Samori
Chapter 2
"Hey, what's your name? I haven't seen you here before."
It was the athletic guy who had smiled at me earlier. His voice was deep, slightly melodic, with a slight flamboyance too bright for this particular context. I continued moving, attempting to pay him no mind and not give him my direct attention. Turning, I caught a head nod, his face lighting up with an excitement that seemed wildly out of place in this tomb of grinding labor and broken dreams.
The transition from my observations to this direct encounter sent my pulse racing. You would think that Bean and I knew everyone here in Howl, but it was impossible. What made knowing people even harder was the pure suspicion that poisoned every interaction. You could get paid in extra food and marginally better sleeping quarters for reporting suspicious behavior. Some prisoners even believed you could buy your way to a higher level, maybe even freedom, by delivering the right information to the government's ears.
Community felt impossible when survival meant potentially selling out your neighbor.
I stared deep into this guy's eyes, studying him while considering my options. I could easily trade his smooth skin for the same rough texture as the giant pieces of coal that scattered the ground around us let him feel what it was like to be as broken as this place. Or maybe I could play with sound, give him the suffocating silence of these tunnels in exchange for his voice, leave him mute and struggling like so many others here. The possibilities were endless and all it would take would be my intention and push.
[Play it smart, Sam,] Bean said.
She had moved farther away, positioning herself closer to the struggling woman who was clearly this guy's partner in disguise. Even from a distance, I could see Bean's muscles tense, ready for whatever was coming.
"Watch this," I responded silently, then turned my attention back to the stranger.
"Name's Samori, what's yours?" I smiled and stretched out my hand, playing the part of the friendly tunnel bottom dweller.
He licked his lips slowly without breaking eye contact, and I could feel something deep in my gut that wanted me to lean closer to him. Though he wore the usual Howl rags his pale skin and white hair somehow shone in the tunnel. Slowly I saw a glow under his skin that made me want to get closer to him. The sensation was wrong, too intense, like honey poured directly into my bloodstream. I squinted at him suspiciously, and his smile grew even larger, revealing teeth that seemed to gleam despite the dim lighting.
"Light. My name is Light," he said in a voice that seemed to fill up these caverns, making the dripping water and grinding machinery fade into background whispers.
Suddenly it felt like this man Light was the only thing that mattered in this world. The oppressive weight of the mountain above us, the ache in my muscles from the labor, the constant fear that kept us all looking over our shoulders all of it dissolved. His hand moved toward mine in what seemed like slow motion, but breaking away from his eye contact and that hypnotic smile felt impossible, like trying to swim against a riptide.
[Samori, you're stuck. Heads up—this is going to hurt,] Bean said, her mental voice tight with annoyance as she grasped what was happening to me.
A piercing headache flashed through my skull, making my body jolt as if I'd been electrocuted. Light squinted at me, having caught the slight movement that betrayed my momentary break from his influence. His hand finally reached mine, and the warmth I felt was better than any food I could imagine, better than the imagined sun or the dreams of above that kept me and Bean sane in this place.
"He's messing with my senses, Bean. You might have to do that thing a few more times. He's too…fine," I thought, the last part feeling dangerously real.
Did I think he was handsome? Yes. Did I want to do things to him right now that had nothing to do with supernatural influence? Also yes.
The handshake finally ended, but Light still didn't break eye contact. His skin seemed to shine in the dim light, though whether that was sweat from the humid air or something more supernatural, I couldn't tell. All I knew was that I wanted to know how he would taste if I...
[Sam, this woman is getting closer to me. You might be on your own for a second,] Bean's voice carried the firm edge it always took on when she was preparing to handle business, whatever it took to keep us alive.
"You know, you're not even being subtle about it," I said with a sly smile, letting him know I was aware of his game while still playing along. In a place like this, showing your hand too early could be fatal.
"Since you showed me yours, let me show you mine."