Chapter 3 Life Below the City

Seraphina

My leg bounced as I waited for the others to get off the bus. Even this early, the city buzzed with its usual restless energy. We were farther northwest than Center City, and the air was noticeably colder. I was glad I’d grabbed the extra blankets. Snow would probably hold off a few more weeks—enough time to gather more wood and supplies before winter truly set in.

Once I was clear of the bus, I moved fast, heading toward the outskirts—the dregs. The city thinned as I slipped from street to alley, alley to shadow. When I reached the port covering, I slowed, scanning the area to make sure I was alone.

Satisfied, I pulled the rebar I’d hidden in the corner and pried the cover open just enough to slide it aside. One last glance around, then I slipped inside. I stayed on the ladder long enough to pull the cover back into place before clicking on the flashlight I’d fished from my pocket.

This section of tunnel was dark. I could’ve used one of the lit paths, but those ran farther from home, and I was too eager to get back with my haul. What Ryn didn’t know was that during my hunt for his items, I’d found something extra—a real gem.

An ancient iPod.

If it still worked, it’d be worth more to me than anything I’d sold him.

I hurried along the route I’d marked years ago, heading deeper into the sewer until I spotted the faint glow spilling through an open porthole.

I climbed down the rope into a subway station abandoned centuries ago. A smile tugged at my mouth as memories surfaced—of the first day I’d stumbled onto this place.

I’d been living on the streets for weeks back then, drifting north, putting as much distance as possible between myself and my last foster family. Especially their creepy son, Eddie. I’d always been small for my age, and from my first foster home onward, it had been beaten into me that children were meant to be neither seen nor heard.

So I learned.

I learned how to disappear.

I’d started to feel eyes on me one day and realized a group of boys—three of them, maybe twelve to fifteen—had been following me. I ducked into the dregs, weaving through abandoned, crumbling buildings, hoping to lose them. A few people were camped out here and there, but I avoided them. The boys’ laughter echoed behind me, louder now, mixed with taunts.

I ducked into a larger building, slipping through a door that barely opened wide enough for me. The small flashlight I’d stolen when I ran away guided me through the dark. I could hear the boys rattling doors behind me, trying to force their way in as I pushed deeper inside.

When I found stairs leading down instead of up, I took them.

It turned out to be the best decision of my life—even if I wandered hungry and lost for days before I figured out how to get back out.

Since then, I’d mapped the entire system. Every tunnel, every sewer opening that connected to it. There were a hundred ways into my home now, and I guarded every single one.

A familiar sound echoed through the tunnels—Cosmic Cali’s caterwauling. It was the only word for the awful noise she made, somewhere between a cry, a scream, and a roar.

I laughed under my breath and picked up my pace.

The station opened up ahead of me, lights twinkling softly, casting a warm glow over the space. The ceiling here arched high despite the weight of the city above. I scanned the area until I spotted CC perched on top of our sleeping car.

I’d chosen this station for the space, but also because three connected cars still sat on the tracks. They didn’t move anymore, but I’d turned them into something better.

A sleeping car.

A kitchen.

And the last—my treasure room.

I nodded to CC and headed straight for my workshop on the platform. I peeled off my disguise, hanging each layer on the coat rack I’d scavenged from one of the buildings above. Then I pulled out the rest of my money—and the iPod.

I set them on the table and dug through my supplies until I found the charging cord I knew I had.

"Ah-ha,” I muttered, plugging the cord into the iPod and then the power strip.

I’d let it charge while I put everything else away.