by J. R. Harber
“Are you sure?” Eve asked.
“We’re going home. And if we somehow get stuck here, we know where I left it.” He picked up a small stone and put an X on the wall above the sleeping nook, then looked up at Eve with a mischievous grin. He scrawled a message with the rock:
ASA + EVE
“Asa! What if someone sees that?” she chided him.
“Who’s going to see it but other people on the run?”
Eve shook her head, but as they continued along the passage, he saw her look back and smile.
They walked for hours, until Asa began to feel dazed from their plodding pace and the dark monotony of the cavern. After a while, they stopped talking, the novelty of the intermittent graffiti and other signs of travelers wearing thin as they wound around corners, climbing up steep slopes, then back down again as the tunnel plunged into the earth. It was impossible to tell how far they had gone—they could be halfway to Horizon or half a mile from where they started, looping endlessly back through the terrain. They went grimly onward, trusting Saul’s promise that they would make it through.
Then, abruptly, the passage stopped. What Asa had assumed was a bend in the tunnel was a dead end.
“Now what?” he asked.
“This must be it,” Eve whispered, sweeping her light along the walls. “We must be at the end of the tunnel. We have to find the way out. There has to be a way out,” she added uncertainly.
“Of course there does,” Asa said.
He went to a pile of stones along one wall and began clearing them away, but when he reached the end, there was only sheer rock. He sighed and looked around for another, but Eve stopped him.
“Wait, there’s no reason it will be the same. It comes out in Horizon. It has to be less conspicuous—anyone digging their way into a hill like that would be seen by drones.”
“What, then?”
“I don’t know.” Eve paced along the perimeter of the dead end, shining her light at the walls and ceiling. Suddenly she stopped, lowered her flashlight, and stared straight ahead.
“Eve?” Asa came up beside her.
“It’s okay,” she said, and a small blue grid appeared on her face for a moment—a scanner, mapping her features. It vanished after a second, then a door slid open in the wall of the cave, and Eve nodded and took Asa’s hand.
They stepped through, into a small, dark room. The door slid shut again behind them, and a dim bluish light flickered on.
The room was empty and no larger than a closet. Directly in front of them was a door with a crash bar across the middle. Eve turned off her flashlight, they exchanged a glance, and Asa went to the door. He pushed it open cautiously, then blinked in the sunlight. He stepped out onto the pavement and found himself facing a brick wall.
The door swung shut with a soft click, and he turned to see Eve beside him. The door they had come through was gone; a black concrete wall stood behind them, with no indication of a way through, and there was noise coming from all around them—shouting and chattering, footsteps on pavement, and the general clamor of a crowd of people going about their day. Asa looked up. They were between two buildings that stood three or four stories high; on either side of them was a round water tank. He peered past the tanks and saw that they were between two streets, one wide and bustling, the other narrower, with fewer people passing.
“Are we …?” Asa looked confusedly at Eve, and she nodded.
“We’re in the middle of Horizon.” She glanced to either side, then took his hand and pulled him out of the alley and into the wide, crowded street.
“Shouldn’t we go the other way?” Asa asked hoarsely, trying to whisper and be heard at the same time.
“The more people there are, the harder it is to be seen,” Eve said in a normal tone of voice. Asa glanced around worriedly. “We’ve got to go back to Daniel’s,” she said, lowering her voice, and Asa nodded.
“I remember.”
Eve led the way briskly through the streets, and soon they were in front of the gleaming building where she had once lived. The front door scanned her face and opened, and Asa felt a little part of himself relax. One test was passed, at least. They crossed the lobby, and Asa couldn’t stop himself from looking at the place where Daniel’s body had fallen. Daniel was gone, of course, but Asa still found himself surprised—it seemed like such a thing should be impossible to erase. Eve kept her eyes forward as they walked to the elevators, and as far as Asa could see, she never cast her eyes toward the place where Daniel had been.
They rode to the top floor in silence, and Eve’s face was scanned again before the door opened to let them in. Inside the apartment, they both stopped dead. The place had been torn apart. The furniture was pulled out of place, couch cushions overturned, drawers opened, and their contents spilled out onto the floor. Eve surveyed the living room without expression.
“They searched it,” Asa said in shock, though some rational part of him realized, Of course they did.
“They used his death as an excuse. They’ve been desperate to get inside here for years, but it doesn’t matter,” Eve said. “Even the State’s sniffers won’t have found anything Daniel didn’t want found. Come on.”
She led him into the bedroom and dropped her bag on the floor, then crawled into the closet as she had done the last time they were here, before they ran. Asa waited, nervous. The mattress had been tossed off the bed, and it had been ripped open; foam fragments littered the carpet and clung to every surface.
Eve emerged after a moment and held out Asa’s phone. As he took it, he felt a pang of homesickness so strong it half choked him.
“Thanks,” he said quietly, turning it over in his hands to see the inscription: Asa Isaac Rosewood.
Eve put hers into her bag, then turned away from him. “Can you fasten this?” she asked, and he saw that she was holding up a necklace.
He took the clasps from her hand and fastened them, careful not to ensnare the wisps of hair at the nape of her neck.
“All done,” he said, and she turned to face him.
The necklace looked like the one Saul had given her and she had given back to him, the same arcane symbol at the center of a circle.
“It’s religious?” Asa asked, and she nodded.
“When Saul went away, I gave him mine. This one was my mother’s.”
“It’s beautiful.” Asa swallowed, not sure what else to say, and Eve took his hand.
“Let’s go.”
“There’s nothing else you want here?” he asked.
The apartment had been ransacked, but he knew from his last visit that it was filled with rare and beautiful things. But Eve shook her head and tucked the necklace under her dress.
“There’s nothing else for me here,” she said. Asa nodded, and they left the apartment together in silence.
Asa followed Eve from street to street, not tracking their movements because everything was still unfamiliar. After a while, they emerged into the plaza, where the rail station was, and Asa looked at Eve, questioning.
“Do you think we can just get on a train? The apartment building let you in.”
Eve shook her head. “Daniel tampered with everything in that place,” she said. “I would have gotten in even if I’d been declared dead. We have to try something else—the bank is easiest. We can have the autom check our accounts.”
“No.”
“Asa, we have to.”
“I mean, I’ll go. You wait for me. Go to the bridge over the park. You’ll be able to see me. I’ll go in, and you watch what happens. If everything is okay, I’ll meet you on the bridge. If not, you’ll see me get arrested.”
Eve let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, good. Then what?” she said, her voice tight with worry. Asa put his arms around her, and she hugged him back fiercely.
“If anything happens to me, you’ll go somewhere safe, send a message to Saul, and go back through that tunnel,” Asa whispered.
Eve jerked back, her eyes wide. “You want me to leav
e you here? You’ll be sent to Work, or worse!”
“Yes, I want you to leave me, if it comes to that. Eve, listen to me.”
Asa stopped and glanced around, suddenly aware of their exposure, but no one passing even seemed to see them. Eve smiled faintly.
“That’s the nice thing about the city,” she said. “No one notices you—no one wants to notice you. Just talk to me quietly. It will be all right.” She took his arms, pulling him closer to her. “Talk to me.”
“I was just trying to say, if my record hasn’t been cleared, neither has yours, and there will be nothing either of us can do about it now. You have a family out in the Waste. You could make a life. One of us has to.”
He smiled and swept her hair back behind her ear. Eve nodded.
“I’m prepared,” she said.
She kissed him lightly and turned to go. Asa watched her walk away, waiting until she was visible at the top of the bridge to make his way across the plaza. The bank was the first place he had come when he arrived from Rosewood, and then too, he realized, it had been a way of checking his own legitimacy: Am I really supposed to be here?
He went to the farthest door at the end of the building and let himself into the small private booth. The door closed behind him, and he jumped, thinking briefly of the cell where he’d been detained, back when all this started.
“Good morning, Asa Isaac Rosewood,” said an automated voice.
“Good morning,” Asa said nervously, glancing around. He wasn’t sure what he had expected to happen—an accusation by the autom itself or a pair of Contract Enforcers appearing out of thin air. He cleared his throat. “Can I … Can I check my account, please?”
“You have 199,980 credits available. They are valid for all transactions, except those that violate your Social Contract.”
Asa’s phone lit up. On the screen he saw the number, and the two transactions he had made: twelve cred for the train to Horizon and eight for the moonshine on the night he met Eve.
“And there’s nothing else?” he asked hesitantly, unsure how to phrase the question he really wanted to ask. Am I a fugitive?
“Is there anything else I can do for you? I can offer personalized financial advice based on your individual needs. My records show that you are twenty-one years old and unmarried, with a clean record; no outstanding debts; and a permanent address in Rosewood with your parents, Isaac Thomas Rosewood and Sarah Anna Rosewood.”
Asa’s heart leapt. A clean record.
“I’m …” He grinned, overcome with sudden, intense joy. “I’m getting married,” he said, realizing it was the first time he had told someone outright.
“Congratulations, Asa Isaac Rosewood. I can offer personalized financial advice for your future, based on your family’s needs.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Maybe later.”
Asa stepped out of the bank booth and into the fresh air, feeling light-headed with relief. He looked up at the bridge, where Eve was standing high above the park, her hand cupped over her eyes to block the sun. He stood where he was for a moment, then waved and started running to her.
He was flushed and out of breath when he reached the top of the bridge, and he lifted Eve off her feet and spun her around. She was laughing as he set her down. She grabbed his hand to steady herself.
“You made me dizzy,” she said. “What happened? Is it okay?”
“The autom said my record was clean,” he said.
“You asked?” Eve said, looking suddenly dismayed, and he laughed.
“No! It offered me personal financial advice and said my records showed I’m twenty-one, unmarried, with a clean record and no outstanding debts.”
Eve heaved a sigh of relief. “So, it’s all right, then. We’re all right?” Asa nodded, then made his face serious. Eve mirrored his expression. “What is it?”
“I think we need to change the unmarried part as soon as possible.”
Eve smiled radiantly, and Asa’s heart skipped. “We should tell your parents we’re still alive first,” she said. “Come on, let’s catch the train to Rosewood.”
They bought their rail passes easily, just like the dozens of other people in the station, and when they took their seats at last, Asa felt, for the first time, that it was real—that they were free, that they were going home. The train pulled out of the station, and as it gathered speed, Eve yawned and laid her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her.
“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, and she murmured something incoherent, already on her way to sleep.
Asa stroked her hair. I can’t believe you’re here with me, he thought as he watched her eyelashes flutter; she was dreaming. I can’t believe we’re going home.
As they neared Rosewood, Eve woke up, stirring Asa from his dozing as she sat up straight. He grinned at her sleepily.
“Morning,” he said, and she blinked, looking confusedly out the window.
“Is it?” she asked.
“No, it’s evening. It just started getting dark a little while ago. We’re almost there,” he added.
Eve nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
She took her bag with her to the compartment’s restroom and did not return for several long minutes. When she returned, she was wearing another green dress, this one long, falling nearly to her ankles. Asa realized she must have packed at least a few other things while getting their phones from the hidden compartment in Daniel’s closet. She sat next to him and shrugged her shoulders.
“I thought I should cover my knees,” she said.
“My parents won’t care if your knees are covered,” Asa said bemusedly, and she hiked up her skirt to show the bandages. “Oh, right.” He blushed. “I forgot.”
She rearranged her skirt, plucking nervously at the folds.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Eve hesitated.
“Eve, what is it?” He nudged her, smiling.
“I know your parents are good people,” she said at last.
“Of course,” Asa said.
“And they love you.” She rubbed the fabric between her thumb and fingers, not looking up at him.
“I know that. Eve, just tell me what’s wrong,” Asa insisted.
“What if they don’t want me around you? What if they don’t like me? I’m the one who got you into all this trouble in the first place.” She looked up at him, her eyes troubled.
Asa put a hand on her cheek and kissed her gently. “Eve,” he said, “if there’s one thing my family knows, it’s that I can get into trouble just fine all by myself.”
She smiled, but there was still worry in her eyes. As they pulled into the rail station, Asa felt worry of his own begin to creep in. What if I got them in trouble? Did the stalkers come? What if something terrible happened? What if they don’t want me around?
They walked through the woods to Asa’s parents’ house, coming up behind it as they had before. Asa stopped walking when they reached the tree line. The lights were on in the little house, and he could see shadows in the kitchen. They were home, probably just starting dinner.
“Asa?” Eve asked nervously, and he took her hand. We can’t both be worried, he resolved, and they crossed the backyard.
Asa gave Eve an encouraging smile and knocked on the kitchen door. After a moment the door opened, and Asa found himself face-to-face with his father. Isaac started, astonished, and Asa could not tell whether he was happy or upset to see him.
“Sarah!” Isaac shouted abruptly. “Sarah, come here!”
“I’m so sorry,” Asa said as his mother appeared, looking just as startled. “I’m sorry I—”
“You’re here now, you’re safe,” Isaac said roughly. “You’re home. That’s all that matters.”
Isaac gripped Asa in a hug, pulling Sarah in too, and Asa let his parents embrace him, relieved. After a second, he thought of Eve and pulled away gently.
“You remember Eve,” he said nervously.
“Hello,” Eve said with an edge of tre
pidation.
Isaac smiled widely and placed his hand on her shoulder. “How could we forget such a beautiful girl?”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but Hannah clattered down the stairs, pushing past her parents and almost knocking Asa to the ground. Asa lifted her off her feet, laughing with relief, and when he set her down, she turned to Eve and hugged her just as excitedly. When she had released them both, she took a step back, scrutinizing their faces.
“Are you going away again?” Hannah asked, and before Asa could speak, Eve cut in.
“No,” she said firmly. “We’re staying here in Rosewood.”
Asa’s heart leapt to hear her say it, and he caught a glimpse of his parents, their arms around each other. When Eve spoke, they both closed their eyes, clasping together for a moment as if to make sure the moment would not escape. Then Sarah pushed her husband away and clapped her hands together.
“You are both late for dinner,” she announced. “Wash your hands and go take a seat.”
Asa winked at Eve. “Come on, the sink’s over here,” he said.
As they cleaned up, Hannah dragged a kitchen chair to the dining room. They followed her in, and she sat down and beckoned.
“Eve, you can sit by me,” she said, and Eve sat, looking pleased, if slightly bewildered. Asa took the seat at Eve’s other side.
“Now, Asa,” Isaac said as he set plates in front of them, “I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
“Oh, don’t you?” Sarah said with an amused smile. Isaac laughed.
“Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself,” he admitted. “But I don’t think you two are going to want to stay here with us for too long, and there’s a nice property up the road that’s itching to have a house built on it. Not too much land, but I think that’s probably best for starting out.”
“Dad, they’re not even married yet.” Hannah rolled her eyes, but Sarah looked suddenly alarmed.
“Oh, you’re not, are you? You wouldn’t get married without us?”
Asa laughed. “No, we’re not. I would have told you, Mom!”
“And I’d certainly hope you’d have told me!” Eve put in, and Isaac threw back his head and laughed.