The only thing Kris has ever known is the routine.

It’s a tedious schedule, but it’s his whole life. Awake by dawn, stirred to his feet by soft rays of sun peeking through homemade curtains. Scrubbing his skin raw under frigid water and struggling with the same outfit he’s worn for over ten years; navy blue long sleeve shirt with a jacket for warmth in the colder moths, dark gray pants with slight tears around the knees, sturdy black work boots with just a few scuffs. It’s not his ideal choice of clothing, but it’s required. He musses with his hair, pokes at his reflection to waste a few moments, and makes his bed. Simple, mindless tasks.

Then comes a short breakfast, usually something simple like rice or eggs with a bit of toast. Kris chokes down the tasteless food with a bit of water, greets a few of the others in his dorm with a simple hello, and heads out to work. It’s a bland lifestyle, but how can he complain when it’s the only one he’s got?

Besides, it’s all part of the routine, and the routine is not to be messed with. That’s the first and most important rule taught when it comes to living in the Town.

But apparently, that rule didn’t apply to Huang Zitao.

“I heard there’s a problem on Level Four,” Lay says over his cereal. “Might take a few hours to fix, so we have the morning off.” The clink of Kris’s spoon echoes as if hits the bottom of his empty bowl and he frowns, wiping his mouth. To some, having a morning off might sound nice. For him, it just sounded boring. What else was he supposed to do besides, well, work?

“Are you sure that’s the reason?” The peppy sound makes Kris cringe inwardly. Luhan’s voice has always bothered him; it’s too excited, too lively. It’s a bit too happy to put up with 24/7. “Because I heard that the Generator completely malfunctioned and that we might have the entire day off, and maybe even the next.”

Kris scoffs and taps his fingertips against the wooden table. “Yeah, right. Don’t be dense Luhan. If the Generator had malfunctioned so badly, the entire Town would be in a state of panic and they would have made an announcement by now.” Luhan pouts and sinks in his seat, playing with his toast. Kris feels a little guilty for being so blunt, but he can’t help it when it comes to Luhan. There’s just something about his strangely eager mood that makes Kris want to toss his cereal across the room.

Sehun slides into place beside Luhan and sets down his tray with a small thump. “I heard it’s because there’s a new guy arriving,” he says, chewing anxiously at his bottom lip. “Someone said there’s a ship from across the River docked on the shore that is delivering him from the other side.”

The other boys glance in surprise at the tall window and watch as the line of coast is beaten by an abundance of waves. The sky is overcast and lit up by hues of pink and orange sunrise, the clouds hanging low as if blanketing the sea. The entire scene is peppered by screeching seagulls diving close to the waves to snatch up bits of fish. In the distance, Kris can almost make out the looming buildings that stand on the other side of the River where the City lies. The sight of the coast is all too familiar; he’s been looking at the same River for twenty two years. But he doesn’t see a ship anywhere, despite Sehun’s claims.

They turn to face Sehun with curiosity and disbelief etched in their features. He shrugs, spoon hanging from between his pursed lips.

“It was just a rumor.”

Kris hates rumors.

He likes the facts, he likes answers. Unfortunately, with nothing else to talk about but work, the Town has a habit of gossiping a bit too much. His friends happened to have adopted that habit as well, much to his distaste. 

He walks back to his room with hands deep into the pockets of his coat. If he’s going to have a few hours off of work, he might as well put them to good use.

He tosses his coat onto the bed and curls up with one of the books that he keeps tucked away underneath of his bed. He wasn’t exactly supposed to have it, if he was telling the truth. Books were banned in the Town. They didn’t like anything that distracted from work; the Generator always came first.

But books were something Kris couldn’t go without, even if it meant getting someone to smuggle him anything filled with words from the City.

But he can’t seem to keep his eyes focused on the weathered pages; instead, they keep flitting back to the tiny window over his sink. He watches the waves and the clouds and almost convinces himself that he can see a ship in the distance.

No, he thinks. No way. It was better not to get that idea in his head. Sehun was just…rattling off a nonsensical rumor.

But the idea of a newcomer is so fascinating. It’s only happened three times during Kris’s life, the first when he was just a small boy and hadn’t even started working on the Generator yet. Each time had awed him even more than the last; the people who stepped off of the boat had been dressed in fancy, pristine clothes. They were nothing like the identical, dingy work clothes that every citizen of the Town wore. They had bright eyes, quirky smiles, and sharp tongues. Everything about them screamed adventure, happiness, intelligence. Kris could only remember thinking why would they want to leave the City for this? What’s so good about the Town?

He also remembered not being able to think of a single reason.

When the bell rings, the workers gather again. Kris makes his way out of the dorm, following the stream of boys and men alike, and heads down the trail that leads past the shore to the huge building where the Generator stands. But something stands in their path.

There’s a ship on the shore of the River, its sides beaten with tall waves until the paint is almost chipped away completely. Kris stands in awe, collar popped against the exposed skin of his neck and hands tucked deep into his pockets.

“Would you look at that?” Lay nudges his shoulder lightly. “Sehun was right.”

Kris doesn’t answer, just keeps his eyes trained on the ship. He knows it’s from the City; why else would a ship be here? Supplies were delivered on cargo planes twice a month, people delivered on ships. The ships brought possibilities.

The line of workers watch in awe as a boy steps out into the shallow water where the sand meets the sea, tethering the bow of the ship to the dock; he’s from the Town, obviously. Kris can tell by his clothing. He peers a little closer at the boy and recognizes him as Chanyeol, a smiley boy from their dorm whose laugh echoed of off the walls. Chanyeol reaches a strong hand towards the ship and helps another boy off. City born, no doubt about it. He’s wearing all dark clothing and a sharp scowl is twisted across his face. He’s not as eager and excited as the previous newcomers Kris has seen, but he definitely shines with a sort of unknown radiance. He shines so bright that it takes Kris’s breath away.

The two make their way towards the group of workers and Chanyeol holds up a hand in welcome, a smile stretching across his face. Kris glances around him as a few other boys return the wave hesitantly, all of them appearing unsure of how to react. How many years had it been since there was a fresh face in the Town? Too many, it seemed, gauging by their reactions.

“Hey!” Chanyeol calls, cupping his hands around his lips as he shouts. Water sloshes against the boat behind him and Kris can’t shake the sound from his head. He tries to swallow the lump in his throat as that noise rings in his ears and tries not to feel blinded by the boy in front of him. Chanyeol herds the young, scowling boy over to them and grins. “Guys, this is Zitao. He’s a new member of the family.”

“Tao,” the boy says through a grimace. His gaze cuts through Chanyeol like a blade and Kris almost shivers at the sight. “It’s just Tao.”

“Tao,” Chanyeol corrects, his grin faltering as he swallows. “U-Um, this is Tao guys. Take him to Suho for me, will ya? I have to check in and let everyone know that Tao has arrived safely.” There’s a quiet murmuring throughout the crowd until someone finally pipes up.

“Sure thing,” a voice Kris notices belongs to Baekhyun says, stepping out of the line. Kris also notices that his fingers are trembling when he bows to Tao. “Welcome to the Town, Tao. I’m sure you’ll fell very welcome here!” His smile is bright but his eyes have an entirely different story.

Tao scoffs under his breath and doesn’t return the bow, instead scuffing his shoes in the dirt. “Not likely,” he says bitterly. Kris furrows his eyebrows as Baekhyun shifts uncomfortably and steps back, gesturing for Tao to follow as the herd of workers starts to move towards the .

There’s something different about Tao, and Kris decides he wants to know what it is.

“This is the Generator,” Suho announces as he smiles brightly at the still scowling boy. Kris watches him lead Tao around like a lost puppy, pointing out what switch does what and which wires will cause the entire place to blow if accidentally crossed. It’s not eavesdropping, Kris convinces himself, just research on his new “family member”. He tinkers with the machine in front of him and whistles under his breath, trying to appear busy as the two of them pass by the workers.

“Here is where all of the men and boys of the Town work. It requires attention every hour of everyday because it powers the City and the Town, though personally we don’t use much electricity here.” That’s true, Kris notes. Suho’s smile has enough watts to light the whole place anyway.

Tao remains silent throughout the entire introduction, his hands tucked into the pockets of his City jeans. If he’s processing any of what Suho is saying, he doesn’t show it.

Suho stops beside Kris and pats his shoulder, surprising him. Kris almost drops the cable wrench in his hands and Suho chuckles. “Kris, you met Tao this afternoon, correct? He’s knew here and his dorm room is right next to yours, do you think you could show him around?”

Yes, Kris screams internally. Of course!

“Um, sure thing,” Kris stutters. Suho claps him on the back again and nearly knocks the air out of his lungs. Kris meets Tao’s icy gaze and a shiver traces his spine. Suho doesn’t seem to notice and simply beams at the two of them.

“Great! I’ll let you off early today and the two of you can head back to the dorms. Just make sure you’re here on time tomorrow so you can show Tao the ropes of the Level Three work he’ll be doing.” Kris nods obediently, ignoring the stares that he knows Sehun and Lay must be giving him. The only gaze he can pay attention to is the dark one Tao is keeping trained on him. Suho gives him a final smile, pats Tao on the back, and disappears into the throng of workers and wires.

“Well,” Kris starts slowly. “Let’s go.”

Kris learns early on that Tao is not one for small talk. Or, well, any talk for that matter.

He leads Tao back to the dorms and tries to be a good guide, though the other boy’s silence is a bit unnerving. He points out the houses where the women and children of the Town live with their husbands, shows him the path that leads to the dorms for the younger boys who work on the Generator, and explains the routine.

“We wake up every morning around dawn,” he starts, keeping his eyes trained on the path beneath him rather than the magnetic boy beside him. “Everyone eats in the cafeteria together for breakfast then we head over the Generator. It’s pertinent that you’re on time because everyone works in shifts to keep the power running constantly. If we relent, the entire City goes dark and what little power we use is extinguished. It’s our job to keep it going and ensure that there are no problems.” He peeks over at Tao but his expression remains an even scowl, lips sealed tightly. Kris tries not to let it bother him.

“We get weekends off in shifts as well. Since we’re working the day shift right now, we’ve got both Saturday and Sunday to do whatever we’d like.” Kris doesn’t include that he spends that time reading and nothing else. “So you can plan your free time accordingly, though there’s not much to do around here.” They reach the dorms and Kris guides Tao to the staircases and up to their rooms.

“That door right there is yours. Mine is next to yours, so if you need-”

Tao slams his door shut, leaving a stricken Kris standing by himself in the empty hallway.

“…anything, just tell me,” he finishes to himself.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

Kris curls up on his bed again and tries to lose himself in a novel. But the words keeping mixing together and the sound of waves is still crashing in his ears.

That is, until he hears something coming from Tao’s room.

The sound is so loud that the walls nearly vibrate the walls. Kris winces, covering his ears, until he notices what the sound actually is. It’s music.

When was the last time he listened to music? Real music? It’s been banned for longer than he can remember. He cranes his ears now, body starting to sway softly to the addicting beat, until suddenly he remembers the rules and the routine and how he’s supposed to be Tao’s guide not his partner in crime.

He leaps off of the bed and hurries out into the hallway, praying that Suho doesn’t choose this time to do the random dorm inspections he likes so much. He pounds on Tao’s door relentlessly, calling his name over the thumping beat echoing in the thankfully barren hallways. It takes a few minutes before the door is suddenly yanked open form underneath Kris’s fist.

“What?” Tao’s voice is laced with venom as he shouts over the music and Kris shirks back, feeling as if he’s just been bitten.

“Your...your music!” He tries to shout and makes wild hand gestures but Tao simply stares. “You can’t play that here!” Tao furrows his dark eyebrows and slams the door. Kris is about to start pounding again until the hallway suddenly goes quiet. Tao opens the door again and locks his steely gaze on Kris.

“What do you mean, I can’t play that here?”

Kris swallows hard and rocks back on his heels. “There are bans here. A lot of things from the City aren’t allowed.” Tao grips the doorframe so hard that his knuckles turn white. Kris needs to get him out of the dorm before he puts a hole in one of the walls. “Why don’t we, um, take a walk on the shore or something?” He spits out his words in haste and speaks with his hands up, afraid that Tao might start screaming at him or swing a punch. “I’ll explain more.”

Tao shuts the door once again and Kris turns away, dejected. “Well, aren’t you going to wait for me? I can’t exactly walk on the beach without my shoes.” Kris glances over his shoulder in surprise and a hint of a smile graces his lips as the other boy follows him, tugging on a dark jacket. He realizes that Tao has just spoken more words in that moment combined than he’s spoken in his entire time in the Town.

He waits for Tao to catch up, trying to hide the small smile on his face. He doesn’t know why but the fact that Tao has actually spoken to him without sounding bitter and mad at the world makes him feel satisfied. As they start walking, Kris fidgets with his hands, eventually settling on tucking them into his pockets. “So,” he starts. “How old are you?” Tao remains stoic and let’s his eyes travel over the bland interior of the dorm.

“I thought we were going to talk about the ‘rules’, not me.” Kris frowns slightly as they step out the old wooden doors onto the path and branch off towards the shore.

“Right, the rules. Well, the first rule is to follow the routine. That one is a given. The second rule is to obey the bans. The bans include no books, no music, no outsider clothes,” he pauses and gives Tao’s tight black jeans a pointed glance, “and no outsider food. Basically anything from the City besides our bimonthly allotted supplies isn’t allowed. It’s just to keep the Town pure I guess, and to keep us focused on work. It’s not that bad once you get used to it.” Tao scowls at the ground as the grass slowly fades into sand.

“You’ll have to wear the uniform too.” He holds out his wrist to Tao and shows him the small bracelet around his wrist with a large metal three hooked on the chain. “This is a part of it. It tells with level of the Generator you’ll be working on out of the four. Yours will be a three, like mine.”

“I’m not wearing the uniform,” Tao says curtly. “It’s stupid.”

Kris is taken back. Everyone wears the uniform. He’s worn it since the day he turned twelve and his father showed him the ways of the dorm and the Generator. It’s a sign of growing up and belonging to the Town.

“But it’s a rule,” Kris says. “It’s required.” Tao cuts his eyes at him as the two reach the shore and Kris looks away.

“Does it look like I care?”

No, Kris thinks. I suppose not. He doesn’t voice his opinions aloud.

They’re silent for a moment. The ship that brought Tao to the Town is gone already, the dock looking barren and abandoned. In the distance, Kris can make out the buildings that define the City. Lay calls them “skyscrapers”.

Tao steps closer to the shore and tosses a stone into the waves. It hops a few times before disappearing beneath the surface. He turns back to face Kris and the wind tousles his dark hair.

“Nineteen,” he says suddenly. “I’m nineteen.”

Kris looks up in surprise. “Really? You seem…older. I’m your hyung, you know.” Tao rolls his eyes and faces the City, looking wistfully at the skyscrapers.

“I figured as much,” he says quietly. His tone is so mournful that Kris wants to tousle his hair, pat his back, hold his hand, anything to coax out a smile that he’s not even sure exists.

Instead he takes a step closer to the waves lapping at the sand and stands just a few inches from the other boy. “What’s it like there?” He nods towards the City. “Is it…nice?”

Tao nods slowly and tosses another rock into the River. “It’s great,” he says firmly. “There’s so much freedom there. You can listen to the music you like, read the books you want. You can work if you’d like to or just spend your days doing whatever it is your like to do. You make the decisions and you run your own life. Here? The Town is a prison.” Kris frowns and picks up a rock of his own. When he tosses it into the River, it plops immediately, doesn’t skip prettily like Tao’s.

“If you hate it so much,” he starts, searching for the right words. “Why would you come?” Tao’s eyes darken and he fiddles with the collar of his jacket.

“It wasn’t by choice. I was sent here as punishment by my family. They said I might be able to come back one day. Might. All because I ‘shamed’ them by not doing anything successful with my life. And now here I am, alone, in a place where life is a simplified joke and I’m forced to spend the rest of my life working for nothing.”

Kris toys with the bracelet on his wrist and throws a pointed glance in Tao’s direction. “You’re not alone. You have me.” The words taste sour on his lips as if he knows Tao won’t believe them, but the other boy simply returns his glance with a bit less venom than before.

“Thanks,” he says quietly. Kris decides he likes this Tao, maybe a bit too much for his own good.