by Linda McNabb
This time Johan didn’t have to creep along in the shadows. He had new clothes on which made him look every bit as presentable as a Level Four. Another of Charat’s supplies that Johan regretted taking now.
The huge market was crowded and Johan decided a bit of speaking to the people on the unjustness of the State system would help use up some of his anger. He looked around for a wall or platform that would allow him to be seen by everyone and spotted an abandoned stall over in the corner. It would do perfectly.
Johan dragged the stand further out into the crowd and jumped up onto it. He was well above the heads of everyone else and there wasn’t a guard in sight. It was a perfect position to say his piece but when he opened his mouth nothing came out.
His mind was blank and he struggled to force back the thoughts which usually came so easily to him. Why was he bothering at all? Only one person had ever listened to him and she turned out to be a traitor. He was wasting his time trying to get through to these people.
Slowly, Johan got down from his platform and sank dejectedly against the wall. He suddenly felt very tired as he watched the throng of people happily browsing the stalls. He would never change anything so he might as well stop trying.
**
Roma had never felt this happy in his entire life. He sat back in comfort on a padded seat in the Level Two carriage and stretched out his legs. He had finally made it to a position of importance and wealth and without anyone’s help. That should be enough to prove to Petari’s family that they were wrong about him.
He smoothed down the silk tunic top he purchased yesterday and promised himself another trip to the clothing stores tomorrow. He had enough credit to shop every day and not ever run out.
He felt the carriage slow down and a glance out the window told him he had arrived. He stepped down to an almost empty platform outside State Head Quarters. Most people were working in the middle of the day and he strolled to the steps feeling relaxed and confident.
Several minutes later he entered his old office and was greeted as if he had never been away.
“Roma, are you coming back to work with us?” one man asked.
“No I’m having a holiday for a while. Maybe I’ll come back later,” Roma knew he would never come back even as he said it.
“Mr Palent, sir.” A young man got his attention and Roma recognised him as the office Junior. “I still have your photos.”
The young man handed over a wallet full of prints and Roma frowned as he tried to figure out why he had them.
“I dropped them off at the lab a while ago for you...” the boy prompted and Roma finally remembered and blushed a little as he thought of what had happened later that day. “Well, I put my name down on the request and the lab sent them to me the next day.”
“Thanks,” Roma replied a little shortly. The edge had been taken off his good humour.
He didn't want to remember his arrest and demotion to Level Ten. Everything that happened in those few days was only a blur in his mind anyway. He knew it was bad but it was the effect of so much drink that made it seem like that. Level Ten's lived the same as everyone else, they just complained more. A nagging doubt pricked at his conscience but he banished it quickly and turned to look at his photos.
They were the shots of the old warehouses that he took on his last day at work. They were the best he had ever taken and Roma forgot all about Clover Downs as he planned the equipment he would order so he could set up his own lab and enlarge some of them.
He was still admiring his own photography as he boarded another carriage ten minutes later. He decided to stop off at the Markets and pick up some strawberries that were just coming into season. Usually they couldn't afford fresh food and only bought the artificially processed fruit substitutes but they could have anything they wanted now. Petari loved strawberries and it would be a nice surprise for her.
**
Kala closed the door behind her as she left the Fortnes house and tried not to hurry down the steps. Reco had to be the most difficult student she ever had. He never listened to anything she said and kept running off whenever she turned her back. She felt totally drained even though their session had only been for two hours.
Mrs Fortnes seemed delighted with how he calmed down and Kala wondered how he could have been any worse than he was right now. Tomorrow’s session was to be in the afternoon again as Mrs Fortnes was holding an afternoon tea for some friends and she wanted Reco to be busy so that he couldn’t cause any trouble. It seemed that Kala was also the babysitter as well as the tutor.
She was already beginning to slip back into her old routine and she automatically boarded the shuttle that went to the markets. She knew they could have a housekeeper to do the food shopping but Kala wasn’t comfortable with that any more.
There were only two other ladies in the Carriage with her and they were busy discussing what they were going to wear to the High Society Ball next month. It would have been of great importance to Kala a few weeks ago but now she didn’t even give it a moment’s thought.
When she arrived at the market she wandered around the stalls before buying anything. There was so much to choose from and she finally decided to buy just what she had bought when she had been Level Three. They didn’t need any more than before, so why buy it now? She had one more purchase to make when a familiar figure walked in front of her.
“Father, what are you doing down here?” Kala smiled at her father and he held up the large plastic container of strawberries he had just bought.
“I thought your mother would like these,” he put his arm around Kala and walked along with her. “Have you finished?”
“Almost,” Kala replied but stopped walking suddenly and stared straight ahead.
“What’s the matter?” Roma stopped and Kala slowly raised her hand and pointed to a man standing on a stall in front of her.
“Johan,” Roma almost spat as he said the name and Kala’s surprise at seeing Johan there turned to shock at her father’s attitude.
“Johan was very good to us,” Kala defended him.
“We should just forget about those few days,” her father’s expression settled into a blank and uninterested stare.
“But how can you just forget about how they lived... how we lived? The State system is unfair.....” Kala was getting angry and her voice was getting louder but she was cut off by her father who glared angrily at her and gripped her arm hard.
“Keep your voice down,” he whispered coarsely at her. “If anyone hears you talking like that they would think you are a sympathiser with the revolution.”
“I am,” Kala stated coolly and pulled away from her father.
She looked back to where she had seen Johan but he was gone. She was sure that he had been about to give a speech about freedom and democracy so why had he disappeared? Maybe he had been arrested? Kala hurried her steps to where she last saw him, at the thought of him being hauled off by the guards.
She reached the spot quickly and in doing so received many startled glances for how she pushed her way through the crowd. She looked around frantically and then saw him sitting against a wall with his head bowed down into his hands.
“Come back,” her father, following her, caught up as she was about to go over to Johan.
“I must talk to Johan,” Kala said moving out of his reach.
“Act your Level,” he admonished sternly. “We don’t associate with his sort.”
“His sort!” Kala said with disbelief and felt her voice rise a whole octave. “Only two days ago we were his sort.”
Just then Johan looked up and saw them both. Kala saw the look of failure in his eyes and she felt a surge of pity rise within her. He looked almost hopefully at her and Kala took a step towards him only to be pulled back roughly by her father.
“Come on Kala. We can’t be seen near him.”
Kala felt herself being dragged away and the look in Johan’s eyes turned hard and his lips compressed to a thin white line. Wit
hout saying anything he rose swiftly to his feet, turned his back on them both and disappeared down an alleyway.
“Let me go,” Kala was surprised at her own strength as she pulled free from her father.
“We’ll talk about this later,” her father hissed just loud enough for her to hear, but he didn’t follow her as she ran off down the alleyway after Johan.
**
It was the look of contempt in Roma’s eyes and Kala’s look of pity that shook Johan from his bout of self-pity. It was with a new resolve to fight the system and people like Roma and Kala that he ran down the narrow alleyway.
Had Roma’s drinking back in Clover Downs been just an act so that he could spy on everyone and then report back to the State? Going by the clothes that the two of them were wearing they were probably Level One or Two. He hadn’t reached any real conclusions when he ran headlong into someone and was knocked backwards to the ground. The person he hit also fell heavily.
Johan jumped to his feet swearing to himself about idiots who couldn’t watch where they were going then he froze in horror. The person he knocked down was a State Guard and he didn’t look happy.
“What exactly do you think that you are doing?” the guard demanded as he got up and brushed some dirt off his clothes. “And what business do you have around here? Don’t you know this is a restricted area?”
Johan peered past the guard and saw a row of warehouses in the distance. He had never been this way before and wondered what they could be guarding. It might be worth a look later.
“I.. Umm...” Johan suddenly felt himself lost for words and the guard grabbed him by the shoulder.
“I think I’ll take you in and check you out.”
“Just a minute guard,” a voice from behind Johan brought both of their attentions to the alleyway Johan had come out of.
The voice belonged to Kala and she was out of breath from running. She stopped to catch her breath and the guard retained his hold on Johan as they waited for her to speak.
“It’s all right, he’s with me,” Kala explained looking very sure of herself and the guard looked closely at Kala and then released his hold on Johan.
“What are you doing in this area?” the guard wasn’t demanding as he had been with Johan. Obviously the distinct clothing of the upper Levels had more influence than Johan realised.
“A man stole my purse in the market and this kind man offered to chase him for me to get it back,” Kala spoke convincingly and much as he hated to do so Johan nodded his head in agreement. Getting himself thrown in prison wouldn’t help things at all.
“He came this way?” the guard obviously believed Kala and he looked very concerned that someone had slipped past him.
“Yes, I guess he went over towards those warehouses,” Johan added and saw the look of pure fear on the guards face.
“Well, I’ll take it from here.” The guard was making an attempt to look in control as his eyes darted around the area looking for the phantom thief. “You go back that way and I’ll make sure your purse gets returned to you when I catch him.”
Johan nodded and retreated back into the alleyway with Kala right behind him. He would much rather have gone and had a look inside the warehouses but there was time for that later.
They kept walking until they were well out of sight of the guard and then Johan stopped and turned to Kala.
“Thanks... and goodbye,”
Johan went to walk off down a lane that branched off the alleyway but Kala reached out and took hold of his arm.
“Please, we have to talk,” Kala’s voice was pleading with him and he reluctantly turned to face her again.
“Why would a Level... Two want to talk to a Level Ten?” Johan couldn’t stop the sarcasm from sharpening his words and he raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“I wanted to explain to you what really happened,” she let his arm go but he didn’t move away.
“I know what happened. You were a spy for the State and I was a fool for caring about you,” Johan folded his arms and glared at her daring her to deny it.
“You cared about me?” Kala sounded surprised and then continued. “I didn’t have a choice about leaving Clover Downs. If I hadn’t then my family would have been killed.”
She was either a very good liar or she was telling the truth and Johan found his decision about her being a traitor starting to crumble.
“Why?” he asked simply.
“I was being blackmailed for some Marcs that I had. I was supposed to leave them under a bush the night I was taken but I didn’t get a chance. If I hadn’t agreed to take this tutoring job I wouldn’t have made it back at all and...” Kala looked close to tears and from her pocket she produced a much folded piece of paper which she handed to him.
Johan took the paper and unfolded it. The words written on it convinced him that she was telling the truth and he instantly forgot he had hated her only minutes before.
“So how did you become Level two?”
“The woman who had me taken was desperate for a tutor so I demanded that my family be raised to Level Two. I had to get them out and it was the first thing that I could think of.” Kala looked relieved that he believed her as a tear slid unchecked down her cheek.
“Come with me,” Johan said as a couple came around a corner and headed in their direction. “We can’t talk here.”
**
Petari had dismissed the nurse this morning after Roma and Kala left. She wasn’t sick, in fact she hadn’t felt this good for years.
“When can I go and see Katee?” Alissa too was a lot better and she looked bored.
“Who’s Katee? Is she one of your school friends from the old Level? I’m sure you’ll make new friends when you start at your new school next week.”
Alissa didn’t look very impressed by her answer.
“If she’s that important to you then I don’t see why you can’t go and visit her every now and then,” Petari was determined not to make the Level barrier ruin her children’s’ lives as it had done hers. If Alissa wanted a Level Three friend then she could have one. “Now go and play out in the garden.”
Alissa ran off singing and skipping and Petari sat down to think. She wasn’t too sure how they had come to be Level Two and she felt like she had missed a few days. Perhaps it was when she was sick as she had experienced the most vivid nightmares. Roma had been accused of theft and they were all sent down to Level Ten. It had all seemed so real but obviously it was just part of her sickness as they had gone up a level, not down.
The door chime rang and Petari smiled broadly as she opened the door to find Wane, her parents’ servant, standing on the top step.
“Wane,” Petari hugged him and then stood aside to let him in. “It’s good to see you.”
“I didn’t think I would be seeing you again so soon,” Wane commented.
Petari felt one eyebrow dip in a frown as she thought about what he had said. It was years since she had seen Wane. He was in her dream too and she pushed away the feeling that the dream may not have been a dream after all.
“I have a letter from your mother,” Wane presented the folded, very new looking, paper that was sealed with wax. Mother would never use any other form of communication and she abhorred the Holocoms.
Petari broke the seal and quickly scanned the fancy writing. It was inviting her to luncheon the day after tomorrow.
“Just me?” Petari queried as the letter could be taken two ways.
“Of course not. Your husband and children are also welcome. As Level Two’s they are most suitable guests now,” Wane explained matter-of-factly.
He didn’t seem to see how ridiculous it sounded. Her family were exactly the same people that they had been when they were Level Three. Petari pursed her lips and then smiled. There was no point in causing another family argument since her mother was offering an olive branch.
“Thank you, Wane. Please inform my mother that we will be most delighted to attend.”
As Wa
ne was leaving Petari turned her attention back to the invitation she was still holding and remembered holding a similar paper not so long ago. That paper, however, had been telling her to leave her family. She remembered feeling that it was all her mother’s fault. Had that been part of her dream? She was getting confused, and as she closed the door on a retreating Wane she wondered if maybe she wasn’t as well as she thought.
CHAPTER NINE
Kala twitched back the curtain and pulled her lips into a tight, straight line when she saw Suan coming up the path. She didn't bother to wonder how Suan had found her. With her father's security clearance she could find out anything she wanted.
Suan paused on the doorstep and it was obvious that she liked what she saw. Kala guessed she must back in Suan's good books now that she lived in a more acceptable area. A bead of sweat ran down the side of Suan's face and she quickly dabbed it away then fished a small compact out of her bag to repair the small line it had left in her make-up.
Having composed herself again and checked her hair in the mirror of her compact she finally rang the doorbell. Kala allowed much more time than was polite to pass before she left the window and opened the door.
“Kala, darling. You look absolutely wonderful!” Suan swept into the apartment without waiting for an invitation and critically examined the entire room within three seconds. “This room could do with a bit of decorating though. I’ll send my decorator around this afternoon.”
“Suan.. I wasn’t expecting you and I don’t really need a decorator,” Kala didn't really want to see Suan but didn't want to tell her so and cause a scene either. She felt hurt at Suan's comments about the decorating even though it had all been like it when they moved in. Who was she to say what looked nice?
“I wanted to surprise you,” Suan smiled confidently and sat down elegantly on the sofa. “I thought we could go shopping this afternoon. I really must get some new clothes and I’m sure that you haven’t had time to get all of yours yet.”
“Sorry, I’m working this afternoon,” Kala explained feeling relieved to have an excuse as she took a seat on the other side of the room.