Souls Below

Chapter Seventeen

The city bustled below as I made my way over a few of the easy rooftops, avoiding the streets as much as possible. I had no concept of direction in the tunnels below, knowing I would become lost in the maze very easily.

I was over being rescued like an incompetent Upper.

With the information I found out about the restricted sector I needed to talk to Krane, and after explaining to Calian what I knew, I felt like he wasn't surprised. Jerard's meeting had concluded, his rough voice that called Calian back to his office meant our talk was over. Uncertainty swirled in my chest, knowing that if I trusted the Upper to much I would be leaving myself blind, but not trusting him at all meant I was treating him the same as everyone else in the Lower city; with distaste and suspicion.

I climbed down one of the ladders attached to the building opposite Krane's place, the workshop's sigh flickering which meant Strew was already back at work; damn that man was fast. I had wanted to confront Jerard about Krane's information on the two men possibly being brother's, but I knew I would also confront him about his daughter - I needed more information before I opened those flood gates.

As I approached the house the door to the workshop opened, a small girl bounded out followed by a tall and thin man. Recognition flooded through me as the girl started waving frantically in my direction; it was Zinnivia. Her hair - now half dyed pink - bounced around her head as she bounded over to me

"Amira! Hi! Hey! What are you doing here?" her over energetic energy washed over me, causing a smile to spread over my face without warning. She looked between where I was standing, and the front door of Krane's place, her smile dropping slightly "do you know Krane?" I glanced at the door

"Yeah, he's my best friend" she started fidgeting with the hem of her shirt

"Oh. He never mentioned that. Are...for how long?" I was curious about her questions

"Since the attack four years ago" she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes this time

"oh" I glanced at the front door again

"Are you friends with Krane?" I asked. He had never mentioned any other friends, especially from another sector. Something twisted in my chest at the thought of Krane being friends with another girl, the feeling strange. Zinnivia looked down then

"Not really, I only see him when Dad and I come for the jobs he paid Strem for. He's...not here today" she sounded disappointed "We could hang out today instead? You said next time I'm here we could" her sudden changed in attitude and topic left me reeling, but I managed to smile

"I'm sorry Zinnivia, but I'm little busy today" her face fell. Her father called Zinnivia's name, her clothes swishing as she raced back to him without a goodbye. He stared at me a moment, a strange look on his face. I knocked on the door as the pair walked away, Zinnivia's posture stiff, the energetic bounce now gone. How Odd. After a few moments Krane cracked the door open, eyes scanning the street. I held the smile when I realised why he wasn't in the workshop with his dad

"She's gone" I coughed to stop myself from laughing. He opened the door wide, shoulders slumping in relief.

"Get in, in case she comes back" Krane ushered me inside the building, the laugh I had been holding spilling out, unable to contain it further "she's done that before. She's persistent that's for sure"

"Someone has an admirer" I teased, making my way to Krane's room. I heard him sigh heavily behind me

"I was trying to be nice at first, she seemed so awkward and shy. But now, she's relentless with wanting to hang out" I flopped onto his bed while Krane slumped into the chair in front of his screens "she's so weird" he murmered.

"I think she's nice" I chuckled "you're just mean" I looked up from where I was, Krane's mouth open in shock

"You'd think differently if it was you she followed after" he complained. He looked at me "What's up?" I sat up on the bed, chest tight

"I want to get back into the restricted sector sooner than we talked about" Krane sat tall in his seat, face now serious "I think...I think you may be right about why they sealed it off" I relayed what old woman Merla said at Ration pickup, and how Calian didn't seem surprised about people potentially being experimented on. Krane's face went sour when I mentioned speaking to Calian before heading here

"So the Upper knows before me?" I rolled my eyes, the weird feud between the two on who I spoke to was becoming tiring.

"He knows things we don't Krane. Despite how much you hate Uppers, he did save our lives" he huffed

"Maybe. I still think he's hiding something" he mumbled. I was quiet a moment

"Me to. He doesn't seem surprised about a few things, which means he already knew. Or, he may have heard rumors and come to see for himself" Krane raised an eyebrow.

"You think the searching for his friend was just an excuse" I shrugged

"I think he was looking, but I don't think it's the only reason he's here" I admitted.

"So. How are we going to get into a restricted sector, with a card we no longer have, that might take another year to swipe from a guard?" I mulled the question over, the moment as we had scrambled through the door replaying in my mind, something standing out I hadn't thought of until now. I frowned, going back over the memory, remembering the P.I.P we had used was in my bag - Calian never touched it. "What is it?" Krane queried

"what if we didn't need to wait for a guard? What if...we had another P.I.P card all along?" the more I thought about it, Calian quick to point out where our card was knowing Jerard would destroy it, made more sense. Krane looked confused "Calian has one" Krane's eyes narrowed, mouth a thin line as his anger spiked "That day, when you two were closing the door? The P.I.P card was in my bag, but I saw him swiping something on the reader" Krane sucked his teeth in irritation

"I knew that had been too easy" he shook his head "asshole had one the whole time. I guess that's how he was able to avoid getting caught for so long"

"I'll ask to use his. He said he wants to help, this is how he can" Krane scoffed

"He has his own reasons for being here Mira, you can't trust him" Krane warned

"We need his help Krane" I tried to reason. "You don't have to trust him, I just need you to trust me" Krane leant forward, elbows on knees

"Of course I trust you" he reassured "I'm just worried you're placing to much trust on someone, and Upper no less, who is obviously hiding things from you. Just..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair before making his way over to the bed to sit beside me, clasping my hands in his "Just be careful. He's still an Upper, they have their own agenda for everything. I just don't want to see you get hurt" he admitted quietly. My stomach was doing crazy flips, adrenaline spiking at the close proximity, eyes fixed out his fingers stroking my hand gently. This giddy feeling was the same when Calian came to close, when his touch lingered slightly longer than normal, stomach flipping and fluttering as if filled with light-bugs.

Krane slipped a finger under my chin and raised my eyes to his, his cheeks slightly flushed as he searched mine for something. We stayed like that a moment, my world almost spinning as my body swooned. Krane leant in suddenly, stopping inches from my face; I swear my heart stopped. At the last moment he shifted, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

Part of me was reeling, knowing what almost happened and unsure on how I felt about it.

Krane drew back, not meeting my eyes as he let my hands go, returning to his place in front of his screens. My heart sank, pieces of my own feelngs falling into place in an a way that terrified me. Krane cleared his throat, fingers flying across the keyboard

"If we are going to get back into the restricted sector we need to be more ready this time" I blinked as I pulled myself from my slight panic attack "I will try and find a few blueprints on the district so we can plan our route better. Tell your Upper that if he wants to help then he better be prepared to fight" I swallowed, calming my racing heart. Krane's fingers paused, his eyes looking over at me, questioning. I gave a small nod, unable to trust my voice; a small smile pulled at Krane's mouth before turning back, fingers resuming their typing speed.

I left quietly, my thoughts swirling through my mind all the way back home.

~*~

When I arrived the house was quiet, the dim light emanating from the office the only source of life. Calling out to Jerard I received no response; he must have left to run a few errands. I made my way over to the office door, pausing for a moment while I gathered my thoughts. What we were about to do next would be dangerous, I knew that. I would be putting everything I cared about on the line. Jerard would be heart broken if anything happened to me, but the secrecy, the lies, the unanswered questions were all building to high they would soon topple.

Is this what the rebels felt like? Before making a decision that could potentially effect the entire city? Did they all feel this weight? Or just those that made the hard decisions?

I fiddled with the pendant around my neck. Fear, worry, hope, excitement and determination raging through my body one after the other, and at the same time. I wanted answers, I needed them - I had been chasing dead ends for years. Jerard was doing what he thought was right, protecting me against the dangers of being discovered. But what about the danger of our failing city? Who will protect us when the lights go out? When the Tower stops humming?

I pushed open the door, heart fluttering at the smile that spread over his face in recognition, those ice blue eyes sparkling. I understood that reaction now, kicking myself for still being so naive and blind. I felt my own face respond, understanding now why my heart hurt when I was alone. But I couldn't tell if my feelings were for Calian, his face perfect in a strange and alluring way, or for my best friend Krane, his features flawed but attractive and familiar, life of the Lower city giving him that maturity I gathered Uppers didn't experience.

What I couldn't figure out that if my feelings were for Krane, was it because of how long we had been friends? Or because of how long I had known him? Being the only person who literally knew the real me. I also couldn't work out if his actions lately were the same as always, just now appearing different from the feelings for him, or if he felt the same way in return.

I suppressed a groan; being an adult sucked.

I stepped into the room, not noticing the pile of books Calian had arranged near the door. My foot caught the edge, causing me to stumble into the room like Strem after he had one to many beers. Calian gave a cry, scrambling to his feet to steady my fumbling fall, managing to save my face from smashing into the desk. He pulled me tight against his chest, one arm wrapped around my waist while the other steadied himself on the desk, face mere inches from mine as my heart crashed frantically against my chest.

Calian let out a chuckle as he straightened but didn't let go, gently moving the strands of hair that had fallen in front of my face

"I have wondered how you don't have more bruises or scars with the level of clumsiness you display" I gave a half hearted smile, trying to keep my mind in check

"it's a skill you learn to live with" I felt his fingers brush my cheek, his smile dipping slightly as his eyes flickered to my lips. Oh god, I swear I just felt my soul leave my body. Swallowing nervously I licked my lips, willing myself to talk, uttering those dreadful words that broke the mood in an instant.

"We need to talk"