Backlash, Chapter 1 or 2

Chapter Two



Memoriam









I look out the Gate, watching my friends say goodbye to each other. Sera had already said goodbye to me. Telling me I was her best friend, and warning me.





“Never let anyone know your secret, Kyrie,” she whispered into my ear, as she was led away by the police. She always thinks of me. This should be about her. Avery, Sera’s and my friend, says goodbye to her outside the Gate. It looks like he slipped something inside her pocket, but I can’t be sure. Sera pulls away, resolute, and Avery walks back towards the half-safety of Safe. Avery, my best friend after Sera. His dark brown hair and eyes absorb the sunlight as he strides back into town. I hold out my arms, and he embraces me, pulling me close. I inanely realize how much he has grown, considering the situation, as he pulls me into his chest. The guards watch with little interest, as I begin to sob. I know why they're taking her. Only because she wanted to know. And somehow, they knew, too. And that makes me as angry as I am sad. I'm never going to see her again.





Avery slowly begins to let go, but before he does, he whispers, “Stay strong,” into my ear. He pulls away, and begins to walk back to the clinic where he works as a Heal talent. The bracelet marking him as a Dua sparkles, catching the sunlight, and he looks back, his handsome face breaking into a smile, before he accelerates, feet kicking up the dusty road as he runs back to the clinic. I can’t help but smile back, his braveness touches me. I begin to jog back to my place as well, to continue Skywatching duty. Skywatching is most likely the dullest job in Safe, other than the Light talents’. My best Elemental talent is air, so I sit in a guard post in Safe and watch for storms to divert. I couldn't be a FireStarter, it would be too dangerous. The Regrowths had to go outside of town, to the plains, and I wasn't brave enough to go out of Safe, and the Waterlives were out of town as well. The last rain barely came close enough to the town to push it away. I remember Sera used to complain all the time on Sunday, the one day of relaxation in the town, about how boring it was, using her Light talent all day, but only to light the homes of people who treated the Light talents poorly because they were considered the weakest.





She’d always said, “How I’d show them! I could make their precious light explode, and leave them blinded in the dark! Of course, then they wouldn’t be able to see that they were in the dark...” And then laughed, like a person without a care in the world. But she kept secrets, that I didn’t know about. Secrets she only told Avery, maybe about the history of the Third Great War. She never told me about it, and brushed it off as a project. It was never really my business, anyway, but I couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by the exclusion. I’ve passed the pleasant row of cul-de-sac houses, where most of the population is gathering, preparing to light the red fire that would signal the Pack, to come and hunt Sera. The thought makes me sick, and I hurry on, ready to get back to watching the ever-blue skies over the town. People are making their way towards the center of the cul-de-sac, the fire already growing, as Elemental talents pour fire on the logs. Since a Light talent is being hunted this time, the other Light talents form the ring around the fire. As they cast saddened to the sky, streams of light fly into the sky, all different colors and sizes. One by one, all the streams converge, and burst, leaving a shower of sparkling, iridescent light behind. I sit down hard on the ground and lean my head against the post, trembling.





It fully hits me, that Sera’s going to die. I get up, still shivering, and run, run towards anywhere but the blood-colored cloud that looks like death. A fat rock in the middle of the gritty road catches my eye too late, and I go flying as my foot catches on the stone. I shoot past my Skywatching post, and skid to a halt, to turn back. Instead of getting up right away, I sit on the empty road, and cry for what feels like hours, the red cloud still hanging in the distance. I can still hear Sera, remember her face the moment she left. Her steeled face, and the yellow dress she liked so much flapping in the wind like a flag of battle. I decide that I shouldn’t be sad, but like Sera. I’ll be strong. I stand up, and wipe the salty water and sadness off my face, and walk back to the post where I should have been watching the sky.





My post is a little tower made out of wood and an endless amount of screws, with a small platform at the top, and a Warrior talent, watching the town with disinterest. As I climb the rickety ladder towards the platform, I notice the Warrior today is Murray, his brownish hair vaguely floating in the breeze. I like Murray, he’s funny and it’s hard to get bored with him around. He turns to me and smiles, his cheeks dimpling. The lines around his eyes crinkle, and his teeth catch the sunlight, before it’s blotted out by the dark approaching clouds. I hurriedly cast my eyes to the sky, and draw out my talent. I blow, and a powerful gust of wind shoves the storm farther west, away from Safe.





“Hey there, girl,” Murray says. “How’s life?” Again, he makes me smile, with his goofy charm, but it goes away when I remember Sera.





“Fine. What’s the town look like?” My voice trembles as I force it out.





“Boring, like usual. Except, there was a big light show and that cloud that signaled the Pack a little while ago. I could hear them howling. What Light talent got exiled?” Murray is one of the only people in town that really care for the Light talents.





“Some people don’t like the Lights,” he would say, “but the way things are, they’re essential to us all.” He looks at me with the same caring feel.





“It’s Sera.” my voice comes out hard and robotic this time, and I turn my eyes away, towards the sky that I make peaceful.





“I’m so sorry,” says Murray, as he lays a hand on my shoulder. “Everyone who knew her liked her.”





“Everyone except our glorious leaders,” I explode, turning back to him. “You know what they exiled her for, Murray? Being curious, about wanting to find out our history! It isn’t fair, that they get to decide whether or not someone gets killed!”





“Shhh,” he says, and takes me into his arms. “It’s going to be fine.”





“Thanks, Murray,” I say. I relax and sigh. “Why does the world have to be this way?” Murray gives me a sad smile.



“I’m sorry, Kyrie. I wish I could tell you how the world got like this. But it’s been at least twenty years, since the Event, and both of us were born after.” It’s true. I’ve just turned 17, barely old enough to make my own decisions. At 18, he wasn’t much better, but he at least was on his own.



Murray’s eyes tighten as he looks behind me and says, “Quick, here comes Kay. ”My shoulders involuntarily straighten as I pull away to force a smile and wave to one of our leaders. Anger is still fresh in my mind. Their white clothes give them away from a distance. I could remember that Kay was an incredibly powerful Elemental talent. She could summon up gale force winds and manipulate water in an instant, and she was also one of the youngest leaders. Kay was also the kindest of the leaders. Her Dua necklace sparkles in the sun as she waves at us. None of the public knows what her second talent is. “Why, hello, Kyrie! Murray!” she says, ambling over towards us. “How is Skywatching, going, Kyrie?”



“Peaceful,” I say, showing more of my teeth, and Kay’s eyebrows knit together.



“What’s wrong?” I blink, as her directness strikes me.



“Sorry,” I say. “It’s my friend.”



“Sera?” Kay pulls me into a hug, and I grimace against her chest.



“Yes,” I whisper, my throat tightening.



“It’s understandable to be in mourning for your friend,” she says, and lets go of me. “Why don’t you go home for the rest of the day, and recover?” Kay spins me around and begins to walk me back up the road. “I won’t take no for an answer, you need some time to get back to normal.”



“What about my duties?” I say, looking back at Murray, who smiles awkwardly.



“I’ll have someone else do it for one day. Maybe pull an Elemental talent from one of the farms to do it.” She looks at me, and her eyes convey a sense of peace. “I’m sorry it happened. I have always voted against the exile of our people.” Her smile droops, and she stops and looks at the row of cul-de-sac houses. “You live near the end, don’t you?”



“Yes, down near the center circle.” Near the circle where the signaling fire still sputters the red smoke that killed my friend. The thought fills me with anger, and so much pain. I turn to walk down the wide street, but Kay grabs my arm with surprising force.





“I did like her, you know?” she says. “Sera? She was nice and refreshing. We played chess every day, even after I became one of the leaders. I’m so sorry...”





“It’s not your fault,” I say. Seeing Kay, the happiest person in Safe, like this, drains me. “I know you wouldn’t have wanted Sera to be exiled.”





“Thank you,” she says, and her eyes close. When Kay opens her eyes again, she is smiling, her eyes bright and wide. “I hope you feel better!” And she walks off, waving and saying hello to the few other passersby on the street, before taking a left turn into what was the courthouse. What used to hold dangerous criminals for trials and convictions was now the meeting place for the few with elite talents, to pass their own laws. The public couldn’t do anything, since the talents contained in that one place outstripped most of the rest of Safe. I pass by quickly, hurrying to my door. Now that Sera’s gone, my own private house, with no one but me. It’s a little one floor yellow house, bright, idyllic, and out of place next to the suburban houses towering near my own. It sits next to the tiny library, a pretty building painted blue. A sign, faded, sits next to the library, the words obscured. I drift through the house, before stopping in the hall that leads to the bedroom. The house belonged to an older woman before it was mine, the leaders appointing this house to me. I’m so tired, and with Avery and Murray both at their duties, I decide to sleep. Without Sera, the wonder of having a house is gone. As I flop down on the bed, I can see in my mind the day she and I met, the day she saved me.



*****************************************



I am running as fast as I can. Mommy and Dad are gone, to fight the wolves. I want to curl up and cry, but Dad told me to run until they come get me. Then he’ll pick me up and pat me on the head. “How’s my button?” he would ask me. He was funny. But when the wolves chased him, he got scared, and told me to run. I have to run now. Oh! There is a road. It’s black and looks new, and the shimmery stuff is coming off the road. I turn onto it, my shoes making a weird scraping sound on the tar stuff. After a while, I’m getting scared. The trees look mean and I’m tired. I don’t know how long I was on the road, but I could see a big thing far away. It looked like a big wood wall, and there were big pointy things on the top, with people in them. I don’t know where Dad and Mommy are and I’m scared and I need them!



“Mommy!” My yell doesn’t go that far, but the bush far away on the road moves. I don’t like it, so I keep going on the road. My feet really hurt. There’s a man on the top of the wall and he’s pointing down at me. The two middle parts of the wall go out, and inside looks like a little town. There are farms and houses and people. A lot of them are inside and they’re looking at me. I turn around and call for Daddy this time.



“Dad! Mommy!” My yelling only makes the bushes rustle closer to me, and a really big wolf walks out. It’s fur looks all torn and gross, and it’s teeth are long and sharp. In the teeth are strips of fabric that looks like Daddy’s shirt. It makes a growl at me, and I turn back to the town. There’s another girl in the opening, she looks like she is the same age as me, maybe she’s older. The other girl is pretty, with long blond hair and a pretty dress. She looks scared, too. The town looks so close, so I run. I hear the click noises of the wolf’s claws on the road and I scream, and try and go faster.



And then the other girl yells, “Close your eyes!” I don’t know why I should, but I do. The big wolf is getting closer as I shut my eyes and keep going to the big entrance. Then there was a giant flash of light that made my eyelids really bright. The wolf yells in pain and runs the other way, and I got into the town. The other girl looks at me, and I see now she’s maybe twelve, and her eyes are a pretty green. I remember Mommy and Daddy.



“My mommy and daddy are still outside!” I yell really loud, and run back at the opening. It’s closing now, but a man on the top stops it. Another big wolf comes out, and sprints at me fast. I don’t think anything. Where are Mommy and Daddy? I can see red stuff, all over it. So much of it, and it smells rusty and I know what it is now, why why, it happened I can see it and it’s everywhere and they took them away from me. They took them away, and they’re never coming back!



“NOOOO!” I scream. My hair is flying all around me in a big wind, and the wolf gets thrown far away. More come out of the bushes, and I start crying. In the middle of the big wind, none of the wolves can touch me. The other girl looks scared, and I keep crying, I don’t know why it happens.

I feel dizzy, and then I fall down and fall asleep. I’m so sad, where are my parents...?





*********************************************



“Hm!” I jerk awake, and the old, dark wood creaks under my weight. My feet touch the cold floor, and goosebumps race up my skin. The vivid dream that was also a memory is still so tangible in my mind. I can almost remember what my parents looked like. Sera was so much clearer than normal, everything was. I can smell the blood on the wolf’s teeth, hear the wind in my ears. Outside my bedroom window, the wind is bullying the tree, knocking its branches with insubstantial fists. The sun in the distance is setting, so my dream has lasted long. I stick my face close to the window, brown hair and eyes reflecting back. I can’t see past myself, so I shove the window open and lean out. The cool air feels good on my face, brushing my cheeks like a friend. Most of the work and school for the talents are done. People are walking home and talking good-naturedly, and children are outside, playing.





A little brown-haired, Light talent girl is pretending her fingers are guns, shooting little streams of silvery light at a boy, who lays down and plays dead. Another boy, his blond hair whipping around him in the wind, sits cross-legged in the dusty road, his face screwed up in intense concentration. Slowly, the wind that’s been battering the tree in my yard moves to him. He lifts off the ground, cushioned by the air, until he reaches a few feet up. The Elemental boy opens his eyes, and gives a shout of joy, but it broke his concentration. The little air-block under him dissipated, and the boy falls back hard on his butt. He jumps around shouting, and I smile unconsciously at his plight. The girl also giggles, and the boy on the ground shakes with laughter. I watch as the boys pick themselves up off the ground, and the children run down the street, laughing and screaming. My smile stays, as I am reminded that Sera, Avery, and I were almost exactly like them before. Before... my thoughts are interrupted by an insistent knocking at the door to my little home. Anxiously, I get up, and look, towards the sound at the door. The patrol is today, that could be it, or any of my friends. But they’re at work, so there aren’t many other choices as to who it could be. My nails go to my teeth, as I begin to gnaw on the edges of the white. Now that Sera’s gone, no one is here to make me feel as safe as my best friend did, certainly not in the town whose name made me feel anything but. Nothing bad I blow a lock of hair away from my face, and decide to answer the door, more or less confident in my ability to handle whatever comes through. Drifting into the front hall, I touch the edges of the doorknob with one hand, and flick the deadbolt back with the other. The knob turns easily, and the door swings quietly open.