by Lyn Forester
Nikola joins me and shines the light inside to reveal neat rows of goggles. Eager, I set the lid off to the side and grab out four pairs, then add a fifth for Declan. I slide them over my head one at a time, then lift my mass of curls and shift them to hang against my back.
When I let my hair fall, I turn my back to Nikola. “Can you tell they’re there?”
He fluffs my curls a little. “They’re not immediately obvious.”
I touch the straps around my throat. They’re uncomfortable and pinch at my airway, but I’ll manage. I make sure they’re tucked into the collar of the button-up I layered on under the sweater before meeting the guys. “What about from the front?”
Nikola lowers the light to my throat. “You’re good.”
I grin up at him. “Told you this would work.”
He tugs on one lock, bringing it over my shoulder. “I’m glad we didn’t let Master Pannor chop it off.”
My heart flutters, and I hastily step away only to come up against the shelf at my back.
Nikola leans in closer, his form a dark smudge among other darkness. Not being able to see him, to note the visual cues, heightens my other senses. The loud rustle of Felix searching the storage bins, the slight, musty smell of a room with too little airflow, and under it, a subtle fragrance, slightly floral while still masculine. It reminds me of my grandmother’s solarium, of the happier times of childhood.
Nikola pushes the curls away from my ear, his touch more sure of its welcome than he’s ever displayed before. “It’s okay to be more conscious of me. It makes me happy to see you watching with something other than wariness.”
My pulse picks up speed. If he were Declan or Felix, this would be the moment he stole a kiss. If he were Connor, he’d cup my face and wait for my breathing to calm before asking for a kiss. But Nikola isn’t like the others, and sure as he now seems, he lets the opportunity go, stepping back to join Felix on his side of the room.
I rub my fingers over my lips to dispel the thought of what could have happened and ignore the disappointment that pings through me that he backed off.
How could my feelings change so much, so drastically? Or were the feelings always there, just buried by a higher level of distrust in everything he stands for? The worry is still there. He’s still my father’s choice and therefore suspect, but I now struggle to hold on to that memory, the excuse flimsy in the face of his actions to prove himself.
“Sprinkles, we found Bell-E Up bars!” Felix whispers excitedly, and I force myself to push away from the shelf. Placing the lid back on the bin with the remaining night goggles, I walk over to join them.
I’m glad for the dark that hides my face as I press my leg to Felix’s side. “Save room in your pockets for your share of the ventilator masks.”
“This isn’t my first time stealing candy, Sprinkles.” He grabs handfuls of silver-wrapped bars and stuffs them down the front of his shirt.
I’d hardly equate Bell-E Up bars to candy. The mineral and vitamin filled bars offer a meal replacement option for the lower levels as a supplement for the government issued rice and veggie paste every citizen has a right to collect monthly from service stations.
Those without citizenship use them like currency on the black market, trading stolen goods for the chance to stave off starvation another day. They are, of course, a Black Corporation product, and no amount of negotiation will pull the little silver-wrapped bars from Mr. Black’s grip.
I’m surprised the school keeps them on hand, but in emergencies, necessary evils must be forgiven.
As Felix stuffs another handful down his shirt, I nudge him with my knee. “That’s enough. We’re not here to rob the school.”
He snorts. “Um, yes we are. Unless you’re planning to fake another storm bringer approach to return all this stuff?”
“Speaking of which, we need to get going.” Nikola snaps the lid back on the bin, almost catching Felix’s hands in the process.
He ignores Felix’s protest as he stands and pulls two ventilator masks off his arm from where they dangled by the strap. He holds them out to me, and I take them, then turn away to slide them into the waistband of my pants. They create a slight bump, but the sweater’s design leaves enough loose material to not make it immediately obvious.
Felix accepts one and drops it down the front of his shirt, where it lands with a quiet crinkle. He wiggles, the sound of foil growing louder, and settles his contraband into place.
Nikola tucks the last two into the back of his pants and adjusts his jacket to hide them seamlessly.
Stolen items tucked away, we quickly leave the hidden room, conscious of the ticking countdown to being caught. Maybe fifteen minutes have passed so far, and I cross my fingers Connor was right and the clouds acted in our favor. On a clearer night, it would have been obvious right away that a storm bringer wasn’t anywhere near us. The gelatinous beasts, with their lightning filled tentacles, are easy to spot even in the dark.
In the narrow hall, Felix crinkles loudly with every step, and I wince. If his sweet tooth gets us caught, I will never let him live this down.
When we reach the door that leads back to the main building, Nikola stops to press his ear to the seam before slowly sliding it open. Security guards will be using brighter lights than Nikola brought, impairing their night vision and giving us an extra second to duck out of view.
But everything remains clear, and we make it back to the gated doors without running into anyone.
When we sneak out onto the patio, we discover why.
The entire student body scatters across the grass. Some brought comforters pulled from their beds, creating impromptu picnics as they lay on their backs and stare up at the glass roof.
We slip in among them without notice, and I spot a few of the teachers mixed in with them.
Apparently, storm bringer watching gives everyone an excuse to have a quiet party.
We weave through them, careful not to tread on anyone in the dark, and find Connor where we left him, folding-port hidden away and now lounging back against the wall of the Library as if part of the crowd.
When he spots us, he rises smoothly to his feet, satchel already over his shoulder, and turns to walk back toward the inner circle of the school.
If luck holds out, they’ll leave the lights off a little longer, treating everyone to a relaxing, electricity-free night while we plan the next step in our escape from the house of glass.
Into the Sky
We stash Felix’s Bell-E Up bars and my folding-port in our rooms, then wait out the remaining time until Lights-Out in nervous excitement. The lights never power back on, which means the dean must have approved the extended party. There’s no way it would take them this long to verify the clear skies.
At ten minutes to Lights-Out, we head for the Entertainment Hall, thankfully left vacant in the excitement.
Out comes Nikola’s trusty red light as he leads the way past abandoned 8-Ball tables and down the hall to the theater.
We huddle close, out of necessity and comfort, as we follow behind. The place feels different in the blackness, and the limited illumination provided by Nikola’s light leaves vast swaths of dark all around us. Anyone could be standing just out of reach, and we’d never know.
It makes me itch to pull on my night goggles, but if they turn the electricity back on, the sudden brightness will burn my retinas. So around my neck they stay until I really need them.
In the theater, Nikola strides to the left of the large halo-screen and pulls back one of the many sound-dampening curtains to reveal an access door, most likely there to allow maintenance to access the large screen from the back. Unlike the rest of the school, the card reader attached to the handle still blinks with life. It’s a risk with the danger of a storm bringer notification.
The giant beasts can sense energy and feed off it to the determent of anyone nearby. They’ve pulled ships from the sky, sucked them of power, and dropped the drained husks to free fall to their
doom. The Riellio clan, which made their home high in the mountains, has electric rods and cannons to keep the beasts at bay. That the school risks continuing to power this specific door makes it of interest.
Nikola pulls a heavy looking device from his pocket and slides a card into the reader. Small wires trail out from it, and he adjusts some lights on the face until the lock clicks to green.
Pulling the card free, he swings the door open.
“Neat gadget,” Felix whispers, despite us being alone. “Where’d you pick that up?”
“You don’t need to know.” Nikola holds his light aloft as he enters the room beyond.
When we follow, I see the components for the holo-screen, and a small riser with stairs to make it easier to access.
Nikola leads the way past them to another door, almost invisible except for the pin-prick of light from yet another secured door. He follows the same process, inserting the wire linked card and fiddling the lights on the screen. This one takes longer, and Nikola flinches before letting out a quiet curse.
I touch his arm, and energy sings through my bones, edging on pain.
“You don’t need to share this, Caitlyn,” Nikola whispers and shrugs off my touch.
Is that what the lock breaker does? Sends electricity through his body?
At last, he releases a relieved sigh and the lock deactivates. “That was rougher than I expected.”
Felix nudges his shoulder. “Not so confident now, huh?”
“It’s open, isn’t it?” Nikola snaps as he tucks the device back into hiding.
“We couldn’t have done the same.” Connor grasps Nikola’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
He brushes off the gratitude. “Give me your school bands. I’ll wear them and hang around here until you get back. Try to return before Quarter-Light if possible. I’d rather not have to walk around the school with bands that I’m not supposed to have.”
“What’s up with that, anyway?” Felix pulls on his until it snaps free of his wrist. “You’ve been here for a week now. The school should have gotten you equipped.”
“Perhaps they were waiting to make sure I’d stay.” Nikola accepts mine, Felix’s, and Connor’s bands, slipping them over his wrist. “Two secretaries registered to the Lonette name is unusual. Especially at Caitlyn’s current age.”
“Don’t make me sound like a child. You’re only two years older.” I step to the open door and lean through. Only darkness waits. “Felix, will you be okay? We have no idea what we’re going into.”
“Right as rain,” he says, though tension fills his voice.
Connor glances at his brother. “Rain on what level?”
A valid question. The upper levels all have purified rain, but the lower you go, and the more times the water filters through the city levels, the more dangerous it becomes until being caught out in the rain can make someone physically ill.
“Triple-filtered.” Felix pulls out his ventilator mask and straps it on. “Now, who’s going first?”
Connor and I exchange glances before I pull my own mask into place and step through the opening. The air here is still breathable, but at some point, it won’t be, not if we’re really going between levels. I have no idea what Declan meant by follow the rainbow or where we’ll exit onto Level 12. Not many buildings rise high enough to touch the holo-sky, and I can’t imagine he’s directing us straight to the Peace Keeper’s Halls of Justice.
Out of range of Nikola’s small light, I pull my night goggles on. They squeeze tight to my face and pinch at the temples. Not the best fit, but thieves can’t be choosy. I twist the lenses until they spark to life, washing the world to green.
Despite what my eyes told me, enough light exists here to reveal shades of green that create a pathway. Globes high on the wall indicate an available light source, but they must only turn them on when a worker is nearby. Conservation of energy will give us a brief warning, then, if anyone approaches.
With only one way to go, I keep my eyes on the ground and one hand on the wall as I head to the right. Connor and Felix follow behind me with a quiet shuffle of feet and a steady litany of curses from Felix before Connor tells him to hush. We have no idea who we might run into down here, and we can’t risk the sound of his voice traveling.
The ground slopes steadily downward at an incline that puts us well below the outside walls of the Entertainment Hall before we reach it.
Minutes pass, and my skin grows itchy at the lack of knowledge. We’re walking straight into the unknown, with nowhere to hide and only one way back. If anything happens, we’ll be caught for sure.
I know the moment we pass out of the dome’s reach. The vents on my mask flutter to life, the air taking on a heavier quality, the fine hairs on my arms rising. I feel both weightless and cumbersome at the same time, and my ears release with a painful pop. Sound muffles for a moment before they pop again, and not even Connor’s quiet cautions can hold back Felix’s curses.
A sparkle ahead catches my attention, and I pause as I come up to it. The sparkles form an upside-down arch and somehow take on different shades from dark green to almost white.
A rainbow.
The others join me, and we search around until we find a recessed curve in the wall that leads downward. I brush my fingers along the seam of the wall, dust making them slippery, until I find a latch.
Hesitant, I press it inward, and the wall sinks away from me.
Unprepared for the sudden loss of support, I pitch forward toward the dark hole left in its wake.
Connor’s hand on my arm stops me from falling face first down the ladder. He eases me back on my heels, his hand staying in place lest I fall for real. “You okay?”
“Wasn’t expecting that.” I take a couple calming breaths, the air humid inside my mask, to steady my nerves.
I pat Connor’s arm to let him know I’m fine, then sit on the ground and scoot until my legs dangle into the opening. I feel around with my feet until I find the first rung.
Carefully, I climb down into the opening. The narrow chute brushes my shoulders on either side, the rungs invisible in my grasp. Not enough light here for even the goggles to catch. Felix might have a full-on panic attack if he climbs down here.
I peer back up. “Let me go first to see how far down it is. The space is pretty tight.”
Connor’s head appears in the opening, the sparks around his goggles letting me locate him easily. “Be careful.”
I heed his warning and take my time going down, counting each rung and committing it to memory.
It’s thirty-two before I reach open air again and another eighteen before my foot hits solid ground.
Quickly, I climb back up until my head enters the tunnel. “There’s fifty rungs, with a large, open space at the bottom.”
“Got it,” Connor calls back. “I’m sending Felix next.”
A moment later, Felix’s shoes vibrate the ladder, and I climb back down to get out of his way. My eyes stay fixed on the exit point, breath held, until his legs appear, followed swiftly by his body. He practically slides the rest of the way to the ground, and I grab his arms, offering support.
He trembles, panting for air. “When I see Dec, I’m going to punch him. He knows I hate this kind of shit.”
“You’re so brave.” The urge to kiss him almost overwhelms me, but our masks make it impossible, so I settle for hugging him until the trembling stops.
Connor’s legs come into view, and we step out of the way to make room as he finishes the descent.
Once we all stand together, we turn to look out over the open space.
“Is that…” Felix trails off, eyes fixed on the view before us.
“Level 12,” I breathe in wonder.
The walkway stops at a railing, and beyond that lays Level 12. Even at Lights-Out, it’s beautiful. I can only imagine what it must look like with the panels set to Day-Light, the city fully illuminated.
Slowly, we walk to the railing. Everything looks so small below,
and it’s easy to see the wheel and spoke design from this vantage point. Huge hexagons break up the view, the panels far larger than I assumed they’d be when gazing up at them from the ground. I reassess the room we stand in and realize we’re only in a small part of the sky, roughly the size of a city block. It only holds a dozen of the panels, and bridges run between each connection, with walkways splitting off to follow each break. That must be how they service the sky panels.
I could stand here and stare forever at this view, but we came here with a purpose.
Turning away, I search the area for our next rainbow, the task daunting in such a large space.
After a few minutes, we split up, Connor and Felix walking along the wall to the right of the ladder while I head left. It feels wrong to split up but, with limited time, we’ll cover more ground this way.
The wall curves as I walk, taking Felix and Connor out of view, and I follow it onward until I reach another wall, the doorway barred by a door with a glowing red lock. I scan the area around it to make sure there’s no rainbow telling us to figure out a way through before I turn and head back.
Felix and Connor come into view, and Felix jumps up and down, waving his arms to catch my attention. They stand next to one of the walkways that lead out over the sky.
My stomach clenches, a sour ball forming as sweat breaks out under my arms. Of course, our destiny would lead out over the city.
Staring from the safety of the railing, with a solid wall at our backs, is one thing. But walking out onto one of the spindly bridges terrifies me.
Felix crouches and points to a small rainbow that sparkles on the railing that leads down onto the bridge. “Almost missed it. If we’d been here any other time of day, there’s no way we would have found it. We’ll have to check every branch to make sure we don’t miss another one of these guys.”
“Right.” I nod jerkily and wait for them to step onto the bridge before following.
A sense of vertigo washes over me, a sensation I became familiar with at Mr. Blue’s reception not too long ago when someone thought programming the floor to resemble a star scape was a good idea.