The sisters were in line for the drop off site at the northern edge of town. The tall, barb-wire fence stretched across the grassy landscape holding within it a world of junk waiting to be discovered. Through the fence the women could see various items both from the present and from the Nation Days before the last public governments fell under the strains of the climate catastrophe. There were barrels of discarded clothing, teetering towers of weather-worn furniture, plastic folding tables piled high with cooking utensils, gardening supplies and who knew what other forgotten items. Loupe had once found a glass bottle of Chanel No 5 in the pocket of a stained, silk purse and, on another occasion, Reina had found a boot that shot poisoned darts from the toe. And all of it, every item, was marked at just one coin a pound.

“I think we should let him in on the plan,” Loupe said a bit abruptly, twirling a strand of purple hair between her fingers.

The day was cloudy but warm, the last vestiges of summer floating in from the now dull sea to the east. The wind pulled at the sisters’ ebony hair which kept becoming untucked from their gold studded ears.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Reina said, looking off to sea. They were already going to bring Malak into their plan, a fourth person was an unnecessary risk.

“Neither do I. But I have a feeling.”

“Well, if you have a feeling,” Reina said, rolling her eyes, but smiling all the same.

The line inched forward.

“No, seriously!” Loupe insisted, wrapping her arms around her sister’s shoulders. “I’m not sure what it is, but I trust him.”

“He’s nice enough,” Reina conceited, adjusting the duffle bag on her shoulder which was empty save for a pair of thick, leather gloves. “But he’s already involved with Carwyn. It could be dangerous.”

“So we don’t tell him at all?”

“I don’t know. It’s all such a mess.” What if Hayun and Malak did not get along? What if Malak refused to help them because of Hayun? Or worse, what if xe only joined them because of Hayun? Reina was used to breaking the law and doing risky things, but she liked to think of herself as beyond using people as leverage and bait.

They moved another step forward in line and a cloud blew over to let down a blinding ray of sunshine. Loupe kicked a pebble which skipped for a moment before disappearing into the grass.

“He’s clearly not on good terms with Carwyn. Maybe this will be mutually beneficial,” she suggested in a quiet voice.

“I don’t know.”

She could feel Loupe’s eyes on her, but she wouldn’t make eye contact.

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“Look at it this way,” Loupe said, speaking firmly, but gently. “Either we don’t tell him and he has to leave or we tell him and he stays. It could be fun, having someone else on the team for once.”

Riena looked at her sister and knew what her answer would be even if she did not feel at all ready for it. Some feelings could not be fought.

Just then the sisters were let in, past the barbed wire fence into the maze of the past.

“I don’t think we should tell Mama and Papa yet,” Reina said as they opened their bags and pulled on the gloves.

Loupe frowned. There were few things the sisters kept from their parents.

“Just until we get to know him a bit better. You know how they are about strangers.”

“I know how you are about strangers,” Loupe said, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Isn’t part of being in the gang helping those in need?”

“Fine, tell them if you want.” Reina sighed.

“It’s okay. I won’t tell them about Hayun, for now.”

Reina nodded and the sisters began the tedious search. They split up in order to cover more ground, a duffle bag each slung over their shoulders. Reina chose the far end of the yard where a graveyard of gas and diesel powered cars lay to rest. They were rusted and most of their glass windows had already been taken, but Reina often found long forgotten treasure hidden for hundreds of years in their glove compartments and trunks. Many of her and Loupe’s childhood toys had come from the charms hung on the review mirrors and she was always on the lookout for CDs, VHSs, cassettes and the like for Loupe’s collection. It was tedious work finding ones in good enough condition to still be usable. Most had been abandoned during the Nation Days in favor of online streaming to crack and collect scratches that rendered them useless junk. That was all before tech companies began cracking down on censorship and inflation completely destroyed a listeners ability to freely find new music for a reasonable price on the internet. Now hard copies made of biodegradable memory disks were common though still outside of their limited budget.

Using a crowbar, Reina began popping open trunks and stashing anything useful in her duffle bag. Irritation flickered low in her stomach as she sorted through all the electronic devices that would be too expensive to power today even with solar panels. And there was so much plastic junk no one had any use for: obnoxiously bright colored toys, picture frames cracked and peeling, out-of-style jewelry, and innumerable small pieces broken off from larger and now unusable objects. No wonder their world had choked on the stuff till it had killed over eighty-five percent of all life.

By the time the sun set Reina had found several duvets and quilts, a suitable mattress for Hayun, some yoga mats, cleaning supplies from a hundred years ago but which looked to still be usable, and a new winter jacket for Loupe.

When her stomach started growling and her legs ached for a seat, Reina called her sister. Together they dragged their findings to the exit where they called a cab to take them back to the apartment.

“I’m not sure about Hayun,” Reina confessed as they drove through the darkening streets.

Loupe sighed. “We already talked about this. Remember, I have a feeling.”

“If things go south, I’m blaming you,” Reina joked, resting her head on her sister’s shoulder.

“Whatever. Like anyone as innocent as Hayun could cause any trouble.”

“It’s always the innocent ones that are the most dangerous. Don’t get too attached.”

Loupe didn’t say anything to this which told Reina everything she needed to know. Her sister had a big heart and she gave it out like candy. She loved that about her, but it also made her worry about the careless people who would eventually drop those pieces and stomp all over them and she would be left to put them back together.

They drove the rest of the way in silence, clutching their new belongings and thinking about the future.