All this time, as we slept, as we ate and as we laughed, they were there. A whole city of people just under our feet. But why this couldn't be spoken aloud, Dimitri hadn't told me that part yet. That I would have to wait for, but at least for today, I would get to see the lower city with my own eyes.

Fingers tangled and chest pounding I walked the empty hall of the dorms waiting for the others. The last time I felt this lost I was wandering through the center and twice as small. Although I didn't feel any different than I did back then. This place with its sterile white walls and metal fixtures still didn't feel like home, and a part of me wondered if it ever would.

"You're never going to get anywhere moving like that," I heard a voice say behind me.

I turned towards the voice to see Mat, his head was tilted to his side without a care to be seen.

"Oh, it's you," I said under my breath.

Mat stood back, "Hey, you invited me."

"I know, I thought you were, nevermind-" I said bitterly.

Mat inched closer and smirked, "Who Nate?"

A teeth-rattling grunt forced it's way out through my clenched mouth.

"Well as you know -" Mat said and laughed, "A janitor's job is pretty serious business."

"Shut your face!" I said and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"What's wrong with you?" Mat said and pushed my hands back.

I brushed the wrinkles from my shirt, "You're not nervous?"

"What would I be nervous about?" Mat said and continued walking heavy on one leg, "From what Dimitri said, there are more than a million people down there. We're not finding anything."

"You mean anyone," I said and looked into his dark-circled eyes.

"Whatever," Mat said and waved his hand at me, "We'll be in there and out by tonight."

"For once," I said and walked ahead of him, "I hope you're right,"

We continued on. The lights above the doors smeared faster and faster in the sides of my vision until we reached Valens door.

"I'll knock," I said and stepped forward.

As my hand hovered over the black box of the door, I heard voices from the other side.

"It's not safe," the small voice said.

"It's too late now," Valen whispered, "I have to go."

"That's no reason to go," the small voice replied back.

"Well, knock already," Mat huffed from behind.

"I'm going to!" I shouted and turned my head to him.

From the other side of the door, the sound papers shuffling and chair legs scraped against the floor.

"Valen?" I said, as the door unhinged.

Valen peeked the door open but only enough for her arm to pass, and quickly closed the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" Mat said

Valen held her hair in a ponytail with the elastic in her mouth and mumbled something that I couldn't understand.

"Who were you talking to?" I asked still looking at the closed door.

"Iris," Valen said and pulled the tie in her teeth,"Why?"

"I guess, she just sounds different, that's all," I said as her eyes looked back to the door.

"What did you do to her?" Mat asked.

"Nothing," Valen said still avoiding our eyes.

Those eyes could tell a whole story. I had no reason to, but I couldn't believe Valen. But if it wasn't Iris Valen was talking to, then who could it be.

Mat looked at his bracelet, "Well, whoever you're talking to, were late."

Valen nodded and followed us as we continued down the hall and into the glass elevator.

"Which floor?" Mat said, his finger hovered over rows of glowing numbers.

I paused, twisting my lips as my thoughts shifted with them.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" Mat said and dropped his arms to his sides.

"You didn't," Valen said, "Did you?"

"No!" I said, my lips curled back in my mouth as I thought harder, "It wasn't a number it was a letter -"

I looked at the glowing round buttons again. At the bottom the only button labeled with a letter caught my attention.

"That was it!" I said and pressed the button without another thought.

"Are you sure?" Valen asked.

"Better be," Mat said, "Why couldn't he just write it down?"

"I told you already," I said as the elevator swooped down, "He wouldn't let me, said it could get in the wrong hands."

"It's just a letter, who would know what that means," Mat said.

"Maybe everyone knows except-," Valen said, as the whooshing sound of the elevator swallowed her voice.

"Everyone, except, for us," I finished her words.

•·················※·················•

The dimly lit hall was made of plain concrete, and a thick strip of red paint lined the bottom towards a dead end. With only one way to turn we funneled out of the elevator and down the other hallway marked with yellow and black stripes.

"Well, where is he?" Mat said, the sound of his anger bouncing off the cold walls.

At the darkest end, a crimson silhouette under a red light stood tall.

Dimitri's hands were tucked deep in his pockets. His pale face was lowered into the tall collar of his navy jacket.

"Just in time," Dimitri mumbled and looked at his bracelet.

"We almost didn't make it," Mat said, looking back at me.

"Shut up," I said and jerked my elbow forward, "I remembered it just fine."

Dimitri straightened his thick black glasses and cleared his throat.

"Before we proceed, we should discuss some guidelines."

"Guidelines, huh?" Mat said as if he were testing Dimitri to say something he didn't like.

"Yes, guidelines," Dimitri continued undisturbed, "If you have any problems, the elevator runs at top speed after contribution hours."

"I think," I said and narrowed my eyes at Mat, "I think, we'll be okay."

"Good," Dimitri slowed, "First, I will need all of you to stay together. No wandering, lingering or adventures of any kind. You will be expected to leave once clocks reach twenty-two hours. An alarm will remind you a half hour before you are to return."

"Anything else?" Mat said tapping at his wrist.

"Last, " Dimitri said in a whisper so low I almost could not hear, "Bring no attention to yourselves. I should hope you have earned your names, shadows."

Dimitri released his hand from his pockets and extended it towards the door. The red light above flashed as the door unlatched and a foul smell funneled out. It soured it's way through me, getting thicker and thicker as we stepped through the door and into a dark, narrow hall with another door at the end.

"How'd you get permission for us to come down here anyway?" Mat asked, with his shirt pulled up to his nose and walking faster.

"Your extra work hours have been logged as assisting in the donations lab on this floor," Dimitri said, unbothered by the smell, "Nothing out of the ordinary there."

"Then, how can we -" I said.

"I find it is much easier to speak, when one is above water," Dimitri interrupted, "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well that's a stupid question, of course, it's -" Mat said

"I'm sorry Dimitri," I said and lowered my voice, "He only understands two words, shut and up."

"I understood him fine," Mat grumbled, "Not my fault he's always talking backward and stuff."

"Dimitri," Valen interrupted from behind, "What are these donations everyone keeps talking about?"

"Donations are the very essence of this union," Dimitri said into the dark layers of his wool collar, "The medicine that keeps those in the upper city alive comes with a price, and that is not as you call it, talking backward."

The room was silent, stale with the unknown. I didn't like it. The musky air was too bitter. I wanted to break it into pieces like glass if I could.

Dimitri held the handle of the second door and pushed it open.

"This will all start to fall together," Dimitri said as the light from the door started to breakthrough, "The truth always find a way to land right at your feet."