by Sadie Turner
“Don’t look so surprised.” Sobek uncharacteristically put his arm around his son, leading him to the couch where his friends had already settled themselves. “It’s time for you to relax a little. Let go.”
Calix was shocked. His father hadn’t let him hang out with his friends since he had returned from camp. In fact, Calix couldn’t remember a time when his friends had been invited up to his father’s penthouse … to his father’s lair. Calix’s best friends always visited him at his mother’s apartment, which was warm and inviting. While many of them had asked about Sobek’s penthouse, none had dared to visit. And now Sobek had invited them for a sleepover. “Seriously?”
“Absolutely. I have access to a few new vids they might enjoy, including the new Sickled Blade trilogy.”
“Epic!” Rao and Byron high-fived.
“It’s my pleasure, boys.” Sobek smiled. He had come up with a surefire plan to ensure that his son would join him.
Even if it meant possibly killing a few of his friends to convince him.
Sobek had spared no expense to make Calix’s friends comfortable. He brought in big black leather couches, which the boys sunk into, ready to watch the promised double feature. The ever-present Rika diligently handed the four boys big bowls of popcorn and large thirst quenchers as they settled in for the evening. They would be the first of their friends to see it, as the vid hadn’t yet been released to the public. But World Leader Sobek had access to all the pre-release vids being made in West America.
Calix dug his hand into a large bowl and settled in to watch the coming attractions. The last few days had been a disturbing blur, and his friends brought him an admitted sense of normalcy. Rao, August, Byron, and Emmett were sprawled out in front of the projection. The teens were Calix’s closest friends. They had all grown up together in Sabbatical City; they played holo tag together and were in the same class in secondary school. Byron and Calix had acted in theater together. Emmett and Calix had been on the debate team together. August and Calix had run on the track team together. And Rao was Calix’s best friend, his closest confidante. Calix had known them since they all went to Monarch Camp when they were five years old.
The boys were thrilled to watch the horror vid. Each was on the brink of manhood and would soon be leaving his Community. This would be one of their last bonding experiences before real life took over. Shy Rao, a science prodigy, had been matched with a girl in the Academic Community and would be moving to East America, where he would apprentice in a physics laboratory. Brawny August and talkative Byron had both been matched with girls from Ocean Community and would be moving west. August would apprentice at the Desalination Plant and Byron would apprentice in the fishery. Only Emmett and Calix would be staying in Sabbatical City. Emmett had been matched with a local girl and would work in the family business distributing Thirds, and Calix, the only Protector in the group, had to stay put to fulfill his destiny. Both Emmett and Calix would follow their fathers’ footsteps. Calix shuddered; only he knew that his father’s footsteps were made of a shimmery metallic from an alien planet.
“How are you enjoying the vid?” Sobek’s booming voice echoed throughout the room. No one heard him enter, they had all been too engrossed in the climactic first murder in which a teenager’s belly was sliced open by a masked man wielding a sickled blade.
“Excellent, sir,” Byron stumbled as he tried to stand up. “This is some sick stuff.”
The other boys nodded in unison. Although Calix still hadn’t forgiven his father for his lessons at Monarch Camp, he was grateful for the time with his friends, which Sobek had orchestrated. He chimed in, “It’s really cool, Father. Thanks.”
“Of course, Son. I may be the world leader, but I still like to think of myself as cool.” Sobek smiled at the boys. “Now, relax and enjoy. Prepare to be scared beyond your wildest imaginations.”
“Awesome!” the boys screamed in unison before turning their attention back to the screen.
“Calix, may I see you for a moment?”
“But Father,” Calix protested, “It already started.”
Sobek didn’t respond, rather, he turned and went into his inner office. Calix groaned and got up from his seat next to Rao. He had no choice but to obey.
““What do you want, Father?” Calix stood in the door-jamb craning to watch the vid. On the screen, the masked man was sharpening his blade. The surround sound made each scrape of the knife sound like nails scraping across a chalkboard. It sent shivers through his body. Calix glared at Sobek, repeating his question. “What do you want, Father?”
“To continue your education, Son,” Sobek said. “In fifty seconds, I am going to need you to close your eyes.”
“Huh? Can’t we do it later, I don’t want to miss the vid.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It is a silly pretense. Actors pretending to be students on a camping trip, systematically and brutally murdered one by one. It is just make-believe. The blond actor is really the killer.”
“Did you just ruin it for me?” Calix was furious.
“It is not about a contrived story, Calix. It is about your ability to drink auras. I need you to start practicing.”
“On my friends? No way. I’m not letting them turn out like Sarayu,” Calix said defiantly.
“And they don’t have to … if you can control yourself and only take what you need. Just steal a little bit. They won’t feel a thing.”
“No.” Calix stood his ground. His father was a sick man.
“It is not a request, Son.” Sobek glared.
“I am not going to practice on my friends,” Calix insisted.
“Not all, just one. Pick one friend.”
Calix was stunned. He thought his father’s gesture of inviting the guys over was a kind one. He should have known better; his father was never kind. He was a cold-hearted monster, and Calix would never be rid of him. He wanted to run, to escape, to get as far away from his father as possible; yet he also knew it was far easier to obey him than to refuse him. The last time he’d resisted his father’s request, he found himself hanging from a ceiling with butterflies dancing in front of his eyes. But he could not choose one of his friends to hurt. He simply would not do it. He would fake it. How hard could it be to pretend? Calix smiled at his father and nodded compliantly.
“Good, Son. Now, close your eyes and breathe. Feel the energy of the room around you.”
Calix smiled. He would focus on his father, not his friends. If Sobek wanted someone’s aura siphoned, he was fair game as well. “Now what? My eyes are shut.”
Sobek looked at the screen in the other room. The first student had wandered into the forest, seconds away from getting killed. He could smell the terror of Calix’s friends. Rao was a bit nonchalant, but the other three were lapping it up. Emmett was the most absorbed in the picture. He had stopped eating popcorn, and both his eyes and mouth were wide open, as if transfixed in fear. Sobek grinned; this would be an easy choice. Calix could pick the low-hanging fruit, starting off with the easiest of the four and picking them off one by one. Emmett’s fear was so strong it was palpable. It would be so simple, a child Lien could do it. Sobek could see the boy’s aura—he could almost taste it, even from the other room. He only hoped his son’s senses were strong enough to detect the same.
“What do you feel?” Sobek whispered.
“Nothing. I mean … wait.” Calix paused, eyes closed, and breathed in. He tried to focus all of his attention on his father, although he could feel something in the other room. It was muted at first, but then it grew in intensity. As another victim was killed on the screen … the sound of the serrated knife brutally cutting him apart, Calix sensed the fear in the room. It flushed over him like a wave, empowering him with a newfound strength. Calix tried to ignore it, but it was hard to control his feelings. He answered his father honestly, “I feel … I feel … electricity, like my fingers are buzzing.”
“Good, Son. Good,” Sobek encouraged. “Now, keep your eyes close
d and continue to focus.”
Again, Calix tried to concentrate on his father and breathe in Sobek’s aura, which was right next to him. But he couldn’t sense anything. Sobek didn’t give off any emotion, and if he did, it was way too nuanced for Calix to feel. Instead, he continued to feel the lure of the terror from the other room. Calix could sense his friends’ energies and almost read them. Rao’s energy was amused. He was mocking the film, clinically wondering how it was anatomically possible to slice open a gut and pull out entrails. Byron and August were scared, terrified even … but it was Emmett who was completely petrified. His whole body was quivering. Without opening his eyes, Calix could taste his friend’s terror.
“What do you feel, Son?”
“Power,” Calix whispered. His hands were shaking. Even from the next room, he could sense the aura. It was exhilarating.
“Good. Now, you are going to harness that power.”
“How?” Calix’s whole body felt alive as if something had been awakened in him. He tried to fight it, but it was too strong.
“Go sit down next to your friends.”
“Please, Father. I can’t,” Calix said weakly, but even as he was protesting, he felt himself drawn into the other room. Shaking, Calix sat on the couch next to Emmett.
And he breathed in.
I am adjusting.
Life underground isn’t as bad as I’d imagined and I am learning. Both about the revolution and myself. There is an entire subculture down here and although I feel like I am an intruder, I am fascinated by the revolutionaries’ passion and dedication to their cause. They are advocates for change and fully committed to make the world a better place and saving humanity in the process.
Other than Kai, Genesis is my closest friend in the Labyrinth. It’s great to reconnect with him, especially without the pressure of being each other’s intended partner. We can just be friends. Genesis is far more laid-back than most people down here who are eager for revolution: he is content just to garden. He’s grateful to be a part of the Labyrinth and he feels like his purpose is cultivating the soil and providing food. Genesis is good with his hands, and because he grew up in the Ecosystem Community, his skills have made him an integral part of the Sustenance Brigade, one of the three Brigades that operate the Labyrinth. The Sustenance Brigade is composed of people like Genesis and Lachlan, who know how to live off the land. They provide our food and maintain the city’s daily operations.
The Bandit Brigade, the elite brigade that Kai belongs to, is made up of revolutionaries whose job it is to go above ground and steal materials to keep the Labyrinth working. They work in pairs, with one person distracting the intended mark and the other grabbing their material goods. Running a city costs money, and Taj has no compunction when it comes to stealing from the wealthy to support her cause. Yet there are only six members of the Bandit Brigade: Kai and his partner Gina, Zilli and her partner Troy, the gangly boy I saw her with above ground, and Lachlan’s younger brother Fergus and his partner Suguru, a pretty boy with long hair. Taj’s Underground cannot be infiltrated because no one besides the six members of the Bandit Brigade—and Taj—are allowed to go above ground. The chance of discovery is too dangerous; plus, if Sobek has any spies or plants in the Underground, they cannot get word to him, as the entire Underground is cut off from electronic communication with the outside world.
The coordinates of the Labyrinth are protected.
The last group is the Craftsman Brigade, made up of scientists, builders, and philosophers. They use both their minds and hands to craft the master plan to stop Sobek and create the weapons of revolution for when the time comes to fight. These are the real underground warriors who are skilled in the art of warfare, both mental and physical.
As I adjust to my life in Underground City, I divide my time between the Sustenance and the Craftsman Brigades. Taj does not trust me to go above ground, nor should she. I still want to find my sister and I am constantly tempted to escape. But sometimes it’s easier to obey than to refuse. So I bide my time by obeying and learning. In the Sustenance Brigade, I learn how to survive without relying on technology. There are no processed foods down here. Everything is fresh. I work side by side with Genesis in the garden, tending to the vegetables and learning about irrigation. When I kneel in the dirt and prune the plants, I feel at one with the earth in the same way I used to feel when I swam. My mind and my ego are uncluttered and I just … am. I’m not worried about schoolwork or boys or following the rules. I am in the moment and it feels wonderful. I look around; no one knows what I am feeling because it is inside of me. I don’t have the need to run to tell Annika or Rane. I just enjoy the moment for what it is. It is in this state of mindful bliss when I feel one of the octopus legs around my wrist loosen and slide back into place on the cuff. I look down. How did that happen?
“Keeva.” Lachlan approaches and gives me a hand, helping me up.
“At your service.” I wipe the dirt from my hands.
“Ready for a lesson?” he asks, smiling.
“I think I just had one, though it was weird,” I say, touching my octopus bracelet.
“Good. Lessons often come when you least expect them. Oftentimes the answer has always been within.” He looks at Genesis. “Mind if I borrow her?”
“Only if you promise to bring her back.” Genesis blushes. Is he flirting with me? He has been so nice to me, so constant. I feel safe with him. Unlike Kai … and even me, Genesis has no ego. He puts his work for the good of the community above himself. “I won’t be gone long.” I smile at him and lower my eyes, suddenly embarrassed by our proximity.
Wait? Am I flirting back?
I walk with Lachlan down a long row of pepper plants to the far end of the garden. Despite being underground, the self-sustaining garden is in full bloom and I marvel at the colors and smells.
“I understand your father is a bigwig at the Desalination Plant,” Lachlan says.
“He is. He was,” I add uncertainly. I don’t even know if my father is still alive. I wish I knew where the Protectors took him. What they did with him.
“How often have you been to the plant?” Lachlan interrupts my thoughts.
“Hundreds of times. I often went there after school to visit my father before I went swimming.”
“So then you know how to purify water.” He waits, expectantly.
“Um, no.”
“Why not?”
“It never interested me. It was just numbers and machines and … why are you asking me?” Was it just minutes ago that I was feeling at peace in the garden? Now I feel like a scolded child.
“Information is power, Keeva. That’s one of the reasons Sobek is so successful. He parcels out information on a need-to-know basis. His race has access to so much technology; yet humans are not privy to it. Humans merely follow the rules, they don’t impose them.”
“What do you mean they?” I ask. “You’re one of us, too.”
“Am I?” Lachlan stops and pulls his timepiece out of his coat and consults it. He then turns to me, and within seconds shifts his shape into a Lien. Although he is still wearing his burgundy coat and gray slacks, his skin has been replaced by a shimmery silver. Underneath his bowler hat, his face has completely morphed into a Lien head. Gone is the Lachlan I have come to know. His pale skin, blond hair, and warm smile have been replaced by a shimmy metallic mask that is broken up only by the indentations of two light lavender eyes. His whole face seems to move, but he is not hideous. I stare at him, unflinching. I am starting to see the beauty in these creatures. There is a simple beauty in their mercurial form. They move effortlessly, as if they are gliding.
“You’re one of them?” I try to contain my surprise even though I am taken aback.
“Many of us are.” He effortlessly shifts back into his human form and readjusts his hat. “The best way to stop Sobek is from within and many of us are working from the inside. We are everywhere. The Americas, the Asias, Australia. We are both above and below ground.
”
I look around at the people in the garden. “Who else is a Lien?”
“Does it matter, Keeva?” Lachlan asks earnestly.
I look around the garden at the workers busily committing to their tasks. Across the main thoroughfare, I can see artisans constructing weapons. On the other side of the city, select revolutionaries go up in the elevator, risking danger daily to do their part to help the revolution. And I realize that it does not matter who is in fact from another galaxy. I have accepted that the Lien species lives among us, and now I must accept that they do not all have evil agendas. There are good ones. Like Lachlan.
“So, what’s this about a lesson?” I change the subject.
“I’m going to teach you how to purify water.”
“Right,” I laugh. “I mean, we can’t. We need machines.” I say looking around. My father’s plant is so enormous, it would take up over half the Labyrinth.
“Do we?” Lachlan chuckles and leads me to his gardening shed. Inside there are a few things laid out on the table, including a pitcher of water, a blue cup, a glass bowl, and a roll of plastic.
“Almost everything we need is right here,” he says confidently.
“OK… .” I say tentatively. Where are the machines? The filters? The pumps and the holding tanks?
“Take a sip of the water, Keeva.” Lachlan pours a little water from the pitcher into the glass.
I drink the water and immediately spit it out. “It’s salty.”
“Indeed. I just wanted to show you what ocean water tastes like.”
“Oh, I’ve tasted plenty of it. Growing up, I’ve swallowed many waves.”
“Good. Then you are aware that it is undrinkable. Now, take the small glass cup and put it in the middle of the large glass bowl.”
I dump out the remaining drops of salty water from the cup I am still holding and put it in the middle of the clear glass bowl. “Now what?”
“Fill the large glass bowl with the saline water and stop filling it when you are approximately one inch from the top of the cup.”