by H. J. Lawson
Everything is unique, personalized by the people that live here. Just like the uniqueness of their homes, the people are different as well. Many still have a faint trace of white makeup on their faces, as if they missed removing part of it when they were rushing to get to the party. Their hair is glowing white, but they have streaks of colors in all the hues of the rainbow. Some have their hair tied up, revealing a shaved head like Gerel, with a tapestry of tattoos on their scalps, though theirs are different from Gerel’s. Metal hoops adorn a row of piercings down their outer ears. The white uniforms from Purenet have been replaced with an array of colorful outfits.
The rhythmic music, like the one the musician was playing in the station, bounces around the vast, open ceiling. It sounds as if it’s coming from every corner of the cave, and not from a sole player. Unlike at the Gate, people aren’t pretending they aren’t listening to the music. They are embracing it, dancing to it.
“Yeah,” a cheer comes from the happy group as they see us. The place is filled with the young and old. Generations of people live down here.
“Everyone made it back,” one of them cheers.
“No, wait, where is Abaven?” a lady from the group asks, and the people who hear her stop their dancing and listen.
“He will be here soon, he had to take care of some business,” Gerel replies, looking at me. I can feel the prickling heat in my cheeks as the small group that’s no longer enjoying the party fix their eyes firmly on mine, like I’m their new prey.
“Who are they?” a lady asks, followed by a few “yeahs” from the crowd, which is now growing in size. These aren’t friendly like the ones who once lived in the Cueva. They’re more like hostile people who lived on the wasteland all their lives, feeding on the weak… but I’m not weak. Well, I am, but they don’t need to know that.
“I’m Skylier, and this is my little brother Rian. We are friends of Abaven,” I say firmly and loud enough for the group to hear me.
“Abaven, collecting more lost kids,” one person chuckles, then downs a drink and continues dancing. The others follow the man’s lead, and Gerel leaves with them, to my relief.
Rian and I pause for a moment, taking in the new happiness we are surrounded in. “What are they celebrating?” I ask.
Rian and Enoch both stare at me like I’m stupid. “Maybe that the Chancellor was stabbed by one of our own, and then Xander was left in a pool of blood, hopefully also dying,” Enoch replies, shaking his head.
“Do you think either of them is dead?”
“I doubt it, since their medical team is the best, but we should enjoy the moment while we have it. Everything has changed because of tonight. I fear what tomorrow will bring once they recover,” Enoch admits.
“Come on, you two look as if you could do with a bit of a break from your crazy lives, and we need to fix you up so you blend in,” Enoch ads.
“Blend in?” I ask.
“Blend in,” Enoch repeats, smiling. He walks forward into the sea of partying people.
“Rian, shouldn’t we work out how to rescue our family instead of wasting our time partying?” I ask as Rian starts to follow Enoch. I want to forget everything that’s happening and just have fun, but it feels wrong.
“We have to wait for Gavyn; there is no way we can do this without him.”
“But…” I start to say, but Rian stops me.
“Enoch’s right. We could do with a break, and you really need to learn how to lighten up and have some fun,” Rian says.
“I know how to have fun!” I snap.
“Yeah, sure looks like it. Come on,” Rian says, pulling me into the crowd of partiers.
“Here, have some of this, it will lighten up your mood,” Enoch says, passing us mugs filled with a clear liquid. Enoch clinks his mug against ours and pours the liquid down his throat; Rian does the same and so do I, but a bit slower than the boys. The liquid pours down my throat as if it’s trying to burn the top layer of my skin off. It has a toxic taste to it.
Rian splutters in response, spraying the contents over Enoch. “Are you trying to poison us?!” he says, wiping the remains of the liquid off his face.
Enoch brushes the spray off his clothing. “Poison, ha. It will feel like it tomorrow, so enjoy it today,” Enoch says, taking another gulp.
“What is it?” Rian asks.
“Not sure. It’s Cook’s mix. He doesn’t share the recipe with anyone, and to be honest I don’t think we want to know what’s in it.” Enoch smiles and his eyes glaze over as if he’s about to cry, yet he doesn’t look like he’s going to cry—far from it.
“Does he have any different flavors, like apple cider?” I ask. I prefer the slow warmth it brings, unlike this toxic poison that sends fire through my body.
“Cider?” Enoch and Rian pause.
“Yeah, cider, haven’t you tried it? The Grounders make it, and it’s delicious,” I reply.
“Grounder, cider? What happened to my big, bossy sister?” Rian laughs.
I turn to Enoch, ignoring my brother. “So, how are we going to make us blend in?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dax
As we get closer to the city, it's clear that the landscape has been shaped by the wind. Sand dunes tower into the buildings, and the only sign of life is the yellow grass dancing in the breeze.
The sand begins to suffocate our bike tires. “We will have to walk from here,” I tell the group.
The humming from everyone’s engines quiets. “I have a bad feeling about this,” Trinity murmurs as she gets off the bike. I’d almost forgotten that she was here, she’s been so quiet.
“You are right to feel that way,” Reznor says as he walks past us.
“I have a bad feeling for you….” she whispers so softly only I can hear her.
“Where are you from?” I ask Trinity.
“The Enlighten tribe,” she replies proudly. The Enlighten tribe is an outside community like the Grounders, and a bit like the Cueva community. They live on the edge of the jungle in pyramid stone ruins from thousands of years ago. I’ve only ever seen images of the ruins; even then they looked huge … taller than the Sanction domes. The peaks of the pyramids seemed to reach the clouds.
“Can you see into the future?” I ask her. I’ve heard about different Outsiders having more abilities than those in the Cueva.
“I feel a cool change in the air as though Death is by my side. It strengthens when his prey and I connect,” she replies softly, and her eyes don’t move from the ground.
“Will he die?” I ask.
“Some do … some don’t, only Death can make the choice,” she says in a matter-of-fact way, as though she’s come to terms with the fact that it's out of her control.
“How did you end up at Purenet?” I ask her.
“Chancellor of Aurum Sanction took me from my tribe and then gave me as a gift to the Purenet Chancellor,” she says shamefully. Aurum Sanction, from the outside, looks like the other Sanctions, with its large dome system protecting its wealthy citizens.
Aurum’s wealth comes from gold, the metal of the very rich. The Chancellor of Aurum bathes in gold flakes—or so Father said. He replaced his teeth with gold, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him the first time I saw them on our annual Sanction visit. Like my father’s palace, his was grand and totally over-the-top. Walls, floors, everywhere that the eye could see was painted in blinding gold paint.
Every full moon, a ship sails out over the ocean of water with gifts from Aurum to the Emperor. We need to get on that ship; it's our only way to reach the Cader Sanction.
Over time, it was clear to me that the Aurum Chancellor’s greed increased each year—making it necessary to expand his gold mine. The lower-level people of Aurum Sanction worked in the mines to be allowed to stay in the Sanction, unless they were selected as a Bazi, Host, or participant in the games.
Unlike Purenet, their Selection takes place from within the Aurum Sanction. Each Sanction is allowed to make its choi
ce about where they get their Selections from. Father knows, like the Chancellors before him, that Cueva people are stronger and smarter than those from the Purenet Sanction. They are his threat and his best weapon.
“Did you volunteer?” I look over at her, and she shakes her head in response.
“So they took you?”
She nods once again. Stolen from her family to spend her time as my father’s sexual toy. I feel sick to my stomach.
“I’m sorry.”
She turns and looks at me, deep into my eyes, as though she’s reading my thoughts.
“Why are you sorry?” she asks with her head tilted. “You didn’t steal, rape and drug me … your father did.”
Mmm … how do I respond to that? Her eyes are still locked onto mine. I look away toward the city to avoid the subject anymore. We are here.
We all stop when we come to what must’ve been the main road through the city, with buildings lined up at either side.
The first floors of the buildings have been eaten by the sand dunes. The second level and upwards peak out with their pastel-painted walls. Light blues, pinks and yellows … this is nothing like Purenet; no glossy, plastic white.
Some of the homes have green grass growing with flowers displaying their summer colors … ghost gardens from those who used to live here. But now only nature lives here. The fresh smell dances freely in the air.
It looks as though people haven’t lived here for hundreds, or maybe even thousands, of years. It's going to be impossible to find food and water here.
“This is a ghost town,” Hayden says loudly.
Reznor turns sharply toward him. “Well if they didn’t know we are here, they will now … let's try to keep our voices down.” He shakes his head, angry.
“I should’ve left you to get murdered,” Hayden huffs. I look over at him, and he stares at me with bulging eyes. Reznor doesn’t know that Hayden was the spy … the one who let the solider take his people … take Ayah.
When we are safe I will call Gavyn. I need to know that she’s okay.
A roaring sound fills the evening sky. Our eyes all dart to one another; that’s the sound of a plane. I quickly look over my shoulder to see several planes on the horizon. They are coming.
“Hide!” Reznor orders.
The roaring gets louder as the planes get closer. They will see us at any moment.
We all take off running into the city, dragging our bikes with us into unknown danger.
All the entrances are blocked with sand. “Over here!” Lowell yells, as he drops his bike to the ground and runs up a sandy slope. I can just make out stairs below it. They lead to a building that is higher than the others, and also grander. It looks like a meeting place for the city.
Lowell pushes on the large doors, and they creak open as the chipped paint flutters to the ground.
“Get in!” Lowell yells, as he scrambles to grab his bike.
We all follow his lead, dragging our bikes up the steps one by one. Then we swiftly close the door behind us.
Chapter Thirty
Dax
I head over to the glassless windows and look up at the twilight sky. A plane circles the city with its bright spotlights beaming down on the streets below.
“They will send drones soon; we need to get away from the windows,” I say, as I look around the dim room. It's grand, like the ballroom at the palace, but filled with rubble and decay from years of neglect. But it was beautiful once, I think to myself, as the light from the plane shines through some decorative glass windows high above us.
“Over there—” I point to a dark corner. The drones will not be able to see us; we can hide in the shadows.
I grab my bag from my bike, and Hayden does the same.
Since I put on the white Purenet uniform, all I’ve wanted to do is take it off. Because of the regular changes in climate, Grounders always have extra clothing with them. That’s one of the great things about them—they always plan for the worst. It’s just a shame the worst always happens.
We quickly and silently head over to the corner. I slump down to the ground; Trinity does the same next to me, beads of sweat dripping down her face.
“Are you all right?” I ask her.
She holds out her trembling hand. “I can’t take this,” she says, as she starts scratching her skin. Then she forcefully pulls her hair. “I can feel them all over me.”
“Feel what?”
“The things inside of me … they are running through my veins.” Her face is emotionless as she stares out.
Hayden leans down in front of Trinity and pushes her eyelids apart. She doesn’t even react. She just continues scratching.
“Oh damn, we’ve got a rattler,” Hayden says, as he leans his head backwards.
“Right here, now? That’s all we need,” Reznor says bluntly.
“All you need.” Trinity laughs like a crazy person, and Reznor just shakes his head.
“What’s a rattler?” Lowell asks.
“Her body is rattling, because she has no drugs in her system,” Hayden explains.
“Have you got any drugs? We cannot have her going full-blown crazy when we’re trying to hide,” I tell them.
“You know I haven’t; they’re what got me thrown out of Purenet in the first place,” Hayden responds angrily.
“I thought it was for stealing.” I say.
“I stole for the drugs,” he admits shamefully.
From the corner of my eye I can see the white drone. It looks like a flying disc with cameras in it. At least it's one of the white ones. “Get down,” I say, and pull on Hayden’s pants. He instantly drops to the ground.
Silently we stare at the drone, and my heart drops as it stops outside the window. A beam of light shines as it scans the room. I hold my breath, as though it can sense we are here. Fortunately, though, I know it's not a heat-sensing drone; purely the camera version. If it were a silver heat-sensor drone, we’d be screwed. I bet they are using those to round up all the Outsiders.
As quickly as it came, it is gone. We wait for a few moments as it flies out of sight … it will be back.
I let out a sigh of relief, and the others join in. “That was close,” I say, as I turn toward Trinity. She’s still trembling.
Quickly I take off the Purenet uniform, and Hayden does the same. What a difference a change of clothing makes.
Reznor rises to his feet, and he looks like a giant. “You two with me,” he says, pointing toward Lowell and Hayden.
They look back and forth at each other. “Us?” Hayden asks.
“Yes,” Reznor orders, and they both slowly get to their feet. “We need to get some food, water, and get out of here,” he adds, frowning, and looks down at a shaking Trinity. “Judging from her condition, she’ll need you.”
I nod in agreement.
“Want to swap?” Hayden asks, as he starts walking off with Reznor. Those two have never gotten along. If Reznor were to find out Hayden was the reason that the Grounders are locked up, he would kill him.
I wave my hand away. “Quicker you go, quicker you’ll be back.”
Creaaakkk … echoes around the high ceiling as Reznor opens a door. I’m glad I’m staying here.
Hayden turns toward me, and I can see his eyes bulging in the darkness. These grown men are just like children … scared of the dark.
I hope he doesn’t have a real reason to be afraid.
Chapter Thirty-One
Skylier
“Once we do this, it will be this color for months. Are you sure you want to do it? You have the purest hair I’ve ever seen,” Delilah, the hair-coloring lady, says. She’s a walking advertisement for her job, with her hair colored in every shade and hands stained with a rainbow of colors from all the coloring she’s done. Enoch told me she’s the best one here, but I’m not sure if it’s because she is the soberest person left. There is no chance I’m letting her cut my hair.
“I’m sure, Delilah,” I reply, then chuckle. The w
ords didn’t sound or feel like they came from me. The toxic potion has taken effect, stealing my worries with it.
“And this color?” Delilah says, holding up a section of her own pink hair.
“Can you make it brighter than that? Like a fire red,” I say.
“Sure can,” she agrees with a smile. “Like this?” She pulls a second section of her hair forward.
“That’s it.” The hair she shows me is red with a golden shimmer through it, making it look as if it’s a raging fire as it catches the light.
Delilah works her magic and transforms my pure white hair to fire red running from my shoulders to the bottom of my hair.
“Skylier, the fire girl from the sky,” Rian laughs from the chair next to me. I can’t help but join in with the laughter. I am the girl from the sky, if what mother says is true.
I wonder what it’s like up there.
I hope like here, with everyone dancing and merry. Rian’s mind laughs, but his thoughts are as sluggish as the words that flow from his mouth.
“And Rian, the ice boy,” I laugh. He chose a cool blue for the tips of his white hair, much like the other boys. It’s funny that we are doing this to blend in. I feel like it will only make us stand out if we leave Purenet.
Madison would be jealous if she saw our hair. I need to make sure that Abaven tells her that I’m okay. She must be worried sick.
“Fire girl and Ice boy, is that what you want me to call you two?” Enoch laughs. He stumbles sideways, but luckily his hand reaches out and he is able to steady himself. He props himself up against the cave wall of Delilah’s quarters.
“Yeah, call us that,” Rian laughs.
I stand and twirl around. My hair flies as it whips through the air, making it look alive, like a hawk’s tail.
“‘Fire hawk’ sounds better than ‘fire girl,’” I laugh as I try to stand still, but the world around me is spinning uncontrollably. Laughter echoes off the cave walls, sounding like there are hundreds of people in the room. I stagger away from the sound and try to compose myself. Arms grip me, stopping me from falling.