Blight

“Do you not realize you could have been killed?”

“I know that, Mama. But I wasn’t.”

I gestured to my battered self. She eyed me with knowing eyes and motioned to my throbbing leg. I showed her the gash on my shin and she left the room a moment. I sat on the cold dirt floor as she returned with a bowl of water and small brown messenger bag and proceeded to dump its contents onto the floor. She pushed aside some medication and Band-Aids and grabbed a small washcloth, needle, and suture thread. After soaking the washcloth in the lukewarm water for a few moments, she gently began to clean my wound. Pain coursed through my leg as she removed fragments of rock and soil. I bit my lip and turned away as she prepared to sew my leg shut. I shoved my fist in my mouth to stifle a cry. Six dreadful stitches later, Mama gently dabbed my leg one more time and began to repack the bag. I laid down on my back with tears running down the side of my face. Mama returned from the kitchen and sat by me once more.

“You get to go to training next month. Are you nervous?”

I shook my head. “No, it doesn’t seem too bad. It’s just the Ranking I’m scared of.”

She lifted my head and moved to place it in her lap. She smoothed my hair off my forehead, a gesture she does when she knows Charlie or I am upset. My eyes shut as she hummed a lullaby.

“You will do fine, dear. I know you will. There’s no pressure for where you will be Ranked. You’re strong and you can fight your way up. You have it in you.”

I smiled half-heartedly. “You have a lot of confidence.”

“Confidence in you.” She put a lot of emphasis on that last word. You. It rang through my ears like church bells. I knew she was sugarcoating it. Being Ranked is a huge thing. It determines whether you move up in the system or not. We need to move up.

I sighed and looked at my brave mother. She cannot fathom how much I appreciate her. Smiling, I curled to a more comfortable position in her lap and shut my eyes, drifting off into blackness.



Morning came without a start. Bright sunlit rays shone through the cracks of the small room, glistening over my eyelids, turning them a bright red. I covered my eyes with my forearm and sat up, propping myself on my other arm. Combing my fingers through my hair, I flicked my eyes open, patiently waiting for my eyes to adjust to the room’s dimness. I shook my head slightly and managed to stand carefully on both feet. The room was empty; Mama was probably out at the square trying to garner a half-decent meal, and Charlie was probably out in the living room, drawing swirls on the floor. Disheveled, I made my way into our tiny kitchen-living room amalgamation.

The walls stood covered with dirt stains; the small scraps of wallpaper clung to the wall as ends of some curled under. There was no use for curtains at our house. We had only two small windows just to the sides of the front entryway, which were a pathetic excuse for windows. The one in the back had previously been shattered due to some past roughhousing. Some spare plywood we had found in the square was now filling the empty space. Our kitchen seemed homier. It had actual cupboards that were bare and a tiny sink that had flowing cool water. Just to my right was our ‘living room.’ By ‘living room,’ I mean a small table, three wooden chairs, which encircled it, and a few blankets and pillows here and there. Charlie lay on the floor, tracing intricate swirls on the floor. On the far wall was the small room in which resided the bathroom. It wasn’t much, but it was what we knew as ‘home.’

I rubbed my eyes and headed over to one of the chairs closest to Charlie. He had light brown hair and blue eyes. When he stood, he was at a striking 5’9. He was tall for a fourteen-year-old. He was a heavy-built boy, and he’s strong. He was working on a convoluted picture of our elemental symbols.

The different shades of the dirt highlighted and shaded the drawing, bringing it to life. Three long waves of the water symbol intertwined with the leaves of the poison symbol. Lightning slashed through the earth square, and thin and heavy lines, representing the Iraedaers, surrounded it all. Swirls and diamonds delicately moved through the whole drawing, giving it a peaceful look of real unity.

Smiling, I leaned closer to his ear. “That looks amazing, Char.” His pale hazel eyes peeked over his shoulder and he shrugged.

“I’ve been awake since sunup. There’s never anything to do, especially since you’re a bear to wake up.” He stuck his tongue out and continued doodling. “Your snoring got a lot worse too.”

I gave a playful gasp and smirked, turning my head away. “I do not snore,” I retorted lightheartedly. “Besides, that just shows I had a dreamless night. It’s better than usual.” I could see his body react as he grimaced. He finally sat back, giving his knees a break, and reflected on the floor masterpiece he compiled.

“It’s one of your bests!” Mama’s voice sang from a few feet behind me. I turned to see her standing behind me, her hair pulled back into a swift ponytail at the crown of her head. Her cheeks held a rosy colour, and her eyes twinkled with their deep blue hues. My gaze travelled from her vibrant face to her hand, which seized a stale loaf of bread in her hands. In unison, Charlie and I hopped up from our positions and ran to our mother, reaching for the bread for reassurance that it was there. Mama laughed full heartedly and motioned us back to the small table in the living room. I progressed to the kitchen and searched the cupboards. Hidden beneath a few haphazard cobwebs sat three dusty shot glasses. I scooped them up and quickly rinsed them under the small stream let out by the faucet. After thoroughly inspecting the newly rinsed cups, I filled them each with fresh water. It was all that we could manage for cups.

I reclaimed my seat at the table and waited ravenously for the doughy goodness. Mama tore it into rough thirds and handed one piece gingerly to both Charlie and me. Charlie immediately began to shove bits of stale bread into his mouth. I carefully took a morsel of my portion and placed it into my mouth. Chewing hard, I smiled at Mama. She did better than I. She was able to get us some sort of food. Mama ate her food with vigorous effort. Her tiny hands worked at the bread, tearing it bit by bit, stuffing her mouth full. I continued to eat my share as they finished, sitting back patting their stomachs. They choked back the shots of water and smiled. It was weird how alike they acted.

I finished my breakfast and stood up. “I’m going out to see Micah.”

“All right,” Mama said nonchalantly, still rubbing her tummy. I waved at them as I walked through the door onto the dirt street.

Late morning was always when the street was the least busy. Most people were inside, either waking or eating, or at work. There were plenty of jobs here, mainly factory work. Our region was located in a valley, west of the Alliance. We didn’t offer much but made plenty toys or clothes for 2 Talas a day. That was enough to purchase a new shirt if needed. To keep up the water supply, it cost 13 Talas. Bread was, at best, 10 Talas, or at worst, 3 Talas. It was hard to keep the money. Food was given out twice a month, every other week. Most people went about three days without food before they could conjure up enough Talas to buy stale bread
.
Starting down the street, I fussed with my shirt. I only had this one outfit. Now, looking at it, there were tears across my abdomen and thighs. My pants stained with blood. I frowned and looked ahead. Even in daylight, the town looked dreary. I stopped in front of a house just a good three-hundred yards from mine. After knocking on the door, a weary Micah Henson stood before me. I giggled at his mocha-coloured bed-head. He bore a black shirt and the same jeans from the previous night. His russet skin glowed with the warm sunlight. He grinned at me and jumped onto the street behind me.

“’Morning,” he cooed, gesturing for me to come to him. I hugged him, feeling his strong body against mine and reluctantly pulled away.

“Hey.” I smiled up at him, looking into his coffee-coloured almond-shaped eyes. We began farther down the road, entering the square. Watchers strolled throughout the flowery area. Although the rest of the region was dusty and dreary, this was our one spot of beauty. I led Micah through it to our usual place, a small patch of grass surrounded by Azaleas. A tall structure covered the square, giving the flowers their proper amount of sunlight. It was nearing the end of their term. Soon, they would wither away, and we would have to wait until after the harsh winter to see the beautiful pink flowers once more.

Micah and I settled onto our patch of grass. He lay back with his hands clasped behind his head. I rested my head on his chest and ran my finger along his stomach. God, I love his abs. His stomach contracted when I ran my nail over a tickle spot. Birds chirped, perched safely in their nests that they built in the crevices of the structure. We enjoyed this day; it was peaceful.

Micah cleared his throat. “Lana?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you nervous about the training?”

“Nah,” I said. “I mean, yeah it’s a big thing, but it’s important.” I bit my lip at the though. Every year, like a school year, all seventeen-year-olds are required to attend the Training School. The children are taught the uses of their powers. After training, the students are assigned Ranks. The chances of survival increased with the ranking. However, only the strong are given higher ranks. This is what changes which region a family is appointed. “I am afraid that we might be separated though.” I winced at the though. Micah’s hand found mine.

“It’ll be okay. You’re a strong fighter, just like me! We can try to be put in the same Region.” I hit his arm with the back of my hand and smiled at him. A thought probed my brain.

“W-would you be... scared too? If we were separated, that is.” I could feel my cheeks flush with red.

“Of course,” Micah reassured, pulling me up closer to him. “You’re my best friend. I couldn’t do anything without you.” His smile lightened his face. I returned it and sat up.

“We should go,” I said slowly.

“Why?” Micah looked puzzled, and then followed my gaze. He muttered an ‘Oh’ and sat up with me, grasping my arm.

Our sights fell upon Vinson Jacobs, a seventeen-year-old with an ungodly habit of nosing into anything and everyone. He was tall and lanky, with unruly beige hair and glasses. Freckles covered the bridge of his nose and tops of his cheeks. He had a mousy look about him. He wore baggy sweat pants that hung loosely around his hips. A gray tank top covered his stomach, thankfully. At first glance, he would have seemed very dull. He spotted us as we treaded back through the garden.

“Hey guys!” A high-pitched voice called out to us. We sighed heavily and looked at one another before facing Vinson.

“Hey, Vinson,” I greeted, plastering on a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. Micah nodded in recognition and waited for Vinson to continue.

“Did you hear that Allie and Hayden split? I heard she tried to crush him with some boulders...” He shook his head at the memory and continued, “Oh! And Mr. Grant is being moved to a retirement home in Region 2! Who woulda thought? And! Linda Clark is going to...” He began to talk so quickly that my thoughts wandered. I started to blow at a stray hair that fell in between my eyes, tickling my nose. After successfully blowing it off to the side, I realized that Vinson was talking to me. “..don’t ya think?” He finished. I nodded in confusion and chewed on the inside of my cheek.

“We, uh, gotta get back to Lana’s house, Vinson,” Micah proclaimed, scratching his head.

“That’s fine!” He called to us, heading back into the square. Micah let out a long sigh of relief.

“He’s not that bad. He just needs to, uh,” I started.

“Shut up?” Micah finished.

I shrugged. “I guess he means well.” I started walking back towards my house. Micah followed.

“He’s just so... stupid! All he does is talk, talk, talk! It’s so frustrating!” He closed his eyes in anger. I grabbed his hand, intertwining our fingers.

“It’ll be all right. He’s gone now and will probably be sent back here after training.”
“Psh, yeah,” he groaned. “But we still have to deal with him for seven months. I don’t know if I can do it. He’s just–“

“Annoying?” I pulled him closer to me as we walked.

“Yeah.”

Micah always got a little hotheaded when it came to things that upset him. Once, when he was about eight, a kid named Harry pushed him when they were outside playing. It didn’t settle too well with Micah. He jumped on Harry and started hitting him. Micah’s mother had to pull him off Harry just so he wouldn’t start burning him. Charlie and I witnessed this incident when we were coming back home from visiting the square.

The bell tolled twelve. Children had emerged from their homes to play in the street. Some parents were returning home from their shifts as others headed toward the factories. A crow flew overhead. Micah released my hand and draped his arm across my shoulders. I rested my head against the side of his chest. He began to hum a rhythmic tune and swayed us back and forth, as we passed his house. We continued on, passing my home and farther down the street. I glanced behind us, watching our little town fall far behind us.

“Where are we going?” I heard my voice shake a little. We never went past the town lines. I looked up at him. He continued humming. His eyes were bright and focused. I started to slow and his grip became tighter, and almost started to drag me. “Micah?”

“Haven’t you ever wondered,” he began, “what’s at the end of this road?”

I looked at him, puzzled. “No, it just goes straight.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded. “It shows on the maps, and I’ve ran through the woods enough. It just keeps on going.”

“But you were always in town limits. Let’s go out of them.” A devious look glazed over his eyes. “We’ve always been stuck in this town, so let’s explore a bit.”

I bit my lip. This wasn’t really normal of Micah. I let him pull me farther and farther away from the town. We walked for what seemed like ages. The sun was definitely lower in the west now. My tongue felt like sandpaper. The road stretched on. All around us were bushes and grass. Trees stood proudly on the hills that were standing tall a few hundred meters on either side of us. It looked the same for miles.

Fed up, I stopped in my tracks, causing Micah to stumble over my feet. He whirled around to meet me.

“Why the hell did you stop? I almost fell!”

“Micah, this is idiotic. We’re not getting anywhere. Can we just head back? It’s starting to get late and I’m tired,” I said in one quick breath. “Besides, what are we doing anyways?”

Micah’s face grew from frustrated to dark. A smile tugged at his lips.

“Well?”

“We’re leaving Region 4.”