Souls Below

Chapter Fourteen

I smashed the hammer against the metal, grunting as I tried to bash the large dint out with brute force. One of the worker robots had seemingly malfunctioned and ended up smashing into the water pipes near the District wall repeatedly. I had spent the past three days with Jerard, Geaves, and two people from the Tech sector, a tall thin man with long hair and a girl who had a weird little device that told us when the water was flowing efficiently again.

She was a strange little thing, the young girl. Her blonde hair short to her head on one side, while the other was tied up in weird styles, adorned with beads, ribbons and pieces of metal. Her clothing was just as weird, as if she had found bits and pieces of odd clothing and sewn them all together to create the whackey, strange design she now wore.

I watched as she glanced over occasionally in my direction, her curiosity practically radiating off her; I would be lying if I wasn't curious myself, it wasn't often we met people from the Tech sector. I heard Jerard call out mid swing, the hammer bouncing off the metal in an awkward angle and twisting my wrist. I let it go with a yelp, causing Jerard and Geaves to glance in my direction. I played it off, all while my wrist throbbed in pain and cursing the two in my head.

I sat over against the wall, taking a swig of the water while Jerard and Geaves inspected the pipes, working out if it would hold or if further work was needed. The young girl had slowly crept her way towards my direction, trying to be discreet and play it off like she was inspecting her little device on the pipes.

I stripped off my shirt, the tank top I wore underneath allowing the air to cool the sweat that covered my body from the hard labor we had been enduring the past few days. At least I didn't have to wear my suit, although after what happened with the guards I did have it stashed in my backpack just in case. My muscles ached as I threw back another swig of the water, preparing to head over to Jerard when the girl appeared in front of me

"Hi! I'm Zinnivia, or Zinny for short, or some call me ViVi, or Nivia. But you can call me whatever. I mean, not as in call me whatever, but whatever name or nickname you want. You're Amira right?" she babbled quickly, causing my head to spin. Her over energetic personality was unexpected as she bounced in front of where I sat, causing me to blink up at the girl a moment. She blushed, looking down in embarrassed "Sorry, Pa says I'm to much for normal people" she mumbled. I stood and dusted my hands on my pants, unsure whether to talk to the girl, or walk away. I didn't have friends other than Krane, I never thought of making more since it meant the possibility of others finding out about my secret.

"Yeah, but everyone calls me Mira" I answered shyly, holding out my hand in greeting. The girl practically squealed as she shook it a little to enthusiastically. I could see the other man this girl had arrived with glancing over in our direction, a look between worried and annoyed plastered over his face "Is that your dad?" I asked, indicating to the tall man. I heard Zinnivia sigh

"Yeah, he gets funny when I meet new people" she complained. I glanced down at her

"Why?" she shrugged

"Something about not being born right. I'm to...extra all the time. It's not normal" not normal. That felt all to familiar

"So does mine" her head snapped up at me then, eyes sparkling with hope "I'm to curious, which isn't normal for Lowers either, always asking questions" her mouth did a little 'o' as her big and deep green eyes traveled over to where Jerard stood

"And you have Jerard as a Dad. I thought I had rules, I couldn't imagine what the daughter of Jerard Chainmaster had" she made a face, glancing down at her little device when it beeped. I flinched at the word daughter, not wanting to correct the girl as that would lead to questions I didn't want to answer. Jerard called my name "This area is clear, pipes are fixed enough to hold" her fingers flew over the screen of the device, little beeps and clicks blurring together.

Jerard and Zinnivia's dad made their way over while Geaves stayed near the pipes, his eyes burning into me. What had I done to piss him off now?

"Cranox says this area is done, is that right ZiZi?" Jerard asked the girl. She let out a little giggle at the nickname before showing the screen of her device

"All clear!" she informed over-enthusiastically while doing a small wiggle. I couldn't help the laugh the escape my mouth at the strange behavior - her father shot me a glare "does that mean I won't see you again?" she suddenly asked me. I looked at her confused, not sure how to respond; Zinnivia lived in the Tech sector, and I had never left the Makers sector due to my lack of ID

"Our job is done Zinny, it's time to go home" her dad instructed gently. Zinnivia looked up at me, those big green eyes as if expecting me to say otherwise

"I don't travel between the districts sorry" her face fell "but... if you're ever this way again come find me, we could be...friends" I added, hesitating on the 'friends' as I wasn't sure how to even go about making one. I never knew my heart could lift as much as it did when her face lit up like the city lights around us, eyes practically sparkling as she bounced up and down. A surprised looked passed her father's face

"That would be...nice, don't you think Zinny?" she nodded so fast I thought her head was going to pop off. After Jerard spoke to Zinnivia's dad for a few more moments we split off, me eager to get home to talk to Calian about my day. I didn't know how or when it happened, but after a couple of days I had developed a habit of seeking Calian out to discuss the day, and ask questions about his Upper City.

Jerard and I walked in silence for a few minutes, the bustling city around us filling in the space while I kept my eyes on the ground. We hadn't really spoken since the maintenance room, and the small conversations we did have felt strained and awkward.

"That was nice" his deep voice broke my thoughts. I glanced up at the man "what you said to Zinny, it was a nice gesture" he added. I nodded and looked away, shoving my hands into my pants pockets

"She felt weird in her sector. The same way I do, I felt like I knew what she felt when people treated her differently" I mumbled back. I heard him sigh, an action he seemed to repeat more often lately - I knew what came next "I'll meet you back home" I added, not waiting for a reply as I allowed my legs to start running, that rush as the wind whipped my hair around exciting my senses. I felt bad, I knew I was avoiding Jerard, but his own demeanor had shifted towards me as well; all I could do was hide from my own emotions for now.

I slowed to a light jog as I approached the house, my stomach flipping around knowing I was about to talk to Calian. I didn't know why I reacted the way I did with him, and over the past few days I felt more and more drawn to his aura, it was almost intoxicating. I opened the door slowly, the creak from the old hinges giving away my entry. I heard a few shuffles, followed by a few curse words as a loud bang sounded. A few moments later Calian surfaced from the back office, rubbing the top of his head and inciting a laugh from me

"I told you not to go through his stuff. It's practically boobie-trapped" I jested. Calian looked up, about to respond when I noticed his eyes drift down to my bare stomach; I had forgotten I only had my crop on after removing my long sleeve shirt. He averted his eyes back to mine quickly, but not quickly enough; I felt my cheeks blush.

"I swear he enjoys organised chaos" he rubbed his head once more, using the motion to look away "Have you finished with the pipes?" I nodded, making my way into the back office where Calian had made his temporary home. Upon entering I noticed the books that lay strewn near his bed, one held open

"Those books are useless" I stated, dumping my bag near the door "nothing in them is part of the city anymore. Like the restricted sector, they have all been lost to us" I sat down near his bed, leaning against the desk Jerard used during meetings

"I gathered that's why Jerard had them stored in here. Do you usually destroy these books?" I shrugged

"Yeah I guess, I know some have used them for heat source in their fires when the fire logs were cut by less than half in rations. Others just threw them out. I'm not surprised Jerard kept them, he keeps the weird things" I looked around the room at the shelves filled with odd bits and pieced Yeah, like me I added to myself. I didn't notice Calian studying me, his bright eyes taking in my expressions when I thought no one was looking

"Did you want to talk today?" I thought about the question, my dream from the other night coming to mind

"Can you tell me about...outside your city?" my question was quiet, the weight pressing against my chest every night as new and old images plagued my sleep. I turned to stare at Calian, noting the surprised look

"What do you mean?" I played with my fingers nervously, the fear of opening up about what dreams I had each night was terrifying - what if all of it were true? Worse, what if it weren't, and it had been my mind making it all up?

"Beyond the walls...in the endless green?" my stomach tightened as Calian's lips became a thin line

"How did you know about that?" I knew my curiosity would come back to bite me. There was no turning back now

"I've seen it in my dreams. Big cities, with a big tower in the middle, weird bridges and green bits scattered everywhere. The endless blue stretching above that sometimes turns black, and sometimes turns gray" Calian simply sat and listened, face blank while I spoke "but the other night in my dream I could see all that green, what did you call them? Plants? Yeah, they stretched so far I couldn't see the end. I thought it was because of what I saw in the restricted sector, but I'm not sure of a lot of things anymore" Calian stared as I spoke

"How long have you been having these dreams?" I shrugged again

"I don't remember, but they've gotten worse the past few weeks" I looked at him "Since bumping into you at the market on ration day" he blinked a few times, letting a sigh out his nose while he thought

"We haven't been beyond those walls for generations" he finally said, softly. I perked up as he spoke "many people have forgotten why we built these cities, it's easier to forget than know we were the ones that caused it all"

"So...all that green...all that space to explore...no ones been out there?"

"Not for a very long time. Those with enough status are made to learn about it in school, to stop history from repeating itself or to hopefully one day be able to leave our domed Cities I'm not sure" I frowned, allowing the words to sink in, but the more I thought about it, the more confused I became "We humans are a greedy race, and almost caused our own extinction"

"What's that?" a smile tugged at Calian's mouth

"You don't know what extinction means?" I made a face at the Upper

"I don't know a lot of the words you just used mean, but that one sounds pretty important" Calian chuckled

"It means we almost killed our planet we live on, which inevitably means we almost killed ourselves. Forever. No coming back. No struggling to survive. We, us, humans" he pointed to his chest "all gone, forever" I know that should have sounded terrible, none of us every being alive, but it almost sounded...peaceful.

"That doesn't sound to bad" I mumbled. Calian laughed openly at that

"You and Theia would have gotten along well" his smile fell after he said that name. I knew that look, it crossed Jerard's face whenever he had mentioned his wife...or daughter.

"Was that your friend?" I asked tentatively. Experiences from Jerard showed that talking about those that were no longer here was a touchy subject, and one to tread lightly. Calian nodded, holding back tears. I still had so many questions, they filled my head night and day, the excitement of finally understanding the world above almost intoxicating.

I opened my mouth when the front door opened, Jerard's familiar boots stomping up the hall until he threw open the door to the study. Calian was on his feet in an instant, fear rolling off him as if he had been caught doing something he wasn't suppose to. I, however, remained where I was, glaring at the man standing in the doorway; why was he being such a downer?

"Upstairs Mira" he growled. I stared a moment longer, Calian looking between us two, unsure on what to do. Jerard's eyes narrowed at my stubborness "Now." I let out an irritated sigh, slowly pushing to my feet and slinging my backpack over my shoulder. I pushed past the large man and made my way up to my room before slamming the door closed behind me.

I threw my bag to the ground, kicking my study chair violently as my anger grabbed control of my actions. Jerard had always been protective of me, looking out for my wellbeing. But lately, he was intentionally trying to control what I was doing. I clenched and unclenched my fists a few times before throwing myself onto my bed face first.

Why did everything have to be so hard?