AN: I just wanted to explain something real quick. In this chapter Polly calls Peter, 'Peter Pevensie' Because they're stepsiblings in this story, I thought that might confuse some people so just to be clear, it's because even though their not related they've been around each other for so long that all use the same last name anyway.
Susan didn't feel as excited about her job as she had only a day ago. The novelty of serving the city had officially worn off now that she knew Mayor Cole was stealing. Really, he was worse than a common thief. If Peter was correct, he was taking the best things from the storerooms himself and leaving only the scraps for the people of Ember. It wasn't only unkind and morally repugnant, but it was also deceitful. Why should he and his partner in crime, Looper, get all of the good things and pretend that there weren't any?
With a deep inward shudder, Susan remembered what the Mayor had announced when the first blackouts started. She had only been nine years old at the time but she still recalled him shouting down to the people that he was working on a solution to the problem. And he had been, except not for them, for himself. Who knew how much he had taken over the years. One good question was where was keeping these things. If anyone saw all of that stuff, there would be a lot of questions.
It wasn't a pleasant morning for anyone. The lights flicked for three minutes at breakfast. Lucy whimpered. Edmund clenched his jaw so tightly that he got a headache from it later. When the lights came back, Susan could see that Peter had been scowling the entire time; probably thinking about the selfish mayor. Professor Kirke and Polly both looked like they might have heart attacks at any given moment. Both Susan and Lucy desperately wanted to say something-anything-that sounded honest and natural but couldn't think of a single word to say.
It was Edmund who spoke up at last by whispering to Susan, "Su, is it just me or is breakfast even smaller today than it was yesterday?"
Peter started slipping his breakfast onto Lucy's plate but Polly caught him at it this time. "Peter Pevensie, I saw that!"
"But she's hungry, Aunt Polly." Peter protested. (They all called her 'Aunt Polly' even though she wasn't really their aunt) "She's a little girl, she needs more to eat."
Polly's tired old eyes filled up with tears. "I know, Peter, I know."
"Peter..." Lucy said, looking at the food again. "You should take it back, I don't want you to go hungry."
"I'm full, Lucy." Peter lied before his stomach growled, giving him away.
"I have to go to school." Lucy said softly. She pushed her plate of food back towards Peter, stood up, grabbed her school things, and headed for the door. "Come on, Edmund."
Edmund and Lucy always walked to school together. They were so used to doing this that if one of them got sick and couldn't go the other one refused to walk on their own and stayed home too. The Professor had tried to break them out of this habit but he had gotten nothing but blank stares and the occasional bitter tears. He had to admit defeat in the end.
Edmund popped one last olive in his mouth, gathered up his own school things, put on his jacket, and went out the door with Lucy.
"She's a good lassie, that one." Professor Kirke sighed as soon as Lucy was out of ear shot. "She deserves a better life than she has here in Ember."
"Things weren't always so bad." Polly said, making sure Peter actually ate his breakfast instead of trying to give part of it to his other stepsister. "When I was a little girl, the storehouses were still so full that we used to have tours of it. Now it would be too frightening to take little children there."
"Aunt Polly?" Peter wanted to tell her what he knew about the Mayor and prayed she would believe him just as she had believe him about Narnia. "There's something I have to tell you and Professor Kirke."
"What is it?" She asked him.
"I know something about the problem with the food shortages." Peter confessed. "Mayor Cole's stealing food from the people of Ember. It's not just food either, it's lots of other things. Like paper, and-I think, Light bulbs."
"Light bulbs!" Polly, Digory, and Susan all gasped at him in disbelief.
"Peter, you didn't say anything about light bulbs last night when we talked." Susan reminded him.
"I snuck out of the house at seven-thirty." Peter told them. "Because I wanted to see what was going to happen at eight and then I rushed home before Light's out."
"Peter, what have I told you about sneaking out of this house?" Polly demanded harshly not because she was really cross but out of old habit. She sometimes forgot that they weren't ordinary children and where grown up kings and queens who were now living in their young bodies again.
"I had to know." Peter said.
"You should have taken me with you." Susan said pointedly.
"Two are more easily seen than one, Su." Peter reminded her.
"What did you see?" Professor Kirke asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"Well I followed Looper and Mayor Cole I didn't have a lot of time and I was sort of late, but one of the boxes Looper was carrying opened a little and I saw four what looked like four perfectly good light bulbs." Peter told them. "Most of what I saw them put in sacks, looked like canned foods; no surprise there."
Susan nodded in a 'go on,' sort of way.
"The last thing I saw before I had to start back so I didn't get stuck out on the streets when all the lights were off, was them leaving the office and going down into the pipes works." Peter finished.
"That would make sense." The Professor said contemplatively. "Hiding the food underground. Who would think to look there?"
"But isn't it terribly risky?" Susan asked. "What about all of the people who work down there? Mightn't they see them?"
"They would have all gone home by then." Peter pointed out.
"But when they come back the next day, surely they would notice cans of food and other goods." Susan insisted.
"Not if he has a hidden room down there someplace." The Professor said. "All he would have to is put a 'danger keep out' sign on the door of whatever room he might choice to hide his stash in and none would be the wiser."
"It's too bad we can't get down into the pipes works and find it." Peter muttered softly, mostly to himself. "Without proof no one would believe us."
"Doon." Susan said thoughtfully.
"What was that?" Peter crinkled his forehead in confusion. What was she talking about.
"Peter, that's it!" Susan cried out.
"What is?" Peter still didn't get it.
"Doon works down there!" Susan exclaimed happily. "He's an old friend of yours anyway. Why don't you ask him to look down there and find where Mayor Cole is hiding all of the stolen goods?"
"I've barely said more than 'hello' to him in years." Peter said doubtfully. "I don't see why he would be willing to help us. Maybe he'd tell someone and get us all into trouble."
"But he wouldn't!" Susan explained. "I think he's trying to save Ember somehow."
"Why would you think that?" Polly wanted to know.
"Because he traded jobs with Lina Mayfleet." Susan explained that Doon had picked messenger first.
"Maybe he just has a crush on Lina Mayfleet." Peter shrugged.
"Aw, they would be so cute together." Polly said rather sentimentally.
"No, he didn't do it to be nice." Susan said, trying to keep them on the subject at hand. "He did to so he could have a job that would help him save Ember."
"Why would you think that?" Peter wanted to know.
"Because he asked Chet to trade first." Susan told them that she had found out through her messenger job about a conversation that had taken place between the two boys.
"What job did Chet have?" Peter asked.
"Electrician's helper." Susan raised both of her eyebrows at the same time.
"I see." Peter said thoughtfully. "I guess I could try to talk to him later."
Meanwhile Lucy and Edmund were still on their walk to school. As they passed the street near the pipes works entrance, they spotted Doon on his way to work. He carried a tin lunchbox in one hand and his hard hat in the other. He placed both of these down on the sidewalk and stopped to look at something on the ground.
Lucy wandered over to him and curiously eyed the squirmy dark thing he was picking up. "What's that?"
"A worm." Doon shrugged.
"Well if it isn't Doon Harrow." Looper was on his way to his store and couldn't resist coming over to make fun of Doon. He eyed the lunch box. "Worms for lunch today, bug boy?"
Doon's face flushed red with anger.
"Don't listen to him." Edmund whispered. "He's only trying to get you upset."
"It's working." Doon hissed back, ready to jump up and punch Looper in the nose.
"Just ignore him." Lucy suggested. "Go to work like you didn't even hear what he said."
Usually when Doon's anger got the better of him, he couldn't help lashing out but there was something almost authoritative about these two kids. For a moment looking into the face of the little girl he thought he saw a Lady-Mayor (He might have thought of a queen if he had known of such a thing). She certainly didn't sound like a little girl at the moment. Then he blinked and inwardly scolded himself for being so silly. Of course she was little girl! She was only seven! All the same, the distraction was enough to cool his rage for the moment and he figured he might as well do what she said.
"Hey Doon!" Looper called after him again. But by that time, Doon was already lowering himself into the pipes works and couldn't hear him.
"I hate him." Edmund said as they turned the Conner that would take then to the street the school was on.
"Who? Doon?" Lucy looked rather upset. "Why? He's nice."
"No, not him." Edmund chuckled. "Looper."
"I hate him too." Lucy agreed bitterly. "he reminds me of someone terrible but I can't quite figure out who."
Edmund thought it over for a moment. "I know! The White Witch's dwarf. It was the fact that Looper's taller that threw me off."
"His kind always have a hidden agenda." Lucy said thoughtfully. "And if he's the dwarf in this world, I wonder who the witch is."
"So do I." Edmund said shuddering inwardly. Life was going to get a lot harder for them, he could just feel it.
AN: So that's it for now, sorry it's kinda short, I'll try to make the next one longer. Please review!
