The sky was growing lighter. I'd hardly slept. It was because of the two moons. Whenever both are visible above the horizon I can never sleep. The night sky was just like that when they took my father and brother.
My name is Suzy and I am unregistered, which means I officially don't exist. I live alone in one of the deep tunnels. Lots of unregistered people live in the tunnels, most are young like me. There are no men here. They were taken, most of them in that one night, the night of the two moons.
I am one of the 'word runners' in our tunnels. I collect written messages and take them to the big board where the tunnels intersect. It's called Times Square, I don't know why. There's lots of things I don't understand but usually I ask one of the Seniors. The big message board is full of useful information about what's going on above ground, but much of it is untrue. I don't believe the men will come back.
Many of the others have set up home together sometimes in little groups or three or four. They paint the walls of their tunnels and hang up coloured cloths to make it look nice. I want to be on my own though. I don't have a special friend and I don't earn enough units to buy coloured cloths and pretty things. At night I can see the sky if I go to the edge of my tunnel. Sometimes I sleep there if it's warm and there's no fighting.
We are all gang members. My gang is called Vixen and our tag is VXN. Our gang tries to do only good things. We gather bits and pieces from the surface and sort them out and give useful things to those who are too afraid to leave their tunnel. There are about twenty of us and I get on really well with the others. They are kind to me. I was unwell after they took my father and brother. They found me on the surface and I was very very unhappy.
We make our own uniforms from clothes we find on the surface. I have a lovely pair of boots which I guard with my life. I cut off the legs of some trousers I found and with a sleeveless jacket, more like a waistcoat, that's the everyday me. I've cut my hair really short and wear a red scarf around my neck. I like the way I look. I'm lucky because I have very long legs which is why they made me a runner. There are scars on my legs dating back to the time I was very very unhappy. I'm much better now.
Today I must run lots of messages because the Vixens are going to have a big celebration. Two of our gang are getting married. We have put all our units together so we can buy nice things to eat and drink. I know the couple who are marrying very well. They are both so beautiful and so much in love. Every Vixen loves them. We will build a nest for them in a quiet part of the tunnels so they can be alone together and love each other properly.
I suppose you could say our gang runs the communication system. There are other runners, some write important messages and if another gang wants to send important messages then they come to us. They pay us with units or the things their gang makes. Some gangs make useful things for the home, chairs and beds and places to store your things. Others will help carry things from place to place (not everyone is strong and fit). There are lots of gangs down here doing good and useful things but the gangs on the surface only want to fight and steal and they steal people too. I lost a lovely friend that way. We were very close and we looked out for each other. Once we went to bed together. We both liked it very much and we were planning on being together all the time. But one day, when she was on the surface, they took her. I don't like to talk about it but I cried for many days and many nights.
I mentioned the Seniors earlier, they are the older women who were sent here long ago. They are full of wisdom and are very kind. They are not a gang but they do live together in a special place we are not allowed to visit. Instead they come to us. They come at meal times or when we are having a party or when there is something important for us to know. I can ask them anything I want and I do have a favourite. She is so beautiful. The most wonderful eyes. The way she looks at me makes me feel all peaceful. She listens to me when I talk about my fears and my family and how lonely I am. She lets me sit on her lap while she strokes my hair and my back and sometimes she kisses me too. When I told her about my friend, the one who was stolen, I told her about when we went together and she asked me about what we did and she smiled while I told her and she stroked my hair and I felt so safe and cared for.
Only three days to go. Three days to get everything together for the wedding. I must have run a hundred miles getting all the messages out. All of us runners have been to the ends of all the tunnels and back and that is a very long way. Thank God for my boots, they cost hundreds of units and it was all I had and most of my Dad's savings. But without good footwear I just couldn't survive. There is a gang that makes shoes and boots, they are pretty but no good in my job. The girls that wear them are usually members of the sex gangs. I stay well clear of them, some people say they take girls and use them for sex and hurt them. I'm told their leader is very tall and beautiful. I have never seen her but some have caught sight of her on the surface, near the ship. They say she always wears a long black leather coat that nearly reaches all the way to the ground.
Our gang doesn't really have a leader, we sit and talk about things and we all get on really well. I think that's the best way. We all have different skills. I am fast and alert, I can spot trouble a mile off, I'm not very strong but I'm quick witted. I can usually talk my way out of a tricky situation. A girl I often run with, calls herself George. She is physically very strong and she shares with another girl who's equally tough. I'm glad I know them because they would definitely protect me. They are lovers and I smile to think of them making love because they are both so big and strong!
I haven't been with anyone for ages and I definitely need to be with someone who is kind to me and who would protect me. It would be nice to cuddle someone and giggle together in bed. I would spend absolutely ages touching her and helping her have her orgasms. I have an orgasm most days, I do it myself but it would be nicer to have someone to help. Sometimes in the darkness I hear 'cries of joy' echoing through the tunnels. It makes me feel lonely. Some of the girls in my gang pair up just for the night. It mainly for comfort and mostly they spend the night kissing and cuddling. I don't do this though, I want someone I can get to know properly and love for a long long time. I want someone who I can tell things to who will listen quietly while she holds me and I will do the same for her. And once we have shared our stories we will kiss each other absolutely everywhere.
Now it's the big day. The wedding. No time to feel lonely because I am going to be super busy carrying messages. It's good fun actually. Girls ask me to pass messages to people they would like to talk to and I carry the messages back. It's fun and everyone is happy and relaxed. I have to say that I have dressed up a bit. I spent my last few units on a sexy little dress. It's handmade of course but it's really short and loose and shows off my legs. It's got prints of strawberries all over it. I don't need a bra (confession... I don't even own one). But I found something to wear down below. Normally I'm in my shorts and it doesn't matter but tonight I must be chaste!
I never knew what life was like 'before' I only know what we have now with our scavenging and our tunnels. Some believe that there is a better life on the surface but I don't believe that. The Senior that I like so much told me that I was safer underground and it would be a very long time before anything thing changed. As long as the lake survived so would we. Did I not tell you about the lake? I'm sorry. It's beneath us, beneath the tunnels. Its water was formed before anything else existed. It rise to the surface all by itself and it flows into tanks and the Seniors guard it and distribute it. No-one questions this system, ever.
Back to the party! The music is loud and everyone is dancing. The oil lights flicker and it all looks so lovely. We are all drinking a sort of punch with 'additive' made by one the gangs. God knows what it is but it's pretty wild. Oh My God! The happy couple look fantastic. They are both topless. It's a tradition. It's supposed to symbolise femininity and vulnerability but actually it simply looks so super-sexy. They are both wearing long scarlet skirts and white sashes around their hips and their breasts are really beautiful. They look fantastic and they are so in love they can't keep their hands of each other.
The ceremony begins with a Senior reading a beautiful poem and then they have to promise to take care of each other for ever. At this point everyone claps and cheers. Then the Senior tells them they are married they stand facing each other and then they move towards each other. Each cups the other's breasts and they then carefully touch their nipples together and they look into each other's eyes and they stay that way for ages. It's called the four kisses. I don't know where this beautiful ritual comes from but it's very moving. The Senior makes a wonderful speech and she leads them away. No-one knows what happens next but I think the Senior does something very special with each of them. Something very intimate. Something very personal.
It's quite a crowd, it's all the Vixens plus neighbourhood gangs and everyone is giving each other little gifts. Just simple things... a homemade spoon or an embroidered bed-cloth. I've made some gifts from scraps of metal from the surface. I flattened them with stones and made patterns on them with one end of a pair of scissors I found.
