Shymers (33 page)

Covering his face with his hands, my brother sighs.

* * *

Watching the underground city filled with strangers all alone is not as fun as I had guessed it would be. Kendall left me a very small supply of water from his pack. As much as my throat burns, I know I can’t drink it all in one sitting. I may be stuck here by myself for hours.

A sound drifts through the air from below that I recognize as music. It’s not harsh and angry like the music that the Rebels had been playing the night I met Chance and Arlandria. It’s slow and hypnotic—even beautiful, reminding me of the melodies my father used to sing to me as a little girl. The sounds play in different pitches and beats from what I know to be instruments.

Kendall told me to stay put until he could find another way to get me out of here. Still, I can’t help myself—the music is so warm and inviting I want to see where it is coming from. Rising to my feet, I follow a small path that winds through more carved openings. I cross over to the edge of the cliffs, closer to the source of the music.

Down below, people have gathered to the center of the underground city where a man perches on a stool, playing a guitar made of wood. The man has dark, wild hair that brushes the tops of his shoulders and colorful tattoos covering his arms. His voice is low and clear—it’s one of the most exquisite sounds I ever remembering hearing.

Before long, the man stops singing. The audience claps and hollers until he begins to play again—this time at a much faster pace. The people jump around and sing along, their voices loud and joyful. Seeing a musical festival is one of the things on my own playlist. My spirits swell when I realize it is actually happening.

I settle behind a wall of rock to watch them, straining to hear the man’s words. The cavern fills with the music to a louder degree, causing the people below to become even more excited. The tune is happy and light, making me want to move my head along with it. If only Harrison were here with me, the moment would be perfect.

“Who are you?” a voice asks unexpectedly, frightening me so badly I think I will teeter off the ledge. Once I regain my balance and the ability to breathe normally, I turn to the source of the voice.

A remarkably pretty girl, probably close to my own age, stares back with her bright green eyes wide. She is wearing a dark, button-down top with faded blue pants and bare feet. Her raven-like hair is braided off to one side and nearly reaches her waist. The hue of her skin is so white it almost appears translucent. Was she perched beside me in the darkness this whole time?

“Why are you here?” she asks before I can answer her first question. She takes a few delicate steps in my direction. “I don’t know you.”

“I’m trying to find my friends. Have any new people come down here recently? I am looking for a girl name Bree and a boy—”

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

Her tone is neither threatening nor curious. It’s more matter-of-fact. She is strange enough to the point of being eerie as she continues moving my way. I step back in the other direction, fearful of what she wants. Looking behind me, I wonder how I am going to find a way out of this. If I run, I may frighten her and cause her to yell out.

“Why are you here?” she asks again, moving closer. Has this girl ever been out of this city before? She doesn’t seem to know how to interact with strangers.

“
I
told yo
u
, I am looking for friends. Are your parents or anyone else around who could maybe help me…”

Her hand darts out to grab my arm. A warm buzz passes between us, identical to the one I felt when touching Kendall. Her eyes darken. “You aren’t supposed to be here, Olive.”

Pulling my arm away from her, I gasp. How did she know my name?

Suddenly a large, dirty hand comes from behind me to clamp over my mouth. My heart skipping wildly in my chest, I scream and yank at the cold hand that smells terribly bitter.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” a deep voice says. “I will remove my hand if you promise not to scream anymore.”

Willing myself to calm down, I nod and the hand drops. A large, pale-skinned man with no hair on either his eyebrows or head appears in front of me and forces me to walk farther down the rocky path. His large hand grips tightly to my arm and the uneven ground jostles my ribs, bringing even more pain. I didn’t see whether or not the strange girl stayed behind or if she is following us. I am too frightened to care.

The winding path continues until we are on the bottom level of the city. The crowd doesn’t seem to notice me when we pass around the back side of their gathering. Up close, the different goods available in the market come into view. There are a variety of foods, handmade clothing, and children’s crudely made toys. Jewelry for necks and wrists lay in neat piles, as well as artificial flowers and bands for hair. Colorful blankets like mine are stacked next to square pillows made with stitched material.

Could this be the market my mother always came to? Kendall said no one was allowed to come and go from this city. What if he was wrong?

My eyes skip over to a booth where differently shaped electronics are on display, as well as other items from the old world that I recognize from Harrison’s book. The man sitting behind the booth is fairly young with colorful tattoos running up his arm, similar to those of the man playing the guitar. His eyes are dark and he looks to be nearly as wide as he is tall. Like Kai and most of the Rebels I’ve met, metal piercings stick out from his face. He catches my eye and his yellow, crooked teeth flash behind a wide smile.

My hairless capturer continues to guide me straight forward into an arched entrance in the wall. Up close, the openings where the children sit are much larger than they appeared from up above. I glance into some of them to find makeshift beds on the floor, some surrounded by mounds of clothing among other things.

I am shoved through the entrance. The hairless man is so large that he has to duck once we’re inside the cavern. His arms sticking out from his sleeveless gray shirt are each closer to the size of my torso. Although he looks as if he could crush me with the mere flick of his wrist, there is a surprising gentleness to his gray eyes.

“I foun
d
anothe
r
one,” he announces gruffly.

The cavern is lit with artificial lights. Electronic items from the old world are scattered about—things I have never seen but heard stories of. A flat device with moving people displayed across it rests against the wall that I am sure is a movie projector. Two boys sit with their legs crossed on the ground, holding little book-shaped items. They yell excitedly, moving their thumbs across little buttons.

My eyes are so busy taking everything in that a moment passes before I realize a man sits only a few feet directly in front of me. An electronic tablet balances on his lap, his fingers skimming over its buttons. His face is abnormally long and narrow. His dark eyes nearly disappear under his thick eyebrows. Long, dark hair falling down to his shoulders is neatly brushed over to the side of his pale face. Do people down here have such white skin because they never see the sun?

The man glances up at me. His thin lips form into a crooked smile and he claps his hands together. “Another visitor! How fortunate!” By the dark tone underlying his words, he is obviously angry.

“I fell through an opening in the forest,” I blurt. “It was an accident.”

He is still sneering at me. “We seem to have a problem with these hidden entrances. You’re not the first one to recently discover them.”

I feel a surge of excitement at the possibilities, despite the fact that this man is terrifying me to new levels. Maybe Bree isn’t alone. Maybe Harrison and Tayrn are with her. “You mean there are more? Do you know their names?”

He stands at once from the chair to walk toward me. He stops close, studying me. A long, bony finger reaches out to hold my chin. I flinch with his cold touch, but it’s not the temperature of his skin that is so unbearable. It’s the unnatural vibe beaming from him, projected on to me. It is similar to the buzz I got from Kendall and the strange girl, but much darker. It’s as if he is looking into my soul. I shiver.

His finger drops from my chin. At first he looks just as shaken at I am, but then his lips pull into another twisted grin. “What a special treat for you to join us, Olive!”

Just like the strange girl, he knew my name after merely touching me. Who are these people? I fight the urge to wipe the spot where his finger was.

“How do you know my name?”

The man holds his lips tight. “You really don’t know, do you?”

Frowning, I ask, “Know what?”

He laughs and claps his hands together. “We are going to have so much fun with you!” The words chill me even more than his frightening appearance. What does he want from me?

My nerves feel exposed. It’s hard not to shiver. “I am only passing through.”

The man’s eyes narrow. His unrelenting stare makes me intensely uncomfortable. “What makes you think you can just enter my city and then leave again, when you weren’t even invited in the first place?”

My city
.
Is this man in charge of everyone down here? From everything he has said, convincing him to let me leave again may prove to be difficult. My brother’s warning of these people wanting to be left alone keeps repeating over and over in my head. This underground city may have a whole world of secrets of their own.

“It was an accident,” I repeat. “Please, sir, are the others still here?”

He laughs. “Sir? Please call me Thaddeous.” When I don’t say anything in response, the man dips his head once in affirmation. “They’re still here. But the question I have in all of this i
s
what should we do with all of yo
u
?”

From his malicious, dark stare, I wonder for a fleeting moment if he is some kind of inhuman creature from the fairy tales my parents used to tell. Vampires, wolves, demons—could they possibly be real?

No matter what happens or what he says, I must stay calm. If Bree and the others are truly down here, being friendly with this man may be the only way I can get to them. He may be our only way out of here.

I twist my lips into an innocent smile. “We were only trying to get away from Society. You don’t have to worry, we won’t tell anyone about your hidden city. If I can just find my friends, we will leave and never speak of this place again.”

Thaddeous leans close, examining my face. His breath is warm and metallic. It’s a rancid, terrible smell that reminds me of dead animals. “Why do you keep sayin
g
w
e
? Is there someone else here with you?”

For a second, I hesitate. I can’t let him know my brother is looking for another way in. “I was alone,” I say finally. “I’m speaking for my friends that may already be down here.”

His eyes don’t leave mine. “How do I know I can trust you? How do I know Society didn’t send you?”

I pull my hair aside to show him the mark. “I’m a Shymer. I woul
d
neve
r
do anything for Society considering the way they choose to treat us.”

Thaddeous crosses his arms. The edges of his mouth pull into a smirk. “Just because you have the mark, you really think you’re a Shymer?”

Obviously I still don’t know what I am, but I had hoped he wouldn’t see me as a threat if he thought I was a Shymer. I drop my hair and peer around the room. “You seem fascinated by the old world. Wouldn’t you like to live without fear of the government anymore? Maybe we could live the way they used to. My friends and I are trying to change things, to make them right. We’re on your side.”

This is a bit of a lie. Bree and the others wouldn’t know of the Rebels’ plans to attack. But I have to do whatever I can think of to convince this man we aren’t going to be any kind of threat to him and his people.

His eyes grow hard, angry. “You really think a bunch of kids are going to stop Society? You think if there was really a way to stop them that we would be living down here like a bunch of animals?”

Something about this man feels terribly off and I know I shouldn’t trust him. I decide not to tell him about the Rebels. From what little I know, it’s possible the Rebels are aware of this underground city like my mother was. Maybe the Rebels haven’t joined forces with them for good reason.

Thaddeous looks past me to the hairless man. “Joshua, take her out to join the others.”

I pull away before Joshua can touch me. “You don’t have to push me around. I am not going to run,” I say. The rough way he handled me earlier only brought more pain to my already sore chest. Joshua grunts and points to the exit of the cavern.

Whirling around to Thaddeous, I decide to beg as a last resort.
“
Pleas
e
. We are just like the rest of you. My friends and I only want to live in peace. Someone from your city could take us to the other islands to see that we aren’t going to cause you any problems.”

Thaddeous makes a low snickering noise. “Other islands? Little girl, do you really think there is another island out there you can jus
t
run of
f
to?”