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The Supes? The concept sounds foreign to my ears. The history books in Avren’s library only talk about the stories of the removal of the Undesirables thirty years ago, saying the soldiers met little protest. It was as if the other side knew they didn’t belong and there was only one possible outcome.
The air beneath the surface stifles, and I suddenly feel as if an invisible force curls around my neck and squeezes. This is not where I belong—in a dank world surrounded by obnoxious characters like Grayson. He was a Citizen. If I spend too much time in the Unseen, will I lose myself too?
“In the short term, neither the Redeemed nor the creatures of the wilderness like Citizens. Orphan or not, your life is on the line the second you leave the tunnels.” He holds the torch close to his face, casting an eerie shadow. “Stick close to me.”
Great. A place where I don’t want to go doesn’t want me.
“I’ll go back and plead with the Council.” I am positive I have a solid case for a rebuttal. My mother held a respectable position in the Circle, publicly condemning my father the day he left for the Unseen.
I reach for the handle to the metal door and find it locked. Turning around, I stomp my foot, clenching my fists. “Open it now.”
Grayson shakes his head. The corner of his lip lifts as he appraises me. “It’s no use, Mari. The Council’s determination is final. I learned that eight years ago.”
Beside the next door, canvas bags hang from hooks on the wall. Grayson removes two, tossing one to me and the other to Tanner.
“What’s this?” Tanner opens the mouth of the bag to peer inside.
“Government standard issue,” Grayson says as Tanner removes a dingy, long-sleeved shirt. “They will identify you as newbies, but once you earn a credit or two, you can change them out.” He drags his eyes over our outfits. “One thing’s for sure, you don’t want to set foot in the Unseen in those clothes.”
“What’s wrong with these?” Tanner’s defiant jaw juts out. “My dad’s the mayor of the Third League and he’ll…”
“You mean, your dad was the mayor of the Third League.” Grayson arches his eyebrow, then turns to unlock the door, not bothering to watch Tanner’s face fall.
I’m there for the entire show. Emotion is a sign of weakness in Avren, although I’ve let my own guard down several times already. Tanner should know this. Composure, discipline, grace, and beauty separate a Citizen from an Undesirable. He holds back the tears, clutching his bag to his chest before letting it fall to the floor. Our parents are gone. We can’t bring them back.
As Grayson rifles through his keys, I reach out in the darkness and take Tanner’s hand. The human connection we both crave after losing our parents.
He is the younger brother I have never had or knew I wanted, and I’ll protect him with my life.
Grayson lets the door swing open to the Unseen.
CHAPTER TWO
“It’s not a cave.” Tanner states the obvious as we both stare into the Unseen.
My breath catches in my throat, and time seems to stand still as I step into the forest behind Grayson. All the stories we’d heard growing up at home and in school were false. This isn’t a vast underground cave system but a scene of pure enchantment. The trees bear leaves that emit a soft glow, casting a gentle, otherworldly light upon the forest floor. The air is alive with the mesmerizing dance of fireflies, an insect I’ve only read about in books. Their luminescent tails trace intricate patterns through the serene darkness.
“But trees… insects, they’re only found in the wilderness.” And that is impossible. The government locked the iron doors to the outer world decades ago. The humans banished to the harsh landscape experienced untenable conditions.
“I was fed the lies too.” Grayson reaches above his head and plucks a piece of fruit from a tree, holding it out in his hand. “Take a deep breath. Taste the fruit. Let out the scream you’ve held inside for so long.”
For the first time in my life, the air doesn’t smell like the chlorine used to disinfect the germs left behind by Undesirables. There’s a heady scent I’d describe as woodsy even though this is my first time standing beside a tree. It’s the soil of the plant Caron brought my mother.
Tanner takes the red fruit from Grayson’s hand and inspects it. “It’s an apple, like slices we get in plastic bags in the cafeteria. I didn’t know what a whole one looked like.” He bites into it and the juice runs down his chin. “Tastes like one too.”
Fear strikes my heart. Everything I have ever believed as true is false. I had anticipated Grayson leading us to rooms in an underground cavern where we’d live out our lives serving the citizens of Avren, but here in the forest, I don’t know what to expect.
Grayson bends over and removes a coat from behind a tree and puts it on. It appears heavy and loaded down with weapons. “This way.” He leads us down a trail where brilliant stones guide our path through a mystical labyrinth.
The peacefulness lulls me into a trance. My goal is to place one foot in front of the other and remain upright. Grayson is a spider, leading us to the center of his web, and I can do nothing but follow.
“Look at the water, Mari.” Tanner breaks my foggy state of mind. He points to a stream beneath a bridge we cross.
The glistening waterway whispers secrets of the Unseen, mirroring the stars above in their luminous ripples. It is as if Grayson has led us through the portal of dreams where magic and reality intertwine.
A hooting noise comes from above, waking me from my trance, as a giant winged creature dives at my head, narrowly missing it as it lands in a nearby tree. I cling to the railing on the bridge, worried about more diving beasts.
Grayson laughs. “Come on, Mari. It’s only an owl. There are much greater things to fear in this world.”
