Down and Out: A Young Adult Dystopian Adventure (The Undercity Series Book 1) (21 page)

Georges turned toward Pa and gave an elaborate wave. “Truman, my dear, if you don’t mind?”

“Uh, sure,” Pa said, a touch flustered.

“Don’t fall apart now,” she whispered. “If they even doubt for a moment we are unsure of what we’re doing, we will be done for.”

“Henri, how about we start this move and get these people to paradise?” Pa called out with as much positive energy as he could.

“What paradise?” Dorkas barked.

“There’s a whole other city we can live in,” Teddy shouted, jumping in. “It’s beautiful, even nicer than Uppercity.”

“That’s impossible.”

“The boy lies.”

“Where?”

Putting up a hand, Georges caught their attention. “It’s true, the boy’s right. A while back Tru discovered some tunnels in behind his home. We’ve been exploring them in hopes of finding a better home for everyone. Now, we’ve found one a few hours’ journey from here.” She started pacing the length of the table, and Teddy thought it was a good thing she was sober.

“This place has running water...beds...air....” She leaned in as gasps of joy went through the Underlings, “Lights.” She nodded as their excitement grew. “That’s right. There is a generator, which runs on steam. And plenty of room for everyone!”

A raucous cheer went up, and even Dorkas almost seemed pleased.

“So, when do we go?”

“Let’s go now.”

“What about food?”

“My dad can’t walk.”

“Now, calm down, please. We’ll leave as soon as we get organized,” Georges told them before she motioned to Pa again. “Tru, I think this is where you come in.”

“Thanks, Georges, for helping us.” They shook hands, and she stepped down, joining Teddy, Jolon, and Ma. “Now, we do have two carts here to assist those who need help. We hoped to have more, but, as Georges said, we ran into some trouble. However, if we work together, we should be able to move in safety.”

He motioned to Nuna, who joined him. “This wonderful lady here is Nuna. She and her wife built the generator and were the first people to inhabit the new area. She will be our guide as to what are the best areas for people to live in and what is safe and what isn’t. My amazing partner, who you know, and our ever-diligent Mrs. Fish, who knows everyone, will assist her in helping us all settle. Now, if we can get you, Dorkas, and you, Max, and you, Gerard, to meet with us we can get organized for the move. It will take effort to get there, but the road’s decent. My kids and I spent the last while getting everything ready.”

“We need to repair the stairwell,” Caden said, and their father agreed.

“That won’t take much with a bit of help.” He hopped down from the table, motioning for the others to come with him.

“Not bad. That was clever politics you presented,” Ma said to Georges as they went to their home.

She gave her a toothy smile. “Well, sometimes you must get as close to the truth as you can when you have no notion what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, guessing—dangerous, but effective,” she replied before she turned to everyone else. “You lot go get what you want out of your rooms. Don’t take too much, you’ll have enough to carry, but you can take a few things. Caden, help Deb. She doesn’t understand what’s happening, and I need you to keep hold of her.”

Teddy started to object. He wanted to be a part of the planning, but she scowled at him, so he trailed after the others and went to his room. There wasn’t much he wanted to keep. His journal could go. He stuffed it in a canvas sack he absconded from a junk pile a while back. The box of papers weighed too much to bother with. He snatched up a little container with precious things his parents gave him. After, he rummaged through stuff collected over the years, things he thought were neat or interesting: fascinating pictures and bits of books he read several times. Everything was special, but he left it all.

He swung his hammock back and forth. It never occurred to him he would miss this room, but the space was his, the first place he ever felt secure in since he could remember.

“Is it true, we’re leaving?” Deb stood in his doorway with her bear in her hand and a happy-sad expression on her face.

“Yep, we’ve got a new home.”

She stepped in, holding her stuffy tight. “But I like this one.”

He knelt in front of her and hugged her. “So do I, but the other one is even more magical. Wait until you see the fountain plaza. That’s what Nuna calls it. This huge fountain stands in the centre of the whole place and sparkles as the lights dance over everywhere. There’re vast comfy beds and so much more. I can’t think of a better place for someone as special as you as this place.”

“Any windows?” she asked, her eyes wide.

Grinning, he brushed her hair. “Yes. Some even look out over a forest of trees.”

“Trees?” She exhaled, blowing her hair from her eyes. “Do you think we’ll see rain?”

The question caught him off guard. He had never thought of the rain. “It’s possible, makes sense. You can see clouds.”

“Clouds? Will you show me the clouds?”

“Uh, huh,” he said, and she smiled with satisfaction. “And will you watch the rain with me?” “All day, if you want.”

She thought about this for a moment before she assented. “Fine. I’ll go, but I want my room right by yours... well, by yours and Caden’s—Jolon too, of course, and Ma shares with Pa, and Henri. I like Henri. He’s a good brute.”

Teddy laughed. “We’ll all be together, don’t worry. And he’s a fantastic brute.”

His sister skipped away to gather up her treasures. He sank into the broken armchair by his desk, his heart heavy.

“Reconsidering?”

He peered up at Caden, and she sat down on the bed beside him. “No, and yes. I guess. We should be excited or happy or something, shouldn’t we? We’re going to a better place. I know it’s a better place. It’s real hope for the first time, right?”

“Yeah,” she said with a shrug. “Still, I don’t know about you, but I didn’t picture things going this way.”

“What do you mean?”

She waved in the general direction of the warehouse. “Out there are a whole lot of people clinging to the edge of panic. They all trust us to bring them somewhere special. Yet, we’re just guessing all will be better. We don’t know that for real. And let’s not even think about the people still trapped in Undercity. We’ve left them in the pit with those damn Upperlords.”

“Yeah, but we’re going to go back and get them,” Teddy cut in, frowning at her.

“Are we?” she asked with an expectant gaze. “How? When? Most of those people out there are talking like we’re never coming back. They want to seal Undercity away and forget it exists.”

“That’s just now. They’re scared. Once we get settled, they’ll see. They’ll want to come back and get those we left. And we’ll be stronger. The leaching, life-sucking Uppers won’t be able to stop us.”

She tapped a finger against his leg as she stood. “You keep thinking that.”

“You can’t be so cynical,” he protested. “People aren’t all bad.”

“No,” she said, pausing at the door. “I hope not.”

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Keep reading for a preview of book 2 of the Undercity Series.

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C
aden pressed her forehead and hands against the glass and stared out at a world she longed to experience. Green, the word thrived in her brain now. When she closed her eyes at bedtime, she imagined dripping leaves and swaying grasses.  All night, she walked among the foliage—touching petals, holding flowers, imagining the feel of the breeze on her skin and the perfume of life in her nose. In the morning, she almost breathed scented air when she woke.

She flattened her palms against the windowpane, part of her wishing the glass would melt and let her out.  But tempered panels such as this didn’t break easy, according to her brother.  Amid the wild greenery outside, crumbled, broken structures poked through like markers of times past.  Why some people built their buildings to withstand the disaster, and others didn’t, she didn’t understand. 

Teddy insisted almost a full month passed since their ragged community settled in the tower.  She paid little attention to how many days came and went; she just appreciated one more.  The transition between their old existence and their new life shocked, in both good and bad ways, the hundred or so people who survived the trip. Life was good; people had water, air, food, and supplies in abundance here.  And they had room, lots of room, enough for everyone to use a real bed, to be clean, and to live.  Most people adjusted well to the new standard of living though some discovered new levels of greed and lust for more.  For others, they hid, cowering and scrounging in the more dilapidated areas as though this was the life they understood and they would face nothing better. 

Absently, she removed her headscarf and worked at the twists of her coarse hair, rubbing in the hair oil Pa scrounged up for her.  Caden didn't understand.  Who thinks of a pleasant room and a comfortable bed as anything evil?  She blinked, eyes dry, and continued to stare at the fields and forest below.  If they couldn't handle this, how would they ever survive going outside?  Her breath caught at the idea.  Outside—what a dream.  It looked safe, but was it?

“Ma's been looking for you,” said an ever-cheerful voice behind her. 

She turned and smiled at Deb who sprawled out on her bed on her side of the room.  Caden plopped down on her own bed near the window.  At first, she didn't want to share a room with her little sister, but after a couple of nights of total silence, she found she couldn't sleep without Deb's mumbling in her sleep. 

“I thought you were in Teddy's school.  Bored so soon?” 

Her sister scrunched her button nose and twirled a strand of blonde hair.  They were so different, and not only because Caden was adopted.  Deb exuded health and energy with sparkling blue eyes and an eternal smile while her own sable complexion was patchy and scarred.  Vitality left her as though she had holes in the bottom of her feet that let everything out.  She did not begrudge her little sister any, though; she adored Deb like she was her own, having been with her since she was born.  The little girl seemed to understand that no matter how gruff she was she didn't mean to be cranky with anyone.  It was a security valve, a safe place to breathe. Any sense of caring terrified her like a long climb up a dilapidated staircase. 

Deb went to the window, curling up on the ledge, a mysterious smile on her face.  “No.  School ended early today.  Teddy is still trying to sort out the classes and stuff.  He hasn't got enough books, 'n pencils, 'n other things he says he needs.  The other kids all went to help out in the sunshine room.”

“And you didn’t want to go?”

“Nope.”

Caden crawled off the bed and tugged on a grey sweater over her burgundy t-shirt.  After, she pulled on the boots Pa scrounged for her and tucked her baggy grey pant legs into the tops.  “Coming?” she asked as she went to the door. 

Her sister shook her head.  “Gonna go over to the playroom later.”

“Have fun,” she said and left the room and went into the hall, which was gloomy despite the smattering of lights that worked.  The one thing they did not find many of was light bulbs, particularly the long tube type that seemed to break easily. 

As she loped through the passage, she ran her fingers along the wood trim halfway up the wall. Green paper puckered on the walls and peeled away in spots as though tired of holding on. The frantic pattern of the orange and brown rug did little to ease her spirits.  A spasm of pain coursed through the middle of her back and up her neck.  The tendons in her hands resisted as she flexed them.  Little gave way as she massaged her left shoulder, the muscles tight and fingers somewhat numb. 

“Ma got a job for you too?” asked Jolon as he met her at the stairs.  His soft curls of black hair shorn tight to his head, making his tawny face seem rounder than ever with his pudgy cheeks and lips. He made up the second youngest in their mismatched family and lived with them for over four years; yet still had not grown an inch upward though he expanded sideways. 

Caden patted his head.  “Yeah, baldy, nifty cut.  You do that to yourself or get cornered by Mrs. Fish and her wayward scissors?”

Jolon stuck out his tongue, his cheeks flushing like apples.  “Took a wrong turn and ran into her studying me like I was her next experiment.  Would a run, but Pa showed up and thought a trim was a super idea.  Trim, right, more like a shearing.”

She chuckled as they headed down to the main floor and the table room where her mother made her headquarters.  “On the shinier side, now you have less to wash.”

“Ha, ha, funny,” he huffed and straightened his shirt, tucking the plaid material in his dark pants.  “Since we got to this place Ma caught some kinda clean bug.  My teeth aren't even safe anymore since they found those little brushes.” 

They entered the plaza where the massive fountain with the sparkling lights stood. A few people lingered by the entrance to the darker part of the complex, but otherwise, the place was quiet.  The new settlement was a maze of interconnected tunnels and buildings with many areas yet to be explored. Caden preferred to keep to the familiar areas, scrounging no longer holding her interest.

“Yeah, they took all my favourite clothes away the other day.  Even my purple sweater right when it reached the right level of comfort and wear.”

“Meh, I hid mine,” her brother said, his hands jammed in his pockets and forehead wrinkled.  “No one is gettin' anything more from me that I don't want to give up.”

Caden grinned at him and spied a familiar figure by the fountain. 

“Hey, there’s Cate,” she said, waving to the girl sitting on the fountain’s ledge, her arm in the water.  Her coils of rusty hair almost touched the rippled surface of the pool as she strained to get whatever held her attention. Grime streaked her face and stained her ragged shirt while a long brown belt cinched her baggy grey pants to her waist.