by Blair Drake
Recognition lit up the man’s expression. Then he whistled. “You’re a long way from home.”
“I’ll say,” Reese said.
“The name is Rocher. What brings you out this far?”
Raven kicked Reese’s foot lightly under the table hoping that no one noticed. He turned and caught the slight shake of her head.
“We heard there was work,” Raven said.
“What you looking for work down here for?” the man asked, squinting an eye at Raven. “There’s barely enough work for the rest of us in this part of the city.”
“Even over the bridge beyond the epicenter?” Reese asked.
Raven kicked him again.
The man’s eyes flared and he stared at the two of them like they were crazy. “No sane man goes beyond the black cavern. And you don’t take no woman with you if you’re crazy enough to do it. What’s so tempting down there that you’re willing to take the risk?”
Reese was way out of his element. He didn’t know anything of what was beyond the bridge or caverns. It was clear Rocher was getting suspicious.
“My grandfather said there was good work with Joe B. Have you heard of him?”
The man thought a second. “Yeah. Sure, I’ve heard of him.”
Reese wasn’t sure if the guy was bluffing or if Raven was scoring points. But then Rocher narrowed his gaze and scrutinized both of them.
“There’s nothing beyond the black caverns. No work. No industry for good men. People say the only thing that lives out there are mutants and strangelings.” He said the last word quietly, bending over his plate. “Is that what you are?”
Reese shook his head. “Get real.”
He felt a sharper kick to his ankle.
“Yeah, my grandfather told me about that, too. There are soldiers who patrol beyond the bridge though. So we should be safe.”
Rocher sputtered. “You’re crazy to even think of going to those parts. And your granddad is crazier still for sending a yungin like you there.”
“If there is no work there, then I can always go back to Madame Hobbs,” Raven said. “I used to wash dishes there.”
That seemed to satisfy the man enough. “If your granddad said there was work beyond the black caverns well…maybe it’s worth checking out myself seeing as he sent his kin.”
What had Raven done? She didn’t need to invite half the people at the table to follow them. They needed to stay hidden. Endel made that perfectly clear.
But Raven shrugged as if it were no big deal. “He said women find work there, the laboring kind, you know cleaning and such. There may even be some textile work like sewing. The soldiers need uniforms and items for lodging. It’s good work for someone like me.”
Rocher frowned as if the thought of sewing disgusted him. “You can keep it. That’s not labor.”
Then he turned to the man sitting directly to the left of him, whispered something and the two men chuckled. Then the man turned back to Reese.
“And what are you going to do, yungin? Sew dresses for the girlies?”
“Make sure she has safe travels,” he said directly, lifting his chin to make his point. “You never know what you might find out there beyond the black caverns. Like you said, no sane man goes looking for work in those parts. A woman shouldn’t travel alone.”
The man looked at him as if he’d been challenged, and it ticked him off, as if being a gentleman, and protecting a woman was unheard of in these parts.
The old woman brought two plates filled with hot food out to the two of them, and placed them on the table. “I’ll get you something to wash this down with. Rocher, are you going to have another serving?”
The man nodded and pushed his plate a few inches across the table. The old woman picked up the plate and walked to the bar. Reese watched her pour two glasses of what looked like water into wide mugs. At least Reese hoped it was water. He’d done his share of sneaking booze with his buddies back at the Cliffs.
The headmaster had a cabinet in his office that he and Jasper discovered one afternoon when they’d been waiting to get a dressing down about whatever they’d done that day. The two of them had gone off behind the bleachers after a track meet and finished the bottle they’d snatched. Both of them paid for it dearly during the night, and the next morning. Reese wasn’t completely sure they hadn’t been found out, although Lalane never mentioned it to either of them. One thing was certain. Reese didn’t need to get sick on homebrew now.
He turned to the plate, and took in the steaming food in front of him. Raven leaned over and whispered, “Just hold your nose and shovel it in. It takes like crap, but it won’t kill you.”
He whispered back, “You’ve had this before?” She nodded and picked up the spoon the old woman had left for her. Then she took a small scoop from the bowl, and seemed to close her eyes as she shoveled it into her mouth.
It was going to be a long dinner.
Chapter 13
After dinner, they walked up what seemed like an endless spiral staircase. Raven remained silent. Reese felt a little sick. He wasn’t sure if his stomach churned because the food was bad or because it was the worst tasting food he’d ever had in his life. His belly was full and no longer growling though, and that was a plus. He also had a good amount of water to drink and was already feeling some energy coming back. A good night’s sleep would do the trick and they’d be ready to leave at second bell.
The old woman turned to them. “The room is small but comfortable for the both of you.”
“Just one room?” Reese asked.
Raven’s eyes widened, and she shook her head slightly.
The old woman stopped and turned around to face him. “You did say the two of you were together, didn’t you?”
And then it hit him. Together. “Yeah, that’s right. Together.”
She looked at him suspiciously for the first time. “Then the one room will do?”
Reese feigned a confidence he didn’t feel. “Of course. It’ll be…great.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything more until they reached a wooden doorway. Then she turned to him and smiled. “I’m afraid you’ll probably here the monstrous snoring of some of our guests. Rocher stayed here last night and he’ll be leaving in the morning. Last night I got many complaints because of the noise level. I’m hoping that won’t be a problem for you.”
“We’re so tired that we’ll probably just fall right to sleep,” Raven said. “Thank you so much.”
The woman dug into the pocket of the apron she was wearing and pulled out a large ring with black keys on it. She rummaged through the many keys on the ring until she found the one she was looking for. The keys all looked the same and had no markings on them that Reese could see. But she seemed satisfied when she finally found one particular key. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. Then she walked into the room and flicked a small light. Reese hadn’t seen how she’d done it. It was the small candle but he didn’t see a lighter or matches in her hands.
“We try to conserve the light up here so that it doesn’t disturb anyone. Please try not to keep this candle on too long.”
“Thank you. I’ll remember to blow it out.”
Raven glared at him. “I’ll take care of it,” she said.
The old woman chuckled again though this time it wasn’t grotesque in sound like it had been earlier. This time it was almost amusing. She shook her finger at Reese as she walked to the door.
“You’re a strange one. It’s refreshing. Much more freshening than Rocher and his crew. She grabbed the black iron handle of the door and started to close it as she walked into the hall. She paused with only a crack in the door big enough to see her face. “You can come back here,” she said. “I like you.”
Once the door was closed, Raven sat down on one of the two small beds in the room, and sighed. “Finally.”
It took a few moments for Reese to get as comfortable. The room was nothing more than a concrete cave with two beds and a small table th
at held the candle that only gave enough light for them to see where they were going. It was a step up from the tunnels in that at least they wouldn’t be sleeping on the ground.
Reese stood by the door, placing a hand on the wood surface as if needing to feel something other than cold concrete.
“Why do I feel like I just avoided a hundred different ways to be murdered?”
Raven glanced up at him, and chuckled. “I just wanted you to shut up. You have no idea how many times I wanted to kick you under that table.”
“I was pretty sure you were going to shatter my ankle bone. I’m a runner, you know.”
“So you’ve told me.”
“Next time, don’t be so subtle.”
“Fine, but you might regret saying that.”
Reese sank down on the bed, and bounced on the mattress a bit to test it out. The springs were loose, and the mattress was thin. But even that was welcome after sleeping on concrete. He inspected the bed from head to foot, and then laughed.
Raven frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“How does a guy like a Rocher sleep in a bed this small? I think my feet are going to hang off the end of the bed. Did they make this for a dwarf?”
“Lots of different people come through here. Do you mind checking to make sure that the door is locked?”
Reese got up from the bed and tested the door, giving it a quick yank. It didn’t budge. He searched the door for a deadbolt or some other way to secure the door. But there was nothing. “Wait, we’re locked in?”
Raven nodded. “She’ll come and open the door early in the morning while were still sleeping. That’s what they always do. And she’ll be making so much noise that you’ll wake up for sure. You won’t miss it.”
He pulled at the door again. The food in his stomach didn’t sit well with the worry that was settling in.
“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but it really is safer this way. Do you really want somebody like Rocher and his friends marching into the room in the middle of the night? I sure don’t. I like knowing they’re all locked in their rooms, too.”
“Good point.”
Reese pulled down the blanket and saw that it was just a simple blanket over a bare mattress which seemed gross. He looked at Raven and saw that she had curled into a ball on her side and was already yawning.
“Aren’t you cold?” he asked.
“I’m always cold. It’s sort of a condition of mine down here. I’ve become used to it.”
“Your teeth were chattering last night while you were sleeping. I thought it was because you were on the concrete.”
She pulled at the blanket to make a slight pillow and then tucked her hands under the scrunched up blanket under her head. “No, I always shiver when I sleep. I never got used to the climate down here. During the day, it doesn’t seem so bad because I’m moving. Moving helps heat my body. But when I try to go to sleep, I get cold.”
Reese looked at his bed, and then looked at hers. Her bed was smaller. He couldn’t tell at first because she’d immediately curled into a ball, giving the illusion it was the same size. She’d chosen the smaller one so he could be more comfortable. But as tiny as she was compared to him, she wasn’t going to have enough room to really stretch out if she wanted to.
“This sleeping arrangement would never fly at the school dormitory,” he said, stretching out on the bed and moving his body all the way against the wall. “If you sleep next to me over here, you’ll be warmer. That is, you know, if you want to stay a little warmer. Guys tend to be…never mind.”
Hot blood surged up his cheeks. He didn’t want her to think he wanted to try anything with her. Reese hadn’t even tried to kiss Raven, although, the thought had crossed his mind a few times in the last couple of days. He was just asking her to stay close so they could both stay warm while they slept. How bad could that be?
Without saying a word, Raven got up from the bed, and walked the few paces over to his bed, and sat down. Before she stretched out, she placed her palm over the flickering candle the old woman had lit earlier.
“What are you doing?” For a few brief seconds, Reese was horrified the flame would burn her skin. But Raven seemed completely unaffected by snuffing out the light.
The mattress sunk as Raven climbed into the bed and curled up next to him with her back against his chest. She immediately curled into a ball just as she had when she’d been in the other bed.
“Did you hurt yourself?” he asked.
“When? Just now?”
“The candle.”
“It’s fake. Not a real candle with wax and a flame. It’s just energy. You should know all about that.”
“What’d you do?”
“When I put my palm over it, it snuffed it out so that it would dim. If you had done it the whole room would’ve been lit up like it was on fire.” Then she giggled. Reese liked the sound of Raven’s giggle. He liked knowing that she was happy, at least for the moment.
“Tell me about yourself,” he asked.
She chuckled. “What is this? An interview?”
“We’ve just been together the last few days, and I know next to nothing about you. I mean, how is that possible? You do all these things and I’m…well, amazed you know anything about them. You talked right through dinner to Rocher and he seemed to eat up every word you said. I, on the other hand, have a sore ankle.”
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
She chuckled. “You’re right, I’m not.”
“I know you’re not supposed to be here, and neither am I. That’s something we both have in common. I know that you said you were sent here by your family. In a way, I was, too. Not here. I haven’t a clue how I ended up here. But…my family sent me away to the Cliffs. They didn’t want me.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she said softly.
“My stepdad hates me. My mom…” The ache in his chest grew as it always did when he thought of that last day with his mother. “I think she loves me. But she listens to my asshole stepdad.”
“Did you and your stepdad fight?”
“No. The fight was for my mother’s attention. I lost.” The bitter taste admitting that left him with was tough to take.
“Do you talk to your mother?”
“Not much. She writes me. Tells me she misses me. Sometimes she calls on the main dormitory phone and we talk. But it’s never for very long.”
“But she calls you.”
“Yeah. Sometimes.”
“She must love you if she didn’t abandon you.”
Tears stung his eyes. Reese was glad the lights were out so Raven couldn’t see.
“Yeah, well whatever. She wants me to go home for a while after graduation. But…no. As soon as I graduate, I’m out of the Cliffs, and out of everyone’s control.”
“Is that why you think you’re here?” Raven asked, shifting in bed.
He sputtered and turned his face to a ceiling he couldn’t see in the darkness. He wondered if all he had to do was release some of his magnetic energy to turn on some lights. But it was better in the dark. Easier to talk.
He felt movement on the bed as if Raven turned toward him. “What?”
“I’m not here because I wanted to be here. None of this was my choice. Nothing is in my control. When I get out of here…”
He let his voice trail off. He had no idea what was going to happen when he got out of this place. He had no idea where he was going to go after graduation. But at least it would be his decision.
“So I guess you’d never decide to stay here on your own.”
“No way! Why would I?”
Reese felt Raven shrug and then release a slow sigh.
“Are you afraid we might find the portal closed?” he asked.
“Of course. It’s a long way between here and there.” She was silent for a few seconds, then said, “We could turn back. We could get all that way and find out the portal is already closed. Then what?”
“T
he only way I’m turning back is if that portal is closed. Then I know it’s a done deal. Not before.”
“I guess, that’s your choice.”
“What choice? We never had a choice. You said it yourself that your family sent you here. Was that your choice?”
“I guess not.”
“You guess? What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m tired. I don’t know.”
Her words penetrated his mind in a way they hadn’t earlier when she’d spoken them. “I know you’re afraid, Raven. But I’m here, too. You’re not alone anymore. You don’t have to hide for whatever stupid reasons your parents sent you away.” He swallowed hard, thinking of all the ways this journey might have been horrible if it had not been for Raven being by his side. “You’re wonderful. Did they ever tell you that?”
She didn’t say anything.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. “You can kick me again if I’m going too far.”
Raven chuckled softly. “Don’t tempt me.”
“I know why my mother sent me away. Why would your family do that to you?”
The bed rocked, and it seemed as though Raven moved closer to the edge of the bed, as if she wanted to get away from him. That was the last thing Reese had wanted. He wanted to know Raven at least a little before this next part of their journey. He had no idea what was going to happen when they got to the portal. Would they both be sent back to the same place? Would she disappear and go back to where she came from?
The thought of that left him cold. And yeah, a little scared. He wanted to know how she’d survived that cavern when he’d practically drowned in that vat of…what had Endel called it? Liquid magnet.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said.
“Why not? I mean, whatever the reason, it can’t possibly be worse than what I’ve got going for me right now. I mean, every time I touch something electronic, it breaks. I walk across a cavern and spikes like razor blades start growing, and coming up at me from the floor and down from the ceiling. I even had sparks coming out of my fingers. I mean, how freaky is that?”
“I’m just not like you, Reese. You’re going to have to trust me on that.”
