Watch Me

The People Underground

Edie's eyes began to swell with tears before Ivan could even begin to speak. "You knew exactly who I was when you came up to me at the party, didn't you?" Edie spoke, her eyes searching Ivan's. "Of course, everyone knows who you are. Your parents are practically famous." There was a pause before Edie spoke next "no, I mean really knew. You came up to me for a reason." That's when a smile broke across Ivan's lips. "Yes, Dominic couldn't exactly just walk up to you and take you with him." A matching frantic smile spread to Edie as she spoke, "Dominic sent you, I mean, I saw him at the party. In the moment I thought I was seeing things. But they're alive? That means they're safe!" Nodding, Ivan continued "I wouldn't say safe, but they're fighting on the right side so that's all that matters." Edie pauses, lost in thought. "Edie Webber, are you fighting on the right side?" Ivan searches Edie's eyes for an answer before she can speak. "Yes, screw the council..." So at that moment, Ivan reached across the table for Edie's hand. "Come with me," and so she did.

Ivan and Edie suddenly found themselves gliding through the city. Edie suddenly couldn't help but look at the world a little differently. Interspersed with the bright yellow flowers and towering skyscrapers was a city closed off from true humanity. There was no poverty, no violence or crime. But this world was only for the statistically lucky. Everyone else was forced out, living in a world a watcher could never imagine. Suddenly Edie stops, looking up at Ivan "The news spouts out stories of world peace, I mean, our history books paint this society as the one which crushed world hunger and war. But for the all-seeing, they really ignore reality." Ivan has a somber look on this face. "That's what we're fighting to change." Edie takes a deep, shaky breath and nods as Ivan pulls her into an alleyway.

The lights and smooth gliding cars of the city disappear. Edie remembers the pictures of alleys like this from school. Pictures of historical crime filled cities, and here was the picture come to life. Ivan backed them into a doorway, knocking in a sporadic pattern that seemed to make sense to him. Suddenly the door cracked open as a man looking to be in his late twenties eyed me and Ivan before letting us in. "Cairo, my man." Ivan smiled and hugged the man before them. "Oh Edie, this is Cairo. Cairo, Edie Webber." The tall man smiled at her a toothy grin, "So the council princess is on our side. I'm glad to hear at least one Webber is on the right team." Edie flashes an apologetic grin. "I wish I knew about all of this sooner. I want to help." Cairo nods and gestures for the pair to follow him. "Well, Ivan's brought you to a place that will help you do that. I assume you want to see Violet and Dominic?" Edie's eyes flick up, and she nods "Yes, more than anything." "Okay, I can take you to Violet. But Dominic is out gathering supplies, but I'll send him to you the minute he arrives." Edie's face lights up at the thought of being reunited with her friends.

Soon enough, Edie is passing through a doorway as Ivan and Cairo smile and leave her alone with Violet. As the pair make eye contact nothing else seems to matter, Edie and Violet crash into one another, embracing each other. "Violet, oh my god," the words are muffled through tears, but Violet hears them. "Edie, I'm so scared. I never thought I was going to see you again." The pair just stand there in a hug, wanting nothing more than for the world to go back to when they were all just teenagers living normally.

Suddenly the door slid open as Cairo peeked his head in. "Girls, it's getting pretty late. I should show Edie her room." Edie and Violet squeezed each other's hands and smiled as they separated. "Edie, I'll come to see you first thing in the morning okay?" Edie nods and smiles, following Cairo out of the room. When Cairo leaves Edie alone in her room she can't help but feel scared, so she crawls into bed still in council white. As Edie sleeps, a loud noise erupts through Edie's room waking her from her sleep. The dark room suddenly feels cold as a figure appears in the doorway.