External (Book 1&2)

2|Prying Eyes

I wake up early the next morning and get dressed quickly. I want to make it early to the stores so I won't somehow run into Mortelli or any of his guys. Thankfully, I didn't see any of them and easily made it to the medicine tent. 

On the eighth floor people set up tents for each necessity people have. For example, food tents, medicine tents, clothes tents, etc. With these people trade items for points which are put into our cards and can be used to buy things. So, in short terms, it's for selling and buying items. 

"Alejandra! It's nice to see you. What can we do for you?" I smile at Christina and place my bag onto the table. I used to buy medicine off of her all the time for my dad before he died. She is always kind and fair to me when it comes to prices, so I always make sure to come back as a customer.

"I brought some medicine to sell." I say and pull out the supplies I stole. 

"Where did you get all this?" Christina asks, her tone worried causing me to clench my jaw.

"What happened to the don't ask, don't tell, policy?" I say and she quickly shuts her mouth and whispers a sorry. I didn't want to seem rude, but by asking questions it breaks the rule that makes this place work.

"Well I can give you a hundred points max for all of this." Christina finally says after evaluating the items. I narrow my eyes, knowing that I cannot take just a hundred.

"But these are worth around two hundred at least." The medical scissors I brought are worth at least fifty by themselves and I brought gauze and rubbing alcohol on top of that.

"I'm sorry but I only have a hundred to give. Why don't you give me the scissors and the alcohol for a hundred and go sell the gauze at the next tent over." I take a minute to evaluate her offer before nodding. I hand her the supplies and slide my card over the exchange meter. I now have a hundred and fifteen points in my account. I'm hoping I can reach two hundred after my next sell.

I walk to the next tent over like Christina had suggested. A man I have never seen before stands behind a small table. His eyes are dark enough that you can barely make out his pupils and wrinkles form around the rims of his eyes. His hair is a dark brown and slicked back. Some grey hair is scattered across his head, contrasting against the brown. His body is covered in tattoos, even his legs and neck. My eyes meet a large M that is tattooed next to the eight and I know immediately that he is one of Mortelli's.

I take a deep breath and hope that he doesn't care or recognize me. Selling level four type medicine supplies can make people think that I have some sort of connection to the upper floors. And it wouldn't be like Danny's innocent drama, but instead people will assume someone is smuggling items onto this floor for me. That would stir up a lot of trouble. With Mortelli already on my case, I hope this doesn't give him anymore reason to want to pursue the tunnels. 

"Hi, I want to sell these." I place the gauze onto the table and raise my eyes to his, challenging him with narrowed eyes. I do so to show him that he does not intimidate me. 

"Where'd you find this." He asks, narrowing his eyes to match mine. I simply point to the "don't ask, don't tell sign" as my answer. He keeps his eyes on me and I shift uncomfortably under his stare. The Mortelli's are known to have a stare that is intimidating. I almost think it is a requirement to join his crew. "I'll give you fifty." He finally offers.

"I'm only taking a hundred." I say confidently as he continues to stare me down. I will not let him try to rip me off because he thinks I'm uncomfortable. I have brought stacks of gauze that should at least be worth seventy-five.

"Sixty" Oh I see, he wants to negotiate.

"A hundred" I stay firm to my amount.

"Seventy"