Above the Earth Is Lies.

Ailouca had never failed any of her jobs. Especially when she was paired with her life long friend and partner in crime, Daisyia. But right now, she was beginning to doubt she would succeed in this job. She was one minute away from being caught. Daisyia was supposed to have been here four minutes ago. She had the gold and gems in her hands, all she needed was Daisyia to get her ass out of the building and show her the escape route. If Daisyia took one more minute, she was just going to have to find her own way out.

Ailouca’s watch beeped and lit up blue, illuminating her way through the dark tunneled alleys. She had to go. She adjusted the heavy bag on her shoulders and crept farther into the alley. She kept low to the ground as a surveillance drone flew overhead with a bright white light. Her bag thumped as she crouched on the ground and lifted up the sewer grate and dropped down. Water splashed and wet her capris.

“Ugh, and these were just washed too,” She mumbled. She’d have to wash them as soon as possible when she was in a safe area. She clicked a button on her watch and it lit brighter. Ailouca shined it on the wall of the sewers and looked for an orange pipe. Once she found it, she ran and followed it all the way down until it reached a dead end. Of course it wasn’t really a dead end, especially not for Ailouca. She crouched on the floor and felt around for a latch. Giving it one hard tug, it opened a door that led to a very long ladder. She turned around and stood on the ladder and started climbing down. The going was slow, she could’ve done it in half of the time if she didn’t have a huge bag filled to the brim with gold, scrap metal and gems for the Guild. When she reached the bottom, she braced herself on the wall, ignoring the gritty and wet texture on her calloused hands. Putting her hand on her stomach she said,

“I swear, Pimmbina, this is the last job I’m doing for a while. Not until you’re a little older.” She took a few deep breaths and then continued to jog her way back to one of The Guild’s hideouts. As she neared the entrance, she started to smell smoke and feel heat. She slowed her pace to a walk. She stopped to listen for a minute. She didn’t hear anything at all. It was quiet. Way way way too quiet for a Guild hideout. Ailouca knew that there was something wrong. Slowly, she crept to the metal door and poked it open. It burned her hand and she stepped back. She peered inside.

It was in flames. There were three people standing in the fire: A tall dark skinned man with long white dreads and a wicked scar on his shoulder, a short stout woman with long wavy blonde hair and a formal looking officer’s outfit, and a tall girl with dyed blue hair and eyes brown as mud. Her eyes were filled with fear as the tall man brought her closer to him and whispered in her small round ears. He grasped at her leather jacket and that’s when Ailouca saw the multi-hued patch with the words; Be brave my little Daisy. They had Daisyia. Shit. Whoever these people were, they had her best friend and partner. NO. She couldn’t let them get away with her friend. Ignoring the searing heat of the metal door, she pushed in open and crept closer to the trio. Daisyia caught her eyes and shook her head. She mouthed a warning to Ailouca. She looked her friend in the eyes and said in a very low whisper, “I’m going to help you out of here. One second.” Daisyia shook her head again and cast a glance at the tall dark man. The man flipped his dreads over his shoulder and turned to the short woman. He said something in the language of the topsiders. Ailouca had picked up a few words and sentences from her illegal journeys to the surface. She didn’t know exactly what he said, but it was along the lines of “Leave the dirt-dweller down here to burn.” Ailouca’s face flushed with hatred. How dare he call Daisyia a dirt-dweller. The short woman replied with something and the man laughed. Whatever was said, it made Daisyia look even more frightened and worried. I’m going to get you out of here, I swear it. She crept closer and right before she got to Daisyia, the tall man saw her. Shit. Nononononono. The short woman shoved Daisyia towards the man and stalked over to Ailouca. Daisyia struggled against the man’s grip. The man pulled her closer and whispered in her ear again, causing a shudder of fear to roll through her.

“Run Ailouca!! I want you to run! Now!” No way, she would not leave her friend.

“Never, I’m not leaving you!” Daisyia broke free of the man’s grip and shrugged her brown leather jacket off and tossed it to Ailouca.

“Trust Thalo! He’s a good man. Run, keep you and Pimmbina safe!” Ailouca had no choice. The woman was about to grab her bag, the man had Daisyia firmly in his grasp again and the flames were very heavy and scalding on her skin. A hand pulled her to her feet and dragged her from the burning hideout. She was left to watch it burn, the flames turning everything to molten metal and smoke. She screamed at the person to let her go but they never did. The last thing she saw was Daisyia’s face of relief and shock, then her falling to the burning floor, knife sticking out from her midsection.

“Lemme go! Daisyia!” The person who led her out of the hideout, put her up on their shoulders and carried her up the ladder. They emerged into the first tunnel and finally into the alleyway that Ailouca had come from. “I swear to the fucking gods right now, if you don’t let me go, I will kill you!” She struggled to get down but they held her tightly.

“I need to get Daisyia!” The person put her down but held onto her wrist and led her through the twisting tunnels of the underground city of Undersided Tomes.

After about ten minutes, she pulled away from the person. Under drone light, she could see the man clearly. He had a mop of silvery blue hair and sparkling black eyes with no sclera. The man was short, almost her height but he was built like a brick wall.

“Who even are you?” He looked at her with sad black eyes.

“Daisyia never mentioned me? I’m her sibling,” he stuck out his hand.

“I’m Thalocine Sylddu. She mentioned you quite a lot, Ailouca.” Ailouca never knew that Daisyia had any family. All she knew was the Daisyia had come from Topsided Tomes but she had grew up in Undersided Tomes.

“I’ve never heard of you before-”

Thalocine cut her off. “No time for chitchat, Ailouca, we need to get to my house and leave. Now.” He grabbed her wrist again and dragged her along down a few flights of stairs. She didn’t have time or state of mind to remember where he was taking her. Her mind was on Daisyia and Daisyia only. She closed her eyes and remembered her face, the way her nose came to a point and the way her jaw was more of a square than hers was. Her eyes always sparkled green and orange in the drone lights. She remembered the way she parted her hair in the morning and wore her curls in a cropped cut, or in the winter, in a plait that barely rested on her shoulders. Tears poured out of her eyes and ran races down her cheeks. With her spare hand, she wiped them away and attempted to stifle the sobs that escaped her throat. She wished she had something left of her best friend and partner in crime, something to remember her by, even though Daisyia’s body was burnt ash. Wait. Daisyia’s jacket. Where was it?

No, don’t say I dropped it.

Thalocine stopped at a ramshackle house. He approached the door and entered a code on the padlock. It clicked open and led to a hallway. He led her inside and shut the door carefully beg=hind them, locking about twelve locks on this side of the door. Someone’s paranoid Ailouca couldn’t help but think. The hallway was dark and smelled like mud and moss. HE tugged her along further into his house and down three flights of stairs. They reached another door with a padlock on it. He typed something on there and then held his eye wide open while a light scanned it.

“Will you tell me where you’re taking me?” She asked.

“To my home, Ailouca. You need to rest and sleep and we’ll talk in the morning.” What kind of an answer was that? That didn’t help at all. Thalocine led her to a closed off area, blocked off with a curtain. “You can sleep here, Ailouca. I’ll be right over at my desk if you need anything.” He left her alone.

She sat on the bed and sighed, feeling tears falling down her cheeks again. To herself, she said, “That’s the last job I do for The Guild. It got Daisyia killed,” Her voice choked on those words. She wanted her best friend back, she wanted her partner in crime- no, fuck that. She wanted her sister back and she would do anything for that. She laid back and looked at the burns on her hands. They were red and itchy but otherwise okay. They were nothing compared to Daisyia…dying. Gods, it hurt so bad to say that. She closed her eyes and tried to summon everything she remembered of Daisyia. Ailouca fell asleep thinking of her sister and her lopsided smile, dreaming of the life that they were going to build for each other.

In the morning, Ailouca found that her hands were bandaged and no longer itchy. She sat up and saw a note on the bed. It read: Ailouca, I am out to grab supplies, feel free to roam around the bunker. I left Daisyia’s leather jacket on my desk chair. I think she would want you to have it and not me especially after what I did. We’ll talk when I get home.

Immediately, she stood and stumbled her way to his desk chair. She tore the jacket off the back and held it to her face. The leather was cool against her skin and smelled like cigarette smoke and coffee, the two things Daisyia always said she couldn’t live without. The smell was so Daisyia, it made her eyes water. Her stomach grumbled. She was hungry and so was Pimmbina.

When Thalocine came back, she still hadn’t found any food, she just had found more questions. Thalocine Sylddu walked in the bunker, covered in dust and dirt. He took off his jacket and hung it up on the back of a random chair that had books piled on the seat. He set out some bread and water, and told her to sit on the bed. She sat, still holding Daisyia’s jacket in her hands.

“Look, I know we do not know each other, but we were both siblings to Daisyia. She talked about you when she would come down here, she said you were close and that I could trust you. Will you trust me?”

“Why should I?”

“Because Daisyia did, and because I can get you out of here. Those two know you saw them burn part of The Guild. They will not stop until you’re dead, and no offense, Ailouca, but you’re in no state to be running from or fighting them.”

“Who were those two people? The ones who killed Daisyia?”

“The man was Taazra and the woman was Yinahr. They are part of The Topsided Office. The bastards that restrict what goes in and out of Undersided Tomes. And they found what you and Daisyia have been smuggling.”

“Okay, so you’re helping me, why?” Ailouca shifted on the bed, head hurting from all the tears she shed. Thalocine took a breath.

“Daisyia knew that they were going to find out eventually and so she told me to keep you safe. That was right before she…got taken by the bastards that call themselves officers.” Ailouca stared at the jacket in her hands and felt one tear roll down her cheek.

“I want them dead…” she mumbled quietly. Thalocine nodded.

“I do too,” His husky voice was soft. He held his hand out to her. She took it, feeling like it was the only thing left to hold. “Don’t worry. I’ve been in Topsided Tomes all morning, I know a guy who can get us out. We’ll need to leave now. The Topsided Officers will be looking all over for us down here. They won’t check the surface.”

Ailouca looked at Thalocine, her green eyes sad. Thalocine’s shared the same glimmer of sadness.

“I want to kill them…”

“I know. We need to leave first.” Ailouca nodded and Thalocine stood, pulling her to her feet as well. She put the jacket around her shoulders, slipping into it and remembering the way that Daisyia would count the buttons as she closed it. Thalocine pulled his own coat back on and then reached atop a shelf. He took down two guns, one blaster and an older looking plasma-gun. He put them away inside a hidden pocket in his coat and opened the door. “Follow me, Ailouca.” She nodded and fell in step behind Thalocine.

It took two hours to reach the Topsided Tomes. After narrowly avoiding the Officers stationed at every exit and entry point, they finally made it above ground. The light of the sun blinded Ailouca at first, but within a few minutes her eyes got used to the light, unlike Thalocine’s. He had to wear sunglasses in order to see. They took paths that weren’t well travelled and avoided the Officers. After about twenty minutes of walking, they reached a gate. There was a tall, jacked woman standing by a speeder bike. She walked over to them and greeted Thalocine, her voice thick with a Topsided Tomes accent.

“Inlio, this is Ailouca. She is going to be joining us. Daisyia was her sister.”

“Well not biologically, I’m sure,” She said, chuckling. Ailouca scoffed nervously. “I’m Inlio. Let’s get going, eh Thalo?” He nodded and the three walked over to Inlio’s speeder. The three hopped on and sped through the gate.

“Where are we going?” Shouted Ailouca at Thalocine. He leaned his head back and said

“We’re going to a safe place! There, the Officers can’t bother us and we can wait until you’re healthy enough to go after them! Inlio will take care of us.” The three sped along the dusty, sandy dunes of Topsided Tomes until Inlio slowed the speeder. The landscape slowed and Ailouca could make out rocks and a canyon up ahead. The city was but a speck in the distance now, but Thalocine knew they weren’t far enough yet when Inlio killed the engine.

“Why have we stopped, Inlio?” Inlio got off the speeder and raised her left fist.

“I’m sorry, Thalocine, you weren’t going to pay nearly enough to feed my family. These guys would.” Three speeders carrying four men each rose above the canyon and stopped, spraying dust and sand at Ailouca and Thalocine. Ailouca covered her eyes. Two people hopped off their respective speeders and strode forward. It was Taazra and Yinahr. Thalocine let out a long string of curses.

“If I was caught smuggling you out, I would’ve been killed, Thalo. I’ve got kids and a husband to provide for, surely you must understand.”

“Fuck you, Inlio!” He yelled. Taazra stepped forward and said with a thick Topsided Tomes accent-

“Thalocine Sylddu and Ailouca Rasan. You have committed crimes and worked with The Guild, your penalty…” He stopped speaking, allowing Yinahr to finish, her voice full of venom and ice.

“Is death. Die now, you disgusting dirt-dwellers.” The two raised their left fists and on that signal, the others on the speeders drew their blasters and shot. Thalocine drew his and shot as well, aiming for Taazra and Yinahr. He missed and got shot in the shoulder and then in the stomach and a third time in his head. Ailouca screamed. Taazra dropped his left fist and the firing ceased. He whispered something to Yinahr. She lowered her left fist and said “Take Ailouca Rasan alive. There is something we need her for.”

The last thing Ailouca saw before she was stunned was Inlio walking closer and whispering to her- “Don’t worry, any friend of Daisyia is a friend of mine. Thalocine, however, was not.”