Above and Below

Intro Part 1

Needless to say, he couldn't.

Muck is like an older brother to me. Therefore, it seems to be imperative is his mind that he tease me and Burg for going to Alleytown together. A girl can only take so much of that, so I ditch pretty quickly and drag Burg down a shortcut to Alleytown.

Nobody but homeless folks live in Alleytown; it's a part of Below where small businesses are run every day. If you're a gang member looking for a fight, or a customer coming to below for the first time, or pickpocket, you'll definitely end up in Alleytown at some point or other. Me and Burg dodge beggars and other pickpockets as we stroll down the narrow side streets, laughing together about the idea of Thug trying to pick a pocket without anyone noticing. Still, we are on high alert - Below is a dangerous place. I notice the phantoms are giving me a little more warning than usual. When I'm outside they often show things that are about to happen in a few seconds instead of mere moments. A dirty-looking old man's phantom reaches into my pocket and snatches the piece of bread I have for lunch, before running off. I intercept his hand halfway and punch him in the side from behind his arm, hard. He yelps and jumps away, glaring at me. I just grin, and he scurries off.

"What was that for?" Burg asks, looking surprised. I shrug.

"Probably won't notice I stole his pickings because of the pain." I open my hand and show him the medallion that the old man doubtless got from someone else. We both freeze when we truly see it, staring at the crest. A black dragon, curled around the wrist of an open hand. The hand is unusual, but we both know the dragon.

"Throw it away! Throw it away!" Burg whispers, his voice unusually high and tight. Instead, I clamp my closed hand to my chest, looking around to make sure no one saw.

Perhaps I should explain to you the importance of the medallion. To every gang member in below, a piece of jewelry is given. The lowest members of the gangs get wooden rings or string necklaces, while the highest go so far as to wear gaudy crowns or carry gold scepters. No one wears medallions, except for the Blacks. The Blacks are royalty in Below, with a fortune that rats like us dream about. Unlike the other gangs, they are a family, and unlike anyone I know of, they have powers. The Blacks are the only reason that the mayor of Above doesn't take an entire army and overrun Below. Too many would die. Not every Black power is different, but many are unique and deadly. They form their own gang, and own Black Mountain and the surrounding area as their territory. The Mountain is a place where two ginormous rock spikes joined; one from the ground an one from the ceiling (Muck says the they're called stacletights or something, but honestly, who cares?). Some people say it was actually built by an extremely powerful Black who could move the earth. In any case, half the Mountain looks like an inverted version of the other half, and Darkheart, the Black family castle, half sits, half hangs on it. And yes, it seems a little arrogant to name everything they own with their last name, but try saying that to a billionaire who can kill you by looking you in the eye. Anyway, the medallion belonged to one of the blacks, and losing it meant being expelled from the gang until it was reclaimed. And being found with it by the owner would almost certainly mean death.

"What are you doing?" Burg hisses at me. "If someone sees that we're dead!"

I whirl back to face him my eyes wide and my heart pounding. "Burg, we gotta get this to the Market!" I whisper.

"Are you crazy? We'll never get that far, and no one will buy it!" his hushed voice is strained with panic.

I roll my eyes at his stupidity. ""The Black who owns it will pay a fortune for it, or anyone who wants a bargaining chip against them."