When Mino wakes, her whole body is sore and locked up. She stretches her back and her neck, hearing at least three loud pops! She yawns and looks around.
The air is light, but try as she might, Mino can’t make out the ceiling of the Underground caverns. Mino sits forward and stretches once more to get the ache out of her bones. Her pack is still beside her, and none of the food has been stolen or eaten.
She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, trying to follow that thread of relief she feels. Was there a memory buried somewhere in there, connected to these emotional reactions?
But nothing changes. Mino shakes herself and stands. Today will be a good day. Mino will figure out how to get home(wherever that is) and then she’ll be able to figure out who she is.
She can hear sounds coming from nearby, possibly voices. She grabs her little bag and slings it over her shoulder. As she walks toward the sounds, her hand drifts to her scalp.
The flower is still there.
She feels the soft petals for a moment before her wrist brushes something else. She frowns and pauses. She moves her hand. There’s another flower. When she gently tugs, it produces a dull ache, so she stops immediately. When Bee had tried to pull the flower off her head… she’s never felt pain like that before. She doesn’t want to feel it again.
She can handle this. They’re just flowers.
She lets her hand fall to her side and takes a deep breath. She treks forward. After a little while, she can spot light colored homes through the trees. Mino smiles and speeds up a bit. This must be Whitegrass. Maybe she can find someone helpful here.
Mino pushes through the brush and steps out onto pale grass and dirt. She passes between two homes and find herself in a flow of people. The air is lively with words, letters flowing in and out of view constantly. Mino moves along in the same direction as the flow of traffic, unsure where she is or what to do. She struggles to see her surroundings through all the people.
Oddly, Mino thinks of Wilder. He’s so tall—he would be able to see over all of this and guide her safely through. Mino frowns. Her chest aches a little. Is she stressed? Is she sad? She isn't sure.
Mino clings tight to the strap of her satchel and weaves her way through gaps in the crowd. She makes it out into an alleyway, then follows it. A few turns later, she enters a large circular space with an old tree in the center. There are less people here, but many stalls selling food, clothing, and various trinkets. Mino regains some hope—perhaps one of these people could be selling a map!
As she looks around, she overhears a passing conversation. “I told you, Lonnie, we only have enough money for one piece, not two.”
“What are you talking about, there’s easily enough there!”
“Yes, but we have to save—”
The person speaking bumps into Mino, who trips over her own heel and spills onto the ground. Someone gasps and kneels down next to her, offering a hand to help her up. Mino accepts it, smiling, and examines the two in front of her. They’re a bit shorter than Mino, though perhaps close to her age. The more friendly looking one has dark hair and skin, a wide nose. His hair is longer in the front than the back, and he honestly looks a little bit like a lop rabbit. The scowling one has hair the color of cinnamon with short, loose curls that are clipped back from her face. They’re wearing matching shirts.
“I’m so sorry,” the friendly one gushes. “I’m Lonnie, this is Riel, and I promise she didn’t mean to push you over—”
Mino waves her hands quickly, shaking her head. She motions that she can’t speak, then gives a thumbs up and an okay sign. Hopefully the two will understand.
“Oh! Oh, you can’t—” here Lonnie’s voice drops down. “Do you think she can hear me?” He asks Riel. Before Riel is able to respond, Mino interrupts by waving her hands again. She gives them a big smile and emphatic nod.
“Oh, wow, I’m really sorry for being so rude,” Lonnie rambles on. Riel sighs, puts a hand over Lonnie’s mouth, and opens hers.
“Sorry about him. Sorry for knocking you over. We should probably go now.”
Lonnie pries her hand away. “Wait! I feel really bad… is there any way we can make it up to you?” Lonnie asks hopefully.
Internally, Mino shrugs to herself. If he insists, might as well make use of the help! She nods and crouches down to the ground. Lonnie crouches beside her; Riel does not.
She traces a circle with her finger, and then a dotted line moving towards a large X. There’s no loose dirt or sand here to keep marks, so Mino hopes her motions were clear enough.
“Oh! A map!” Lonnie guesses, eyes shining. Mino nods, grinning. “What do you want a map of?” He asks.
Mino frowns in contemplation. She isn’t sure how to answer this question. Her best guess is to hold her arm in a flat line, then emphasize the area under it.
“The whole underground?” Riel asks. “Those are hard to find.”
Lonnie, still crouching next to Mino, reaches over and taps Riel’s leg. “I bet we can find one in mum and da’s library, they have everything there.”
Upon hearing this, Riel’s face goes white. “No!” She shouts, then looks around, embarrassed. “I mean, no. We can make one, here. I know what the map looks like.”
“You do?” Lonnie asks with wide eyes. “Wow, okay! Lets go borrow some paper from the local library then. Do you want to come with us?” He stands, looking at Mino now.
Mino nods and stands as well.
“Say, you don’t happen to know sign language, do you?” Lonnie asks suddenly.
Mino lights up. She tilts her hand back and forth.
“Alright!” Lonnie says. He starts to sign as he speaks, and many of the motions he makes look vaguely familiar. “My parents had a friend who used sign language so I learned it. But he doesn’t come around any more. How come you haven’t been using sign language, though? We would be able to see what you mean even if I didn’t know it.”
Mino starts with what she told the boy from Finlow, and then lets her hands lead her. “Can’t remember. Sick, woke up, can’t remember how.” She looks up in the air to see the same words, reversed as though in a mirror, between her and the other two. Maybe her body can help her remember. Some things already feel so close to the surface, yet just beyond her conscious grasp.
Lonnie’s eyes soften, and Riel looks uncomfortable. “Oh, okay. Well let’s go make that map,” Lonnie says.
Riel leads the way, and Lonnie and Mino follow. “I’m Mino,” she says, spelling her name slowly.
“Hi, Mino. I’m Lonnie. Oh, wait I already said that. Um, where are you from? Me and Riel aren’t from this town. Are you?” Watching Lonnie sign, just like watching the Finlow boy sign, makes that feeling of familiarity stronger and stronger.
Mino shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know!” Lonnie frowns. “That’s terrible. Is is because you got sick? You forgot more than just sign language.”
Mino nods. “Trying to find home. Need the map.”
“Oh!” Lonnie exclaims. “Did you see that, Riel? Mino needs the map to find her home!”
“Cool,” Riel says without turning around, utterly disinterested.
“Riel,” Lonnie says, a warning tone in his voice. Riel pauses and turns her head to the side a bit.
“So do you have any idea what direction your home is?” Riel asks unenthusiastically, slowing down slightly and turning to see Mino’s answer. She just points up.
Riel’s jaw drops and she freezes. “Y-you’re going up there?” She cries. “Why the hell would you do that?”
Lonnie’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t say anything. Mino says, “I came from there. That’s all I know.”
Riel splutters over her words, trying to respond. “Don’t go back there, it’s terrible. You won’t like it.” She bursts out.
“Riel, maybe her family is looking for her,” Lonnie says gently, reaching out to touch Riel’s shoulder.
Riel jerks away. “I’m not gonna help her make a stupid map if she’s going there,” she spits. Riel turns and storms off by herself.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“I’m so sorry,” Lonnie says. “The Overground is a sore subject for her. I’d better follow her.” Lonnie grabs her hand, impassioned. “If you’re going to the Overground, I don’t think you need a map. We know how to get to the passage, and we’re going to help you. I mean. Riel won’t let me go alone. I think. And I’m definitely going to help you.”
Mino smiles and nods. She takes Lonnie’s hand and pulls him to follow Riel before she can get too far away.
When Riel glances behind to see if Lonnie is indeed following, her eyes travel down to their joined hands before Mino can let go. Riel scowls even harder and looks back forward.
Mino turns to Lonnie. “Stop her?” She questions.
“Nah,” he says softly. “She could do with spending some energy. Let her cool down before I tell her that I’m going to bring you to the door.”
“Better tell her now, don’t get mad twice?” Mino hopes she makes sense. She wonders if ripping the bandaid off will be a more effective way to handle it.
“She gets tired after being angry, so she probably won’t freak out again. But right now I don’t want to make things even worse. Riel is really sensitive, and she hates the Overground. If I tell her now that I’m going back there with you, a stranger—no offense, she’d probably freak out and drag me back home. And if that happens… well, Riel wanted to leave for a reason. That’s why we’re out here. And I was hoping I’d figure out why. Back home I’d have no chance, with mum and da around all the time. And it’s kind of fun being out like this! I’m sorry, I’m kind of rambling on.”
“You left home? With Riel? Didn’t tell your parents?” Mino asks.
Lonnie glances forward. “I’ll tell you more later,” he says, before he pulls Mino down an alleyway after Riel. The two of them stop short and Mino peeks over Lonnie’s shoulder to see Riel, curled up on the ground, rocking very slightly back and forth. Lonnie sweeps down the alley to her side, but Mino takes a few steps backwards. She wouldn’t want to be observed in a state like this. She looks away and waits.
A feeling floats through her, elusive as smoke. Mino frowns and focuses on it, digging down inside. What is that in her mind? She feels something, something—but it’s already gone. With a sigh, Mino lets it go.
Mino looks down and scuffs her foot against the ground. She only met Lonnie and Riel a few minutes ago, but it’s clear to her that Riel has some pretty big struggles that she’s dealing with. Mino wonders what could have happened.
A minute or two later, Lonnie and Riel reemerge. Lonnie’s holding her hand. Riel is rubbing her red eyes, keeping her face pointed toward her shoes so no one else can see that she’s been crying. Mino finds herself wishing that she could comfort Riel.
Let’s go, Lonnie mouths when he catches sight of Mino. The three walk down the street, Riel stubbornly not meeting anyone’s eyes and Mino trailing behind a bit. Only when they’ve gotten to the edge of Whitegrass does Lonnie pause, stopping the others in their tracks. He takes a deep breath.
“Riel, I’m taking Mino to the Overground.”
Riel doesn’t move, barely even blinks. “I’m not going,” she whispers.
Lonnie bites his lip, then visibly hardens. “I don’t want to go through the door,” he says. “You don’t have to go through the door. But Mino needs to.”
Riel doesn’t reply, but a single tear slips down her cheek. Mino is struck with terrible guilt.
“I’m going to do this, Riel. Mino needs help. What would you do if we split up? Would you go back home? What would you tell mum and da?”
If it hurts Riel this much, Mino doesn’t want them to help. She doesn’t know what happened to Riel in the Overground, but she has the stirrings of a dark, horrible feeling in her gut. Is this really the best way?
“I’ll follow you, Riel says. “But if we get too close to the door, I’m done.”
“I understand,” Lonnie replies. “I just don’t want to leave you behind. We promised we would never leave each other behind.”
Riel blinks tears away, and Lonnie surges forward to envelop Riel in a hug. Riel looks up, not quite seeing the rest of the world, and blushes.
“Okay. I’m okay,” Riel says, and Lonnie reluctantly lets go.
Riel looks over at Mino and blushes harder; even her ears turn red. She pulls her hair clip out, nervously redoing it. “So, um, let’s go.”
Mino still has doubts, but she isn’t sure how to communicate them.
A sweet, three note whistle rings out clearly, and both Lonnie and Riel perk up immediately. Lonnie grins. “The air rail!” He announces. “If we run, we might catch it, come on!”
Riel and Lonnie tear down the road, Mino doing her best to catch up. Riel has good form and pulls ahead, obviously enjoying the rush. Her mood seems to pick up as she glances back at Lonnie. She steps in front of him to cut him off and gain a lead. Lonnie’s pace is more loose and fluid. Mino focuses on running, knowing that if she doesn’t, she’ll fall behind. Then they veer around a corner and Mino watches in awe as a sleek looking vehicle slides into the station, apparently floating in the air.
“You kids coming?” A gruff woman shouts from her post on the side of the rail and Lonnie shouts confirmation. The three don’t stop running until they’ve tumbled, out of breath, through the wide, open door and into the car.
Mino smiles up at the woman, who remains on a small platform attached to the side of the carriage as the doors close. She grips a bar and tugs her cap down tighter over her hair—which actually isn’t hair at all. A soft cloud surrounds the woman’s face. Mino’s eyes travel over her plump figure. She’s wearing a uniform, light blue with golden accents. She glances in, sees Mino, and almost smiles. She looks away again and the carriage begins to move. Mino stumbles, and reaches out to wrap her fingers around a cool metal bar.
She looks around the air rail. There’s only a few other people in this section, two women who look like sisters and a small man, slumped over with a large hood pulled low on his face. He’s probably sleeping.
“Come on and sit, Mino!” Lonnie says. He pats the seat beside him. “Want to chat?”
As Mino sits next to him, he leans over to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. “I bet that Riel’s going to fall asleep.” The words, tiny and translucent, float past Mino’s eyes only. Mino grins, and they both turn to look at Riel.
“What?” She asks suspiciously.
Lonnie and Mino giggle, but don’t answer. Lonnie turns back to Mino. “So you don’t remember where you came from? Were you adopted?”
Mino shakes her head and shrugs. “Don’t know. Don’t remember anything.”
“Anything at all?” Lonnie questions.
“Woke up yesterday? All gone. Don’t remember anything. Met two brothers, they told me about me.”
“What did they tell you?”
“Told me they found me sick, maybe hurt. Not sure. I passed out. Woke up, I didn’t remember anything from before. Told me I was from the Overground.” Mino’s hands are becoming more and more confident, various motions fitting back into her mind like puzzle pieces.
“Wow,” Lonnie says softly. “I’m sorry. So you’re probably confused, right? If you have any questions about anything, I’ll do my best to tell you what I know!”
Mino looks away and thinks for a while. The hooded man is snoring softly across the rail car. It almost sounds familiar, bringing Mino the same feeling of recognition she gets when watching somebody sign. Maybe she used to live with someone who snored a lot!
Mino smiles warmly. “What is the Overground like?”
Lonnie shrugs, an almost guilty look on his face. “I’ve never been. But from what I’ve heard…” He glances at Riel, who is pretending not to listen and watching trees pass outside the windows.
“...It’s not the best place.” Lonnie finishes.
“The people there are selfish, cruel, and immoral.” Riel says sharply. She stopped pretending quickly. “They may have souls, but we definitely have twice the heart they do. In my opinion, you’ll regret going back. But I can’t stop you. So.”
Mino frowns. “If my family is there…”
“Maybe not everyone there is bad. Riel only ever lived in the one place.”
“I heard enough about the other places.”
“Why is the Overground different from here?”
“We used to live on the surface, but due to a… mutation, was it, Riel? Due to a mutation, some people developed the ability to practice magic. I don’t know the exact details—”
“The people here lost their souls,” Riel filled in bitterly. “They mutation caused them to lose their soul, and magic filled the hole it left. At the same time, stars started dying, and the humans blamed Soulless. Slowly, all of the people with the mutation in their genes migrated underground. This place was established.”
Mino shakes her head. “Can’t believe you actually think you don’t have souls,” she says. A tight coil of heat squeezes her heart and she frowns. Why is she so angry?
“Not just think. We know for sure,” Lonnie explained. “Before all of us with magic migrated down south, there were attempts to mix magic with modern science. Some people took one of those really fancy medical scanners and changed it so it would work with magic, and they were looking around to see if they could find residual magic on things, and as a joke, the normal scientist put it over the magic one. The results were leaked to the public, even though they tried to keep it hidden. Everyone in the world knew within a year, if not six months. The magic showed up super bright in the scientist, all through his veins and everywhere, but there was just a hole where his soul should have been. They brought in other magical beings for testing, and none of them had souls either. That’s how magic entered our bodies in the first place, and then I suppose it was passed down to the new generations.”
Mino couldn’t believe it. “That’s terrible. I don’t believe it. Makes you sound like you’re… not human.”
“Soulless aren’t human. That’s the point,” Riel says.
“We’re part human,” Lonnie says, but Mino thinks that it’s mostly to pacify her.
“In all honesty, any of the humans up there could develop magic,” Riel states reluctantly. “Magic only shows itself under exposure to other magic. So as long as they never spend extended time around someone who uses magic constantly, their own brand will never develop, and they won’t lose their soul. Humans who come down here and stay down here, they… change. Eventually.”
“Did you change? Do you have magic?” Mino asks Riel curiously.
“I don’t know,” she shrugs. “I haven’t even been here a year yet. It can take several years for magic to be coaxed out of its shell. It had better happen soon though. If having a soul is what makes you human, I want that thing out of me as soon as possible.”
“Wow. You know a lot.” Mino signs. She’s truly impressed.
Riel shrugs again, blushing slightly. “Lonnie’s parents have a huge library, full of anything you can think of. I spent a lot of time reading back there. Plus they made me do homeschool with Lonnie. So.”
“And you’re suuper smaaaart,” Lonnie drawls in a teasing tone, cozying up to Riel’s shoulder. Riel blushes darker.
Mino smirks. She decides then and there that she’s determined to get the two together before she leaves.
