Heartbeat racing erratically—of course no less could be expected at being pulled out of the light and into blackness by an unknown person. Or by any person, for that matter. It was a terrifying experience. And Lev often preferred darkness over light but he liked some light. Blinding darkness was not his preferred level of brightness. He was still being pulled and he was trying to struggle, trying to drag his feet behind him, but he'd only eaten in the morning and his strength was sapped. Whoever his captor was proved to be much stronger than he and could, apparently, see in the dark—or they knew this path very well.
Perhaps this was another part of the ploy to keep him here. He wouldn't be able to escape back to Trealles if he was held captive, would he? He very probably wouldn't be able to escape back to Trealles anyway as he had no idea how to.
He was pulled up a bit—they reached a staircase. Was his captor going to kill him? If he was already dead that didn't matter. But the thought was still enough to get a cold sweat started and for his breathing to become more ragged than it already was.
Up and up and up and up they went. It seemed it would never stop. Lev was ready to collapse on the spot and never move again in his life...or death.
They stopped, no longer going up, and Lev collapsed as the grip on his was released. His cheek hit wood floor and smarted, but it didn't matter. Only that he could rest—that was important. He breathed in and out, dust clogging his nose and lining his airways. He coughed in the darkness, the sound didn't echo. It was hot up here. How far up was he? Would he be able to see Trealles from up here? Considering if there were windows of any sort. He was afraid to move, though. His breathing had slowed down do a somewhat normal state, but he felt too weak to do anything, much less face an attacker.
At last he became aware of the light breathing of the other human in the room with him. A few footsteps tapped across the floor, making it tremble slightly. Lev's ear was still pressed to it. What was going to happen?
Lights illuminated the space—a small circular room. By the light source stood Zora. She was watching him and her face had a grand smile plastered on it. "Forgive me for going about it this way, but you walked right past my front door and I couldn't help myself. My spontaneous nature got the best of me, you see." She wrinkled her nose and rolled her shoulders. "I don't enjoy thinking things through very much, I hope you can pardon me for that."
There were no words to answer her. He hadn't found Zora, but she'd taken him hostage. This was a change of events he wasn't expecting. But he didn't believe Zora wished him harm, so he was able to put those fears to rest and study the space.
Colorful drapes fell over the walls, covering windows, he presumed. The light source was a squat lamp that had flowers painted on the vase. There was no shade over the bulb. It stood on a stone pedestal that looked ancient like Lucca's famous door. Underneath the pedestal was a worn, patterned carpet. A couch with patches sewn across it took up a segment of the circle's wall. Above it pictures and papers were plastered. Zora followed Lev's eyes and walked to the pictures and papers and lowered another drape over them.
"I hope you'll excuse my rude behavior. Some things are better kept confidential." She gestured toward the drape and Lev's curiosity was piqued.
But Zora's behavior was so strange. Interesting, to be sure. Lev wished to know more. How did she get here? Why was she here? Had she somehow died like him? Why had she been at his grandparent's apartment all those years ago?
"Why did you do this?" Everything always came out of his mouth the wrong way.
"I know you know I saw you at Mure's theater." She shrugged and Lev's eyes were drawn again to her birthmark. "And..." Her eyes narrowed and a smirk lifted her lips. "Staring at my birthmark all day isn't going to change anything. She goes by Lucky. You'd best only call her that or face her wrath." Zora held up a finger and reached to open the compartment next to the couch. She pulled out two cartons of something and stretched one out to Lev. "On that note, you best call me Lucky as well. I prefer that name above others."
Lev took the object but kept staring at her. "But your name is Zora."
"It very well might be. Drink your strawberry milk, scooter."
Strawberry milk? That was the strangest combination of words for a drink Lev had ever heard. He looked back up to see Zora punch a tube into the carton and begin sipping. Sort of like synths? He turned the cold carton over in his hands and found the tube. It was encased in plastic. Unwrapping it, he punctured the silver circle atop the carton and pushed the tube further down.
"Good job! You've successfully opened your milk carton! I would give you juice boxes, but I'm fresh out." She flopped onto her couch and watched in silence as he sipped the strawberry milk.
It was smooth and extraordinarily sweet. He'd never had something so sugary in his life and it was a bit disgusting. All he could do was gag down the mouthful of milk and set the carton down.
"You're new here." A sigh escaped her lips. "I'm a genius for making this discovery." Her dark, thin eyebrows lowered over her grey cloud eyes in intense concentration that made Lev's skin prickle, but not in an uncomfortable way. "Generally, when one person makes the acquaintance of another, and a name is given by the first, the polite thing would be to return just as much. And"—she lifted her finger for a moment—"you have the advantage as you know two of my titles and I know none of yours."
"Lev."
"Lucky and Lev." She bit on her straw and grinned at him. "I fancy the sound of that. I believe we shall make a most excellent team if you'll allow it."
Lucky and Lev? Team? What was she talking about? Was she used to picking random strangers off of the street, holding them captive, and forcing them to be part of some strange plan of hers? Maybe the strawberry milk was supposed to drug him. That was why it tasted almost intoxicating.
"What are you doing?" Although these thoughts swam through his head, he still wasn't very alarmed. Zora, or, Lucky, put him at ease despite her ways.
"The real question, I believe, is what are you doing?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Right, scooter. The first thing essential to survival is scrumpties—forgive the crude term. I am aware you made the acquaintance of Kennedy and Caddy Silk and they not only fed you but outfitted you in everything you are currently wearing." Zora looked him up and down. "I understand you were quite disheveled when they found you lurking in an alley this morning." Her eyes settled on his midsection just as his stomach rumbled. "If you stick close with me, I will introduce you to the best scrumpties around." She grinned at him—something she'd barely stopped doing since turning her lamp on.
They were on her roof balcony. One of the drapes had hidden a door. Crude buildings stretched out in the dark before them, like the yawning mouth of the man that morning who owned the rooster—which was something else Lev needed to know more about.
"What's a rooster?"
Zora laughed, a snort coming out of her nose, and slammed her new carton of strawberry milk on the roof. "Why, a male chicken!"
"Oh." Trealles—East—didn't have chickens. He'd learned about them, not about roosters, but they didn't have any. Somehow her answer was anticlimatic, but exciting at the same time. Perhaps it was her snorted laughter. It was unlike anything Lev had ever heard—besides the rooster.
"Right, so let's fill our bellies with warm scrumpties, shall we?" Zora snatched up her milk, pushed to her feet, closed the door behind her, and started toward the edge of the roof.
A flashback of falling hit Lev and the air whooshed out of him as fear spiked in his heart and mind, shouting unneeded lies. "Stop!"
Zora's head twisted around and she fixed him with a smile. "We're going roof hopping—I hope you don't mind horribly much."
His hand reached forward as she took another step. "You'll fall." He couldn't let that happen. Apart from taking him captive, she'd been plenty helpful and kind. She'd never said he couldn't leave—but he didn't exactly wish to.
Maintaining eye contact the entire time, she back up to the edge, swayed back and forth on her toes and heels, and stepped off.
Lev's heart hammered in his head and his throat constricted. It would be easy to let his strawberry milk spill out and onto the roof slats. He'd just found her—she was his only link to Trealles! How was he going to get home now?
"Lev, are you coming?" Zora's voice floated up from below and he froze. What had happened?
Lowering to his belly, he used his elbows to body crawl to the edge and peer over. Zora was standing directly below, on another roof he hadn't seen. She was looking up at him with a slight smile on her face. "It isn't dangerous." She began jumping up and down. "This roof is just as sturdy as the one you're on. In all actuality, it might be better than that one." She turned to begin walking away. "You have a choice, of course, as to whether you wish to follow or not. However, that stomach of yours tells me it very much desires to."
He watched her for a few moments. Even if he did follow, the very feeling of falling—even for only a moment—was not an experience he welcomed. His stomach rumbled again and Lev swung his legs around to hang over the edge. It wasn't too far down. He just had to do it. If he wished to eat—if he wished to make it back to Trealles—he had to do this. It would be fine. The longer he thought about it and stared down, the less likely he would be to follow. So without another thought, Lev pushed off the roof and landed on the one below. His mouth twitched in victory, but he hoped this wasn't going to be a recurring theme tonight. One roof hop was more than enough. Unless he was going up—he might be able to accomplish that without trepidation.
The entire time Lev's dilemma had played its course, Zora had kept on walking. Never once did she turn to see if he was coming and that felt sort of strange to Lev. With a few firm steps, he checked to be sure the roof really was sturdy, then began jogging to catch up with her. The only way he was going to gain answers would be by being near her.
"Stomach won out, did it?" She turned to throw him another winning smile.
Lev nodded.
"You don't verbalize very much, do you?" She was silent—perhaps he was supposed to give her some sort of answer. Another sip of her strawberry milk. How many of those did she drink in one day? In one night? Was that all she drank? That probably wasn't very good for her. But she didn't have anybody breathing down her neck telling her everything she must consume and when she must consume it—she was, in a sense, free. "That is alright, of course. I think that can be a good thing. Many of us don't know when to stop talking." She quirked a brow and shot him a look. He met her feisty eyes. "You might believe I'm one of those people, but I assure you I have my moments of silence and I quite enjoy them. I would ask you don't disturb me in my silence, but that would be rude." She shook her head and spread her hands wide. "Please, feel free to disturb me whenever you find it necessary."
"Why me?"
And here was another snort laugh from Zora. "Why you? Why, that's an excellent question that I don't have an entirely ready answer to. However, I do know when I saw you at Mure's theater I felt some form of a connection to you." She turned to halfway face him and continue walking along the slats. "I also know that you felt it as well."
Lev's mouth dropped open and his steps faltered so he tripped over a sky window and landed on his face.
"Steady, scooter." Zora sipped from her straw again and continued walking.
He picked himself up, dusted off, and kept after her despite throbbing pain on his arm. "How did you know?"
"You were watching me far too intently for a passing curiosity. So I spent the rest of my day watching you."
"What?" Lev stopped altogether, but Zora kept going. He hurried his pace up.
"That was the other clue I had to go on. You didn't stick around to speak with Mure, but dashed out of that theater as if it was burning down and you kept on going until evening." They fell into silence for a few moments as Zora's words sank in. The fact that she had been tracking him all day was unsettling. Why had she done that? Why did she need to grab him and take him as a captive to her living space? That alone was unnerving. Perhaps she was crazy. They hopped up a level.
"I don't expect you to say anything, of course, but I believe we shall be in dire need of a brief debrief after our stomachs are at least somewhat satisfied."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The lights went on and on and on until they stopped abruptly at Deathwish. The mountain range was still on this side of the river. Which made sense, of course, but had been difficult to see while down in the city. Now, much to Lev's dismay, they sat atop a building known at a museum, eating their food, and watching as the world turned in for the night. Or, as Zora put it, all the happenings began their happening. She was sitting a bit ahead of Lev, with her legs dangling off of the edge of the roof. That was not okay with Lev. Far too dangerous. He wasn't going to put his regifted life in such peril.
But the view itself was spectacular. A garden opened up on the path below and lanterns lit the path. The theater, up the hill and far away, was lit up in glory.
"Mure will be having a show tonight." Zora wiped her face with the back of her hand and glanced back at Lev. "I would be ever so pleased if you wished to join me." She grinned and patted the spot next to her.
His heartbeat thrummed and all the different possibilities of what could happen ran through his mind, but he had to somehow gain Zora's trust enough to get answers. He would only build that trust by showing that he trusted her. Which wasn't entirely false. He trusted her a little. That trust could grow, of course, and he hoped it would because he honestly thought he liked her as a person. She had been nothing but kind. Besides, of course, the taking him captive, ignoring him when he fell, and forcing him out of his comfort zone time and time and time again. Maybe those were only reasons that added to his liking of her. It didn't make very much sense. He needed answers on that as well. She was certainly right in saying he had felt a connection to her. But that was because of Trista and Lucca and pasta. He inched forward. If he went to fast it would be easy to fall over the edge and nobody wanted that not after everything he's been through.
He reached the edge at last and lowered his legs over. Long had Zora been staring ahead. She only encouraged him to do something once then went on her way as if nothing had ever happened. Lev didn't know if that was infuriating or endearing, but he always ended up doing what she said. They sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the scene, chewing their food, and letting Lev's heartbeat slow down.
And just when he thought perhaps she wouldn't speak for a long while because of her silence, Zora turned to him."Right, scooter—now that your stomach is at least partially filled with scrumpties, I believe it would be in our best interests to begin the brief debrief session." She fell silent once more. Surely she didn't expect Lev to start?
He bit again into the sandwich he'd been given by Zora. It was delicious, but his tastebuds were currently numb. He had so many questions. Which would he choose to ask first? "How long have you lived here?"
"How long? Long enough."
That wasn't much of an answer. "Did you die?"
Zora broke her stare and looked off into the distance once more. "Yes."
"What?" Was she serious?
"In a sense, I died." She shrugged. "I didn't actually cease to live, of course. But my old self did die, I suppose."
"Oh. Can I get back home?"
"Home?" She shrugged again. "I suppose we shall find out."