They exchange glances, suspicion etched across their wide eyes. “Who are you? Where’d you come from?”
“Oh hey! I’m Ida. I’m here to meet with Cassie and Max. Didn’t they tell you I was coming?” I’m trying my hardest to be bubbly and warm, traits that don’t come easily to me.
They stare at me, mouths agape.
“We must’ve gotten our wires crossed,” I say, laughing. “That Cassie. She’s always playing pranks.”
The man with the gun narrows his eyes. “I would have been alerted about a visitor.” He raises the rifle and points it at me.
“Hey, it’s cool,” I say, trying to hide the panic in my throat. “Maybe you could call Cassie and see if she’ll come get me. You can mention the warehouse at 15 Desert Canyon Road. That’s where we made plans for me to visit.”
I curse myself for such a stupid plan. These two aren’t falling for my dumb lost tourist routine. I should’ve known better.
Then the unarmed one steps forward, rests a palm on the other guy’s shoulder. “Hang tight, Jake. I’ll send a comm.”
Jake stares at me and relaxes his shoulders, but the barrel of the gun remains pointed my way.
“I’m Alec,” says the lean one. He wears tinted round glasses that shield his eyes.
“Hi, Alec. Nice to meet you.”
“You know Cassie?”
“Yes.” I hope he doesn’t ask many questions.
Alec slips a rectangular device from his back pocket and tosses it in the air where it hovers. My jaw drops at the new tech, but I catch myself quickly. He peers into it and the device wraps around his head like a helmet, but it’s transparent. His mouth moves but no sound emerges. He’s chatting on the comm helmet.
I glance at Jake awkwardly. He studies me, taking in my dusty combat boots, backpack, and sweaty shirt. I manage a wavering half-smile, and he relaxes his grip on the gun.
I’m about to joke about the weather when the comm bubble around Alec’s head morphs and folds into a rectangle that he plucks from mid-air and slides back into his pants pocket.
He steps toward me, and I brace myself. He’s found me out, I’m sure of it. Cassie said I’m an enemy. Now, they’re going to cuff me and throw me into a holding cell where I’ll face Kenmore.
His expression hardens, and I steel myself, feeling like time’s stopped. Can I run? If I run, they’ll shoot. Can I hide? I will fight, I will fight, I will fight.
He crosses his arms, his gaze unwavering. “Cassie said she’s been expecting you. She’ll be right out.”
I exhale slowly without sound. Cassie is playing along. It was a long shot, but it worked. Enough to get me inside the city.
“Okay. Great,” I say, shrugging. “Sure is a hot one today, isn’t it guys?” I pretend to study my nails.
“You can say that again,” Alec, the more talkative one, says.
“Long shift?”
“Yeah, we’re on guard duty all week. Sucks to be us.”
I’ve regained my composure, so I edge slightly closer. I’m not sure where the entrance is, and I’m stealing glances to find it.
“You get many visitors on days like this?” I ask, trying to keep the banter going.
Alec smirks. “No. That’s why we were surprised when you showed—”
“Alec.” Jake glowers at him.
Alec frowns. “Never mind.”
Interesting. Visitors are a rarity and the compound’s entrance is extremely well hidden. Why post guards at all?
All of a sudden, a chill breeze blows past me. Then a woman’s voice sounds from behind me. “Well, nice to see you again so soon, Ida.”
I flinch and spin. Cassie’s long, jet-black locks flutter in the dry breeze.
“How did you…?” She appeared out of nowhere.
She winks at me and saunters over to Jake. “Hey, J. Long time, no see.” He blushes and averts his gaze.
“What’s up, Cassie?” says Alec and gives her a high-five. “You know Ida, huh? She wandered out of nowhere.”
“Really?” Cassie peers at me. “She took the scenic route. I totally forgot to file a visitor report. Damn, I’m forgetful lately,” she says, twirling a lock of her hair. Her mischievous smile curves as she looks at me. “Ready to head inside, Ida? For your orientation?”
Alec glares at me. “You didn’t say it was orientation!”
My mouth goes as dry as the desert sand at my feet. “Well, I—”
“Do we girls have to reveal all our secrets?” Cassie interrupts, then beckons me to follow her. “Let’s go in. You must be exhausted and hot as hell from all that walking.”
She strolls past Jake and Alec, beyond the bench-like rocks where they sit, into a small clearing free of rocks and bushes. Cassie leans against an oval rock, and the outline of a door appears.
She pushes forward, using her bodyweight to shove it inward.
Stepping into a murky darkness, Cassie descends along concrete steps.
With my heart in my throat, I follow.
Twenty-Two
Cassie’s head bobs up and down before me as she traverses a winding spiral staircase made of stone. I glance over my shoulder at the vanishing sunlight when the door frame melds with the rock wall.
At the bottom of the stairs, my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. The corridor is cool, damp, and I hear drops of running water. Cassie approaches a set of elevator doors. The middle one opens, and she steps inside, beckoning me.
I linger, not sure whether to follow or escape back to the surface. Maybe this was a bad idea.
“Coming?” she asks, eyebrows arched.
I’ve traveled so far, and this is the closest I’ve been to finding Kenmore. Ignoring the red flags waving in my head, I join her in the elevator.
The heavy sliding door closes behind me, and Cassie pushes a button on the wall—the only one. No numbers indicate how far below or where we’re heading.
I gulp in a breath of air and hold it deep in my lungs.
“Are you okay?” she asks. “You seem nervous.”
“What did you mean about me arriving for my orientation?”
“Oh that? It was a way to get you in. Make them think you’re a new resident in Terranus. We occasionally take in new recruits, but only very rarely.” She turns her head. “You did want in, didn’t you?”
I nod and attempt a smile despite my tense muscles. “Why are you helping me?”
She glances sideways at me. “Consider this a trial run. You might like it enough here to stay. And besides, I’m a good judge of character. There’s something about you.”
I can’t imagine wanting to live somewhere that’s hidden, much less a city that has allowed Dr. Kenmore to operate.
The elevator slows to a stop. Cassie seems good natured, but anything could be waiting for me in this subterranean unknown—Kenmore, men with guns…a prison cell.
She steps forward to exit as the elevator door swooshes open. Be careful. Joanie’s voice rings in my ears. I follow Cassie into what looks like a large, cavernous hall. Sunlight filters in from the ceiling. Mossy green foliage lines the floor. At our feet lie ornate paths of stone. A waterfall rumbles in the center of the room, diffusing droplets of mist in the air.
No signs of prison cells or medical labs yet.
Further in, we walk through what appears to be an underground park with tall trees. Several people mill about on benches or stand in small groups, chatting. They’re all teens or in their early twenties like Cassie, Max, and the others in Joanie’s gang.
Everything is calm. Not at all what I expected.
Cassie studies me. Her gray eyes shine with amusement. “When I first met you at the warehouse, I had a feeling you’d show up here.”
“This is where you live? What—” I gaze around, drinking in the lush scenery and idyllic surroundings, “—is this place?”
“Terranus. My city. Home,” she says. “We’re safe down here. Perfectly safe. Nothing from above ground can hurt us down here.”
What is she worried about from above ground? I have to tread carefully.
“I’ll show you around,” she says. She eyes my backpack. “You can stay at my place. Joe won’t mind.”
“Joe?”
“My boyfriend.” A blush creeps up her neck.
As we walk, Cassie explains this is one of many parks in the underground city. I watch as she waves at several people lounging around a blanket on a manicured lawn.
“What are they doing?” I ask.
“Oh, they’re just hanging out, having a picnic.”
I can hardly reconcile the peaceful scenery with the dread I feel knowing Kenmore is lurking around somewhere. “How long have you lived here?
“As long as I can remember,” she smiles. “You can live down here too, if you play your cards right.”
“Where are you from originally?”
“I was born in Michigan, but my parents were killed in a car crash, and I wound up in the foster system.”
I clench my fists, knowing exactly what she’s going to say next. “Let me guess, a couple came to adopt you, only they weren’t who they said they were. They drugged you and took you to a lab where they threw you into a cell and operated on you.”
She halts and a dark look flashes across her eyes. “It was for my own good.” She forces a smile. “Being confined was a precaution at first. Finding the lab was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I’m left speechless. How could she possibly believe that bullshit? Is it possible that others here have a similar story? Both me and Joanie, now Cassie were all taken, drugged, and held captive. Was Kenmore behind all of it?
She starts walking again. “Come on. You’ve got to meet Joe.”
Still reeling from her words, I follow as she approaches another elevator bank. Inside, she punches a button labeled 35. The numbers read in reverse order, and I nearly fall over when I see the bottom number is 64.
“Are you telling me this city stretches 64 stories below the surface?”
She rocks back on her heels, beaming. “Yes, it does. Isn’t that amazing? Our engineers have been hard at work. It helps that some of us have abilities that…help with excavation.”
I can only imagine what she means by that.
Floor 35 is lined with doors. Cassie calls them apartments, and the bright yellow corridor walls are covered with lush, verdant ferns.
She leads me all the way to the end of the corridor. A wreath of oranges decorates the door. “My place,” she says and slides her thumb onto a biometric scanner.
The door latch clinks and she bounces inside. “Joe? You home?”
There’s no answer. “He must still be at work,” she says, deflated. “But sit down, rest your feet. You must be exhausted.”
I stay standing. Her apartment is cute, with a large, comfy purple couch. Several vines cover one of the walls. A large digiscreen occupies the opposite wall, displaying lifelike exotic saltwater fish.
“I know you don’t have a place to stay, so, you’re my guest. Make yourself at home. You can stay in here.” She points to a tiny room, no bigger than a closet, but it’s functional with a single-sized bed. I set my bag on top, still wary of the hospitality.
“Your boyfriend, Joe, what does he do?”
“He’s a city planner. He helps decide what the engineers will do and helps design the parks.”
Sounds like a normal enough job.
“What do you do?”
Cassie hesitates. “Oh, this and that. Odd jobs.” She plops onto the couch and folds her feet underneath her. “Have a seat, Ida.”
I edge toward the sofa and lower myself down. “You’re okay with all this?”
“What do you mean?”
I toss my arms up and look up at the ceiling. “This—Terranus.”
“Of course. This is my home. I’ve never known anything better.”
“The people who abducted you forced you into this life. You’re not angry about that?”
She picks at a pillow next to her. “I don’t think about it like that. Yes, I resisted help at first, but things changed once we started building Terranus. Life is good here. I have a boyfriend—I love him to death.” She leans back. “Besides, it’s not safe above ground. Everyone knows that. The Heavies might invade any day, and people in the cities are practically at war with each other.”
“That’s not—”
The door swings open and a young man bursts in. “Hi, love!”
“Joe!” Cassie hops off the couch and races over to a lean, muscular young man with short, reddish-brown hair. She wraps him in a tight embrace.
“Hey, baby,” he says, noticing me. “Looks like we have company?”
Cassie turns, her long hair whipping against her shoulders. “Joe, this is Ida. Remember, I mentioned her when I got home from the warehouse the other day?”
“Hi, Ida,” says Joe with a wave. He doesn’t offer his hand for a shake. Could they know about my touch? But how? That’s impossible.
“By the way, where’s your robot?” Cassie asks.
“Uh…long story,” I say.
“Ida’s going to stay in the extra bunk for a while, sweetie. Is that cool?”
“Of course,” says Joe, smiling. “Welcome to our home. We’re glad to have you.”
Could these people be any more inviting? I’m not used to generous treatment like this.
“You still up for the Arena tonight?” Joe asks Cassie.
“Yes!” She turns to me with bright eyes. “Ida, we’ll take you to the Arena. There’s an event tonight you’ll love.”
“Sure, fine.” I’m distracted trying to figure out how I can get info on Kenmore without being obvious.
Cassie gazes up into Joe’s eyes. They’re a good-looking couple and obviously smitten. I get a sudden stab of jealousy never having been in a real relationship. Never living with someone.
Joe retreats into their room to take a shower and get ready.
“He seems like a great guy,” I tell her.
She beams. “He’s the best.”
After an awkward pause, I go for it. Time to play my next card. “Cassie, you said you knew Philip Kenmore. Where is he now?”
She averts her gaze, her smile fading. “Don’t worry, he’s in a safe place.”
“What do you mean—safe?”
“Dr. Kenmore was tried for his crimes, found guilty, and is now serving a life sentence in our prison.”
Found guilty. My heart feels like it’s about to stop beating. Someone else got to him first. He’s where he belongs—prison.
“Ida, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Dizziness clouds my vision. Barely able to breathe, my legs shake. Cassie guides me onto the couch. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be glad to hear that Kenmore’s in jail.”
I will myself to calm down. Closing my eyes, I envision a calm, clear blue ocean stretching before me. My breathing slows and I open my eyes. “I’m fine,” I manage.
“You had me worried there.”
“Sorry. It’s just…I wasn’t expecting that news.” I search her eyes. “How long ago did this happen? How?”
“Just in the last year. We found evidence of his crimes.”
I’m stunned. “He’s serving a life sentence?”
She nods, somber.
“Good. That’s what he deserves.” I lean on the sofa, rubbing my temples to kill the headache that’s reared up.
The monster will rot in jail for the rest of his life. Fitting. I should be thrilled, so why am I not?
Emptiness consumes me. My only thoughts in the past few weeks have been finding him and hurting him. Now, I have nothing.
Cassie studies me quietly, biting her lip. “It’s a lot to take in. I should have said something earlier.”
“It’s fine.” I rise and pace the small living room floor. “I came here looking for him. To find out he’s already been punished. It’s…a huge surprise.”
“I understand.”
A prison is heavily guarded. Even if I could get to him, would I have a chance to touch his skin?
Unlikely.
Besides, he’s already been punished. I should be happy.
So why am I simmering with disappointment?
Twenty-Three
I manage to wrap my mind around the news of Kenmore’s imprisonment. Enough to function, anyway.
I ask Cassie whether the prison allows visitors. She promises to look into it, then begs me to accompany her and Joe to the Arena. I agree to go, hoping to learn more about Terranus, its people, and who is in charge.
My next best move is figuring out a way to see Kenmore in prison, but that can wait until I get my bearings.
So far, life in Terranus seems ideal. Joanie warned me of danger, but so far, I’ve encountered nothing of the sort. Maybe things have changed since she left Terranus. Would she consider coming back?
We leave the apartment, travel up several levels via the elevator, and walk onto a boulevard filled with pedestrians. Two women play guitar and sing a fast-paced rock song as we pass as onlookers sway.
After five minutes, we reach a market area. Cassie and Joe walk arm-in-arm, and I linger a few steps behind, awed by the ingenious underground architecture. The cavernous, four-story tall market is stunning. Pale orange sandstone has been shaped to form curving balconies and foot bridges that suspend over a crystal-clear blue underground river.
Warm yellow, soft orange, and soothing pink lights seep from shop windows. The mouth-watering aroma of stir-fry assails my nose and my stomach rumbles. We stop at Joe’s favorite noodle bar and he orders up an assortment of delicious protein-packed, steaming-hot noodles.
We devour our meals in a busy area filled with tables of people eating, drinking, and cheerfully gabbing. As I bite into the noodles, I savor the mix of intense flavors, unique spices, and crisp vegetables. Even though it’s not a large portion, my belly is full and warm.
“You seem better,” Cassie says between mouthfuls.
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