Blue and White - Levi Fanfiction

Ch. 02 - The Memories We Make

My eyes opened to the morning glow of the underground coming in from breaks in my curtains. That is to say, it didn't, because time moved strangely here, and there was no sunlight to indicate that it was morning, only my own internal clock that by some miracle was still aligned properly... or at least with everyone else, which was as proper as I could hope for around here.

The first noise out of my mouth was a low groan as I stretched my unwilling limbs. The next sound was a wistful sigh as I relaxed. My mind was tired, my body stiff, my very soul eager to do nothing other than go back to sleep. 

A day off would be nice. When was the last day I had one...? Oh, it would have been the last day that Caden had been sick. I stayed home to take care of him. So it really wasn't a day off, it was just a day in which I hadn't gone into work.

I rolled over in bed, getting tangled further somehow into my blankets as I did what I could to prolong actually getting up before El would inevitably seek me out or if not, when my responsibilities would weigh too heavily on me like a physical weight and I'd be forced to get up. But then thoughts of last night came flooding back and I couldn't help but feel dread, rather than hope like always, for our future.

How would we possibly get through this?

We could move, theoretically, but there was hardly a respectable place to move to. This was, arguably, the better part of town, if you could even call it that - as though any part of this city was better than another. I occasionally had to run errands elsewhere in the city and saw the other horrors it had to offer, and... I didn't want Caden anywhere near all of that. Even here was barely better than there. But where the hell would we go?

The only option, if we moved, was to go up.

I sat up in bed and looked across the room to Caden's bed where the boy still slept peacefully. El always said I had too good a heart to live here, that it was a curse and damn shame that I'd been born here and not up there. But of anyone... Caden deserved to be up there. He was such a sweet kid and he didn't deserve what happened to him.

I'd get him up to see the stars. He would see the world we were born into. The three of us would be a family in a beautiful home aboveground. A piece of paper would not tear my family apart. I would make sure of it.

The only question was how.

Things would be tough for a while, that was clear. But there was no point in staying here and complaining about it. It would get us nowhere. No - I needed to go out and do the best I can for my family. And to that end, the first step would be getting out of bed and-

"Maya," El called through the door accompanied with a soft knock, "are you up?"

"I am," I responded, watching as Caden rolled over in bed, disturbed slightly by our voices but not daring to stir yet. I stood and stretched my arms above my head as I crossed the room and made it to the door. I opened it and stepped through the doorway into the darkened hall.

"Good morning, sweetheart," El said warmly, already in his full uniform. "Sleep well?"

"Mm-hm," I said, my voice low and raspy. I rubbed one eye with the heel of my hand, biting back a yawn only to say, "Need something?"

"You see right through me," he chuckled, not denying my words. "Reyes is here, they need me early today to deal with a drug bust on the eastern side of the city. Could you bring Caden to the HQ today for me?"

"Yeah," I answered, stifling the yawn behind my hand, now. "Yeah. I can do that."

"Thanks, darlin'." He planted a kiss on my forehead and then took off down the hall in a brisk manner. I watched him go through bleary eyes and when he made it to the door and began sliding his feet into his boots, I called out for him to be safe and to have a good day. After a quick response of his own, he left, and all was quiet in the house once more.