Carmine Glass, Chapter 1: Jitters

CHAPTER ONE

Jitters

Deborah Grierson was asleep in a gutter. As odd or uncomfortable as this might look, it was average for the girl. Sprinkles of rain fell from the skies, pattering over the girl's head. She was lying face up, and it was a wonder that she hadn’t awoken yet. One particularly large drop landed on her face and rolled into her nose. Her gray-blue eyes snapped open, and she sat up, letting out a violent sneeze. She looked around, scowling at the world in general.

Perfect wake-up call, she thought furiously. She got to her feet and did her best to brush herself off, but it did no good. She was coated in a thick layer of dirt, mud, and leaves. People walked past her on the street, not even bothering to spare her a glance. She heard one well-off man with a thick handlebar mustache mutter; "filthy street rats," as he walked by. She scowled and stuck her tongue out at him quite rudely before hurrying off. She needed to scrounge up some food.

Deborah brushed some of her oily, filthy brownish-blonde hair out of her eyes, looking around for someplace to find food. She saw some older kids in the dumpsters already. Wasn't worth the fight, really.

She knew those kids. They were big, and they were mean, and they were willing to do anything to get an extra meal or two. She kept going. Maybe something more risky was in order.

Hundreds of feet above her head, an enormous clock let out a long, resonating, deep chime, the huge pendulum swinging back and forth behind its glass barrier. Deborah grinned slightly, watching the gears in the clock turn. She'd always been fascinated with how those worked. Machines, clocks, zeppelins... They were amazing pieces of engineering. She sighed and was reminded to keep going by her grumbling stomach. Women in long lacy dresses walked past, their enormous skirts taking up half of the walk. Deborah scowled at the sight of them, weaving in and out of people. Several were getting out umbrellas. Deborah gave a man in a thick coat a jealous look before continuing on. Then she skidded to a stop, sniffing the air. Fresh bread. She did a half-turn and froze, eyes widening.

The new bread shop, of course! The other storekeepers were wise to her attempts at stealing food from them, but this store was new, and therefore wasn't used to life in this godforsaken city.

Perfect.

She crept over to the door, pushing it open. A soft ringing echoed through the store as she did so, and the shopkeeper looked up. Deborah swore under her breath and ducked back into the street. That wasn't going to work…

A car clattered by, the noisy thing belching billowing black smoke into the air. Cars were a brand new development, and expensive; most people were still using horses. Only the incredibly rich used cars, and in her mind they weren’t worth the trouble. She bit her lip, thinking about this dilemma. Maybe if she waited for someone else to enter the store, she could sneak in after them. All she needed to do was sit. In the cold. And the rain.

Wonderful.

So she sat down on the cold, wet cobblestone and watched. Several people passed by, going about their business. The time ticked by slowly. Soon the girl was willing people to go into the store with her mind, but that didn't really work. She found her blue-eyed gaze straying to the clock more and more often. She watched the huge hands move slowly around in their endless journey.

Then, finally, a smartly dressed man with a cane pushed open the door. She darted after him, trying to ignore the cramps that stung her legs, and barely managed to slip inside before the door closed. She ducked behind a shelf before anyone could notice her, letting out an inaudible sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was find something to eat, and get back out again.

She crept along the shelves, looking at the bread. It was all fresh, and smelled positively divine. Her mouth watered from the anticipation. She glanced around at the shopkeeper and the customer.

They weren't looking at her... She snatched a loaf and clutched it to her chest, making a beeline for the door at top speed.

Of course, it was at that moment that the shopkeeper looked up.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

She swore under her breath and shoved the door open, staggering outside into the walk. She didn't stop there, though. She bowled over a man and a woman who had been walking, running straight into a street. She heard the unmistakable sound of a horse's scream of surprise and barely had enough time to look upwards. She saw a pair of huge black hooves bearing down on her. The creature attached to those hooves was the biggest draft horse that Deborah had ever seen in her life.

Then a strong hand seized the back of her shirt and jerked her backwards, just in time. She heard several people swearing.

"You alrigh' there?" a gruff male voice asked.

Deborah jumped and spun around. The man before her had to have been the strangest looking person she had ever seen in her life. For a moment she thought that she was looking at a giant bug of some sort. Huge amber eyes blinked down at her. He was wearing a brown trench coat and a black cap. Reddish hair stuck out from under it at extreme angles. Her forehead creased slightly, before she realized that his eyes were hiding behind a very thick pair of goggles, and they were simply magnified. Bushy eyebrows peered over the edges of them.

"Who're you?" she demanded.

He smiled, showing off crooked yellow teeth. "Th' name's Jitters. Wha's a lovely young lady like yourself doin' in th' street?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but then she saw the shopkeeper coming at her.

He didn't look very happy.

She swallowed. "Uh, gotta go." And then she took off running across the street, leaving the strange man alone.

----------

Deborah had run for a very long time, long enough that her legs burned and her throat felt dry. She collapsed against a wall, closing her eyes and gasping. Her side hurt badly, but she'd gotten her prize. She looked at the piece of golden, warm, flaky goodness in her hands and grinned, sliding to the ground and tearing into it with a ravenous hunger. She detected a faint flavor of honey. "Mm..."

"What've you got there Deborah?"

She jumped and looked up. A lanky boy with tousled black hair and bright green eyes was looking down at her. He was about sixteen years old. She scowled slightly. "How many times 'ave I told you, don't call me Deborah."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, Deb then."

"I found a new bread store down th' road."

He sighed. "Stealing again? Why not just look through th' garbage like th' rest of us?"

"Because I don't like the garbage!" she snapped, "anything we find 'n there is rotten and gross!"

"It's easier than stealing," he pointed out.

She scowled. "Shut it."

He rolled his eyes and sat down next to her. Then he hesitated. "Could I-"

"No."

"Please?"

"No, Tristan. If you want some get your own."

Tristan scowled. "Fine, be that way. But don't expect me to save you when Sam an' his gang come after you again."

"I can take care 'f myself."

"That's what you said last time, remember? You were unconscious for three days."

Deb glared. " 'E got a lucky shot."

"Sure, sure." He got to his feet. "I've got t' get back to th' sister. She'll be cross with me 'f I'm gone too long." And then he was dashing down the street again.

Deb sighed and turned back to her meal.

----------

Two hours later she was staring up at the clock again, studying the interior. "I want t' go in there," she murmured to nobody in particular.

" 'S beautiful ain't it?"

She looked up, startled. The man with the goggles was standing there, also looking at the clock. She frowned. "Where'd you come from?"

"Didn' you see me? I was standin' here th' whole time."

"No you weren't."

"Yes I was," he said, rolling his eyes.

Deb scowled. "Whatever. Yes, 't is beautiful. I want t' know how it works."

He suddenly seemed to be paying very close attention. "Do y' now?"

"Yeah."

A mysterious, almost mischievous smile crossed his face. "I could 'elp with tha'."

She frowned. "You could?"

"Oh, sure. Coul' get y' in there 'n no time, let you look a' it firsthand."

Deb was looking at him with wide eyes. "Will you?!"

" 'Course. But y' have to do me a favor first."

"Anything."

He chuckled. "You're a good thief, aren' you Deb?"

Deb nodded. "Yeah.” She paused, then blinked. “Wait, 'ow'd you-"

"I need y' t' steal somethin' for me. Somethin' important."

"Wha's that?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

This time his grin was enormous, filling up his entire face. "Y' know where the prison house is, don' you?"

She nodded again. " 'Course. Everyone in town does."

"I need y' t' steal th' prison keys."

Deb jumped visibly. "Are you crazy?! Th' prison keys 're-" she was interrupted by a strong, calloused hand clamping over her mouth.

"Yes, I know 'ow dangerous it is. But d’you wan to see th' inside of tha' clock or not?" When she nodded, he continued. "If y' do a good job of it, I migh' give y' another offer too. Now, will y' stop yellin' and lettin' the whole city know wha' we're planning?"

She nodded again, and he took his hand away.

"What other offer?" Deb demanded as soon as her mouth was clear.

"You'll find ou' 'f you steal it without gettin' caught, kid," Jitters said dismissively, waving his hand, "meet me 'ere at midnight tomorrow. If you 'ave the prison keys, I'll get y' into tha' clock of yours."

"Swear it," she said, scowling. She spat on her hand and held it out to him.

He seemed to consider her hand for a moment before spitting on his own and taking hers, giving it a firm shake.

"I swear 't."

She drew her hand away. "Good. I'll see y' tomorrow at midnight."

He bobbed his head in an almost birdlike way. "I'll be here." And then he was gone, melting into the darkness. There was no sign that he had been there, except for a trail of rather sooty footprints.

----------

Deb grimaced, walking towards the jail house. It would be best to get it done quickly. Besides, everyone was probably eating lunch right now anyway. She sighed, quickening her pace. The jail house had always made her nervous. She’d seen many of the older kids getting dragged into that place. The guards were armed with guns and various other weapons. They’d shot one of them for fighting too much. She shuddered slightly, hugging herself. She didn’t want to think about that sort of thing.

All I need t’ do is get th’ keys an’ get out. Simple, right? An’ then he can let me into the clock so I can figure out ‘ow it works.

With these reassuring thoughts in mind, she crept up to the back door of the jailhouse. It was made of steel and was very unfriendly-looking. She swallowed nervously, pushing the door open. It was completely silent, and she fought back a sigh of relief. Good, they hadn’t neglected to oil the door. A pair of guards were sitting a short ways from her, chatting quietly. She slipped past them, sticking to the walls. However, she left a long smear of dirt and grime behind her. These guards didn’t seem to have the master key. She reasoned that that would be in the Warden’s office.

This isn’t worth it… if y’ get caught… She shivered. She’d heard plenty of horror stories about this place. But no, she wouldn’t think about that. Get th’ keys, get out, get th’ keys, get ou’… She kept up her mental mantra, hoping that it would help. She slipped down some stairs and into a hall that was lit with flickering gas lamps. Steel bars loomed out at her in the darkness, and she flinched. Goosebumps prickled up her arms and the back of her neck. She could see people staring out at her from the cells. She gulped and forced herself to keep going.

Then footsteps echoed down the corridor.

She froze up, panicking for a second. Oh god, ’m caught! She shrank into the shadows, making herself as small as possible. The guard passed by, whistling a merry tune. There was an empty bottle of whiskey in his hand. She watched him go before slipping down the hall again.

Maybe this isn’t a good idea… what ‘f he works for ‘em, and they’ve set up a trap for me or somethin’? What if they’re waitin’ for me in the Warden’s office now?!

She steeled herself. She could do this. She would do this. It would be worth it…

… Right?

She continued down the hall, but then a bony hand flung itself out of the darkness and clamped onto her shoulder. She let out an earsplitting scream, jerking away and whipping around. A pale face stared out at her. It was skeletal almost, bloodshot green eyes staring out at her from sunken eye sockets. Grizzled silver hair clung to the skull desperately. It sent a horrible chill down her spine.

“Get me out,” the man whispered in a raspy voice, “please… I’ll do anything…”

Deb tried to take a step back, but he had a firm grip on her shoulder. She shook her head wildly, terrified. “N-No, I can’t! I ‘ave to go!”

“No, please! Get me out of here… It’s killing me… Please…”

Deb twisted and squirmed, then heard pounding footsteps of guards and paled. “No!” She twisted away, sprinting down the corridor at top speed.

“I heard a scream down this *hic* way!”

“Are you drunk, Perkins?”

“Jus’ *hic* a little…”

The other guard sighed and rolled his eyes. He had a mechanical hand made of brass. It had a pincer-like claw. “You’re probably hallucinating.” But nevertheless, he followed his fellow guard down the hall.

Deb was panicking now. Her heartbeat roared in her ears, pounding at a thousand beats a minute. She flung herself at the nearest door she saw, wrenching it open and collapsing inside. She slammed it shut behind her.

She looked around at the room she was in now and couldn’t help but gasp.

The room was full of copper tubes, running along the walls and ceiling to a central generator. The entire building was powered by steam, like all buildings were, but this generator was huge. She’d never seen one this large before in her life. There were several valves and knobs on the thing that controlled the pressure and various other things. It was amazing. The floor was covered in a thin coating of soot. Deb was mesmerized by it, amazed at how powerful it was. It’s keepin’ th’ whole building warm…

It was then that she realized that this room in particular was incredibly warm. It felt very, very nice… Her eyelids suddenly felt rather heavy, like they were little lead weights. Lying down for a bit couldn’t hurt… she’d barely gotten any sleep the night before anyway… she found herself on the floor. She curled up into a ball and slowly fell asleep.

----------

When Deb woke up the first thing she noticed was the fact that the generator was off, and it was very, very cold.

The next thing she noticed happened very quickly. Something slammed into her side, very hard. Hard enough to make her jerk sideways. It was quite painful, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if one of her ribs had broken. She let out a yelp and looked over. A pair of steel-toed boots loomed in her vision, and she paled considerably. She scrambled to her feet to find the prison Warden standing over her, a thick cigar clamped between his yellowed teeth.

“Well, well, what’ve we got here?” he drawled, grinning, “looks like a rat to me.”

Deb felt a little flash of anger. “I’m not a rat,” she snapped.

“Aren’t you? You’re sneakin’ around here with nobody’s knowledge and sleepin’ on the floor. Seems like a rat to me.”

Deb opened her mouth to retort, but no sound wanted to come out. She didn’t have a good comeback for that. A milestone for the girl. The Warden chuckled. “Do you know what we do to rats around here?”

She was very nervous now. She twitched her fingers uneasily. “No, an’ I’d rather not find out.” Her gaze caught a glint of something shiny. At his belt was a ring of keys. Her eyes widened. Those keys were her ticket into that clock…

That was when she decided to do something incredibly stupid. She forced her legs into motion, breaking into a full-blown sprint. Her fingers wrapped around the key ring as she dashed for the door. The Warden shouted and tried to snatch it from her, but she was already out the door. Furious, he pulled a gun from his belt and took aim, firing. It landed inches from her feet, causing her to run even faster.

This isn’t turnin’ out to be th’ best day, she thought, grimacing. Her heart pounded. It seemed to know that its time left alive was limited, and wanted to pound as many times as possible before the end. The hallway seemed so much longer than it had before… She pushed herself to go faster, knowing that if she stopped she would be doomed.

Maybe this wasn’t worth it.

She shook herself. It would be worth it. That clock was amazing. She’d do anything to get a good look at the inside. Another gunshot rang through the air. She swore under her breath, dashing up the stairs.

There were guards everywhere.

She skidded to a stop, paling. Crap, crap, crap!

She had two options now. Give up, try to get around them, or bowl them over. She heard the heavy footsteps of the Warden behind her and gulped. Then she broke into a run, running directly into the group of guards and knocking several over with her momentum. However, being nine years old, she wasn’t exactly very heavy. Someone grabbed her arm and she screamed, twisting away and running for the door. She shoved it open and dashed out into the night.

When did it get dark? I can’t ‘ave been gone tha’ long… She pushed herself to run faster, hearing the guards running behind her. She dashed into an alley and around countless corners, chest heaving. This was her turf. There was no way that they’d find her here. She slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. After several minutes it became apparent that she’d lost them.

She curled up on the ground where she was, looking up at the sky. It was dark, and she could see stars peeking out at her between holes and imperfections in the blanket of clouds that constantly hovered over the city. A breeze blew through, carrying a faint smell of salty sea water from the port city to the West. She shifted, and something jingled. She looked down at her hand to see that the keys were still clutched in it. She grinned.

She was going to get into that clock.

----------

Deb had tried to seek out Jitters earlier than their set meeting time, but her searches had been fruitless. The man had seemed to have disappeared off of the face of the earth. But now it was finally midnight, and she was standing on the street again, staring up at the clock face. It was hard to see in the dark, but she could make out the hands. They both pointed straight up.

She saw a faint glow in her peripheral vision and turned. There was an orange-y blob coming towards her in the darkness. She frowned, squinting. The blob got progressively bigger until she could make out a person behind it. Huge amber eyes blinked at her, and a slightly frightening smile crossed a scarred face. “Did y’ get ‘em?” he asked eagerly.

“Yeah,” Deb said, holding the keys out to him. Bony fingers snatched the silver ring, and it disappeared into a deep pocket.

“Good job, kid. You’re better ‘n I thought.”

Deb smiled. “Thanks. Will you let m’ into the clock now?” She sounded very eager.

Jitters laughed. “Slow down kid. Yes, I‘ll let ya int’ the clock. Follow me.” He turned and began to stride away. Deb had to jog to keep up with him. He took long, even steps. He seemed tense.

Deb frowned. “Is somethin’ wrong?” she asked, tilting her head.

He glanced at her. “Nothin’. C’mon.”

She frowned more, but she nodded and kept following. They wove between buildings and people, heading for the enormous clock tower. Deb had never really appreciated exactly how large the clock was, and now that they were so close to it, it became obvious. It loomed hundreds of feet above her head, hands slowly moving endlessly around in their pointless circular journey. Jitters led the way to the base. There was a small wooden door there with several locks on it.

For the first time, Jitters opened his jacket.

He was wearing a thick belt. Strapped to the belt were several large round metal objects that looked like they’d been patchworked together with a welding torch. A short white string extended from each of them. Deb’s eyes widened. He grinned at her. “This ‘s our ticket in.” He detached one of the balls from his belt, placing it at the base of the door. He drew a match from his deep pocket, lighting it on a thick jacket cuff. “Stan’ back.”

Deb didn’t need telling twice. She turned and ran as far away as she could from Jitters and the door while keeping them in sight. She watched with wide eyes as he lit the fuse, turning and running off towards her. His trench coat flared out behind him like a giant set of wings. He crouched next to her, watching. He was grinning widely.

The next sound to pierce the air was the sound of an enormous explosion that made the ground shudder. A huge wall of flame rushed towards them. Jitters entered a fit of insane laughter, pinning the nine year old to the ground and throwing himself over her as the flames reached them.

The air became extremely warm and she saw a bright orange light, but then it had faded. Jitters sat up, still laughing. “Wasn’ it beautiful?!” he cackled, grinning, “did you see it Deb?!”

Deb nodded, trembling. “I saw ‘t alright. Are you insane?!”

Jitters chuckled. “I coul’ be.” He got to his feet and helped her up. “You’ll never know.”

Deb was slightly unnerved by that response, but she didn’t have a retort. “Can we go in now?” she begged.

Jitters laughed. “Alrigh’, alrigh’, hold your horses.” He led the way through the new entrance into the clock tower. Bits of rubble were scattered on the ground, and most of the area was covered in burn marks. Deb grinned. She would finally get in… She ran into the tower, past Jitters. She glanced around, frowning. An empty room was in front of her. It wasn’t nearly as interesting as it had seemed.

Jitters laughed. “Try lookin’ up.”

She nodded and obeyed. Her eyes widened in shock. The enormous brass pendulum swung just a few feet above her head. Every time it passed it sent a faint swishing sound through the air.

“Woah,” she breathed. She saw a ladder and scrambled up it, looking around with wide eyes. Gears bigger than she was slowly spun, making the hands move. The huge weights hung from the clock, made out of lead. They had to weigh at least a few tons, she realized. The utter magnitude of it all was mind-blowing.

Jitters laughed. “D’you like it then?”

She nodded. “It’s amazin’…” She continued climbing upwards, wanting to reach the clock face. She heard Jitters’ soft laughter behind her, and he began to climb as well.

“Slow down, y’ ‘ave all th’ time in th’ world.”

Deb shook her head and kept climbing. She wanted to see it all. Gears were everywhere. “Wait ‘till I tell Henry about this…” she murmured.

Jitters’ insect like eyes blinked confusedly. “Henry?”

Deb nodded. “ ‘E’s my best friend.”

“Oh.” He frowned, seeming troubled, before shaking himself. His usual grin came onto his face. Deb stepped off of the ladder, staring at the back of the clock face with huge eyes. They were almost as big as Jitters’.

“ ‘S this really how it works?” she asked.

“Mhm,” Jitters said, grinning, “Y’ like lookin’ at ‘ow things work?”

“More than anythin’,” Deb responded.

Jitters looked thoughtful. “I migh’ just ‘ave another offer for y’.”

Deb blinked. “Wha’ offer?”

Jitters grinned. “I coul’ get y’ away from ‘ere, Deb. Somewhere tha’ you’ll be free ‘s a bird t’ do as y’ please. Would y’ like that?”

Deb blinked. “… More ‘n anything… What’s the catch?”

“No catch. Jus’ come with me, an’ I can take y’ somewhere where you’ll be ‘appy as a bird.”

She hesitated. Trusting this man was probably a very bad idea, but then again, it wasn’t like she had anything to lose. At the same time, however, she didn’t want to die.

“Y’ can trust me,” he said reassuringly.

Deb swallowed. “… alrigh’.”