Searching

by Kelli Kimble

  “No,” I said. “We don’t have a need for it.”

  She nodded. “Neither do we. But, you can trade for just about anything. Food, clothes, maintenance materials.” She looked pointedly at Leif. “Just about anything you can think of, really.”

  The business district was coming into view, and it looked much the same as the residential area, except the buildings were situated closer together, and many of them were fronted with glass windows.

  “Can we go and look?” Tennie asked, craning her neck to see.

  “We don’t have time, and anyway, what do you three have to trade besides a dog?”

  Tennie frowned in disappointment but didn’t argue. We continued on. Someone whizzed by on a two-wheeled device.

  “Was that a bicycle?” I asked, staring at it openly.

  “Yes. A lot of people use them to get around. I can’t ride one, though.” She tapped a finger to her head. “The tumor also hurt my sense of balance some.”

  I tore my eyes away, feeling guilty. I hadn’t meant to point out her shortcomings.

  “Let me tell you a bit about the mayor,” she said. “She’s in charge of the city; she makes all the decisions on infrastructure, public maintenance, crime . . . you know, government stuff. She’s very reasonable.” She glanced around before continuing, waiting until nobody was near us to resume speaking. “But, don’t provoke her. She can be unpleasant when provoked. The basic protocol here is you use your manners. You know, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and smile. It should all be over pretty quickly. She’s busy, and I don’t know why she even cares to meet you.”

  “What’s her name?” I asked.

  “Preia. But, don’t call her that. You don’t need to address her at all; just wait until she speaks to you.”

  “She can speak?” Leif asked. “I thought only you could do that.”

  “Preia is unusual. There is a faction of people who prefer to be verbal. Mostly politicians. They think it makes them seem sincere.”

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  Tabitha pulled a face, then pointed to a building up ahead. The road led straight up to it. It was larger than those surrounding it and painted white. It featured a domed roof over the center and columns across the front. Stone steps, worn into a dip at the center, led up to a door with a series of small, glass panes in it.

  Tabitha took us inside. We entered a tall room directly beneath the dome. The underside was curved and painted to look like a blue sky. Below the dome, there were several floors, all open to the room, with railings to keep people from falling into the center. On floors above us, there were people bustling around, but down where we were, there was no one—except a scowling man sitting at a desk, next to a set of metal double-doors.

  “Hey,” Tabitha said, approaching the desk. “These are the newcomers. I’m supposed to escort them up to the mayor’s office.”

  The man’s expression didn’t change, and he didn’t answer. His eyes flicked to each of us in turn, then ticked somewhat when his gaze settled down to Bo. He looked pointedly at Tabitha.

  “Right,” she said. She turned to Tennie. “The dog has to stay here. Don’t worry; he’ll watch him.”

  The scowl deepened into an outright frown. His eyebrows knit together.

  “I don’t think we’ll be long, eh?” Tabitha said. Then, she moved off towards the doors.

  “Bo, stay,” Tennie said. At first, Bo’s tail whumped enthusiastically on the stone floor. But, as Tennie edged away, he began to whine. “It’s okay, Bo. I’ll be right back.”

  The metal doors slid open to reveal a tiny room. Tabitha entered, and we all followed, except for Bo. He’d risen onto all fours and let out one sharp bark as the doors slid shut behind us.

  The room jerked suddenly, and Tennie, Leif, and I instinctively pressed up against the narrow walls.

  “What? Never been in an elevator before?” asked Tabitha.

  I smiled and stepped away from the wall, keeping a hand against it because I felt unbalanced. “No, we don’t have those in the mountain,” I said. “But, we know what they are.”

  Tabitha nodded. “Right.”

  There was a ding, and a slight jiggling of the room, then the door slid open. Tabitha stepped out of the elevator, and we trailed along behind her. The floor was covered in a deep, intricately-patterned carpet that muffled the sound of our footsteps.

  Tabitha stopped before a large set of doors with colored glass set in the panes. Behind the glass, there was faint movement, but the glass was distorted, and I couldn’t make out anything concrete. “Here we go. Remember what I said: Manners.” She swung the door open and stepped up to a woman standing at a small podium next to a door. “Janeeta. These are the newcomers. Can you present them to the mayor?” asked Tabitha.

  The woman behind the podium locked eyes with Tabitha. “She wants you to accompany them,” she said.

  Tabitha snorted out a quick breath. “Fine. May we enter?”

  Janeeta touched a button on the wall behind her, and the door swung open. “Go right in. The mayor is waiting.” She smiled so wide that I could see her molars. It wasn’t a natural expression at all.

  We followed Tabitha, and as we entered the room, the door swung shut behind us.

  “Good morning, Madam Mayor,” Tabitha said. She lowered her gaze to the floor, and the three of us mimicked her posture—though I kept trying to peek without moving my head.

  “Tabitha. I see you have the newcomers.” The mayor came forward and reached out her hand to me. “I’m Preia, the mayor here in Salt Lake City. And you are?” Her hand clasped mine as I extended it to meet hers. Her grip was quite strong, but before I could reciprocate, she’d loosened her hand and offered it to Tennie.

  “I’m Silver, and these are my siblings. May I present Tennessee and Leif, Madam Mayor?”

  Preia tipped her head. “Well, I do like a well-mannered man. What brings you here, Silver?”

  “Actually, your people brought us here,” I said. “We were camped not far north of here. We were on our way to Denver.”

  “Denver. Hm. Why would you want to go there? It’s been dead for ages, just like everything else.”

  I nodded. “Yes, I know. At least, I know that Denver is dead. We expected it to be, anyway. Finding you was unexpected, though. We had no idea that there were humans alive anywhere—other than the mountain.”

  Preia licked her lips and studied me for a moment. Then, she indicated a couch and sat on one opposite it. “Please, have a seat.”

  Everyone sat, except Tabitha. “Now that you’ve met them, I’ll just be going,” Tabitha said.

  “Don’t be silly. Have a seat, please. Right here.” Preia patted the cushion next to her.

  Tabitha moved to take her seat, her face flushed.

  “Now,” Preia began, “why were you going to Denver?”

  “We were looking for confirmation of human history prior to the winter,” I said. “We thought, in a big city like Denver, there would be ruins to find. Have you been there?”

  “I’ve never been more than a few miles from this city,” Preia said. “There’s no need to go anywhere else.”

  “Silver has ambition,” Leif said. “Where we’re from, most believe that history is nothing but stories that were made-up. Silver intends to prove them wrong.”

  Preia’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that right?”

  “I wouldn’t say I’m motivated by ambition,” I said. “Maybe it’s more about . . .” I trailed off, unable to put my thoughts into words.

  “Revenge?” said Tabitha. “You want to make someone else admit you’re right?”

  “I suppose that’s true,” I said.

  “But, you’re going awfully far out of your way to do that,” said Preia. “I’d bet this isn’t even your first attempt. Am I right?”

  I nodded. “Yes, I’ve tried before.”

  “What do you hope to gain by being right?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “Respect.”

/>   “Ah, well, you already have mine. You’ve travelled farther than any other humans have in quite some time. That’s quite an achievement.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “I couldn’t have done it alone.”

  Preia nodded and turned her attention to Tennie. “What do you hope to gain? Why did you come along?”

  “I’m supporting my brother,” she said. “It meant a lot to him, and he asked for my help.”

  “I feel the same,” said Leif.

  “You have altruistic purposes, then. I see,” said Preia. “That’s to be admired as much as ambition.”

  “Thank you,” Leif said.

  “Now. Your guide here, she could learn something from you. She has taken her community—and her role here—for granted, and she has done some unbecoming things, and so, she’s serving out a sentence of good works. Bringing you here is one of her works. Would you say she did well in providing you this service?”

  My eyes flicked over to Tabitha. Her cheeks were red, but it was impossible to tell whether it was from embarrassment or anger. “Yes, she did very well. Thank you for your service, Tabitha,” I said.

  “The pleasure was mine,” Tabitha said.

  “Aren’t you wondering what it is Tabitha did?” Preia asked, pressing forward in her seat.

  “Not at all,” I said. “It seems like she’s doing her best to pay her dues.”

  Preia snorted. “Well. All right, then. Allow me to explain the terms of your visit.”

  I shifted in my seat. “Terms?”

  “Yes. We can’t have strangers just running around, doing whatever they please,” Preia said.

  “Aren’t we the first strangers you’ve ever encountered in the city?” Tennie asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then, how do you have terms to apply?”

  Preia’s eyebrows pulled downward, causing them to appear as one large eyebrow, instead of two. “The terms are my own. For the safety of the people in my charge.”

  “So, you’re just making them up?”

  “Of course not,” Preia said, sitting up, ramrod-straight. “I’m simply enforcing terms handed down over the generations. These have existed since everything began dying off.”

  “I thought you said they were your own,” Tennie said.

  Tabitha’s eyes widened, and she made a slight motion with her hand.

  Tennie frowned. “I apologize, Madame Mayor. You were saying?”

  Preia’s eyebrows relaxed, and she resumed her friendly expression. “Now. You will not leave the city for any reason without my in-person permission. You can’t just get this over someone’s chip, understand? You have to hear from my own lips that you have been granted permission to leave. You’ve already submitted to a tracking implant, correct?” She cut her eyes at Tabitha.

  Tabitha gave a stiff nod. “They were inserted at the gate,” she said.

  “Very good. You must also surrender any communication devices you have with you. Becket has already provided me with your tablet. A very interesting device, I have to admit. I’ve never seen a computer that seems to have no moving parts at all.”

  “We don’t know how the tablet works,” I said. “It wasn’t part of our education.”

  Preia appeared not to hear me. “Lastly, you must each be accompanied by a resident of the city at all times. For now, I will assign Tabitha, which naturally means that the three of you need to stay together.”

  “What about our dog?” Leif asked.

  “The dog must be under your control at all times. Tabitha will provide you with a restraining device to allow for that.” She patted her knees. “Are there any questions?”

  “We don’t want to be residents,” Tennie said. “We’ll want to leave. At some point.”

  Preia steepled her fingers under her nose. “Why don’t we just take one step at a time?” She stood. “All right, then, Tabitha. Take them to their residence. Someone will be bringing your effects by shortly.”

  “Oh, that’s good,” I said. “We didn’t think to pack up our things—”

  “I meant Tabitha,” she said. “The three of you will be provided with everything you’ll need.”

  I couldn’t think of how to respond to that, and anyway, we were being herded out the door. There wasn’t really room to respond. Janeeta watched us from the corner of her eye as we went by, and Tabitha guided us around the corner, then back to the elevator doors. “I think that went fairly well,” she said. “Considering.”

  I grunted. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Preia, or her terms. What did she mean, we’d take this one step at a time? Were we being held prisoner?

  Tabitha pushed the elevator button and studied me in the reflection of the doors. “It really could have been much worse,” she said.

  “I can’t imagine how,” said Tennie. “We’re confined here against our will, without our things, without freedom of movement, and nothing to our names, and that’s good?”

  “She’s trying to appear calm,” Tabitha said. The elevator doors slid opened, and we followed her inside. “She doesn’t really know what to make of you. None of us do. She’s scared of you, and what you could mean. So, be happy she didn’t throw you in a cell—or worse, throw you to the animals after dark. Things worked out in your favor, whether you think so or not.”

  Chapter 8

  The residence was a two-story house made of pink bricks that Tabitha said had once been red. It had a wide porch that extended the full distance of the front of the house, and a bench swing that hung from the ceiling on one side of the door. Inside, the rooms were basic. We each had a room upstairs with a bed and a dresser. Tabitha’s room was downstairs, next to the only entrance and exit—the front door. Tabitha also showed us a bathroom, a kitchen, and a room she called a “parlor”.

  “You all probably want to freshen up, right? Shower, maybe?” Tabitha asked after she’d given us the tour.

  “We don’t have anything else to change into,” Tennie said. “We left our clothes at camp.”

  “The dressers in your rooms should have everything you need. Preia is thorough, if nothing else.”

  Bo whined by the front door.

  “I think Bo has to do some business,” Tennie said. “I’ll just take her out front.”

  She moved to the front door, but Tabitha stopped her. “He has to have the restraining leash on,” she said. She opened a closet behind the front door, opposite her bedroom door. But, it didn’t lead anywhere; it was just a small room with hooks in it. She removed something from the hook. It looked something like a belt with a few buckles and snaps on it. She bent and placed one of the straps over Bo’s muzzle, but he started to growl. “Maybe you’d better do it,” she said, handing it to Tennie.

  “What is the point of this?” Tennie said. She accepted the leash but made no move to put it on Bo.

  Tabitha ran a hand through her hair, making some of it stand awkwardly on end. “I know you don’t have to cooperate with me,” she said. “But, it would really make things a lot easier on me if you did.”

  Tennie narrowed her eyes. “How so?”

  “I’ll be held partially responsible if you break any of the terms that Preia gave you, and I’m already paying out good works.”

  “So, we have to cooperate with you because you already broke the rules,” Tennie said.

  Tabitha sighed. “I know it sounds selfish. But, besides not wanting to be punished further myself, I like you guys, and I don’t want them to punish you, either.”

  “Let me,” I said. I took the leash from Tennie and carefully buckled it into place, as Tabitha murmured directions from a slight distance. Bo whimpered, and I smoothed back his ears and gave him a little scratch before standing. “We understand being a victim of circumstance,” I said. “We’ll do our best to follow the terms.”

  Tennie frowned but didn’t disagree. Leif shuffled where he stood.

  “You’d better get him outside before he makes a mess,” Tabitha said. Tennie took the leash from me and went
outside with Bo. Tabitha followed.

  “This is majorly messed-up,” Leif said. “We shouldn’t have come with them here.”

  “I don’t think they were asking,” I said. “It’s like they’re afraid of us. What could three people do against a city of thousands?”

  “But, we aren’t just three. There’s more of us. In the mountain,” he said.

  “They’re over 100 miles away.”

  “We got here, Silver. That means the rest of our siblings could, too—and they can go there.”

  “You think they would? Preia said she’d never been far from the city.”

  “They never had a reason to go anywhere. You heard them. They thought the whole world was dead, just like we did.”

  The door opened, and Tennie came back inside with Bo. Tabitha brought up the rear. “So, you guys going to shower or what?” she asked.

  “I have a feeling that means we smell,” I said.

  “It’s hard to tell whether I’m more uncomfortable from being stinky or being hungry,” Leif said.

  “Why don’t you take turns with your shower, and I’ll make us something to eat?” Tabitha offered. “Do you like hamburgers?”

  “What’s a hamburger?” Tennie asked.

  Tabitha frowned. “Maybe just go take your showers,” she said. “You’ll probably eat anything if you’re hungry enough.”

  ◆◆◆

  She was right about eating anything. We cleared the table of every edible item, even a stick of butter.

  “I’ve never seen anyone use so much butter,” she said.

  “What did you say it’s made from again? Milk?” I asked.

  “Basically,” she said. “You shouldn’t eat so much of it.”

  “We didn’t want to waste it,” Tennie said, pouting a bit.

  Leif sat back in his chair and patted his stomach. “Thanks, Tabitha. That was great.”

  Tabitha ducked her head and started clearing dishes. I jumped up to help. I was stacking the dishes in a miniature dishwasher when I heard Leif ask her, “So, when is Preia sending someone to the mountain?”