Grandfather Page 2

  He led me away from the buildings until we reached a road leading to the wall’s entrance. I had never been that far away from the orphanage because there was no point. Nothing was there. The forest stretched for miles to my left. I hadn’t even been in there. Nobody ever walked into the forest. I guess that could’ve been a good place to go when I wanted to get away from everybody. But for some reason, I never did.

  Edgar stopped beside the road, waiting, not saying a word. Yup, I was right. He was about to kill me. Or so I thought. We waited until a white vehicle approached us, headed toward the wall. It was very shiny and rounded. The very few vehicles I had seen were so loud and shook around as if they were about to just fall apart any second. This white vehicle didn’t make a single noise. It came to a stop next to us.

  “What are we doing?” I asked.

  “Our ride,” was all he said.

  Edgar opened the back door, motioning for me to get in.

  “Why are we getting in here?” I asked.

  “Quit asking so many damn questions,” Edgar said, grabbing my shoulder and forcing me inside the vehicle.

  I was starting to regret this.

  While I had seen very few vehicles drive by, I had never been in one. The seats were made of black, clean leather. I felt as if I was sinking deep into them. So comfortable. The black carpet on the floor had no stains unlike the carpet at the orphanage. Up front were a lot of buttons and lights. The driver, dressed in some hideous green suit, kept his eyes straight ahead, not saying a word.

  What was sitting – more like floating – next to him was the most interesting thing. It was a transparent screen hovering in mid-air. A white line led all the way to a huge structure that resembled the wall. And on the white line was a blinking blue arrow, pointing toward the city. When I saw the grass, trees, and old buildings around the arrow, something seemed familiar. Just a few glances out the window told me that the transparent screen was displaying our location.

  Very cool.

  “Headed straight back,” Edgar told the guy once he slammed the door shut.

  The driver didn’t say anything. He hit the gas, turning the car around so quickly I slid and shoved into Edgar. His horrible odor invaded my nostrils. Once again, I wanted to vomit.

  Once I situated myself, I saw the blue arrow was moving away from the wall.

  “GPS,” Edgar said, noticing my interest.

  “A what?”

  “Navigate ya to your location if ya don’t know where you’re going.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Where are we going?”

  No answer, which made me all the more suspicious.

  The ride overall was just awkward. Nobody said a word. There was no humming or anything. I just watched the cool GPS thingy as the arrow moved with the car. The road became steeper and curvier, and the transparent screen showed a few steep cliffs off to the side. We were definitely in the mountains I’d observed from the orphanage.

  The trees passed by quickly as I stared out the window. It was like we were flying! I kept my forehead pressed to the window, enjoying the ride when another vehicle going in the opposite direction flew past us, causing me to nearly jump out of my seat. I heard Edgar chuckle, which I pretended to ignore. Why did I go with him again? Oh yeah, curiosity. What is it they say? Curiosity killed the cat? I really hoped I didn’t become the cat.

  A few more minutes went by before the vehicle slowed down. I was ready to see our destination, and when I examined the area, I saw nothing but thick forest and a ledge just to the left of the street.

  There was nothing else because we were in the middle of nowhere. I just knew my theory was definitely true. Edgar was taking me far away from people to kill me. No witnesses.

  Edgar opened the door, but before stepping out, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a plain, white card. “We appreciate what you do,” Edgar told the driver. “Here’s 20 bitcoin for your trouble.” Edgar waved the card across the seat in front of him. Immediately, a tiny red light flashed from an even smaller hole on the back of the headrest.

  The driver never said a word, and Edgar apparently didn’t mind because he jammed the card back into his pocket and hopped out, rushing me to do the same.

  I shut the door behind me, and immediately the car sped off into the distance, disappearing behind a curve. I was alone with this guy, and there was nobody around.

  “What are you up to?” I asked, my voice quivering.

  Edgar said nothing.

  “You’re not about to kill me or something, are you?”

  Edgar was still quiet.

  You’d think I would’ve learned that the guy rarely answered my questions, but that didn’t stop me from asking. But hey, I wasn’t just going to keep quiet.

  In silence, he walked to a particular tree, no different than any other. At least not until I got a closer look. Once I was standing a few feet from it, I made out a carving of an arrow, which was pointing slightly to the left.

  “This way,” Edgar said.

  “What on Earth are we doing in the middle of nowhere? You –”

  “One more damn question and I’ll leave you out here,” he shouted, moving a little too close to me. I backed away, not wanting to get spit on again. He shook his head, turned around, and entered the forest. I looked down the road in the direction we had just come from. Edgar noticed this.

  “Not gonna kill ya,” he said.

  I guess I didn’t really have a choice. And besides, if he was gonna kill me, he’d just catch me if I tried to make a run for it. I’d just go inside the woods with a random man I didn’t know. Not stupid at all.

  “So what’s out here?” I asked him once we had been walking for a few minutes. I was actually having a hard time keeping up. I tripped over so many branches and almost stepped into several random holes.

  Edgar didn’t answer me, of course.

  “Before, you said ‘we.’ Are there other people out here or something?”

  I heard faint mumbling come from him.

  “I’ll just follow you then.”

  Still nothing.

  About five minutes later, Edgar stopped beside a tree where another arrow had been carved. This one pointed toward the right.

  “What are those for?” I asked, taking another shot at it.

  No answer.

  “Hey!” I yelled.

  Edgar swung around so quickly I nearly ran into him. Man, he was angry. His fists were clenched so tight.

  “You never stop, do you?” he growled, taking a step toward me. I took one back, not realizing the root sticking out of the ground behind me. Yeah, I slammed onto the ground. I yelped as a branch jabbed into my back. Edgar pointed at the arrow carving in the tree, ignoring the fact that I was on the ground. “We got carved arrows all throughout this place,” he finally answered. “Points us in the right direction.”

  “To where?” I asked, standing back up and wiping the leaves off my clothes “And who is we?”

  Edgar threw his arms into the air and started walking in the direction the arrows pointed.

  I examined the arrow a bit closer as we passed it, and when we rounded the tree, I noticed another, pointing in the direction we had just come from.

  We passed several more of these arrows, and eventually he stopped … next to a tree with an arrow pointing at the ground. Several more trees had the same display. Edgar bent down to the ground.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  He didn’t answer.

  I watched as he used both his hands to feel the ground. Then, he pulled a brown handle that easily blended in with the ground. He lifted it, revealing a trap door. The top of the door was made of grass and leaves, blending in with the forest. It was actually a pretty good idea. I certainly wouldn’t have found it.

  I moved closer to look down. It was pitch black. Edgar pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket, turned it on, and flashed its light into the hole, revealing a ladder. “Hurry it up,” he said. “Go on.”<
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  So now, the lunatic was telling me to climb into a pitch black hole leading to I-didn’t-know-where. Things couldn’t get any creepier, that was for sure. I didn’t move at all.

  “Maybe I’ll just go back to the orphanage,” I said.

  Edgar wasn’t buying that. He grabbed my arm and jerked my body toward the ladder, nearly throwing me into the hole. “Let’s go,” he yelled, letting go of my arm.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said as I bent down and found a step with one foot. “Who are you?” Without a choice, I slowly made my way down, examining each step with a foot to make sure the next one was there. Soon, my foot touched a surface broader than the steps. I let go of the ladder. Yup, I had made it. Once my eyes adjusted, I was able to examine my surroundings. The ladder had led to a tunnel about five feet wide. The floor and walls were made out of cracked concrete. They were covered with moss in some places. I’m pretty sure I saw some mold too. That sure wasn’t safe. What on Earth was this place? It was definitely old.

  “Catch,” Edgar said, tossing the flashlight. I wasn’t expecting that so, of course, I didn’t catch it. It slammed into the ground. The light flickered but didn’t go off completely. I picked it up and shined it in his direction. He pulled the trap door shut as he climbed down. Good thing the flashlight didn’t break, or we would’ve been stuck in pitch darkness. He reached the bottom much quicker than I had. He took the flashlight back from me and shined it into the distance. The tunnel was much longer than what I’d thought.

  I followed him. “What in the world is this place?” I asked, knowing what the response would be.

  Not a peep.

  “Can’t you at least answer some of my questions?”

  Still no answer.

  I followed him for the next few minutes, until he slowed down. There was an old wooden door on my left with some light shining out from the bottom crack. Edgar stopped in front of it, turned the knob, and opened it. I followed Edgar into the room and was amazed.

  I had never seen anything like it. The orphanage was so bland. The places I had been to were rundown. This room, though, was not. Yeah, it was small, but it was filled with elegant wooden furniture and gave me a warm and relaxed feeling. On one end of the room, there was a small tidy kitchen with shiny gray marble counters and dark, polished wooden cabinets. In the middle of the room was a mahogany dining table with tablemats in front of four matching chairs. Underneath the table was a large, maroon area rug. The opposite end of the room was the living area complete with three red leather sofas surrounding a mahogany coffee table. One of the sofas occupied a man in a fancy gray suit with a white dress shirt and pink tie. His black hair was combed over perfectly. His brown eyes watched me with curiosity. Beside him was a tall woman with long, ruby hair. She was dressed in black pants and a dark green sweater. Her green ring and matching earrings sparkled where the light bounced off them. Her skin – and his – was flawless, just like their clothes. They were definitely from within the wall. What were they doing underground?

  They stood up immediately and walked over to me. The woman’s long hair swayed from side to side. She smiled, her eyes glistening. “Welcome,” she said calmly, extending a hand. I shook it slowly, keeping my eyes on her gorgeous dark green ones. Everything about her was just so stunning.

  “I’m Belladonna, and this is Robert.” The man had a slight grin on his face.

  “Pleasure,” he said.

  I stayed quiet of course. What else was I supposed to do?

  Edgar walked over to the kitchen, opened up a cabinet, took out a loaf of bread, and began making himself a sandwich.

  Belladonna motioned me toward the dining table. “I’m sure you have many questions,” she said.

  Boy, was she right. “Yeah,” I said sheepishly, walking slowly to the table.

  I heard Edgar snicker again. That was really starting to get on my nerves.

  Belladonna and Robert followed me while Edgar stayed in the kitchen.

  Impatience got to me. As I took a seat at the table, I let out my questions all at once. “What is this place? Who are you guys? I don’t understand. And this whole Grandfather thing. And how did Edgar know my name? And why am . . .”

  “Good gracious,” Belladonna said, putting her hand on her chest. “Please, one question at a time.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  “Ya don’t say,” Edgar said from the kitchen. “Try being around him the whole way here. One damn question after another.”

  He wasn’t amusing me at all.

  “Well, Edgar,” Belladonna said, still looking at me with a smile as she sat down in the chair to my right. Robert stood behind her. “You can’t expect him to stay hushed when he’s been dragged away from his home with no warning.”

  “I don’t have a home,” I snapped back at her.

  Belladonna looked down for a moment, her smile vanishing.

  “The orphanage isn’t my home.” If there was one thing I was going to do, I was going to make sure they understood that. Even if they were about to kill me or something.

  Robert appeared shocked. Belladonna didn’t seem all that shocked.

  “No,” she said slowly.

  “It’s just some . . .”

  “Some place to keep children and use them as slaves?” Belladonna finished. “Just a place to keep children until they reach the proper age to be shoved out and onto the streets?”

  I nodded at Belladonna. That’s exactly what it was.

  “I was an orphan, too,” she told me. “I understand. But that’s a story to be told at a later time.”

  Wow, she definitely didn’t look like somebody who had come from an orphanage. Like, she was absolutely beautiful. I still couldn’t get over how she looked. Her eyes grew stern for just a few seconds, as if thinking back to…to whatever her orphanage experience was. I imagined it wasn’t good.

  Edgar finally finished up in the kitchen and returned with his sandwich and a glass of water. He sat the water down in front of me. With everything going on, I didn’t realize how thirsty the trip had made me. Edgar sat in the chair across from me.

  “Let’s start with Grandfather,” Belladonna said, her eyes glistening once again. “What do you know about that?”

  “Just what Edgar told me,” I answered. I took a drink of water then did my best impression of Edgar’s voice as I said, “They have returned.” Edgar wasn’t amused. Good.

  “I’m afraid so,” Belladonna said, ignoring my manners toward Edgar. “Most people only see it as a conspiracy as of now. But after the death of the president, I imagine more will realize.” Edgar and Robert nodded in agreement.

  “How did you guys know that was going to happen?” I asked. “could’ve stopped it.”

  She placed a hand on the placemat in front of her and straightened it up. “Trust me, if I could’ve, I would’ve,” she said. “But we only knew that something big was going to happen last night.” Satisfied with the placemat, she returned her gaze to me.

  “You see,” Robert began slowly. “We’ve known Grandfather has been back for several years now. But they had such a low profile; we couldn’t tell who was involved for sure. And even then, we couldn’t tell the officials for fear their leader would have us killed.”

  Edgar, who had been eating his sandwich, spoke, pieces of bread flying out of his mouth. Eww. “I was the one who figured it out.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked him.

  He finished his sandwich quickly. “Believe it or not, I used to work with the government. I was one of the suits within the wall.”

  I examined him again: his filthy clothing, his missing tooth, the dirt on his skin. “You?” I asked. “You lived within the wall? You look like . . .”

  “Dammit, I know what I look like,” he barked, glaring at me. I didn’t think this guy liked me very much. “Ya think I do this on purpose?”

  “Well . . . how am I supposed to know?” I asked. “Don’t forget that I have no
idea who you people are.”

  “You’re right,” Belladonna said. “But let him explain.”

  Edgar gave her a nod, as if to thank her. “I don’t always look like this,” he said. “This is just for show. I have to blend in when I go out to gather information. When I travel inside the wall, I wear a suit.”

  I tried picturing Edgar in a suit like Robert’s. Nope. Couldn’t do it. “Oh,” I said, looking at the hole where a tooth once was. I was about to ask, but I didn’t know what he would do to me if he got too angry. It was as if Edgar could read my thoughts.

  “Except for the tooth, of course,” he said. “I got caught once. Couple of guards gave me a good beatin’”

  “Oh,” I said again. There was one mystery solved.

  “Now, as I was saying,” he continued, no longer glaring at me. “I intercepted a letter by accident a few years ago. It was an invitation, and signed at the bottom . . . Grand Imperial, Leader of Grandfather.” Edgar was about to continue, but I interrupted with another question.

  “Grand Imperial? You’re sounding crazier by the minute.”

  Edgar’s teeth grinded together, making me wince at the noise. He looked at Belladonna, who, with a nod, urged him to continue. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

  “I had concerns,” he started again, pacing himself. “which is why I went to the meeting; at least close enough to the room to hear it take place.”

  “And?” I asked.

  “And I heard them mention Grandfather. Couldn’t really recognize any of the voices. Too far away. But I’m sure that Cornelius was there – Their Grand Imperial.”

  I was about to ask yet another question but, as if foreseeing it, Belladonna started talking before I got the chance to even open my mouth.

  “To make a long story short, Edgar found another letter with the date of the president’s assassination on it.”

  “Last night’s date,” Robert added.

  “Didn’t know what the date meant, though,” Edgar interrupted. “Just knew it was something big. That’s what they said in the meeting.”

  “I ran into Edgar not long after,” Belladonna said, smiling. “We were both spying on the government. After combining our resources, we created this.”

  She made it sound as if they had created some magical place. Yeah, the room was enough to brag on. But they were living underground.

  “And now you think Cornelius is leading Grandfather, and you’re trying to kill him?” I asked.

  “We’re trying to get enough resources and proof to expose Grandfather to the people,” Belladonna said. “I hate violence. I don’t want it. But if it comes to that, then it must.”

  Well, at least I knew where they were getting this ‘proof.’ But I still didn’t know if I believed it or not. Many times, I had heard about people being brainwashed into believing things. There were a lot of guys at the orphanage who believed anything the houseladies told them. I wasn’t going to do that. Then, I remembered how Edgar knew who I was. I had one more question. They were silent. They must have known that I was about to ask something else.

  “You guys think I’m involved. How?” I asked. “Edgar knew my name. I . . . I don’t understand.”

  “It’s so complicated,” Belladonna said. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”

  “But we’re going to try and explain it,” Robert said before I could argue.

  “You see,” Belladonna started. “Edgar, Robert, and I spy on government officials, hoping to learn anything that can help us. Recently, w—”

  “Very recently,” Robert added. Belladonna didn’t seem to mind the interruption.

  “Yes,” she said. “Just a few days ago, we overheard that there was an orphan outside of the city. Then, we got your name.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I started. “The people at the orphanage barely know my name. I never talk to anybody outside the dang place. You’re telling me that people I’ve never talked to know me?”

  “Are you sure you haven’t talked to anybody?” Robert asked.

  “I’m very sure,” I snapped. “I’ve never given anybody my name because I don’t talk to people. You guys don’t get it.”

  “I’m just telling you what we heard,” Belladonna said quietly, trying to calm me. It worked a little, but not much.

  “We called every damn orphanage in New Dawn,” Edgar said, “Pretending to be looking for our child. It was a longshot, but we got lucky. You’re the only orphan named Carsyn.”

  He made it sound as if I should rejoice over that. Not gonna happen.

  “And if this is true, what do they want from me?” I asked. “I mean, what do I have to do with . . . with anything when I don’t do anything.”

  They all glanced at one another. I noticed Edgar shake his head, annoyed once again. He let out a deep breath.

  “I understand that you’re having a hard time believing any of this,” Belladonna said. “And I don’t expect you to believe it right away. But you asked, and we’re telling you what we have figured out.”

  “So why was my name mentioned?” I asked.

  Belladonna hesitated before answering me. “Cornelius somehow knows who you are. Unfortunately, we don’t know how yet. But what we do know is that Grandfather needs you for some reason. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “Okay,” I said. “This is crazy.”

  “But it’s true,” Robert pleaded.

  After examining the people again, there was only one explanation. No, it wasn’t that I was dreaming. All of these people were lunatics. “This is absolutely crazy. I shouldn’t have come.”

  “Like I said,” Belladonna said. “I don’t expect you to believe this right away. I know it must be a lot to take in. I’m just answering the questions you need answering. I’m trying to help you.”

  “Why would they need me?” I asked. “I’m not going to need time to believe this because I’m never going to believe this crap. Grandfather was depowered a long time ago.”

  “You’re the most hard-headed kid I’ve ever met,” Edgar yelled. “I’ve never in my entire damn life.”

  “Edgar!” Belladonna snapped.

  He looked at her and crossed his arms at his chest. “I told you I wasn’t good with kids,” he said.

  Belladonna didn’t say anything else to him. “We’re continuing to spy in order to figure out why they need you,” she said. “But it’s going to take some time.”

  “As I said before, I don’t know anybody.”

  “We’re trying to figure this out,” Robert said. “As soon as we do, we’re going to let you know right away.”

  I drank the last of the water in my glass and scooted my chair back. It made a loud, screeching noise. I stood up. “I think it’s time for me to leave,” I said.

  “Leave?” Robert asked, standing up immediately.

  “You can’t leave!” Edgar said, jumping up. “It’s dangerous out there for you.”

  “I don’t care about any of this,” I said. “First of all, it’s probably not true. Second of all, if it is true, I still don’t care. What does it matter to me?”

  “Bah!” Edgar blurted out. “How can you sit here and say you don’t care!”

  “This affects everybody,” Robert said. “You will lose everything!”

  “You can’t lose anything when you have nothing,” I argued, making my way to the door.

  “If you –” Edgar started, but was unable to continue.

  “Quiet you two!” Belladonna yelled. I halted. Her angry tone actually frightened me. I turned around to see she, too, was standing up, glaring at Edgar and Robert. Her lips trembled. Edgar and Robert held their heads down, looking like two puppies that had been whipped by their master. “Please,” she said. They nodded slowly. She moved her eyes toward me. Her lips stopped trembling and she grinned again. Her soothing tone returned. Talk about a mood swing.

  “You don’t care becaus
e you feel as if you have nothing to lose. Robert said that you would lose everything.” She glanced at Edgar and Robert.

  Edgar reclaimed his seat, looking guilty. It was kind of funny to see him like that.

  Belladonna continued. “You came from an orphanage so you have nothing. You feel as if you have nothing at risk to lose if Grandfather takes over.” The room was dead silent. I kept my eyes on Belladonna, ignoring Edgar and Robert. I thought about what she’d said. Wow, I couldn’t believe it.

  Slowly, I told her, “It’s true. I feel that way because it’s true.”

  There was an awkward moment of silence. At least it was awkward for me. I don’t know what they were thinking about, but I was a bit embarrassed talking about such personal things.

  “May I ask you a question?” Belladonna asked slowly.

  I nodded. Belladonna motioned to the seat I had been sitting in. I thought for a second. I couldn’t just leave because…well, for one thing I had no idea how to get back to the orphanage. I walked to her, slowly, and took a seat. She and Robert also sat down again.

  “If Grandfather didn’t exist…and you were at the orphanage like normal, never having met us, where do you think you’d be in a few years?”

  I gave Belladonna a puzzled look. Why was she asking that, and why did she even care? “Why?” I asked her.

  “Well, if I’m not mistaking, you’re almost seventeen. You’ll be kicked out of the orphanage soon. I just want to know where you see yourself in a few years.” She ran her fingers through her red hair to remove some strands from her eyes. I thought about the question for a few seconds before answering.

  “Nowhere,” I finally said. Edgar and Robert looked puzzled.

  “What do you mean?” Edgar asked. “How can you –”

  “Edgar,” Belladonna said quietly. “Please.”

  He obeyed her. Man, I was enjoying seeing him like that.

  “I don’t see myself anywhere,” I repeated.

  “Edgar,” Belladonna started. “Robert. You two will never understand what it’s like to come from an orphanage these days. Children who stay in these orphanages have nobody: no family, nobody. They can stay until they’re seventeen. Then they’re kicked out to go . . . to go where?”

  Edgar and Robert stayed silent. Edgar glanced at me and then back at Belladonna. Robert kept his eyes on the table.

  “To go nowhere,” I replied.

  “Nowhere,” Belladonna repeated, shaking her head with disappointment. “You see, Carsyn. I understand. You feel as if you’ll be like every other orphan out there. They go their entire childhood, stuck in a terrible orphanage, not knowing anybody from the outside. Then they’re forced to leave at seventeen with nowhere to go but the streets. The system is far from perfect.”

  I nodded my head. She had nailed it on the spot. I’d seen it many times. When I’d go outside the orphanage, I would sometimes see a familiar face begging for bitcoin . . . a familiar face of somebody who used to be in the orphanage. I remembered one of the older guys who actually defended me when I was seven. Three kids had been picking on me, making fun of my hair. Jim fought all three of them off. Of course he got in some big trouble and wasn’t allowed to do anything for a few weeks. But he still defended me. I remembered that I was going to try and make friends with him since he seemed like the only one that mattered. But a few days later, he turned seventeen and was kicked out. It was only a year later when I heard some of the older guys talking about how they saw him lying dead on the street.

  “Carsyn,” Belladonna said quietly and slowly. “You feel as if you have no future. That’s why you don’t care.”

  I said nothing. I had never talked to anybody about it. I certainly wouldn’t have talked to the houseladies about it. I didn’t even think about it. I forced the thought out of my mind and told myself to worry about it when that time came.

  “You can’t think that way, Carsyn,” Belladonna said. “I understand why you would. I did the same thing when I was in my orphanage.”

  Man, I still couldn’t believe that she was an orphan. I tried to picture her living in some old building, cramped up with a bunch of poor, deprived girls. I tried imagining her on the streets, but I couldn’t do that either, just as I couldn’t picture Edgar in a suit. She was too beautiful and dressed too nicely to have been from the streets.

  “I was kicked out at seventeen and lived on the streets for about a year.”

  “You?” I asked, still in disbelief. I looked at Edgar and Robert. They listened to her but didn’t seem as shocked as I was. I assumed they already knew.

  “Yes,” Belladonna said. “Every orphan had the same future of ending up on the streets. But one day, I decided I was going to change that.”

  “That easy?” I asked.

  “Easy?” she asked, quietly chuckling. “Not at all. I mean, we have nothing when we’re kicked out. Nothing. It was hard getting myself to believe that I even had a chance.”

  I looked at her appearance again. “You don’t look like you were an orphan,” I told her.

  “Everyone has potential, Carsyn. But not everyone can get there. You have to want it badly.” She extended an arm and opened her hand, revealing a silver key. “Hold it.”

  I did so. “What is this for?” I asked, examining it. It was cold and dirty. The end of it was bent pretty badly. I wondered if the old key would even work again.

  “I was given this on my first day of work,” she said. “Some rich man built his stables outside of the wall.”

  “Why out here?” I asked. “I didn’t think they liked to do much outside of the wall.”

  “I don’t know,” Belladonna answered. “But he gave me the key to the stables so I could take care of his horses.” She reached for the key again. I handed it back to her.” This key is where it all started for me,’ she said.

  I was silent for a few seconds. Edgar and Robert were staring at me. It was weird. I didn’t want to be looked at. I glanced back at Belladonna, trying to ignore them. “I wouldn’t even know where to start,” I told her. I thought of the day I’d be kicked out. I knew nobody from the city. I’d be lost right away, not knowing where to start. I would end up like Jim.

  “The starting point is right here in front of you,” she said, standing up. She walked to my side, appearing as if she was gliding. She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Your key is right here. Of course it’s your choice whether you stay or not. You can choose to believe or not believe in Grandfather. You can choose to believe that you’re not in danger. But believe that the three of us can help you get to where you want to be. I know you have a future, and I know you have it in you to do anything you set your mind to.”

  The only thing that was going through my mind was if any of it was true. Could these people really help me stay off of the streets after I was kicked out? I tried to picture what my future could be if they were telling the truth, but nothing came to mind. It was really strange. I guess I’d never thought about what I would like to do with my life. How could these lunatics help me? I actually believed Belladonna. Sure, I only knew her for a few minutes, but I believed her. “I don’t even know what I want to do,” I confessed.

  “Not everyone knows what they want to do,” she said. “That’s something you have to figure out on your own. It may take time, yes. But that time will be well worth it.”

  I nodded at Belladonna. Perhaps she was right.

  “I’ll never understand,” Edgar said. For the first time since I had met him, he didn’t sound like his usual angry self. He continued. “I’ll never understand what it feels like to be an orphan . . . to feel like ya have no future. I know you’re not completely with us on Grandfather’s return. Definitely know that you have lots of questions. Figured that out on our way over here.”

  I snickered.

  “But if you decide to stay here, we can answer those questions for you. We can keep you safe, and you can see for yourself whether or not we’re right
.”

  “And more importantly,” Belladonna said. “We can help you stay off the streets.”

  Robert wouldn’t take his eyes off of me, waiting for an answer. It was kind of annoying. Edgar still looked like a sad puppy. But not a cute one. Definitely not a cute one.

  Belladonna moved away from my side and sat back down. “This is your decision,” she said. “We have connections and Edgar has plenty of bitcoin from his investments. We can help you.”

  I pictured myself going back to the orphanage. By the time I would make it back, it would be late. Who knew what the houseladies would say or make me do. I could try telling the houseladies where I was, but they wouldn’t believe me. They would probably laugh at me and make me complete my chores and homework. Then I’d go to bed, wake up, do more chores and homework, and then go to bed again. My days would be the same until I turned seventeen and was kicked out. I had no doubt I’d end up on the streets. I’d probably starve or freeze to death within the year. Many died that way. There was no way I could do that.

  Belladonna beamed at me, waiting for an answer. I still couldn’t believe she had been an orphan. She knew exactly what I was going through. I had never talked to anybody like that. I didn’t even talk to the other orphans about it, even though they were to meet the same fate as me.

  “Like I said,” I started slowly, still getting my mind wrapped around things. “I don’t really think Grandfather has returned. I don’t understand why you guys think I’m in danger. I’m still confused as to how you know my name. But I do know that I don’t want to go back to that orphanage.” Belladonna nodded in satisfaction. “I don’t know if you can actually help me, but I have to take a chance. I’ll stay.”

  Edgar leaned over and patted me on the shoulder. “Glad to hear it,” he said. “All questions will get answered. You’ll learn what we’re all about.”

  “But there’s something else I want,” I said.

  They all went silent. “You name it and we’ll try our best,” Belladonna said.

  “You say that you go out on missions or something, trying to get information?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Edgar replied.

  “And you said they need me.”

  “That’s right,” Edgar said, his eyes brimmed with curiosity.

  “On the off chance that somebody actually needs me for whatever reason, I want to go with you guys to hear the information myself . . . my own eyes and ears. I want to learn for myself if and why I’m in danger.”

  Edgar didn’t like the idea at all. Robert didn’t either. They immediately started arguing with me, spit flying from Edgar’s mouth, Robert waving his arms all about.

  “Too dangerous,” Edgar snapped. “Terrible idea.”

  “Then I’m not staying,” I snapped back, standing up. “I need to hear this stuff for myself so that I can make my own opinion.”

  “Edgar’s right,” Robert said. “It’s too dangerous. Who knows why Grandfather wants you. If you could help him somehow…we can’t risk it.”

  Edgar looked at Belladonna for help. But she didn’t give him any. She didn’t seem bothered by my request. She said, “Okay.” Simple as that.

  Edgar and Robert were dumbfounded.

  “If he wants to go, let him go,” she continued. “We’ll just be extra careful.”

  “Belladonna,” Edgar and Robert pleaded together.

  “It’s too dangerous!” Robert yelled.

  “We want him to understand Grandfather,” she started. “The best way to do that isn’t to hear it from other people, but hear it or see it for yourself, just as he said.”

  I nodded. “I need to do this,” I said. “I can’t just stay here listening to you talk about this Grand Imperial and how he wants me. I can’t just believe something that big, especially when I don’t know you guys. If I’m staying here, I’m gonna see for myself.”

  Edgar and Robert said nothing. Edgar threw a hand into the air in defeat “Okay,” he said. “But you’re going to be careful and do everything we tell you.”

  “Fine,” I said to Belladonna.

  “He’s curious,” she said. “I was like that too.”

  I don’t know if it was curiosity. I did know that it was worth a shot. And I was no longer afraid of them. Sure, they were odd. I had no idea who they were and what they were about. They were living underground! They were definitely an odd group. But if they meant me harm, I think they would have already made their move; unless for some reason they were making me wait. I didn’t think that was the case.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Edgar said. “Take him to his damn room. I’m sure he’s tired as hell.”

  Belladonna agreed. “We have several people hiding here with us,” she said. “You’ll meet others.

  “There are others?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Yeah,” Edgar said, still annoyed. “Don’t think there are other orphans. But we got other people who will help us fight the Grand Imperial and his followers.

  “Can we just quit this Grandfather talk?” I asked, getting really annoyed.

  Edgar shrugged his shoulders. Robert nodded.

  “We have a room waiting for you,” Belladonna said.

  I nodded. “I would like to think everything through.” I mainly just wanted to get away from them.

  “I understand,” Belladonna said, taking out a flashlight and turning it on. “Come.”

  I followed Belladonna out of the room, to the left, and down the hall. It seemed as if the underground facility was made up of mostly tunnels. Occasionally, we would pass up an old wooden door. They also seemed as if they hadn’t been touched for quite some time. Rust built up all around the doorknobs. I wondered if they would even open if I tried. We turned a corner and Belladonna led me down another tunnel.

  “I found this place a couple of years ago,” She said.

  “What is this place?” I asked.

  “Well, we think it was used as a shelter during World War II.”

  Whoa. Nobody knew about World War II. Heck, nobody knew anything about what came before the 2nd civil war.

  “Wow,” I said. “Then it’s ancient.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I don’t think anybody else knows about it. If so, they would have likely found it by now.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  As we walked down the hall, the floors began to look cleaner. I didn’t see mold or rust anywhere. It even started to smell fresher. We turned yet another corner, entering another hall. This one was much different than the others. There was a line of torches on each wall lighting the way. Belladonna turned the flashlight off.

  Up ahead I saw two people walking in the same direction as us. They stopped at a door, opened it, and disappeared. “That’s where you’ll go to eat,” Belladonna told me.

  “How do you get food down here?” I asked. What I wanted to know was whether or not they had to carry everything down that ladder.

  “That’s something Edgar figured out. Usually, when we need something, Edgar will make the purchases from a friend of his. They’ll park a truck on an old dirt road nearby and we’ll get everybody down here to run out and help carry it in.

  “But how do they get it inside?”

  “Oh,” Belladonna said. “There’s another entrance leading straight to our dining hall.”

  “No ladder?” I asked. I mean, how else were they going to get underground?

  “No ladder,” she responded.

  Hmm. That was odd. I guessed I would learn soon enough.

  “I’m sorry to say that the food’s not that great…especially with the whole food shortage everyone seems to be ignoring. But it’ll get us through until things get worked out.”

  I thought back to the food at the orphanage. We ate mostly sandwiches and cheap frozen foods. They hardly ever cooked for us. Even if Edgar could only get food like that, I would’ve been happier – because I wasn’t at the orphanage.

  “Here’s your room,” Bellado
nna said, stopping in front of an old door. She opened it for me. I walked into a small room with a twin-sized bed in one corner, a small dresser beside it, an old chair in one corner, a clock above the bed, and a small closet.

  “I’m sorry it’s not much,” Belladonna said.

  “It’s great,” I said, smiling and truly meaning it. At the orphanage, I slept in a room three times that size, and all the guys had to sleep in that same room, each of us sharing a bunk bed with somebody. Having my own room was so surreal to me. Nobody watching me, nobody snoring, nobody crying, no worrying about bullies harassing or waking me up . . . it was perfect. For once in my life, I was going to have privacy. This was turning out to be a great idea. All I had to do was ignore these Grandfather-obsessed lunatics.

  “I suppose it’s better than the orphanage,” Belladonna said, reading my thoughts.

  “Oh, definitely,” I told her. “It really is.”

  “We’ll see what kind of clothes we can find you later. Dinner is always at six for everybody. I’m sure Edgar will stop by to get you for that.”

  “Him?” I groaned, not meaning to.

  Belladonna chuckled. “He can be different. He’s helping me a whole lot, so I’ve learned to overlook it.”

  “I suppose,” I said, not looking forward to seeing the lunatic so soon. Perhaps, now that I had my own room, I would lock the door and just not answer it when he came.

  Apparently, they had a bunch of clothes stored. So, Belladonna asked me for my pant and shirt size. She left, and I closed the door, turning around to look at my room. My room. Now that was something I could get used to.

  The first thing I did was throw myself onto the bed. Any other may have found it too rough, but it was perfect for me. I cuddled under the blanket that was actually big enough for me. Then, I kind of ruined the moment by thinking about everything I’d been told. I still thought these were some pretty crazy people. I was pretty sure they were wrong about everything. And I didn’t know where they were getting the information about “Grandfather” knowing who I was. But then again, Edgar knew my name. Were they right? Gosh, I didn’t know what to think. My mind was starting to feel a little stretched. But I guessed nothing mattered as long as they were making me happy with my own room. It definitely didn’t matter if staying would keep me off of the streets.

  Chapter Three