In the Underground, morning was indistinguishable from night. Kuchel never knew for sure when one day ended and the next began, but she barely slept. Her nights were always busy. With this life, she learned to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep lightly. The slightest noise would wake her, and one did this new day. Kuchel quickly but gently placed a hand on her son's shoulder to awaken him. He was used to waking up this way, so he was also a light sleeper. Normally, he heard the noises too and today was no different. In truth, Levi had not slept at all. He kept thinking about Otto and it only enraged him. The boy had been fuming most of the night. When he felt the bed move from Kuchel shifting positions, he rolled out from under the sheets and went to the hiding corner as usual. One day, they would not live like this, but that day had not yet come. Levi heard the door open and Otto's voice.
"Get on the bed," he instructed.
The next thing Levi heard was the creak of the floor under the mattress. He covered his ears and stared at the wall to keep from hearing anything else. His hands stayed there for a while…a long while. Something was wrong. Though no visitor stayed the exact same amount of time, they were usually gone by now. Levi had an uneasy feeling in his gut and moved his hands so that he could hear. When he did, he heard a whimper. This was followed by a cruel chuckle.
"You can cry if you want," Otto said threateningly. "You wouldn't be the first."
Levi then heard a thud. Worried, he peeked past the clothes pile to see what was happening. Otto was gripping a handful of Kuchel's hair and yanking her head so that it hit the wall behind the bed. His other hand was around her throat. She was struggling to breathe and this realization amused him. As her vision began fading to black, Levi's went red. Otto let go of Kuchel's hair to ball his hand into a fist. He drew back his arm, but before he could punch, Levi latched onto the arm, using all his weight to pull it down to the bed. Otto instinctively started to swing his arm, though he stopped and stared wide-eyed at the boy. Levi, seeing this had worked, began hitting the man's side. His blows were fast, but they did not hurt. Otto regarded him with surprise, confusion, and then amusement. Under him, Kuchel had heard the sound of the little punches and opened her eyes. She watched in horror as a smile crossed the man's face.
"Kuchel, you didn't tell me you had a kid."
Otto pinned the boy's arms to his side so that he would stop trying to fight. Levi was not going to give up so easily, but he saw his mother's worried face. Her head shaking let him know it was time to stop. Once Otto saw that the battling spirit had faded, he let go and got off the bed, straightening his clothes. He opened his mouth to speak and stopped, shaking his finger at the pair. Before he got out the door, he turned to look at them one more time.
"After your visits today, I want to talk to you," he said in an even tone.
Kuchel could not interpret what his feelings were through his voice and his face revealed no emotions either. All she could do was speculate and she preferred being certain.
"Why did you have to do that?" she thought to herself, looking at her son.
The woman knew why. She knew that at his age, she would have done the same thing if she had seen someone doing that to her mother. That did not change the situation. Actions have consequences and as much as Kuchel wanted to shield Levi from some harsh realities of the world, she worried that she could not for much longer.
"He won't hurt you again," Levi said, with a confidence which put a sad smile on his mother's face.
Kuchel painfully got off the bed and went to embrace her son. He gently wrapped his arms around her neck, burying his head in her shoulder. They stayed there for a moment, but it could not last long and both knew this. She still had a full schedule of clients. For the first time, Kuchel wanted each visitor to stay longer. The idea of them leaving terrified her because it meant she was getting closer to the end of the day. Finally, she could avoid this no longer. Her last client left and it was time to speak with Otto. Kuchel glanced at her son before leaving the room and heading towards Otto's. He quickly answered her knock, having been waiting for her. With a gesture of his arm, he motioned for her to enter.
Otto went to his desk and sat down, bringing his hands together and staring at Kuchel. The silence became deafening. Kuchel found herself inexplicably wanting him to speak and say nothing at the same time. The first of her wishes was granted as Otto pointed to a seat.
"Sit down," he instructed.
Kuchel tensely sat across from the man and looked him in the eye. They were cold, empty eyes. This was not something she was unaware of, but it suddenly became a much more concerning fact.
"I have a lot of different people come through those doors out there," he said. "They have unique tastes. Some like red-heads, others like blondes. Some prefer tall ones and others like them small. Personally, I have always had an attraction to brunettes." Otto eyed Kuchel, then smirked. "Of course, there is a clientele which I haven't been able to cater to yet–those who value youth."
As soon as she heard this, Kuchel stood up from the chair. "I'm not agreeing to anything like that."
"No need to get so defensive. If you thought this life was so horrible, you wouldn't be doing it, would you?" Without waiting for a response, he continued. "Everyone under my roof works for me. No exceptions."
The mother's expression turned stern and the conversation did not go further. She returned to her room and began collecting her and her son's few belongings.
"We're moving, Levi," she said. "We're finally leaving this awful place."
Levi could barely believe his ears, but he had heard her correctly. Kuchel's movements were fast as she put everything into a bag (they did not have enough to warrant two). She did not want to wait and potentially get intercepted by Otto. Soon, everything was ready and she walked out of the door with her son. There were not many places they could go, but Kuchel was determined they would find somewhere. They walked around for most of the night–something the mother would have preferred them not do. The only thing more dangerous than the Underground was the Underground at night. Somehow, it got darker and the people's spirits matched. Kuchel kept Levi close to her. She remained aware of the glances they got and every noise which was a possible prelude to an attack. Going behind a building to avoid getting noticed, the mother had Levi hop into the bag. He was so small that he fit and he was light enough to not weigh it down. She was going to get nowhere if people saw a child with her, so she needed to get them a new home by appearing to be alone. Entering the building, it was immediately clear that it was not as nice as where they had left. That was fine, though. She just hoped the people in charge were better. Kuchel entered and walked towards the counter. Behind it was a bald man with a thin mustache and without several teeth. He grinned when he saw her.
"Looking for work?" he asked.
"I am. What do you charge the clients?"
The man shrugged. "That's up to you. I just charge you for food and your room."
Once he told her the price, she asked, "Then, could I have a room here?"
"That you can. Who should I tell people the new girl is?"
Kuchel paused for a moment before responding. "Olympia."
After the man wrote down the name, he pointed towards the rooms. "Last one on the right. It's been unused for a while now."
The woman followed the directions and looked at the room. It was even smaller than the last one, but it would suffice. She closed the door and set down the bag, letting Levi out.
"This is going to be our new home," she whispered, trying to sound more hopeful than she felt.
Levi looked at her and saw her concern. For so long, he had wanted to leave that place, but he did not feel better. Something was coming and the dread he felt told him it was going to change their lives for the worse.
