Withered World

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Withered World Page 6

by Sara Kincaid


  “Bram was a hero.” Adem touched his heart lightly with two large fingers as he said Bram’s name. “But we will never be free unless we fight.” He turned and looked at me earnestly. “Miss Vea. You haven’t seen the terrors of the CPA bunker, the terrible state of the poor people, the poor Curare who are enslaved there. They…we are worked to death and then unceremoniously disposed of. It isn’t right and I won’t stand for it.” His eyes filled with pain and he looked at me in earnest.

  I allowed his grisly story to wash over me, tried to imagine living the life he had lived. Gratitude for my parents’ sacrifice bloomed even as doubts bubbled in my thoughts. Could we make a difference? Maybe free them? The CPA was so huge and we were so few. “How are you going to fight?”

  “I will find a way.” His body hardened with resolve, the pain falling beneath shadows and his will for vengeance.

  “Adem, I don’t want to fight. My abilities do nothing but destroy.” I held my hands out to him, palms up. I had nothing.

  “Out of destruction can come rebirth. Just like that little bird you wear around your neck,” he said, nodding at me. I fingered the charm thoughtfully. “That bird is a symbol of hope in that prison for so many Curare, you know. It is a symbol of rebellion.” Just like Leo had told me. Though the lingering thought that the bird was not truly from my parents stung me bitterly, perhaps my mother was trying to tell me something with the gift. Did she want me to fight? Was she urging me to come out of hiding?

  He paused and we walked in silence for some time, the only sound coming from our feet as they stomped the thick grasses beneath us. My mind went to the symbol that encircled my throat. “I know you loathe all that you are,” Adem continued, interrupting my thoughts. “I saw it, plain as day on your face, when you showed me your abilities. But I see you as so much more. You are the next generation. You are evolved.”

  “I can’t do it,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself, feeling suddenly chilled in the thick summer air.

  Adem turned to face me and put his hand on my shoulder. “I won’t make you. But I was hoping you could help me practice. One Curare to another. Together.” He pulled away and waited, interlocking his thick fingers and gazing past me once more at the picturesque field of green.

  “Practice?” The idea of exploring my abilities was so foreign to me. Why would I wield something so destructive on purpose? The thought of being that careless with nature made my stomach curdle.

  “Haven’t you ever been curious to know what your abilities can do? Like Bram?” He emphasized Bram’s name trying to catch my interest, I knew.

  “No.”

  “Well, I have. I’ve always wondered. Even the day after I failed the Pop test, instead of hating myself and being afraid, I was curious. Perhaps that makes me wrong. I’m not like Bram. When I was taken to the bunker, I wondered if I could turn my abilities against them. I never lamented my abilities. I saw them as a tool and I will use them to do what I know to be right.” His eyes brightened and his voice was gruff. I could sense his determination. It mirrored the will I’d seen in Leo when he talked about destroying the CPA and Kade. But it just wasn’t possible.

  “Doesn’t using your abilities slowly kill you?”

  “Of course. But the cause is worth the price. At least, to me.”

  Adem’s words were noble and I wanted to believe in his cause and I wanted to believe in him. As he spoke of rebellion, his heart swelled and his eyes brightened. He drew himself up to his full height, a head shorter than Leo, but still formidable. In his powerful hands, I could imagine the strength he had, the strength it took to command the earth.

  The kinship I felt with him nagged at me. No one else could possibly understand the loneliness I felt. Could I be like him? Could I embrace being Curare in spite of the destruction I caused? My family knew my secret and loved me in spite of the plague that struck with every beat of my heart, with every breath and every step I took. Adem was willing to die if it meant that the rest of us could be free. How much earth could I sacrifice for the sake of my brethren?

  We stumbled down the side of the hill into a groove between the fields and turned to the corner where a copse of trees still stood. “Why don’t I show you what I’ve learned of my abilities first?” Adem offered.

  “Okay.” I agreed tentatively, still unconvinced.

  Adem nodded and then retreated a few paces away from me, indicating with his hand that I should stay put. I watched, morbid curiosity winning out over my apprehension. At first, it appeared that a wind had picked up in the space between us, the grasses and plants bending and twisting in various directions as if they were being tousled by a breeze. Initially I was confused, for I felt no wind on my skin. Then, I realized that Adem was controlling the plants through the earth and their roots, and it only appeared that a wind blew. Digging my toes into the earth, I felt the strength he poured into the land beneath us and the force of it surprised me. When he saw that I had figured out his trick, he smiled and then sighed as if releasing a large burden. The plants returned to their normal, upright position. “What do you think of that?” Adem called, a grin on his face despite the threat to his health.

  His enthusiasm was infectious and I smiled slowly in return. “That was clever! I hadn’t thought of that before.” All at once, I found myself contemplating things I could do with my own abilities. I considered ways to manipulate the earth, the air and the water themselves as opposed to just using them to make changes to myself. I felt my heart begin to race at the possibilities until a thread of guilt began to invade my thoughts.

  Adem saw my enthusiasm wane and he moved back to my side. “Vea, your gift is from nature. You weren’t an accident. Clearly nature is sacrificing itself so you can, ultimately and if you so choose, help it!”

  I smiled up at him shyly, my long bangs falling away from my eyes. Something made me want to try. Was it curiosity? A desire to please this stranger who looked so different but was like me in so many ways? Whatever it was, it was enough to tip me over the edge. “Okay. I’ll try. But just some small things.”

  “Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

  I curled my toes into the ground, pulling energy from the blades of grass around me. The energy entered my body with a jolt and the heady melody of the earth penetrated my mind. I focused my will upon a nearby tree and urged the smaller limbs to twist around one another. They creaked and groaned, but they began to move like snakes, weaving in and out of one another until a number of them were tied into knots. Several limbs up, the trunk bent unnaturally, bowing to me. When I stopped, the grass around me for a square foot was destroyed. I felt the sharp blades pricking my feet, reprimanding me for my wastefulness. I waited for the wave of grief to descend, but mixed in, I found pride.

  Adem whistled and shook his head. “You’re going to be a force to be reckoned with. Well, if you weren’t such a pacifist,” he said with a smile.

  I tried to meet his gaze just as I reminded myself of his words about nature’s sacrifice for the ultimate greater good. Adem stood watching me, waiting to see what I decided to do next. I managed to hold back the gulf of my guilt and I stepped forward into a new patch of grass, squaring my shoulders. The energy from that space flowed and I allowed myself to draw more energy than I ever had before. The feeling of the power was heady, coursing through me like a drug, and I felt myself scrambling for control in its depths. The energy sang through my veins and I was drunk with the power. I narrowed my eyes, determined to overcome the wildness that raced within me. I was dizzy and the world tipped dangerously before my eyes. I cut off the stream of power and drew a haggard breath, shaking with intention and on the slippery slope of control. When I looked at Adem again, I was ready for another round.

  We practiced like that, back and forth, sharing ideas and tricks for the better part of the morning. To protect the landscape, I tried focusing on the energy already flowing in my body rat
her than constantly drawing from what lived around me. By the end of our session, I was shaky and exhausted. But more than anything, I wanted more. Adem helped me walk back to the campsite where Leo was waiting.

  “What happened?” Leo asked, jumping to his feet as we approached through the brush. He took in my disheveled state, the gray tint of my skin, the dullness in my eyes. My legs shook with the effort of walking. What did you do?” he asked in an accusatory tone.

  “It wasn’t Adem,” I rasped. “I did it. I used myself as the source.”

  He turned his frustration on me before checking himself. “Why would you do that?” Then calmer, “You have to be careful, Vea.” His hand floated out in my direction, but before it reached my shoulder, he seemed to remember himself and folded his arms in front of his chest. The distance between us had not been forgotten. Our wounds were too fresh. But when I looked at him, I nearly let them go.

  “Take me to the river, please,” I said, ignoring his warnings. For some reason, the idea of the river and the life that swirled there called to me and I thought it would be an ideal place to replenish myself. Plus, it would be far from view.

  Leo took over my care and all but carried me to the lip of the rushing river with Adem following on his heels. When we got close, the dull roar of it filled my ears and flooded my soul. I dug my toes deep into the earth, and projected my hungry consciousness downward through the silt, down to the clay, grasping like the stark roots of the giant trees of old. When I felt the energy flowing into me, I sighed in contentment. My legs gave out and I lay sprawled over the earth. The grass beneath me wilted and dried as if I sipped it from a straw.

  I felt Leo and Adem watching me, but they were far from my thoughts. Instead, I focused on the flow of the clouds and smog overhead. I wasn’t sure how to tell the difference between one and the other in this new place and, dizzily, I thought right and wrong were somehow that way, too. Was it wrong of me to steal from the earth for practice?

  Later that day, we sat in a small circle around an empty fire pit as the darkness crept across the fields, lengthening and melding the shadows into night. I lay on my back staring up at the inky sky. Like the black above us, my mind swirled with heavy thoughts. I relinquished myself to the flow of the earth. I remembered the thrill of power I had felt when I opened myself up completely to the energy of the world around me. It had coursed through me, overwhelming me so that all I could consider was the power I drew and how I would magnify it. The idea frightened me. I saw how easily I could become a weapon.

  After just the one day of practice, of opening myself up to my abilities, I realized the possibility of what I, and all Curare, could do. We were capable of far more than cleaning up the mess that humanity had made of our world. It made me wonder about Bram and his death in the streets of the City all those years ago. If he had the ability to make it rain for three days, to be able to conjure clouds out of an empty sky, empty save for smog, then his potential must have been monstrous. Why, then, had he chosen to turn inward, to refrain from even protecting himself?

  I had always believed Bram was a martyr and that his decisions were to be emulated. But for the first time in my life, I wondered if that decision was wrong. Certainly Bram was not to be faulted for his choices, for they were his to make and I could not imagine the sorrow that had plagued him after the hope he had felt at his discovery.

  Had nature truly designed us to be passive or had we endured having that persona projected upon us due to Bram’s legacy in an effort to control us? The energy of the earth had filled me with a primal urge and an instinct I didn’t know I possessed. It was clear that Adem felt it, too. Perhaps that was more akin to our true nature than any form of blanket passivity.

  Then, of course, there was Aster. She had never been found. She had tried to protect Bram, but soon after his death, she disappeared. Many speculated that she, too, was murdered due to her complicity and subsequent alliance with the carrier that Bram was thought to be. Part of me hoped that she had survived. Perhaps she was in hiding like me.

  Leo and Adem leaned together talking in hushed tones. Despite the rough waters that plagued me, I soon succumbed to my exhaustion as a gentle wind rose, tasting of rebellion.

  Aster,

  I’m having terrible dreams and every time I hear someone walk by my pod, my palms begin to sweat. This must be what it means to be in hiding, to be afraid of being found out. But what exactly am I afraid of? I am breaking no laws. Somehow I know that others would see this new being that I have become as wrong.

  Can you imagine Brandi’s reaction? And Kade? The lead scientist of the Government Farm League? With his trim beard and slicked back hair? I’m afraid I’d never see daylight again. I’m convinced that there are labs hidden in that labyrinth that is the GFL.

  Kade’s frustrations with the projects coming down from the City leaders are mounting. He is constantly under pressure to produce results. The trouble is, as you know from your position at the mayor’s office, the results we get aren’t what leadership wants. Science doesn’t answer to politics or money. It is undeniable, as much as the mayor tries to deny it. If I present as an alternate solution to his problems, Kade would not hesitate to whisk me away and study me until he determines the best way to use my abilities to serve him. This is why I cannot leave here. I can’t allow my abilities to fall into his hands.

  And what if there are more? Aster, could there possibly be more of us? I shudder to think of what their futures hold.

  Bram

  Chapter 5

  We grew reckless in our practice and in our belief that we were safe from discovery. We should have known that such a reprieve from the CPA and the outside world couldn’t last forever. I wish I had understood this then, for I would have reveled more in my freedom and in the beauty of the nature around us. But my lifelong lesson in fear proved a heavy burden to shed.

  Adem and I soon found a routine just as he and Leo seemed to find a shared interest to bind them. What they talked about did not concern me. I had a choice and at that time, my choice was to hide. While they whispered about uprising and war, I closed my ears and thought of the earth, the sky, and with growing frequency, the extent of my abilities.

  Even as my curiosity bloomed, I tried to ignore the signs of my burgeoning power. The effects of my self-discovery were all around me in the wilted foliage and tarnished meadows that expanded like a plague. In truth, the destruction was a small portion of the lush grounds that surrounded us, but I felt the loss keenly. Even so, their sacrifice brought me a greater understanding of the elements and I discovered both their extent and limitations.

  Leo had taken to accompanying us when we departed for our daily practice. He watched silently from the sidelines as we traded ideas and stories and as we tested our skills. He seemed familiar with war.

  “Vea,” he called with energy from across the field. “Don’t wait for him to strike first. You have the advantage. Use it.” He was shrouded in the shadows, but if I reached out to the void, I knew I would be able to sense his exact location.

  I let out an exasperated sigh and brushed sweaty bangs out of my face. “Do a lot of fighting in the City?” Leo and Adem exchanged glances, their shared thoughts unreadable to me. I curled my hands into fists and put them indignantly on my hips. “What happened to ‘If they can’t score on you, they can’t win?’”

  Leo’s rich bark of laughter answered me. “This isn’t the schoolyard, Vea. It’s a battlefield. Those rules don’t apply.”

  “Leo’s right. If you’re timid, you’ll get caught.” Adem readjusted his stance. His dark skin gleamed in the sunlight. His brown eyes were sympathetic, but he was all business. “Again,” he commanded.

  This time, I crouched low, cloaking myself in the tall grasses, willing myself to blend with my surroundings. I let time drift before circling toward Adem, my enemy. A tree groaned. Small animals agitated the ground. Adem stood at eas
e, arms crossed on top of his large stomach. He knew I was coming, just not when or from what direction.

  As I stalked my prey, the game of it all took over. I grinned and my body hummed with the hunt. I thought of the old digital vids we sometimes watched in school, of the big cats that used to rule the forests, and tried to imitate their movements. If it was a battle they wanted, then it was a battle I’d give them.

  My slithering path through the grass put me behind Adem on his weak side. I waited until the breeze stilled and the trees grew silent. Then, I ripped a bundle of energy from the earth, draining myself in the process, and lunged at him with the strength, speed and power of the earth behind me. But my roar of triumph quickly changed to a cry of frustration, for I was met with the strength of a living wall. Adem had torn the earth from beneath his feet, throwing it at me like an avalanche. Stones and dirt pelted my skin before I was covered in a deluge. His defense attack left me sputtering and spitting dirt. “You forgot who your enemy was,” he informed me.

  I stumbled in the rubble and tried to brush the dirt from my skin. It covered me in a thin film and when I scratched at it, it clumped under my nails. “My enemy can’t do that,” I insisted.

  “True,” Leo agreed. He walked across the field and pulled me from the tangle of dust Adem had created. My skin tingled when he grabbed my wrists and I nearly forgot my anger. “Don’t underestimate your enemy, human though he is,” he murmured quietly.

  Later, after a lengthy bath in the river, I sat with Adem and Leo. The sun was sinking slowly in the sky and night grew around us. Our experiments with my abilities made me wonder. We all knew Bram’s story, but we didn’t truly know where Curare came from. “So, no one but farm families produce Curare, right?”

  “Not that anyone has seen,” Leo nodded. Why he knew so much about Curare, I didn’t know. What made him an expert? Did he want to be a Curare himself? And what of the people in the City who were fighting for Curare? He hadn’t mentioned them once since our disagreement weeks ago, after we had first arrived in East Farm. I avoided his glance.

 

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