I’d hated Nowhere for a long time after that.
“Nobody's getting executed,” I assured my friends. “We'll be fine.”
We reached the stone wall. I kept my eye out for the spot where the cement blocks could be removed. It took us a little longer to push the blocks away than it had taken Bram, but we got through.
On the other side, Keira brushed the dirt from her knees. “How do you propose we find this kid's mom?”
That was a good question. “We'll just ask around. Everyone knows each other.”
I spotted a woman holding a stick with chunks of meat over a tin can of fire. She looked aged, as did many of the people of Litropolis. The woman was silver-haired with bulged and wrinkled skin. Her fingers were abnormally curved and deformed. People in Farrington and the Upper Estates didn't look like that. Her appearance was the result of someone who was running low on years.
With Chase and Keira on my heels, I moved toward her. I cleared my throat, and the woman jumped. That was unusual. It was hard to sneak up on a Grim.
I felt bad for startling her. “Excuse me. Can you tell me where I can find the families of two boys named Starkin and DeCarlo? Someone named Claudia?”
The woman looked at the three of us apprehensively. Then she looked down at the meat and shook her head. The woman probably thought we had bad intentions and wasn't willing to rat out her fellow Litropolites.
“Please,” I pleaded. “It's very important. Something happened and their families should know. Starkin asked me to relay the message. He told me his mother's name is Claudia.”
The woman thought for a moment before pointing straight ahead, which really wasn't helpful.
“Straight where?” Keira asked. The woman jutted her thumb to the right.
“We go straight and then make a right?” I asked to clarify.
The woman nodded. I thanked her and left her alone. Her fear of me made me uncomfortable.
It took us about five minutes to get to the end of the street, navigating through people preparing their suppers over tin can fires. Again, all eyes were on us as Litropolites wondered what we were doing in their city. We made the right and found ourselves at a dead end. One tent sat at the corner right, before a brick wall.
“Think that's it?” Chase asked.
“We'll see,” I answered, walking toward the tent.
I knelt at the opening. A woman sat on the ground with a whining infant cuddled in her arms. There was a girl who looked about ten and a boy who looked about Dorian's age. There was no place for me to knock, so I spoke to announce my presence. “Good evening. Are you Claudia?”
The woman nodded, clutching the baby tighter. “Who are you?”
The children stared at us, and the baby quieted. “I'm Naomi. This is Chase and Keira.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why are you looking for me?”
“Your son asked me to.”
She looked at her children and then at me before handing the baby to the girl. I backed up, and she crawled out of the tent and walked us a few feet away.
“What happened to my boy? Is he dead?”
I shook my head. “No, no, but the Watchers did take him to Gattica.” I hated the words as they came out of my mouth. We all knew going to Gattica was only a little bit better than being dead.
Claudia gasped and touched her heart. “Gatti—For what? What did he do?”
“He was involved in a fight. They took his friend DeCarlo also,” Keira answered.
Claudia bowed her head and wept. She was beautiful, with short curly hair that framed her pale face. If not for the dark circles under her eyes, she would have been prettier. She had probably been up all night worrying about her son. In my hurry to fulfill Starkin's wishes, I hadn't realized I was basically telling a mother she would never see her son again. There were no visiting hours in Gattica.
I looked at Keira and Chase, but they only shrugged. I rubbed the woman's back.
“What did he do?” she asked again. “What could he have possibly done for them to do this to him?”
Keira had already answered that question. I didn't know what else to say. “Um, I'm really sorry.”
Chase, Keira, and I backed away.
“How do you know what happened?” the woman asked.
I'd been hoping to avoid that question. “We were there.”
“Who was he fighting with?”
I couldn't very well tell her it was my brother and that he, in fact, had started the fight.
“We don't know. We were just passing by,” Keira answered, saving me.
“Do you know where DeCarlo's family lives?” I asked.
Instead of answering, Claudia rounded the corner to another tent. We followed.
“Nila! Nila!”
Another woman dressed in black rags stumbled out of her tent. “What? What's the matter with you?”
Claudia grabbed Nila by the shoulders. “The boys, the boys! They took them to Gattica!”
Nila, who I assumed to be DeCarlo's mother, buckled. Chase caught her and held her up.
“Gattica?” Nila asked. “For what? They're good boys. They're good boys!”
From what I could tell, Starkin and DeCarlo had only been trying to protect the honor of their city, so I believed Nila.
“Fighting,” Claudia answered. “You better believe, if they were taken in for that, they were fighting someone outside of Litropolis.”
DeCarlo's mother nodded. “Yes, and they would never leave the city so someone was in here who didn't belong.” She looked at us accusingly. We were where we didn't belong as she spoke.
Chase grabbed my arm. Overcome with guilt, I turned away from the women. If Bram hadn't come here to get a tattoo, their sons wouldn't have been taken away.
The three of us, holding hands, made our way back to the exit. I was grateful I hadn't come alone.
“You tell your lord,” DeCarlo's mother shouted. We stopped and turned to her. “You tell your lord, it's only a matter of time. We will have our day of vindication. Justice will be served!”
Chapter 9
Two days left.
I didn't know what Nila meant, and I didn't want to know. I needed to focus on the task at hand. We were spending one more day going over academics, and I had learned nothing so far.
“They're going to think you're stupid, Nay,” Dorian said as he flipped through a chemistry book.
“Let them. I hear that's kind of cool anyway.”
Bram sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. The night we came back from Litropolis, Father had flipped about Bram's ear gauges and Dorian's black eye. I didn't even want to think about what Mother would say when she came back. Bram had yet to reveal his tattoo. That would be a whole new episode.
Father entered the kitchen with his tablet. “Feeling good, kids? The day after tomorrow, you'll be on your way.”
This was all Father had talked about lately. He was already planning how he would decorate our mansion in the Upper Estates. I wanted to tell him what the woman had said in Litropolis, to ask him what he thought it meant, but if he and Bram knew I had gone back, they'd kill me.
Bram blew on his coffee. “Can't wait.”
“I hope I have a science class,” Dorian said. Worrying about a science class wouldn’t impress Father. “I mean, I can't wait to collect all those lifestones.”
“Do you think Mother will be back before we go?” I asked.
Father kissed my forehead. “I don't know, Darkness. I hope so, but I wouldn't count on it.”
The doorbell rang, and Dorian ran to answer it. Mr. Dunningham entered with his dogs and assistant. It was going to be one of those days. Doyle arrived minutes after.
Thankfully, Father found a way to coax Dunningham to his study to look at some research he had been doing. That past week he had been secretive about it. I often asked what he was studying, but I was always told that it didn't concern me.
Keira and Josh arrived, and we took our places in the living room. N
either Keira nor I had talked about what had happened the day before. It was best to keep it a secret.
After another day of looking through textbooks, Chase, Keira, and I went to Brickman's.
“I got dispatched. I'm leaving in an hour,” Chase announced.
I was bummed that I wouldn't be able to see him tomorrow.
Chase slurped the last of his soda. “This might be the last time I see you guys. Ever.”
Keira picked at her chipped black nail polish. “What?”
“I'm going on assignment. Who knows how long you guys are going to be gone? What if I'm on assignment when you come back and you move before I come home?”
I sighed. “Chase, we've already been through this. We will come to visit you all the time.”
Chase slouched down in his seat like he didn't believe me, but I meant it. I had no intentions of making new friends in the Upper Estates. Chase and Keira were all I needed.
Speaking of the Upper Estates—the bell above the door rang as Sable walked in with two other girls. Sable had lived in Farrington up until a few months ago. An earthquake had earned her family enough money to move out of Farrington. Sable had been all right when she lived here, but once she moved, she changed into an entirely different person. I vowed not to let that happen to me.
I was surprised Sable and her new friends were in a place like Brickman's. They had their own upper-crust hangouts in the Upper Estates.
Sable sauntered over to our table. Her extraordinary cheekbones made her stand out from other Grims. I tried not to stare as she stood over us, her long black hair falling over her shoulders.
“So I hear there's going to be a reunion soon,” she said as her friends sat at another booth.
“A reunion?” Keira asked.
“Yes. We'll be able to be friends again, once you guys move to the Upper Estates.”
Keira rolled her eyes. “There was never anything keeping us from being friends, Sable. You can come here anytime you like.”
“Yes, of course, but that's just not the way it works there, girls.”
Chase cleared his throat as if to say, “I told you so.”
“Oh, I'm sorry, Chase,” Sable said. “I'm sure you're going to miss them, but who knows? Maybe one day your family will make it over the wall.”
“Chase doesn't have to wait for one day,” I said. “We'll be seeing him every day.”
Chase slid out of the booth. “I have to go. I have an assignment. Good luck, guys,” he told Keira and me.
Sable took his vacated seat. “What's his problem?” Neither Keira nor I answered. “Look, girls, I'm sorry. You'll understand once you get over there. Oh, it's absolutely amazing. We have the best shops and restaurants. The houses are spectacular. You'll have servants and drivers. I hardly walk anywhere, except when I come here.”
Cars were forbidden in Farrington, but everyone had one in the Upper Estates.
“And the guys. Your parents can hook you up with the créme de la créme. You won't ever have to worry about anything—running out of years, money, anything. Dunningham really looks out for us. Don't even get me started on the parties and balls.”
“Is that so?” Keira asked, sounding completely uninterested.
“I can't believe you guys. You should be ecstatic, and you're acting like you don't even care.”
“We care,” I replied. “What do you want us to do, turn cartwheels?”
“I'm sure Bram is happy,” Sable said slyly. Every girl I knew had to work Bram into the conversation.
“Why are you worried about Bram?” Keira asked.
Why was she worried about Sable being worried about Bram?
Sable sighed. “I can see you guys are in bad moods, so I'll leave you alone. You'll come crawling to me once you're in the Upper Estates and you need someone to show you the ropes.”
She and her friends left without ordering anything. Clearly, she had only come to offer us her expertise on the Upper Estates.
Chapter 10
One day left. Everyone was present for our last and final lesson—Father and Dunningham included.
Doyle placed five black velvet boxes on the coffee table.
“What are those?” Josh asked.
Doyle stood in front of us and picked up one of the boxes. “You can't walk around a school with your scythes, but you can't collect lives without them.” He opened the box and held the contents out for us to see. It was a silver chain with a tiny silver scythe charm on it. “So we had these made for you. When you're wearing them, they will possess the same powers as your scythe. You must never take them off. They are just as sacred as your scythes.”
Dunningham's assistant handed us each a box. I removed my necklace, letting my fingers run over the cold metal. I loved jewelry. I wished we could wear these all the time instead of walking around with the heavy scythe that could sometimes be a nuisance.
Dunningham stood and took mine from me. “Here, let me.”
I turned a little so he could fasten it around my neck. My body shivered from his ice-cold touch, and I wanted him to move away.
“There,” he said and thankfully went back to sit in Father's chair.
Doyle sat also. “Now this is the most important part. You must return to the residence each night. None of the Humans can know where you live. You cannot bring them there.”
The residence. It was going to be weird with just us kids living together. I was used to being away from home for long periods of time when on assignment, but I was always alone—just me and the Human I was following. A smile spread across Bram's face. I knew he was already thinking it was party time.
“Now, Bram,” Doyle continued, “I will be dropping in from time to time, but when I'm not there, you're in charge.”
Had Doyle never met my brother? What kind of idiot would leave him in charge?
“Make sure everyone is home by their curfew each night. Make sure they are following the Covenant. Keep the Humans out of the home. Get as close to the Humans as you can without blowing your cover. Is that understood?”
Bram nodded. “Yes, sir. Don't worry. I'll keep these kids out of trouble.”
I tried really hard not to roll my eyes. Who was going to keep him out of trouble?
Mr. Dunningham stood, hopefully to leave. “Young Grims, I have entrusted you with a prestigious task—a task I would only offer to the best of the best. Govern yourselves accordingly.”
That night, Father gave us a long lecture before we went to bed about how our future in Nowhere was riding on this. How this assignment was going to open so many doors for us. In other words, we couldn’t mess up.
We turned in early to get a good night's sleep, although I never fell asleep. I was anxious about being a high school student among the Humans, and I wasn't sure I could pull it off. What if everyone hated me? What if I fell prey to a bully?
I reminded myself that I wouldn't be alone. My brothers and best friend would be there. Everything would be fine.
The following morning, Father made us a hearty breakfast, which was unusual. He hardly ever cooked. We munched on scrambled eggs, sausages, potato cakes, toast, and melon. I was stuffed, but my plate was still half-full. Father told me I needed to eat it all so I could start the day off on the right foot. I didn't think vomiting would be the way to do that.
I dressed in my usual attire—black boots, black jeans, a black tank top, and my black hoodie. The other night Keira and I had decided that we would see how the other kids were dressed first, and then we'd adjust our wardrobes. I slid my new backpack on my shoulders. I'd never had use for one before. I grabbed the duffel bag filled with things I had packed and went downstairs.
We stood at the pantry/transporting chamber. Father handed us each an envelope filled with money for various expenses. It was American money, a different currency from the silver coins we used in Nowhere. Bram's wad was twice as large as Dorian's and mine. He would be in charge of keeping the house stocked with food and other necessities.
We loaded our things into the chamber before giving Father a final hug. As we stepped inside, Father gave me an extra kiss on the top of my head. “Take care of them,” he said to Bram as the door of the chamber slid shut.
We began to move up, as if we were in an elevator. Doyle had said there would be a vehicle waiting for us. I'd told him that none of us knew how to operate a vehicle, but Bram had insisted that he did.
The chamber opened up to a forest clearing. There was nothing but trees and a black SUV, a nice one with black-tinted windows. It was big enough to carry us and all our things.
The trees formed a nice canopy over us. I was happy for the shade. The Human world was much too bright for a Grim's eyes.
“Nice!” Bram said as we carried our bags toward the SUV. The doors were unlocked. We threw our duffel bags in the back compartment. I climbed into the passenger seat. Bram slid in front of the steering wheel, where the keys sat in the ignition.
Dorian got in the middle row. “Bram, don't wreck this thing, okay?”
“Relax. I know what I'm doing.”
But he didn't. It took him a while to start the car and get it out of park. We lurched forward. Bram slammed on the brakes, and I almost hit my head on the dashboard, prompting me to pull the seatbelt around my waist. I wasn't worried about us, but I didn't want Bram wrecking our only source of transportation.
Bram made sharp turns and slammed on the brakes for what seemed like a long time. I felt sick. A little box connected to the dashboard told us how to get to Kennedy High.
Finally, we pulled in front of a huge red-bricked building that had several other buildings behind it. Kids walked toward the school in all directions. Someone honked a horn behind us.
“All right, all right,” Bram muttered. He pulled into the place where the other cars were parked. He turned into an empty space, put the car in park, and turned off the ignition. The finality of that made my stomach drop.
Naomi Grim: The Final Breath Chronicles Book One Page 7
