Beneath the Shadowlanders

Chapter Fourteen: Orion

"This is huge!" I exclaim, much to the apparent shock of my hosts. The citizens of Underland, everyone, they can all return to the surface. For three years, we've thought there was no way to make amends, no way to live in peace with the shadows – it was us or them. This girl has accidentally stumbled upon the secret to coexistence with the shadows. I'm barely processing this, as I pace the tiny space they call home. "We need a plan," I declare. "How are we going to let them know? How can we show the scouts that they don't have to defeat the shadows? That there's no reason we can't live together in peace?" I mutter as I pace. "We'll need to speak with the general, probably. And make an announcement. An international announcement, across the whole of Underland. How do we get that kind of communication out? I suppose it will have to be dispersed by tram. That will take time. Cell phone communication, perhaps? Everyone has a government-issue emergency phone." I pull mine out for emphasis, and find that I've missed three messages. All from Lis. Shit. They all say pretty much the same thing: Where are you? She's going to kill me. But that doesn't matter. I've found the secret. They'll forgive me, when they find out. When we can move back to our old house, go back to our old school, in our old neighborhood.

The brother and sister – what did they say their names were? – keep staring at me like I've lost my mind.

"Well, don't just sit there! We have to do something!" I exclaim.

"Do you have any idea how risky that is? Trying to bring humanity back topside? Sure, this works when we accidentally wake one, but it's still not safe to be outside at night. The only reason we're safe is because this bunker is sealed. Nothing can get in except us." The boy stands, moving toward me. "We don't even know if this works every time, or if the ones we've met are just particularly friendly."

"Or too tired to fight," the girl adds. "If someone woke me up in the middle of the night and then apologized that profusely for it, I'd probably just go back to sleep, too."

"But don't you see? We have to try. This is the first breakthrough we've had in the three years since the migration." I march toward the door.

"Where are you going?" the boy asks.

"Back. I have to tell someone about this."

"No. It's too dangerous. I can't let you do that."

"Well, you're going to have to let me go, sometime. I have a family to return to." It occurs to me a little too late how harsh that must have come out. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean –"

"No, you're right," the girl interrupts. "You have to return to your family."

"Thank you."

"Take us with you," she adds, pushing herself off the pillows.

"What?"

"Take us with you. To Underland."

"Why?" I sputter. She's so determined, I don't know what else to say.

"Because if you're going to use my techniques to start a revolution, the Underlanders should at least know what they're getting into. And I'm the only one qualified to give them that information." She takes her brother's hand. "And I'm not going anywhere without my brother."

"Whoa, whoa. How did I get involved in this? I'm not going anywhere with this guy," he interrupts. "We don't know anything about him. He could be military. Or worse."

"Oh, come on, Gabe," she warns.

Gabe. I take a mental note of the boy's name for future reference. "Fine, if you insist," I concede. "But it's dangerous, and I don't know where you're going to stay or what you're going to eat. Our house is small, and all the food is carefully rationed. And if they catch you, they won't let you come back."

"That's fine. We'll bring some things with us." She turns and grabs her pack, dropping several cans of food, a pillow, and a stack of books inside. She gestures for her brother – Gabe – to do the same.

"Gin, are you sure about this?" he whispers to her, just loud enough for me to hear. I think it's intentional; he glares at me, eyes unblinking. I make a mental note of the girl's name, as well. Gin. I suspect it's short for something, although I still can't remember what.

"Yes. I am. We can't just sit here and do nothing for the rest of our lives, living on scraps and expired canned goods. Eventually, we'll run out of houses to loot. Books to read. Pencils to draw with." She says this last bit with emphasis, and I assume it has some kind of significance, because it convinces him to begrudgingly grab his own pack and follow her lead.

When they've each grabbed enough food to feed a small army, and what must be a few personal possessions, they tie their satchels shut and hoist them over their shoulders.

"Shall we?" she asks, much more chipper than I would have expected for this particular excursion. She unites her hair and tugs it back up into a tighter ponytail, sweeping up the flyaways that have escaped.

I shrug and open the door, marching out in the still-bright afternoon sun. I just hope they don't slow me down too much. I don't want to be late. I'm already bringing unexpected guests home. Mom is going to kill me, I think, as I lead the way back to Underland.