Otherplace

By Gil Liane

If you don’t belong, you fade. In Otherplace no job and no home, means no right to exist. When Place Police sweep the dome, illegals can hide, run or fade from existence.

Helen and her brother Hop take refuge deep in the forest. But at Desperachen Manor one thing worse than being Placeless, is being prey.

Hellen finds hope as a Module at the castle. But magic can’t hide the truth. The more she sees of the world the more questions haunt her.

Why does Prince Charming have so many faces? How did Death become trapped in a person?

Finding where you belong has never been so dangerous. In Otherplace, a teen without a designated role has no right to survive, and the slimmest chance of living without fear.

Turns out the Placeless rebellion has secret allies, and powerful enemies. When a seer insists Hellen will save them, she doesn’t believe the visions.

In Otherplace, it’s hard enough just staying alive.

Cover design by Beetiful Books

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gil Liane
• Release date: Sep 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463381618

Gil Liane

Gil Liane works as a writer. On the fiction front her novels are usually futuristic in setting, and surreal in tone. Fast-paced and cinematic, she loves imaginative worlds peopled with complex characters. Currently working on scripts and more novels.

Book preview

Part One

The Light In The Dark

1

Let’s have moondust tonight.

Her brother’s face is covered in sparkle flakes from a street dancer’s glitter bag. His shirt has a smudge down the front and his left sneaker has a hole in it. Tall, thin, and grungy, Hop looks like a neglected teen. The thought hurts Hellen’s two hearts.

No way, we had moondust last night. We’re having proper food. You can’t live on moondust.

Hop runs a hand through his hair, a recent habit giving away when he’s annoyed or exasperated. Luna eats it all the time.

Luna’s a crescent freak. Girl’s got nothing left except a taste for the celestial.

His sigh makes her feel like a nagging sister. Lately he has an opinion on everything, and it’s exhausting.

But Hellen-

I promised I’d look after you, okay? I promised.

Hop’s eyes are sad. Ten years today since the folks Faded.

He remembered. The look on his face makes her wish he hadn’t. So where should we go today, bro?

We’ll go to Central. He puts a reassuring arm around her shoulders. You can make pretty eyes at the Suits, sis. I’ll wink at the Share Girls. We’ll pick up enough spares for gourmet peanuts every day.

She laughs because it’s what he wants, but as they walk in the direction of Central she finds it hard not to cry. Things were never meant to be this way.

…Her two hearts are thumping so hard she can hear them in her head. Hop’s face has gone white, whiter than a piece of paper.

The tunnels are full of colored smoke. It’s hard to see clearly, but through the cloudiness she can make out people running in different directions.

Mom grips her hand. Stay close.

"What is this stuff?" Hop sounds scared.

"Lung dust, designed to get inside a person and freeze the breathing process. Dad stops. But it can’t do any damage if you breathe through something." He rips the bottom of his good shirt and they hold the ragged pieces over their faces…

Hellen, are you spacing?

They’ve arrived at Central. Shaking off the memories, she turns to Hop. He’s at least a head taller than her now: all grown up.

Where do you want to stand?

The question surprises him. You never let me choose.

Well, you’re not a kid anymore.

After a few seconds he points to a spot near a mainline escalator. Over there.

People flood from the moving staircase, on their way home to Dome living after a long day’s work. That area has some serious suit action. Nice choice.

They work the crowd for an hour or so, hitting up rich transport types for a few spare coins, until a shiver creeps along her spine. Glancing around, she catches a flash of blue.

Hop, we need to go. Keeping her voice calm takes work. Right this minute.

Why?

Place Police on a surprise sweep. Raiding from the west.

His face tenses, but he maintains a casual pace, shoving the spares he’s collected into his pocket. You lead.

Walking toward the East Line, she focuses on blending with the working crowd. It’s a side-to-sider. We need to hit the tunnel under the north gate.

She changes direction, but Hop doesn’t follow; he keeps heading east.

Hop, what are you doing?

Neck arched, he stares at something or someone over by the East Gate. Did you see her? Picking up the pace, he bolts in the worst possible direction.

It takes a few strides to catch up with him. What are you doing? Voice low, she fights the swelling fear. It’s the Place Police, for One’s sake!

I can see her. He offers the four words as if they’re an explanation. Looking determined, he keeps walking.

Hop, I’m not going any further, you hear me? At the sight of the uniforms sweeping the crowd, she freezes. Panic crawls up her throat. You’ll get done! I’m going north.

He keeps walking. For an agonized second she considers taking off, but she can’t leave him behind. He might be acting like a freak, but he’s her brother. She can’t let him Fade.

Moving to catch up, careful not to run, she keeps her gaze fixed ahead. Maybe there’s a way out of this. Alright, where are we going?

Hellen?

He seems dazed. What if something is wrong with her little bro? Are you okay Hop?

Excuse me. This is a random Place check.

Staring up into the face of a young Placeman, her throat goes dry.

Are you alright, miss?

His smile is friendly, but she can’t smile back. Her hearts beat faster, making her dizzy. What to say?

Problem, Bill?

An older Placeman moves to stand next to the young officer. His mouth is set in a grim line and his face has harsh wrinkles carved into the skin. He looks like someone who’s been Fading people for a long time.

No, just routine. The young Placeman’s boredom is obvious.

When they focus on her again, Hop takes her hand.

This is my sister.

She wants to scream at him to run. Taking a deep breath, she gets ready to jump the Placers.

They’re with me.

Turning her head, she finds a tall woman standing behind her right shoulder. The stranger’s eyes and gown are the same color: a rich, dark wine. Long grey hair is trapped in an enormous topknot, strands woven together as if keeping something prisoner.

I have quite a group with me today. The woman’s teeth are longer than normal, and sharp, like animal fangs. Thank you for finding these two wanderers. Central is terribly crowded.

Why is this stranger helping them? Yes, we got lost. Moving closer to her brother, she forces a smile.

The younger Placeman looks nervous. The older Placer stares at the lady, who stares back.

We can’t miss our train. The creepy lady raises an eyebrow, as if the Placemen are being rude.

She expects the Place Police to ask the woman for a pass, or Place check, but they don’t. The older Placeman puts a hand on the younger one’s shoulder and they take a cautious step backward, as if facing a rabid animal.

Won’t keep you, then.

Thank you. The lady pairs the words with a wide, disturbing smile, displaying too many scary teeth.

A claw-like grip wraps around her arm and drags her the rest of the way to the East Gate. She doesn’t bother resisting. What would be the point? The Placers are still watching.

Hop keeps pace beside them. She tries to catch his eye but his gaze is locked on something ahead.

She stays silent until the officers are out of earshot. Where are we going?

Does it matter? You don’t have anywhere else to be.

The woman’s smug smile sets off alarms, and any Placeless person knows the first rule of survival: listen to your instincts. If you feel unsafe, hit the ground running.

Problem is the woman still has a firm grip on her arm, and there are too many Place Police around to risk a scene.

We don’t body sell. You should let us go. She tries to keep her voice steady; unable to shake the feeling they’re already caught in a web.

Oh, that’s not what we want. The woman laughs, stopping in front of the people who caught Hop’s attention. Sometimes we bring home strays for fun.

Checking out the group, she isn’t reassured. They seem normal, but instinct tells her something’s not right about these teens. A dark-haired girl in a dress the color of ripe cherries and fresh blood is staring at Hop, and he’s staring back as if the beautiful stranger is the embodiment of One.

You think we’re strays?

I think the two of you could use a vacation outside city walls for a while.

The meaning behind the spidery woman’s words is clear. The Place Police must be initiating a sector sweep. The last one, over two years ago, took out most of the Placeless in the city. Only blind luck kept them alive that time.

The creepy woman nods, as if reading her thoughts. Yes, continuing to exist could prove a challenge.

She hates to ask, but the situation’s suddenly dire. Where are you scheduled?

A lovely house in the country called Desperachen Manor. Here’s our ride. Stepping onto the escalator, the woman flashes those disturbing teeth again. I do hope you both join us.

A midnight-blue carriage pulls up at the platform below, sleek and dangerous in comparison to the other trains on the track.

Please come. The girl Hop’s been staring at has a sophisticated voice, rich and smooth, like someone who’s had harmony training.

Hop looks stunned, swaying slightly like he’s had too much to drink. The girl steps onto the escalator, and the other youths follow.

That was close. None of the group glances back, but a hunted feeling lingers, hovering between her shoulder blades like an annoying itch. What do you think?

I want to go with them.

She stares at him. Why so eager? We don’t even know them. They could be dangerous.

He shrugs. It’s not like we have anywhere else to go.

I wish we did. This feels like a huge mistake.

Chill, sis. Grabbing her hand, he drags her onto the escalator. Think of it as a holiday. I mean it’s a country manor. What could go wrong?

2

She keeps her gaze down during the train ride, avoiding eye contact. Hop stays quiet and still on the seat beside her. Mostly he smiles at the girl in red, who smiles back.

The group murmur amongst themselves, but the conversations are short-lived; for most of the trip silence fills the enclosed space. Minutes stretch into hours. A few passengers read while others doze off. She tries to stay alert, but a heavy sensation pulls her into sleep.

…"Which way?"

Dad’s forehead is wrinkled, which means he’s thinking. One of the smaller byways is the best bet.

"Mom, I’m gonna throw up."

Hop doesn’t look good, and he’s shivering, as if the tunnels are freezing.

Mom passes him an Ocean Blue Bar about to be packed in his lunchbox when the raid started. It’s alright honey, there’s no need to get upset.

Hellen remembers what dad said when they first moved down here, that it would only be for a little while, till he got a Place in an Office again.

That’s what being Office Personnel meant: you had a Place until your company disappeared, making you Placeless. When a new company came along, you got your Place back and the whole family could live in the Dome again.

When Hop came home from underground school upset about the raid stories he’d heard, dad had insisted they were just stories. He’d said Place Police never came into the tunnels because it was too dark and cold. He’d said Place Police knew good people lived down below, people who weren’t really Placeless, just between Places. He’d said they were safe.

Dad had lied.

Screaming fills the tunnels. The rainbow smoke makes it hard to see. Body-shaped shadows struggle in the distance.

Someone grips her shoulder. Hellen?

It’s Lady Lombardy from the Third Tunnel. They helped the old lady make a heap of jam from a basket of starberries once. A few of the jars are still glowing in their cupboard.

Lady Lombardy is coughing hard, and Dad gives the old lady a piece of his shirt.

Hop grabs Lady Lombardy’s arm. Come on!

They run for the nearby small unit wormhole, a twisty tunnel stretching up to the street where they’ll be safe.

A large explosion shakes the floor. The wall of the nearest tunnel collapses, almost landing on mom and dad. Through a new dose of rainbow dust, Place Police emerge wearing masks to protect their lungs.

"Freeze."

They do, but only for a second, and mostly from shock. Dad lets out a bloodcurdling yell, shoving something into her hand before leaping at the nearest Placeman. Two of them end up struggling with dad while another lunges for mom.

"Run, and look after your brother!" Mom shoves her away.

"Come on." She grabs Hop and they scramble over the rubble, trying not to slip.

"Going somewhere?" The fourth Placer has circled around.

Hearts beating fast, she gets a better grip on the knife dad passed her, but before she can attack, Lady Lombardy appears from the dust and leaps on the Placewoman, scratching and clawing like an animal.

"Run kids!"

Lady Lombardy’s shriek is drowned out by other people’s screams. Place Police are everywhere.

Hop pulls on her arm and they run to the wormhole. Climbing in, she pauses on the other side, looking back at the blurred figures.

Through the sheen of dust, a Placeman yells the dreaded test words at dad.

"What’s your Place? What’s your PLACE?"

Dad doesn’t answer. He begins to Fade, and in seconds the Place Police are holding nothing.

Hop makes a sound, half-cough, half-sob, reminding her they need to move. Grabbing his shirt, she shoves him in front of her, further into the wormhole, and they start crawling…

A book slamming shut jolts her awake and it takes a moment to remember why she’s on a train. Her head is pounding. For a wild second she can’t shake the idea someone was sifting through her memories.

The girl across from her thumps the guy who made the noise. You’re no fun.

Ignoring the girl, he opens the book again. His eyes stay locked on the pages for the rest of the ride.

Eventually the train glides to a halt. The station is a sleek marble platform. She and Hop follow the now silent group, who don’t look thrilled to be home. The sun is low in the sky as they take in the countryside.

So much green. Hop’s voice is full of wonder.

The forest is lovely, but it’s as if the trees and grass are waiting, the scene is so still.

A large black motorized carriage idles nearby with a man in goggles behind the wheel. The engine sounds like a confused cat, alternating between purrs and snarls. The last to climb inside, she gazes out the window as they take off, letting her mind wander back to the dream.

It was a bad crawl through the tunnels. Even now, in daylight ten years later, she gets a chill thinking about that small, dark place. Rainbow dust wafted down from the mainline connection, making Hop cough. And he was crying, which didn’t help. She had to half-carry and half-drag him the last stretch.

Only when they got up into the light and ran a couple of streets to a safer district did the tears stop. Huddled in a smelly space behind some bins, pressed together against the cold, Hop had unwrapped the Ocean Blue Bar he’d clenched in his hand the whole way. Fingers shaking, he’d offered her the first bite.

That was when she