We enter the portal into a massive cavern filled with warm light. The stone floors are polished flat and gleam while the walls are smooth and cool to the touch. There's a stained glass window set high into a wall. Red, yellow, greens and blue rise out of it and strike the ceiling. It's beautiful and I've never seen anything like it.
In our own settlement, 33, the caves are blasted into the mountains. Leaving rough surfaces and dusty and uneven floors. Nakimu is very, very different. It seems to have been hollowed from the inside so the outside can't get in. In 33, everyone has their own doorway. Here there aren't separate entrances but one main entryway leading to various different rooms.
Joanna notices our puzzled expressions. "It's all new to you isn't it?"
She tells us some of the history of Nakimu, the place she's called home with Mujib for several years.
"The caves existed centuries before the war and are natural. They were carved out of the rock millions of years ago by water. The Aeternians, who engineered this place into a village, prophesized the end of the earth and came here for protection.
"They had the time and resources to construct homes to withstand the force of nature and humans," she explains. "Unlike the caves of 33, which were created by blasting into the rock to make temporary shelters."
Not too sure about the temporary part as I lived for over 15 years in one.
"We do use solar power in Nakimu as well as some coal, when we can afford it. Don't want to raise too much suspicion. For the most part, we're a self-sufficient colony. The decedents of the Formers, what we call the Aeternians who assembled here a hundred years ago, are still here. They have the same goals way back then."
"Everyone here is Aeternian?" I ask.
"Mostly everyone," smiles Joanna. "There are some who don't have abilities but they're either the spouse of an Aeternian or a child."
She moves towards a door and knocks three times. She waits a couple of moments and then knocks twice more. The door opens.
"Hello, Joanna," a plump man greets us. He has hair sticking out everywhere, from his chin and head and even his nose and ears. "Hello. Welcome to Naia and Crinae. I'm Solomon."
"Hi Solomon," Crinae says and shakes his offered hand.
"How do you know our names?" I ask the man, while shaking his soft palm.
"Mujib sent a messenger ahead with the news. The messenger went a faster but more complicated route. We didn't want to bring you that way and get you lost."
Oh.
Solomon leads us through the door and we come into a well-sized cavern. It's bright and all the light falls on furniture – real furniture. Aliah's house had some of these things like chairs but I've never seen a real-life chesterfield before. Two people are sitting on it.
"Please, sit down." says the furry man.
Crinae and I squeeze into a puffy chair. It's a tight fit but I feel better with her right beside me.
The two other people in the cavern introduce themselves. Katherine is Solomon's wife. She has brown eyes and frizzy brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. The other woman has travelled from far, far away – farther than Crinae and I.
"This is Iona," Solomon says, introducing us to the woman with red curly hair and green eyes. "She walked over a week to get here and arrived only an hour ahead of you two. We are right in the middle of a meeting. She was just telling us what's happening out there."
Iona nods.
"Thank you, Solomon," she says. "There's been a lot of unrest lately. Not just in this area and Vesperia but around the world. News about Sebastian's utopia is spreading fast. He's clamping down everywhere.
"In what used to be Dryden, Ontario, you girls might know it as Settlement 2669, Sebastian's forces have been raiding our homes for several months now. Taking virtually anything and everything – including people suspected to be Aeternians."
"The Motos got our sister," I blurt out, "and maybe our mother and father. We need to find them."
Joanna walks behind our chair and puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"We can help you," she says. "It's going to take some planning though. This isn't something that's going to happen right away."
I turn to look at her.
"Elody is so little. So small," I say. "The Moto who took her is a giant, a terrible man. He tore the tongue out of a woman's mouth right in front of us and dragged my friend's mother away. My sister is going to be really scared. Our mother's lost and now so is our father, Elody is all alone."
Those words reverberate in my brain. Crinae and I don't have parents but at least we have each other. Elody has no one. No one at all.
"What happened to your mother?" asks Iona.
"She left us," says Crinae.
"She passed away?"
"No," says Crinae. "One day she went out the door and never came back. We're going to Old Calgary to find them."
"And for the census," I add quickly. I think these people are trustworthy but I don't want them to ask any more questions about Calgary.
"Where's your father?" asks Solomon.
"The Motos got him," I say. "Same as Elody."
"Mujib told me your Dad had Resistance connections."
"Resistance?" I say, my voice rising.
"Nothing to worry your pretty little head with right now. You must be tired."
"We have been walking for a long time without much rest," I say, yawning so widely my mouth cracks. Solomon laughs.
"You'll sleep well here," says Solomon kindly, "because you're safe."
Safe. We're safe while the rest of our family is out there somewhere.
"Katherine, my wife, will show you where to wash up and sleep."
We bid everyone good night. It's a relief not to have to worry about a place to sleep. I'm very hungry but I know better than asking for food. I don't want to burden our hosts with a rude request. I wonder where our bags are with the nuts and cheese.
Katherine leads us into the bright hall, through a maze of passageways. We stop at a hollow that contains a basin with some warm water. I take a cloth from a hook above the bowl and start wiping off the kilometres of grime on my skin. It feels great not having sand in all my pores.
After the bath, Katherine takes us to a hollow with a thin curtain for a door. There's a double mattress and that's it. Well, one mattress and a chamber pot. No cabinets or shelves or any kind of decoration. The sheets are clean but worn, almost see-through. I get the feeling many people have spent the night in this place before.
"Here are some clean clothes for you two," says Katherine, offering us cotton trousers and shirts. "Put your dirty things out here and someone will pick them up for the wash."
My head sweeps the room. I don't see our bags.
"Looking for your stuff?" asks Katherine. "Joanna will bring it to you later. Sleep well and she'll see you in the morning."
Katherine drops the curtain to the hollow. As soon as she's gone, I strip off my sweaty and stinky clothes: the brown sweater Mom got for me, my brown ripped pants and my long socks. The new garments smell fresh and feel soft against my skin when I put them on. I make sure to take the amber and put in the waistband of my new trousers. Settling under the covers, I put my arms around my sister. She has been silent ever since the conversation about Mom.
"It's okay to be sad about Mom," I tell Crinae. "I don't know why she didn't come home and it makes me upset too."
"It does?"
"Yep. It does. I keep thinking if she hadn't gone, we'd still be a family. We'd still have Dad and Elody and we'd all be together."
"You don't seem upset. I wish I was more like you. You're so tough."
"I'm not tough. Just don't have time to cry right now. We have to focus on getting our family back and that's where I'm putting all my thoughts."
Crinae takes a deep breath.
"I'm glad we're together," she whispers.
***
Not sure if what I do is sleep. I toss and I turn. It's hard finding a comfortable position. All my bones and muscles ache from the journey and the amber hidden in my sock makes sure I know where it is. Then every time I close my eyes, I'm sucked into nightmares of Goliath and Trunken grabbing Crinae and taking her away. I'm stuck to the ground and can't move. Can't do a thing. After these head games, it's easier to stay awake and not have to deal with the horrors in my brain.
A few times during the night, I notice silhouettes slipping by on the curtain, reflections of ghosts with candles. One stops outside our door, probably for our clothing. I wonder where the others are going at all hours of the night.
We know it's morning when Katherine pulls the curtain over to one side and sticks her head into the hollow.
"Time to get up, girls," she says.
I sit up and wipe my eyes.
"Where is Joanna?" I ask.
"Change of plans."
"Do you know where my sweater is?" I ask. "I put it outside last night."
"Oh, yes. Your items are being washed. I'll make sure they're returned. Your packsacks are still in storage. Don't worry."
I really want my stuff back. Especially my sweater. It's not the best-looking item but it's mine and I want to wear it. It reminds me of home. Plus, I need my socks to hide the amber. The hard rock is poking into my side and it's not the best feeling being pinched all the time.
"Follow me, please," says Katherine, holding up a candle to shine light down the long passageway.
Katherine is officious, like last night. There's not much warmth in her words or actions. I don't really care how she acts as long as she gives us something to eat. Both Crinae and I are used to being hungry but this is beyond hunger. I have a fire in my stomach and it's burning a hole right through my guts.
Instead of turning right and going back to the main room, we go left and through countless tunnels. There are many lairs deep in this mountain settlement. Even though I grew up in caves, the different hallways with the candlelight reflecting off the high ceilings confuse me.
"How do you know where you're going?" I ask Katherine.
"I've been here many, many years," she says. "Plus, there are marks carved in the stone that tell me which way to go."
"Oh yeah?" says Crinae. "Can you show us?"
"Only a small amount of people know what these marks mean," explains Katherine curtly. "It's safer that way."
Who do these people think they are? Who do they think we are?
We make the rest of the walk in silence. As we're moving, we see a pinpoint of light in the distance. The light grows stronger and stronger and eventually, Katherine puts out her candle because it's not needed.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"You'll see."
We enter into an intense brightness and I shield my eyes from the glow. When my sight finally adjusts, I see we're in a giant cavern with numerous plants. Real plants. Not only is there growing green vegetation but I hear the trickle of water. There's a smell in the air I've never smelled before and I breathe in the scent easily without any dust clogging my nostrils. It's heaven.
"Whoa," says Crinae.
Whoa is right. Spinning around and around I can't take it all in. What is this place? Where's the light coming from? We're deep inside a dense mountain and there seems to be sun shining through the middle of it.
"Welcome to Luminia," says Solomon, emerging from some bushes. "It's our growing station. I'll show you throughout the system but first, breakfast."
He pushes a branch aside and reveals an alcove that's hidden by a tree. (A real live tree!) A table is set with real dishes that match. There's a hill of food too – many things I have never seen before. A couple of things I do know. Crinae too.
"Those are oranges!" she lets out excitedly, running to the fruit.
"There are oranges, bananas, mangoes, apples..." lists Solomon, "you name it and we have grown it."
"There is also bread and cake," interjects Katherine.
"How?" I ask, incredulous at all the different types of fare.
"You'll see," she says.
I sit down and don't know where to start. Crinae has already finished an orange and is trying to bite through a long yellow thing.
"This doesn't taste very good," she admits.
"Here," says Katherine with a laugh as she reaches for the fruit. "It's called a banana. You peel it. Just like this."
She hands the white part to Crinae and puts the yellow part in a bucket on the ground.
"You don't eat all of it?" I ask.
"In a way we do," replies Katherine. "We use it as compost. The peel rots and becomes compost: nutrients for the soil. We use it to grow more bananas."
I try a banana too and manage to take off its wrapping like I have been doing it forever. The texture's interesting. I don't really have to chew it, which is very different from most of the stuff I'm used to eating. (Rat meat is not tender, not at all.)
Crinae's diving into her next menu experience. She has some cake and tells me it's delicious.
"You can't imagine anything better," she says.
"I think you can!" booms Solomon and fishes a package of sorts out of his pocket. "Do you girls want some chocolate?"
I never thought I'd get a chance to have chocolate again. Many of the older generations talk about it and how much they miss it. I've only had it once and I know what they mean.
Solomon unwraps the small package and snaps off a couple of bits for us. It's just as amazing the second time.
As soon as I put a square in my mouth it melts down to nothingness. I want to enjoy it for as long as I can but it disappears in a fraction of a moment. I feel like crying and put my head down so no one will be able to tell.
"There's more of this to come," says Solomon to me. "We have stacks of it."
"Where did you find it?" asks Crinae.
"When the earth was getting worse and worse, warmer and warmer and warmer, the people who founded this place decided to stockpile supplies. That way, we could be self-sufficient. That was especially important when Sebastian came to power. You and your sister are free to enjoy what Nakimu has to offer."
We help ourselves and I've never eaten like this – ever. Not even at the community feasts. I have apples and cake and bananas and oranges and chocolate and bread and kiwis and man, I'm so full.
Feeling full is a weird feeling. It's like my stomach can't hold anything else so it found space to put stuff all the way up to my throat. I'm feeling a little ill.
"Urgh," Crinae and I say in unison clutching our stomachs. I do not dare throw up here and in front of these wonderful people, who have given us such wonderful food.
"Eyes bigger than your bellies?" chuckles Katherine. "I was the same way when I had my first meal at Luminia. Here, drink some tea. It'll make you feel better."
The strong stuff does calm my belly.
"Thank you very much for the meal," I say to Katherine and Solomon.
"Our pleasure," beams Solomon. "Now, it's time to get to work."
We walk under the tree branch and back into the main Luminia chamber. I see the light in the room isn't coming from one source but from many. There are tendrils of light hovering all over the place.
"What are those?" I ask.
"The luminaries. The Aeternians here are just like you and your sister. They help grow food to keep the colony strong."
Small bridges span sections of the cave floor. Underneath, streams flow. It's surreal to see that amount of water freely moving – and through a cave.
"The water is recyclable," says Katherine. "Luminia actually makes its own climate and is about the only place on earth left where it rains. Aeternians control the weather in this special ecosystem and our work never ends. Labourers work here around the clock. "
"We've found you two a job," says Solomon.
"We're hard workers," I say. "We can do anything."
Solomon laughs. "Your job will be going to school."
School? I think he might be missing the point of our mission. We're trying to get our family back together. Not become a part of another one. (And I need to get to Calgary to deliver the amber.)
"I have to find my mother and sister and father before Crinae and I stay anywhere for good," I say.
"We'll help you with that," Katherine clips in. "Don't worry. You and Crinae are going to have to hone your skills first. You must know how to defend yourself."
"Aeternians are extremely powerful," says Solomon. "But if you don't know how to use your abilities, you might as well just hurl pebbles at the Motos."
I'm glad the Nakimites want to help us and I'm especially glad they'll train us to use our skills. I know so little about my abilities but I don't want to seem an idiot.
"I can do a few things with water," I say. "Crinae knows how to use her light. We know what to do."
"For sure you know some things," says Katherine. "With what we'll teach you, you'll know everything."
"Katherine, it's time to take them back to the main house for school," Solomon says. "Put them in Niveau One. They should do fine there."
"As you wish."
If Dad had talked like to Mom, she'd never let him forget it. Katherine does everything Solomon tells, actually orders, her to do.