Sunken Eyes (Cruel and Beautiful World Book 2)

by L. Stoddard Hancock

  They eventually arrived at the spot where Deryn and Xander had gotten off the tram that very first night they'd found each other. Standing on the curb, they all waited patiently. Except for Xander, who was pacing with his arms crossed.

  "Stop being so antsy," snapped Luka. "We're trying to be inconspicuous, remember?"

  "I just want this to be fucking over already," said Xander, stopping his pacing but starting to fidget with his coat. He glanced sideways at Deryn, who was staring straight ahead, trying to breathe steadily while squeezing the life out of Bronson's hand.

  Suddenly, a red tram hovering above the ground pulled in front of them, ringing its bell as it came to a halt. Xander stepped on first, scanning his wristband then waiting as the others all entered. Deryn was second to last and trying hard to look casual as she touched her band to the scanner. It gave a green light of approval and she moved on, smiling at Xander as she did so.

  Once they were all in, Xander purchased a chocolate bar from the attendant behind the counter and handed it to Deryn. She smiled and laughed at the joke, easing slightly as they took their seats in that first car. This time she ate the candy, but the first bar he'd given her she would never eat.

  "I miss my bike," said Luka with a frown. "The tram is so fucking annoying."

  "At least you Guardians can afford bikes and ride them at night," said Bronson. "I actually have to take this shit home every day."

  Deryn was surprised that Luka was actually sitting behind Bronson when he could have easily sat with Xander instead. Over the last couple of weeks she couldn't help but notice that he often made a point to be as far from the other man as possible.

  She hadn't told Xander about the secret she'd tricked out of Luka, even though he had asked numerous times what it was that made her fall over in laughter the night Luka had his mind control chip installed. She knew it was not her place to say anything but almost every time she looked at Luka she found herself giggling, so she was fairly certain Xander had come to his own conclusions about what had happened.

  Throughout the entire tram ride Deryn could feel Xander's eyes on her from the seat just across from her. She turned to him every now and then and smiled to reassure him that everything was all right, but the farther they got from his apartment the more nervous she became. Staring down at her and Bronson's clasped hands she couldn't help but wish it was Xander's hand she was holding. But that would have been too risky. Xander couldn't look like he had a girlfriend if, by chance, they ran into any Guardians.

  She wasn't his girlfriend, of course! They had never discussed such a thing, but if they were walking around holding hands then observers would obviously jump to conclusions.

  "Why are you blushing like that?"

  Deryn was torn out of her daze and whipped her head to look at Luka, who was watching her closely. "I'm not," she said while moving her eyes to the floor.

  "Yes you -"

  "Our stop is next," interrupted Xander as he got to his feet.

  Everyone else followed his lead.

  Some girl walked by Xander right then, making sure to knock his shoulder exceptionally hard. He fell against Deryn and barely caught her, as well as himself, before they could plummet to the floor.

  "Excuse you!" he said, whirling his head and staring coldly at the girl.

  "Oh, I am so sorry, asshole," she said while turning to face him. She crossed her arms and gave Deryn a good onceover. "Is this your wife?"

  Xander knitted his brow. "Do I know you?"

  The girl's eyes sparked. "Are you kidding me?"

  He shrugged.

  After letting out a frustrated huff, she looked at Deryn and said, "If you are his wife then I suggest you start looking into divorce as an option, because your slutty husband has been messing around with just about every girl in Middle City."

  Deryn looked at Xander, who had gone incredibly stiff. She rolled her eyes, pushed him off of her and grabbed Bronson's hand. "I'm not his wife," she scoffed. "He's not even married. And if you believe he is I can only imagine that you're one of the many women he brings home at night."

  The girl opened her mouth to say something but, before she could, Deryn continued.

  "He lied to you, like he lies to all of them to get them out of his apartment. But what really gets me is how women like you actually expect the men you go home with only hours, sometimes minutes after meeting them to be of any quality. So instead of getting on him for being an asshole - which we all already know he is, that's no shock - maybe you should sit down and take a good long look at your own life choices."

  And with that, Deryn grabbed Xander's wrist and pulled him and Bronson towards the front of the tram, leaving the girl standing there with her jaw dropped to the floor.

  Quigley followed them laughing, but Luka went right up to her and said, "So, if it's Guardians you're into -"

  He lifted up his left sleeve so she could get a good look at his wristband with Saevus's crest on it.

  "- I'm going to be at the Pit tomorrow night and -"

  "Luka! Get your butt over here!" shouted Deryn from the front of the tram. "She clearly doesn't need another asshole in her life!"

  "Ah, don't listen to her. I'm only part asshole," he said. "The Pit. Tomorrow night. I'll see you there." Luka took a couple steps backwards and winked before turning and joining the others.

  "Trying to milk off of Ruby's sloppy seconds, are you?" asked Quigley, looking highly amused.

  "Wouldn't be the first time," said Luka. "It's kind of hard not to hit some of his seconds considering all of the women he's been with. All of Middle City, according to that one." He pointed back at the girl.

  Xander's eyes widened. He bared his teeth while shaking his head at his oldest friend, not blind to the way Deryn was looking anywhere but at him.

  Deryn's wandering eyes landed on Luka, who seemed to be watching Bronson out of the corner of his eye. She turned to her pretend boyfriend and noticed him eyeing some guy who had just walked to the front of the tram, smiling slyly at him as he did so.

  She tugged on his hand. "Hey!"

  "Sorry!" he said, quickly turning his attention back to her.

  She narrowed her eyes, so he smiled and kissed her cheek.

  "Forgive me, schnookums."

  Deryn crinkled her nose. "Schnookums? Seriously? All of the pet names in the world and that's the best you can come up with?"

  The tram came to a stop and they all filed out with the crowd.

  Along with their group, around fifteen other people stepped off of the tram. The gate to Outer City was now directly in front of them. Everyone headed towards it, forming a line as the S.U.R.G.E.'s scanned their wristbands and two guards on duty questioned them about their business in Outer City.

  Deryn was squeezing the life out of Bronson's hand again, having to continually remind herself to breathe.

  As the guards approached, Xander kept one hand in his pocket, fiddling with the two mind control chips he had confiscated from Aila and Orson's dead bodies. Just in case.

  "Hello, Commander Ruby. Commander Voclain," said a young guard, smiling brightly. "Are you both on a mission today?"

  "No, just visiting," said Xander, motioning to the trio of people with them. A S.U.R.G.E. flew over and scanned his wristband. Then Luka's, Quigley's, Bronson's, and finally ...

  Deryn lifted her wrist, somehow managing to hold it steady. The S.U.R.G.E. scanned it and then quickly moved on.

  It worked. The wristband had done more than just link to her bank account, it was fully functioning for Allison Darby.

  "Okay, have a good day then," said the guard, letting them all through without asking any further questions.

  The gate was still open from the people before them. As they headed into Outer City, they all took out gasmasks and put them on, Deryn, Bronson and Quigley wearing older models so their faces would be less visible than their Guardian companions.

  And then they walked on through, ready to test out their luck at the one place th
at was as safe for Deryn as it was dangerous. The Black Market.

  Chapter Three

  Deryn was a little surprised when she noticed everyone from their tram walking in different directions.

  "Are we not all going to the same place?" she asked as Bronson pulled her towards a street no one else had gone down.

  "Yes, but the Black Market is supposed to be a secret," he said, lifting a finger to his lips. "We can't all enter from the same place at the same time."

  "Who is it a secret from, exactly? We're entering with two Guardians."

  "The Guardians who actually care," said Luka. "Like my father."

  "And here we are!" said Bronson, stopping beside an abandoned building and looking at Deryn. "After you, pudding."

  "No," she said simply before walking inside.

  "Really? And I thought for sure pudding would be a hit. Never mind, never mind. I'll get it."

  He stepped in after her, taking the lead in the dark space and guiding them through what felt like a maze to Deryn. Eventually they came to a large room with a steel trapdoor in the center of the floor. It took Bronson and Quigley working together to get it open.

  "It's a long ladder down, boo bear. Make sure to watch your step," said Bronson, giving Deryn a wide grin.

  "No and I will, don't worry," she said.

  Bronson went first, followed by Deryn. Xander, of course, went right after her. Luka was the last one in, making sure to pull the door shut behind him.

  As they headed down the ladder, Xander almost lost his footing several times as he tried to look down at her, but it was too dark for him to see anything.

  When Bronson got to the bottom, he waited until Deryn was close enough and then pulled her off of the ladder by her waist.

  "I'm capable of getting myself down those last few steps, thank you very much," she said, shoving him. "I'm not fragile, so stop treating me like I am."

  "Whatever you say, porcelain doll."

  "No one says that! That's not even a thing!" she shouted.

  As Xander approached the bottom, Bronson grabbed his waist and pulled him off too.

  "Dammit, Bronson! Get off me!" shouted Xander as he thrashed around.

  "You try to help people, Quigs, but they're all so damn hostile," said Bronson as he helped Quigley down.

  "I appreciate you, mate," said his friend with a smile.

  "Don't even think about it," said Luka, kicking outward as he came down those last few steps. He slipped on the last one and smacked his head against the bars.

  "That bottom one's slippery, by the way. Might want to be careful." Bronson smirked as he retook Deryn's hand, heading down a hallway with wall lamps lighting their way.

  It was a good five minutes before they reached a large, open space. Several people, some recognizable from the tram, walked in from different directions, heading to the edge of what appeared to be a metal cliff and taking another ladder down.

  Deryn let go of Bronson's hand and walked to the edge, staring in amazement and what appeared to be a tram graveyard down in a pit. There were old tracks leading into various tunnels, and trams still built with wheels crammed across them, lights illuminating inside of them as people hurried in and out of their open doors.

  The Black Market.

  "Our ancestors used them to get around," said Xander, who was now standing beside her. "But they stopped shortly after everyone moved up to Utopia. The few people who stayed down here tried to keep them running, but there just weren't enough of them."

  "It's amazing," said Deryn. "How long has the Black Market been here?"

  "Fifty years, give or take," he answered. "It used to be in a string of warehouses in Outer City, but the former President Saevus shut it down once he discovered its existence. It's for the better. From what I understand, it's grown a lot since then."

  "Let's get a move on!" shouted Luka, who was standing near the ladder leading downward. He descended it without waiting for the others to join him.

  "Come along, sweet cheeks!" said Bronson, taking Deryn's hand again and guiding her towards the ladder.

  "Definitely not," she said, going down first.

  He pouted and followed after her."I'm beginning to think that you're going to say no to all of my suggestions."

  When they arrived at the bottom, Deryn stared open-mouthed at the bustling Black Market, her eyes darting around in circles as people sold their goods from booths while customers pushed, haggled, and filed in and out of the red, blue and silver trams.

  "Come along, gumdrop. Shopping awaits!"

  "No, Bronson," said Deryn as he pulled her into the crowd.

  "Ah, why not? They're delicious and sweet, just like you." He poked her nose.

  She batted his finger away. "I'm beginning to understand why you're single."

  "Ouch, honey bear."

  "No."

  "You women are no fun."

  Deryn and Bronson went from booth to booth, looking closely at every item they had to offer. She wanted to be fully prepared when the time came to leave Utopia.

  The first item she purchased was a tent, wanting to hit herself for not thinking of it sooner. She also bought several books on survival, some powders that kept food from spoiling, a canister for water, some socks that heated feet and gloves that heated hands.

  While walking through different compartments inside one of the trams, Deryn noticed two bulky men guarding the door leading to the back car.

  "Why are they standing there?" she asked Bronson.

  He glanced over to see what she was looking at. "That's where they keep the goods that are ... well, let's just say they're harder to obtain. It's invitation only."

  "Is that where you get your cigarettes?"

  Bronson nodded.

  "How did you get an invitation?"

  He smirked. "The man who sells them is an old friend of mine. He knows I'm an addict and loves to bank off of that. Speaking of which ..." He glanced around, his eyes not stopping until he found Xander in the compartment across the way, presently putting a chess set into his bag. "Oi! Ruby!"

  Xander turned and walked over. "What?"

  "We need to restock," he said, taking out his pack of cigarettes and showing him that there were only two left in there. "Keep an eye on my girlfriend, will you?" He winked before looking around for Quigley, who was watching Luka in amazement as he did tricks with some toy on a string. "Quigs!"

  Quigley looked around until he located him. Bronson pointed towards the back car. His friend nodded and walked over.

  "Did you see what he can do with that thing? It's amazing!"

  "Yes, Luka is quite amazing," said Bronson, glancing over Quigley's shoulder and winking at the object of his affection.

  Luka sneered in response. He put down the toy and joined Deryn and Xander. "We about done here?"

  "I think so," said Deryn. "I just wanted to visit a few more medicinal booths and -"

  "Cover us, Luka," said Xander, grabbing Deryn's hand and pulling her into an empty compartment. Once inside, he pulled down the old and tattered blinds, slammed her against the door, pulled off both of their gasmasks and kissed her.

  "Xander, this is hardly the place," said Deryn, even though she made no attempt to stop him as he caressed her.

  "I know. I just ... don't want you to be mad at me."

  Deryn pulled away and crinkled her forehead. "Why would I be mad at you?"

  "Because of that girl earlier."

  "On the tram?"

  He nodded.

  Her lips curved into a smile. "You think I'm mad about that?"

  He nodded again.

  "Well, I'm not," she said with a faint chuckle. "I was fully aware of your history with women going into this. We shared a wall, if you recall."

  "True," said Xander, leaning in and kissing her neck. "But hearing and seeing are two very different things."

  "Well, I didn't see you have sex with her." Deryn put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. "Why are you so concerned?"
/>
  "No reason," he said, kissing her lips again. "I just don't want you to be mad." And again.

  Deryn brought her hands up to his hair and stroked it while he ran his along her hips, pulling her into him while he grew hard against her.

  "We shouldn't do this here," she said between parts of their lips. "I'm a taken girl, remember?"

  Xander smiled against her mouth and said, "Taken by me."

  Xander froze. Shit. That sounded possessive. He hadn't meant to say it like that.

  He slowly pulled away. "Sorry."

  "It's fine," said Deryn, dropping her hands to her side. "Xander ..." She looked up at him and gulped, unsure of what she wanted to say. "Are my eyes still blue? They've been feeling a bit funny."

  He looked closely at them. "Yes, but they have a hint of green." He reached into her pocket and pulled out the drops, dropping two in each eye. "You still alright here?" he asked as he put the drops away.

  Deryn smiled. "Yes. But I don't want to be here much longer. We really shouldn't press our luck."

  Xander smiled back and nodded, giving her one final kiss on the cheek before pulling down their gasmasks and opening the door. Luka was leaning against it on the other side and almost fell backwards, but he caught himself and ungracefully turned towards them.

  "Finished spending a moment alone with your neighbor's girlfriend?" he asked with a smirk. "I suppose that's alright, since your goal was to act natural and all."

  Xander narrowed his eyes, noticing, once again, that Deryn avoided looking at him. None of them spotted the hooded figure turn at the sound of their voices, the gaze behind the hood immediately falling upon Deryn.

  "You're a bastard," said Xander.

  "As are you."

  "I suppose that's why the two of you get on so well," said Deryn.

  She pushed past both of them to walk farther down the car, still not noticing as the hooded figure turned away quickly, the men guarding the back car opening the door without hesitation.

  Deryn looked in every compartment until she found another one with medicines. She went inside. Luka followed her but, since it was so crowded in there, Xander stood just outside of it, leaning against the wall while staring out the window of the compartment just across from him. While scanning the people out there, he came across a familiar face that definitely looked out of place, especially since he wasn't wearing a gasmask. His jaw dropped.