Reina’s heart was skipping beats thinking about seeing Malak again, about being in the city again, about being on a solo mission again. It had been years since she last set foot in Bardo on her very first solo mission to recruit allegiance with the Order of Thieves. A mixture of anxiety and excitement was bubbling so close together that she felt slightly ill. She had never quite gotten used to the city, to being among thousands of people in towering buildings pressed so close together so you couldn’t tell one from the next. Malak seemed drawn with xir sharp eyes that saw everything and were never surprised and xir even sharper wit that had the confusing habit of cutting you and making you laugh at the same time. What if xe did not remember her? It did not matter, they were here for business and their relationship had always been professional.

Outside the train window, a forest rushed by. It was an old forest, man-made from the time when the air choked babies and the elderly to death. Mother Nature had long since taken over the forest with ease, filling it with squirrels and ferns and butterflies as though it had always been there and people had never threatened to burn the planet to ash and smoke.

Reina felt a sharp kick to her shin. The pain jerked her out of daydreaming. Her sister, who was sitting across from her, glared furiously through her large, square glasses, a pen brandished in a fist and a small, rust-colored notebook in her lap. She pulled her earbuds out, eyebrows raised.

“I said, I’m making a list. Help me,” snapped Loupe, pulling her feet up to sit cross legged on the faded golden seat.

“You could at least ask nicely,” said Reina, turning back to the window which was cold and frosted over in the corners despite the winter solstice being almost three months away.

“I did, but you couldn’t hear me,” Loupe said, tapping her older sister on the knee with her toe, not daring to put any real force into it this time. “Please, I’m sorry. I really need help.”

Reina held back a sigh, her eyes still following the picket fence that lined the edge of the train tracks. “What’ve you got so far?”

“Um… we need to get to the flat. And umm...”

“That’s it?”

“Reina,” whined Loupe in that special voice only the youngest child possesses even at age twenty. “I’m not asking you for help for no reason. I’m really stuck. It feels weird not to have all our stuff with us. I’m all disoriented.”

Reina knew what Loupe meant. For almost as long as she could remember she had carried a pack with her essentials: a bedroll, her few clothes, a water bottle, dried foods, and a small collection of tools. With the gang they always had their pack animals who carried everything else they needed such as furs, food stuffs, and medical gear. But now they were on their own, with whatever they could fit in one duffle bag each. It was Loupe’s first time on such a mission and Reina remembered the feeling of vulnerability that came with being away from home and the people who made it so. She was already missing the rhythmic sway and comforting warmth of her bay. She wondered what it would be like living the way Malak did. If the gang stayed in one place; built permanent homes to fill with heavy, permanent furniture like bookcases and shoe racks.

“Okay, we need to stop at the marketplace first thing to get groceries and supplies like wire cutters and night goggles.”

“Right, right…” Loupe mumbled, scribbling away rapidly. Not many people used paper and pencils anymore, but the solidity of them calmed Loupe and she needed calming more than most. And besides, she was quite the artist. Looking up she added, “Shouldn’t we wait to get supplies until after we’ve scouted the estate.”

Reina chewed on her lips as she thought. “Yes, but we should still get some basic materials we know we’ll need, like thermal readers and camo cloaks. Those are always useful.”

“True, true. I wish they had just called them invisibility cloaks,” Loupe sighed, looking dreamily out the window.

“Invisibility cloaks sound too fanciful and unscientific,” Reina pointed out. “And besides, they don’t actually make you invisible, do they? It’s just a bunch of mirror fabric technology.”

Loupe frowned dramatically. “Still. Invisibility cloak sounds better. I need new lock picks too.”

“What’s wrong with your set?”

“They’ve started rusting,” Loupe said, looking up from her note book and pushing her bangs out of her eyes. The rest of her black and purple hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the ends just brushing the nape of her neck.

“We can fix that easily with some baking soda and vinegar. Don’t waste money on a whole new set.”

“Ugh fine.”

“Plus, I can’t imagine Carwyn of Carwyn Tech Inc. using old locks on his personal estate. We’re probably going to need to use facial recognition manipulation software.” Reina shifted uncomfortably. The fabric of the seats was making the bottom of her thighs itch.

“I miss simple lock picking,” Loupe sighed.

“Yeah, this mission is going to be a tough one. But if we pull it off it’ll be big for the gang.”

“Carwyn Tech basically controls this town; their school, police, hospitals, even the food!” Loupe practically growled. “If we put a big enough dent in their bank it’ll really shake up their infrastructure.”

“Yeah, we just have to be careful.”

“Always,” answered Loupe, rolling her eyes.

Reina turned back to the window. The trees blurred into a brush stroke of green, soothing her along with the steady, near silent thrum of the magnetic train until her sister interrupted her yet again.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Wait Reina, we’re not done! I need more stuff on this list.”

Reina bit back her snapping comments knowing they’d only make the situation worse. “I think that’s all we need for now. We can add more tomorrow.”

“Are we getting a taxi?”

“What? To the flat?” Reina asked as she pulled her multitude of black wavy hair into a messy bun atop her head, strips falling out in soft curls around her face.

“Yeah, like from the train station. Because of our luggage and stuff.”

“I don’t think so. The flat is right in the center of town and we could use the extra money for food.”

“We should get coffees and maple doughnuts from that one vendor in the east part of the station,” Loupe said, her brown eyes blowing up like party balloons.

“I was thinking more like pasta so we don’t starve, but I’ll never say no to coffee.”

Reina watched her sister double over her little notebook, scribbling away. When she realized Loupe was doodling little cups of steaming coffee with round doughnuts on saucers she asked, “How’s the list looking now?”

“Better.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Less anxious.”

“Good. We’ll be there soon.”

“Did you let Mama and Papa know?” Loupe asked, still drawing.

Reina shook her head but did not reach for her phone. Loupe finished shading the coffee cup and then tucked the notebook and pencil into the inside pocket of her coat. She tapped her smart glasses to call their parents, but it went to voicemail.

“Hi Mama, Papa,” Loupe dictated to her phone. “Just want to let you know that Reina and I are arriving in Bardo in about…” she checked her watch. “Ten minutes. Love you. Send.”

Loupe’s voice was cheerful as usual, but Reina caught her downcast expression. A flash of annoyance rose up, fast and familiar. Their parents were always busy. They loved their daughters fiercely, but they also dreamed of a better world for them and creating a true democracy in a post apocalypse, even a small one in the form of a gang that dismantled corporate empires and billionaires, did not leave one with very much free time.

Luckily they did not have much time to dwell on it as the train hummed to a stop at the Bardo station. They shouldered their packs and joined the queue of people slowly making their way down the thin aisles off the train.

“Let’s try and get these errands over with quickly,” Reina instructed, leaning in close so as not to be overheard. “I’m exhausted.”

Loupe nodded in agreement. “I’m starved.”

Stepping off into the station Reina thundered along in front, leading the way and hefting a big duffle bag over her shoulder and sporting a nasty scowl. Loupe appreciated the way her sister’s countenance gave them a wide berth. The train station was packed, fit to bursting with tourists, businessmen, paupers, and families with screaming babies; all of them pushing and shoving, the loud sounds of heels clicking on the tiled floor reverberating through the entrance hall. Instinctively her shoulders rolled in around her and she stuck close to her sister, head down.

Holding hands, the sisters marched through the crowd. Reina was about to lead them out of the trainstation when Loupe pointed wordlessly to a coffee cart with a folding stand illustrating a pink, sprinkled donut. Reina smiled guiltily and changed directions, joining the line of customers. With a few copper coins they purchased one donut and one cup of coffee to share and left the train station. The crisp air was a welcome relief to Loupe, though she looked darkly at the sky that was beginning to collect more and more clouds. The sun was surprisingly low already.

Loupe was thoroughly unimpressed. Bardo was the home of fashion, love, art, and literature, all things any respectable girl should have some interest in. The city where young couples kissed under the glow of wrought iron street lamps. But there was no romance going on as far as she could see. Instead it was so busy it felt as though there were ants under her skin and so loud she longed for the gentle silence of the open plains full of rustling grasses and bird song. Not to mention the smell was so bad she had to tuck her nose into her shirt just to get the taste out of her mouth.

Bustling through the streets the pair blended in with the thinning crowd remarkably well considering neither of them had lived in Bardo for any particular length of time. They were heading toward the Market Square, hurrying to beat the sun. Loupe kicked every pebble in her path and Reina’s eyes swept back and forth, surveying their surroundings with diligence.

The market was already closed when they finally arrived; the stands were being taken down and the carts loaded to take back to the farms and villages on the outskirts of the city. If they had arrived only a half hour earlier they might have been able to get everything they needed from tools to produce to cosmetics at the evening discount price. Loupe cursed at a sky almost completely devoid of blue and stomped her foot, but her sister took her sternly by the hand and led her down an alley and into one of the little convenience stores scattered down every street of the city. A bell rang merrily as they entered.

They were in and out in a matter of minutes and no one paid them any heed. They were a perfect team, working seamlessly as one distracted the customers and the second’s quick fingers dove into their pockets or rolled goods off the shelves and into their bulky coats and bulging bags. They did pay for a tube of toothpaste and box of cereal, but the rest went unpaid and unmissed as the two women flew once again onto the darkening, windswept streets now flooded with bioluminescent light from the lampposts.

The swindle had lightened Loupe’s mood, a stark contrast to the now rapidly darkening sky which seemed to sag above them, ready to give way. Reina was as guarded as ever, but there was a sparkle to her eyes when they met hers. Together, they joined arms and broke into a light jog, the comforting feeling of almost being home - or at least somewhere warm and dry - burning in their hearts.

The sound of shouting voices ahead brought the sisters up short. At the front door of a nearby apartment, a young man in overalls and a forest green jacket was being harassed by a much older man in an expensive looking suit.

Reina pulled her sister into a shadowed doorstep before she could get a better look. Eyes wide and cheeks flushed, the women watched as the young man was tossed pathetically onto the muddy, cobbled street. The heavy oak door closed sharply, blocking out the gold light and warmth from the muddy streets.

Loupe looked at Reina, and Reina looked at Loupe and then at the boy who was just sitting there in the street. As their eyes met they shared one of those sisterly looks that passed millions of words in seconds and when they looked away she knew they were in agreement. The two wandered out from the shadows and cautiously approached the young man.

“Are you alright?” Reina asked.

The young man stared up at them, his eyes wide and shining like stars and then asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m Reina and this is Loupe,” announced Reina importantly.

“I’m Hayun,” replied the young man a little less importantly.

“Do you have anywhere to stay?” asked Reina

Hayun took a deep breath and then said, “No.”

Loupe extended her hand which Hayun took and just as she was helping him off the cold muddy ground, the first icy drops fell from the sky.

“We better go,” said Loupe. And the three of them disappeared into the falling water and Bardo lights.