World in Tatters Ch. 43

I recognize the room as soon as we enter.

It’s an old guest room for important visitors. It also happened to be the room Alice and I played in when we were little. When our parents needed us out of the way that is. Some things have been moved around. All the artwork that used to hang on the walls has long since been removed, and the bed has been moved away from the windows, but it’s definitely the same room.

On first observation, the room looks empty. The bed has been made up, the curtains opened, letting in the light of the midday sun. The smell of dust lingers in the air, indicating a sparse cleaning regiment.

A rattling of a doorknob draws my attention to a door by the bed. I feel my breath catch in my throat as the door swings into the room. A woman steps through into the sunlight. Dark hair, deep green eyes glistening behind a set of thick rimmed spectacles.

Nora Falstrom.

She registers our presence in her space, but only just. Not realizing who we are, Aunt Nora sits on the bed, resigning herself to what I can only assume is the regular routine. Glancing over at Alice, I see a mixture of emotions: fear, anger, joy, apprehension. A tear pools at the corner of her eye before trickling down her cheek. She lowers her hand, seeming to have forgotten the plate of food. I’m barely able to grab it from her before she drops it to the floor.

“What are you waiting for?” President Falstrom snips.

“We uh…” I stumble. “We brought you some food. Here you go.”

Either she doesn’t recognize my voice, or she doesn’t care enough to pay heed. I cross the room to her, putting the plate into her outstretched hand.

“Mom…” Alice’s voice is little more than a whisper, but it gets Aunt Nora’s attention. Nora freezes mid-bite as her face scrunches in confusion. More confidently this time, “Mom, I…”

This time, Nora’s head snaps around. It takes her a moment to really register what she’s seeing. She stares directly into Alice’s eyes, likely experiencing many of the same emotions as her daughter. “Al…Alice? How…?” She stands up, setting the plate aside on the bed. She rushes over to where Alice stands, the two throwing their arms around each other. “Why…? What are you doing here?”

When it looks like Alice’s shock would get the better of her voice, I chime in, “Isn’t that obvious, Aunt Nora? We’re here for you?”

“Aunt No… Wait.” She starts. Still wrapped in each other’s arms, she speaks over her daughter’s shoulder. “Does that mean… Steven?”

“Yeah. It’s me.” I reach my hand behind my head, rubbing a sore spot on my neck.

“How did you…? I mean, after everything went bad…Why’d you come back?”

“I didn’t. We didn’t. It’s a long story.”

“What about your parents? Your sister?”

“Mom and dad are…I mean, dad, he’s gone. Rachel’s alright. She’s in the city with us.”

“What about Charlotte?”

“She’s…complicated, but alive. She’s helping lead a resistance army against Drum’s people.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“You sound surprised.” I poke.

“Well, Charlotte has never really been great with people.”

“She…still isn’t. But they follow her. Well, her and their council.”

Nora backs away from Alice, taking her in. I think Alice is still in shock. She hasn’t said much since we came in here, but it looks like she’s trying to pull herself together. I really don’t blame her for being upset. This would be a lot for anyone. It’s a lot for me, and Nora’s not even my mother. “Well, at least she’s alright. How did—”

“Aunt Nora, I would love to finish this conversation,” I suggest, “but maybe now isn’t the best time? They only let us in here to clean the room and feed you. If they don’t hear this vacuum soon, they’ll get suspicious.”

“You’re right, of course.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to talk once we get you out of here.” Alice manages.

“How exactly do you plan on doing that?” Nora scoffs. “Drum’s had me locked in this place for years. Under guard day and night.”

“But that’s why we’re here.” Alice pleads. “That’s the whole reason we came. We’re not leaving the city without you.”

“And I appreciate that, but it’s far too dangerous. You being here is too dangerous. I won’t be letting anyone risk their lives for me. Now, do your cleaning, and go. Before you get caught.”

“Mom, we’re not leaving you.” Alice’s words sound weak. Unsure. “I can’t leave you. Not again.”

“Again?” She questions. Kindness, even pity in her tone. “My dear, what do you mean ‘again’?”

Alice’s voice shakes. I can see the dark memories flickering behind her eyes as she stares blankly at the wall. “I…When everything happened…I should have stepped up. But I ran away.” She looks up straight into her mother’s eyes. She steels her voice, tempered with resolve. “I’m not doing that again. We’re getting you out, and that’s final.”

“Alice, you did the smart thing. You know I don’t blame you for leaving, right? Steven, tell her.”

“Sorry, Aunt Nora. I’m with Alice on this one. I mean…not the blaming herself for abandoning you part, but the ‘we’re getting you out of here’ part. I’m entirely with her on that.” I begin searching for an outlet to power the vacuum.

“So, what’s your plan exactly?”

Just as I plug it in, we all hear the doorknob turn. Alice instinctively reaches for an absent blade she’d normally have at her hip. Aunt Nora quietly crosses to her plate of food, picking at it by the time the guard enters the room. “You two almost finished in here?”

“Uh… Yeah, yeah. Close.” I stumble. “I just need to vacuum. And she’s taking a while to eat.”

“Fine, just make it quick.” The guard concedes. “And you, Lady Falstrom. We’ve talked about this. Can you please just eat? I don’t need that grief from my boss.”

“Of course, Kate.” Almost sincere, “Anything for you.”

Kate rolls her eyes as she pulls the door closed once more. I flip the switch on the vacuum cleaner, absently rolling it around on the carpet. I keep it running more for the noise pollution than anything. Aunt Nora takes a handkerchief from her chest of drawers. Laying it out on the corner of her bed, she tilts her plate, scraping the remnants of her meal into it. She folds the handkerchief over the food before tucking the whole thing under her pillow.

“I’ll finish it off after you leave.” Nora explains over the sound of the vacuum. “Now where were we? Oh, right. Your plan.”

“About that…” Alice turns sheepish, “We’re still working on that part. We have two other teams here in the city.”

“One of them is working the grounds, gathering info.” I continue, “The other team is waiting for our report.”

“What I’m hearing is that you have no plan—”

“Yet.” I interject. “No solid plan yet. But we have the help of some skilled fighters. I’m confident that Richard and Kiera will help us come up with something. Especially now that we have the lay of the land.”

“I admire your enthusiasm and optimism, Steven, but it’s a fool’s errand. You two should just get your friends and get out of this place. If what you say about Charlotte is true, they’ll be taking the city soon anyway.”

“Except…I don’t think my mother cares about collateral damage.” I confess, turning off the vacuum. “That includes you.”

Both Alice and Nora are taken aback at my statement.

“I don’t believe that for a second.” Nora protests. “Say what you will about Charlotte, but—”

“You didn’t see her the other day. She executed someone in front of an entire crowd. Without even batting an eye.”

“Yeah,” Alice snaps. “A traitor. Who tried to burn down Birmingham.”

“So, she said.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Wrapping up the vacuum cord, “Maybe nothing. I dunno. This whole situation just has me on edge.” I pick up the plate from the bed, handing it off to Alice. “Anyway, we should get going. Before Kate out there gets suspicious.”

Alice looks to her mother, clearly reluctant to leave her after such a short visit. “But… I…”

“It’s alright, Alice.” Nora urges. “Steven’s right. You two should go before you’re discovered.” Nora turns to me, glaring straight into my eyes. “I know you’re going to ignore me, but don’t come back here. Either of you. It’s not safe. Just get out of the city and run. Take your sister and each other and go.”

“Wish I could, Aunt Nora, but I can’t leave anyone behind. Especially not you.”

Alice quickly crosses the room and wraps her arms around her mother. Nora gives in, embracing her daughter in an uncharacteristically emotional display. Almost inaudible, “I love you, Alice. Please be careful.”

I crack a slight smile at the sight before gathering up the cleaning gear. “Let’s go.”

Alice is the first to break their embrace, her eyes red and puffy. She wipes away the last couple of tears before making a beeline for the door. I hoist the vacuum under my arm as Alice knocks on the door frame. Almost immediately, Kate swings the door inward, guiding us out into the hallway.

“Took you long enough.” The male guard jeers.

“Sorry for the inconvenience.” I sneer. “Won’t happen again.”

“Yeah, whatever. Just get out of here.”

Alice and I make our way back toward the kitchens through the main hallway. I’m breathing a little easier now that we’ve had a chance to speak with Aunt Nora. Alice, on the other hand, is unreadable as usual. Frankly, I figured she’d be ecstatic, considering how close we are, but I can’t blame her for being cautious.

“Wait!” Kate’s voice calls from behind us. Alice and I freeze in our tracks. What could she possibly want now? There’s no reason she would suspect us. Not unless she could hear our conversation with Nora, but then why would she have let us out of the room.

I turn around, trying to remain as nonchalant as possible. “What’s up?”

“When you get back, tell the kitchens we could use some food down here for us.” Relief hits me, and I can’t help but crack a smile. “Been here all day without a break. I’m starving.”

“Yeah. Sure thing. I’ll, uh… I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks. I’ll owe you.”

With a nod, Alice and I continue on to the kitchens. Just as before, the kitchens and dining rooms are bustling with preparations for tomorrow’s festivities. I load all of the cleaning supplies back into the cupboard from whence they came before passing into the kitchen.

Leeta pulls us aside as soon as we enter, taking us to the side of the hustle and bustle. “Welcome back.” She lilts. “I take it Lady Falstrom was amenable?”

“Yes. She seems to be well today.”

“Good.” Dropping her voice, “Now let’s see if we can get you two off the grounds. Without issue.”

“Wouldn’t that be suspicious?” Alice questions.

“I don’t believe so. We have day workers come and go all the time. You just have to sign out at the gate. They’ll give you your wages, and you can be on your way.”

“That simple, huh?”

“Yes, dear. Simple as that. Let me walk you out.”

“What about Artemis and Apollo?”

“They’ll be along. No need to worry.” Leeta ensures. “They have preparations of their own to take care of.”

“Preparations? No one told us anything about… What are they up to? I thought they were just doing reconnaissance.”

“Keep your voice down, dear.” She admonishes. “You’re right. That would be their primary objective. But there are a few other things they’re taking care of. You’ll see them later.”

“Fair enough. Thank you, Leeta. For everything,” Flashing her a smile, “But I think we’ll be able to find our way out. Will we see you tonight too?”

“Probably not. I have other matters to attend to. Now you should go. Report back to the others.”

Alice and I leave the compound without incident. Our wages were surprisingly high for only having worked a half-day. Once we sign out, the guards count out several copper-colored coins for each of us before sending us on our way. We make the long trek to the hotel, stopping briefly for a bite at one of the bakeries. Alice hardly says a word the entire way. Not that that’s surprising in itself after everything. As for myself, I can hardly stop my mind from drifting to Aunt Nora and the daunting task ahead of us.

By the time we make it there, it’s only mid-afternoon. The sun’s still burning high in the sky, and residents and merchants alike flood the streets. We slip in through the old parking garage like before. Frankly, it’s nice to be out of the heat. I hope Richard’s team has a good plan in mind, because I’ve got nothing.