Built on smoke and mirrors

Chapter 2

Kol and I lived on the outskirts of the town, so the only people that took the snowy path I currently walked on were us and Mr. Green. But slowly the path became wider, and the houses fell closer together.

I never understood why people always wanted to be close together like this. The edge of town was all I knew, but it was peaceful. There I could breathe and think without hearing the neighbors shouting at each other or the bike bells dinging at all hours.

Before long, the streets became busier with foot traffic and cross-country skiers. In Hell, there were only a few people who own cars. Most had skis in the winter and bikes in the summer to go places. I gave up my skis for new blades for my skates, so that forced me to walk everywhere in the winter.

I didn't mind though, since I didn't walk into town often. In fact, I avoided it unless I had to. Like today, for example, for a Monday afternoon, it was busier than normal, which made me want to leave as soon as I could.

A car whizzed by me, causing my head to snap in its direction. I knew all the cars in Hell, but this one was different. It was black, new, and shiny. It grabbed the attention of not just me, but others as it passed by.

I caught sight of one man wearing a suit within the shiny vehicle and knew they must have been from the Motherwealth. They were the only people that dressed that good. You could spot someone from the Motherwealth from a mile away since no one dressed that way here.

Another shiny black car whizzed by, nearly hitting a girl that used to go to school with me. I hadn't been to school in nearly a year. I thought it wasn't worth studying in a cold brick building when I could study on my own and learn the topics I wanted to.

I wasn't the only person who did this. It was a common practice to stop school before one would graduate. Most started working to support the family. I wondered if she dropped out by now, too.

"Are you alright?" I called out to her.

She nodded as she brushed herself off from the slushy snow that flew up and hit her faded black winter coat. "That car came out of nowhere," she spat with hate.

I agreed with her about that. Motherwealth cars always drove around as if they owned the place, as if they didn't care about us. Just last year, a Motherwealth car hit a small child. I went to the funeral, although I can't remember the child's name. The town normally banded together when something terrible happened. I guess what's one plus side to living in a small town.

"Those Motherwealth people don't know etiquette if a car hit them," she muttered under her breath, but I heard it.

I wasn't the only one that openly hated the Motherwealth. Although most were silent for their hatred, in fears that they would be imprisoned to shipped to a work camp farther north. Hearing her rant was a refreshing breath of validation.

"How have you been, Telvi?" she asked as she walked up to me.

"I've been good. And you?" I replied politely.

She shrugged back at me, although I could see she was hiding something behind her tired eyes. Most people in Hell were tired, but kids like us, we shouldn't be as tired as she looked.

"I've been good," she echoed.

"Why aren't you in school?" I questioned, trying to pry more information from her.

For a second, her thin lips twisted before falling flat again. "Dropped out soon after you did to help my parent's fabric shop."

I wanted to say, 'that's a shame, I'm sorry', but she already knew that fact. Life wasn't fair when you had to worry about paying for bills at our age. I mouthed an O in silence.