Status: active
Je Ne Regrette Rien
Chapter One
Chapter One
I awoke to cold, damp room. It rained last night. Our roof has many holes in it, allowing small leaks of water in light rain, or huge leaks when the rain falls down in torrents. I slid out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. I slopped my wet clothes off and got in the shower. I took a quick one since families are only allowed thirty minutes of hot water a day. I live in a big family, so we all want at least six minutes of hot water. I comb my hair back into a braid and get dressed in my normal attire: black pants, a white, long-sleeved shirt, cornflower blue hoodie, and black, leather boots. I wake up my siblings then strip the bed of its wet blankets. I take them downstairs to the back yard and hang them up to dry.
I ran back inside the house and started a fire in the fireplace. No one in our town has a stove except for the rich. Everyone must cook using a fireplace and a makeshift brick oven. I load some bread dough into the oven, then put a pot of porridge over the fire. I dip out some water and fill the tea kettle before putting the kettle in the fire. My name is Jude Hawthorne and I live in Sector 7, also known as Timber Falls. I live with my mom and my three brothers and sister: Jonathan (22), Sam (20), and Lilly (16).
Mom sighed as she came into the kitchen. She tied apron around her waist and smiled at me as she pulled her hair back from her face. “Make sure you take some food over to Reid and the boys, sweetheart, I know they must be hungry. They’ve got the men out there before the sun is up cutting down trees.”
Sector 7 is known mainly for its timber, but for other things as well. We supply Central with wood, coal, and for the citizens of central who have a taste for it, moonshine. My mom is one of the members of this underground trade. She runs a bakery and allows the other member of the moonshining society to produce moonshine down in the basement of the shop. This works as a good cover, because mash—the mixture that produces moonshine—smells like fresh baked cornbread. And in my mother’s store we make a lot of cornbread!
I chuckle quietly to myself as I load a basket full of cornbread, salted meat from the pantry, a container of hot porridge, and two mason jars of moonshine. I kiss mom goodbye then make my way to the forest. My friends Reid, Tyler, Caleb, and Pogue work out by the mines. Caleb and Pogue chop down trees, and Tyler and Reid work in the mines.
I smile at Pogue, who sees me first. “I brought you guys some food.” I divide half of what I brought and hand it to Pogue. He smiles gratefully and gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Caleb stops to take a break from chopping at a tree and smiles at me. “Thank, Jude.” He kisses my cheek too and goes to sit with Pogue to eat. I wave goodbye then hike up to the mines. Reid and Tyler have been here all night, working the night shift. When I arrive they are coming out of the mines for their lunch break before they have to go back in for another three hours.
Even though they are dirty and covered in soot, I hug them both and kiss their cheeks.
“Is that cornbread I smell,” Tyler asks.
“Yes, and porridge, and meat, and of course a little extra something.” The guys faces light up when they see the mason jar of clear liquor in the basket.
“Thanks, Jude,” Reid smiles.
I feel butterflies in my stomach and am glad that my skin is dark enough to hide my blushing cheeks. “You’re welcome Reid.”
I hug him again then rush off to school. Since I’m eighteen I’m only allowed to go to school for half the day before I have to help mom at the shop. My first class is History, and of course in this class we learn how our nation came to be.
No one is sure why it happened or why we never noticed it. Some blame it on global warming, others say it’s God punishing us for our sins. One day my mom and I were sitting in our living room watching TV. The news was on and they were talking about the oceans rising because of the polar ice caps melting. Rivers and streams were flooding, beaches were disappearing. Suddenly everything started shaking. It was an earthquake! Parts of the United States started falling off until were only left with twenty-five states, and we can’t even call them that anymore. We’re just this big stretch of land that’s been divided into eight sectors, kind of like eight slices of pie, and in the middle is Central.
It’s depressing when you think about it, so I try not to think of it. This happened in 2008, it’s 2012 now. Although it happened four years ago, it sometimes still feels like just yesterday. For most, it hurts to think about it because we’re no longer the United States of America, but for me and my family, it hurts because we lost my father the day earthquakes started.
I mentally shake the thoughts away and concentrate on my lessons. After school I run to the shop and go in the back to wash up. I know mom is going to be upset with me because I’ve ruined my clothes. She’s always scolding me for hugging the boys when I go to the mines, but I think she’s really upset that I have feelings for Reid. Reid Garwin is Sector 7’s bad boy, and everyone knows it. She’s always warning me and my sister, Lilly, but mostly me to be careful. But it’s too late for that.
I awoke to cold, damp room. It rained last night. Our roof has many holes in it, allowing small leaks of water in light rain, or huge leaks when the rain falls down in torrents. I slid out of bed and trudged to the bathroom. I slopped my wet clothes off and got in the shower. I took a quick one since families are only allowed thirty minutes of hot water a day. I live in a big family, so we all want at least six minutes of hot water. I comb my hair back into a braid and get dressed in my normal attire: black pants, a white, long-sleeved shirt, cornflower blue hoodie, and black, leather boots. I wake up my siblings then strip the bed of its wet blankets. I take them downstairs to the back yard and hang them up to dry.
I ran back inside the house and started a fire in the fireplace. No one in our town has a stove except for the rich. Everyone must cook using a fireplace and a makeshift brick oven. I load some bread dough into the oven, then put a pot of porridge over the fire. I dip out some water and fill the tea kettle before putting the kettle in the fire. My name is Jude Hawthorne and I live in Sector 7, also known as Timber Falls. I live with my mom and my three brothers and sister: Jonathan (22), Sam (20), and Lilly (16).
Mom sighed as she came into the kitchen. She tied apron around her waist and smiled at me as she pulled her hair back from her face. “Make sure you take some food over to Reid and the boys, sweetheart, I know they must be hungry. They’ve got the men out there before the sun is up cutting down trees.”
Sector 7 is known mainly for its timber, but for other things as well. We supply Central with wood, coal, and for the citizens of central who have a taste for it, moonshine. My mom is one of the members of this underground trade. She runs a bakery and allows the other member of the moonshining society to produce moonshine down in the basement of the shop. This works as a good cover, because mash—the mixture that produces moonshine—smells like fresh baked cornbread. And in my mother’s store we make a lot of cornbread!
I chuckle quietly to myself as I load a basket full of cornbread, salted meat from the pantry, a container of hot porridge, and two mason jars of moonshine. I kiss mom goodbye then make my way to the forest. My friends Reid, Tyler, Caleb, and Pogue work out by the mines. Caleb and Pogue chop down trees, and Tyler and Reid work in the mines.
I smile at Pogue, who sees me first. “I brought you guys some food.” I divide half of what I brought and hand it to Pogue. He smiles gratefully and gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Caleb stops to take a break from chopping at a tree and smiles at me. “Thank, Jude.” He kisses my cheek too and goes to sit with Pogue to eat. I wave goodbye then hike up to the mines. Reid and Tyler have been here all night, working the night shift. When I arrive they are coming out of the mines for their lunch break before they have to go back in for another three hours.
Even though they are dirty and covered in soot, I hug them both and kiss their cheeks.
“Is that cornbread I smell,” Tyler asks.
“Yes, and porridge, and meat, and of course a little extra something.” The guys faces light up when they see the mason jar of clear liquor in the basket.
“Thanks, Jude,” Reid smiles.
I feel butterflies in my stomach and am glad that my skin is dark enough to hide my blushing cheeks. “You’re welcome Reid.”
I hug him again then rush off to school. Since I’m eighteen I’m only allowed to go to school for half the day before I have to help mom at the shop. My first class is History, and of course in this class we learn how our nation came to be.
No one is sure why it happened or why we never noticed it. Some blame it on global warming, others say it’s God punishing us for our sins. One day my mom and I were sitting in our living room watching TV. The news was on and they were talking about the oceans rising because of the polar ice caps melting. Rivers and streams were flooding, beaches were disappearing. Suddenly everything started shaking. It was an earthquake! Parts of the United States started falling off until were only left with twenty-five states, and we can’t even call them that anymore. We’re just this big stretch of land that’s been divided into eight sectors, kind of like eight slices of pie, and in the middle is Central.
It’s depressing when you think about it, so I try not to think of it. This happened in 2008, it’s 2012 now. Although it happened four years ago, it sometimes still feels like just yesterday. For most, it hurts to think about it because we’re no longer the United States of America, but for me and my family, it hurts because we lost my father the day earthquakes started.
I mentally shake the thoughts away and concentrate on my lessons. After school I run to the shop and go in the back to wash up. I know mom is going to be upset with me because I’ve ruined my clothes. She’s always scolding me for hugging the boys when I go to the mines, but I think she’s really upset that I have feelings for Reid. Reid Garwin is Sector 7’s bad boy, and everyone knows it. She’s always warning me and my sister, Lilly, but mostly me to be careful. But it’s too late for that.
♠ ♠ ♠
Please R&R!!!<3 Alexis