The impact resonated in her very bones, the sharp
crunch
felt more than heard. Kemp fell to his knees. She stared down in incomprehension at the splash of red on her flesh.
Over the pounding in her ears and the cheering of the crowd, Ruby's voice rose up, loud and insistent. "Pin him!"
Hart blinked down at Kemp. He was on his knees, hands over his face. She planted her heel against his shoulder and pushed, bearing all her weight down on him to carry him to the floor. He pulled his hands away from his bloodied face, clawing viciously at her foot with red-stained hands, but Leo's final
Ten!
echoed through the arena.
She stepped back and Kemp struggled to his feet, snarling through the blood that gushed from his broken nose.
"I'm gonna kill you for that." He moved in close, even as Leo's voice proclaimed her the victor. "You think you can just beat me and walk away? I'm gonna find you and kill you, boy. Tear you to pieces with my bare hands."
Hart's eyes widened as he spit the words into her face. His mouth was slick with his own blood, his teeth seeming to drip with it. Anger burned in his dark eyes.
"Time to go cool off." Leo dragged Kemp back, pushing him off to the side of the ring.
He kept his eyes on Hart as he slipped through the ropes. "You ruin my perfect record. You die," he growled, pointing a meaty finger at her. "You got me?"
Leo took her arm, turning her away from Kemp to face the cheering crowd.
Chapter Eight
Ruby poked her head around the gym door, smiling as her gaze came to rest on Hart. Hart grabbed for the punching bag in front of her, stopping its pendulum swing. She wiped at the sweat falling into her eyes.
"Hey."
"Hi." Hart felt a flush crawl over her face. She didn't know what it was about the other girl that made her so nervous. At first, of course, she had just been worried that spending time with Ruby would compromise her secret, that she'd let something slip like she did that day in the park, and everything would be ruined. But as time passed, she grew more confident in her ability to fool those around her. Still, every time Ruby looked her way, her heart sped up. She told herself it was just the way Leo watched them when they were together, a soft, knowing smile on his face.
It wasn't like she could tell Leo that he didn't know anything. Not about her.
"Still working out?"
Hart shrugged, fiddling with the tape on her hands. "Got another fight coming up."
"You always have another fight coming up," Ruby said drily. She arched an eyebrow. "You're not still thinking about that asshole Kemp, are you?"
Hart didn't look up, focusing on the dirty end of her wrappings. "He seemed pretty serious," she muttered. Her wrist still throbbed painfully, the sprain a constant reminder of her own frailty.
"They all seem serious when they're mad." Ruby came over, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Outside of the ring, he's all talk. They all are. Okay?"
Hart looked up, meeting her gaze. "I guess." She didn't want to admit how much the fight with Kemp had shaken her—the cruelty in his eyes, how close she came to losing, and the threats he spewed at her as he left the ring. All of it left her unsure of her footing.
"Let's go out," Ruby said abruptly.
"O—kay? Out where?"
"To eat. Let's go get some food." Ruby smiled. "It'll be fun."
Hart couldn't deny that spending time with Ruby was fun; everything the girl suggested, every place she took Hart to, ended up being something special. She kept telling herself that she should say 'no,' that she should back off before Ruby got the wrong idea. But every time she found herself nodding helplessly, drawn along by the enthusiasm in Ruby's eyes.
One more time wouldn't hurt, she told herself. They were friends. It would be crueler at this point to start avoiding Ruby. Crueler even than her deception. At least, that's what she told herself.
"Alright." She grabbed a towel and wiped herself off as best she could, soaking up the sweat that coated her skin. She probably smelled, she thought self-consciously, and then wondered when she ever worried about that before. Certainly not when she spent her days crawling over the heap like a fly.
Still, she rubbed a hand over her hair, growing out short and spiky, and hoped it looked presentable.
"I know just the place," Ruby said. Hart trailed her out of the gym and onto the street, her eyes skating over the other girl. Ruby always managed to look pretty and clean despite her days spent in the gym. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that barely contained the volume of her curls. It showed off her long neck, though, pale against the black of her shirt and the fire of her hair. Hart dragged her eyes away, focusing on her steps, the ground in front of her.
"You're going to like this, I think." Ruby grabbed her arm, her fingers wrapping around Hart's wrist, tugging her further down the block. "Here."
Hart looked around, surprised. They were in front of a dull silver cart, the smell of meat and onions heavy in the air.
They had food carts in the Gutter, too. Nothing quite as permanent-looking as this one, but people who set up shop to sell a quick bowl of stew or hunk of bread to passing workers. Several set up around the heap during the day, hoping to tempt the scavengers into parting with their hard-earned coins.
She had assumed Ruby was going to lead her to a restaurant, places Hart saw here in the Alley but had never been to before. She was relieved that Ruby hadn't. And she suspected that was the very reason Ruby had brought her here, to something safe and familiar.
"Two kebabs," Ruby ordered, digging in her pocket for some change.
"Oh! Let me," Hart stepped up beside her, but Ruby held up a hand.
"My treat since I dragged you out of the gym. You can get the next one."
"Okay," Hart agreed faintly.
The next one
.
The man in the cart assembled their food with quick hands, stacking savory meat and char-grilled vegetables that had Hart's mouth-watering.
Ruby handed him some coins and passed a kebab to Hart.
"Let's go."
Hart smiled. "Now where?"
"You'll see."
Hart carried the kebab carefully, the meat and vegetables still steaming hot. It dripped juice on her hand, a light burn that nevertheless made her stomach rumble.
Ruby led her through the maze of streets that formed the Alley, headed towards the Center. As they walked, the ground sloped slightly up under their feet. The trees that dotted the street were still a revelation to Hart, the sight of green against the concrete a startling spark of beauty.
They crested the top of a hill, and Ruby gestured to a lone bench at the side of the road. "Here."
"You dragged me all this way for a bench?" Hart laughed.
"Not exactly." Ruby pulled her over, sinking down on the rickety wood. Hart perched next to her and gasped.
The view that spread out in front of them was like nothing she had ever seen before. The Alley sloped down beneath them, crowded houses and shops and arenas, pushing right up against the omnipresent Wall of tall, imposing stone.
But from up here, they could see
over
it.
Hart had never so much as glimpsed the City, but now it stretched before her, illuminated in all its glory. Night was closing in around them, but the City blazed bright, electric lights casting a white glow across the sky. The buildings were like none she had ever seen before: tall, sleek, and shining. Glass seemed to form every surface, stretching high into the sky.
Almost no one in the Gutter had glass. She thought of the open windows in every building, letting in hot air and disease-carrying bugs in the summer and deadly cold blasts in the winter.
The City buildings were strange, puzzling shapes—spheres, and cones and pyramids, fanciful forms making the vista look surreal.
"It's something, isn't it?"
Hart shook her head. "I've never seen it before. I … had no idea."
"They built the wall thick and tall so only the maids and servants would ever see what they have and we don't. This is the one place in the Alley where you can see it all. Eat your kebab."
Hart looked down at the food in her hand, surprised. She had forgotten all about it. She took a bite, tearing at the meat, letting the juices soak her tongue. For a moment, she forgot all about the sight in front of her.
"Oh my god. That is
incredible
," she groaned.
Ruby laughed, knocking her shoulder against Hart's. "Do I know how to show you a good time, or what?"
Hart smiled back, feeling shy. "You do. This is … amazing."
"Okay, okay," Ruby ducked her head. "Let's not let it go to my head. Just eat your food."
Given orders, Hart followed them, tearing into the kebab with more enthusiasm than grace. The flavors bursting on her tongue more than made up for the juices dripping down her chin.
At least Ruby was being just as messy, Hart thought with a small smile, sneaking a glance at the girl beside her.
The night grew dark around them as they silently ate, gazing out on the untouchable splendor of the City.
"What's that?" Hart finally asked, gesturing with the empty stick of her kebab. "That line thing?"
"Oh. A train."
"A what?"
"It's like a …" Ruby frowned, describing vague shapes in the air with her hands. "It's like a car, but for lots of people all at once. And it runs on tracks. It carries them around the city."
Hart frowned, squinting to try and see better. People walked in the Gutter, mostly. It kept them confined to their own little neighborhoods, which was the way the police and the gate guards wanted it. Easier to find people if they didn't roam too far afield.
As she watched, a silver bullet sped over the tracks, sleek and shiny and bright, moving faster than she thought possible. "Oh!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah." Ruby smiled wryly. "A train. My dad told me about them. He rode them back when he used to fight."
"He made it all the way to the City?" Hart whistled, impressed.
"For a while," Ruby shrugged. She looked over at Hart, brow creasing. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up …"
Hart paused, caught up in the concern creasing Ruby's brow, making her auburn eyebrows dip in worry. "No. No, it's okay. You can talk about your dad fighting."
"I don't even like to think about it," Ruby said, turning her gaze back to the City. "I'm just glad he's done with it, now. I don't like to think about anyone I care about in the ring." Without looking over, she reached out, laying a hand over Hart's.
Hart looked down at Ruby's hand covering her own. "I—" she stopped, not know what to say.
Ruby turned, meeting her eyes. "I'm really glad I met you, Hart."
"Me too."
A smile spread over Ruby's pink lips, and then she leaned in.
Hart was embarrassed to admit it, but she didn't know what was happening until Ruby's lips were a hair's breadth from her own.
She'd never kissed anyone before. Some of the Gutter boys came sniffing around when she was thirteen and fourteen, but she ran them off, snapping at their heels like an angry pit bull. She didn't know what it was that got the other girls giggling, going red whenever a boy walked by. She didn't know what it was that made them shed their clothes and hang around after dark.
She thought she was just waiting to grow up, but as Ruby's lips hit her own, Hart wondered if she had been mistaken all along.
Ruby's lips were soft and sweet, pressing insistently against her own. Hart leaned in before she could talk herself out of it. She didn't know what she was doing, only that she suddenly, desperately, wanted Ruby to stay close.
Luckily, Ruby seemed to have some idea of how this went. She turned on the bench, tilting her head, sliding their lips together sweetly. Her lips parted and Hart followed suit, shivering at the gentle touch of Ruby's tongue. She reached out blindly, her hand falling on Ruby's narrow shoulder, grounding her.
Ruby licked into her mouth, a slow, wet slide. Hart leaned closer, feeling the warmth of Ruby's body in the cool night air. Ruby made a small noise against her lips, and Hart slid her hand up, palming the slender breadth of Ruby's neck, drawing her closer. Ruby's kebab stick clattered to the ground as her hand fell against Hart's shoulder, kneading into the material of her hoodie.
Hart lost herself in the feeling of their tongues meeting, the fleeting brushes between their mouths. Everything was wet and warm, and she never wanted to pull away.
Ruby's hand slid down, off her shoulder, and Hart's eyes flew open. She jerked back, away from Ruby's questing touch, her heart in her throat. She felt sick at the very idea of Ruby's hand sliding lower, catching on the ridge of her bindings beneath her sweatshirt, maybe feeling the subtle swell of her compressed breasts.
"What?" Ruby's eyes were wide, her mouth wet and pink.
Hart sprang back, off the bench, her stomach churning. "I have to go."
"Hart—"
Hart turned and ran before Ruby could say anything else, before she could ask any questions. Ruby's voice floated after her, desperation lingering on the wind. She ran as fast as she could, letting her panic push her onwards, into the night.
Chapter Nine
Hart ran, turning down streets she didn't know, lost already, her feet pounding on the pavement.
She could still feel Ruby's lips against her own, a ghost touch that tingled over her mouth. Her lips felt swollen, as if Ruby had left her imprint on them.
She hadn't known it could be like that. The girls she grew up with had giggled about kissing, but Hart always dismissed it as silly, a distraction. She had her family to take care of; she didn't need boys getting in the way. She knew how hard it was to look after children, and she had been terrified of ending up like the other girls in the Gutter, running after boys and pregnant before their sixteenth birthdays.
Hart's steps slowed as she panted for breath. Maybe it wasn't her family, or practicality that kept her away from boys all those years. Maybe it was just that the overwhelming interest in them had never struck. She kept waiting to see what the other girls saw, to want what they wanted. And it never came.