Puh-Pop.

My fists slammed into the punching bag, the sound echoing through the empty training room. My legs were shaky and threatening to give out beneath me, but I forced myself to stay standing; I wouldn't get a break if I was ever in an actual fight. The aching in my legs though also brought me happiness, because it marked my completion of a five-mile run just minutes earlier. I couldn't believe how far I had come in the past few months.

One of the doors swished open, and I almost missed the soft sound. A familiar man stepped in, reminding me that my progress was all thanks to a motivational trainer who also happened to be one of my best friends.

"Hey Rhea!" He called out, waving at me with his usual grin.

I dropped out of my stance and smiled back at him. "Hey Dante. I was just finishing up."

Dante moved towards me and chuckled, shaking his head. "I highly doubt that."

I merely shook my head in response and began pulling off the tape I had wrapped around my hands. Dante was right, I hadn't planned on quitting, but even I needed a break sometimes. Besides, judging by the soft chatter coming from the hall, it was almost breakfast, and I wasn't a fan of training when other people were around.

When Dante got closer to me he reached out and flicked my braid and my hair swung across my back. I frowned at him and tilted my body just slightly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Something tells me you don't want me here?" He replied with a smirk.

I shrugged, raising my eyebrows in an attempt not to smile back "Maybe I don't."

Dante grasped his chest above his heart and feigned pain. "Oh Rhea. You hurt me so with your words."

Finished unwrapping my hands, I tossed the ball of tape into the trashcan and moved towards the doors to the shower rooms.

"Not much of a talker today are you? Oh well, I can talk for the both of us. I saw your father this morning, he didn't look happy about something. I'm assuming, though, it's because The Guards are coming back today."

I froze and turned my head to look at Dante over my shoulder.

"Don't play with me Dante," I warned, but his face was serious for a few moments before it split into a grin.

"That means Kai is coming back," He teased in a sing-song voice.

I turned and socked him in the arm, making him wince.

"Jerk," He murmured under his breath.

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. I couldn't believe I had forgotten about The Guards' return, I usually knew everything they did and when they did it.

"I'm going to take a shower. Wait for me and I'll come to The Doors with you."

Dante said nothing, which I took as an agreement and slipped into the women's shower room. I took a towel from the rack as I went and placed it over the shower rod when I got to the showers. I flipped the water on, letting it warm up as I peeled out of my clothes. Steam curled from the water as I stepped beneath the stream. Someone had left a bottle of soap and I quickly scrubbed my hair and body, rinsing off just as the water turned off.

They said we had to conserve the water so it didn't run out, even though they assured us we had more than enough. But I knew better. I had heard the talk, and I knew that we were running dangerously low on water. Rumor around The Council was they were looking into digging a new well.

I toweled myself dry and tossed it into the basket for the used towels and padded back to the entrance of the shower room. My bag laid on the ground and I grabbed clean clothes out of it, exchanging them for my dirty workout clothes. Quickly I dressed and slung my bag over my shoulder, not bothering to check my hair in a mirror; it would dry fine, and even so, I had a hair band around my wrist, so I could pull it back if I needed to. My father didn't like it when I looked "casual", but it didn't bother me much. I prefered to be comfortable and cute over proper and uncomfortable. Being the daughter of the Chief had its perks, but it also had many disadvantages.

Dante was waiting for me, leaning against the wall by the door to the hall when I emerged and he blew out a breath when I got closer to him.

"Took you long enough," He said, pushing the door open, though I knew I hadn't been more than ten minutes. It didn't take me as long as it took other girls to get ready.

Dante led me into the hall, which was now bustling with life, a dramatic change from only two hours earlier when I had first arrived in the training room. As we walked, I caught snippets of conversations from the people surging around me, and they all seemed to have a common topic; the return of The Guards.

"Dreaming about Kai?" Dante murmured playfully in my ear, forcing me to punch him once again.

"A bruise for each arm," I said with a shrug as he rubbed his sore bicep. Dante was a full two years older than me, but we were incredibly close. He had become like a brother to me over the years, much to the disgust of his current girlfriend, the atrocious Rowan Cera. Why Dante stayed with her I could never figure out, though maybe I didn't like her simply because she hated my guts for no apparent reason. The feelings were mutual.

As if summoned by the mere thought of her, Rowan appeared from the crowd, latching onto Dante's other arm, though not before sending me a look that could kill. I flashed her my prize-winning sarcastic smile and she proceeded to ignore me. We both had unconsciously made an agreement to act semi-respectable when we were around Dante. Though it didn't stop me from daydreaming about ripping her hair out of her pretty little head every time she spoke.

"Here comes your puppy-dog boyfriend," I heard Rowan mutter, flipping her fiery red hair over one shoulder, just before I saw a single head moving towards us, the dark hair popping above the rest of the heads of the crowd. I turned to snarl at Rowan and ignored Dante's look of disapproval. I didn't bother saying anything back to her; she didn't deserve my time.

"Hello friends!" That deep, familiar voice rang out in front of me and I turned from Rowan, grinning at the tall figure before us.

"Sawyer," Dante nodded in greeting as Sawyer fell into step beside me, his warm arm occasionally brushing against mine as we fell into the same pace, despite his towering height.

"So Rhea, today's the big day, huh?" Sawyer mused, and I didn't even have to look at him to see the grin that had spread across his lips.

Sawyer, along with many of the other people who knew me, believed my interest in The Guards was simply a crazed infatuation. Though my passion was much more than that. I yearned to be a member of The Guard and I didn't understand how no one else shared that same passion. Being part of The Guard allowed you to go Above. I could see the Sun and feel real grass beneath my feet. Sure, we had substitutes down in the tunnels we called home, but it was nothing compared to the stories I had heard about the way things were Above.

"Hello?" Sawyer said beside me, waving a hand in front of my face.

I realized we were stopped, which meant I had been daydreaming again, not paying attention to whatever it was Sawyer had said that was awaiting an answer.

"Sorry," I said, turning to him with a guilty smile. "What did you say?"

Sawyer rolled his eyes, but his grin gave him away. He wasn't upset, just amused.

"I asked if you wanted a boost?"

For a moment I turned from Sawyer, groaning when I saw that the crowd stretched on before us. Evidently everyone else had known about the return of The Guard except for me- and had gotten here first.

Without needing to be told, Sawyer lifted me onto his shoulders, my head narrowly missing the high- arcing ceiling of the Main Hall. From this high, I could see all the way to the front of the crowd, which was pushing towards The Doors, the only known passage to get Above. Sure, there were other doors, but they had been long sealed, some on purpose, and others closed by the boulders and bricks which had fallen in the explosions of the Revolution.

They say the explosions were so strong that even the people in the tunnels could feel their full power, despite our tunnels being built for the very purpose of being safe from the destruction above. Just like everyone else in the tunnels, I hadn't known anything else but the concrete that surrounded me from head to toe. Our people had fled to these tunnels over a hundred years ago, our ancestors military heroes who had built and used the tunnels as a refuge and shelter from the Revolution, and along with their families, had made a home deep beneath the ground. In the beginning, there was only 53 people who managed to survive and make it to the tunnels, but now our numbers were reaching close to three-hundred. Housing and resources were becoming scarce, even though the officials told us not to worry.

Above was, as they claimed, worse than it was down here. Radiation from nuclear missiles had killed everything around the area, and they couldn't be sure how far the damaged stretched. They even told us it was unlikely many other people had survived. The Guard wore protective uniforms that kept them safe from the dangerous radiation above, and while they were considered heroes of the tunnels, they kept to themselves and rarely spoke to anyone outside of The Guard. They were mysterious, only adding to their allure.

After what seemed like hours, the doors were pushed open and two guards stood straight on either side, the crowd hushed as the first members of The Guard emerged, their faces serious, no hint of emotion around them whatsoever. Still, the crowd cheered, and I found myself whooping and hollering alongside everyone else.

The Guard consisted only of eleven, but I knew there were at least seven who were in training and not yet able to go Above. The leader was Tray Jones, a hardened warrior, who, according to rumor, had come from Above, led the group down the hall, and the crowd parted for them as they moved. They slid down the hall as a unit, never moving out of step.

Then, holding up the end of the group, he appeared. Almost as tall as Sawyer but three times as muscular. His square jaw tensed so tightly I was sure his bone would pop out of his skin. He didn't look around, didn't make eye contact with anyone, despite the girls screaming his name.

Until he stopped, just for a moment. His head raised and his eyes flicked to the left and suddenly they were on me, his gaze burning a hole through my head.

But after a moment, he was walking forward again, facing straight ahead of him, and I wondered if I had imagined the whole thing.

Sawyer shifted his weight from one foot to the other, jostling me slightly and I glanced down at him, tearing my gaze away from Kai.

"Am I getting heavy?" I teased and I heard Sawyer snort below me.

"As if," He scoffed, tilting his head up just slightly so he could see me. "I'm the strongest man in these tunnels."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing, which only resulted in Sawyer stumbling a bit more, and I quickly composed myself. I wasn't too keen on falling and cracking my head open.

"All right," I said, watching the backs of the members of The Guard disappear among the throng of people. "Put me down."

Sawyer grunted and gracefully dropped me to my feet, his warm hands lingered on my waist for just a moment longer than what would normally be considered acceptable.

Except with Sawyer, things were different. I had grown up with Sawyer, our mothers choosing to raise us side by side, and I was thankful for the life-long friendship that had ensued. While I saw Dante as a brother figure, Sawyer was a bit different. I had never seen him as brotherly, but also had never seen him romantically either. He was someone who was simply always there. I could always count on him being there for me; the rock in my constantly changing life.

A warm hand resting on my forearm brought me out of yet another daze and I glanced up at Sawyer, a small smile tugging at his lips, the skin wrinkling just slightly around his deep, brown eyes. "You okay?" He asked gently, and I nodded, returning his grin.

"Yeah! I'm great."

"Well," Rowan's voice broke through the chatter of the crowd around us. "This has been great and all, but I'd prefer to do something more entertaining."

I raised my eyebrows at Dante but he merely shrugged before he let Rowan pull him away from us until they too disappeared into the crowd.

"Breakfast?" Sawyer asked, his lips splitting into a grin.

"I don't know why you even ask," I teased, grabbing his hand and tugging him down the hall.

Sawyer grumbled something under his breath as I ripped him through the hordes of people scrambling away to get to their days. I hadn't realized how hungry I actually was until Sawyer had mentioned it, and now I was on a mission.

"Surprised my arm is still functional," Sawyer grunted when we finally reached the Dining Hall, rubbing his shoulder.

"Don't be such a baby," I mocked, raising my eyebrows in a challenge. Sawyer simply rolled his eyes in response and stepped into line. As we slowly crept forward, I dug around in my bag, searching for my ID card. The rules could get pretty strict, though some things they were lenient with. Food was not one of them though. You had to show your ID card to get your food, and everyone only got so much food. While the others believed this was only protocol, I knew better; we were beginning to ration out food. The supply of food simply could not keep up with the demand.

Our numbers were growing more quickly than they had in the past, and The Council was beginning to show their anxiety, something even I knew was not a smart move. When large groups of people got scared, they caused destruction. Getting inside information into the going-ons of our home was one of the few perks of having a father who was the Head of Council. It also meant I didn't see him much, and when I did he was often in a poor mood; cranky and irritable. For most of my life, he hadn't been much of a father, but I couldn't really blame him. I was a handful, and he already had a lot on his plate.

"Good morning Rhea," A voice rang out, pulling me from the edge of the pit I called self-pity.

I grinned and slid my card across the top of the scanner, listening for the small beep that meant the machine had marked me for breakfast.

"Good morning Violet," I replied. She had become something of a grandmother to me, and was always doing odd jobs around the tunnels.

"Enjoy your breakfast," she grinned, though I noticed her eyes scanned Sawyer up and down before she looked back at me, her eyebrows raised in amusement.

I shook my head and followed Sawyer inside the kitchen, ignoring Violet's insinuation. She had been trying to get me to go out with Sawyer since I met her, something she knew would never happen. Sawyer and I were just friends, and that was that.

Sawyer and I slid our trays along the counter, taking the food the people behind the glass partition gave to us as we passed. This morning was a bowl of oatmeal, a cup of fruit, and sausage patty.

"Breakfast of champions," Sawyer teased as we exited the kitchen and stepped into the dining area.

As always, it was bustling with activity, though it wasn't too difficult for Sawyer and I to find two empty seats. We plopped down in the wooden chairs almost simultaneously, though it wasn't too unusual for us to do things as a duo. Our mother's had practically raised us together since birth, and after my mother died, Sawyer's mom basically took over that position.

"What's on the agenda today?" Sawyer choked out, his mouth full of food.

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head with a grin. Sawyer returned my grin with one of his own.

"I'm not sure yet. What are you up for?"

Sawyer shrugged and turned his attention back to his bowl of oatmeal.

We ate the rest of our food in silence, though it wasn't uncomfortable. It was never uncomfortable with Sawyer. Truth be told, if it wasn't for him I was sure I would have gone crazy years ago.

Whenever anything went wrong, Sawyer was there for me. My mother had died when I was young, only three, so I didn't remember much about her. She left me with my father, Peter, although he was always busy with Council stuff, so he wasn't as "fatherly" as most other fathers were. Not that it was that big of a deal; Sawyer and I always found ways to keep busy, despite a lack of things to do in the tunnels. Granted, most of those things involved us getting into some sort of trouble, but that was always half the fun.

Sometimes, though, the strain in Peter and I's relationship was uncomfortable, and it was at those times I found myself trying to remember my mother. And wish that she was still here.

I knew she was beautiful. Everyone had told me so. She had the same long, dark hair as me and dull hazel eyes that popped in the right kind of light. Her smile could light up a room and her laugh was contagious. She was outgoing and strong and brave, but also kind, and soft, and bright. Everyone who knew her had only good things to say about her.

But that sometimes only made it worse. Because I couldn't remember my mother like they could, and I sometimes found myself wonder what memories of her were my own, and which were only images I had obtained from hearing others speak about her. My heart ached to talk to her, even just once. To tell her all about my life. I had been without her for 15 years, and even though I had spent more time without her than with her, I still found myself missing her so badly it hurt.

A warmth on my hand broke me from the confines of my mind and I let out a soft sigh. Sawyer's hand gave mine a reassuring squeeze and I didn't even have to look at him to know the way he was looking at me. Sawyer always knew when something was up; and he was always there to make it better.

"Eat your food," I said after a moment, and Sawyer snorted beside me. I still didn't have to look at him to know he was rolling his eyes.

The warmth left my hand and I focused on the feeling of it leaving me as I forked more oatmeal into my own mouth.

"You're slow today," Sawyer said, his finger jabbing playfully into my side.

Almost instantly my hand shot out, my fingers wrapping around Sawyer's wrist and at the same moment my head snapped to the left, my eyes locking onto his.

"Do. Not," I hissed, which only made Sawyer laugh loudly, drawing attention to us. But then again, people always stared. There was nothing better to do down here than gossip anyways.

How else would I know that Mrs. Milton was having an affair with Mr. Young? Or that Millie's daughter, Dana, had failed her final examination and would have to take Final Class over again? Or that-

"Can I have my hand back please?" Sawyer chuckled, drawing me out of the abyss of my mind yet again.

I narrowed my eyes at him and slowly released his wrist.

"Just don't do it again," I teased with a wink.

"No promises," Sawyer shot back, a devilish look in his eye, one I was all too familiar with. I slid out of my seat, grabbing my tray as I stood. I was much faster than Sawyer and his hand flew through the air at nothing, right where my side should have been. Sawyer stumbled on my chair, but managed to catch himself before he fell forward completely. A few people around us snickered while others shot us dirty looks, but we ignored them all.

"Not fair," Sawyer huffed as he grabbed his empty tray and stood up beside me.

"Maybe if you hit the gym once in awhile you wouldn't be so slow," I joked, nudging him with my elbow before I moved towards the tray drop.

"You don't have to be such a jerk about it," Sawyer mocked whined, sticking out his bottom lip in a way that reminded me of a three year old pouting because he didn't get the last cookie.

I dropped my tray into the drop slot and heard it slid down and crash into the other trays at the bottom. Sawyer did the same and we headed out of the dining room.

"I don't know why you're so against training with me," I asked, eyeing Sawyer carefully.

Sawyer frowned at me and shoved me hard enough that my shoulder bumped the wall beside me.

"Maybe 'cause you push me to go so much it's made me not want to go at all. It's all about that reverse psychology Rhea. Man, how did you pass your Final Test in Final Class?"

I scoffed at Sawyer. He and I both knew that I had the highest Final Test score in our entire Final Class.

Peter kept pushing me to 'use my score' for a good job, like a member on the Council. But everyone in the tunnels knew I was working my butt off to become a member of The Guard, which, according to Peter was a 'waste of my potential'.

My passion for joining The Guards was one of the biggest barriers in Peter and I's relationship. Being a member of the Guard wasn't one of the most glamorous jobs, and it certainly wasn't one for the Chief of The Council's daughter; mostly because of the danger. But Peter didn't see all the work I put in at the gym, or the studying I did about the different things I could encounter while Above. I had tried talking to Sawyer about it numerous times, but he tended to side with my father on the issue, though I knew it was because he didn't want me to go Above and be in danger. For Sawyer, as with most people, the tunnels were safe. We didn't have anything to worry about down here, or at least, not that the people knew about. We had food, water, supplies, school for the kids.

But for me, it wasn't enough. I had seen pictures of what Above looked like, before the Revolution. Giant expanses of bright green grass, trees and flowers, a bright blue sky. The images were only found in the books tucked in the back of the library, where no one liked to venture, because the books in the back were boring and confusing. Books written in strange languages, books written with no words at all but instead small scribbles or dots. They were the books no one wanted to look at, because they didn't understand them. And the people down here didn't like things they didn't understand.

So they were tucked away, so no one had to look at them if they didn't want to. But in some of these books, there were pictures. Dull pictures, the edges faded. Bright pictures, with vibrant colors that popped almost out of the pages.

And it was those pictures that gave me my purpose. My one goal, ever since I was young.

To see Above.