For the first time, Benji does not join them for dinner.

He left no instructions, no explanation of his absence. The other farmhands are loitering around near the farmhouse. Typically, Benji drives them off the farm, somewhere, usually an hour before dinner is ready. Halfway through their meal, Eurydice catches a glimpse of movement out the window. She keeps her head down, watching, waiting.

No one opens the door though. Benji doesn't come.

"When..." Gale trails off than clears his throat. "When should we get worried?"

"About the farmer?" Norbu looks up then almost laughs.

"Pretty sure he can take just fine care of himself," Faris says. He looks to Harvey, hoping or expecting a response of some kind.

"Hopefully his stupid truck crashed into a wild animal," Eurydice snarls.

Harvey shakes his head, "don't get your hopes up."

They sit around their empty plates.

"Where do you think he goes?" Norbu looks at Cosmia and Calath. "You guys have been off the farm. What's out there?"

Their first evening is hazy, overexposed flash from the bright sunlight. Cosmia thinks back to the ride in George Rooney's truck to his fruit farm. His orchard was much larger than this lot, populated with teenage and child workers, and the occasional older folk. Trees in perfect rows, grass while manicured. Sweet air, smelling of fruits Cosmia remembers from when she was a child, when her siblings still lived.

Calath doesn't remember. They were focused on the bumpy ride, eyes closed, hands resting on the metal and counting every twitch from every petal.

"We drove like, ten minutes most, but didn't pass anything along the way," Cosmia shrugs. "We weren't driving fast though."

A fly lands on Benji's plate. Harvey raises a hand to brush it off but then stops, hand half in the air. He could kill the fly, probably. He could let it fester. He reaches forward and grabs his water glass. The bug flies away, buzzing loudly by Harvey's ear.

"There's a trading post somewhere," Titus says. "It's where he gets the flour. Apparently there's an internet café too, but I don't know if that's near the trading post or even farther."

"Looking for a job, Ace?" Eurydice snorts. "Even a North Marcadian wouldn't higher you."

Faris gets up from the table, taking his plate and bringing it over to the sink. Eurydice looks at Kae, and winks. Kae shivers.

"We're having a bonfire," Rhiannon Rose says.

"She speaks," Eurydice rolls her eyes. "Was beginning to think when you passed out the farmer cut out your tongue too."

Rhiannon Rose straightens her back. It's painful, after the five days of farmwork, but then she's taller. Her ginger hair is frizzy from the hat, fly aways from her hair tie sticking straight up in the air like flashes of lightning. She turns her nose up.

"Only imbecilic need to hear their own voices to remember they have them," Rhiannon Rose says. "I speak when I have something worth saying."

Just at the shift of her posture, Titus shifts too. He sits up straight, in her voice hearing the snap of his father's belt against his back. Be quiet, upright, perfect and prim. Titus hadn't realized how relaxed farmwork made him. The physical grueling labour, somehow a relief. Is this how Caius feels? In Underpass City, with a ceiling so low that his brother's shoulders are hunched? In the MFZ, listening at night to make sure organ sellers or worse don't snatch him from within a sleeping bag? Does he feel free too?

The clock chimes in the other room. It's a quiet sound, so even trapped inside all day, Harvey doesn't hear it very often.

"You made pies today for tonight," Kae turns to look at Harvey.

He yawns, "so?"

"So, we're having a bonfire," Rhiannon Rose stands up from the table. "And I don't give a fuck if any of you come, but I'm having a bonfire."

She storms out of the room, and Harvey's eyes follow her. Eurydice can joke about how no one ever leaves The Sticks, but people do. No one leaves Cocta. A part of your soul gets stuck in the houses, life force sucked away a little bit more every time the power company turns off the lights in your home. If you are lucky enough to rent, and not squat. If you don't just sleep in a room with two other families, huddled in a ball, thankful you only have to walk forty-five minutes every morning to your factory shift instead of an hour, because that much more labour and you'd keel over and die. And you're fine to die. But your kids would too.

Harvey lives in The Sticks, but he never really left Cocta. He's heard whispers about the rich girl who pays people to leave their homes and then burns them down. Somehow, he thinks he's found her.

He tallies up what he and Eurydice have gathered, shared whispers in the kitchen over their breaks, while he cleans up the kitchen.

Faris framed for human trafficking, a piece of information he hasn't shared with Eurydice. Her list of charges rivals his: bounty hunting without a license, unauthorized use of an android, harbouring unregistered artificial intelligence, money laundering, and homicide I. The pipsqueak is a pickpocket. Norbu runs bubble for a criminal organization, wasn't even charged for his fighting. Faris listed out Cosmia's charges, which surprise Harvey more than he cares to admit.

He's missing a few. Gale, Calath, and now Titus. The other two don't bother him as much. Calath would answer if asked, Harvey is sure, and Gale is a bit unpredictable as of now, even if he is the only one who has stayed to help clear the kitchen. Titus, however, remains a mystery.

The farmer isn't home.

Harvey drops the dishes. He grabs his cane and hurries out of the room.

"Where are you-"

Gale's question is cut off when Harvey slams the door. He pushes himself out toward the field. There's an abandoned truck out there. When Harvey found out, he made a point to find it in the field one night. Schematics aren't half the battle, they are the war. So, Harvey forces himself into the field, stopping right in front of it.

Leaning against the hood of the car, Titus Silver stares at Harvey. The sun is low now, still not threatening to set but the glow makes the sparkles in his teeth flash.

"Took you longer than I thought," Titus taps his foot on the ground. "I hate waiting."

Harvey doesn't say anything. He looks past Titus, examining the doors. When he last checked, they were rusted shut. Now, are they still? Has Titus been tampering with it, determined to get off the farm?

"Aren't clocks worthless if they aren't exactly on time?"

"Cute," Harvey's eyes flash back to Titus.

His grip on his cane is too tight. His Adam's apple bobs in his throat, choking on man's first sin. Titus can tell Harvey is trying not to wobble. The cane isn't the right size for him, or maybe Titus' joke was inaccurate. Maybe Harvey came as quickly as he possibly could.

Titus knew better than to get distracted working on the car now, with Harvey hot on his heels. The metal is hot beneath the palms of his hands. Eventually, someone else will screw up, or Harvey will get bored. It's bound to happen any day now.

"I mean, I wouldn't know how clocks work. I'm a hacker, not a mechanic."

When Harvey blinks, Titus smiles. He figured Harvey would assume he's a rich kid who got mixed up with bubble in Flage. Just like he figured Harvey would come here. Half of Titus' plan has been the logistics of getting out of North Marcanty. The other has required studying Harvey, the way he moves and interacts. Getting past the ticking of time is more important than a stupid farmer.

"What's your charge list?" Harvey asks. It doesn't matter now, cybercrimes are all similar. What matters is if Titus answers.

Titus looks at the quirked corner of Harvey's lip, the beginning of a smirk and the end of a scar that cuts up to his left eye.

"Possession and use of software to commit cybercrime," Titus says. "Hacking. Sabotage."

"I've got six," Harvey grins.

"And still half the man I am," Titus sighs. "Listen, I've got a bonfire to attend, so I'll see you later. Harvey."

Titus walks away. The corn has been cut short, so unfortunately Harvey is forced to watch him walk away until he slips in between the trellises.

~~~

Stroking her charm bracelet hasn't been enough. Kae paces on the porch, back and forth. The farmer is gone. Eurydice is in her cabin and not forcing lock picking drills down her throat. Harvey is in there though, and she can barely stomach eating food he has touched.

Then, he hurries out of the house and runs into the trellises.

Kae isn't able to even wait for the door to shut. She bolts back to her cabin, snatching her lockpicking tools from within her pillow and then sprints back to the farmhouse. The door is slightly ajar, and Kae pries it open, dreading the creak it will make. Gale is in the kitchen still. Kae peers around the wooden doorframe, staring over at him. He sticks his hand into the soapy water of the sink and yelps as he pulls his hand out.

As he curses, Kae bursts up the stairs.

She's been through so many of the rooms already, the first time she followed Eurydice and put everything back where it was supposed to be. Taking something from the farmer with Eurydice in the room is out of the question; the girl is a storm and surely Benji will notice something blowing through the room.

Up the stairs, Kae hurries to the locked door closest to the stairs. If the farmer comes back, she wants to be able to slip in and out of the room with ease. Squating down, she pulls a tool out from the from pocket of her coveralls.

Something creaks. She turns her head around, standing upright. In the shadow of the bathroom doorway, she sees them.

"Are you going to say something?" Kae whispers.

Calath pulls out of the shadows, stepping into the doorway. They shake their head, shoving their hands into the pockets of their trousers.

"What benefit would there be to that?" Calath cocks their head.

Kae shrugs. Of course, Eurydice hasn't said anything, and Calath is always there when Kae breaks into the shed, but small thefts are supposed to be secret.

"One of the career criminals would say something," Kae swallows. "They all hate each other. And me."

Calath takes a few steps closer. They reach a hand out toward the tool. Kae's hands are firm and steady when she passes them over, but her knees are shaking.

"I am a career criminal," Calath points out. "And I don't hate you. I don't hate them either."

Calath sits on the ground. Cross legged, they reach up to the doorknob and examine it. They stab the tool in. Behind them, they reach their free hand back and snap. Kae digs into the pocket of her coveralls and passes Calath the next.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to assume," Kae stumbles over her words, whispering now that they are close. "You just... you're not like the others."

"How so?" Calath tilts their head up, staring into the hole. "All of them are unsettling. I know everyone else thinks I am too."

"You're not unsettling," Kae turns her head, peaking towards the stairs. "I'm scared of everybody, you know. Even... even Titus."

Calath nods. They twist their wrist and the door opens.

Kae tilts back, eyeing the doorway. She hasn't moved this quickly, ever. Kae hangs over Calath, leaning into the doorway to examine the room.

The bedroom smells like sweat. Messy sheets are balled up under the bed, and on top is a quilt with several conflicting ugly patterns. A pair of jeans hang out of the laundry basket in the corner. The curtains are drawn, golden light seeping through the thin white material. As if there shouldn't be curtains at all.

Kae steps inside.

"I'm not really a career criminal anymore," Calath points out. "I left that life behind I'm only here because the law is unjust. I didn't do anything wrong."

Kae opens the dresser. A junk drawer, her favourite kind. No one misses things from junk drawers. Kae digs into it and pulls out a rubber band. She ties it to her charm bracelet.

On top of the junk drawer, Kae focuses on a photo. She taps the frame, hoping to brighten the image, but then she realizes it's printed, on paper. She came remember the last time she saw a photograph printed out. They were more common in Leth where she grew up. The combination of things in Benji's house confuses her. Physical books, which only rich people have in Neo Elysium, but physical photographs, which only the poor keep. No internet and fresh food.

You can tell a lot about what is in a junk drawer, but she stares at the photograph. A family portrait, with a young Benji, what she assumes are his parents, and two younger girls. One that is very very little, and one who looks barely any bigger.

She looks back at Calath, still sitting on the floor, not having entered.

"I wish I didn't do anything wrong," Kae frowns. "And sometimes, I wish I could leave it behind."

~~~

After getting out of the shower, Eurydice is disappointed to find Faris in the room. She had heard someone come in; the walls in their shack are so thin they might as well be open air. It doesn't rain here much, so the only purpose to the ceiling is blocking out the sunlight. On the bottom bunk, Eurydice doesn't really give a fuck about sunlight creeping in. They have to wake up before it anyway, and days here are so unbelievably long. It gives her headaches if she isn't constantly drinking. Never has Eurydice felt so mastered by her own body.

Faris only tilts his head slightly when she enters the room, aware of her presence. He twists his neck. Eurydice looks at the notebook in his lap, even from his spot on the top bunk, towering over her.

"Are you actually trying to cook his books?" she scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

Faris lifts his head and closes the notebook. He grins at her. Without modified teeth it still feels sharp, "can't a man shite write without it being questioned?"

"No."

Faris rolls his eyes, "I'm taking notes. The farmer is low-tech. I figured you'd know he hasn't got any spare tablets lying around with your big crush on him."

Eurydice stalks closer and kicks the bottom bunk. The wood creaks, but her foot takes more damage than the bunk.

"How can he afford paper?" she asks.

Faris leans down over the edge, "same way he can afford lettuce but doesn't have an internet connection. You know, if you just asked him these questions instead of me, he'd tell you."

Yesterday, was Benji joined them in the living room, Faris had asked a bit more about plants. Benji gave him a notebook and showed him a dusty almanac. Since then, Faris has been copying down everything he can. As an experienced criminal, he should be better at writing by hand. Yet, his fingers cramp after only five minutes.

"How does his ass taste?" Eurydice says. "I figure not worth all the kissing, since you're still stuck on the fields like the rest of us."

"Would you rather I kissed your ass?" Faris winks.

When Eurydice kicks the bunk again, he laughs, lying back down and lifting the notebook back up.

Eurydice storms out of their shack.

~~~

There's no lighter anywhere in the kitchen. No matches either, and Rhiannon Rose has ripped every drawer open and shut while Gale watched on, eyes wide. Then, she started opening cabinets, grabbing out a jug of cooking oil and cradling it. She turns around, looking at Gale.

"You know where there is a magnifying glass?" she asks.

Gale shakes his head. Rhiannon Rose dashes off into the living room, shrieking so loud Gale feels the echo of her voice.

He turns around to the sink and grabs the steel wool next to the sponge. He holds it up. In the late orange glow of the sun, the metal looks more golden. Gale, massages it, then turns, opening up one of the drawers.

When he finds Rhiannon Rose, tearing apart the shelves in the living room, looking for a magnifying glass, he holds up the steel wool and the battery he dug out.

"Here," he offers. "Don't bother with a magnifying glass. You've just got to rub the terminals on the steel wool and-"

"I'm not a moron," Rhiannon Rose snatches the steel from his hands.

It's one time use, the steel wool. Once it's burned it's gone, kindling. The battery will remain, but she won't be able to start another fire. She cradles them, still standing in the living room.

"I'm just trying to help," Gale says. He scrunches his nose. "I know I'm not a career criminal, but I do know a thing or two about starting a fire."

She looks at him, wondering if she will find a flame flickering in him. Gale's hair is cold and blue and his new tanned skin has no signs of burns. She glares at him.

"Don't pretend to understand me," she rolls her eyes.

"I'm not.. I-"

Before he can finish, she bursts out of the room. She hurries back to the pit. There, Cosmia reclines on one of the chairs. The firepit is set up, no thanks to Cosmia. She simply sat, staring at a bird that had gathered on top of the farmhouse. The chickens cluck in the distance, barely audible.

Cosmia is waiting for the bird to caw.

"Do you think Mullins would shoo it away?"

Rhiannon Rose barely looks up.

"Faris says the weird straw stuffed men in the field scare away the birds from the crops," Cosmia looks up at it. Her lips part as the bird flutters its blue wings. She looks at Rhiannon Rose.

The ginger scrubs the steel wool against the battery. Now she looks up, if just for a second.

"You think it's toxic?"

Cosmia shakes her head. It doesn't look deformed. Cosmia almost mentions the five birds tattooed on her lower back. Most people would find an image reminiscent of pestilence so disgusting. Inking illness to her skin was part of the point. However, most people would never go by a name like Rhiannon Rose, a colour reminiscent of a thorny and poisonous plant.

"I bet nothing out here is radioactive," Cosmia says. "Maybe not edible, but certainly nothing that would give your children extra fingers and fewer organs."

Fire sparks in the steel. Rhiannon Rose blows on it, blowing and blowing until the spark grows. The sun is still not set, but she throws down the steel wool and lets the kindling start to crackle. People start to come out over the next hour, as the sun bows out of the sky. By the time its faint hum can only be seen on the horizon, everyone has gathered. Rhiannon Rose only moves to add more wood to the blaise, letting it creep higher and higher into the sky.

Norbu turns up the music so loud it's hard to hear the crackle of the fire. The sound hurts Gale's head, who stands closer to the house to try to get some damn quiet.

At the far end, Norbu juggles the plate with his slice of pie as he tries to clean his glasses on the bottom of his shirt. Kae looks up at him and reaches for the glasses.

"I can clean them," she offers. "I used to have them."

"Say less," Norbu says. He doesn't meet many people in Flage with glasses anymore. "I'd never get mine modified though. I think the glasses make me look smart."

Kae giggles, coughing at the end to cover up the sound.

Beside them, Faris rolls his eyes. Such a flirt. It's distracting him from listening in on the conversation between Harvey and Eurydice, some bounty in Flage that happened while Faris was in the panopticon. He's got months of underground activity to catch up on before returning home.

Cosmia only turns her attention to their hushed voices when the bird finally flies away. Of course, Rhiannon Rose is not paying any mind. Titus glances between her and Harvey as he unwraps the bandage on his hand. It's scabbed over well. He thinks of the liquor which cleaned it out, a distraction too perfect.

"Wangchen," he turns his head, looking over at Norbu, "you know where the farmer keeps his liquor?"

Norbu grins, "Titus you absolute genius. This is why you're the hacker, not me."

Calath tunes in the conversation at the word genius. She doesn't hear it often, and usually it's a sign someone is talking about her.

Norbu heads back toward the farmhouse. The firewood is running out, and Rhiannon Rose grabs the jug of oil, throwing it at the flames. The fire roars into the air. People leap back, including Gale, who Norbu crashes into.

Gale slams into the ground. Norbu barely catches himself, but not his pie, which crashes onto Gale. It splatters on his shirt.

Eurydice cackles out a laugh.

"Sorry man," Norbu leans forward, offering a hand down to him.

Gale knocks it away. He pulls himself up. There's a smirk on Rhiannon Rose's face as she stares at the tall flames.

"Watch it!" Gale snaps. He looks past at Eurydice. "This isn't funny!"

"Hey man,-"

Gale shoves Norbu's hand away from his shoulder, "don't fucking patronize me. You think this is a joke? That any of this is funny? We're stuck here doing back breaking labour all day, and you're just having a grand old time, are you? Well fuck all of this. I'm fucking done."

As he leaves, Norbu makes no move to grab him. Harvey glares at Eurydice, who snarls at him. The fire crackles, screeching.

Gale ducks into the trellises.

"I'll go talk to him in ten," Harvey decides. "Let him cool off first."

The song switches. Then, it switches again. The quiet conversations are dying like the fire.

Then, the nine remaining delinquents hear a scream.

~~~~~

Next chapter has me kicking and squealing. I mean, so does this one, but I digress. My brain is full right now. Let me know what you think!