Haedon crouched behind a sturdy cactus, taking care to stay away from its spiky protrusions while keeping a beady eye on the grey fox a few metres away from him. In his hand, he gripped a sharp dagger tightly. The dagger was a present from Aunt Savyla on his sixteenth birthday a few months ago. On the Surface, once children turned sixteen, they were viewed as adults and considered as independent individuals expected to fend for themselves. The dagger was Aunt Savyla’s coming-of-age present for Haedon. It’s for you to protect yourself, she told him. I won’t always be around. Haedon had been practising with the dagger at home, throwing it at a wooden board salvaged from a dump site. He had also attempted stabbing objects such as cupboards and doors, to Aunt Savyla’s chagrin. Once, while escaping from a rabid dog, he had struck at the canine, and managed to get in a few nicks. Haedon was at the Commons. Situated adjacent to his town, it was a vast expanse of desert scrub that stretched

A few days after Aunt Savyla had departed for Lystrashire, Haedon started to get sick of hardtack. It was a fuss-free meal (even a child could prepare a meal with it) but it was tasteless and unappetising and. Also, Haedon’s jaws were starting to ache from all the chewing. They ached even when he wasn’t actually eating the damn things. Aunt Savyla was a marvellous cook and was able to rustle up delicious meals from just rice, raisins, dates, and tomatoes. He debated making a trip to the market where he could purchase fresh provisions, but he could not summon up the energy to walk there. It was more than an hour’s journey and he had never been very good at haggling anyway. He decided that he would make do with hardtack for one more day. One day, Haedon and Kyara came home from school to find Aunt Savyla’s dilapidated vehicle at the car park next to their apartment block. “Look, Kyara! That’s Aunt Sav’s vehicle. She must be home!” said Haedon excitedly. Haedon walked up to the vehic

The next few days passed in a blur for Haedon. He had no recollection of eating, showering or indeed, getting out of bed, although he figured he must have done so. He spent most of his time in tears, reminiscing over the time that he had spent with Aunt Savyla and regretting his defiant behaviour towards her. Why hadn’t he been more filial and polite? Why had he yelled at her time and again when she nagged him to study harder? It was for his good, surely. It was too late now. He would never again hear the firm yet gentle voice encouraging him onwards. Throughout his funk, Haedon was dimly aware of Kyara, a comforting presence that helped to keep him from tilting over the edge. After a week of seeing Haedon in tearful mourning, Kyara decided that it was time for Haedon to snap out of it. Kyara squeezed some toothpaste onto Haedon’s toothbrush and brought it to him in bed, along with a mug of water. She helped him to sit upright and handed him the toothbrush. As Haedon started to brus

At the entrance of their room, Kyara noticed that it was Room Number 13. “Let’s hope it’s not a bad omen,” she gulped.“The app is very laggy,” complained Haedon, jabbing at his phone. “Oh, it’s working now,” he said as the door became unlocked.Haedon stepped over the threshold and surveyed the motel room. Carpeted with a grey furry material that looked like it would be more at home on the back of a rat, the room was microscopic and contained, as advertised, two single beds, but barely any other furniture save for a small wardrobe. A door at the side probably led to the bathroom, Haedon surmised.Peeking into the room from the entrance, Kyara spotted dust balls in the corners of the room. She sniffed the air tentatively. “I don’t think they’ve cleaned this room since humans moved underground,” she declared.“Oh, do stop grumbling,” Haedon said. “You wanted a room, and we’ve got a room now.”“Sorry, my bad,” said Kyara contritely.Haedon noticed that Kyara had not moved from her posit

Haedon pulled their basket off the checkout counter with an apologetic smile at the cashier. “We’ve changed our mind,” he said to her. “Wait, what? We have?” asked Kyara in confusion. Scanning the area around them furtively, and keeping his and Kyara’s back to the security cameras around them, Haedon dumped the basket in a nearby aisle and pushed Kyara towards the exit. “Keep walking,” hissed Haedon as they left the supermarket. “I really needed the conditioner,” wailed Kyara. “My hair gets super frizzy if I don’t condition it regularly.” Putting a finger on his lips, Haedon led the two of them back to the motel room without a word, the only sound being their footsteps pounding the ground. “What was that all about?” Kyara burst out the minute they stepped into the room. Mutely, Haedon showed Kyara the message, whose jaw dropped when she read it. Then, she frowned and read the message again. “Fraud Investigation Office,” she mused. “Has your account been hacked so they’re doing