by Ryan Gawley
How was she going to tell Sam that poor Aunt Susan had died but had left her with amazing news? Although she was raised as an only child Lucy had a half-sister! In the shoebox were scores of love letters written to her father. In her letter Aunt Susan had explained how she found them when sorting through her father’s belongings and had wanted to spare Lucy the shock since she was still coping with her father’s death. It was Aunt Susan’s intention to tell her everything when the time was right but when diagnosed as terminally ill she didn’t know how to break the news about her sickness and also tell of the secret she had kept so instead wrote a letter to Lucy telling what she felt she needed to know.
Aunt Susan’s letter explained how after Lucy’s mother died her father had become involved in an affair with Claudia Henderson, the wife of the head of the Upper Council. A child was born from the affair and the girl had been named Kathy. She had been raised as an Elite but she was the daughter of James Nolan, Lucy’s father, making Kathy Lucy’s half-sister. It was all there in the box, old love letters, photos of her father and Claudia together and many pictures of Kathy at different ages, the dates and her age written on the back of each photo allowing Lucy to see what her sister looked like and how she had grown. She was surprised to see that they looked similar to one another but realised there would of course be some family resemblance.
In the most recent picture taken about three years earlier Lucy could see that Kathy had her father’s eyes. That was when she knew it was true and that she could not leave Raven City without finding her sister.
‘What to do?’ Lucy wondered to herself speaking into the silence as she had been doing for the past few weeks since Susan passed away. After a city disposal crew arrived to remove the body for cremation Lucy had been left alone with no one to talk to apart from occasional calls to Sam so even the sound of her own voice helped relieve the isolation.
‘If I stay to find Kathy I’ll not be there to meet Sam but if I leave how am I ever going to find Kathy? Oh Aunt Susan I wish you were here,’ she said aloud to the empty rooms half hoping for some answer from beyond the grave but she knew this was one more dilemma she would have to work through on her own.
‘Come on Lucy, think. You’ve got to do something or you’ll turn into a crazy old lady living alone and collecting stray cats. How does Sam live like this?’ she wondered, feeling the lack of human contact like a vacuum all around her.
Her mind in a spin and with only a few days until she was to meet Sam the approaching deadline drove her to make a decision. She left the letter from Aunt Susan and the shoebox of letters and photos on the bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen to make a cup of herbal tea to help her relax. The ritual of boiling water and brewing the hot beverage often helped her to feel calm and focus. As she stirred the last spoonful from a jar of a honey into the tea an idea crept into her mind that she almost immediately disregarded, the thought making her skin crawl but at the same instant she knew it was her best chance of meeting her sister and somehow explaining to her all she had just learned.
Lucy worked for a cleaning company from the Dreg sector which had operated for several years providing services to Elite office buildings and residential tower blocks. All of the employees had to pass a strict security clearance program as did all Dregs who were cleared to pass the sector barricades each morning to work in servitude to the Elites. The money was better than working in the Dreg factories and Lucy found that some of the customers could be pleasant enough if you did what was expected of you and did a good job. At least her crew were a good bunch of people; some had even grown to trust each other, except for the boss, Andrew Harper.
Harper gave himself a higher than fair share of the earnings and kept the best contracts for himself meaning he skimmed off the biggest tips. He worked in all the best Elite buildings and sleazed his way to the top floors, finding some sick gratification from sucking up to the rich clientele. He never invited the male staff to clean these prestigious residences allowing only the prettiest girls to work along with him, something he turned to his favour by requiring a fee from the girls for this privilege.
The very idea made Lucy nauseous but she knew this would be her only chance to access Henderson’s building and attempt to contact her sister. She had already asked Harper to allow her a few weeks off to manage her Aunt’s funeral and even though she was obviously deeply upset and grieving he had made stomach churning advances toward her. Lucy knew the boss had a thing for her since she began working for him and felt she needed a shower after every moment in his presence.
One of Lucy’s colleagues had warned her about him. ‘You’ll go far if you let him go far, that’s how it works,’ but she never accepted Harper’s repeated offers which made him covert her all the more.
Lucy observed how a few of the girls who worked with Harper in the high rate apartments banded together in a clique seeming to consider themselves a higher class than the other workers but Lucy guessed it was how they justified what they did. If you met one of the girls alone the haunted look in their eyes told all, they were desperate like everyone else and doing whatever they had to in order to survive or provide for their family.
Staring into a mirror over the fireplace she fixed her hair and applied a little eye shadow to hide the tiredness before powering on the net-screen in the small living room and placed a call to her boss, half hoping he wouldn’t answer but knowing she had no choice but to speak with him. Seeing her ID appear on his screen Harper accepted the call immediately and greeted Lucy with a predatory smile.
‘Well hello my gorgeous little lady, how are feeling? You know I’ve missed you. We’ve all missed you of course. Are you coming back to us soon?’
Fighting the urge to just hang up the call Lucy forced a smile. ‘Hi Mr. Harper.’
‘Come on Lucy, you know its Andrew, please.’
‘Well, Andrew, I wanted to get in touch. Thank you for letting me have the time off but I was hoping I could come back to work, I was thinking tomorrow morning if that suited?’
‘Of course Lucy, of course. I’ll always have a place for a pretty little thing like you. I filled your space with a young man who Stephen recommended but I’ll tell him he’s out, you’re back and that’s all there is to it.’
‘Oh I don’t want to cause someone to lose their job over me Andrew,’ Lucy paused while she composed herself and tried to affect a soft girlish voice. ‘I was thinking, you’ve been very good to me and I’d like it if I could join you and the other girls, you know, in the special services team. Some of the girls tell me you even work in the Upper Council residential towers. I’ve always worked hard for you, I do a good job; you think I’ve earned it?’ Lucy coiled her hair around her finger while she fawned over the screen playing to the fantasies of the pervert on the other end of the call.
‘Sure you can, I’d be only delighted to have you join me, join us I mean. The girls won’t be too happy about having you along, more competition for them but I’ll see to it that you’re welcomed in. Stay with me and I’ll make sure you’re well looked after.’ Harper replied, practically drooling on his shirt. ‘But why now, I always thought you weren’t interested in making more money. I could never understand why you always seemed happier doing the dirty work with the regular cleaning crews in the factories and kitchens.’
‘Well, I’ve had some time to think over the past few weeks and I realise now that you saw something in me and I should have taken you up on your offer a long time ago. Thanks for giving me another chance.’
‘I’m just glad you’ve decided to join us at last. Well, you can meet me and the girls at the office at seven tomorrow morning. Just remember to wear something nice, something short. You know what I like, you’ve seen what the other girls wear and we have to look the good for the customer, present a professional image to keep their business. Very important you remember that. Okay?’
‘Oh yes, of course, you’re right. I’ll see you in the morning then Andrew, and thanks again,’ said Lu
cy ending the call feeling as though her soul had shrivelled with every word she had spoken.
Spurred on by necessity and a new found sense of purpose Lucy searched for something to wear for her new role at work then spent the rest of the day writing a letter to her sister. ‘How do you tell someone you have never met that you’re their sister?’ she wondered but after several attempts and crumpled pages she had drafted the best explanation she could manage and slipped the letter into an envelope along with a photograph from the shoebox showing a teenage Kathy with her mother and another picture of Lucy with their father. She hoped it would be enough to allow Kathy to believe there may be some truth in the words she had written but Lucy knew she had only just begun to believe it herself.
Early the next morning with the envelope containing her letter and the pictures tucked into the small of her back under the waist band of her underwear Lucy waited for her employer to arrive. Many of the workers travelled directly to the sites they maintained but some arrived each morning at the supply depot where they trudged through the office to the stores beyond to gather cleaning supplies and other sanitation consumables which they loaded into trailers towed behind bicycles rickshaw style. Teams of three or four worked together and covered an area of the city each. It was an efficient system and with minimal overheads especially in factories where everything but the workforce was supplied. Among the teams was Lucy’s old crew who were by now all good friends and when they learned Lucy had returned they showed genuine concern asking how she was bearing up after her aunt had died and enquired as to when she would be coming back on the crew.
Stephen who had been on the team for the longest and had recommended another of his friends to be Lucy’s replacement was the first to comment.
‘Hey Lucy, what’s with the makeup and hair? A bit glamorous for blue overalls don’t you think?’
‘Shut up Stephen, she’s only back from a rough few weeks; she just wants to feel good about herself, leave it be. You look lovely Lucy,’ said Julianne, another girl on her old crew sticking up for her.
‘Oh yeah, well I don’t think she’ll be scrubbing factory toilets and kitchen sinks in heels like that,’ said Stephen pointing to black patent leather shoes with three inch heel. While not skyscraper stilettos they were certainly nothing like the old army surplus boots Lucy had always worn.
‘Oh Lucy, you haven’t?’ said Julianne. ‘Tell me you haven’t signed up to Harper’s tramp squad?’
‘I’m sorry guys,’ said Lucy feeling ashamed and wanting to explain to her friends the reasons for what she was doing but she knew she had to keep it to herself. Just a few days to get word to her sister, meet with Sam and then, well, then she’d see what happens next but they would all be together wouldn’t they? She had no choice now.
‘Look, it’s not what you think, there’s something going on, it’s complicated. You’d understand if I could tell you about it but I can’t, I’m sorry. It’s just that,’ but as Lucy spoke everyone turned to look through the office window as a dilapidated dark blue van with “Harper’s Executive Cleaning Services” emblazoned along the side panels in flaking white lettering pulled up outside. The door slid back as four attractive girls in their mid-twenties, wearing short black low cut dresses, white pinafore aprons, high heels, too much makeup and too much attitude stepped out and were accompanied by Andrew Harper as he quickly hopped down from the driver’s seat and raced ahead of them to greet Lucy.
‘Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. So good to see you,’ said Harper as he walked into the office pushing past the regular crew in their blue uniform overalls and pulled Lucy into an awkward hug. ‘Now let’s get a look at you my dear,’ he said taking a step back and gesturing for her to remove her long winter coat.
As she unbuttoned the front of her black parka jacket she faked a smile for Harper and looked to her former workmates for support but not even Julianne attempted to hide her disgust at Lucy’s selling out. Silently she implored her friends to please understand as she opened her coat to reveal a short black dress. It was one she had kept in her wardrobe from when she and Sam had been first dating and she had kept it for special occasions. It was a beautiful dress and Lucy looked stunning in it but now she felt disgusting, the most uncomfortable she had ever been as Harper’s greedy eyes roamed over her body.
‘When this is over,’ she told herself, ‘I’m going to burn this dress,’ since now it had been tainted she could never feel good wearing it again.
‘Oh yes, you look fantastic Lucy, yes indeed. We’ll just need an apron for you and I have a temporary Elite sector gate pass for you. If you show the Enforcers at the gate along with your ID card they’ll let you pass, as long as I vouch for you. You’d tell me if you’ve been a naughty girl wouldn’t you?’ Harper said with a crawling tone and a sickening glint in his eye.
As Lucy waited for her gate pass and uniform apron her old crew filed past her throwing filthy looks, the joy at seeing her again now turned sour.
Julianne paused and said to Lucy, ‘I can’t believe you’re going to work with Harper. All those dirty old bastards grabbing your arse and watching you bend over to pick up their mess just for a few extra dollars. And what if they ask for some personal attention? Is that what you’re doing now? Of all people Lucy I never thought you’d sell yourself over to that.’
‘Julianne, it’s not like that.’
‘Then what? What is it like? You tell me what good reason you have for leaving your crew to whore yourself like a little dolled up maid for those rich bastards. What’s worse is giving in to that pervert Harper; he’s the biggest slime of them all.’
‘I’m sorry Julianne, I wish I could make you understand but I can’t tell you, I’m really sorry.’
With that Julianne left saying nothing further but banged shoulders with Harper as she passed him on his way into the office with the uniform apron and ID for Lucy.
‘Watch it,’ Harper shouted after Julianne. ‘You’re easy to replace, drop the attitude.’
As she walked away Julianne flipped the bird over her shoulder which amused her colleagues and angered Harper who made a mental note to deal with her later in private.
Lucy found her first day back at work absolutely demeaning. At the sector barrier gate her temporary gate pass caused an alert and she was ordered out of the van and patted down by two Enforcers each taking their time with her, removing their gloves to run their hands up her legs, groping her bottom and breasts while the other girls in the van coldly looked on.
Staring into the side mirror Harper felt a burning jealousy surfacing from the fantasies he had of Lucy, of how he longed to do the same and more. He knew he couldn’t stop the Enforcers so said nothing but only his fear of being arrested forced him to exercise great restraint for if another man had done the same Harper would have killed him. As far as he was concerned Lucy was his now and he planned that someday soon he would have her all for himself. Until then he would share her only with the Elites and even then only with those who paid.
All day they drove through the Elite sector according to that day’s schedule working in various personal palaces each one grander than anything Lucy had ever seen, the contrast between even the most homely Dregs sector housing and the cheapest of the Elite’s quarters like night and day. Harper amused himself by making sleazy, smutty remarks any time he opened his mouth or spent the time as the girls worked trying to ingratiate himself with the rich men who paid to have their homes cleaned by a team of pretty girls in short dresses. He told the girls he was there to be sure the work was completed satisfactorily and to be sure the customer didn’t get too “hands-on” with the help but of course he only laughed when one of the high powered customers got frisky and grabbed a handful of buttock or pretended to accidentally brush past a breast while reaching for something on a shelf the very moment one of the girls was there to dust.
It was all part of the game for Harper and Lucy figured it was just a way for these rich men to get a cheap thrill until half way through the
job at the first Elite apartment the owner, a skeleton of a man with a sickly grey completion pointed a bony finger toward one of the girls as she wiggled her behind while dusting a baby grand piano in the luxury living quarters.
‘That one,’ was all he said and Harper immediately approached the girl who had been chosen.
‘Lydia, you’re up,’ said Harper as he put an arm around the girl’s waist and brought her to the thin man as he unsteadily made his way toward the staircase. The girl remained expressionless and made no attempt to show warmth or affection instead seeming to withdraw even further into herself.
Seeing the frail old figure lead the young girl to his bedroom Lucy knew what she had gotten herself involved in. She had known what went on before she agreed to join Harper’s special inner group or at least she had told herself the rumours were exaggerated but seeing it happen now in front of her she no longer felt angry at the bitter reception she received from the other girls. She pitied them for the life they lived and at the same time a ball of fear grew in the pit of her stomach thinking how she could be chosen at random by one of these disgusting men. She wanted to drop everything and run, to get home and scrub herself in the hottest of baths but she knew this was her only hope of getting close to her sister.
‘Sometimes they don’t choose anyone,’ said one of the other girls, ‘sometimes they just like to watch us work. If you do get chosen its extra money for Harper and you get your share but if you refuse to take a client Harper has your details from the security clearance background check, he threatens to report your family for harbouring gang members or illegal weapons or anything else he dreams up. He threatened to have my little boy taken from me, said he knew the Enforcers were taking children into their training camps as young as four now.’
