smokeSCREEN: bookTWO

bookTWO

:

STARshine

* * *

silence swimming in a pool of dreams / beneath its depths the forgotten streams / above the city of the evening star / behind its walls, the grand bazaar / as she walks through its endless ways / cursing those who mistrust her ways / please my friend no matter what she sees / tell my lover come back to me

* * *

* * *

The power runs on sunlight. That's what I'm thinking as I wake.

Early morning rays stab through the chinks in the single blocked window. Tiny bits of dust dance about in them, wandering aimlessly, randomly through the air.

The chaos of it.

I slip out of bed and find my boots. I wonder if the others are up, before I become conscious of what woke me - a thumping bass reverberates through the house from the garage.

but ya'll can see me now cos you don't see with your eye

you percieve with your mind

For a second, I can't think of what it could be. It doesn't sound natural – but as I listen, there is a method to the madness and I'm able to go back, far back in my mind to music my older brother listened to.

that's the inner

so i'mma' stick around with Russ and be a men-tor

It's a song – a band called Gorillaz, I think. My brother listened to this CD every Goddamn day.

bust a few rhymes so mother fuckers

rememeber where the thought is

I slip out of the bedroom and glance up the hall – the other doors are closed, but I can hear Lisa stirring in the next room. "Where the fuck is that coming from!" I yell down the stairs before coming to the top of the landing.

i brought all this

so you could survive when law is lawless

"Hel-lo? Where is everyone? Who's on guard!"

Something's wrong. I pound down the stairs just in time to see Cypress and Sophie opening the door to the garage.

feelings, sensations that you thought were dead

no squealing, remember

"It's the stereo in the car," Cypress grins up at me. For a second, I can think of nothing better to do than stare at them, oblivious.

(that it's all in your head)

"Sorry Michelle," Sophie finally says, pulling her toque down. "We'll turn it off.

I sit down on the second stair and look up at Cypress – he's not moving. "Is that what you want?" he asks. His hair is in his eyes – for a second, they seem a little too blue, and I can't help but smile back.

i ain't happy, i'm feelin' glad

i got sunshine, in a bag

I don't know how he does that to me.

i'm useless, but not for long

the future is comin' on

"Does it go any louder?" I ask. Sophie grins – Cypress just lights a smoke.

it's comin' on

it's comin' on

it's comin' on

* * *

Hair whips across my face, and I try to keep it out of my eyes. I pull my knees to my chest and put my feet on the dashboard of the car, looking over to Lisa in the driver's seat. Streaming around the perimiter highway, we decided to take our time making it back to the Tower.

Our heads nod in unison to the music, and I look over my shoulder at the others.

Crow and Cat sit at opposite ends of the back seat, both staring out windows while Cypress shows Sophie how to use his discman in the very back of the wagon. Where he found batteries I'll never know.

"Who came up with the idea of using the car stereo anyway?" Lisa says.

"I had the CDs – it was Sophie's idea to stick 'em in the car," Cypress calls up. Lisa gins.

"Who's good at electronics?" she asks. "We have to be able to find a working stereo somewhere, right? For like, the floor."

"The mall!" Sophie chirps. Lisa and I exchange a glance.

"No one's going into the mall to look for a stereo," I say. Lisa just shrugs.

"It's been pretty stable lately," she says. "I didn't even hear anything falling last time it rained."

"That's 'cause you couldn't hear shit over the rain – the whole east side collapsed," I tell her, turning around in my seat and regarding Crow – she's still just staring out her window. I reach out and gently prod her in the ear.

On reflex, she smacks my hand away before turning to look. Her expression is blank – she's just waiting to see what I want.

"What's the deal?" I whisper, pointing my eyes for a second towards Cypress in the back. She takes a breath as if she's about to speak, then thinks better of it and shrugs, turning back to the window silently. I look over at Cat, who's still intentionally avoiding any sort of contact with Crow.

"Who's got smokes?" I ask. A pack of DuMaurs nails me in the forehead, and I pick it up off the floor of the car to see Sophie holding a hand to her mouth.

Sophie's a bit of a smartass, but she knows better to intentionally cross Lisa or I – it was an accident, and I light one before chucking them back. I think I hit Cypress, but I'm not sure.

Someone said ouch.

I turn around again and kick off my boots and socks, resting my feet out the window to be caressed by the wind as the car rips down the highway. I'm tired – but you're always sort of tired after a floor meeting.

"We should do it again," Lisa says on cue, looking away from the road for a moment.

Lisa and I have always had an uneasy, albiet somewhat symbiotic relationship. As the Alphas for the thirteenth floor we lead the others together, and I don't outrank her any more than she does me.

This causes problems at times, but between the two of us we usually make the right choice. At the very least, we're one of the few floors that hasn't lost a member to the boys or the dogs yet.

"What?" I say.

"Another floor meeting," Lisa says. Crow perks up.

"Tonight?" she asks behind me. Even Cat's looked away from her window.

I've been worried about Cat lately – ever since the night Cypress set her free, she's been acting strangely. She does her duty and shoots when she should, but I can tell her mind is elsewhere.

"We just had one," I say, turning back to the road and my cigarette.

"Yeah, but Cypress missed half of it," Sophie says. "We should totally have one tonight. He's probably never even smoked – have you?"

"No, Crow smoked him up," Lisa says.

"Well yeah, like two hoots," Crow shouts over the wind. "He needs to get initiated if he's staying."

Now there is a pause. We're all waiting for Cypress to re-confirm his loyalties, but no words of comfort come from the back of the wagon.

I turn around again, the cigarette hanging softly from my lips and pull off my sunglasses. Cypress is telling Sophie a joke. Or something – she laughs at least.

I look from Cat to Crow, and I get the impression they're both wondering the same thing. Not so much about whether or not he's staying, but what will happen now that he is.

When we were all convinced he'd be gone in a day or two, it seemed alright that each and every one of us wanted to steal him away and learn his secrets. Tell him ours.

He's easy to talk to – what can I say?

But now that he's permanent, we are all faced with the question of what to do with him. Or, perhaps, which of us has the right to know him.

When Cat watched Crow take the room we'd reserved for Cypress, she had the expression of a woman who'd just been shot through the throat. Desperate to cry out, but choking on her own furies.

Like all of us, Cat has no more claim to Cypress than he does to her – but one will feel what one will feel, I suppose.

I decide to take her aside tonight and have a chat with her – she's becoming too distant from the rest of the floor.

Crow, on the other hand, is more positive and active than I've ever seen. Usually, she silently does her job and lets a sarcastic comment or two slip, but I expect she's been behaving for his benefit. She carries herself differently. Usually she moves patiently, smoothly, with conviction. I've always considered her the most feline, but lately she's been proving her namesake. She is quick, alert, restless even. As if she's waiting for some unknown event.

Perhaps I'll have a chat with her as well.

"Maybe a floor meeting is a good idea," Lisa suddenly says. I whip around to look at her, and I can tell we're on the same page. Different as we are, we temper each other well, but always with the well-being of Floor Thirteen in mind.

"You going to take Crow aside?" she says now, softer. I nod.

"Why don't you take Anze and Sophie? I'll take Cat," I say.

"And maybe you and me should have a chat too," she says, glancing to me suddenly. She wants to know where I stand on Cypress.

"Do we need to?" I ask. She raises her eyebrow.

"I dunno – do we?"

"I don't think so – where are you at?"

She looks back to the road.

"I'm just drivin'," she says. "You?"

"I'm nowhere – I'm here. I'm smoking." She nods.

"Alright," she says. "Hey guys! Floor meeting tonight – we're breakin' in the fresh meat."

Sophie claps – Crow silently smiles.

Cat just stares out her window.

I smoke my smoke. It'll be a long day.

* * *

We arrive at the Tower just before noon. I hang out the passenger window and wave up to the sentries to open the gates. A Ceta dashes into the tower, and soon comes out with Phoebe in tow.

She does a double-take when she sees us, then decides on a course of action and strides forward with a scowl on her face.

"I told you to be back yesterday morning!" she shouts. The others pile out of the car and stand behind Lisa and I.

"Fuck you – you sent us down there to die anyway," Lisa snaps back. This is where Lisa and I differ.

Phoebe narrows her eyes at Lisa before turning to me. "Where'd you find a working car – and what the fuck happened to your leg?"

"A long story," I say. "Best told behind closed doors – let's head inside."

* * *

Lisa, Phoebe and I are in the security office just off the main lobby. The others we sent up to thirteen to set up a room for Cypress, while Lisa and I lay out the story of the past two days – with a few embellishments regading the amount of time spent at the safehouse. Phoebe takes her time, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes before speaking.

"…why did you offer to let him escape?" she asks finally, still not looking at us. Lisa and I exchange a quick glance, and she says;

"To test him – see if he would. He chose to stay – I think we can trust him."

"Unless he's staying simply to gain information about us before heading back to Westwood," Phoebe points out. I shake my head.

"Cypress is an ally and an asset," I say firmly. "We're stronger with him here, and he's stronger with us."

"Why are you so sure of that?" Phoebe scowls at me.

"If he wanted to get back to Westwood, he could have taken the wagon there and then," Lisa says. "He saved my life – he thought quick on his feet, and we all made it back. What I'd like to know is what do you plan to do about the old ones?"

"Why should we do anything? They haven't made any moves against us," Phoebe says, pulling a string. A bell sounds outside, and Denise, Phoebe's Ceta, leans in the door. "Food," Phoebe says. Denise silently nods and closes the door.

"They will," Lisa says. "They captured us with some intent – I'm sure of that."

"Well, you conveniently escaped before you were able to find out what that was – a pity, really."

"If Cypress hadn't risked breaking his neck on that roof, I'd be dead right now, or something," Lisa spits, narrowing her eyes.

"What do you mean 'or something'?" Denise knocks once and leans back in the room, throwing an apple over my head. It smacks into Phoebe's palm and she takes a bite, telling Denise to bring some beer as well.

"One or three?" Denise asks. Phoebe considers a moment before asking;

"So… you survived a feral dog attack, and capture by a platoon of well-armed old ones… did you happen to find a scooter over the course of all this?"

Lisa and I had completely forgotten about it.

"A skateboard," I say. Phoebe considers, then glances to Denise.

"Bring two – they can share one," she says, waving the Ceta away. Once the door closes, she levels her eyes on us again. "Insane heroics aside, he can't run around with the rest of us freely – he's a plague waiting to happen."

There is a pause – Lisa and I discussed this briefly in the car – whether or not to tell Phoebe. She may simply kill Cypress to hide the truth – I doubt she'd do away with the whole Thirteenth Floor.

"Phoebe… there is no disease," Lisa says. "They lied to us."

Phoebe just stares.

"Did he put the whammy on you two? What the fuck are you talking about."

"We touched him. We all did," I say, "two days ago. We're fine." Phoebe's expression does a breakdance from blank, to anger, to confusion – all with a slack jaw.

"How… how did he make himself immune? How did he get rid of the disease?"

"Phoebes," Lisa says "There never was a disease." Our esteemed leader just shakes her head.

"What about Ainsley? And Jocelyn? They both came into contact with boys and died within a day."

"Yes, when Jackie was leading," I say.

"So what? So…"

I look to my boots – I sure wish I had that beer right now.

"Do you remember when Ashley came back, saying a boy had spit on her? You kept her quarantined for a week, but she didn't die."

"So?"

"When Jossy came back, saying a boy had breathed on her, she died that night. Jackie was leading us then."

"So what?" Lisa and I just stare at her. Slowly, slowly, her expression skips around again from confusion, to consideration, and finally back to anger. "How dare you accuse Jackie? Who the fuck are you?"

"Phoebe – this is the deal," Lisa says. "We touched him – we're alive. After you sent us all on a suicide mission, he risked his ass to help us. And now he wants to stay. This is the deal."

Now Phoebe pauses. Even she cannot find a chink in the mail, through which to deliver a fatal stab.

"Floor Thirteen… what am I going to do with you?"

A knock comes at the door, and Phoebe calls for Denise to come in. She holds a tray with two open bottles of beer, which she sets on the desk before quickly excusing herself. Lisa takes a swig of one of them before handing it to me.

Phoebe chugs a third of hers, then reflects before saying;

"You will tell no one that you've touched him and instruct the rest of Thirteen to do the same. If you're all still alive by week's end… then we'll have some things to consider, won't we?"

Lisa grins widely as I hand the beer back, but the sparkle in Phoebe's eye suggests she's not done.

"Perhaps he's not lethal to the touch, but I refuse to believe some slow-witted male is an asset to the Glass Tower as anything but an interpeter for the notes Jackie left behind. I'm not satisfied that his abilities are half what you say. How could he have done all this without weapons?"

"He's good with his staff," Lisa says. It's a half-truth, but it will do if ever tested.

"Fine. Then we'll give Claire a couple machetes and see who can kill the other first – winner gets to stay. If he can beat Claire, I'll be impressed."

"That's barbaric," I say. Phoebe just smiles.

"That's entertainment."

* * *

* * *

i can see you lie back in a satin dress / in a room where you do what you don't confess // sundown / sundown / sundown // sometimes / I think it's a shame / when i get feelin' better / when i'm feelin' no pain // sundown / you better take care / if I found you been creepin' round my back stair

* * *

* * *

Lisa and I stroll around the courtyard – despite her apparent distaste for humanity, Phoebe did give Floor Thirteen the rest of the day off. Crow sits at the far end of the courtyard by the garden, regailing a small crowd with the adventures of the past few days. I don't know where Cypress is – I think I saw Sophie dragging him off somewhere when we came out of the security room.

"So what do you think?" Lisa asks.

"I don't know what to think – Claire's a head taller than he is. He may be quick, but he's pretty wiry and Claire's all muscle."

"I'm not worried about that," she says. "He can handle himself."

"We're talking about Claire."

"Oh fine, let's talk about Claire. Claire has maybe a five-foot reach with a good knife – Cypress has at least seven with his blade and he's faster. She'll be dead before she knows she's been cut."

I sit on a bench and let my face fall into my hands.

"We can't afford to loose either of them – why would Phoebe insist on this?"

Lisa sits beside me and lights two cigarettes, offering me one.

"Because if Cypress isn't around, Phoebe gets to keep the status quo."

I look over my shoulder at the tower and scan quickly for him – he's not around.

"Maybe change isn't so bad," I say, looking back to her. "Who knows how long we've been at war for no reason?"

"Whoah, whoah – this war stopped being about a disease when Katie was killed."

It's true. Ten years ago, a group of boys found an Alpha of ours named Katie wandering alone – they beat her to death and left her where she fell. She was the first casualty of the war – the first of us to bark as a signal. To this day, before we're sent into risky situations against the boys, Phoebe reminds us it's for Katie.

Maybe Lisa's right. One way or another, she keeps talking.

"Just because Cypress is different doesn't mean the war is over. Find me another man who's going to let us touch him to prove there's no danger."

She may play the devil's advocate, but in the Glass Tower the devil often has good points.

"Where are the strays?"

Lisa and I both turn around – it's Saku. She stands, hips permanently askew with attitude, thumbs tucked into her belt.

"'Strays'?" I ask.

"Y'know – Anze and your pet boy."

Lisa looks to me.

"A shame Phoebe didn't pit him against Saku," she says.

"Hush."

"What?" Saku says.

"If you want to hear a word or two about our pet boy, why don't you wander over to Crow and see what she has to say," I tell her, motioning towards the garden. Saku huffs, but curiosity gets the better of her, and she casually wanders in a roundabout way towads Crow regardless.

Lisa and I turn back to look at the courtyard – people coming and going – one girl's coming in with a cut on her forehead – looks like a bullet grazed her.

"We're even more popular than before," Lisa smirks. "Sometimes I wonder if it would have been best for the floor not to get so involved in… 'strays', as Saku would say."

"It's affecting the floor," I say. She knows what I'm talking about. "It could be affecting everyone – I don't know. Maybe we should have that chat."

Lisa takes a deep breath, crossing her legs and creasing her brow. "Yeah, maybe," she says, but shakes her head. "I don't understand it. He does something to us. Well, he does something to me, I don't know about you."

"No, he does it to me too. It's his eyes."

"Mm – for me it's his lips. I don't know what it is about them, they're just so…"

"Appealing," I finish. Lisa nods, flashing her brilliant smile at me. For a moment, we're smiling until we both freeze. She lets her face drop into her hands and groants.

"What the fuck is wrong with us?" she demands. "This isn't normal."

"You and I need to be strong for the floor," I say, fumbling to find another smoke for myself, now. "That's all there is to it. We do our jobs, and that's it. He's just another… he's just another one of us now – we got to keep the floor stable."

"Just another one of the girls," Lisa nods, trying to manage a smile. She wrings her hands together and searches her jacket for more smokes as a hush falls over the courtyard. Cypress and Sophie stand just inside the gates, looking out over the paused scene.