Eyera (The Eyera Series Book 1) Page 8

  Hunter is silent for a while.

  “I was scared. Scared to think something is out there that is worse than Eyera,” he says.

  “Being scared is what makes us strong,” I say.

  Hunter smiles weakly.

  We are nearly home. I move to the edge of my seat putting my hands on the bars and resting my head, anticipation for the arrival. The bus stops. Hunter and I get off the bus, and we walk down the road, but I stop. Hunter notices and looks at me curiously.

  I watch the forest where the river is and look back at Hunter, and he nods carrying on walking back, he knows that I want some time on my own to think before I hit the point of exploding. Hunter respects my privacy, and he knows that I need to be alone right now, it’s how I deal with things. Sometimes being alone is a good thing.

  I follow the river that takes me to my spot, I remove my satchel and bokken and place it gently on the ground. I sit on the patch of grass legs stretching out.

  The wind blows hard and each blade of grass frolic to the side like they were ballerina’s, the flowers move in sync around the peaceful river as the waves splashes against the rocks. The sun allows me to create different shadows with my hands; my mind is relaxed with ease, just a few more minutes enjoying this peace, I can go home …

  CHAPTER sixteen

  I’m excited to share the food I got today. I know Hadrian and my parents are going to be stunned and wondering how I got it and I’m not looking forward to the endless questions. I stand up deciding to head back home, I’ve been gone all morning and afternoon, and don’t want my parents to worry.

  I hop over the wire and continue down the rugged pathway. A group of children play on the streets looking tired and hungry. I guess their families couldn’t get anything from the Johansson’s. A few elders give children a bit of food, and the old lady gives out soup. Guilt sits inside my stomach as I hide the goods in my satchel. I was so busy thinking about my family that I didn’t reflect on the others. I feel selfish. We are one, and we stick together, my family comes first but so does these people and their families. We do help each other out, but sometimes we cannot help all the time or as much as we would like to. I know that I cannot let these children go hungry tonight.

  The children look at me in desperation. I make my way to the small group and bend down to the little girl’s level, a small smile murmurs on her delicate face; her dirty, matted blonde hair covered in mud. I pull out a soft brown piece of fabric, and the children gather on their toes. I pull out three more fabrics revealing soft brown bread rolls with plumped cherries and small portions of carrot sticks. I hand them over to the girl to share with the other children; it isn’t much, but I can tell it means a lot. I wish I could give more. I turn around to go back home, but little sounds of shoes slapping down on the pavement make me turn back. The little girl stares, and I bend to her level once more, and she embraces me with a hug and skips off. An etched smile spreads on my face, and a warm fuzzy feeling sits in my stomach. A woman watches me from her cottage and gives me a smile and I smile back.

  I walk past a boy on the steps, he kicks his shoes and places his chin on his hands looking upset.

  “Hello, are you okay?” I ask.

  The little boy looks up, his big brown eyes look over to the other kids and then back at me.

  “I’m fine.” he pouts.

  I walk closer and I hear his stomach grumble, I look into my satchel.

  “I got something, it’s not much,” I say as I take a piece of fabric and give it to him, the boy hesitates at first, but I usher him to take it.

  “It’s a little squashed,” I say.

  The young boy opens the fabric, and face lights up and mouth opens wide and a huge grin forms.

  “I can have this? Are you sure?”

  “Of course, the velvet cupcake is all yours,” I respond.

  “Thank you so much.”

  I walk back home feeling good. I might not be able to feed everyone, but doing something is better than doing nothing.

  My mother and I use to give out small packages of food when we grew our food, and people loved it, but the soil is not fertilising lately, so it’s has been difficult.

  I open the door, dragging my boots across the rough mat wiping off any dirt I’m about to tread in. I walk to the kitchen flinging my satchel on the table pulling out fabrics and small containers. My mother walks in fixing her hair, she looks tired but still manages to put on that loving smile, her eyes light up when she sees me unwrapping the fabric.

  “Where did you get this?” she asks, shocked.

  “It doesn’t matter where or how I got this, you need to eat we all do,” I say grabbing a few plates from the cupboard.

  I place some food on her plate and put it front of her.

  “Acelyn, where did you get this?” she says a little more serious.

  “Eat,” I say ignoring her questions.

  “Did you steal this?” she signs in disappointment.

  I hate when my mother is disappointed in me.

  “You know how I feel about theft,”

  I let out a small chuckle to cover myself up, so she doesn’t get suspicious.

  “Mum, don’t be silly you know me, I would never steal,” I lie right through my teeth.

  “Hunter and I traded.”

  She looks unsure, how could we possibly trade something for all of this.

  “His glass creations, we did some trading, and we got food and some silver,” I say before she could get in another question.

  Mother studies me for a little longer than I hope for and then she finally smiles.

  “Well thank you, Acelyn, I make sure to thank Hunter when I see him,” she says. Buying into the lie.

  Mother takes a seat, not able to contain her excitement anymore as she dives into the food, she picks up the soba noodles and vegetables and devours every bite; by her facial expressions, I can tell she is enjoying every moment. I remove the other food from my satchel, ripe tomatoes, runner beans, peppers and carrots. I put my hands in my back jean pocket feeling a packet, and I take it out realising the seeds I bought and place them on the table. Father walks in from the gym, he doesn’t notice the food. He brushes his blonde hair in stress, which is unusual for him to do and he sits down. Father looks at me and the food and does a double take. His eyes widen, and his mouth slightly opens. I cannot wait for Hadrian to see this too. Hadrian is going to love the emplons. I take the small box from my pocket and place it on the table. Father looks at me, and I wait for his concerns on how I got this, this is going to be much harder to convince him, he’s going to know that I am a liar and a thief.

  “Soba noodles and fresh vegetables, hmm … my favourite,” he sings joyfully.

  “How did you get all of this and the seeds too?”

  I was waiting for that.

  “Honey, she and Hunter traded,” my mother interrupts, thankfully she did because as soon as he hears me talk that’s it, game over, he will know.

  My father looks at my mother and then at me.

  “The seeds I bought and traded here in Siver,” I say scrunching up my face waiting for the lecture.

  “Good,” he smiles and digs in the food.

  I let out a breath, did my father really fall for that?

  I watch both of them enjoying the food; they haven’t eaten like this in a while. I gaze around the table seeing an empty chair.

  “Hadrian is taking long to come downstairs, normally he is the first one here,” I say.

  I look at my mother and an instant of worry flashes on her face.

  “Where is he?” I say.

  “Is he not with you?” Father says.

  “Why would he?” I respond getting worried.

  “I thought he was with you,” Mother says.

  I stare at her hoping she’s was joking, but I know all too well she isn’t.

  “What?” I say raising my eyebrow.

  “When you left he followed, did you not see him?” Mother says getting an
xious.

  I shake my head as heat quickly rises, how can she let him go? I didn’t even see him follow me.

  “You should have stopped him! There are Eyera guards around Elspeth, it’s too dangerous for him to be on his own. If he does something that Eyera disagrees with they will take him, and he won’t be Hadrian anymore!” I scream.

  “Don’t take it out on your mother.” Father warns.

  I stand up immediately and so does my parents, we run outside hoping he is playing with the other children.

  “Your mother and I are going to look around to see if he’s with friends,”

  He couldn’t have followed me, I know if he did. It’ll be easy for me to know, Hadrian doesn’t do subtle, unless, he wasn’t following me. No, he wouldn’t, the missing ticket. Hadrian talked about going to the city on his own because he is old enough and can look after himself. That is the only other explanation. Hadrian has gone to the city.

  CHAPTER seventeen

  I run down the road not waiting for the bus. I’m not thinking straight, I know I won’t be able to get to Hadrian on foot, but my mind ignores that because it thinks we can make it. I hope nothing has happened to Hadrian; he should be fine, Hadrian is sensible, he knows the rules and knows not to disobey. My head battles with me, a war unleashes inside.

  I sprint blocking out everything. I don’t realise a loud horn is beeping behind. I turn around to see the driver extremely annoyed. I wave my hands in front shouting for him to stop, and he does. I bang on the door desperately to get in, he opens the doors, and I show him my pass.

  “What are you doing, are you trying to get yourself killed?” he says.

  “I don’t have time for this just go. I need to get into the city, please,”

  “Okay, okay take a seat, calm down,” he says.

  “Just go!” I shout feeling the pressure building up.

  The driver looks at me unamused by my tone of voice, but he sees the pleads anguish on my face and drives. I don’t take a seat as I keep planted at the front, I can’t rest. My mind is frantic, and I’m working myself up, he could be fine, but I cannot help the doubt. What if he isn’t fine? Or what if he has seen someone getting punished? Oh God, what if Eyera got him?

  It feels like the bus is going slow and I feel like losing control shouting at the driver to hurry up, but it only makes things worse. What was Hadrian thinking? I dread to think he is hurt, the city is full of bad things, and I don’t want him to see that.

  I see Elspeth City up ahead, and I feel myself already lifting to bounce out of the door. I wait for the driver to stop which takes a while for him to do so, I’m sure he’s doing this on purpose. The door swishes open, and I dart out like a bullet.

  Every step I take is in slow motion, the more I push, the more the city grows further away, my heart rapidly jumping out of my chest and my arms are swinging forward and backwards through the air, swishing like a knife. My bokken is hitting against my back and I’m itching to take it out to move people out of the way. Inside my head another battle unleashes, two different voices telling me things, one side is saying ‘that he is fine, don’t worry Hadrian can handle himself and another voice is worrying, fretting, seeing the negatives, and that voice will win, always.

  I push my muscles in my legs trying to make them go faster, forcing all the energy out of my body, my lungs feeling tight and breathless. I need to get to Hadrian; I need to know if he’s okay.

  People get in my way like they are trying to slow me down. I run inside the dome and stop for a short moment thinking where he is. I breathe in sharply, throat itching, my mind spinning frantically.

  Inside children cry hiding from the guards, and I see people running inside the dome. Markets are closed, and people hide in the corner crouched down.

  I exit the dome seeing people scatter, some hide in stores and others leave to the dome, all of them looking helpless and scared. A young boy face is horrified, and he shakes tremendously. I rush pass him and the old woman, but her voice pulls me back.

  “You shouldn’t go down there, its horrific, Eyera guards are everywhere it’s not safe. Please don’t go,” she begs.

  I look ahead hearing guards in the distance shouting and guns firing. I don’t think they are shooting at anyone, I think it’s to frighten them.

  “Nana, let’s go,” the little boy whimpers.

  The old woman doesn’t waste any time and scurries.

  The shouting whips me into place, and I run to the source of the commotion. I see blood splattering across the city, adults on the floor not moving or breathing, children scream in horror as the guards whip out their tasers and clubs charging at the kids, their cries making me squirm. Hell is real.

  I run, ignoring the cries, a crowd of people up ahead, men, women, and children running in opposite directions trying their best to escape. Parents pull their children closer to protect them. All of their faces filled with panic, something is terribly wrong, something extreme has happened to cause the city to be like this. Someone has done something they shouldn’t have, someone broke the law. I need to find Hadrian now. He cannot see this, he could be in the corner crying covering his ears, screaming for this nightmare to end.

  I watch an Eyera guard pick up a crying child and throw her on the ground telling her to shut up; her head cracks on the pavement, and it makes her scream louder. Her parents beg the girl to stop crying, but it doesn’t work. More guards march flinging men, women and children to the ground, ordering them not to make a sound or move.

  I run past the bloody mess and a faint cry wanders through the city, sweat builds up and drips down. I hear the cry yet again, it tries to travel but can only manage to hit a certain point. A desperate, pleading cry begging for help but no one is helping. No one interferes with Eyera’s punishments, unless they want to be beaten or the worst thing of all, taken to Eyera Corporation.

  I promptly follow the sound, and it travels again and this time round I can hear it clearly, I immediately know who it belongs to... it’s Hadrian.

  CHAPTER eighteen

  My heart stops … literally.

  I don’t think I’m breathing.

  I don’t think I’m moving.

  I’m not thinking.

  It’s my nightmares hearing Hadrian crying on the other side.

  This is what the nightmare was about, Hadrian being trapped behind the wall crying for help because of Eyera, this is what it meant, and this time I am not going to fail him, whatever it takes I will get him. I run to the crowd that swarms Elspeth Centre. I jostle through, and the blood in my body drains and I feel my face has turned a ghost white.

  There he is, getting hit by two Eyera guards repeatedly. Hadrian’s face is bruised and bloody, his eyes bloodshot and laminate in tears, he squirms away finger clawing the pavement but he doesn’t get far as he gets picked up by his hair and thrown straight to the floor head smashing. Horror and pain surround him. Suddenly a blood - stained white club comes crashing down onto his frail skin leaving more marks, blood splatters across his clothes, creating a puddle on the floor, the guard flicks his club and blood flicks. The crowd keeps their feet soiled; some walk away not caring, some cannot handle it, and others are smiling enjoying the sight, people from Eishen chanting.

  Terror and indignation rush and I bolt towards the guards, I don’t think about the consequences or the punishments, or what they’ll do to me. I don’t care. The guard swings his club mid-air ready to make contact, Hadrian’s closes his eyes and use his arms to protect himself. The guard brings down his club but he is in slow motion, and I’m not. His teeth clench and he growls, before he can touch him I intercept knocking his club with my bokken, his club flies across the floor. I twist his arm and kick his legs, and he stumbles, I use my weapon again smashing it across his face and he falls backwards. There are gasps from the crowds, shocked that I have interfered. The guard touches his cheek and blood sits on his fingertips, his eyes grow wide, nostrils flare, and jaw tensed, anymore gritting he probably
will end up breaking his teeth. Hard fists come at me, but I am quick to dodge. He is tall and stocky but very slow. I have his moves mapped; I know when and how he’s going to strike. He turns to punch me again, but I block it smoothly, whacking my bokken over his body. I grab his arm twisting it backwards, and he screeches as I put pressure, to the point of snapping his bone.

  The second guard catches me off guard, backhanding me so hard that my neck clicks and I fall to the floor, my weapon skids across the floor, out of reach. I watch Hadrian still hiding behind his arms, but he makes a gap. The second guard grabs the root of my hair and wraps his hands around my neck squeezing tightly. I wriggle as he lifts me up off the ground, I try to find something to cling on, my lungs close and mouth open as I make desperate raspy noises, his hands turn white.

  The other guard rams his taser in my stomach, and excruciating pain electrifies my body and I fall out of his grip managing to grab an object from his pocket. I collapse in front of Hadrian, hiding the weapon on my waist, he doesn’t seem to notice that the weapon is missing … his gun.

  Fits of coughing and desperate breathing explode, I try to keep in under control but cannot. Sparks jolts through my body, and I feel heavy too. I crawl to Hadrian using my body as a shield as they hit me repeatedly. Hadrian uncovers and looks at me tears falling, and screams for them to stop, but that doesn’t do anything. I hold him tighter feeling my body wants to give up, but my mind doesn’t. Hadrian shudders in my grip which makes me want to cry, but I keep myself together staying strong for him. The guards hit me again and again bruises forming, bruises over bruises, blood on top of blood and tears cascading.

  I see someone running through the crowd; they let him through as he is shouting, my father. He walks with his hand’s sky high signalling the white flag, it annoys the guards even more.

  “Get back now!” the guard roars, but that doesn’t stop Father from disobeying their order. He continues to move closer, steady, telling the guards he can help. Father makes the odd glance at us, but he doesn’t show any signs of fear, even though it’s crystal clear to me.