The escape
Tracie,Diana and Axel stood behind the bushes covering a secret passage that Tracie had discovered accidentally. The possibility of even the Yong son knowing of this Secret passage was nearly nil but even if he did, he wouldn't think they knew about it.
"Will you be fine?" Diana asked her friend who was smiling all the while while axel looked out just in case.
"I will, don't worry. I have worked for this household ever since I was just seven years old so I know how most things work around here.You just need to leave. Ok?" She squeezed Diana's hands as she assured her of her safety.
"No one has ever done such a thing for me. I will forever be grateful. " Her eyes grew watery as she expressed her thoughts.
"Maybe you haven't had some friends in your life then" Tracie joked making Diana smile sadly.
Then Diana frowned as she remembered something " Mom's ashes. I need to go get something from our room!" But Tracie shook her head.
" You can't leave this place Diana. This is the safest place in this entire area of land. Every servant in the mansion knows of you right now. And they definitely know that you are supposed to be in the basement cell. If they spot you walking around, your punishment will be nothing below death for sure." Diana shook her head in denial.
" No. Please. This means a lot to me" But her brother who had been looking through the grass on the hedge, returned with even worse news.
"Some guards are roaming the grounds as if in search of something. I think they know we're missing from our cells"
"You need to go now!" Tracie hugged Diana and shook Axel's hand as they weren't close enough to go beyond the usual formalities.
They wore a special mask given by Tracie,that would help with breathing while in the tunnel and said goodbye to Tracie.
Tracie watched their backs as they walked into the tunnel after they had gone far enough, she shut the entrance and prepared to finish what she started.
With a cunning smile on her face, she turned and stared at the mansion standing high.
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As they walked in the dark tunnel, the only source of light was the torch that Tracie had given them to help them see when the tunnel got dark.
They walked for hours until eventually, they met a dead end in the tunnel.
"What! Is that it?" Axel grunted but Diana seemed calm as she roamed her slim fingers on the large coin inscribed on the wall.
" Not precisely. Tracie said the the tunnel would lead to a dead end but there was a way to open it.
There's a hidden button that will open the door.Help me search for it" Axel joined her to look for the the way to unlock the door with a little hope in their hearts.
There was a picture of mountains in the large circular wall but what caught her attention was one peak that looked too symmetrical with the sun about to set behind it.
She touched the sun and felt the immovable hard material under her palm move inwards.
Then a sound of something unlocking was heard.
"I found it!" She exclaimed.
After which the circular wall rolled back away from the opening, showing then the light of day.
Their eyes squinted as they tried to get used to the bright light outside the tunnel.
They blinked and as their eyes refocused in their surroundings, they were mind-blown.
Tall buildings, taller than the one they lived in Vanad stood magnificently before them.
Ahead of them they could see many cars rushing on the highway that twirled like a noodle up, down and all round.
Most buildings around here, had a small area of land dedicated to plants.
It was already night so the light from different sources lit the city. It was beautiful.
The passageway behind them closed automatically as if sensing their movements across the doorway.
They took off their masks to breathe in the fresh air floating around them.
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The sun from the sky fell on the civilians in this district.
Many did not know how this was possible but with the evolution of science and technology, mankind was able to find a way to make this underground empire to be very similar to its home habitat on the surface. Maybe even better in some areas.
However home would always be home.
Little children born in this empire were told tales of how life was easy as it could get before the great war. The tales of multiple countries and people living in different locations because the earth surface was separated by Water. A time of multiple nations.
The most fascinating was the fact that air was free of charge and present everywhere on the surface back then unlike now when the air and water were a basic need which consumed almost fifty percent of the earnings of an average STEM citizen.
Citizens paid the bills for the government to provide air through the airlines connected to their homes while their taxes paid for the air supplied to the streets and open areas.
Diana and Axel were told the same tales among others by their mother.
When she taught them such things, they would wish and desire that their planet could be returned to the way it was before the war, but not all wishes came true.
the harsh reality now was the fact that peace was an asset owned only by the wealthy and powerful.
Power was driving force here in this nation now.
Every single soul on the System grounds was fighting for power to ascend the hierarchy and be somebody.
And even though the small figures struggled for power too, those above were always around to trampled on them.
They lay on the old cardboard paper they had found in a garbage bin in the subway.
They didn't have any money on them to get food or new clothes as they had left everything in the Yong mansion.
" The ashes. I left mom's ashes in that house" Diana said as they lay down on the cardboard.
Axel's eyes opened up looking tired.
They had been walking in that tunnel for hours almost all night yesterday.
It was the middle of the day but they still felt exhausted.
The sound of the trains approaching and departing filled the underground subway.
" I know you want to hold on but we need to let go of the past if we want to move on. It's just her ashes. Mom will always be in our hearts" He consoled her.
He was right. She needed to move on and be strong. Her mother had told them that too.
" Will we ever find a place of our own?" She asked out of nowhere.
Axel sighed as he thought of an answer because even he wasn't sure.
He had questioned himself that multiple times but wasn't able to find a believable answer to convince himself.
"Everyone belongs somewhere. Let's hope we belong in a good place" He said and then they closed their eyes as they prepared for the days that lay ahead.
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