Layla gives me a tour of the main cavern and the second entrance. The tunnel in the back leads further into the maze of the graveyard. Layla says that not too many people venture past the Haunt because of cave-ins. I make a note to be more careful about where I step.

“How am I supposed to get out?” I ask Layla after she shows me around. Even if I managed to find my way above ground, I’m sure I would never get back.

“You’ll learn it quick enough, you’d be surprised,” Layla says.

“I guess so” At this point, every tunnel looks identical. I had learned to navigate the Forsyth better than most. Trees that looked indistinguishable to some were unique to me. Perhaps that will happen with the Graveyard. Although I hope I won’t be around long enough to learn it that well.

After a few more questions, Layla apparently tires of me and put me in the hands of Collin, a nine year old kid with bright red hair and a face that is almost entirely freckles. Collin was the new kid not too long ago and is happy to answer any questions I have. Layla, on the other hand, has better things to do. She instructs Collin to get me some food and then runs off through the tunnel.

“Don’t take it personally,” Collin tells me. “She’s in and out of here all the time.”

“What does she do?”

Collin shakes his head. “Who knows,” he says and leads me to a line forming behind a steaming pot of mushy grain. Behind the pot are makeshift shelves, wooden boards on barrels. The shelves are filled with odd cutlery, a few burlap sacks and one small crate of apples. There are two kids serving the food. A girl I don’t remember hands out the bowls. Both of her ears are covered in so many metal rings that I can’t see the skin. The bowls she hands out are mismatched, some iron, others wooden. One kid is handed a golden goblet. The man next to her ladles out cloudy porridge from the iron pot with obvious effort. His back is hunched and his skinny arms shake with the effort of each scoop.

“Who’s that?” I ask Collin softly, nodding towards the thin man.

“That’s Chief. I’m not sure what his real name is actually. He makes all the food and is not half bad at it. Manages to make stuff that’s actually edible.”

“I thought Layla only recruited kids to be in the Haunt.” Chief has to be at least twenty.

“She does,” Collin says. “He’s been with her since the beginning. Real shame too. He’ll be twenty-one in a few days.”

“What does that matter?” I ask.

Collin looks up at me, his eyes wide. “Nothing. Just that it’s a real shame he’s been down here for so long. Line’s moving.” Collin steps in front of me.

I’m not that surprised by Collin’s obvious lying. Layla told me that she was keeping secrets. I guess I didn’t expect everyone to be on them. I push away my slight annoyance and smile at Chief as he hands me a chipped ceramic bowl of oatmeal. He stares back at me emotionlessly. His face is pale, wax like. His eyes are almost closed, his mouth set in a frown. It looks like his face is slowly sinking down. Another odd appearance for the list.

I sit down next to Collin by a fire pit in the center of the cavern. Collin is warming his hands by the flames. The porridge is surprisingly good. I scarf it down before it cools and regret it pretty quickly. The oatmeal forms a solid rock in my stomach. “I’m surprised you guys have a fire down here,” I say to Collin. “Aren’t you worried about ventilation?”

Collin scrapes the bottom of his bowl. “Lots more to be worried about down here than that. Cave’s big enough anyways. Plenty of places for smoke to go.” He eyes the last bite left in my bowl. “You gonna finish that?”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

After dinner Collin shows me where to sleep. Behind the arches of the aqueduct are a mess of makeshift beds. Folded blankets. Straw mats. Piles of clothes. What I think are sacks filled with flour. They admit a white cloud every time someone sits down. There is no order to the beds. I think they belong to specific people though. Most have some trinkets next to it. They show the range of ages. Toys, stuffed animals, books, picture frames with dusty images, bottles of dark liquid.

“You can sleep next to me,” Collin says. He points to an orange coat and plaid woolen blanket. Next to it is a small stack of round smooth rocks. He hands me the blanket. “Until you get your own stuff.”

“Thanks.” The wool is itchy. I’d rather sleep on the ground, but I don’t want to turn away the gesture. I spread it out in the space next to Collin. Staring at the blanket, I feel a lump rise in my throat. All I had thought about on my way to the Delphast was getting here. The mission pushed away any thoughts of what was behind me. It’s hard not to think of home when I look at my new bed. I lay down on the blanket. It’s even more uncomfortable than I’d thought.

Collin seems to have Evan’s talent for falling asleep instantly. His breathing slows as soon as he lies down. Sleep has no interest in me tonight. I try to lose time staring at the ceiling. I trace the curves of the rock. When I tire of that, I prop myself up and look around the cavern. Most of the other kids are asleep. On the other side of the arches, the fire still burns. Several people are chatting by it. They are too far away to hear, but seem engrossed in the conversation. Occasionally they glance over to me. I wonder if they can see my open eyes in the darkness. I guess it makes sense that they’d talk about me. A new kid must be news. Beyond that is a big silver tub. I watch as Sarsa, the girl that almost broke my arm with her grip, fills up the tub with a bucket of water. With no further ado, she pulls off her shirt and lets it fall to the ground. I turn around when she starts to unbuckle her pants.

“Can’t sleep?” Collin has propped himself up on an elbow. His red hair is mussed and puffed out. He looks even younger than before. His eyes tired and his skin pale. It’s hard to look at him. He reminds me so much of Evan.

“I can never fall asleep when I have things on my mind,” Collin says. “Layla said you’re from the Forsyth.”

I nod, a little annoyed that Layla had shared that with everyone. For someone so private, she sure shared my story fast.

“All this must take a lot of getting used to,” Collin says. “It’s still hard for me and I’ve lived in the city all my life.”

“You’ve always been in the graveyard?”

“Nah, I used to be an above grounder. Not in the mountains of course. In the flats. My mother died giving birth to me. Never met my father.” His tone is casual, bordering on cheery. “I was in one of the orphanages until it ran out of food. The Kai apparently didn’t have enough money for us. I tried my luck on the streets, begging for money. I wasn’t too good at it.”

“How did you find this place?”

“It found me. Layla came up to me and said that I didn’t belong with the above grounders. She told me there was a place for me in the graveyard. I didn’t say yes at first. I’d heard things about the graveyard, that it’s the last place you’ll ever go. That it’s for the hopeless. Being poor up there is still different than poor down here. At least that’s what I used to think. Layla showed me I was wrong. Brought me down here and into the Haunt. We all have different stories, but we’re all here because we couldn’t make it on our own.”

I’m amazed by Collin’s eloquence, how accurate his words are. “That’s true for me too. I don’t know if Layla told you that I’m trying to find my brother, Evan. We were grabbed in the Forsyth and thrown into this train. I…escaped and he didn’t. I tried to find him on my own at first and didn’t have any luck. Layla said she could help me get him, that she belonged to a group of kids who were all looking for the…” I’m about to say Keep, but I stop myself. Layla said she didn’t tell most people about that. If I want her to trust me, I can’t go around sharing her secrets. “You know about this? About where my brother is?” I ask Collin. If he says it first then I won’t be blabbing.

He looks down, his face a bit red. “We all know bits and pieces. Layla’s the one you should talk to though.”

“Sorry,” I say, unsure of what I’ve done to embarrass him. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.

“It’s fine.” He lies back down.

I follow suit. After a bit, I hear Collin’s breathing change. He’s fallen back asleep. I watch the entrance of the rear tunnel. Maybe Layla will come back soon and I can talk to her. She said I had to wait, but maybe this has been long enough? Instead of Layla I see something else enter the cavern. A low, furry shape. An animal.