by Edge, T. C.
But I don't say anything. I just keep on going as before, training and keeping my head down. If anything, I'm unusually quiet.
There's one more official function that Theo and I have to attend on the Thursday evening. It's a quieter, preliminary celebration for the city's anniversary, shared only by those in power. So, once more, that means spending an evening with the Councillors and Augustus Knight.
There's something liberating about knowing that this will be my final evening among these people. Theo's parents speak pleasantly with me, even though I know how they really feel underneath. I wonder if the rest of them are as two-faced as they are. Under those watchful eyes of Chancellor Knight, everyone is so deferential and courteous. Behind closed doors, it's a different matter.
I spend the night by Theo's side, keen to make sure he doesn't get too angry and react to his old friends' provocations. The last thing we need is for him to get into a fight and be put under watch. I can feel him tensing by my side at times and grab his hand for reassurance. He looks at me and smiles, that false smile he has to put on transforming into one that's genuine. I can tell, now, what's real and what isn't around here. And just about every smile in this room is contrived, plastered onto every face under the all seeing eyes of Augustus Knight.
He sits, once more, at the top of the room in his large chair, flanked by his two Watcher guards. I pray that they have no idea what Theo and I are up to, that no one has already seen a vision of our escape. It's unlikely. I've learned that visions usually tell of death and disaster, of pain and suffering. Two people sneaking out of the city should be innocuous enough.
I'm summoned to speak with him once again. I suspect he'll want to ask if I've seen anything more of the Divide, which I haven't.
I approach, and he immediately dismisses his guards to give us some privacy. His face coils into an insincere smile, and I return the look, making sure mine is about as false as I can manage without being rude. I imagine he's used to seeing false expressions of joy when people meet with him.
“Miss Drayton, how wonderful to see you again,” he says. If I didn't know what he really was, I might consider him charming. “I understand you've been having some visions of your friend Jackson.” He puts special emphasis on the word friend.
“Apparently they're just dreams,” I reply. “Ajax tells me so.”
“Yes, they must be. He's dead, is he not?”
He looks at me intently, those deep staring eyes so dark and endless.
“So I'm told,” I say curtly. How can he sit there, knowing he's been deceiving me, so composed and casual?
“You know, it would be so much easier for you if you just let go. I know you'll make a great Watcher one day. But only once you fully commit.”
“Yes, sir,” I say. “I have accepted it.”
He knows I'm lying.
“Well that's good. I notice young Theo has bruising on his right hand. I do hope he hasn't been abusing you.” His soulless eyes swell with pleasure. Does he know? Does he know it was Theo and I on Underwater 2?
“Nothing like that, no,” I say, an awkward laughter rumbling through me. “It's the training in the Grid, High Chancellor. It can get brutal down there sometimes.”
He sits back, laughing. “Oh I'm only teasing, Miss Drayton. I understand the rigours of the Grid. Let's hope nothing spoils that pretty face of yours.”
“We wear masks mainly when we fight, so the face is usually protected.”
“Yes, I know you wear masks,” he says pointedly.
I feel my heart rate rush suddenly. Masks. Does he know about the morph masks?
We share a few moments in silence, his eyes boring into me.
“Well, that'll be all, Miss Drayton. I must say, it's lovely to see you and Theo getting along so much better. Enjoy the rest of your evening with him.”
With that he dismisses me and his guards return to his side. I do the little bow Leeta taught me and turn, walking back towards Theo feeling as if I'm about to throw up.
I don't tell him what he said. There's no point in making anything of it. I can't work out whether he really does know what we've been doing or whether I'm just so paranoid that I'm making it all up in my head. There's just something about him. It's like he's reading my mind or something, getting inside my head. Any time I speak with him, it's an invasive, uncomfortable experience.
That night, Theo and I speak in hushed tones about our escape. The merchant docks, he tells me, will be busy on a Friday evening, with various ships preparing to set off for New Atlantis. The city, meanwhile, will be engaged in early celebrations for its anniversary, making it easy to blend in and go unnoticed. There's no official function for us to attend until Saturday night, which is when the entire city comes together. Our absence will be noted, but questions won't be asked until Sunday. By Monday, when we fail to appear at the Grid, a full on search will begin.
“We'll be long gone by then,” Theo says. “Once we reach the mainland we'll be much harder to track. We'll use our morph masks and dress appropriately. It shouldn't take more than a few days to get near the Divide.”
But that's the easy part. Crossing Knight's Wall unseen. Finding Jackson somewhere across the Deadlands. That's the real challenge.
Before we sleep, we both prepare what little things we have. My mother's watch, my diary, the pictures of my family. They're now joined by the picture of Jackson I took from the archives. I pack them into my tatty bag along with the clothes I wore when I arrived here and a few rations that Theo gives me. He packs some more food and a few basic items of clothing. Most of the Eden clothes we have will look out of place, so we leave them.
It's hard to sleep that night. My mind continues to skip ahead to the following evening, playing through the scenario Theo and I have devised. Will we be caught sneaking onto the boat? Will our plan be thwarted before it even begins?
I lie there for hours, just thinking in the silence of the room. Across from me, I hear no sound from Theo, and know that he's awake too. I wonder if he's regretting his decision to come with me. If he'll decide not to at the last minute. Realise that this is folly, that he might die on this crusade. My crusade.
Hours pass, the minutes ticking by relentlessly, until the room begins to slowly brighten as Eve activates the morning routine. This is it. The final day in Eden. And I hope never to return.
Despite my lack of sleep, I don't feel tired that day. I'm too excited, too wired, too nervous. The hours pass like a blur as I work through my stations, paying little attention to them. Ajax reprimands me on more than one occasion for not concentrating, but I ignore him. His words of encouragement, of advice, fall on deaf ears now.
As my final day in the Grid draws to a close, however, Ellie comes to me, a quizzical look on her face. She tells me she needs to talk, leading me into a quiet corner as the rest continue to train.
“What's going on with you?” she asks me. It's an open statement, and could mean anything.
“What do you mean?” I ask innocently.
“You and Theo. You're planning something. I heard you, last night, in your room. You were talking about a plan, about leaving. What's going on, Cy?”
“You heard us? How?”
She glances around to make sure Ajax isn't close, her voice becoming a whisper. “I came to your room last night. I wanted to ask if you'd seen Knight again. Then I heard you talking through the door. So what's your plan then? You running away? There's no point, Cy. You know they'll catch you.”
I've reached a breaking point with Ellie. She's been my confidant ever since I met her. The one person I could trust and talk to about everything. The person I'd confide in and tell about my mother and Jackson and everything I was going through. I've wanted so badly to tell her about the archives, tell her the truth about Jackson. To tell her goodbye, knowing I might never see her again.
In the end, I can't keep it at bay any longer. “I'm leaving,” I blurt out. “You're right. I'm leaving the city to find Jackson.”
“He's not dead,” I say, cutting her off. “That infiltration on Underwater 2. That was me. Me and Theo. We broke into the archives, Ellie. He's not dead. It says so in his file. I can't lose him again. I won't.”
Ellie's jaw hangs slightly open. “He's alive?” she says quietly, disbelieving. “So...they were visions after all?” There's a slight guilt to her voice. “I'm sorry I didn't listen to you.”
“Look, it's OK. I wanted to tell you straight away. But, you have to stay quiet, OK? We're leaving tonight. You can't even tell Link you know.”
“Tonight!” she shouts, before quickly slapping her palm to her mouth. Ajax looks over from the far side of the hall before turning back to Kyle, who's engaged in a simulation.
“Yes, but keep your voice down! No one can know.”
“But...you can't leave. I need you here.”
“Ellie, you've got Link now. You don't need me.”
“I do! You're the person I come to when I need to talk. Link's not like that. He's there for me, but in a different way.”
“There's nothing I can do. I have to find Jackson. I don't care about anything else right now.”
Her face stiffens, her eyes setting. “Well, I'm coming with you then. If you're not here, I don't want to be here.”
“Ellie, no. It's too dangerous out there. You could die...”
“I don't care about that. When I saw my mother dying in my visions, all I wanted to do was save her. I wanted so badly to leave and warn her, but it was too late. If Jackson really is alive, I want to help you get him back.”
“No, I can't be responsible for that...”
“And you think they won't think I know if you and Theo suddenly disappear. It will be just as dangerous for me here, Cy. They'll do anything to find out where you've gone. I'll be safer if I leave with you.”
“And Link?”
“He'll come too.”
I shake my head. “No he won't. He's more dedicated to all of this than anyone.”
“Yeah, dedicated to being a Watcher, but not to Eden. He hates this place as much as you do, he talks about it all the time. Please, Cyra, let us come too.”
I think for a moment and look over at Theo. He finds my eyes out of instinct, and gives me a light nod. It's almost like he knows what we're talking about, that he's giving me a nod of approval.
“Pack light,” I say, turning back to Ellie. “No clothes that would look out of place on the mainland. Bring some food, enough for a week at least. I'll meet you in your room at 7pm. Be ready.”
I look over and see that Ajax is close. He scans us suspiciously. “What are you girls talking about?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I say. “Nothing to do with you anyway.” I try to bite my tongue, but find it hard now with him.
“Excuse me?” he asks, his face hardening.
“Just girl stuff,” says Ellie. “You wouldn't be interested.”
Ajax continues to eye us with mistrust, but doesn't push it. “Fine. Now back to your stations. We have one hour left today.”
One hour left. It will go like lightning. My final hour in this place. This hell where I witnessed Jackson dying over and over again. And when I step out, I'll never come back. Not unless it's to burn it to the ground.
25 - Escape
I knock on the door and hear the shuffling of feet inside. Within a couple of seconds, it opens and I see Ellie staring back at me. She looks at me as if we've never met.
“Um, can I help you?” she asks, frowning.
“Oh right, the morph masks,” I say. “Ellie, it's me, Cyra.”
She still looks confused, until I begin peeling the mask off my face.
“Cyra! What the hell?! Your face!”
I step forward, Theo moving in behind me, and the door slides shut. “It's a morph mask,” I say. Theo pulls two more from his bag and hands them to Ellie and Link.
“Go on, put them on. They alter your features so you're unrecognisable.”
“Yeah, I get that,” says Ellie, now staring at Theo's new face. She puts the mask on, and her face quickly changes, her nose growing larger, chin more pointed, and cheeks a little fuller. In an instant she loses that youthful, innocent look she has.
“And you, Link,” I say, looking up at him. He doesn't look overly pleased with any of this, but follows my orders.
“At least it will cover up that scar,” says Theo, getting a glare for his trouble. I stare at him too. “Sorry, tasteless joke,” he says.
I glance at the bed, where a small bag sits on top. “That's mine,” says Ellie, poking at her new face and looking in the mirror. “It's all we've got. Link doesn't have a bag.”
I nod. “That's OK, as long as you've got enough food. Are we ready?”
Everyone nods and Theo steps forward first, opening the door and checking there's no one out in the corridor. We descend down in the lift to the ground floor and step outside, new faces on, bags over our shoulders. When we reach the street the celebrations are already beginning. Banners cover buildings, decorations line the roads. People carry small flags of the city, many wearing its colours of dark red and blue, mingled with grey and white.
No one notices us or gives us any strange looks as we go. Just four young boys and girls, getting involved in the celebrations. As we move through the centre, things only get more busy. The central square is alive, the many restaurants around its border overflowing with customers. Everywhere people dance and eat and drink as music plays from all quarters, socialising on the eve of the city's favourite day. The highlight of the calender year.
Theo leads us on, through the chattering crowds in the main square and out onto the other side. After a further 10 minutes, we enter a part of the city I've only been to once, during one of Leeta's guided tours; the docking area in the western corner. I quickly wonder how she'll feel when she finds out Ellie and I are missing. How her rise up the Eden hierarchy will be halted now that she can no longer join me at events. I'd have liked to have said goodbye, but know that telling her would have been too much of a risk. As it is, I'll just have to remember her as she was: vacuous and naïve at times, but sweet-natured and with a good heart. Perhaps, one day, I'll meet her again under better circumstances.
We arrive at the docks, where the merchant ships arrive bringing cargo from the mainland. Here there are docking stations at various surface levels for ships and boats of different sizes. The larger ones rise up to level 6, where the city's food stores are. Others are much smaller, their cargo being taken to the lower storage levels. Most regular cargo, as Leeta taught me, is stored on Surface Level 2, while other levels have storage sections of their own. As Theo and I found out the other night, even the military level of Underwater 2 has huge munition stocks, transported down by giant industrial lifts.
“Right, so what's the grand plan then?” It's Link, who's clearly sceptical about the entire thing. By the looks of things, Ellie's had to coerce him into this.
“The ships on the docks drop off their cargo in huge containers,” says Theo, “before picking up empty ones to be shipped back to New Atlantis and the other mainland ports. On their return journey there are plenty of places to hide.”
“So we're going to stow away in a container?” asks Link.
Theo nods.
“Fair plan, I guess” says Link. “I just hope you know this city as well as we hope you do.”
“Trust him,” I say, breaking the short staring contest between the two of them. “It'll work. It has to,” I add, under my breath.
We move forward towards the perimeter wall. Inside it's like the entry point where I first arrived on Eden, with a long walkway extending out towards the sea beyond it. There, I see several ships docked against the outer platform, some towering above the waves, others docked at lower levels.
Everywhere cranes and large industrial vehicles work tirelessly, removing huge crates from the ship
s and transporting them inside the city or onto lifts to take them to their appropriate levels. Men are everywhere, milling around like insects on the ships and out on the docks. With so many eyes, it seems impossible to get aboard any vessel.
“So what now?” asks Link. “How will we ever get past that unseen?”
“We're not going that way,” Theo says. “Follow me.”
He turns back into the city and we enter a lift, hitting the button for Surface Level 6 and quickly descending down. When the doors open, I'm not greeted with the usual sight: tram tracks ahead, the inner perimeter wall beyond. Instead all I see are countless containers in front of me. They line up into the distance, hundreds of them filling the cavernous space ahead.
Theo steps out and we follow, ducking behind the first container and moving backwards into the maze. The smell of the sea reaches my nose. That salty, briny, scent that burns my nostrils. I turn to see a large opening leading towards the outside of the city. There's another short platform, and a ship docked against it. It's the same ship we saw from above, it's contents being quickly unloaded and brought inside the level.
“They unload to the right,” Theo whispers. “All full containers are put there, with empty ones on the left to be loaded once they're done.”
He leads us further back into the level, skipping between containers to stay out of sight. Soon we're onto the left hand side, the side filled with empty containers to be loaded and shipped back out of the city.
Theo moves towards one and pulls the large metal door open. Inside, it's empty, nothing but the lingering scent of fruit remaining. “Inside,” he says, and we all step in. Then he shuts the door, as quietly as possible, and the world goes black.
It's damp inside the container, but smells of home. Of sweet fruit from the orchards, perhaps even brought from Arbor. Theo turns on a torch and the interior bursts to life. Link doesn't look overly pleased with his current predicament, standing grumpily with his arms crossed.