by Rachel West
“Can’t let you go anywhere till you meet with the boss,” the man interrupts.
“Course not--uh--” I stumble over my words when I realize he hasn’t given his name.
“Names Cull,”
“Cull,” I repeat. “Thanks Cull. Where do we find your boss?”
Cull crosses his arms over his chest with a threatening look. I think he’s frowning, but it’s hard to tell through all the creases and lines on his face. “Not my boss. Everyone’s boss.”
“O-okay,” I nod slowly. I’d argue, but something tells me I’d lose against Cull. If all else fails he could tear my body in two with his massive hands. I imagine being shredded like an unwanted piece of paper. I shudder again.
Cull pulls out a large metal spoon and bangs it against one of the pipes running overhead. Within moments a child appears behind Cull. Shaggy dark hair that is surprisingly clean for the Hollows hangs around wide brown eyes. The kid can’t be more than ten. I’ve seen his type around the Hollows before. The worst of the victims. Children who can’t survive on their own so they sell themselves to an adult. Sometimes it works out okay - heavy labor for a place to sleep. Other times -- I close my eyes, remembering some of the children I’d met down here.
“Whatcha need Cull?” The boy asks. His tone is light and boyish. He can’t have been in the Hollows long - he looks too innocent. Anyone who’s spent much time in the Hollows, you hear it, in their voice. The sharp edge of fear that defaces every word.
“Ki - Take these four to the boss-man. They didn’t know the password,” Cull says with a mystified gravity, like he can’t believe someone could come in without knowing the password.
“Gotcha,” The boy - Ki? - bounces on his toes. “Come on then,” he waves us toward him.
The four of us share a glance. Red shrugs, as if to say “why not.” Jaxon and Annie keep silent. Annie has spent the whole time watching on, eyes narrowed by concern – but it’s not Cull she’s staring at, it’s Jaxon. I think Jaxon must feel her gaze on him -- there is a stiffness in his shoulders that speaks to how uncomfortable he is.
Ki leads the way through the back of the tomb and into the tunnels beyond. The way is outlined by lightstrips running along the top of the walls that light even the smallest crevices with a dim glow. An improvement from years back, when you had to make the journey in the dark if you didn’t bring your own source.
The Hollows feels different. Something big has changed around here but I can’t quite place it. It’s not just the “boss-man” or this little boy who guides us with innocence marked clear on his skin. Everything seems a little off. A little brighter. A little cleaner. All of the tunnels that branch off the main one are well lit. No darkened alcoves for predators to hide in.
I wrap my arms around my stomach. For a moment I think I am going to be sick. My steps slow and I come to a stop. Jaxon halts as he bumps up against me. He reaches out, resting one hand on my shoulder. I startle under the contact and shake him off.
He leans in close, running his displaced hand down my arm until he lightly grips my elbow. “You alright?” He whispers into my ear.
I nod slowly, but my throat is too tight to speak. I take a step back until I am pressed against the line of Jaxon’s chest. I take a deep breath. Then another. His jacket smells like cloth left too long in the sun. Warm and comforting and a bit like fire. Jaxon doesn’t move, doesn’t make any more efforts to touch me other than his hand against my elbow. He stays still and silent behind me.
I finger the synthblade hidden under my jacket and try to convince myself that nothing here can hurt me. I’m older now. Stronger. And more than capable of protecting myself from monsters in the shadows. “I’m okay,” I say after a minute. “Come on, let’s go. We’re falling behind.”
Red and Annie are up ahead, about to turn a corner and disappear deeper into the depths of the Hollows. I jog forward, hurrying to catch up so I don’t have to let Annie out of my sight. Even with Red by her side, I can’t convince myself she’s safe. Jaxon’s steps patter behind me as we catch up with the others. Red shoots me a questioning glance. I shake my head. There’s nothing to be said.
“So, who’s this boss?” Red asks Ki loudly drawing unwanted attention from me.
“Oh, he’s great,” Ki bounces up and down. “Been here for two years now. His names Vertigo. He lives just ahead,” Ki flaps his hand. “Stay close though. Can’t have any unknowns wandering around. How come you didn’t know the password? I can’t believe Cull let you in at all. Some guys tried to break in a few months back. Vertigo had them all hung. Taught them, huh?”
I try to follow Ki’s words, but they tumble so quickly from his mouth I can hardly keep track of them. He’s got a strange accent too - something I can’t quite place. It almost sounds like Jaxon’s, the lilting tone that comes from growing up wealthy. Security. Power.
“We uh--use to live here. About three years ago,” I tell Ki. “Haven’t returned in a while.”
“Obviously,” Ki draws the word out in that sarcastic way that only a child can. “I can’t believe you’ve never heard of Vertigo. He’s like, famous, you know?”
Ki keeps chattering away at Red but I tune him out. The underground tunnels grow less claustrophobic as we move deeper. More and more branches break off into wide-open corridors. The rough, uneven walls I remember have been smoothed down. In places I even see hints of decoration. A tapestry here. An unbroken pot tucked into a corner. Carpets lightly flattened by steady traffic.
This Vertigo -- already I feel grudging respect for him. If he was able to tame the Hollows…
“Here we are!” Ki announces. We’ve reached a door that wouldn’t look out of place in any house on Crescent City. Deep mahogany shined to a gloss. Smudges where someone has recently knocked. Ki drums his hands lightly against the door to the beat of a half-known tune.
“Enter,” a deep voice calls from within.
I glance nervously to Red then Jaxon. Jaxon shrugs and nods towards the door, gesturing for me to lead the way. I rest my hand on the door handle. Curiosity sets my nerves afire.
Who is this man, who somehow mastered the Hollows?
CHAPTER 4
The first thing I notice about Vertigo is his eyes. Intense. Probing. They are deep-set, a golden brown the looks nearly yellow. When he looks at me it’s like he can see straight through. He flays my skin and reads the secrets underneath. I shudder and pull my gaze away.
The rest of him isn’t very memorable. Mid-forties perhaps, a full head of hair that has just begun to grey. Skin that hangs just a little loose like a man who’s suddenly found himself with too many tasks and not enough time for them. A cigar slowly burning down to nothing rests in a glass tray to his side while he flips through the pile of papers before him.
“Boss-man,” Ki says. “Cull told me to bring these guys down to you. Apparently they lived here before. They knew Gren. They were sniffing around the entrance and Cull caught them”
“We were not ‘sniffing around’” I cut in.
“No matter, no matter,” Vertigo speaks. “New faces are always welcome. Anyone who hasn’t been here before is required to pay me a visit first. Now, what can I help you with?”
Vertigo appears friendly but I can’t shake the sense of distrust. His smile is just a little too slick, his words a little too practiced. He has the look of someone who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
I wipe the sweat from my hands against my pants, hoping he doesn’t notice the nervous gesture. “We were looking for a place to stay.”
“I see, I see. Yes, we can help you with that. Ki, get my book,” Vertigo points to a large armoire in the corner. Ki practically hops across the room then pulls a large leather-bound book from the armoire. The oversized book is heavy in Ki’s hands as he struggles to carry it to Vertigo’s desk. Vertigo waits calmly, looking on benignly like a man pleased with a dog that’s done a proper trick. “Let’s see, where can we place you?” he mutters half to himself a
s Ki deposits the book on Vertigo’s desk.
Red crosses his arms across his chest. “I didn’t realize we had to get permission these days.”
“Ahh,” Vertigo waves his cigar and catches Red’s gaze. Smoke trails up through his fingers and hovers in a cloud along the ceiling. “One of the old hold-outs are we? Think the Hollows are better without some leadership? Liked how you could do whatever you wanted before?” Two fingers tap restlessly against the desk. “That is not the way it works anymore.”
“No,” I step forward, drawing Vertigo’s attention down on me. “We just need a place to stay for a little. We won’t cause any trouble.”
“Won’t you?” His voice is deceptively soft, “Ki, get out. Shut the door behind you.” Ki doesn’t question his command. The ten-year-old darts out of the room and waves cheerfully before using both hands to pull the door shut behind him.
The moment Ki leaves tension fills the air so thick it’s like sludging through sewage. Vertigo watches us with his viper eyes and a too knowing twist of lips.
“You,” he points a finger at Jaxon. “Remove your hood in my presence.”
I immediately step in front of Jaxon, as if I could somehow protect him. Does Vertigo know what Jaxon is? Who Jaxon is?
“It is alright Evie,” Jaxon says. He puts his hand to my shoulder and nudges me lightly out of the way. I stumble compliantly along, unable to put up any resistance in my shock.
With me out of the way, Jaxon raises both hands to his hood. He slips it down, so slowly, so deliberately, that the motion itself becomes an act of defiance. His Millennial tattoos are garish in the florescent light. Suddenly the stark shadows under his eyes seem to give him strength. A man who’s seen and fought and survived. Vertigo steeples his fingers and leans forward, capturing Jaxon with his eyes. Silence stretches between them. The moment before a storm. The deceptive stillness before the skies break open.
“I thought so,” Vertigo leans back with a slight smile. “Evelyn Reinhardt and her sister Anna Beth Reinhardt.” He turns his eyes on Red, “What is it they call you in the Coliseum? Red? Why is that I wonder? And of course, we can’t forget the celebrity amongst us. The great Jaxon Prayer.”
I take a step back. Mentally I try to trace our route from the entrance. This was not a good idea. How does Vertigo know who we are? And why does he look so satisfied?
“Yes,” Jaxon says simply. But he’s gone cold. Distant. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” I wonder if he feels the same panic I do. There is nothing there on his face that tells me if he does. I glance to Red. Are we trapped? After everything we have gone through has it all come to an end? Red must see some of the horror on my face because he steps closer to Annie and wraps a protective arm around her. The tightness in my chest lessens as I realize at the very least, Red will fight for Annie as much as I.
Vertigo leans forward, his eyes intense. “What an interesting situation we find ourselves in. What is it that one such as yourself could want from me?”
“I believe the more pertinent question is what might you gain from me? Provide us a safe place to stay and I promise you will be paid back tenfold.”
“Gain? From you? A fallen prince? What could you have to offer me? Look around boy. I am more King than you these days.”
Jaxon laughs, a sound so full of contempt that it’s more insult than words could ever be. “The king of beggars.”
Vertigo tries to cover his wince with a smile but the hit is impossible to miss. “Better than king of nothing.”
Jaxon tilts his head in question and gives Vertigo a cool stare.
“Hadn’t you heard? Your father is searching for you. Treason, they say. How tragic, when a man’s own son turns on him. I can’t imagine he’ll be very happy with you once you’re returned to the castle.”
A small breathy sigh escapes from Jaxon’s lips but he cuts it off through clenched teeth. We knew the Great Uniter would be not let him go so easily. We knew the Praetors searched for us. But treason? That’s more than just losing his family. It could mean the end of everything for him. A death sentence.
I make a motion towards him. To grab his hand, or touch his shoulder, I don’t know. But he sees me and flinches away. I drop my hand as a spike of hurt shoots through me. But I can’t blame him. Because what am I to him? The girl he gave up everything for? The girl who ruined his life?
With a smile like he’s won the match, Vertigo flicks a switch on his desk. The empty wall to the left flashes. Not a wall at all, but a TV screen. Jaxon’s face is splayed across it, ten times larger than real life. He’s at some party. People dance in the background while Jaxon watches dispassionately. An arrogant smirk plays across his lips.
The screen flickers again. All four of us are running in the rain. Bolting between trees. Then an image of my face up close like a camera hovered right next to me. The shadow of Jaxon’s body rests on my skin. I recognize the moment. When we were climbing the tree to escape the orchard. The camera catches as Jaxon looks at me with an intensity I don’t remember. A look so intimate and private that it brings a blush to my cheeks.
Vertigo flicks off the TV. “So what could the Great Prince of Nothing want from me?”
Silence lingers a moment longer than it should before Jaxon answers. “As Evelyn stated previously. We need a place to regroup.”
“That’s a tall request for a fugitive. This” he gestures to the wall, “is playing on every screen in Haven. How long do you think you can run from your father?”
“Forever, if we must.”
“Perhaps a bargain could be made,” Vertigo states. “A secret for a secret place. Tell me boy, where is it you get your longevity from?”
“A trade, is it?” Jaxon says. He leans back, resting casually against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him. Something about the tightness in his jaw and the way he keeps running his finger across his wrist shows me what the others can’t see. Panic. He’s trying to buy himself time. But for what? His eyes dart between each of us, like he’s calculating the risk of his next words.
“Everyone out,” Jaxon commands. “Some mysteries are too dangerous to share with this many.”
“Jaxon, no,” I step forward and this time when I reach for him he doesn’t pull away. I take his hands in mine. A tingle runs up my arms and down my back, causing me to shiver. The warmth of his hands makes me want to forget – forget that we’re fugitives, forget that we’re going to spend the rest of our lives running, forget that he’s Jaxon Prayer the Millennial and I am nothing more than Evie the stupid slum rat who let him into my life.
But no matter how much I want to forget – I can’t. I take a deep shuddering breath and bring myself back to reality. “We’re in this together now. You don’t need to keep secrets to keep us safe.” I shrug and try to lighten the mood. “We’re all screwed anyway.”
Jaxon tugs lightly at my hand and pulls me into the far corner of the room for a semblance of privacy. “I do not think you understand. My father would kill anyone who has this information. He would do anything it took to find them. Not only you, but Red and Annie would be in constant danger for the rest of their lives. I--” his voice catches in his throat for half a heartbeat but then he coughs lightly and continues. “I may have given up my chance for my previous life. But there is no reason for you to do the same. None of you should have to.”
“It’s already too late,” I try to sound resolute but inside I am terrified. Terrified that I have ruined not only my future, but Red’s and Annie’s. Terrified that Jaxon’s father will find him. That we’ll all end up dead. I wonder if I had never saved Jaxon from the twins that first time, how would my life have ended up? Guilt rips through me at the thought because if I hadn’t saved Jaxon I would never have freed my sister. “At least for me.”
I think Jaxon sees my doubts because he pulls me in closer until I can feel the whisper of his heartbeat against my skin. He leans down and speaks so quietly none of the others can hear. “I am sorry,” he sa
ys and his voice is thick with unspoken words and silent promises.
“We’ll send Annie out. She’s too young for this anyway, but Red and I are staying.”
“Well enough,” Jaxon nods and guides me gently out of the way as he steps forward.
“Annie,” I turn to my sister. “Can you leave us alone for a minute? Wait right outside the door. Don’t go anywhere.” I sound harsher than I intend but fear chokes all levity from me. She’s my sister, my little sister, and I know exactly what kind of place the Hollows is. “Right outside the door, you promise me?”
“I’m not a child.” She shoves her hair angrily behind her ears. “You don’t need to treat me like one.”
“I know. I’m just trying--” I pause. How do I explain to her that I am trying to save her innocence? To protect her? I didn’t rescue her only to have her get wrapped up in something far more complicated. “Please,” I beg. “Trust me on this one.” I wince, hating the patronizing tone of my voice.
“Fine.” She storms to the door and struggles for a moment to open it. When she leaves, she manages to slam it loud enough to convey her displeasure.
Red barks a laugh. “Family trait?” he smirks and the tension drains from the room.
Vertigo coughs loudly into our hand, calling our attention back to him. “If you’re done with your little drama…?”
“It is simple,” Jaxon says. “Turritopsis dohrnii. Jellyfish”
I stare at Jaxon, certain I must have misheard him. Jellyfish? I’d seen images of them in schoolbooks. Fish that looked like blobs of floating goo that lived in the ocean. I shake my head and wait for Jaxon to clarify.
“Jellyfish?” Vertigo echoes my thoughts sounding skeptical. He gets an angry look on his face, like he thinks Jaxon is trying to pull one over him. “You expect me to believe that jellyfish somehow extend your life for a thousand years? What do you do? Cook them up and serve them with peas?”
Jaxon meets Vertigos sarcasm with a dismissive look. “There is a facility that each Millennial must travel to once a year. Scientists introduce proteins from the jellyfish into our genes. Forcing our cells to regenerate.”
