by Kris Moger
“You going to visit Ma?” he continued as he fell in step with her.
“Yep. She probably has some weird new recipe for me to try out.”
They left via a swinging door and went along a walkway with a cement floor and dirty walls. Tables and carts lined one side, narrowing the aisle. The path turned left at the end and opened to a noisy kitchen of shouting cooks and their drudges. Pots and pans banged and swung about while knives flicked over root vegetables. Overhead, lights flickered from power fluctuations. Mrs. Fish waved at them from her station by the stove, and they nodded at a few more people while making their way to the back room where their mother worked.
“Close the door,” Ma ordered as they came in. She sat at a desk covered in papers and books; her wild pale hair tied in a neat bun and her boney face, flushed. Her narrow fingers flipped through pages as though she searched for the answers to life's problems.
“What to do, what to do,” she muttered. She slammed shut the book in her hands and shook her head at them. “I am amazed at the variety of food people made in the past, so many meals. Stretches the imagination to think of them. Pasta, stews, salad, the variety of ingredients alone is staggering.” A smile spread over her face. She was lord of her domain, creating meals out of whatever she could cook.
“Something interesting for supper tonight, Ma?” her brother asked.
“Doubtful,” she said with a sigh. “But it'll still be good.” She reclined in her chair and put her feet up on her desk, stretching her arms behind her. The folds of her long skirt fell back and revealed her knee-length, black socks and worn runners. “Tired,” she yawned. “Need to start a cooking rotation, train some of the others to take over. Then I could take one of those long soaks I keep hearing about without anyone running in on me 'cause the soup's burning.”
“Isn’t Nuna helping?” Teddy asked.
Ma shrugged at the mention of the original inhabitant of the towers. “The sudden influx of all these people has overwhelmed her somewhat. She doesn’t come around too often. Nuna informed me in our last conversation that it was the Peterson family,” she waved a hand at all of them, “who wanted to help everyone, so it was the Peterson family who could sort out all the details. Not so nice, I know, but I think she’ll come around once everything settles. She had been alone for quite a long time.”
Caden played with a little statue of a duck on her mother's desk. “Deb said you wanted me for something.”
“Yes, Henri is watching the tunnel, and he must be hungry by now. You and your brothers bring him that box of food.” She gestured to a cardboard box by the door.
“The load's not so big, Ma, I don't think this task will take three of us,” Caden objected, sensing an ulterior motive.
Their brute brought her flowers every day when they lived in the warehouse. When they moved, he started bringing her everything he thought she might want from different stores. At first, his attention annoyed and frightened her. No one had ever been sweet on her before, and she doubted anyone ever would again. Then she found it wonderful for the same reasons. Now, she was miffed and tired because he did nothing else. He didn't like to talk much, or read, or even hold hands. He gave her things and mooned over her from afar. So she avoided him even though her mother thought they made a wonderful match and liked to promote the idea whenever possible.
Her mother wagged a digit her way and held out a list. “Go with your brothers and gather these ingredients. They're mostly spices and dried teas. Your pa said to check a couple of the stores listed.”
Teddy took the list from her. “Sure, Ma. Will do.”
Caden remained silent, but her mother narrowed her gaze and gave her a slight nod and a grin. Caden got the message. Sighing, she left with Teddy who took the crate on his way out. Jolon was leaning against one counter, munching on slices of raw potato.
“To the mall, mates,” he said with a potato salute.
“To the mall,” Teddy agreed with a jaunty grin.
Caden tried to match their relaxed camaraderie, but found her wary nature blocking her way. A hollow ache, worse than hunger, sat in her stomach. Yes, life was better now, but she longed for more.
Teddy put the food on a small cart and pulled it behind him as they left. “Let's go the back way through the halls and out into the lobby.”
Jolon chuckled. “Tired of your fans?”
“He's afraid they'll follow us in a parade with banners and such,” Caden added, winking at Jolon.
“Funny, so funny,” Teddy retorted. “It's faster; that's all.”
They both nodded in false agreement, grinning at him. He ignored them and kept going. Their cart rattled across the grey and blue tiles as they went. They passed the central desk and climbed the steps leading to Henri. People milled about, sifting through the ransacked shops.
“There's not too much left that's useful on this level,” Teddy told them as they went by store after store. Soon, the place emptied until they were among the few people left.
A person or two made their home in some of the stalls, draping the entrances and windows with strips of cloth and blankets. The dull glow of meagre flickering lights lit their way. Most of the lights no longer worked, and those that did were lengths apart.
It took a while to get back to the area where they first discovered their new home. When they arrived, they found Henri pouring over a book. He looked up as they approached, his massive posture embarrassed as he tucked the book behind his back.
“Oh, uh, hi,” he muttered with an odd wave. The move did not change him at all. He was still lumpy muscular with thin brown hair and a hopeful grin on his ash face. He didn't stink so much though.
“Hey,” she responded with a shy nod. The expectation of a romantic relationship was irritating. Why couldn't they be friends?
Jolon sat on a bin next to him. “You taken up reading?” He grunted as Teddy ran the cart into him. “Hey, careful.”
“He's trying to tell you it's supposed to be a secret,” Caden whispered to Jolon and shook her head. “Why hide it, Henri?”
He twitched a bashful shrug. “Dunno.”
The brute took on such an uncomfortable expression she let the matter go. “Well, we've brought you some food. Ma sent enough for a dozen people, so this should last you for a few hours. How long are you posted here?”
He shrugged again and took the box. “'Till night.” A stiff grin spread across his face. “Thanks.”
This time, she shrugged. “Gotta feed ya. Who would protect us otherwise?”
Henri chuckled and took something from behind his back. “For you.”
Caden took the shiny black kitty figurine and tried to smile back. “Thanks.”
Teddy leaned against one of the cement boulders blocking the access to their new home. “Any action?”
“Nope,” Henri answered as he sunk his teeth into a potatocake.
“Doubt there would be.” Jolon stuffed a cushion under his backside. “Even if they managed to cross the bridge, it would be a miracle if they found this place after we hid the entrance so well.”
“Do you honestly think any of them would bother?” she asked.
“Bother what?” Teddy asked.
She found a plastic crate to sit on and rested her legs. The walk caused the ache to come back, so she rubbed her calves. “Bother trying to get to us. I mean, what's the point? Now, there are less of them to provide for, but they still have enough Underlings to dig for them. Why bother seeking what is gone?”
“I figure they think we're all dead,” Jolon added.
Teddy frowned. “Georges doesn't think so. She figures they believe we found something better than what they possess, and they want it. She says they probably met with each other and talked themselves into a frenzy of selfishness and revenge, so we should keep a vigilant eye on everywhere.”
Georges, Caden sniffed at the mention of the strange Upperlord with the cynical intelligence and apathetic demeanour.
“They removed her tit
le.”
Caden arched an eyebrow at Teddy. “Why? What does a title matter here?”
Her brother shrugged. “Dorkas threw a fit and got everyone riled up.”
“He's good at that.”
“Yeah, well, he convinced the other elders that as long as Georges held a title she would always be above everyone; therefore, everyone else would always defer to her.”
She laughed at this. “Yes, because that's what Dorkas wants. While Georges holds such a distinction, Dorkas can't.”
“That's ridiculous, true, but ridiculous.” Jolon brushed dirt from his trousers, his expression one of bored annoyance.
“Why want title? Just words,” said Henri, who finished eating half his food and put the rest away on a corner table near his chair.
“It's not just the words,” Teddy explained. “It's the power that goes with them. Now that Dorkas discovered all this place offers, he wants more.”
“Jolon right, that red... redicu... ridiculous.”
“Especially since our community consists of only, what, a couple hundred of us?” said Caden. She stretched her arms above her head as her back seized. “What's the point of lording over anyone?”
“Some people like power,” Teddy said, and Caden guessed by his blank face his mind flitted back to the stories he read.
The discovery of the shops led to a whole new world of resources for Teddy's insatiable appetite for reading and knowledge. Though Caden never enjoyed reading—the lines always seemed to get away from her—she did love to listen. Often, in the evenings, he would read to her and the others stories from his new books or something he scratched out himself. It was a good ritual. She liked rituals. They made her feel safe, consistent within such boundaries. The greatest difficulty she found adjusting to their new home was the departure from everything familiar. Though all their rooms were clustered together, they no longer had a common space for only their family. Nor did they catch each other as they were going by. Now the doors were always closed, and she had to knock to gain access. Not that that was too hard, but it seemed more intrusive—separated and distant. They ate at the same table, but in a horde of people. They gathered in the common area, and others joined them. It was both crowded and lonely.
“We should head back,” Teddy decided as he stood.
“Yeah,” Jolon said with a dramatic weary stretch as though hard labour awaited him.
“Go now?” Henri asked, his open face tragic. He got up and gazed at Caden with hopeful puppy eyes.
She managed an awkward smile and rose to her feet. “We'll talk to you later, Henri. Ma always has stuff for us to do and Deb wanders off.”
He slumped in the shoulders and nodded. “K.”
They left him and headed back in silence for most of the way. Everyone wanted her to like Henri, and she did, but not like Ma liked Pa and vice versa. Love and intimacy like that confused and scared her.
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About the Author
Kris Moger – The words and ideas.
Like many creative people, Kris Moger doesn’t like writing bios, but she got talked into it this time. On an average day, she likes to write, draw, and daydream. On most days, she cleans house, gets distracted, and procrastinates. She has created stories since she was young, but only started writing them down in the last dozen years. After publishing a couple of short stories, ‘Down and Out’ is her first official published novel.
Main Cast of Undercity: Down and Out
Teddy – Second oldest child of Peterson family
Eyes – brown
Hair – chestnut
Complexion – Khaki
Build – slight
Caden – Oldest child of Peterson family
Eyes – amber
Hair – black twists
Complexion – sepia brown
Build – tall, boney
Jolon – Middle child of Peterson family
Eyes – mud brown
Hair – curly black
Complexion – copper
Build – thick
Deb - youngest child of Peterson family
Eyes – pale blue
Hair – light blond
Complexion – ivory
Build – slight
Mr. Truman Peterson
Eyes – pale blue
Hair – black and grey
Complexion – drywall grey
Build – boney
Mrs. Tisha Peterson
Eyes – grey
Hair – frizzy blonde
Complexion – drywall grey
Build – tall
Henri – brute for Peterson family
Eyes – forest green
Hair – thin / dusky brown
Complexion – freckled white
Build – slight
Georges – Upperlord and Brute Merchant
Eyes – gold
Hair – black and grey braids
Complexion – coal black
Build – boney
Belinda – Upperlord and Brute Merchant
Eyes – gold
Hair – black braids and twists
Complexion – coal black
Build – full-figured
Mrs. Fish – Friend of Peterson family
Eyes – gold
Hair – mahogany
Complexion – tawny
Build – tall / physically fit
Mr. Fish – Friend of Peterson family
Eyes – brown
Hair – black
Complexion – copper with beard
Build – brawn
Dorkas – Fellow Underling
Eyes – grey
Hair – grey
Complexion – grey
Build – narrow
Nuna – Tower Resident
Eyes – brown
Hair – chestnut
Complexion – rusty
Build – solid