"Mmh...there."
Fwshh.
"Alright. Bed's done."
The mattress sat dressed in white, tucked beneath a thick red blanket. Stuffed beasts lined the headrest in a soft, uneven row, each one staring blankly ahead like tiny guards assigned to a very unserious post.
Cecilia gave the bed one last look, then turned and headed into the living room.
Ikade was already there, with a pamphlet unfolded in her hands. Cecilia walked over, dropped onto the couch beside her, then leaned back and turned on the television, sifting through the many broadcasts without really watching any of them.
"Hey, wanna check this place out later?" Ikade asked, stopping on one of the pages. "It looks kinda cool."
Cecilia glanced over.
The picture showed an entrance yawning open like the mouth of a cavern. Beyond it, four levels descended through the open space, each floor lower than the last. The metal walls disappeared beneath thick greenery farther in, where a catwalk hung high above it all.
A sharp lens flare cut across half the photograph.
Ikade's eyes moved from one corner of the picture to the next. Her expression practically spoke for her.
'There's so much...wait, no, look there—no, over there first.'
"I don't see a name." Cecilia said, leaning a little closer. "Do you? I only see the address."
Ikade blinked out of it.
"Huh?"
"The name. You see it anywhere?"
Ikade squinted at the small block of text beneath the picture, searched it twice, then gave up with a shrug.
"We're still going, right?"
Cecilia hummed and took the pamphlet from her, pulling the address onto her wrist before adding it to their route.
They flipped through a few more pages and found something else—a smaller exhibition tucked close to their main point of interest. Another place worth stopping by. Cecilia added that one too, letting their little plan become less of a plan and more of a growing excuse to wander.
While she did that, Ikade shifted closer and rested her head against Cecilia's shoulder.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen many animals in person. Just wildefowl and pets around here."
"We live in a city." Cecilia glanced at her. "What were you expecting? Beasts crossing the street?"
She stood up and twisted at the waist, stretching until something in her back gave a quiet pop.
"You haven't been eating anything you're not supposed to, have you?"
Ikade blinked.
"What? What's that supposed to mean?"
"C'mon, you have to admit that was random. There's nothing in the pamphlet that should've made you think, 'Hey, where are all the animals?'"
"Hmph. Fine, then. I guess I'll just stop sharing my thoughts with you."
"Oh no. What a tragedy."
Cecilia ended it with a small smile.
They spent the next twenty minutes without much urgency, half watching whatever played on television and half tapping away at their devices.
At some point, Ikade shifted closer without saying anything, tucking herself against Cecilia's side.
Eventually, once they had their fill of goofing around, they gathered their things and stepped outside. Cecilia locked the door behind them, giving the handle a quick tug before they left.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The corridors greeted them with a crescendo of voices.
They wandered without much of a plan.
More and more people filled the paths around them, the walkways widening and branching until every turn seemed to lead somewhere new. Signs hung from the ceiling in shifting colors, changing with each section they crossed.
They paused here and there, leaning over railings and peering down into open spaces that dropped farther than expected.
Between them, a few corridors sat blocked off. Stores remained closed across the many decks, and construction showed itself in brief flashes—covered walls, exposed supports, workers moving behind temporary barriers.
"Oohho~ that looks really good."
Ikade bounced toward a food stall planted in the middle of a widened corridor.
And it was not the only one.
Stalls split the walkway down the middle, one after another, smoke and steam curling upward in lazy spirals toward the humming ventilation ducts. The sizzle of food filled their ears, mixing with chatter that ricocheted off the walls.
"Hello, what can I help you with?"
Ikade scanned the short menu before pointing to a stacked sandwich barely held together by a single pick. The older woman followed her gesture, wrote it down, then looked to Cecilia.
"This one?"
Cecilia nodded.
They paid quickly, drinks already included, then carried their food over to a nearby bench after a short wait. Sitting down, they took their first sips and let the activity around them pass by.
Ikade focused on her sandwich, barely able to wrap both hands around it. Its layers pressed together beneath the homemade bread—eggs at the top, melted cheese stretching with each bite, crisp lettuce giving way between two kinds of meat.
The bread held it all together, soft on the inside with a satisfying crust.
Cecilia, for her part, had a dish of perfectly cooked fearh with lettuce, green and purple vegetables, and a few fun-sized tortillas tucked along the side.
Munch! Munch~ Munch~
They stayed seated for another dozen minutes before standing and tossing their trash away. Cecilia added a generous tip through her bracelet before they slipped back into the current of people.
Then they went back to wandering, following whatever happened to catch their interest.
With every turn, something new pulled them in.
A shop window.
A display.
A strange sound coming from one of the side halls. Slowly, without really meaning to, they wandered deeper.
Behind them, they left satisfied smiles and happy chatter—vendors pleased with whatever they had managed to sell.
"Let's see..." Cecilia muttered under her breath, scrolling through the map. "What else can we find..."
She flicked her fingers across the display, but nothing useful came up. Ikade returned to her side and pulled up her own phone, searching with the same lack of success.
In the end, they settled on the main attraction from the pamphlet.
They walked without hurry, joining the crowd until it gradually thinned away. Corridors widened, narrowed, then widened again, pulling them farther from the loudest parts of the complex.
Soon enough, an entrance waited for them.
It stood taller than any they had seen so far.
Taller than what the pamphlet had shown.
fshk—!
Their eyes moved from the pamphlet to the entrance, then back again.
It was dark.
And yet, not completely empty of life.
"So…" Ikade started, rocking on her heels. "This isn't what I pictured."
Warm light spilled down from above in uneven pools as they stepped through the straight arch, one of four leading inside.
A couple dozen people lingered across the wide outer floor. Farther inside, temporary barriers blocked the descending levels shown in the picture. High overhead, the catwalks swung idly while a persistent hum brushed against the castle-like walls.
Only then did Cecilia's gaze catch on a board set off to the side, bright against the metal.
'OPENING SOON.'
She slowed, nudging Ikade lightly with her elbow.
"Oh. Well this is a waste of time."
Cecilia turned around first, complaining under her breath while Ikade followed close behind.
Step.
The next moment, they were already in front of their dorm.
They unlocked the room and stepped inside, swapping their shoes for slippers before dropping onto the couch and resting their weary legs.
Cecilia handed the remote over to Ikade, then pushed herself up and headed for the bedroom. She grabbed the spare blanket and, on her way back, tossed it over the feline, earning a soft groan in return.
They settled into the softness of each other's company, sharing half the blanket while the television played in the background. Their conversation drifting from one thing to another.
The moment changed.
Now they sat on the floor, rummaging through their bags before spreading a game across the coffee table. Pieces scattered softly over its surface.
Again.
Ikade paced near the window with her phone pressed to one ear. Cecilia sat at the kitchen island, typing on her laptop with one hand while the other dipped into a bag of chips.
Again.
Now night.
Cecilia slowly opened her eyes, her view tilted sideways.
"Mmgh…no. I shouldn't have woken up. There goes my sleep..."
For a few seconds, she did not move.
The room was dim as her eyes adjusted. Ikade's breathing came soft and even from somewhere nearby, slightly louder than the running fan.
Feels like someone's pulling at my muscles…damn it.
She padded back into the bedroom and quietly opened the closet.
She traded her sleep clothes for a beige, flowy skirt that stopped just above her ankles and a loose blouse.
She only bothered with enough buttons to make herself presentable. After slipping on a pair of white sneakers, she checked the necklace resting against her collarbone and made sure nothing tugged at it.
At the front door, she grabbed her purse and slipped in her earbuds.
With no real destination in mind, she wandered at an easy pace.
The corridors were only half lit at this hour, everything split between black and white. Some stretches glowed softly beneath the ceiling lights, while others sank into shadow, quiet enough to make her footsteps feel louder than they were.
She turned corners without thinking, following nothing in particular until warmth spilled out from somewhere ahead.
Nestled between two closed storefronts was a small instrument shop, its lights still on. Strings, polished wood, and brass fixtures rested behind the glass, warm and inviting against the cold of the corridor.
A plaque beside the entrance read, OPEN—SELF SERVICE.
For a place this big, you'd think more people would still be awake.
krr—fzz.
The light flickered once as she turned on her heel and stepped through the doorway.
Inside, instruments lined the walls or rested on stands, each one soaking in the warm light. Cecilia moved slowly between them, tracing their shapes with her eyes.
Her gaze drifted to the prices.
Then she nudged herself along to another section.
There, she found the guitars. With her interest piqued, she bent one knee and took them in, all their different designs laid out before her.
After a moment, she lifted one from its stand.
It took her a second to find a comfortable hold. Once she did, she brushed her fingers across the strings.
~♪~♪
Not liking it much, she tried another.
Then another.
Then another.
Until, eventually, she found one that felt right in her hands.
Satisfied, Cecilia carried it over to the register and looked around again.
Still no one.
She scanned the guitar herself, then headed back and grabbed a padded case from the display nearby. Returning to the counter, she lifted her wrist and tapped her bracelet against the reader.
The payment went through without a hitch.
She took the receipt without even looking at the price. The display flashed once, replacing itself with a small cheerful face.
Cecilia stared at it for half a second.
Then she opened the case and slid the guitar inside. Once it was secured, she closed the case and grabbed the handle.
Thmp...
Cecilia adjusted her grip and left the shop, the guitar case knocking lightly against her leg.
She continued without anywhere particular in mind. A lit window pulled her down one corridor, then distant voices drew her through another and somewhere in between, she lost track of time.
Eventually, she lifted her wrist.
The map opened around her.
Cecilia stared at the twisting paths, trying to find the route she had taken.
"...The hell am I?"
A path appeared beneath her feet, leading her toward a nearby elevator.
The doors slid open with a soft chime.
Cecilia stepped inside and let it carry her several levels higher. When the doors opened again, the arrows directed her down a narrow corridor.
She followed them through two turns.
At the third, they flickered and swung around behind her.
"You've gotta be kidding me..."
She dismissed the map and continued in the direction she had already been walking.
The farther she went, the fewer people she passed.
A gate blocked the next corridor, its warning strip blinking near the floor.
Cecilia looked behind herself.
Every hallway suddenly looked the same.
"Great..."
Laughter drifted from the only open passage nearby.
Then came the scrape of a shoe.
A muffled impact.
"Cough—you...really had to—khh... me..."
Cecilia stopped trying to piece them together, letting his voice surrender into the surrounding hum.
A group rounded the corner.
One of them had a fist twisted into the back of a man's shirt, keeping him upright whenever his legs gave out. One eye had already begun swelling shut, and blood shone along the split in his lip.
Cecilia slowed.
The one holding him noticed her. His gaze dropped toward the guitar case before returning to her face.
She shifted her left hand.
The group passed her, dragging the man along. His broken laughter followed them through the corridor before gradually disappearing.
Once their voices faded, Cecilia entered the passage they had come from.
It split again farther ahead. Most of the adjoining corridors sat dark and closed off, but a soft amber light spilled across the floor from one of them.
Cecilia followed it.
A quiet lounge waited on the other side. Shelves covered parts of the walls, and a few people sat scattered beneath the warm lights—some reading, others sleeping against their bags.
Near the far wall stood a row of private booths.
Cecilia looked at them.
"Good enough."
One booth had a green light above its door. She tapped her bracelet against the reader.
Chk—krrt.
The lock released.
Before entering, Cecilia glanced back from where she walked from.