questioned Nabil about his birthcode.
♛
The lift ride the next day was quiet, as Kjersi stayed in a corner with Jaala’s goggles on her face. She tried to speak very little, so as not to make the lift driver suspicious that the same girl had returned. She’d even worn all of Jaala’s gear to the mines that day and tied her hair in a braid just as Jaala always did. Nabil had given her a strange loo, but didn’t speak a word to her all day.
“A third entrant!” The lift driver whistled as she stepped off of the lift. “The president will be pleased. Just continue to the door at the end. I’ll be back to get you later.”
The Painite felt heavy in her hand. Or maybe it was just a sign of how exhausted Kjersi had become. She didn’t recall ever being this tired, except maybe when her father had died. It was this damn contest. The weight of hope. It was almost all too much to bear.
“Hello, 930410,” the secretary said. “Please have a seat.”
Kjersi couldn’t believe her luck. It had worked!
Once inside the president’s office, things moved even more smoothly.
“Oh, this piece is even more beautiful than the last,” he gushed, clutching the Painite close to his face after washing it. “I swear, it’s as if you all have been hiding these precious gems down there.”
“No sir,” Kjersi shook her head. “Just anxious to get to Earth.”
He dropped the Painite in his glass of water and eyed it greedily. “Did you know that the first undergrounder that entered my contest wanted to give her seat to someone else? Preposterous, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.” Kjersi nodded quickly.
“But not you,” he said, eyeing her up approvingly. “No, you understand the importance of going to Earth.”
“So,” she asked, “is my gem bigger than the last? Am I a winner?”
“Let’s weigh it and see.” He squealed with excitement. “Of course, if it isn’t, I could keep it as part of my collection. You’d be well reimbursed, I promise. Maybe a dwelling on the surface, hmm? Get you out of those dark mines?”
“Let’s just weigh it and see.” Kjersi bit her lip as the president reached into the glass and pulled out the Painite, carefully dipping it on his bright white handkerchief. As the water wiped off, a thin peel of black came off as well.
“Why, what is this?” the president said, leaning close as he examined the gem. “This is just a rock. It’s been painted!”
Kjersi stepped back. “Why, no, that’s impossible. I—”
“Are you trying to trick me?” he said, standing from his desk. “Now that’s preposterous! Unbelievable, 930410! I am flagging your number. You will never, ever be allowed to leave the mines. Go back where you came from. I never want to see you on the surface again.”
Two guards entered the room and dragged her from the president’s office, through the lobby, and down the hall to the lift before Kjersi could plead her case. The lift driver was silent the entire way down as Kjersi huddled into a corner, her anger ready to burst the moment she saw Ronan. She’d trusted him to spin straw into gold. She should have known better.
When she stepped off the lift she stormed straight for the cafeteria. There her entire crew was still seated, finishing their meal. She beelined straight past Nabil’s empty chair to Ronan’s seat.
“Liar!” she screamed, pulling Ronan back by the hair on his head. Startled, it took him a moment to recover, but soon he had pushed his chair back into Kjersi, knocking her over.
“Get off me, you crazy bag!” he said, standing above her.
She scrambled to her feet. “You lied. You gave me a fake piece of Painite!”
“You were foolish enough to believe me,” Ronan sneered. “Did you really think I’d give up Earth for you?”
“It was for Jaala,” Kjersi said, a sob escaping her lips. “I needed it to save my sister’s life.”
Ronan scowled. “Your sister will become nothing more than mine dust, like your father before her.”
Kjersi screamed, thrusting herself at Ronan, but one of the 98ers jumped up to stop her. Another stood behind Ronan, holding him back.
“Get out of here,” Ronan said, kicking into thin air. “You’re pathetic.”
♛
The last week of the contest went by achingly slow. After the announcement of the third Painite find being a fake, the lift was lined up with people desperate to go to the surface to see if gems they’d found could possibly be Painite. The president put a stop to this immediately, putting security guards in the lift and the tunnels surrounding it where they tested each gem before allowing anyone to come to the surface. But no more Painite had been found. Disappointment spread across the faces of the miners each night they met for supper.
“The president will be announcing the winner tonight, after supper!” the lift driver called out to everyone as they exited for the dining hall. “It’s very exciting to think that one of you undergrounders will be given the great privilege of returning to Earth, where our ancestors lived. Make sure you’re in your rooms by last call in case you’re the winner.”
Ronan pushed past ever
yone, getting awfully close to one of the president’s guards. “I demand to know who the first entrant was,” he said. He’d obviously worked his way through all the 98ers without success. He continued to a second guard and then a third. But the guards never breathed a word, standing still as statues with their hands on their guns.
Kjersi couldn’t help but smirk as she walked past. It made her happy to see that Ronan was bothered by her original entry. He deserved whatever fate would befall him for having tricked her. Kjersi couldn’t wait for things to go back to normal in the mines. Even Jaala had pulled through her fever, and though very weak, she was conscious. Kjersi had been as much of a fool as the others to let hope in. Even Nabil would eventually forget his hope of going to Earth. Leo 6 was their home. They weren’t meant to survive on the surface—let alone in the skies.
“What do you think is so funny?” Ronan asked, grabbing Kjersi’s arm and spinning her around. “You think you’re so great because you don’t care about this contest?” Gripping her tighter, he leaned in to her ear, spitting on the side of her face, and said, “You and your sister are stuck down here for the rest of your lives, and we both know her time is almost up.”
Kjersi slapped Ronan’s cheek with her free hand. His eyes watered as her hand left a mark in the dust on his face.
“Is there a problem here?” A guard stopped next to them.
Ronan shook his head, a sneer crossing his face as he studied Kjersi. “No, sir. Not at all.” He let go of her arm, and Kjersi rubbed the spot where his fingers had left marks on her skin.
In the dining hall, she noticed there was pie on the menu and instantly thought of Nabil. She walked to their regular seats, but Nabil was nowhere to be seen. She caught a glimpse of Ronan, watching her with eyes narrowed as he tapped a knife on the table. Kjersi decided it would be best to eat in her room tonight until the contest was over. Her skin crawled as she walked away, the sensation of Ronan’s gaze burning into her back.
Magic at Midnight Page 34
