Girl in 'Rhood 3

My plan is simple. Sneak through the city unseen, from ‘Rhood 3 to ‘Rhood 2. Slip into the basement of the Lab, using the window that the security guard would leave unlocked. Steal the antibiotics. Then bring them home to ‘Rhood 3 and pray I’m not too late for Aspen. Easy enough.

Everything’s been going according to plan. A cloud sits among the buildings of the city, providing cover. It’s Vote Day; the Guardeth weren’t out in their usual numbers. Rumours swirled that there would be increased violence today. The Guardeth are all in the core of ‘Rhood 1, patrolling, inspecting the main avenue, and watching all the tall buildings for snipers. I’m safe in ‘Rhood 2. Finally, Vote Day is good for something.

I tap the plastic of my gas mask, making sure the filter is properly secured. I’m not risking it again, not after what happened to Jolene. She adjusted her mask for less than a minute, but that’s all it took. The image of her blood-coated mask and her twitching body sends chills through me. My government issued watch blinks a red message at me: Air Quality 1.7. I tap my mask again; it pays to be extra careful when you’re in ‘Rhood 2.

I run to the floor-level window. It’s unlocked, just like was promised. Was this worth the cost of a perfectly balanced knife? Yes. I think of Aspen and the medicine she needs.

The hair on my arms rises, as though someone is watching me. But as I look around, I don’t see anyone. I’m just being paranoid. I slide the window open without any pushback and fling my legs through. As always, I leap and then think. That’ll get me into trouble one day. Hopefully not today.

The filtered air inside freezes the sweat lingering on my skin. Even my heart-shaped pendant cools. I shut the window and check my watch: Air Quality 3.4. Only a few more moments until I can remove this mask and breathe freely. I’ve only ever been in an Air Quality 10 once. On a tenth-grade field trip last year, to ‘Rhood 1 on a school visit to Parliament. It’s what you would expect from a corrupt government: propaganda and showing off the wealth that we, Normals and non-residents of ‘Rhood 1, can only dream of. Still, it was worth it for a blessed hour of Air Quality 10.

Pushing these thoughts out of my mind, I focus on the room around me. I’m in a closet. The door is just in front of me. I hope there are no guards on the other side. I ease the knives out from under my sleeve, readying myself, just in case. The door opens without a creak. I’m alone.

The floors of the main hall are perfectly polished, the gray marble extending far ahead of me. The halogen cast a harsh constant white light. As I pass the doors lining the hall, I search for Room Five. That’s where the Wise Woman says the antibiotics are kept. Finally, I find it. There’s a lock pad beside the door, and as I type in the code, I think of the second trade that made this possible. Six digits for my favourite raincoat. But dryness is less important than Aspen’s life.

The door beeps, and air whooshes out as I step into an even colder room. My watch vibrates: Air Quality 10. Wait until Aspen hears about this. I rip my mask off, letting it hang around my neck, and take in a deep breath; the air does smell different here. The metallic aftertaste that coats the back of my throat is gone.

All along the walls of the room are small fridges, and above them cabinets. That’s where the Wise Woman told me to look. I walk, reading names I can barely pronounce until I find it: Amoxicillin. My heart races as I unscrew the cap. The bottle is filled to the rim. I pour them onto the steel tabletop. The Wise Woman said twenty capsules, but I count out thirty just in case. Ten more to trade; that’ll fetch a pretty price. I unzip the pouch sitting snug on my hips and pull out a small metal box. The pills clink as they settle into their new case.

As I turn to leave, I notice a single, tall refrigerator with hundreds of hanging bags of blood. I read one of the labels: Normal – Unprocessed. Strange. The red liquid seems frozen, almost like a gel. They don’t sway, they just hang there ready to be used. But for what? I reach my gloved hand to open the door when I hear voices in the hall.

I abandon the blood bags and focus on what’s important: getting out and getting home. To Aspen. The footsteps of the security guards pass, their voices muffled by the thick door separating us. Quietly as I can, I ease the door open. The sound of compressed air whooshes again. I hold my breath. No one. I run back to the broom closet, putting my mask back on. Tightening it, I hoist myself back through the window, and slide it shut. The hot air surrounds me, the plastic of the mask amplifying the heat. With each breath I’m reminded: Normals don’t deserve clean air.

“Pff, and they say Normals are only good for manual labour,” I whisper as I dust myself off, satisfied with my seamless execution.

Someone coughs behind me.

I whip around to find a boy not much older than me watching. He is tall, at least a full head above me.

I sink into a stable stance, to gain more balance, in case he lunges at me. I don’t want to fight him; his chest is broad, and his arms tell a story of someone who is used to lifting much heavier things than him. Still, I’m slippery and I’m not afraid to fight dirty.

“You’re lucky you didn’t come out of there a minute earlier,” he says, walking towards me. The mask muffles our voices, but I can still hear his faint accent, the lazy drawl of ‘Rhood 4. The slaughterhouses are in ‘Rhood 4. Sometimes, if the wind blows west, the smell of animal blood and feces reaches 'Rhood 3. I hate those days.

“The Guardeth were walking through here, anticipating an attempted robbery this afternoon.”

I move as he moves, keeping my back towards the Lab.

“How do you know that?” I ask.

“They weren’t particularly bright, left their radios on loud. They also weren’t paying attention.” He tilts his head to the side, and I risk a quick glance. Two bodies, in their all-black uniforms, lie in crumpled mounds on the ground.

“What do you want?”

“I want to know what a girl from ‘Rhood 3,” he points at my steel-toed boots, “is doing here, breaking into the Lab.”

“And if I don’t tell you?” I scan my surroundings for an escape. If I keep him talking, I’m safe. I spot a ladder to my right against a tall brick wall. Maybe it’ll lead me to the roofs. I inch towards it.

“Then, I’ll call it in.” He waves a radio at me. He must have taken it off one of the Guardeth.

“You’ve had time up until now, why wait?”

“Call me curious.” His eyes crinkle. Is he smiling beneath his mask?

“How did you know this is where I would come out?”

“I watched you go in. Figured I would wait and see what happened. And here we are.”

We lock eyes, and neither of us moves. Then, he puts his hands up. “Look. I won’t turn you in. But I need to know – what did you take?” He is closer to me now than before.

“Nothing. I took nothing.”

“Liar.”

“Why would I tell a complete stranger from ‘Rhood 4 what I was doing?” I spit the words out at him, and he flinches. I feel bad for a moment, but then my fingers graze the cold metal of the ladder. The boy moves with precision, and he’s fast. I’ll have to be faster. He closes the distance between us.

It’s now or never. I knee him, hard, and while he’s doubled over, I whip around, and climb up the ladder. He groans as he clammers up behind me. I reach the top and run across the flat roof, grateful that ‘Rhood 2 is built mostly of factories. I’m about to jump to the next building when he grabs my shoulder and pulls me down.

I fall hard, and my teeth clamp down on my tongue. Blood floods my mouth and I swallow metal.

“Don’t move,” he whispers. I try to get out from under him, but realize the look in his eyes isn’t aggressive. It’s fear. I stop moving. He points to the street directly below us. He moves off me slightly, but my legs are pinned. I look over the ledge. Two Guardeth walk into the alley we stood in moments before. Their electrosticks are out, buzzing. A shudder passes through me, and I push away the image of my father hanging from the willow tree in our garden. I hate the Guardeth.

“We’ve got to move,” the boy says. “They’ll definitely find the bodies of their friends any minute.”

“I agree. So let me go,” I mumble. My tongue pulses in my mouth. He loosens his grip. “We got lucky,” I continue. “Let’s be happy with that and agree to never see each other again.” I kneel, looking across the other rooftops. Three more to the left, then I can slink back into the abandoned subway tracks. And then straight line until I’m home.

“Maybe you’re right,” he says. I breathe a sigh of relief, but just as I think he’s going to turn and go the other way, he reaches forward and pulls the heart-shaped necklace off my neck. The clasp breaks and my hand shoots to my neck, too late. “But if you want this back,” he waves the pendant in front of me, then slips it into his pocket. “You come find me. See you later, little thief.” He turns and takes off into the sunrise.

#

When I arrive home, Aspen lies in bed, sweat coating her skin. She’s paler than I’ve ever seen her. I hope I got it in time. I hold a glass of water and lift it to her lips. Aspen’s eyes flutter open and widen when she sees me. She tries to sit up.

“Willow,” she mumbles. I kneel next to my sister’s side.

“Shh, you’re fine. I got you the medicine.”

She takes a sip of water, choking slightly as it goes down.

A half. Every morning, and every night. A full one, if she does not get better. But it should be enough. The Wise Woman’s voice echoes in my mind. I hold Aspen’s hand, running my fingers along her little knuckles.

“Willow, your necklace. Where is it?” she asks, her voice laced with drowsiness.

I feel the emptiness where the pendant has sat for four years. The first thing I ever made with our brother, Larch. Before he was taken to the front. I swore I wouldn’t take it off until he came home, or we got his body back. Anger courses through me.

“Someone took it,” I reply. “Someone from ‘Rhood 4.”

“Are you going to get it back?”

“Maybe,” I say. “But that’s not important right now. You rest. I’ll go make you some tea, okay?”

She nods. I give her hand small kiss and walk to the kitchen. As the water boils on the stove, I begin to form a plan. Today was about Aspen. But tomorrow, I am getting my pendant back. Be ready, boy from ‘Rhood 4.

-End-