Rea woke up to the sound of her alarm– an upbeat melody that had long since grown old. She took a moment to allow the grogginess of sleep to pass, rolling over and pulling herself upright in her bed, pajamas sodden with sweat. The sun was beginning to set, which cast shadows around her small bedroom. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she looked at the clock.
7:00.
She had an hour to get ready and make it across town to work. Mindful of the setting sun, it would be safer to travel the subway system while it was still light outside, which meant she needed to hurry. It wasn’t that the subway system was unsafe, per se, but a young girl traveling alone in the dark certainly drew attention that she would rather avoid. With any luck, Al would be riding the subway tonight and could accompany her over to the High District. It seemed to Rea that crime was increasing in the Low Districts every day, even if her suspicions were never confirmed by the reports during evening news.
Making her way across the bedroom, nearly tripping over a pile of dirty clothes left on the floor, she made for the bathroom on the other side of the apartment. As was her routine, she greeted her mother warmly as she crossed the living room.
“Hi, Ma. Feeling any better?”
No answer. Her mother was probably asleep and likely better for it. Her condition had been deteriorating steadily over the last several months. Her condition had started with small lapses in memory, such as forgetting what day of the week it was or forgetting where she had left the keys. This eventually progressed until she was unable to work, Benny, her old boss who oversaw the servants working in some High-Born estate, claimed that she had become a complete liability. He cited her as wandering off in the middle of her shift, only cleaning half of the rooms she was assigned, and snapping at the children of the family they served. Thinking back, Rea missed the days when the worst of her mother’s condition included minor lapses in memory or unexplained outbursts. As it were, her mother could hardly get out of bed and failed to remember Rea's name most days.
Her mother having to stop working meant that they needed to find an alternative means to pay rent. Rea was thus forced to take a job in the High District working overnight at a bakery. Her job mainly consisted of baking bread, preparing pastries, and stocking shelves so that everything was ready by the time the shop’s owner, Mr. Bently, came in to open the shop at 7:00 am. All in all, working at the bakery was paying the bills, and Mr. Bently was kind enough. Working during the night also meant that she could be home during the day to take care of her mother. The decision to take the job was hardly a difficult decision.
After brushing her teeth and combing her hair, Rea looked at her reflection in the washstand’s mirror. With black hair, tan skin, and a petite frame, she was a quintessential Low Born. Anyone who saw her from a distance would have been able to see she was a Low through and through as well as anyone who heard her slightly drawn-out accent--- indicating that she had not attended school as a child. Of course, the latter group would have also noticed a peculiarity about her appearance that was not characteristic of Lows. With bright, yellow eyes that popped against her brown skin, most people deduced that she was the child of a prostitute. Indeed, she had been reminded of this possibility often enough from other children in the neighborhood. Making jokes at her expense that she was reminded of every time she looked in the mirror.
Pushing this thought away, Rea left the bathroom to check on her mother before she left– who was laying on top of a worn mattress on the floor positioned towards the television. Despite the mid-summer heat, she would often arrive home after work and find her mother in bed shivering. Carefully tucking in the wool comforter around her with care, she tried to ignore the evening news playing in the background.
“We are fully aware of the severity of the situation and are doing everything we can to support the people who have been affected. The board of directors has met, and we are in agreement that our scholarly efforts at the University will be devoted to the cause of finding an anti-spell moving forward." The imposing women staring confidently at the screen was the Headmistress of the most esteemed University in the High District. She continued in a firm voice, "We remain confident that we will get to the bottom of this dark magic and bring to justice those responsible for its destruction of our society and the lives of so many of our beloved citizens of the Society.”
It all sounded like more of the same to Rea–some important public official putting on a calm, confident facade, reassuring the city’s citizens that all an anti-spell would be created to help calm the panic that was radiating throughout the city. She reluctantly admitted to herself that if the University, which oftentimes kept to itself on matters involving public safety, was involved in finding a solution to the problem that things were more serious than they had originally let on.
Grabbing her cloak on the way out, wrapping it around her, and pulling the hood over her head, Rea locked the door behind her and set out towards the subway. The evening sun was beginning to creep below the western horizon, yet the moisture in the air was warm enough to make her immediately start to sweat. Dark shadows were cast around the city street below, surrounded by identical looking apartment buildings that looked worn down and at least partially abandoned. The street below was busy with people who had their heads down trying to make it to their destination before nightfall.
Just as she was descending the stairs leading from her door to the street below, she heard someone calling her name. Turning, she greeted her friend with a warm smile that said she was in a hurry and didn’t have time to talk.
Ignoring this gesture, Griffin asked, “Where are you going? It’s almost dark, you shouldn’t be wandering around this late at night. It’s dangerous out there.”
“I am going to work, Griffin. Remember, I have to work now that ma can’t.”
Griffin stared back at her, slightly ashamed at having forgotten her situation, not entirely sure how to respond.
Griffin was a tall, light skinned boy, or at least lighter skinned than Rea, with dark brown eyes and curly black hair. The two had known each other for years, playing together as kids while their parents went to work during the day and Griffin could manage to convince his sister to let him leave the house. His family was not from the Low Districts originally. In fact, his parents were well-educated and adamant about Griffin not spending too much time with the other children in the neighborhood. Despite his parents’ constant warnings, Griffin showed none of the inherent self-importance displayed by his parents and sister. He had always seemed friendly and easy going to Rea, and most importantly, he was one of the few children in the neighborhood who had never made jokes about her atypical eye color.
Rea decided to fill the awkward silence between them, not wanting to see her friend continue to squirm as he struggled to think of a reply.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Besides, Al will be at the bus stop to make sure I get to work without anyone bothering me. Feel free to join me if you’re bored.”
Her friend smiled and nodded, glad she had changed the subject and accepted her invitation willingly.
Griffin was an extravert; he loved to fill Rea in on all that he was learning in school. Most of the time she wasn’t entirely sure that she understood what he was talking about, often discussing topics like algebra or the Society's history, as it wasn’t common for Low Borns to be educated. Nonetheless, this never deterred her from nodding her head and asking the proper follow-up questions to keep the conversation moving from one topic to the next. Not that he would have stopped had she started daydreaming mid-conversation.
As much as Rea enjoyed the company of her friend, she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. As a little girl Rea had dreamed of attending school and receiving an education. She was enthralled with the mystery of magic though, not a topic currently covered in Low District schools. Indeed, the city’s laws prevented Low Borns from using magic altogether— a law that had been in response to the civil war in the Society 50 years ago. Regardless, Rea never understood why Griffin should be able to attend school and she couldn't simply because her mother’s parents had fought on the wrong side of the civil war. It wasn’t fair, but Rea had long since accepted this inequity. The best she could do was pretend like it didn’t bother her and be supportive for her friend.
The sound of people approaching them from behind quickly pulled Rea back into the present moment. As she turned, she saw a group of rough looking men approaching, all wearing worn clothes and beginning to circle her and Griffin. She felt a flash of anger at herself for not having kept her guard up.
But despite her anger, it was too late to run. Too late to call for help. With the darkness of the night now settling over the city, no one would be eager to help a pair of strangers. Most people were probably relieved that they had avoided the group’s attention.
“Out past dark? Where are your parents?" The man in the center said with an ugly grin on his face, "They ought to know better than to let the two of you wander around town at night.”
The man speaking seemed to be the leader of the group. He was abnormally tall, a foot taller than Griffin at least, and skinny with eyes that sunk into his face and were set off by dark, black circles. None of the other men in the group looked any less intimidating; all the men looked visibly beaten down by one of the Society's toughest neighborhoods, most with scars on their faces or several teeth missing.
Rea replied before Griffin could say anything. He wasn’t from a Low District, and didn’t understand that some people couldn’t be talked down as easily as they could in the High Districts.
“Actually, our parents are waiting for us at the subway. I am sure they will be expecting us any minute. And Griffin’s dad works for a politician in the High District, so if he doesn’t make it back to the bus station soon, I can only imagine the search party that will be sent out for us." It was an obvious lie, but it was the only thing she could come up with on such short notice. Her voice is surprisingly confident despite the feeling of her heartbeat beginning to beat loudly in her chest. Any false confidence she had mustered, however, quickly vanished at the man's reply.
“That’s weird,” replied the man, a wide grin splitting his face that showed he had caught her in a lie, “I seemed to remember watching that little squirt sneaking out of his bedroom window and chasing after you. If I had to guess, I would say that his parents have no idea where he is.”
This comment brought was followed by several chuckles and words confirming the other man's suspicion, now satisfied that they had caught the pair of them cornered without anywhere to go. “As for the search party, I don’t care how many people they send. Once you’ve been sold on the black market, it’s not my problem anymore." The man concluded by slapping his hands together as if washing them of dirt.
Rea stumbled over the thoughts that were darting through her head, trying to formulate a response that would buy them some time. Buy them some way out of this situation. In the back of her mind, however, she knew she was only delaying the inevitable.
As if reading her thoughts, the group began to shrink around her and Griffin. The leader lunged forward and grabbed Griffin by the arm, jerking him in his direction, while Rea kicked at the man--not phased at all. Someone grabbed her from behind by her hair and pulled her backwards. Knowing the danger these men posed, she trashed around in response, punching and kicking at anything within reach.
“STOP!”
The voice came from an alleyway nearby, echoing around them like thunder, bringing the commotion to an abrupt halt. Rea felt the grip on her hair loosen, and she was haphazardly thrown to the ground as one of the men who caught one of her kicks her leg let go.
Rea slowly climbed to her feet and turned towards the source of the mysterious voice. To her astonishment, it turned out to be one of the last people she would have expected to see and was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of confusion and minor relief.
Al stood at the head of the alleyway, hunched over his wooden cane, and looking at the group of men with distain through a pair of spectacles that were too big for his face. His thin frame, combined with the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and greying hair, made him look every bit of the old man he was. He certainly did not look like the type of man to stand up to the group in front of him, but the wand he held, tip shining a bright purple, gave him an intimidating presence, nonetheless.
Rea was shocked as everyone else– she had no idea Al was a sorcerer. She had spent hours with Al on the subway and he had never mentioned anything related to magic. She supposed she had never asked him outright if he could yield magic but that also wasn’t the type of question you normally had to ask of someone living in the Low Districts. There was nothing about the man that Rea had ever noticed that would have said he had associated with the High Borns, which was the only way a Low could learn sorcery.
“Good,” said Al in a voice that contained a hint of mockery, “Now, let the kids come with me, we can go our separate ways, and I will pretend like nothing happened. Just a simple misunderstanding between old friends.”
“Yeah right, Al, you know as well as I do that, they won’t let you forget this.” Rea's shock and confusion doubled; how this man knew Al’s name Rea had no idea, adding another layer to the complexity to the situation. Not only was Al a sorcerer, but he also seemed to be familiar with this street thug.
“I promise, Rubin. None of this has to get back to the Watchers. They trust my word and so can you. If I tell them that the situation has been resolved, they won’t bat an eye.”
There was a sureness in Al's eyes that Rea had not seen before– as if he really believed that the Watchers would take his word for it. The leader of the group eyed him wearily, going over his options in his head. Of course, he could try to disarm Al, he had him outnumbered five to one, but with Al being able to channel magic, it would be a desperate attempt at best. Alternatively, he could try to continue with the kidnapping, risking the possibility that Al had the audacity to use the oak wand he was holding despite the laws against it. Either way, the man was cornered, leaving him only one real option in the end.
“Let’s go, boys” he said at last with a bit of disgust, turning and heading in the other direction towards any alleyway across the street. There were a few groans of displeasure at the decision, but in the end, the group made their accent, following him across the street and into the night.
“Wha…” Rea’s plea for an explanation was cut short. Al interrupted her and motioned for the pair of them to follow him towards the subway. “Not now,” Al had said, “This is no place to be meandering around after dark. We will be safer once we get on the station below ground.”
Rea and Griffin looked at each other in shock for a moment before turning to follow the man who had turned in the opposite direction and began to limp away. As they caught up to him, Rea noticed that Al had put his wand away and the spark of danger that had filled his eyes a moment before had vanished. And with that, he returned to the kind, old man Rea remembered when thinking about their evenings together on the subway. Rea and Griffin continued to follow Al in silence, questions shooting through her head, still trying to understand what had just happened.