The City Hall from behind was an unwelcoming sight. Whereas the front was full of light, ornately carved seats and blossoming nature, the back was empty but for a fountain. A single set of doors and two small windows dominated the back of the marble building. What was past them, Kyra couldn't see, and didn't want to know. Her goal for the year was to never set foot in that place again.

People milled in the market surrounding the city hall, far enough away to not notice the pair walking quickly across the grass. Kyra tried to focus on the sights and sounds as she followed Ethan to the fountain at the back of the City Hall, but she couldn't, not with James' words pressing on her mind. Have I ever struggled to cope before? Everyday, she'd wanted to reply. How could he act so calm? How could he pretend like everything was fine when his world was tumbling down around him? She heard James' voice in her head, saying a sentence he'd uttered many times before: Experience, Kyra. There are people in this world who need your sympathy more than I do.

Shaking her head to clear it, Kyra turned to watch Ethan. Much like the statue he was staring at in the centre of the fountain, his eyes were set forward, unblinking. She had no idea what was interesting about the statue - she'd seen it a thousand times - and yet Ethan acted like it was the most intriguing thing he had ever laid eyes on. It was a bust of their first ever president, and much like their current one, he was perfect; with skin like satin, hair gelled tightly in place, and eyes that could make you stop and stare - though not for a nice reason. In contrast to his friendly smile, the man's eyes were closed to slits like a snake.

Ethan got to his feet, standing precariously on the edge of the fountain. He reached his foot forward and placed it on the base of the statue. There was a date inscribed below it: October 31, 2020.

"What are you doing?" Kyra watched with a frown, turning her head this way and that, trying to see whether there was something she was missing.

Ethan didn't reply. He ran his hands over the stone, scaling the man's face and chest, and stopped as he reached the man's eyes. What he saw there, Kyra had no clue. She sat down and crossed her legs, pursing her lips to hold back all of the comments and questions that came to mind.

Why are we here? What are we going to practice? Why are you groping that statue? In her opinion, each question was equally important.

A loud snap pulled her back to reality. Kyra got up in a hurry, hands clenched, nails digging deep into her palms. She knew talking to him again would be pointless – he hadn't listened the previous times – but she had to try. "Ethan? I, I don't think you should be doing-"

Click.

The water of the fountain began to drain as the statue rose on short pillars, allowing light to be shed on the dark drain beneath it. Once every last drop had disappeared, the tiled floor split into wedges that dropped lower and lower with each one. Kyra followed their progress in a sprint around the fountain as they dropped lower, lower, lower... and out of sight.

Ethan jumped onto the first step with a grin. "Pretty neat, huh?"

Nodding without thinking, Kyra stepped onto the first step, her churning stomach weighing more heavily on her bladder by the second. "What's down here?" she asked, glancing around the square. There were people talking by the gate, though they didn't seem to notice anything odd. Shaking her head, she followed after Ethan, who was several steps ahead.

"It's a secret passageway. There's hundreds of them under the city. I think they were left over from the city that was here before Arabel, maybe during one of the world wars from the past but no one knows for sure. No one knows anything for sure, really, but that's a whole other topic. Anyway, this is how we get around undetected."

"Why not just use the train? Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Faster this way. The tunnels lead everywhere. I seriously mean everywhere." Ethan shook his head and turned to Kyra, his face lit with amusement. "A friend of mine, Boomer, was once trying to get into the coffee shop. Guess where he ended up? The president's living room."

Kyra sniggered. "I can't imagine that's a nice place to turn up in."

"It's not. Especially at two o'clock in the morning." Ethan chuckled and continued downwards, disappearing into the shadows. Though she could no longer see him, his voice travelled up to where she stood as clear as if he was standing right next to her. "Keep up, we don't have much further to go."

Sighing, Kyra obliged and kept walking, stopping when the shadows engulfed the path ahead of her. Her heart began to pound. She pressed a sweaty palm against the wall to steady herself as she took deep breaths. It was too similar to the dark, stone room with navy walls and sticky, thick blood coating the floor.

She opened her eyes to stare into the void. Something about the dark had always irked her. Perhaps it was the lack of control, or how the shadows seemed to watch her. Either way, it sent shivers down her spine and worries into her mind. Hands shaking, chest heavy, she stepped into the darkness, praying there would be light on the other side.

Almost as though someone had heard her wish, the tunnel filled with light as the staircase straightened into a path ahead of her. She narrowed her eyes at the invasion but didn't dare move away from the bright beam; the torch was the only source of safety she had to battle the darkness, and as stupid as it sounded in her head, that small metal object in Ethan's hand was more powerful than any weapon.

"Could you shine this at the wall for me?" Ethan asked. Frowning, Kyra took the torch and did as he said without comment.

Ethan crossed to the wall and began to search for something. He ran his fingers over the stone, stretching this way and that. It was like he was doing an absurd style of yoga. Kyra raised a brow, but couldn't gather the energy to laugh. The alley reminded her too much of the Vinctures, of that same navy room. She bit her lip and pulled at the threads of her jeans.

Ethan seemed to have found what he was looking for, as he let out an "aha" and stretched out as far as could on one foot. The tunnel burst into light as bulbs above them flickered on, starting above their heads and reaching further than the eye could see.
The path dropped off at the edge of a deep tunnel. Running down its centre were two thick rails, at least a metre apart. The path continued down the side of the cave, and as it curved so did the rails, which seemed to sparkle even in the shadows.

A gasp escaped Kyra's lips as she peered over the edge of the chasm. Clenching her fists to hold back the many curse words in her mind, she said, "They should really put up a sign. You know, something to stop people walking over the edge and dying. I think that would be helpful."

On the rail closest to them was a vehicle. It looked like a mixture of a car and plane, two things that Arabel had only used in textbooks. With a pointed tip and a small shell, it was clearly designed for speed. It was black except for the glowing silver panel that ran around the middle. The door opened upwards, exposing the carts spacious interior as a transparent path extended from the side and reached across to where the pair stood.

Kyra raised a brow at Ethan. He smiled encouragingly and nudged her forwards, though he looked apprehensive. There was a tightness to his smile that wasn't there earlier, a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. "Don't worry," he said, following at her heels as she began to cross. "I'm afraid of heights, so if this was in anyway unsafe you would know about it by now."

The nervous knot in her stomach eased slightly. Hands extended, she stepped onto the glowing path. She was surprised to find that it didn't wobble. In fact, it felt more stable than the stone she'd been on moments before. Despite that she didn't dare glance down. Ethan kept a shaky hand planted on her arm until they reached the other side.

Kyra whistled as she clambered into the front of the cart. It was dark except for the lights near her feet and the glowing buttons to her right. What had looked like solid metal from the outside was actually two way glass, allowing Kyra to see the outside world from every angle; thankfully for her, the floor remained opaque. The seats were made of soft leather, and heated her chilled skin in seconds. "This thing is fancier than my house."

Ethan laughed as he climbed in and began fiddling with the controls.

"So, how fast does this thing go?" Kyra asked, glancing out the front window.

The door swung down with a metallic click. "That depends. Do you think the train is fast?"

"Yes. Too fast."

Ethan puffed out a breath. "Hold on tight. Maybe close your eyes. Actually that might make it worse. Either way you're going to hate it."

Kyra's eyes were clenched shut. "You have a habit of rambling when you're nervous. Maybe it's best you don't drive. I'm good to get out and walk if that's-"

The cart shot forward like a bullet, throwing Kyra back into her seat. A silent scream died on her lips as she watched the world pass them in a blur; she wanted to yell, to cry and vomit all at once, but all she could do was sit there with her mouth gaping, hands clenching the seat for dear life. Bursts of bright light blinded her on every side as they passed tunnels and paths leading away from the main track.

If Kyra had ever experienced fear before, it was nothing like this. She closed her eyes, hoping that would make her feel better, but it only made the darts and turns of the cart more pronounced. Biting down on her lip so hard she thought she would break the skin, she opened one eye, daring to let the scene before her visible.

"Are you alright?" Ethan's eyes darted to the side as he pressed button after button in an uneven beat. Kyra nodded, though her stomach churned and her heart raced faster than the cart. She tried to speak, but knew what little food in her stomach would come back up if she did.

As the cart skidded to a stop Kyra was flung forward, but she caught herself on the dashboard, groaning as pain seared up her wrists. The door to her left swung up, allowing fresh air to flood the cabin and exposing a small platform the same size as the cart. It connected to a wide hallway with a set of double doors at the end.

Kyra clambered to her feet and stumbled onto the platform, taking deep gulps of oxygen as she caught herself on the railing surrounding it. Grimacing, she closed her eyes, praying her world would stop shaking soon.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry, it's mandatory for all new Controllers to ride the cart on their first day. Not that we've had a new one in awhile, but we're sticklers for tradition, I guess." Ethan reached out a hand - to do what, she wasn't sure - but it dropped to his side just as fast. He pursed his lips. "When you feel up to it follow me down the hall, alright?"

Ethan walked down the alley and stopped in front of a wide set of doors. They were made of thick metal and looked as though even a meteor couldn't knock them down. Letting out a groan, Kyra followed Ethan as he pushed the doors open on silent hinges. They led to an even lighter hallway that stretched out on either side of them in an endless white haze. A door towards the end of the hall opened and two people walked out, their heads close together as they examined the notes in each other's hands. Kyra glanced over her shoulder. Where are they going? she wondered. Why are they on this floor?

Before her questions could be answered, the elevator opened ahead of them and Ethan ushered her inside. Kyra crossed to the back corner and leaned against the rail, watching Ethan curiously. He pressed his hand against a small glass panel. A blue line scanned his hand, verifying his identity, before disappearing with a click. In its place buttons bloomed into being. His finger glided along the control panel on the wall as he searched for the right floor number.

The doors slid closed and the elevator dropped, pulling Kyra's stomach down with it. It was exhilarating, watching as each different level passed through the glass. Though she didn't see many people, she saw a lot of white walls and tiles, so much so that it was blinding.

The elevator came to a lurching stop. As they stepped into the hall, Kyra asked, "What are your plans for my training?"

"I think we'll start off with Controlling," he said. Seeing the look that fluttered across Kyra's face, he added, "There isn't really a way to ease you into it. But don't worry, we'll start off with someone easy, someone young. I won't make you do something you aren't ready for."

Kyra nodded, but his words didn't lift the heavy weight on her shoulders. They walked through the level for several minutes. Kyra slowed as they passed different doors, each with a small window, and caught glimpses of gloved hands, keypads and technology far beyond her comprehension. It was common knowledge that the Controllers were also inventors, but Kyra did not expect to see so many labs. She thought it would be computer after computer, all dedicated to Controlling people.

— please comment or vote if you're enjoying this! Part two is in the next chapter —