The darkness dawns, James mused. Down in the tunnels there was no sunlight or moonlight, it was impossible to tell what time it was without using the View. Day or night, light or dark? He didn't know. He had half a mind to go and check... maybe he would pick out Jazz, his orange hair bobbling along the vast sun-streaked expanse of blue horizon. But, he knew he couldn't. He had to study if he had any chance of Abe ever letting him leave. He reached down and swiped his hand along the side of his bed, and a blue patch glowed to life. However, he didn't get up, he lay in his small bed mulling everything over. Jazz gone. Julia gone. And, he had done nothing. 'You're doing nothing now idiot,' Jazz's voice filtered across his thoughts.

He smiled despite himself and swung his body out of bed. He left his room two minutes later and headed towards the main tunnel. With no eviction, the tunnels were empty and he let his thoughts drift while his feet directed him. He wondered what he could do to convince Abe he was ready. But, no matter what he did, it seemed Abraham was intent upon enforcing the opposite. His thoughts were interrupted when he realised his feet had led him to his destination. He stood outside Bridgette's quarters. He wasn't surprised that his feet could lead him while his mind was occupied, he came here every day, well, every day except Evictions. He rapt his knuckles against the make-shift door.

'Come in,' tinkled from the other side.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The small alcove was bathed in all types of patch-like colors. Jazz had told him that many of the tunnellers used the patches to create a form of interior décor. However, James found the multitude of swirling colours a little distorting, especially, when he had to study. Bridgette was sitting at the small round table that filled most of the room. Like some of the elder tunnellers, Bridgette's quarters were bigger. Two passages branched off from the small alcove, James had never been beyond this room so he didn't know what was down each. He imagined one led to her room and the other to a private lavatory.

As he made his way towards the table, the patches came to life. Bridgette had set a circle of red into the ceiling above the table and ringed it with different colours that spread outwards, colours that changed, bathing him in a different glow for every step he took. On the walls she had designed all manner of animal shaped patches that seemed to move with him as they lit up. It was pretty cool, he mused, thinking of all the ideas Jazz had shared with him. He sat down reminiscing about his best friends plan to cover himself in patches and follow people around.

It was silly, and it would probably scare the Unit out of them, but, it was funny, and that was all Jazz did, try to make him laugh.

He sat down, bathed in a patch of red. Another memory of Jazz flickered across his mind, this time of their last race through the patches... his resolve to learn hardened.

'What are we studying today?'

Bridgette looked at him for a long time before replying, obviously trying to decide if he was being serious or not. James knew he wasn't the best student, he was often easily distracted and the subjects mostly bored him. But, then again he was basically learning about the history of a world he had never seen. A world that had thousands of things people grew up with, seeing them every day, things they recognised with ease. Things he couldn't even name, yet alone work. Everything that was second nature to them, was new to him. His memories were limited to the darkness of a cave, and that was all he could remember. He realised that if he was going to infiltrate the world – the notion almost crippled his resolve, for so long he had feared finally learning everything he needed to know, because that would mean he was ready to infiltrate the Unit, and the idea scared him so much that even the outside world didn't sound as appealing. But, that was when the outside world didn't have Jazz and Julia in it. Now, he had to know everything. He had to learn, and fast. So far he was well-versed in the basics, knives, forks, windows, streets, cars, lights and houses were pretty simple. He knew about trees, grass, the ocean, clouds, the sky, the sun... the outside world was now — as Jazz would often say second nature to him. But, he had been more interested because he had seen it. And, he'd wanted to put names to the images. Things like computers and technology were harder because well – it was boring, a picture wasn't like the real thing, he had quickly realised he needed to hold the actual gadget in his hands and see what the device could do to understand it. However, right now knowing the names would be enough. It was a step above most of the "born tunnellers" who were brought to the tunnels when they were so young they had no recollections of the outside world. Instead they had grown up without learning anything beyond the dark walls they hid behind. They were unfamiliar with things like the concept of time, the ocean, the outside world, day and night, the effect of the moon on the tide or what the tide was, strange inventions like cars, airplanes or cell phones were mysterious concepts that were fading from the memories of even the elder tunnellers and notions of houses and families were distant disregarded philosophies.

As if she had decided he was serious Bridgette cleared her throat interrupting his stock count of what he had learnt. 'Today I will explain doctors, nurses and hospitals.'

There was catch in her voice as she spoke and she wouldn't meet his eye. He was used to it though; she seemed to treat him with trepidation and at times pity. But, today he felt something emanating from her. Guilt radiated around him in waves. He tried to calm it, but, it was too strong. So, he attempted to distract her by talking. 'They the ones who use the medicine,' he said recalling something she had told him during a previous lesson.

She nodded, while her curly greying hair bounced around happily her guilt didn't waver. He wandered what it was that had made the mention of this lessons subject such a sore spot. He didn't dare ask, none of the resistance liked speaking about the world they had left behind, and he was already making her relive it every single day. He couldn't imagine how much she disliked him for it.

'Doctors and nurses treated people who were sick,' she lectured. She must have seen the hurt look cross his face, because she went on rather hurriedly. 'I am sorry about Jazz,' she muttered strangely out of character. They never discussed anything but their lessons. 'I know it's hard to...' she trailed off, but, he didn't need her to finish. Just the acknowledgement from her was massive and maybe, just maybe this lesson could help. He nodded for her to continue. 'When people got sick they used to go to hospitals—

'A hospital is a big building –

'I know what a building is,' he said before she could ask. It was infuriating learning like this, for everything she explained, she had to explain five other things for it to make sense. But, then he thought about what it must have been like for her. To teach something that was so simple to her to someone who knew nothing.

'In this building the nurses and doctors were divided into different specialties'. She listed off the anatomy of a human body, but, he was already familiar with all the parts and he didn't need to know the exact details of each. That as Bridgette reminded him wouldn't be common knowledge.

'We used to treat patients with medicines as you've already learnt.'

'We?' James exclaimed.

Bridgette paled slightly. 'I was a nurse,' she stammered as if the mere thought scared her.

James wandered if the guilt he had felt flow from her was because she had let a patient die on her watch or... he didn't really know. He spent the rest of the lesson focused on her words and the pictures she showed him in different books. He learnt about types of plants that had medicinal properties, surgery that branched into law suits and lawyers and eventually money. The notion of paying for something was weird and it took him awhile to wrap his head around it, of course he had heard about it, but, still... down here everything was given, it was strange to think of a world where you had to pay for something just to survive.

He didn't really know how long he sat there. Asking Bridgette question after question to which she patiently replied. He laughed a little at one point where he thought about the fact that Bridgette could make anything up and he would just believe her. She giggled when he told her. Despite, what he thought about her disliking him, her ageing face was kindly, and even though her green eyes often regarded him with sadness, she never showed him any of the hatred, he so often felt from the tunnellers.

'I think you've got a handle on this now,' she stated, 'why don't you go grab something to eat?'

James nodded getting to his feet. He didn't feel hungry at all, and the thought of going to the food hall without Jazz physically pained him, not to mention he'd have to face the tunnellers alone.

Bridgette seemed to pick up on his emotions. 'Wait here,' she ordered before disappearing down the passage on the left. He stood awkwardly at the table for a few seconds before she returned. 'Here we are,' she tossed him something.

He caught it and turned it over in his hands. It was a pack with a little packet of water.

'Thank you,' he breathed, the relief must have been plain in his face, because Bridgette smiled.

'See you tomorrow,' she said kindly, but, there was a knowing look in her eyes, as if she knew what he was planning. Maybe I'm not the only one who can read people, he thought while walking to the door. He opened it and was halfway out when he turned back. 'Thank you!' he said again. 'For everything,' he finished lifting the pack and nodding towards the table.

Bridgette looked at him for a long time as if she wanted to say something. 'James,' she started.

He looked on, he could feel it... she was building up to tell him something big. 'When you were...'

'Good morning,' Abe announced his arrival loudly.

Both he and Bridgette jumped. 'Why thank you James,' Abe said strolling through the door he was holding ajar.

'I'll see you tomorrow Bridgette,' he said reluctantly. He knew she wouldn't tell him what she was planning to with Abe present. Bridgette nodded and James let the door swing close behind him before Abe got a chance to lecture him on yesterday's fiasco.

With no inclination to see anyone else, and no best friend to spend the rest of the day with he went straight back to his room. The thought of Jazz and Julia out there, the sickness spreading, coming closer and closer to activating their Units stole his appetite, he couldn't stomach the soggy contents of a pack. So, he tossed the pack into his cupboard and fell onto his unmade bed. He tried to think about his plan, but, he couldn't shake the idea of Jazz guiding Julia through a landscape that he hardly understood....

He had to do something, if he could find one of the plants Bridgette had taught him about he could help them, but, he didn't have much time. He had to escape, he sat up, his half formed planned flickered across his mind like Television show with bad satellite reception. He knew Abe would have people monitoring the tunnels, he always did after evictions. No matter how emotionless the tunnellers seemed on the surface, they were human — especially the younger generation, and, when a friend or family member, no matter how distant was kicked out and sentenced to die, people often had no choice in the matter, their emotions took hold and the only way to stop them was to setup extra measures. James knew the food and the exit would be secured, while sentries would watch the main tunnel. But, there was another way out...

The View...

He jumped up, grabbed the unopened pack and started off down the tunnel. He tried to creep along the passages, but, the heat sensing patches made it impossible, not to mention pointless. So he walked confidently down hallway after hallway, all the while coming up with excuses in case he ran into anyone, he didn't need them. Nobody trekked this far from the main tunnels. It didn't take him long to navigate his way to the opening. He was about fifteen meters away when he encountered his first problem, there was no light filtering through the vine-y curtain. And, the patches ended where he stood. If he moved any closer, he would be engulfed in darkness. Still, he had to get out. He bent his knees, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet and launched himself into a sprint, he was halfway to the opening when the light faded and the darkness hit. He stopped. The blackness surrounded him like a curtain, he couldn't see anything. He edged forward slowly, feeling out in front of him with his hands like he was trying to find the light switch of a new house at night. Slowly he inched forwards, his heart raced with each step he took, he knew how high the opening was, if he –

His hand brushed across wet brambles and he jumped backwards in fright. 'Stupid,' he cursed himself in a hushed whisper. He took a step and reached out, the vines were wet and cold, he brushed them aside and darkness...

He couldn't believe something could be so dark, and that was from somebody who had grown up in a cave. However, as he watched a hint of brightness crept across his vision. He watched the moon; it rose above the horizon as if it had been waiting for him. The white orb climbed above the ocean and hung there revealing different shadowy shades of the outside world. The illumination seemed to dissipate the heavy clouds that rolled around above him. He watched unmoving as the dense columns of coiling fog faded away and stars popped into existence, appearing as if they were waiting for the moons permission. Their blinking glow added more light to the setting allowing him a somewhat vague black and white viewing of the world. The ocean was a glimmering black that rolled over a coastline bathed in a silvery glow, while the beginning of the forest was marked by tiny dots of white, where the moon reflected the twinkle of rain lashed trees. He traced the forest all the way back to the base of a vertically rising rock that was a dark grey, it was so far down that not even the longest vine would dare stretch that far. But, there were little shades of lighter grey where the rock face jutted out. He had read about abseiling and rock climbing and he wanted to see if he could climb down the rock face. He would've loved to see what he was facing in the light, but, he doubted he would feel any better about it. He didn't think it was possible for an untrained, he hated to admit it short boy to make it that far down. Besides, he comforted himself, killing himself to get to them wouldn't help anyone. He would find another way, letting the curtain fall back into place he turned to leave and found himself staring into a patch of blue light and two sets of eyes. He was in trouble now...

'Well, well, well what have we here.'

James gritted his teeth as Tristan acknowledged him from the patch of blue light.

'Pining over your red-headed friend are you.'

Before he knew what he was doing but he was stepping towards Tristan, the patch may have been blue, but, he was seeing red.

The only thing that stopped him was the other voice. It seemed to register in some part of his mind. 'Tristan!' it reprimanded him. 'Take that back. Now!'

He recognised Vivian. She stood next to him. A tall blonde girl with a pale angled face and slanted dark blue eyes. She had never spoken to James before, but, she was always attached to Tristan by the hip.

James was surprised when Tristan relented. 'Sorry,' he said although it sounded forced, 'that wasn't fair.'

He didn't really know what to say so he looked around, he was surprised to find himself so far from the opening, he didn't recall moving.

'What do you want Tristan?'

'Temper temper James,' he teased, 'although it must be nice to be able to let your feelings control you.'

James shook his head. Here is was again. They hated him for something he had no control over. He simply stood there waiting for the dice to drop. He realised they must have followed him here, and now that they had found out where he was they would tell Abe. This last view of the world was about to be shut off from him. For good...

'What's out there?' Vivian asked surprising him.

James stared back at her, there was something in the way she stood next to Tristan that reminded him of something, but, he couldn't put his finger on it.

'It's a view of the outside world,' he stated. Normally, he would've launched into a description, a detailed explanation of everything that was out there. He remembered telling Jazz, he had gone on for so long that even his talkative best friend had eventually asked him to shut it. The memory brought a smile to his face. A smile that slid from his face when he realised who was watching. They wouldn't want to see it, they just wanted to bust him. To get him in trouble, to take out how they were made to live—

They were in love. The memory of a lesson surfaced. Bridgette was showing him pictures of non-verbal communication, there was one where a girl and boy stood side by side. Bridgette pointed out the closeness, the positions of their bodies and explained how... Vivian brushed her long hair over her shoulder. 'You're in love with each other,' he whispered.

'What was that?' Tristan asked. There was no way he hadn't heard it, the tunnels echoed even at the worst of times, but, there was also no way James was repeating himself. He stood in silence as the puzzle pieces clicked together. The endless teasing, the constant belittling... they hated him because he could act on love, on lust... on...

'You do realise that nobody can love me?' he said a little louder than he'd intended. His voice blasted down the passage like a gust of cold wind.

Tristan regarded him angrily. But, Vivian seemed resigned to the conversation. 'Jazz can,' she pointed out.

'Yeah, but we're not...' he blushed, 'we're just friends.'

'Then why did you go so...' Vivian trailed off. 'Julia,' she murmured, looking annoyed with herself for missing it. 'You like Julia.'

James appreciated the fact that his face was hidden by the shadows, especially when Tristan opened his mouth. 'So you lost it back at the Eviction because you're in love with Julia?'

'Yes,' James said, he didn't see the point of lying now, besides he wouldn't be here long enough for them to use this against him.

'I didn't know,' Tristan said dropping his head, 'I always thought Jazz...

'I do love Jazz,' James said honestly, he didn't want to belittle any part of their friendship, 'but, as a friend.'

Tristan nodded at him. 'But, there are other things,' his eyes traced Vivian's lips.

James looked away, he found it odd enough that they had despised Jazz and himself because they thought they could kiss each other.

But, what came next was even odder. 'Can we see?' Vivian asked, looking beyond him towards where the wisps of white light shone through the curtain of now shimmering vines.

'Sure,' he said somewhat surprised.

Vivian nodded towards Tristan who pulled a patch from the wall and walked towards him. James found himself feeling stupid for not thinking of doing that, but, then again it had taken him sixteen years, more comments than he could count, the loss of his best friend and the girl he had a crush on to notice why exactly Tristan and his cronies disliked him.

He led them towards the opening. 'Put that there,' he instructed Tristan. As if by habit Tristan glowered at him, but, he placed the blue patch of softly pulsing light against the side of passage where it wouldn't impede their view. James moved the vines aside and summoned them with his other arm.

'Wow,' Vivian exhaled.

It's incredible,' Tristan added, surprising him for the second time in as many minutes.

He felt their emotions swell and he smothered them a little just in case. They didn't seem to notice. 'You should see it in the day,' he said without thinking.

'The what?' Tristan asked.

James cursed inwardly. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone what he was learning. Abe thought and was probably right, that it would make the younger generation of tunnellers want to venture out into the world. But, he decided to be honest, telling the truth had worked so far.

So, he explained about his lessons, what he had been taught. He explained the difference between night and day, but, it was difficult trying to articulate it to somebody who didn't understand and had never seen anything he was attempting to describe. Poor Bridgette, he thought, imaging how hard it must have been to explain something so simple and remain so patient when he constantly misunderstood. He briefly wondered what she wanted to tell him, he hadn't given it much thought, but, he was interrupted by Vivian. 'So day is like a massive patch that doesn't go off?'

Jame nodded. 'I guess,' he answered, 'but, its called the sun.'

They both nodded, but, he really couldn't describe it any better without them seeing it. So, he pointed out the moon, the sea, the stars, the sky... offering the best explanation he could muster as he went. Vivian and Tristan stood next to him asking question after question, but, he didn't get tired of trying to answer them. He wanted them to understand, to see, to know...

They spoke for hours until eventually the moon was high in the sky and Tristan was snoring softly, his head in Vivian's lap. She was stroking his curly hair without really realising what she was doing. James had been monitoring their emotions the entire time and stifling them every time they heightened.

Vivian and himself were sitting on opposite sides of the passage, resting their backs against the cool tunnel walls. Vivian had tied the vines together with one of her hair bands and they were both looking through the opening like it was their personal window onto the world.

'Why?' Vivian asked breaking the silence. James glanced at her and shrugged. 'Why what?'

'Why are you learning all this?'

'So I can infiltrate the outside world,' he offered. But Vivian didn't let him get off that easy. 'And, once you've done that?'

He looked back towards the opening. The outside world was brightening. He imagined that rays of fire were already working their way into the horizon. 'So I can destroy the Unit,' he said calmly.

He may have said it calmly, and it had always been the plan. But, it sounded crazy, one boy, yes free of the Unit, but, still he had to infiltrate a world where everything was monitored, fit into a society he didn't understand, move under the radar and eventually find a way to destroy something that was a part of every single human being.

Abe was right, he wasn't ready. But, he doubted he would ever be. There was no way they were going to discover how to destroy the Unit from here.

'Sounds easy,' Vivian said sarcastically, as if reading his thoughts.

He looked at her and smiled. She smiled back. 'I'm sorry we gave you such a hard time, if we'd known...'

She trailed off as a burst of light lit up the cave. James got to his feet. 'Doesn't matter,' he said and he meant it. 'Wake him up and let me show you what a sun rise looks like.'

It took a little grumbling but eventually Tristan joined Vivian and himself at the opening. The sun crested the ocean sending rays of reds, hues of crimsons and burst of oranges shooting into the dark sky and battering the darkness aside. The light hit the water reflecting sparkling crystal-like light that shimmered on the surface.

'Wow!' this time it was Tristan. The fiery ball of light lifted out of the ocean dripping tendrils of flames like it was getting out of a pool. As the sun rose, its light touched the tips of the giant trees, turning the forest a golden green. He explained what everything was as soon as it was illuminated by the glowing rays until eventually he ran out of words to describe what they were seeing and they were left standing there in silence watching the outside world wake from its slumber.