Divided (5 page)

9

Arys

As I leave Kai, I think about how perfect he is for the thousandth time today. I love him in both meanings of the word: Old World and new. I know my answer.

     I make my way back to our tent. It’s custom that each family in a tent collect their own food once it’s cooked to eat together in their tent. On occasion, Papa will call everyone to eat together around the fire, where we’d sing songs and the religious amongst us will pray blessing over the food. Like many others, Papa and I have our own small fire next to our tent. He always personally prays blessing over our food and for the safety of the Tribe. He’s brought his stool outside and is sat on it now, warming his hands by the fire, while eating a small portion of fish that the hunting party caught earlier. He sees me come up to him, and smiles. I take a deep breath as he turns to face me.

     ‘You don’t need to tell me, I already know,’ he says, making eye contact with me. ‘I saw it in your eyes before; I just wanted to make sure you know what you’re doing.’

     I let my breath out and feel guilty at the pained look in his expression.

     ‘I love him, Papa. I know we’re meant to be together. Last night, after our encounter with the Hunters, Kai had a dream, a vision even. In this dream, I’m holding mine and Kai’s daughter. She was named
Kayra
, Papa!’

     Papa’s eyes widen. He stares at me and the remaining uneaten fish falls unnoticed into his lap. He stands up suddenly, pulling me into the tent and sealing the entrance hurriedly. The light of the fire makes shadows dance around the tent, though in this light, Papa looks older and frailer than I’ve ever seen him. I was raised in this tent, taught to read and write. It’s the only place that feels like home, every time we’re forced to move location. Yet now I’m scared, despite the familiarity of my surroundings. His eyes still wide, he turns on me, his hands grasped firmly on my shoulders.

     ‘How do you know of this name?’ he urges in a whisper. ‘You can’t possibly know! You were too young!’

     ‘Papa, what are you talking about? You knew Kayra?’ I’m confused. I’ve never spoken about Kayra before!

     Papa folds up his blanket and sits on it. I sit on the floor, watching his expression, trying to read him.

     ‘Arys please tell me exactly what you know of Kayra, every detail that you can remember,’ he says.

     He looks scared, Papa’s never scared. This unsettles me as Papa is always my anchor protecting
me
from getting scared.

     ‘She... she was my twin in the Old World,’ I tell him. ‘My mother and father either took her and abandoned me, or she died along with them. This is all I know, there are no details!’

     I’ve always made stories up of her and I when there’s nothing to do around camp. I used to daydream of finding her, or of her always being with me and that she was never left or died. She would often be my imaginary friend when I was very young. The daydreams always ended happily, with no Hunters involved. I don’t tell him this; some things are better left unsaid.

   
‘Oh Arys, I am so sorry I have never spoken to you about her,’ he cries, hugging me tightly suddenly. ‘But the truth is dangerous and I’ve always wanted to protect you from it. And now finally I believe you’re ready.’ He’s crying silently as he releases me; tears are rolling down his face softly.

     ‘The truth?’ I ask him curiously.

     I don’t know what he’s talking about but I feel that whatever it is he’s been hiding from me, I’m ready to know it. 

     ‘Papa, I’m ready. I want to know!’

     Papa looks at me and nods, tears still on his cheeks.

Fifteen Years Ago

It was a dry summer day; cars sped by below, the noise carrying up through Noah’s open window. All the windows in the factory were opened, but it didn’t help the heat. Noah turned the radio up, noting the time. He wasn’t leaving work for another three hours. He sighed as he put his helmet back on and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. The song on the radio was an old favourite of Noah’s and he sings along to it, enjoying the last few minutes of his break. David, one of his co-workers knocked on the door. Noah opened the door just as the radio cut off the song. ‘
We regret to inform you of this breaking news
,’ the newsreader began. ‘
A group of geologists of Cambridge University, who wish to remain anonymous, have informed us of troubling news, resulting in us raising the weather warning to red. They believe that a mega-earthquake is on its way. It is predicted to strike throughout the country. The prediction is that the earthquake will be a short series of earthquakes, estimated on the Richter scale ranging from 7.0 to 9.2 and having a knock-on effect, spreading throughout the entire country. Safe points have been predicted, and will be released in due course. It is said to be the worst...’  

     
David had stepped into Noah’s office and turned the radio off.  He must have noticed Noah’s panicked face.

     ‘Hey, Noah,’ he said, punching Noah’s arm. ‘This happens all the time. Predictions never come true! I mean for heaven’s sake the rapture has been predicted thousands of times, the end of the world thousands more! Don’t get worked up over this. You see where this is going, don’t you? They predict it, they find a solution but need money. Then we naive people, scared of death, donate our lifesavings to them and the earthquake doesn’t happen! It’s happened a million times. It’s just another scam!’

     Noah nods his head, refusing to believe David. Yes, he had heard of it before, and even been foolish enough to donate. But this was... different from all the other times.

Noah finally arrived back home, thinking miraculously of how he had survived work the past three hours. He began gathering his things and packing them into suitcases. He brought fifteen books with him, half of them old favourites, the others were empty notebooks. He wrote songs as a hobby and rarely left the house without a notebook. When he had finished, he put the two suitcases under the bed. He took one glance around the house, now stripped of photographs and any other personal possessions that marked his home “
his
”.

The morning of the earthquake, Noah heard screaming outside. Instinct kicked in and he ran outside and stood in his doorway, taking in the scene before him. He saw a man and a woman, the woman holding her baby in her arms so tightly that the baby must be getting hurt as it was crying.

     ‘No!’ she screamed. ‘You are not taking her! Arys is mine!’

     The man looked exhausted to Noah as he started justifying his actions.

     ‘Miss, we have explained to you the procedure already. It’s all in the papers we sent to you. You’ve already signed and we promise the safety of your baby!’

     Noah, aware that this was not something he should be seeing, closed the door and waited until he finally heard a car door slam and heard the gravel crunch as the car drove away. He was sixty four years old, and hadn’t moved as fast in years as he tore down his front garden and knocked twice on the woman’s door.

     ‘Please, just leave us alone!’ the woman shouted from the other side of the door.

     ‘I’m not with
them,
’ Noah said, spitting out the word. ‘I’m here to help!’

     The woman opened the door, recognition flickering on her face as she hugged Noah. She ushered him in, taking him upstairs quickly after closing the door. A man was on the landing, and followed behind, watching Noah with interest.

     ‘We don’t have long,’ she said, hurrying him into a small bedroom. ‘My husband, Henry, and I have twins, identical. Both are girls. “Unity”, which is a division of the government focused on the earthquake sent us letters, offering Arys’s safety when this earthquake strikes. She’s worth saving according to them. I don’t know their motives behind it, but there are reasons. I have my own reasons why I don’t want them to know of Kayra. But I’m swapping children and giving them Kayra, she’s more special then Arys medically. She’s more advanced. Henry is a scientist; he’s invented something, something I don’t understand. He’s strengthened their natural-born twin connection; they’re able to communicate through their minds. As Kayra was born first, she has the more dominant connection, a stronger mind resulting in Henry being able to do more with her.’

     The woman pressed her hand to the wallpaper. Several seconds passed before a reticent beeping noise sounded. The wall turned in on itself, sliding across the wooden floor, making soft grinding sounds while forming a small stone tunnel into another bedroom.

     ‘Unity are planning to do awful things,’ Henry began, leading the way into the newly uncovered bedroom. ‘We believe the shared connection between Arys and Kayra can stop them. They will communicate with their minds. This is vital to our plan. We are giving you Arys,
please
look after her. She could one day save us all.’

     Noah stood in the bedroom, taking in everything they had just said.

     ‘Hide her!’ pleaded Henry, ‘For Heather and I cannot. People will want her, people from Unity will be sent out to find her. They will be mindless and trained, programmed to kill all in their way. Never give her up. And on the day she’s reunited with her sister, the plan begins.’

     Noah walked up to the cot which held Arys.

     ‘Why didn’t you give her to them just now?’ he asked.

     ‘We needed you. You are the only person we can trust with this and it was the only way to get you here without speaking to you. Our houses have been bugged. Henry’s knowledge helped him disable the bugs in this house, but yours isn’t safe. They’ve given us fifteen minutes to make my mind up, before they take her by force.’

     Noah reached towards Arys’s hand; she was asleep and wrapped her hand around his index finger.

     ‘One more thing,’ said Heather, checking her watch. ‘Don’t ever let her fall in love. Strong emotions destroy the connection to her sister. Make her believe that love only means sacrifice, and that true love is poison and a weakness, resulting in death.’

     Noah hugged both Heather and Henry, and then left the house carrying Arys carefully in his arms. He closed his front door just as the black car reappeared, Arys’s eyes flying open, calling out in her mind for her sister.

10

Arys

     ‘You’re Noah!’ I say as soon as he finishes his tale.

     His eyes are sad, but he nods his head.

     ‘Papa, I have to find my sister,’ I say. ‘You say we’re connected and if we have this bond, then can I talk to her? Ask her where she is? I just don’t know how!’

     Papa looks at me; I see relief in his face now. As if saying all of this has literally lifted a heavy weight off him.

     ‘I don’t know either, I barely knew your parents when they gave you to me. Know my story, remember the details. Take all the information and I know you can come up with an idea. Your brain is really special...’ he pauses, and then takes my hands in his. ‘You are really special.’

     ‘But I’m not!’ I shout at him, standing up. ‘I’m not special! My mind is weak; Kayra is the special one! My mind is weak and I fell in love with Kai, I disobeyed the one rule in this new world and I’m amongst the few who least has the right to! I never experienced Old World love in the Old World! You did, Papa... Noah.’

     What about Kai? He knows nothing of this and I really do love him and because of that I might never speak to my sister... might never do what my parents wanted me to do. I cover my face with my hands, ashamed of everything that’s happened.

     ‘Arys, if you truly love Kai, it cannot be undone. Love is forever and you can never undo or reverse the effects of love; even death doesn’t stop it. There is nothing more we can do, you can marry Kai; he’s strong. Zeke is stronger and the better protector, but if Kai loves you, the
real
love, not the fake love your parents wished you to believe, then your connection with your sister may never work. You choose now: love Kai, or fix your connection with Kayra. And please, don’t ever call me Noah. To you, I will always be your papa.’

     I hug Papa tightly and think of my true decision: Kai or Kayra?

     ‘Thank you, Papa,’ I tell him, putting all of my love into those three words.

     I leave the tent and run to Kai, who is back at the fire, clearing up the fish bones. He opens his arms and I fall into them, holding to him like a lifeline.

     ‘Kai, Papa has agreed that we can be together!’ I say, all my joy at this news finally overcoming me. Kai pulls away from me, beaming. Unexpectedly, he kisses me in front of the Tribe members who are relaxing in front of the fire. I feel myself go red as he pulls away, though my smile remains plastered on my face as I stare around at all the people watching, looking disgusted with us. I see Iris looking straight at Kai and I fight the urge to laugh as she throws herself between us both, screaming indistinct words. I feel the smile drop from my face as Iris pushes me back and speaks clearly for the first time.