Estranged

by Alex Fedyr

  She was two steps down when her foot slipped. Kalei fell. She frantically attempted to grab the ladder again with her left hand, but the slick metal slid from her grip, sending her down a few more feet until she shoved her right hand between the rungs and hooked her arm around one of the bars. Kalei cried out in pain as the rung pulled sharply against the inside of her elbow, nearly pulling her arm out of its socket, but she finally stopped falling.

  Kalei leaned her forehead against her arm, adrenaline pumping through her body and her darkness whirring through her head like a crazed monkey. During the descent, her shirt had slipped off her face and now she was breathing the putrid air of the sewers again. Her stomach threatened to hurl.

  Before Kalei could collect her senses, a light came on. The sudden illumination blinded her and nearly caused her to lose her grip again. She blinked and cursed, and when her eyes finally adjusted to the light, she looked over her shoulder to find Shenaia standing at the bottom of the manhole with a flashlight.

  Above, the sound of shouts and crashing utility shelves marked the arrival of the Wardens.

  Kalei hissed, “Shut that off! They’ll see it.”

  Instead, Shenaia shielded it with her hand, reducing the light to a dim glow. Kalei accepted the compromise and silently focused on finishing her descent.

  When she reached the bottom, Kalei spun around and shoved Shenaia. “What the hell is this? What do you think you’re doing here?” Kalei struggled to keep her voice at a whisper.

  Shenaia replied in an equally strained whisper, “Hey! I’m tryin’ ta help you, sis. Didn’ Mama eva teach you, you shouldn’ bite the hand dat feeds you?”

  “I don’t want any help from a murdering addict. You could’ve left me in there for all I cared, but now that I’m out, I need to find my husband, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting you anywhere near him.” Kalei walked past Shenaia and into the tunnel.

  The tunnel itself was seemingly endless in the dim light of the flashlight. To her right, the tunnel stretched on for a few hundred feet before disappearing into the black, and to her left, it was much the same. Lining the tunnel were two narrow cement walkways on either side, and connecting the two was a long, rusting metal catwalk. Kalei crossed the bridge without heed, intent on the service door on the other side. She made it about three steps across when her foot fell through the floor, sending a chunk of rusted metal into the wash below. She heard a faint splash and the smells rising from the putrid water wafted up, stronger than ever. Kalei coughed and paused to pull her shirt tighter over her face.

  Behind her, she heard Shenaia stepping onto the walkway.

  “What the—? Get off!” Kalei turned and waved at Shenaia to go back, but the young woman continued to walk onto the bridge. Kalei whispered, “This thing can’t hold both of us, you idiot.”

  Shenaia was close enough to whisper back, “Yes it can, dumbass. Just gotta watch where you walkin’.” Shenaia shone the flashlight upon the catwalk, illuminating patches where the rust was lest prolific, and the metal seemingly more sound. Shenaia started to walk past Kalei, but Kalei grabbed her by the shoulder and spun the young woman around to face her.

  Kalei said, “Get the fuck out of here.”

  Shenaia knocked Kalei’s hand off her shoulder as she replied, “Dat’s what I plan ta do, sis.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of silver, jangling keys. “See dat door over there? It’s locked, and you ain’t goin’ through it without me.”

  “Really? You think I’m going to take you with me just because you managed to pick a pocket?” Kalei grabbed for the keys, but Shenaia pulled her arm back and closed her hand around them.

  “Did that cell make you stupid?” There was a shout followed by the loud screech of the desk being moved up above. Kalei knew what that sound meant: the Wardens had found the manhole. Shenaia said, “You can try ta take this from me, but you don’ have time. You can try to find Fenn on your own, but you don’ have time. Tusic are the only other people in dis city who might know where Fenn is, and I can take you straight to ‘em.”

  “I can find Tusic on my own, thanks.”

  “You don’t have time!” The words came out as a yell. Both women fell silent and looked back at the ladder. For a moment, the only sound was the sluggish flow of the putrid water below. Then they heard the harsh dragging sound of the manhole cover being pulled back. Shenaia stepped forward and grabbed Kalei by the shirt. “Listen, little sister; we can get out of here, find Tusic, and get ta Fenn within the hour. Are you gonna take my help or not?”

  Kalei knocked Shenaia’s hand free and glared at the young woman’s heavily shadowed face. “Open the damn door.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  E-Night

  Out in the city, Shenaia worked her “persuasion” on a few of the Tusic grunts. Some methods violent, others not-so-violent, but in every case, she found an excuse to pull out one of her guns. The teenager was seemingly in love with her pair of silver etched pistols, and she didn’t seem capable of resisting the opportunity to show them off. It had started when Shenaia put her gun to the head of a gangster, demanding information on the section manager’s hideout. Then they moved on to the section manager’s office where Shenaia switched tactics, leaning over his desk to show him the new modifications she had added to the slide.

  Kalei was revolted by the whole show. The section manager was a stout pile of rolls sitting behind a cluttered desk, with probably no recollection of what it felt like to have a chin, and here Shenaia was, leering over the man as if she wanted to have his babies. Kalei told herself that it was all just an act on Shenaia’s part, and hoped it was true.

  But Kalei’s mood grew darker as the section manager told them he had no information on Xamic or Fenn. Kalei was about to step forward and throttle the man, assuming she could find his neck among all the lard, but then he smiled and told Shenaia something useful: Landen Franklin would be at his mansion hosting “E-night” tonight.

  “’E-night?” Kalei asked.

  The manager looked at her incredulously. “Yeah, you ain’t never heard of ‘E-night’? Shit, how long you been keepin’ this one under a rock, Shenaia?” He wiped the sweat off his brow with a damp kerchief and explained, “Landen opens up his mansion every year on the E-day anniversary for this massive party. Invitation only. A lot of high-class Untouched come by to get turned into Estranged.”

  Kalei was stunned as several thoughts went racing through her mind. Today is E-Day? Already? Shit, it figures the day I break out had to be E-day... Wait– What was that other thing he said? There’s no fucking way. “You seriously want me to believe that Landen Franklin, savior of Celan, throws parties to turn people into Estranged? That doesn’t sound like him.”

  “Sure it does. You just don’ know ‘im.”

  Kalei scoffed and resumed her silence while Shenaia and the manager finished up. Once they were back on the street, Kalei asked, “He’s joking about the E-night thing, right?”

  “Nah, Landen does it every year. He acts like the damn thing is better than Christmas too.”

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “Nope.”

  Kalei stopped and looked into Shenaia’s eyes, searching for some hint of the punchline she wasn’t getting. Shenaia gazed back, her eyes dead serious.

  Kalei threw her arms up in resignation. “Okay, so why the hell would a bunch of rich Untouched show up to be turned into Estranged? Don’t they realize there’s a good chance they could die?”

  Shenaia shrugged and gave a noncommittal “eh.” She answered, “Rich people like risks. I dunno, I’ve seen just as many of ‘em fall as walk, but for some reason, the dumbasses keep climbin’ up to the stage thinkin’ they’re the exception to the rule.”

  “You mean you’ve been to these parties?”

  “Of course, I—” Shenaia gave Kalei a sideways glance. “It’s complicated.” She started to walk down the street again.

  Kalei scoffed and followed Shenaia. “Right. What
ever.”

  Shenaia slowed a bit, looking at the street sign, and then checking over her shoulder. “Y’know, we should probably wait ‘til tomorrow.”

  Kalei matched her pace and tried to spot what the young woman was looking for. “Like hell. You’re the one who said we don’t have time.”

  “Yeah, that was before I knew it was E-night. Landen ain’t the most... rational guy on E-night.”

  “I don’t care what kind of guy he is. I just need him to tell me where to find Fenn. Now would you stop checking street signs and take me to the damn place already?”

  Shenaia stopped at the corner and hesitated.

  “You said you wanted to help me. Then do it.”

  Glancing at Kalei, Shenaia stepped out into the street. “I ain’t sure you’ll call this help.”

  Kalei followed, aggravated by Shenaia’s resistance. “Just take me to the damn mansion!”

  “That’s what I’m doin’!”

  The sky was turning a deep shade of blue, and a couple satellites were already glowing on the horizon when they arrived at the base of Chodai Mountain, where the wealthy built their estates. The night was warm, but a cool breeze made the temperature just perfect. Shenaia and Kalei began their ascent to where Landen had built his abode.

  On either side of the road, wide-open fields butted against thick stands of pine as the terrain sloped upward toward the imminent peak. Only one mansion was visible about a quarter mile back, its sprawling, four-storied expanse tucked within a lavish green garden and lit by strategically placed floodlights.

  The mansion’s property was circumvented by a seven-foot-tall, wrought-iron fence, which yielded to stone where it met with the boundaries of its neighboring properties. These other properties were similarly fenced, and although Kalei could not see the homes, presumably because they were tucked within the trees or behind hills, Kalei could count at least six other unique properties as they ascended.

  Kalei looked from one imposing fence to the next, some ornately built with rocks from the mountain, others built as solid walls of granite, and she remembered what the manager had said about the rich wanting to turn Estranged. With that in mind, she couldn’t help but wonder how many of these estates were miniature versions of Downtown: places where Estranged happily enjoyed their highs behind a secure boundary.

  Kalei furrowed her brow and looked at Shenaia. “Wait, the manager said this party was invitation only. How will we get in?”

  Shenaia kept her eyes straight ahead as she walked up the winding road. “Don’ worry. They’ll let us in.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Shenaia looked over her shoulder at Kalei, anger driving the words from her lungs. “Jus’ what I said: don’ worry.” She turned her attention back to their path.

  Kalei let it go. She was too tired to keep bickering.

  The night was quiet. Their footsteps echoed across the pavement as an airplane hummed through the darkening sky above. Crickets were beginning to sing their song, and off to the west, a couple frogs added their voices to the melody. It wasn’t until about fifteen minutes later that Kalei could pick out the sound of a muffled beat up ahead. As they drew closer, she could pick out more of the notes in what seemed to be a very upbeat, cutting edge song. Whatever they were doing up there, they definitely weren’t sleeping.

  They crested a hill and the gate to Landen’s estate came into view: wrought iron like most of the rest they passed, but twice the size at nearly twenty feet, and elaborately wrought to draw out the three-star emblem of the Tusic Company.

  As Kalei and Shenaia walked up to the grand barricade, two women stepped out through a smaller side gate to greet them. The women wore tactical combat suits, black from neck to toe, complete with black polyester gloves. Despite the seemingly practical nature of the outfits, the clothes were fit to each woman’s body in a way that accentuated every curve. Kalei didn’t doubt that these women could fight off intruders, but she suspected their function was more heavily weighted toward impressing guests. One woman was a brunette and the other a blonde. Although their hair was tied back into ponytails, the tails were long enough to fall around their shoulders in a soft cascade of curls.

  The blonde bouncer called out to Kalei and Shenaia as they approached, “Good evening, ladies.”

  In an equally elegant tone, Shenaia replied, “Good evening.”

  Kalei caught her jaw as it dropped.

  The brunette woman asked, “Shenaia? Is that you?”

  “One in the same.”

  Kalei was silent, her eyes bulging as she watched the exchange.

  The brunette playfully demanded, “Where have you been? Last I heard, you had joined SWORDE.”

  Shenaia smiled sweetly. “You heard right.”

  “So it’s true!” the blonde chimed.

  “Yes.” Shenaia stopped in front of the women and said, “Melody, Samantha, I would like you to meet Kalei.”

  The blonde – Samantha – her eyes lit up as she looked at Kalei. “You mean your sister? Oh! It is such a pleasure to finally meet you, Kalei! Shenaia has told us so much about you!”

  Kalei managed a smile as the woman came up and shook her hand.

  They started to ask questions, but Shenaia politely cut them off. “Excuse me, ladies, but we really do need to get going. It sounds like the party has already started without us.”

  “Of course!” Melody opened the side gate for them. “Go right ahead. Make sure to come back and see us again, Shenaia. We missed you.”

  Shenaia smiled again. “I missed you too. G’night!”

  Melody smiled back. “Goodnight.”

  Kalei followed Shenaia into the yard, trying to regain her bearings. Her head felt like it was spinning on a carousel after watching that bizarre exchange, but what she found on the other side of the fence made the carousel spin even faster. They weren’t standing in a yard. They were standing on a bridge, and for as far as she could see, there was not an ounce of dirt, just a seemingly endless crystal blue pool that was beautifully illuminated by the lights built under the bridges.

  The bridges themselves were not arched or sloping; if anything, they were more like docks: white, pristine docks that wound through the yard like paths in a garden. Parallel to Kalei’s path, the road continued from the gate to the house, heedless of the change in terrain. The paths and the pool weren’t the most striking thing either. In the center of it all stood a three-storied mansion, one central square with the facing wall constructed entirely of glass, and two slightly smaller squares to the left and right, built of the same white stone as the walkways. And from the roof, along the entire length of the building, water fell in a single, shimmering sheet, turning the entire structure into a beautiful waterfall.

  And through that sheet, and through the glass of the central building, Kalei could see that all three floors were packed with guests, and even the roof had another hundred or so guests dancing upon it, along with a live DJ, suggesting that more paths and patios spanned a pool up there.

  Shenaia broke Kalei’s reverie as she said, “Ugh, gag me.”

  Kalei blinked at the woman, unable to articulate an answer. She must have been staring, because Shenaia asked, “What?”

  Kalei pointed at the pool, at the waterfall, at Shenaia, then finally managed to say “They-you- where the hell did you learn to talk like that?”

  Shenaia reached back and absentmindedly scratched her head. It was comforting to see Shenaia return to her usual street-punk persona. She sighed. “That’s how normal people talk, right?” She shrugged. “I can be normal.”

  Shenaia stepped onto the nearest bridge, but Kalei didn’t budge.

  Shenaia looked over at her. “Okay, the Shenaia you’re used to is something I picked up from my friends in high school. I wasn’t raised to talk like a G-zone kid any more than you were.”

  “G-? But they called me your—”

  Shenaia cut her off. A group of guests from another path had spotted Shenaia and
were making their way over, shouting greetings and pleasantries while they closed the distance.

  Kalei didn’t say a word as the three women and the two men, all dressed for a formal occasion despite the informal music, chatted and cooed over Shenaia and Kalei as they walked together to the mansion.

  Kalei felt severely underdressed for the occasion. More than that, she felt like this was all a dream. She wanted to splash some of that pool water on her face to find out if this was really real, but they were already at the waterfall. A short overhang above the doors diverted the water to either side, creating a rift in the sheet for them to walk through. As they passed beneath the overhang, Kalei held her hand out to the waterfall and felt the cool, clear liquid run through her fingers.

  Not a dream, then, but still no easier to believe.

  A man in a black tuxedo met them at the door. “Kalei, Shenaia, it’s good to see you. Landen Franklin will be with you ladies in just a moment. Here are your gloves.” He handed them each a pair of black silk gloves. “We ask that you please wear them for the night, at least until after the main event.” Kalei followed Shenaia’s lead and put them on. “While you wait, you are welcome to a drink at the bar, hors d'oeuvres are being served by our lovely ladies, and if you have... other tastes, just say the word and I shall be happy escort you to another room where such is being offered.”

  Shenaia waved him off. “No thank you.” The two excused themselves from the man and their new friends, then walked into the party.

  This first floor had more than a dozen low, soft black couches – not that anyone was using them. Sure, there was a man in the company of four lovely ladies making use of the couch on the far wall, but, for the most part, the guests stood. The music was mildly more subdued than it was outside, although four large speakers scattered throughout the large room relayed the music from upstairs. Kalei couldn’t tell if this room was supposed to be a living room or a foyer, but either way, it seemed to be made for partying. The front and back walls were made of glass, while the clean, white sidewalls were broken by a single door each. On the right, caterers came and went. To the left, guests slipped in and out, giggling and furtive. The rest of the guests gathered in a dozen tight clusters, chatting, laughing, and sipping their drinks of choice. Judging by the drinks Kalei could see, they seemed to have decadent tastes; three women in a cluster to her left held tall glasses filled with red wine, while their male companions drank from heavy whiskey glasses filled with an amber liquor.