Liam and Youri held on to each other, both of them shaking and crying openly as the years of separation finally cracked apart. When they let go, Liam scrubbed at his face with the back of his hand and said with a trembling smile, "Look how much you've grown!"
Youri laughed softly through his tears. "You've grown too."
Liam's eyes drifted over to Six, curious and a little confused. "So… what are you guys doing here?"
"We're looking for a job," Youri said quickly.
"Oh." Liam nodded slowly. "Is your family struggling?"
"No, nothing like that," Youri said, hoping his voice didn't sound too stiff. "We're going to leave for space soon, that's all, and we needed some extra cash."
Liam accepted that without question, but before either of them could say anything more, another figure appeared in the warehouse entrance. He walked with the heavy confidence of a man who had done hard work all his life — broad-shouldered under a thick brown jacket, in a denim shirt faded by years of sun, jeans stained with grease, and worn but sturdy boots. His head was still shaved bald, his thick beard gone mostly gray now. Youri realized with a small jolt that he had seen this man before, years ago, on the porch of the Day Light Orphanage on the day he came for Emma.
The man came over to the boys with a friendly smile creasing his weathered face. "Liam — is this Emma's brother? Youri, right?"
"Yeah, boss," Liam said, surprised. "How'd you know that?"
The man chuckled. "Emma told me last night." He nodded toward the office. "Come on in. You're here for the job, aren't you?"
Youri, Six and Liam followed him into the little office. He sat down behind the worn desk and folded his hands on top of it while the three of them stood by the door.
"Name's Casey," he said, lifting a hand in welcome. "Casey Brandon. Good to meet you boys."
Youri stepped forward and shook his hand firmly. "Nice to meet you too, sir. I'm Youri." He gestured toward Six. "And this is my brother, Six. He… uh, doesn't really talk. I hope that's not a problem."
Casey laughed, a warm and genuine laugh. "Don't worry about it, son. I've worked with all kinds. Talking isn't a requirement."
Youri relaxed a little.
"Emma told me about your situation," Casey went on. "So tell me — ever worked a job before?"
Youri shook his head. "No, sir. But we learn fast. And I promise we won't let you down."
Casey laughed again, louder this time. "I like the energy. Alright, then. Youri, Six — welcome to Brandon's LLC."
A wide smile spread across Youri's face. He looked at Six, and then back at Casey. "Thank you, sir. We won't disappoint you."
"Liam will show you two around," Casey said. "Get you used to the routine."
Liam slung an arm around Youri's shoulders. "Come on, little bro. I've got a lot to show you."
He led them out through the storage district. There were six warehouses in all, each of them enormous and each one dedicated to a different kind of cargo — metals, textiles, imported foods, heavy machinery and more. The one Youri and Six were assigned to, Warehouse Two, was full of international shipments from across the galaxy, crates stamped with alien symbols and foreign seals. Liam showed them how to work the lifters and the sliding platforms, the hover-pallets and the crate stackers, and their job turned out to be simple enough, if exhausting: moving and sorting cargo as it came in and went out. The hours slipped by so quickly that before they knew it, the day was over.
As Youri and Six were heading for the exit, Liam called out behind them. "Hey, guys! You going home?"
Youri turned. "Yeah. What about you?"
Liam jogged to catch up, a little out of breath. "There's a cool place nearby. Want to come see it?"
Youri looked at Six, who gave a small nod. "Sure," Youri said. "Lead the way."
A short walk brought them to the mouth of a tunnel that dipped down beneath the city, and it opened into a marketplace unlike anything Youri or Six had ever seen. Overhead, a web of tangled pipes, power lines and metal beams broke the dim light into warm, hazy patterns. Below it the market buzzed with life — vendors shouting in unfamiliar dialects, shoppers bargaining fiercely, stalls overflowing with spices, fabrics, off-world trinkets and strange foods steaming in alien colors, all of it lit by flickering neon strips above curtains of bright cloth. Most of the people there wore scarves or robes or layered clothes that half hid their faces, which gave the whole place a secretive feel. It had no official name, but the locals called it the Cloaked District, for its hidden location as much as its hidden faces.
Liam led them through the narrow aisles, showing off strange devices, rare fruits and odd foreign crafts. As they walked, someone slammed hard into Six's shoulder. The man who turned around looked dangerous: muscular, with veins standing out along his arms, in a tight white tank top and black joggers, his bald head gleaming under the dim market lights.
He snarled and stepped up to Six. "What the fuck do you think you're doing!?"
Six's eyes darkened, and his jaw tightened.
"Who the hell are you looking at!?" the man barked.
Youri rushed forward. "Sorry! It was just an accident — really!"
The man glared down at him. "Fuck off, brat."
But before Six could strike, before anything could explode, a cloaked figure seemed to appear out of nowhere behind the bald man and laid a hand on his shoulder — a calm gesture, but a firm one, and leaned in close and whispered something into his ear. At once the aggression drained out of the man's face. He backed away with a hiss and disappeared into the crowd.
Youri stared after him, baffled. "What… what just happened?"
Liam let out a shaky breath. "Things like that never used to happen down here. But lately, with that new drug going around, all kinds of people have started wandering into this part of town."
"Drug?" Youri asked.
Liam nodded grimly. "Galley."
Youri went still.
"People say it makes your dreams feel real," Liam went on, lowering his voice. "You breathe it in, and it throws you into the deepest corners of whatever you want most. You can live a whole lifetime in there, all inside a few hours. But when you wake up, the real world feels wrong — and the dream you lived is impossible to get back to." He shook his head. "Some people go insane trying. Others can't sleep at all anymore unless they breathe it in again."
A few meters away, the cloaked figure had paused in the shadows, and as he listened to Liam's words, a slow, predatory smile spread beneath his hood. Then he stepped back and melted into the darkness of the Cloaked District as though he had never been there at all.