Subterra Heart

Chapter 4: Tess Ritty

The floor of the storage room to Ritty's Pharmacy was cold and hard, but with a few spare boxes and packing sheets, Tess had managed to make a nice little nest for herself back there. It was just a little nap before taking Bug to the vet. She'd promised Marina that she would take care of that today. She rolled over and blinked blearily. Through the door to the front of the shop, she could see someone standing at the register. Marina? No, not Marina. Tess's sister always wore heels and a long skirt. This person wore practical shoes and men's trousers. Uncle Fred?

Tess sat up, rubbing at her eyes. The sheet she'd hid under during her little nap break slid off, and she distantly noted something scrawled across its corner with chalk in large, boxy letters.

Bug's vet appt. at 20:00. Don't forget. 

- Marina

A few moments ticked by as Tess processed the note. How long had she been asleep? She'd only meant to doze off for ten minutes. Slowly, she lifted her wrist to check her shae band's time stamp. It read 20:05.

"Founders' farts!" she gasped, scrambling to her feet. At the front of the store, Uncle Fred jumped and spun around in surprise.

"What the – Tess?! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed.

Tess grabbed her bag and ran to the door, flinging herself through the exit. "Sorry Uncle! I overslept!" she yelled, now looking frantically for Bug. The cat was under the pharmacy window, as per usual. Tess lunged for her, startling Bug. The cat squirmed out of Tess's grasp and then scampered away.

Uncle Fred stuck his head out of the pharmacy window. "Tess, what are you –"

"I promised Marina I'd take her to the vet!" yelled Tess, running after the cat. Marina was going to kill her for this.

Tess's chase took her across three bridges, down three levels, and right up to the Reservoir's edge, near the statue of Rourke. Bug was a fast cat, and she didn't mess around when being chased. By now, the time was 20:30, and the area near the Reservoir had already emptied of people for the day. Tess grit her teeth in frustration. She was crouching behind a leafy bush, and could barely make out Bug's paws on the other side. Her new trousers were hopelessly stained with dirt now, and the cat was just barely out of her reach. Slowly, she began to inch around the bush when a sharp voice cut through the air, close to where Rourke's statue stood.

"Lenny, this has got to be the stupidest thing you've ever asked me to do."

"That's 'Leonard' to you, dear cousin," said another, oilier voice. "Preferably 'Mr. Rocha,' if you don't mind."

Tess nearly choked on her own breath. The first voice was from that Connor guy from earlier in the day – the one Marina had been talking about for ages. While he might be a nobody, Leonard Rocha was definitely a somebody. She poked her head up over the bush just enough to get a good look. Leonard Rocha was supposed to live in Heart Central, a fair distance from Flores Greens, so what was he even doing here?

The overhead lights had started dimming a while ago, and it was getting hard to see. The first thing that caught her eye was the outline of Rourke's massive statue. He stood, arms crossed, by the Dam that kept waters from flowing freely out of the Reservoir. The only feature of the statue that Tess could really make out was that he wore his hair close-cropped, as was the style of his time. If she remembered correctly, Rourke had been pretty young when he'd left Heart nearly a thousand years ago to stave off the bloodrot. Probably only seventeen – and few stories agreed on how he'd saved the city. He'd been even younger than her...just a kid.

"Sure, whatever. Why me?" It was Connor's voice again. Tess dropped her attention down towards Rourke's foot. There were four figures in front of her, maybe six meters away. Two stood to the side, waiting, while the others spoke. Tess thought she recognized Connor's short frame, but she had trouble making out his ruddy brown hair and mechanic's uniform in this light.

The second figure reached out to pat Connor's shoulder. That one must be Leonard. Even in this dim light, Tess could see the difference between him and Connor. Whereas Connor was slumped against Rourke's foot with his hands tucked in his pockets, Leonard stood tall and proud, like a man who was comfortable with his own power.

"Trust, dear cousin," said Leonard. "I need a man who I can trust. Someone who is capable of this job and understands...confidentiality."

Connor spat at Leonard's feet, and the two other figures stiffened. Leonard sighed and waved for them to relax.

"I will give you twenty-four hours, cousin," said Leonard. "Do keep in mind what you stand to gain or lose based on your decision."

Connor glowered at him. "Sure, Lenny. By the way, you wouldn't happen to know something about any recent disappearances, would you?"

His tone carried an accusatory hint, but Leonard simply laughed. Tess crept closer to the edge of the bush, intent on the exchange in front of her. This Connor guy must be nuts to go toe-to-toe with Leonard Rocha. So focused was Tess on the conversation that she'd completely forgotten about Bug. At least, she forgot until Bug skittered away from the bush and down towards the men at Rourke's foot.

"Bug!" hissed Tess, reaching in vain towards her sister's cat. But Bug was too fast, and Tess's voice came out louder than expected. Tess clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. One of the extra figures had already rushed over to her hiding place. He grabbed her arm, hoisting her to her feet, and began marching her towards Leonard and Connor. Tess stumbled, sputtering and quaking in cold embarrassment over being found out eavesdropping on Leonard Rocha...

By the time Tess and her nameless captor got to Rourke's foot, Leonard was crouched down and scratching Bug's back. He looked up, with a rather bemused expression written all over his face. Leonard had rather angular features, Tess realized, and they were further exaggerated by his raised eyebrows. Before either he or Tess could say a word, Connor butted in.

"Tess?" he said in surprise. Tess felt her face flush. She'd been hoping that Connor wouldn't remember her and her nosiness from earlier in the day. It looked like she was going to have no such luck.

Tess shrugged, sheepishly. "My sister wanted me to bring her cat to the vet. Today's her annual checkup...thanks for finding her," she mumbled.

Leonard tilted his head, appraising her carefully. "Well, if that's all you're here for..." he began, deftly picking up Bug and coming to his feet. Bug, for her part, only squirmed a little, flicking her ears and reaching out for Connor.

"Garrett, please release young Tess. She's probably grown tired of you hanging onto her arm like that," continued Leonard. The man who'd grabbed Tess slowly relaxed his grip on her arm. He seemed reluctant to let her go. Leonard gave an approving smile and handed Bug to Tess. "Here you go, dear girl. Such a sweet little cat. Garrett, see that these two are both escorted safely to Tess's home, and keep a close eye on them. I would hate for this poor girl to lose her cat again under my watch."

Tess nearly blurted out that Bug was normally a free-roaming cat already, but she held her tongue. It wasn't important.

"I live at 5308 Liana Row," she said quietly to Garrett as he led her away. The vet appointment was long past by now. Behind her, Leonard spoke one last time to Connor.

"Remember, cousin, twenty-four hours."