#series_7

[ai-qa]

We Go North

The sound of whispering on the other side of the wall woke me and I slowly blinked my eyes open.  I looked up to the shattered window of our sleeping area to see it was still dark outside.  Shuffling came through the curtain door, the muffled thump of feet against the hard cement floor and that notable soft grind of pulling bag strings.

"We're gonna have to get the kids up soon," Sura said quietly.

"Soon ain't now," responded a busy Riv.  "Want 'em to sleep as much as they can."

I sat up and quickly shook my head to wake myself.  We'd been looking forward to this day, to the point the past several days were a blur.  It's strange how slowly time passes when you have something to look forward to, but once you're there it's like no time passed at all.

Through the murky darkness I looked down to my hands, firm and scuffed from chores, and a small smile creased my lips.  How funny it was that I'd find a sense of belonging among those who lacked their own.  I thought back through all Xhianei and I had gone through, from fleeing home with Parana to crossing an ocean, to getting turned away from our destination, and finally ending up here.  So much happened in such a short time.

"You think you have enough?" asked Sura.

"Hopefully it'll be, but might be a bit tight," Riv answered.

I missed my mom.  I missed Parana.  I hoped everything, everyone back home was doing okay, and that the wrench in my mom's plans wouldn't cause too many problems down the line from here.  Though displaced, both Xhianei and I were safe and hopefully that would still count for something.

Looking just beyond the end of the bed I saw Parana's bag on the floor.  I had already packed everything away the previous night so it was closed up nice and tight, ready to carry.  Something about this didn't feel quite right, though, so I leaned forward to grab its handle and pull it over.  Undoing the zipper I gently reached my hand inside, feeling around for-- ah, there it was.  I pulled out the envelope that Parana had given me back at the shipyard, and pinching the side I could still feel the contents.  I stared at it for a moment, quickly glancing over to a still-sleeping Xhianei, before placing it on the floor beside me and repacking my bag without it.

Pushing the bag aside I stood up and gave a long stretch before bending back down to retrieve the envelope.  Reaching out I slowly drew back the end of the curtain to see Sura and Riv sorting through miscellaneous things and packing the necessities into bags by candlelight, the burning wick smell reminding me of home.  A quick look down the hall confirmed we were the only ones currently awake.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, clutching the envelope tightly.  Sura must have heard me because she turned around pretty fast.

"Oh, hey Xhias," she said through a yawn.  "D'you need something?"

"Um, well, I was...actually wondering if you both had enough."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Riv assured, though his voice gave a hint of uncertainty.

"Just...I have this from home," I said, offering Riv the envelope.  "My mom gave it to us for Huot, but...yeah.  I don't know what's in it, I never opened it, but I've held onto it in case we needed it.  If it'll help, I...I'd like you to take it."

Riv just stared at it, unmoving and eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Please take it," I said.  "I want to help."

He looked from the envelope to me, then back to the envelope.  Slowly and hesitantly he extended a hand to accept it, opening the folded side to examine what it held.  I had never handled money before so I didn't know what was in it or how much it was worth.

"I-I'm sorry if it isn't much, I don't know anything about money, but I thought--"

The both of them knelt to my level.

"Xhias, are you sure you want to give this to us?" Sura asked.  "That's very thoughtful of you, but..."

"This...ain't a small amount," Riv said, voice cracking.  "Don't want to take this unless you're absolutely sure."

"Our mom gave that to us for our care, and I think this is what she would want," I blurted.  "Just...please take it."

The two of them stood there, stunned, as a moment of silence hung in the air.  Riv put the money back in the envelope and stowed it away in his pocket before they both reached forth and hugged me tight.

"You've no idea how much this means to us," Sura whispered.

"...Thank you, Xhias," was all Riv could say.  Those three words carried a fullness to them I couldn't quite explain.

Both of them stood up slowly, something behind me catching their attention.  I turned around to see for myself.  Saffron stood at the mouth of the hall, arms folded and leaning against the wall with a small sly smile on his face.  His eyes met mine and he gave a slow nod, his smile growing bigger before turning around and disappearing down the hall.

---

We got the rest of our stuff packed and ready before waking up Connor, Harley, and Xhianei.  As a parting gift Ulimi had sent a large bag of food back with Riv on his last day, some of which became our breakfast.  As I took another bite of my sweet bun I looked over the place I'd called home over the past few weeks.  It was weird but it hung a little heavy in my heart to know this was probably the last time I'd see the place, even if it were just a storm shelter.  I couldn't even imagine how the others felt, Riv especially.  Despite that, many smiles and happy stories were still told during breakfast, sharing perhaps the few good memories we all had from our respective origins.  The more I heard, the more interested I grew in where everyone came from and the more excited I became to see more of the world around us.

...I never thought I would feel eager to see the world again after my dad, after the foster home.

"'Kay then, everyone ready?" Sura asked, looking us over.  "Everyone fed and got their stuff to carry?"

"Looks like it," Saffron said as he slung a bag across his back.  "It's not like we have much more than we arrived with."

Both Sura and Riv gave a little chuckle as they packed away the rest of the food in another bag.  A small jab at my side alerted me of Xhianei trying to hand me a pencil and a piece of paper.  I took a look at the paper, smiled, and signed my name alongside the others' before she took it back to pin to a wall.

I picked up my bag and took Xhianei's hand as we all walked down the hall and up the stairs for the last time, stepping out into the chilly, salty air of the world above.  Once we walked to the outskirts Riv waved his hand to say he'd be a minute.  Curious, I followed him to one of the cliffsides.  He hopped up on a fallen stone and squatted, looking out east.

"You okay?" I asked, stepping closer and taking a seat by the stone.

"Ah, yeah, sorry," he said, chewing on a splint.  "Just...you know, lot to take in.  This place was my home, it and Huot're all I know."

"Worried?"

"That's a word."

We sat in silence for a moment, just looking out to the starry sky.

"I'm glad you're with us, you and Xhianei," he said.  "Sorry things in Huot didn't work out, but kinda at the same time I'm real glad they didn't.  You're good kids, nobody deserves that fate.  Happy I could help in some way."

"Where do we go from here?" I asked as he tossed the chewing splint somewhere.

"North," he said.  "From what Ulimi showed me there should be towns on a trade route north of here, and with the money we've got they'll be willing to let us come along.  Keep goin' 'til you're where you want to be."

I looked down toward my feet and thought about what lay ahead.  Riv hopped off the stone and looked down at me with an arm outstretched, those pale eyes evoking a feeling of calmness.

"We're all goin' together, nobody left behind."

I looked at his hand, then back at him, and accepted, getting back onto my feet.  Side by side we made our way back to the group.  All together, we took our first steps north.

---

Mom,

I'm sorry that things here didn't turn out how you planned.  I know it wasn't something you could foresee and we really did try to make it work, but I guess things here had something else in mind.  If you send for us, I don't know where we'll be, but I hope to see you again.  We love you and miss you dearly, you and Parana both.

But don't worry about us, mom.

We'll be alright.

--- ---

Thanks for reading.

[ai-qa]

It’s Not Your Fault

We set off into the night, first stopping by Ulimi's shop.  Ulimi was standing outside the back door with a bag in one hand and a pipe in the other, back against the wall and staring off into space.  Upon our arrival he handed the bag to me to carry.  I didn't hear or really listen to much of what was said between he, Riv, and Sura, still quite shaken and trying to process what just happened.

"So, it's over?" Ulimi exhaled with a big puff of smoke.

"...Yeah," was all Sura could say.

Riv, normally talkative, said nothing.  I think he was paying even less attention than me, opting instead to stare in some vague northern direction.  He rested his hand on the side of Harley's face and combed his fingers through her hair as she clung to and leaned into his side.

"Will you still be around here for the usual?" Ulimi asked, nodding toward Riv.

"...Can still work, yes, 'least for a while" he said flatly.  "May be a few days between trips."

He seemed to have something planned out, though I wasn't privy to what.  I just looked around aimlessly, too tired to think about much else anyway.

I felt a big hand on my head and fingers slowly grooming my hair.  I could already tell who it was.

"You okay?" Riv asked.

I wasn't sure how to respond.  A lot had just happened and life as we knew it was over, for better or for worse.  Regardless, he turned me gently by my shoulder and knelt before me to meet me at my eye level.

"Saffron, whatever happens, we'll be fine.  Okay?" he affirmed, his hands grasping my shoulders.  "'m sorry this is all happening so fast, but we'll see it through.  We all will."

"...Okay," was all I could say, looking off to the side in my own thoughts.

"You're not...afraid of me, are you?" he asked, voice cracking slightly.

You know, despite what we all saw in the headmaster's room, I don't think I could ever really be afraid of him.  Something about that just didn't work in my head.

"Of course not, it's just...a lot happening all at once," I answered.

Riv pulled me closer into a tight hug, to my surprise.

"I just...just can't sit by as he hurts more people.  Had he done it to you, or whoever, it would have gone the same way.  We can't be in a place like this."

I nodded.

Before too long we continued our way, heading generally north from Huot and out into the open world.  Even so, we didn't seem to be wandering, instead advancing on some untold goal.  It was a long walk, but after about an hour we landed on the remains of a nameless town.

"Sorry it ain't much, but...there's a lot of space here and a bunch of forgotten stuff left over in some weird bunker in the middle of the town," Riv said, standing Harley back onto the ground as Sura did the same with Connor.  "Even saw bedding down there.  Plates, some silverware, various odds 'n ends--"

I turned around to see what cut him off.  Sura had grabbed onto him pretty tightly from the looks of it, her face against his chest.  They both just stood there for a moment in silence under the starry sky.

"This is all we need," Sura whispered.

I took Harley and Connor by the hand and the three of us took a place around Sura and Riv.

"...Just wish this didn't mean we were homeless," Riv sighed.

"There's worse things out there than being homeless," Sura said, rubbing Riv's face.  "That place wasn't really a home, anyway."

"...Yeah."

He led the way to the middle of town where the bunker lied.  Past some ruins and rubble were a doorway and a flight of stairs leading to a rather spacious basement-like series of rooms.  Sure, it wasn't much, but it was a place to call our own-- at least for a little while.  This wasn't a permanent solution, but it would certainly tide us over while we collected ourselves in the meantime.

Riv brought us to where the sleeping areas were and had us pick our own rooms, saying how exhausted we must all be.  He wasn't far from the mark as Sura took Connor to his sleeping place to rest him for the remainder of the night.  After a stretch I realized how tired I, too, had grown as the night continued.  I was making my way to my sleeping area as I heard hushed speech from around the corner.

"I'm sorry, Riv."

I stopped and turned my head around it just enough to see Riv hugging Harley close, her face still clammy and wet from earlier.  His hand, knuckles still dirty with blood, gently patted and stroked her head as she clung hard to his front.  From here I could see where his ear had been torn, blood matting and staining his hair and the fur around his jawline.  I could even barely make out wetness around his eyes, which was something I don't think I'd ever seen before.

"You've nothin' to be sorry for," Riv said quietly.

"We can't go back because of me."

"No, we can't go back because of him.  That is not your fault."

"I shouldn't have said anything--"

"Listen: No one, absolutely no one gets to hurt you like that, gets to hurt anyone like that.  What he did, and what he's done, is not your fault.  It's nobody's fault but his.  He's a terrible, sick person who hurts people that can't fight back.  You were right to tell someone, even if that someone was me."

"...Okay."

"You understand?"

"...I...think so."

"Good.  Now, I'm sorry."

"...For what?"

"I'm sorry you saw what all you had.  Father...had that coming to him for a long time.  Long before you came here.  Even so, I didn't mean to scare you or anyone else, and I'm sorry if I did."

"You didn't scare me...I just don't like seeing you hurt."

"I'm fine.  Really.  This ain't about me, anyway."

"...If you say so."

"I do say so," Riv said, standing back up onto his feet and wiping the dried blood from his face.  "Now, don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.  Can either take your sleeping room or you can sleep with Sura and me for the night."

I continued my way to my sleeping room before they could see me.  I looked back once to see Harley wander into the largest sleeping room while Sura led Riv down another hallway, picking up something about cleaning his ear.  I chuckled to myself as I drew the curtain to enter the small room, drew it back, and fell on the straw bed, passing out near instantly.

[ai-qa]

Reflections

As soon as he saw me he quickly turned away again as though looking for something.  I took a few steps closer to overhear some mumbling, cursing about something under his breath.

I remembered what Saffron had said the previous night, how the hat helped to darken his eyes for the sake of those who had to look upon him.  Saffron's story filled many gaps I hadn't known about and pieced together a much larger, more complete image of those around me.  I held my arms close to me and closed my eyes.  A harsh, cold and salty breeze swept between us and without thinking I let out a small gasp of surprise from the chill, catching Riv's attention.  He looked back at me for but a moment before hopping off the broken wall and removing his jacket.  He stood before me, looking away and saying nothing, offering his jacket.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked.

He just continued to look away and keep quiet, only responding by shaking his offering to keep my attention.  I hesitantly reached out to accept the jacket, putting my short arms through the sleeves and wrapping it around my back.  I was puzzled by the lack of any zipper or buttons, but it was still warm and carried a scent reminiscent of bread.  Once I accepted his offer Riv started walking back to the broken wall.  I think he misunderstood.

"Thank you, but actually, I...I was hoping I could talk to you," I said.

He stopped mid-stride and slowly lowered his foot back to the ground.  A few seconds passed before he said anything.

"Ain't got my hat," was all he said, his own discomfort showing through his voice.

"You don't need it," I said, trying my best to be reassuring.

He stood in silence, stiffly, unwilling to budge.  Something about him seemed...sad, perhaps even vulnerable.  Was he really this concerned with my fears?  Had I really been so thoughtless?

My feet moved on their own, stepping slowly closer and stopping just behind him to his left.

"...I'm sorry," I said, looking up at him.

He turned his head slightly toward me.

"...What?"

"I'm sorry, Riv."

"...Saffron didn't set you up to do this, did he?"

"No, but...I did need him to show me how unfair I've been all this time.  I didn't realize I...I had been doing the very same thing others had done, both to me and to you.  I was bothered by things that didn't matter and never even gave you a chance when you helped us so much.  I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry."

I rubbed my eyes with the sleeves, trying not to cry.  Riv put his hand on my shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

"You'd come around when you were ready.  Saffron's a good kid who doesn't like when people don't get along.  Not surprised he talked to you."

He reached up and over the wall to grab his club, an object of which I'd been wary, and I took a small step back.

"Just so we're clear, this ain't meant for you.  I get it's scary - that's kinda the point - but this is to protect those important to me, and that includes you."

Important?

"What is it for?"

"Corruptions, people tryin' to hurt us, those kinds of things.  You ain't on that list, so try not to worry about it.  The most you might ever deal with it is learnin' how to use it."

He started walking away, taking a few steps before I took some of my own.  Hearing my footsteps just behind him he paused briefly, turned his head just slightly enough to see me, and then continued on his way as I followed.  Before I knew it we were on a quiet walk around the back of the ruined town, heading toward a path of old steps leading to the sea below.

"Saffron...told me a lot about all of you, if that's okay," I said as my feet met the sand at the bottom of the stairs.

"Prob'ly felt it was only fair given what we know 'bout you, so not surprised any," he responded.

We both walked a short distance along the small beach before stopping and looking out toward the open ocean.

"...He told me a lot about you, too."

Instead of a normal response I received an uncomfortable smile and downcast eyes.

"...You're why everyone is here, right?"

"...Unfortunately."

"'Unfortunately?'"

"Wish I could give them more than this, more than a storm bunker in some forgotten, abandoned town.  I wish I could do...more than I'm able.  They're all good kids who deserve more than what life gave them...so much more...and I just--"

"Riv?"

"--I just hope I've helped make their lives a little bit worth living."

"Are you okay?"

"...I have to be, Xhias."

"They know you work hard and try everything you can, both you and Sura.  Saffron...told me all about it, just how hard you both work to keep everything, everyone safe and happy together.  Everyone here really loves you and appreciates what you've done.  I'm sorry I didn't see these things myself until now.  Thank you...for everything you do."

I looked up toward Riv.  While he didn't speak, the tears welling in his eyes said everything.

A moment of silence crept by as he thought through my words.  I took the time to reflect on everyone's shares, how when they had nothing but each other they still pushed forward and kept each other going.  I never realized how remarkable that was.

"Do you think the people from Huot will try to find you?"

"Dunno.  They definitely have reason to given what I did, but not sure they'd care enough about dilute kids to come after 'em, especially out to a place like this.  Prolly happy enough we left, but it's that uncertainty that kills me."

"How did you know about this place, anyway?  From what Saffron said it was like you knew about it before you all came here."

"...This was my hometown."

"You...lived here?"

"...Back when it was a place to live.  Got destroyed by a line of bad storms and a tornado back some twelve years ago.  The bunker's there for that reason, though there was nothing left after the storms were over.  People lost their homes, some lost their lives.  I lost my mom and therefore my home.  Got sent to Huot since, well, not like it's far.  Been there since."

"I'm...sorry.  I don't know what to say."

"Sometimes things happen.  Sometimes the things that happen ain't fair and there's nothin' we can do about it except move on, 'specially something like weather."

"I hope I'm not making you upset."

"Nah, just...a lot to think through.  There's always a lot to think through."

I thought back to some stranger parts of Saffron's story, things only Riv could answer.

"Um...who is Celadon?" I asked.

"...The foster home had rules for us non-pure kids.  One of those was adopting a different name to sort of separate us from where we came from.  Seemed to me it was to make us forget who we were.  Celadon was the name they forced me to take.  We all had one, but Saffron's the only one who still uses it.  Dunno 'bout Harley, if that was her name before or after or what, but I guess it don't matter."

"...Are you still worried about Harley?"

"Every day.  Been trying real hard to fix the damage that...person caused.  She's been openin' up more and actin' more like her old self again instead of going quiet and hiding away.  Hate knowing she won't be completely the same, but...she can still be happy and live a normal life even with that behind her.  I'll do whatever I can to ensure that."

Another sharp, cold breeze blew past us.

"Riv, did he...hurt you, too?"

Riv's ears flattened and he turned his head away, but from where I stood I could see a solitary tear running down his face.

"...Yeah, he did.  A lot."

"I'm sorry, I--"

Riv reached out and pulled me closer, snug up against his side as his hand carefully grasped my upper arm.  With one arm he held me tightly, saying everything with nothing.  I rested my head on his ribs and we both stood there for a while, silently watching the shallow waves lap along the shoreline.

"This is something that stays with you forever, even with a lot of help and understanding.  Didn't mean to make it weird, just...I'm glad you both never stayed there.  So, so glad."

I said nothing, just continued to lean on him and watch the ripples of light on the surface.  Several minutes passed, but it felt like time stood still.

"Anyway, it's late," he said, releasing me.  "I need to make rounds and you need to get to bed."

We both turned and headed back up the stairs, up the trail, and back to his post.  I gave him back his jacket before making my retreat back to the bunker.  For the first time we both looked at each other directly and smiled, giving a silent nod before we parted ways.

[ai-qa]

To Bridge a Gap

The days which followed were...strangely normal.  Or, I guess what I thought normal would be like, at least compared to how life had been up until now.  Despite being so far from where we'd spent our lives we felt a lot safer and more at-ease, taking up various household chores to better function as a family unit instead of a bunch of runaways.  That wasn't too hard or far from the usual, though-- we mostly just took care of ourselves and each other even back at the foster home.  Everyone had some weight to pull and, honestly, it's not like there was a whole lot else to do out in the middle of nowhere, in a destroyed and forgotten town.

Connor handled simple tasks like collecting waste and adding to the compost.

Harley helped with food preparation, dishes, and laundry.

I mostly foraged, but did other small jobs asked of me.  I also helped teach Connor and Harley  things like reading and basic math if I had the time.

Sura did a lot, like cooking, laundry, and making and mending clothing.  We didn't really have much to our names, maybe a couple changes of clothes each, so we appreciated that there was someone around who could fix what we had and make more of what we needed.  She helped with a lot of other jobs the little kids had, too, if they needed it-- dishes, food waste, those kinds of things.

Riv, well...we didn't see him a whole lot.  He slept during the day so he could keep watch over the place at night, keeping any eye out for foster home staff and any possible hostile corruptions that might come through.  In the early evenings he would forage for things Ulimi might need and set off for Huot in the dead of night every few days, making what money he could and coming back with food from the shop.  He didn't like me helping him forage for things, saying "I don't want my problem to be your problem" or something along those lines.  He'd do what he could to spend time with us anyway, both he and Sura doing their best to ensure we felt safe and cared for.  He took his work around here pretty seriously, though we could tell it was stressful.

We didn't want to be here any longer than we had to be, so he worked hard to pull together what money and goods he could get to make the venture north that much easier.  People do what they can with what they have, and we weren't exempt from that rule.

***

I stared at Saffron throughout his story, my eyes wet from all this new information.  I really had no idea about any of this, just some very subtle behaviors and cues.

"Like I said," Saffron sighed, "Riv is why we're living in some old deserted town ruins and not in a large house back in Huot...but there are far worse things than being homeless.  I'd rather be out here living in a basement than living in that...person's house again.  I think I speak for everyone here."

"...What Sura told us...makes a lot more sense now," I muttered, hugging my knees.

I thought back to Xhianei and how the doorman treated us in kind.  Were there really people like that in the world?  If she got hurt like Harley did I'm...I'm not sure what I would do.  Could I even do anything?  They were a lot bigger than me.  I would probably just make it worse if I tried, but I couldn't just...not do anything.

"I do understand that the people here probably look a lot different than what you're used to, Xhias," Saffron said, scratching one ear.  "You came from an entirely different region and adjusting to this is hard.  We're not new to that kind of thing and we want you to feel welcome and accepted here, but you'll also have to give a little more of what you receive."

I thought about it briefly.  Had I really been so unfair all this time?  I guess that was a dumb question, mulling over how standoffish I had been these past few weeks.  I hadn't meant to be rude or unjust, and honestly didn't think those things made the impact they had.  The realization brought tears to my eyes.

"I don't want...to be like my dad."

"Ah, I don't think you could if you tried," Saffron uttered through an understanding smirk.  "Some things you just have to learn.  It's when you refuse to learn that it becomes a problem.  An appearance is just an appearance: Clothes are just clothes, jewelry is just jewelry, hair is just hair.  More importantly-- his eyes are just eyes, just like yours are."

With that said Saffron stood back up to his feet and stretched, taking my plate from beside me.

"I'm getting up anyway so I'll take this back with me," he said, turning away to head back.

"Saffron, I...did you..." I wasn't sure how to word my question.

"...No, I wasn't," he looked back.  "I appreciate your concern.  Connor was never out of sight so he wasn't, either.  Sura and I were too old upon arrival."

"...What about--"

I could see a grimace begin to spread across Saffron's face before he turned and walked away, ears flattening and saying nothing else.  I slowly turned to face ahead of me once more, holding my knees tightly as my ears sagged with strange, heavy emotion.

I had a lot to think about.

---

Night fell quickly, and before I knew it the rest of us kids were sent to bed for the night.  Each went to their respective rooms, Xhianei following me to ours.  The both of us flopped onto the straw bed, ready to sleep after a long day.  It was nice and cool outside so we made use of the makeshift blankets.  It didn't take long for Xhianei to pass out but I found myself just staring up at the ceiling, tracing the moonlight against the hanging tarps and wires.

Down the hallway I heard the hushed voices of Riv and Sura saying their goodnights.  The quiet flap of the curtain falling cued the familiar slow shuffle of footsteps down the hall before disappearing up that far flight of stairs.

I laid there trying to figure out what to do.  I looked over to Xhianei passed out next to me before looking back up to the ceiling.

...Okay.

I took a deep breath and sat up, scratching my head before rising to my feet.  Carefully, I reached out for the curtain in the doorway, pulled it back, and looked down the empty hall.  Even with all the people down here, hardly a sound could be heard as they slept.  I slowly, quietly made my way down the hall and to the base of the stairs leading outside.

For once I acted without thinking, ascending the stairs as quietly as I could manage and gripping the metal railing to keep myself steady.  It wasn't long before I arrived at the top, pushing past one last curtain and stepping into the outside world.

A short distance away Riv sat atop the remains of a wall just staring out across the field, club in hand.  He seemed too focused on his survey to have heard me coming.  I stopped a couple yards from where he sat.

"...Hey."

His ears perked and he turned just enough to look back at me, those eerie, bright eyes meeting my own.

[ai-qa]

Uneasy Does It

Just outside the doorway was the thud of something soft hitting the floor.  Sura stood up, stretched, and looked back down to the both of us.

"Just a minute," she said with a smile before turning back around and heading out of room.

Some seconds after was the sound of someone losing their footing, likely tripping on something.  A couple steps followed, and then an echo from a light smack.

"Ack, what'ya want?" came an unfamiliar voice.

"I've told you how many times to stop leaving your clothes on the floor," Sura complained.  "Ya keep doing that and I'm gonna strangle you."

"Not if you break your neck first," they retorted.  "That'll prolly happen first from the looks of it."

Another slap sound.

"'Scuse me, ma'am, but this is clearly domestic abuse 'n I ain't gonna stand for it."

"Oh, shut up."

After a couple looks of confusion between Xhianei and I, their conversation hushed to unintelligible whispers.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry 'bout it," said the new person.

Before we could formulate any expectations the tarp curtain was drawn, revealing a rather tall, dark male figure.  He stood there for a moment looking down at us before squatting down to better meet our height.  I could somewhat make out the shape of some kind of club covered in spikes held over his right shoulder and a dark flat cap atop his head, shielding much of the upper face in shadow.

"So you're the kids I found passed out in no man's land, yeah?" he asked.  "Take it you came outta Huot."

Xhianei nodded, but perhaps by instinct I found myself turning my head slightly away.  The more my eyes adjusted to the light, the more uneasy I felt about him, his dirty clothes and ragged torn ear.  He seemed like some kind of scrapper, even carrying a weapon into the room to talk with us for some reason.

"Not too chatty, huh?  S'alright, still early, but I’m sure ya got a lotta questions."

Xhianei looked back to me, then back to him.  I could feel she wasn't terribly impressed with my behavior, but something just...didn't sit right with me about him.  I could get used to the others, probably, but this was different.  At least it felt different to me.

"Why did you bring us here?" Xhianei finally asked.

"Well surely it ain't the best thing a couple'a small kids sleep outside, what with the cold 'n corruptions 'n weirdoes roaming around," he answered, chewing on his wood splint.  "Figured you came from that hellhole south'a here like the rest of us.  We got no problem havin' ya both here if you do your part with helpin' people take care of each other.  Yanno, chores 'n whatever else Sura prolly already said."

"What would we have to do?" she asked further despite my silence.

"Ah, just stuff like helpin' find food or gettin' food or mending clothes.  Not askin' the moon or anything.  We all play a part here, even Connor and he's, like, four."

"We could do that, right?" Xhianei turned to me.

"...Sure." I uttered.

"Good to hear.  'm sure you'll both fit in just fine.  Got names?"

"I'm Xhianei," she said happily, turning to me a second time.

My back was hunched and my ears flattened.  I couldn't help but fixate on his eyes, which even through the shadow cast by his cap were so light and unnerving they looked almost like they were glowing.  It creeped me right out, especially with his heavy-lidded leer.

I felt a smack across my arm and looked at Xhianei, who looked right back at me in disgust.

"...Xhias." I finally confessed.

"Some interesting names, there.  Can certainly tell you ain't local."

I squinted in his general direction, though this time he picked up on it.

"Kid, believe me, y'ain't want t'be local to a place like here.  Y'wouldn't be where y'are now if everything in Huot worked out.  Much as it sucks, things go how they do for a reason."

He looked over to our bag and grabbed it with his spare arm, gently plopping it on my lap.

"Sura will show you where t'put your stuff and where you'll be sleeping.  This bunker thing's pretty big so there's plenny'a space.  Welcome to the garbage kingdom."

He then patted Xhianei on the head and stood back up, stretching his legs and stringing his club up on some cables a short distance from us.

"Now, if you both don't mind, 'm tired and you're in my room."

Without a word the both of us stood up, the bag slung over my shoulder.  We both took a long stretch before reaching for the curtain and taking our first steps around this place.

"By the way--" he trailed off as I grabbed the tarp.

I reluctantly turned my head to look back at him, now lying on the bed with one leg atop the other knee and his hands behind his head.

"I did take one'a your pastry things from the bag.  Consider it compensation for bringin' you where you won't get mugged."

No words came to me, just an unimpressed glare.

"That's ok, we have a lot we could share with the others, too," Xhianei assured, tugging on my arm.

"Sure they'd like it.  Ulimi makes some nice food."

"Ulimi?" Xhianei inquired.  "The man at the store?"

"Sandy-colored, short hair, twisted horns," he listed.  "That's him."

"Ah, he was very nice and the food was very good!" she chirped.

"'ll be sure to lettim know," he said through a toothy grin.  "See the two'ya later."

Xhianei tugged my arm a second time as I scowled, finally drawing back the curtain to let him sleep and finally see just where exactly we were.

---

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[ai-qa]

Retribution

***

Sudden crashing and yelling from elsewhere in the house jolted me awake.  I looked over to the lone window in our room, but it was still sometime in the middle of the night.  It couldn't have been more than a couple hours since our bedtime.  The light filtering through the window was just enough to make out the shape of Sura and Connor on their sleeping mats, Sura slowly sitting up in waking from the commotion.

"Saffron, what's going on?" she asked groggily, slowly blinking herself awake.

"I...I don't know," I answered, my eyes darting around the room.  "It sounded like something fell over, but there's nothing in here."

Another crash.

"There it goes again," Sura said, picking up Connor who'd been startled awake.  "The hell's going on?  Are we getting robbed?"

"...Uh, where's Harley?" I whispered.

Between the crashes my ears perked from a noise of hushed sniveling coming from the closet.  My eyes adjusting, I could just make out that the doors were cracked open.  I rose to my feet just enough to crouch and slowly pace to the closet.

"Harley, are you in there?" I inquired.  "It's okay, it's just us."

A small black hand reached for the edge of the door, so I did the same and folded it back.  There Harley sat, hugging her knees tightly to the rest of her person.

Yet another crash and unintelligible yelling emanated from just down the hall.  It was enough to make her jump from the closet and into my arms.  I had never seen her shaken this badly before; her face was wet with tears as though she had cried for hours.  I held her as best as I could as an uncanny, uneasy feeling rose in my gut.  Something was wrong, very wrong.

"You two, get over here," Sura said, a tinge of panic in her voice as she motioned toward us.  "I don't know what's going on out there but you'll be safer over here."

With a distraught Harley in my arms we both slowly made our way back to Sura and huddled together.  Sura put herself between the door and the rest of us should someone try to invade.

"Harley, what's wrong?" Sura asked, pulling her closer.

Harley just held a thousand-yard stare, frantic and lost in her own thoughts.

"Please, tell me what's wrong," Sura gently shook Harley as though to wake her from a nightmare.  "It's just us, you can tell me.  I've never seen you this upset before."

Harley came to, but before she could answer another loud crash came from just down the hall, louder than the last one.  The yelling and cries sounded like they were coming from the home staff and, now that it was close enough to hear it better, some of the crashing noises seemed to occur from what sounded like bodies being struck.

Footsteps grew louder down the hall, some quickening to a trot.  There was more than one to start, but after a few slams and yelps only one person's footsteps could be heard.

"He's mad," uttered Harley.  "I did something wrong."

"Who's mad?" asked Sura.

"...Riv," Harley answered, staring right through her.

"That's Riv making all this noise?  What could you possibly have done?"

"I...I told him a secret."

Something about how that sounded immediately put me on edge, and it looked to do the same to Sura.  Her ears raked back and eyes widened, not wanting to ask further but having little alternative.

"...Can I ask you what the secret is?"

Harley looked down to the floor and fidgeted with her shirt, unsure of what to do.  Sura tilted her head down to offer her ear so she didn't have to say it aloud.  Harley hesitated but took the offer, covering her mouth before speaking.  Sura's face slowly turned from shocked to pained, telling me all I needed to know.  Freeing up an arm she grabbed the small child and held her close, resuming a quiet snivel.  Her face was so wet I don't think she had any more tears left to shed.

The four of us sat there in silence, collected in the corner of our small room as the hits and slams grew louder before the footsteps finally stopped just outside our door.  We turned toward the door but didn't move as the handle jiggled, some incomprehensible muttering heard from the other side.

The door finally opened and light from the hall filled the room.  Through the bloom Riv's figure could be discerned, holding a club and looking around the dark room for any sign of us.  He finally spotted us in the corner behind the door hinge.

"Pack what you care about," he said flatly.  "You got a few minutes."

Something about his expression shook me to my core.  I'd seen him mad before, sure, but nothing like this.

"Riv, what's going on?" Sura cried.  "What are you doing?"

"Fixin' mistakes," was all he said before turning away to continue down the hall.

A strange shape in the light caught Sura's eye.  "What happened to your ear?"

"Not important."

With that said his figure disappeared back into the hall.  We quickly hopped to our feet to grab what little we had to our names as more slamming could be heard down the other side of the hall.  We moved as fast as we could, knowing exactly where he was headed and it wasn't far from this room.  We had everything valuable to us hastily packed away in only about a minute.  Sura picked up and carried Connor on her back and I took our bag.

"Where we going?" Connor asked in a sleepy fog.

"We're going to some other place, don't worry," Sura reassured.  "Everything will be alright."

She gave the room a quick look-over before stopping at me.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I don't think any of us are," I said with a nervous laugh, grabbing Harley's hand.  "Right now we have bigger issues."

Sura responded only with an anxious smile before stepping through the doorway and out into the hall.  Tons of broken decorations and several staff littered the place, knocked out or heaving.  We only had enough time to see it in passing as we fled toward the front door.  Harley stopped just short of the door and looked back toward the hall, tugging me to a halt.

"Harley, we need to keep going," I said, tugging back.

Riv's shouting could be heard in the distance.  He found his goal.

Harley let go of my hand and ran back toward the hall without saying a word.

"Wait, what are you doing?" I yelled, running after her.  "We need to get out of here!"

Sura turned round and ran after us with Connor still on her back.  We all stopped just before the hall, peering around the corner to Father's door now ajar.  He could be heard just slightly through Riv's yelling, but it was too quiet to make out from where we stood.  Harley walked closer and the three of us cautiously followed, trying to get her to come back.

"Yanno, I knew something was off about you, 'bout this whole thing," Riv sneered.  "This past year just tryin' to win over the trust of defenseless kids so you could do sick shit like this."

He slowly sauntered toward the terrified man on the floor, smashing his club against a nearby table and vase and making Father flinch and inch back farther.

"You never done a single genuine thing in your life, have you?  Was always what you could get outta people, 'specially us.  Can't even see us as people, but walking labor and favors.  What a way to crawl through life, even one so highly respected and revered like yours."

"Celadon, you don't have to do this," Father said from the ground, holding his side.  "Please just let me go, I'll never do it again!"

"You know that ain't my name," Riv spat.  "Dunno what wires got fucked in your head and not sure I care.  We both knew it'd come to this-- why're you so surprised?"

He struck another small table and sent it flying across the room.

"After all, this ain't the first time..."

Riv stopped just short of the crumpled man on the floor, clenching the club handle in a white-knuckle grip.

"...But I can surely make it the last."

In a flash Riv raised his weapon and crashed it down against Father in the shadows of his headmaster's room.  While we couldn't quite see everything, we heard all of it-- cries of pain and calls for help that could only fall on deaf, incapacitated ears.  Sura covered Connor's ears as best as she could and I tried to mentally escape to somewhere else.  That concentration was broken before long as Harley ran the rest of the way from the hall to the headmaster's room.  I lurched forward and ran after her while Sura and Connor followed, stopping at the doorway.

The noise had ceased.

I stuck my head past the doorway to behold Harley grabbing Riv's swinging arm, keeping him from striking further.  Riv had frozen in place as he towered over Father, still alive but horribly maimed and caught in a coughing fit.

"...Hey, kid," Riv said quietly, coming back to his senses.

"Please...stop," Harley choked.  "Please."

"...Yeah.  Okay."

Riv stood back up and wiped his eyes and mouth.  Harley clung to his side, trying not to look at the mess of a man just in front of them.

"'m sorry...you...had to see that," he murmured, patting her head and stroking her face before bending down to pick her up.

With Harley in his arms Riv walked back toward the doorway where the rest of us stood in wait.  He turned around at the last second to face the only parental figure we'd known all this time, raising his club and gesturing menacingly.

"I see you 'round us again, or doin' the same shit again, I'll end you.  Mark my words."

[ai-qa]

Quiet Panic

That was probably the hardest I had ever slept.

When I awoke it was to a...rather unfamiliar sight.  I remember we had fallen asleep outside, by some rocky cliffs and fields, but instead of the hard ground and cool grass beneath me was some kind of cloth?  My heart skipped a beat as I shot upright, turning my head in every direction as my sight sharpened and adjusted to the darkness.  All around me were walls, proper walls with some kind of tarp strung up from the ceiling, loosely covering the gist of the surface.  At the far wall was a small window, the glass broken into several jagged shapes and the blue of the early morning sky pouring through the teeth.

I looked down to both sides, spotting Xhianei to my left just like before.  Somehow she was still asleep through my panic.

"Xhianei, Xhianei, wake up!" I whispered, gently shaking her awake.

She did little more than grunt in her sleep, as expected.

"Come on, this is weird and I'm freaked out!" I said, shaking a little harder.

She finally, slowly started to wake up, letting out a big yawn and rubbing her eyes.  After a brief, hazy glance across the room she looked back to me.

"Where are we?" she uttered, groggily.

"I...I don't know," I replied.  "I just woke up and saw we were here, wherever 'here' is.  Do you remember anything?"

Xhianei sleepily shook her head before continuing her look-around.

My hair stood on end pondering the possibilities as I patted the area around us.  It was some kind of bed or sleeping pad, a few sheets of tough cloth atop a flat pile of straw.  Not the most comfortable thing, but better than the ground, I'll admit.  Behind us were even a couple of crude pillows, quite flat but again, better than the ground.  The tarps on the walls had patches here and there and the near wall held a rope and not much else.

"Are we gonna be okay?" Xhianei asked, snapping me back out of my thoughts.

"I think so?" I answered, though I was really not certain.  "If someone wanted to do something to us they would have by now, I guess."

Xhianei wrinkled her nose at the thought.  I'd probably have done the same with such a nonanswer, but it was the best I had.

"Where's our bag?" she reupped.

"Uh--"

I looked around.  Nothing.

I looked behind me again.  Still nothing.

It took longer than I'd like to admit to realize the blanket I peeled off just earlier was also not ours, missing along with the bag.

There wasn't much time to think about what might have happened before soft footsteps could be heard in the distance.  There were multiple, some faster and some slower, and nowhere to escape should we need it.  My mind was racing to find any way out of our containment as the shuffling of feet on cement grew louder.

And then it stopped.

I turned in the general direction of the noise, looking around that wall.  It took a moment to see there was a gap between the ceiling and that tarp, so they must be there--

A hand had already found the end of the tarp and begun to slowly draw it back.

"You both awake?"

---

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[ai-qa]

Those Like Us

With the curtain drawn a gentle wave of morning light illuminated our hold.  It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, making out four figures just beyond the doorway.

"Well, looks like it," said the tallest one.

I blinked a couple times.  The four of them were similar to Xhianei and I, somewhat similar to the people we'd run into so far.  Something about them was different, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it could be.

A quick look around the room confirmed my earlier observations: concrete walls, a straw bed covered in heavy tarps, some odd stray cables along the ceilings.  It was nice to actually see just where we've been.

"Not much of a talker, huh?" she responded to my apprehension.

I looked at her, then immediately looked away.  I wasn't sure how to respond given how most people have been since we arrived.  They seemed nice, but--

Xhianei tugged at my arm, breaking me from my thoughts.

"He's got our bag," she whispered, gesturing to the one farthest right.

I looked back up towards them.  Sure enough, he had our bag tossed over his back and gripped the long handle in his hands, seemingly in preparation to remove it.  The boy took notice of the gesture and softly nodded with a small grin.

"Whozat?" came the smallest one, just behind the tall one.  

"They're some kids from outside a little ways from here," the tall one replied.

The smallest one's big blue eyes focused intently on the both of us.  He seemed to be about Xhianei's age if I had to guess, and his basic curiosity was endearing, even somehow comforting.

The tallest one laid her hand on his head while the one at the far left shyly peered around her.  In her hands was a variety of fruits and nuts atop a small crude wooden tray.  Her bright green eyes carried a feeling similar to the youngest one.

These staring eyes didn't harbor the strange resentment we had experienced thus far.  I was really not sure how to feel about it, at least not yet.

"If I may..." said the one farthest right, stepping forward past the threshold while swinging the bag off his back.

He stopped just short of the both of us and offered the bag by the handle.  I slowly extended my arms to grab it by the bulk.

"Got it?" he asked.

I nodded and he released the handle.  I put the bag off to the side.

The green-eyed one came in next, presenting the tray of food and carefully setting it down on the straw bed.

"I hope you like it," she said quietly, standing up and taking a step back.

Xhianei dove into it without much hesitation.  You know, as she does.

"Make sure to peel those," she said, interrupting Xhianei before she could bite into something.  "The skins are gross, don't eat 'em."

"I take it you're not from around here," the tallest one giggled.  "We'd have probably seen you before if you were...and you'd maybe not try to bite into an orange."

She stepped into the room and knelt down, palm open in front of Xhianei.  Xhianei gave her the orange.

Seeing the tallest one more up close was a bit unnerving, with the unusual clothing, hairstyle, and facial jewelry.  Something about it put me a bit on-edge.

"I'm Sura, by the way," she said, picking at the orange rind and tearing it off the fruit.  "Littlest one is Connor, biggest one is Saffron, middle one is Harley."

She finished with Xhianei's orange and split it open, showing her how to remove and eat the segments before returning it to her.  Sura grabbed the other orange from the tray and started to skin that one as well.

"I don't know your circumstances, but I'm guessing you came out of Huot for some reason," she placed a handful of orange rind back on the tray.  "Got a favor to ask if that's the case."

"...Yeah?" I hesitantly replied.

"Don't go back there."

"But we were supposed to go there," I whispered, confused.

"That's the thing..."

"...Xhias.  And that's my sister, Xhianei."

"Xhias.  We're all supposed to be there.  I know you don't know us yet but just...take my word for it for now, okay?"

I felt my ears drift back a little bit.  Unnerved as I might have been, I wasn't given a reason to distrust her yet.

"You're welcome to stay with us as long as you'd like if you're willing to help us get by.  You know, chores and stuff."

"...That sounds okay."

"Alright, good," she said, handing me a peeled orange.  "It isn't amazing being here but it's still a place to be."

"...What is this place?" I asked before biting into an orange segment.

"Some town a bit north of Huot, don't know the name," chimed Saffron.  "It was destroyed and abandoned a long time ago, but there isn't really anything recorded about it.  I'd guess a tornado came through here since grey zones are usually too focused for this kind of damage."

"Um...what's a tornado?" I asked.

"Uh, like a big funnel of wind that sucks up stuff in its way and spits it back out," he recalled.  "They're pretty nasty and seem to come out of nowhere when it storms really bad."

"But I like tomatoes," Connor piped up.

"Tornadoes, not tomatoes," Saffron reiterated.  "Tornadoes aren't food."

Harley and Sura just let out a quiet laugh at their expense.

"Sorry this is a lot to take in, both of you," Sura continued.  "Just, uh, know that what you probably dealt with in Huot won't happen here, whatever it might have been."

My ears lowered with my gaze as I stopped chewing, thinking back to yesterday.  Sura said nothing but I could see her expression from my periphery, a "yeah, that's what I thought" kind of look as she reached into her back pocket and retrieved some strange metal tool.  She grabbed one of the nuts from the tray and placed it within the tool, holding it with her other hand.

"With these you're going to want a nutcracker, the shells are otherwise too hard to open.  You just put it in here and--"

Sura squeezed the two pieces together over the tray.  A loud snapping noise followed as tiny bits of shell fell from the tool.

"--squeeze like so.  Try to only squeeze hard enough to break the shell since otherwise you'll crush what's inside, too.  I usually do this for Connor and Harley since they're still pretty young yet."

She placed the meat on the tray before grabbing the remaining nuts, cracking them one by one like the first.

"You get the hang of it pretty quickly."

Some minutes passed as we ate, with the other kids grabbing a few little things off the tray, too.  Before too long all that remained were some fruit skins, nut shells, and a couple blueberries.

"...Um...Sura?" I asked as Xhianei ate the last blueberry.

"Hm?"

"How did we get here?"

"You were brought here.  From a little ways away, so I was told."

"...Told?  So it wasn't you that brought us here?"

"Nope!  Learned about it myself just a little bit ago, actually."

Harley stood back up, stretched her legs, and picked up the tray.  She looked back to us with a shy smile before heading out of the room, Saffron following just behind with a similar gesture.

"Then...who told you?" I inquired, very confused.

Sura looked to the broken window at her right, then back to us.

"Any time now," she said with a grin.

Some seconds later a soft reverberation of footsteps along the hard floor could be heard, each step louder than the last.

---

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