Marital Law Page 2
“I was worried about you. When we last spoke, you said you’d be back by early afternoon. When you weren’t home, I decided to retrace your steps.”
“The rabbit I was after decided to take me on a little adventure. Guess I was so focused on him, I forgot the hour.”
“And the forest. You were very close to going in there.” Kaylee said pointing to the edge of the vast Greenland where many of my townspeople had entered and never returned.
“It looks so dark, menacing. The trees appear to blend into one another, almost like they are standing guard, blocking everyone out.” I said.
“Or keeping everyone in. I know we’re not supposed to fear that place, or even talk about it, but sometimes I have terrible dreams that center around going in there and never coming back.” said Kaylee. And for the first time since we were little, I caught a glimpse of the real her. We were very much alike, in our strengths, our weaknesses.
Glancing around to ensure no one was listening in on us, I said, “Me too, Kaylee. I’ve even envisioned stepping foot into the forest and being swallowed up by the earth below.”
“It is normal though, right? I mean, surely the others before us felt the same way.”
“I can’t imagine anyone going into the unknown without a little fear and trepidation. Let’s get out of here. This place is freaking me out.”
As we turned to leave a loud scream tore through the night, making both Kaylee and I jump. We didn’t comment but picked up pace to put more distance between us and the forest, whence the scream had emanated.
Nearing home Kaylee said, “I miss our childhood, Sidnie. Life was easier, carefree. Now all we do is train, hunt, and worry over who our mothers will choose to be our mates.”
“Yeah, we got into quite a bit of mischief as little ones. I miss it too, but our time is drawing near. Soon, we will have families of our own, little girls to teach and train in the ways of survival.”
“But what if I don’t bear a girl? What if I can only bring forth a boy?” Kaylee asked, clearly concerned with the very thing all women in Providence fretted over daily.
“We can’t control what sex we bring into this world, Kaylee. All you can do is follow the guidelines set forth by MOM, and hope that Mother Earth blesses you with the correct offspring.”
“You say that, but you know as well as I do what happens to women who can’t bring forth a female heir. They are shunned and eventually they disappear. No one even knows where they go,” Kaylee said, clearly distraught.
Placing my hand on her shoulder I said, “You are a strong woman, Kaylee. The stronger you are, the better your chances of bearing a female. Just like it says in MOM’s checklist, strength is the key to a female heir. Would you like me to go over them with you?”
“Would you, please? I mean, I know them by heart, but it helps to hear someone else recite the checklist.”
“Certainly.”
1. Wait for the new moon during the summer to consummate the marriage.
2. Eat plenty of greens: spinach, lettuce, and broccoli.
3. Work hard, train hard, strengthen your body and mind daily.
4. Remember what a man’s purpose is, and never let him forget.
5. Obey all of MOMs rules and you’ll have favor with the Mother.
“Now repeat them with me,” I said to Kaylee.
We went through them a few more times, to put Kaylee’s mind at ease. And to be totally honest, mine as well. The more we recited the checklist, the better we both felt. I had often worried the same thing. What if I wasn’t worthy of bringing forth a female heir? Where would I end up? What would become of my husband and my male child?
“Hey, is that Caleb?” Kaylee said, pointing off to the right.
Glancing in the direction I replied, “I think it is. Wonder what he’s doing out so late?”
“Let’s go say hi.” Kaylee said, not bothering to wait for me.
Catching up, I said, “Why do you want to waste your time with such trivial things, Kaylee? I mean, it’s not like he will have anything important to say. Boys are always so boring. All they talk about is cooking and cleaning. And they don’t have the stomach for the things that really matter like hunting, providing food to eat.”
“I know, but that wasn’t always the case. Caleb used to be fun to play with, before we all came of age and began the steps to achieving full adulthood. Don’t you remember the way he used to carry our books to class for us? How he used to knit us all of those hats and sweaters for the winter months?”
“Yeah, I remember the ugliest things I’ve ever seen. But they did help stave off the cold,” I said.
“We’ll just say hi and be on our way,” Kaylee said.
“Okay, but I’m going on record saying it’s a waste of time.”
We closed the gap between us and Caleb in five short minutes. “What are you up to, Caleb?” Kaylee asked.
I’ve never seen someone jump so high in my life. Caleb almost fell backwards. I thought for a minute he would take off running, but he gained composure once it sunk in who we were.
“Woah! What are you doing out here in the dark, sneaking up on me like that? You almost gave me a heart attack!”
“What? We weren’t sneaking. If anything, we were trampling through the woods like a roaring lion after its next kill,” I said.
“Does everything you say have to be about killing?” Caleb asked, clearly not happy with our supposed sneak attack or my eloquent way of speaking.
Noticing Caleb’s red eyes, his downtrodden demeanor, Kaylee asked, “Is everything okay, Caleb? You, you don’t look good.”
“Okay? No, it’s not okay, nothing’s okay.” Caleb said, his loud voice carrying through the late hour.
Boys weren’t normally this vocal, this aggressive and it irked me a bit to be honest. “What’s your deal? Kaylee just asked you a simple question and you snapped her head off.”
“Look, I just have a lot going on right now. I need some time to myself, to think everything through.”
“You could’ve just said that, instead of giving us attitude,” I replied.
“Sidnie, it’s okay. Can’t you see he’s hurting?” Kaylee interjected.
I was a little taken aback because Kaylee had never gone against me before. And for her to side with a boy was downright shocking. I didn’t know how to respond, so I just fell silent.
Within a few awkward seconds, Caleb’s mother stepped outside and called him in. Before he left, he turned to Kaylee and whispered, “My father is ill. He can barely get out of bed.”
Kaylee and I stood dumbfounded. For the second time, I felt like a heel. We both knew what this meant. Caleb would soon have to assume his father’s role as homemaker, for his own father would be taken far away to the place where they deposited the sick and aged. Caleb would never see him again. It would be a difficult time in Caleb’s house in the coming months.
“I don’t know what I would do if either of my parents were taken to that place,” Kaylee said.
“My mother said they group the men and women together in the same compound, and there is no longer a distinction between homemaker and provider,” I said, having trouble grasping such a preposterous notion.
“Is that all you care about, Sidnie? Caleb is going to lose his father. He will miss out on an entire year of his homemaker training. Not to mention the companionship that all males so desperately need,” Kaylee said, clearly perturbed with me.
“No, it’s not all I care about, but there’s nothing anyone can do, Kaylee. Munford Law is clear: the sick and aged cannot be allowed to reside in Providence with the young and healthy. Their sickness and possible disease could contaminate all of us.” At this point in my life I had completely bought into MOM’s way of dealing with the sick and elderly in our community. That wasn’t always the case.
Since I was so young when my grandparents were taken, I only vaguely remembered the incident. We were at their house having dinner, something my family liked to do at lea
st two times a week.
My mother and father had been on edge for almost a month, and at the time I had no idea why. We had just finished the main course, which consisted of fried fish and corn from their garden. My grandfather had always been an excellent cook, so I looked forward to meals with them.
At the age of six I remember being very afraid when the monitors came knocking on their door. There were six of them, fully dressed for battle. They looked intimidating and awesome at the same time.
I think the monitors were the only members of the opposite sex that I actually wanted to be like. I believed I would've been a better choice to protect MOM and the Capitol. Why MOM would want, even allow, men to be on her elite guard was beyond me.
Grandfather had just gone into the kitchen to retrieve desert, something we rarely had: an apple pie. A recipe he'd perfected over the years and one I greatly enjoyed.
At the knock, my mother, father, and grandmother all looked at each other and I could see the worry in their faces. When grandfather came out of the kitchen carrying the hot pie, he looked at the monitors and immediately dropped it onto the floor. I watched in horror as the dish broke into numerous pieces.
Turning to look at Adeline and I, grandmother said, “I'm sorry girls, but your grandfather and I have to go on a little trip. We won't be around for a while, but I want you to know that we will always love you girls.”
Adeline ran over and threw herself around grandmother's leg, and said through tears, “But I, I don't want you to go.”
The monitors started to move forward, to remove Adeline, but my mother sternly said, “Don't you dare lay a hand on her! I will take care of my daughter!”
With Adeline now safely in my mother's grasp, the monitor’s led my grandparents into their bedroom, and afforded them a few minutes to gather their things. I remember seeing them come out with two duffle bags slung over their shoulders and looks of death on their faces. I said, “Why are you packing your stuff, grandfather? Where are you going?”
“Like your grandmother said earlier girls, we have to go away for a bit. Don't you two worry about us. Your mother and father will take good care of you until we see each other again.”
“Yeah, right,” said one of the monitors, as he placed his hand on my grandparents' arms and led them to the door.
My mother shot the monitor a look for his comment, and I remember thinking it an odd thing for the man to say at the time. It would be many years later before I learned where they'd been taken and that they weren't coming back. By then I was nearing the age where we weren’t allowed to shed tears any longer.
I still let a few drops of water loose in the late hours of the night, after everyone else was fast asleep. I missed them, missed the way my grandfather would play with us, the way he always cooked mine and Adeline's favorite meals when we visited.
Over the years, I gradually accepted MOM’s way of dealing with the older folk, even began to agree with her. Now, I sternly believed Caleb needed to toughen up and accept the inevitable.
“Whatever! I have to get home,” Kaylee said as she turned and left me staring off in the distance.
During my walk home I replayed our conversation, wondering what I’d said wrong. Kaylee and I had always gotten along so well, had rarely even had a disagreement. It was clear that I’d offended her again, and I couldn’t understand how.
Chapter 3
Colin
Last night Colin saw one of the savages for the first time and his mind would never let him forget the sight. He believed he might've known this one, thinking it had once been a member of their group.
Colin was little, maybe nine, when the boy had been taken. The child was even younger than Colin, maybe seven. He couldn’t be certain, but the birthmark alongside the boy’s neck had looked the same. Fast forward six years, and the mark was the only thing recognizable about the savage.
It happened when he’d gone out to retrieve one of the children, Brian, from their commune. Brian was a lot like Colin: free spirited, adventurous, and always exploring. And he'd been told on numerous occasions not to be out in the forest after dark. This wasn't the first time Colin had to venture out in search of Brian, but it was the only instance where he’d been called to find him in the hours after the sun departed for the day.
His disposition was less than happy, his mind coming up with all kinds of words to chastise Brian's behavior. Having been up and down the hidden stairwell four times already today, Colin was a little winded by the time he stepped outside the cover of the oak. This made him even angrier with Brian.
His spear provided its normal comfort, but he didn't like being out in the forest alone at night. They weren't even supposed to leave the camp without a battle buddy, but since his brother, Thomas, had chosen to go out with the hunting party, he was the only one around with the skills necessary to survive the forest alone.
It was hard to not be able to let your guard down, to not be able to relax for fear someone or something might be stalking you. His father was a good man. A smart, strong man. He did his best to protect them, to keep his people out of harm's way. But they were constantly being hunted by either the savages in the south or the girls who were coming of age from Providence in the north.
The constant screams made it hard to sleep at night and the resulting nightmares had become part of Colin’s normal routine. He had his father's build and his thought process. They weren't genius by any means, but they knew how to handle people, how to evade the enemy and that was what really mattered in their world. Colin just prayed he’d be able to find Brian and bring him home without running into one of the savages.
A cool breeze caused the fallen leaves to blow across the forest floor, a few hitting Colin in the face before settling onto the ground. The rustling forced his senses to work overtime, doing all they could to be on the lookout for the enemy.
A half mile later, Colin began to hear movement coming from the south. He froze, expecting one of the savages to come barreling towards him. A loud scream ripped through the night's calm, causing him to jump. Brian! Oh, no!
Colin took off running in the direction of the scream. He got within fifty feet of Brian when he saw the creature a few yards from him. It was hulking, standing over seven feet tall with bulging muscles in places Colin had never seen before.
Its skin was dark, almost black, and it had veins that looked more like small tubes protruding throughout its body. It was almost as if someone at the clinic had injected the thing with enough steroids to treat fifty people. The creature’s eyes were pitch black and it kept making weird grunting sounds.
“Brian? Brian, I want you to listen to me,” Colin said softly, hoping to get the boy’s attention without causing him to run from the creature.
The boy slowly looked over his shoulder at Colin. “What—what is it?” he stuttered.
“Don’t worry about that, that thing Brian. I want you to slowly back away and move closer to me. Do you think you can do that, Brian?”
“I—I’m afraid. What, what if the mon—monster gets me?”
“Just move slowly, I’ll protect you. Can you do that?”
Surprisingly, the creature wasn’t advancing on the boy; it appeared to be studying him. But when Brian started backing up that quickly changed. It moved with him, taking tentative steps, just like the boy.
When Brian noticed the creature coming with, it was too much for him. He turned towards Colin and took off.
Seeing the creature running after the boy, Colin sprinted forward and intercepted the thing. Brian tried crouching behind him, but Colin shouted, “Run, run back towards the village, Br…”
The creature lunged for Colin, but he managed to get his spear up in time to ward off the thing’s massive arms. It was reaching for Colin’s neck, and Colin knew if it got him in its grasp, he’d pop like a grapefruit smashed by a rock.
Noticing Brian still hadn’t moved, Colin yelled, “The trail, Brian. Follow the trail back to the camp. I will…”
Spinning around, Colin was thankful Brian had at least heeded his words; the boy was nowhere to be seen. When the creature started coming towards his newly deposited location, Colin tried to crawl away. In short order, he felt the thing’s foot on his back, and then underneath his body. It spun him over onto his back, and then reached down and plucked him up, like a flower being ripped from its stem.
The thing brought Colin within inches of its face by his neck, and the boy feared it might try and eat him. Noticing the tattoo, it suddenly clicked. Tommy, Tommy Waters. The boy’s name suddenly came to him. “I, I know you, Tommy. I re-remember when you used to live here-here with-with us.” Each word was a struggle to get out. The creature’s grip seemed to be closing incrementally around his throat like a vise.
At the mention of Tommy, the thing hesitated. It looked left and then right, and then it seemed to shake off whatever was running through its warped mind. It then let out a loud roar, like a large bear, and before Colin knew it, he was sailing through the air again.
When he awoke, Colin found himself lying on his back at the base of a large tree. His arm screamed with each movement, but at least he was still alive. The creature was gone and daylight had fully engulfed the forest.
Slowly, painstakingly, Colin made it onto his feet, and started the trek back towards the village. He made it half a mile when he heard Jeremiah’s voice yelling his name.
“Over here,” Colin responded, and picked up pace to meet his father.
“Thank God, you are okay,” Jeremiah said as he came up to his son. I’ve been looking for you ever since I got back in this morning. I tried to get Brian to show me where the creature had taken you, but I fear the boy may never leave the village again.”