“Not that it’s any of your business, but Joanna’s been taken.” I brush Pete aside, sheathe my dagger, fling my rucksack over my shoulders, and take Mikey by the hand. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to find our sister.”
I swing a leg over the window ledge, but a hand jerks me back, sending me crashing to the floor. When I look up, Pete has my bag in his hand. He kneels, his eyes drilling into me.
“You’re coming with us,” he says matter-of-factly.
“What?” I stare at him, stunned. Anxiety prickles my skin like a swarm of fire ants, and my fingers graze my daggers.
His face draws close to mine. “You don’t plan to march into the city and rescue your sister with a couple of dull daggers, do you?”
“I’ll find another weapon on the way.” I grab for my pack, but he brushes my hand aside.
“Do you really believe you and your kid brother can get her back all by yourself? It’s only a matter of time before you’re caught, too.” Pete hands me my bag. “Most survivors have learned the two rules to staying alive. Number one: Don’t leave behind a footprint. Bella and I stick to the rooftops. Others, those that are skilled with weapons and can run fast …”
“And have stomachs of steel,” Bella interjects, wrinkling her nose.
“Those Scavengers utilize the sewage systems,” Pete finishes.
“There are other people?” Mikey asks, tugging on Pete’s coattail.
“Of course there are others,” Bella says with exasperation in her voice. “Lots of them. All kids, obviously. You don’t think the four of us are the only ones left in England, do you?”
“Where are the other kids?” Mikey asks, his expression wild with curiosity.
Pete beckons us to the window. Mikey follows and, with reluctance, I join them. In the distance, the crumbled buildings of Everland rise toward the sky like steel, concrete, and brick tombstones. The navy-blue hues of night have faded into lavender as the sun on the horizon chases away what is left of the evening stars. Only two twinkling points remain. Pete points to the west.
“Second to the right,” he says. “Just below it.”
“You’re telling me there are children hiding in Everland?” I ask in disbelief. “Why would they remain in the city? That’s the first place the Marauders would search. The children are practically right under Kretschmer’s nose.”
“Not Kretschmer. Hook,” Bella corrects.
Pete rubs his stubbled chin. “Quite literally under his nose, in fact. They’re not in Everland, they’re beneath it.”
Staring out into the distance, I try to imagine orphaned children living underneath the decimated city. “How is that remotely possible?”
Bella shrugs and says, “We live in the Underground and within the Lost City.”
“The Underground? As in the railway? I thought the tunnels were destroyed during the war,” I say.
“That’s only partially true,” Pete says, sitting on the frame, his legs dangling outside the window. “Many were destroyed, but some of the tunnels survived the bombing. A few of the secret bunkers are still intact, too.”
He leans forward, his eyes gleaming. “The bunkers and tunnels are much more than concrete holes in the earth now. We have a team of Tinkers, engineers who have built an entire city beneath Everland. A city in which a hundred kids thrive. Clean water, food, shelter.” He glances down at Mikey. “Safety.”
When he looks back at me, his gaze locks with mine. “You are going to be our guests.”
“Guests?” Mikey asks, excitement brightening his expression.
Pete smiles, the first rays of morning lighting the left side of his face in a golden radiance. “We’re taking you to the Lost City.” He stands in the window frame and extends his hand out to me.
Bella, blowing a puff of air, ruffles the fringe hanging in her face. “We? More like you. I didn’t invite them,” she says, climbing into the window frame.
“The Lost City?” I ask in wonder. The thought of a city run by children seems unimaginable, like a fairy tale.
“It’s where all of the orphans go,” Pete says. “It’s where Bella and I call home. The Lost City is all that’s left for us, or at least what the Marauders haven’t claimed as their own. Luckily, they have no idea that it exists. It’s a place for the survivors of the war and the Horologia virus, the children who have no parents. They can, they will, help get your sister back.”
Doubtful, I eye him warily. “You’re kidding. How can a bunch of children help get Joanna back?”
He beams. “I guess you’re just going to have to trust me.”
“Trust you? You must be mad. How do I know you’re being truthful about the Lost City? For all I know this is a trick and you’re aligned with the Marauders. You could take us straight to Hook. And even if you’re not one of those horrid pirates, two less people in the city to fight over supplies would only benefit you, isn’t that right?” I say, brushing Mikey behind me.
Pete crosses his arms. “If I were in with Hook or wanted less competition, I would’ve made sure Hook’s men found you in that abandoned home, and Mikey would be fending for himself.”