Even though living in a particular Sector had changed our hair color, the texture remained the same as whoever your ancestors were.
In addition to our hair color, Sector 2 had many beautiful forests, and was known for its output of carpentry. Deloria was also populated by several Tribe-Cities, and was fortressed on the east border by huge mountains.
Boralia, or Sector 3, had a very rainy climate, and flourished with different kinds of vegetation. The people of that Sector had developed a pale jade green hair color. As expected, Boralia was relied on heavily for its heavy output of produce from its numerous farming villages. It was more rural than Deloria, and had many beautiful green spaces that made it a popular place to visit.
The last continent, RoAam, was the harshest Sector. It was almost entirely covered with snow year round. There were still communities who lived there, but as we had learned more about the harsh climate in our Pre-Mandate Classes, I never understood why.
The one thing I did admire was the beautiful soft cerulean blue hair color that the people there had. It mimicked the color of Mercia's freshwater oceans and was the Planet's main producer of fish.
Although unique, life on the Sectors hadn't been easy. Our Earth ancestors had thought life on a new planet would make people think twice about how they treated where they lived...and each other for that matter. The Earth/Mercia Chronicles were full of histories on Pollution, Slavery, Genocides and the like. Mercia had been widely embraced as a second chance. But for some, Mercia was seen as a brand new gold-mine, waiting to be exploited for natural resources and human labor.
After one year of living on Mercia, and Obsidian II had been discovered, the Houdakin began using the lower class population as labor to mine it out of the active volcanic mountains. It quickly became a powerful energy source, and was touted in the beginning as being “the most eco-friendly fuel yet”. Solar panels, which had adorned the roofs of most homes, had been removed by the Houdakin with the excuse that they were “defective” and each home had been forced to install Obsidian II fumeries.
It was necessary to feed the fumeries large amounts of Obsidian II in order to power the homes' lights and anything else that needed an electrical source. The Obsidian II was extremely expensive, and ours was not the only home that spent several nights out of each month without power and heat.
The Houdakin became even more rich, while the middle and lower classes struggled to make ends meet.
And mining the mineraloid was extremely dangerous. Not only did it have to be mined from active volcanoes, but breathing in the fumes from the mining process caused all types of illnesses, and polluted the air, water and soil. Thousands had become mysteriously sick with a disease that resembled the Cancers that had appeared on Earth. My very own Aunt and Grandmother were among those who had developed weakened immune systems, fatigue, and cells that had begun to attack their own bodies.
Aoki, which could have cured it all, was carefully guarded and manufactured for exorbitant prices which no one but the Houdakin could afford. But, never one to miss an opportunity to make money, the Houdakin instead manufactured cheap, toxic bio-medicines to combat the illnesses. Taking these synthetic medicines was a double edged sword however: they might ease your symptoms, but they also caused an onslaught of problems that you hadn't had before, forcing you to need more medicine.
Of course, there had been accusations and protests, but every time, the 'agitators' turned up missing. To no surprise, accusations had all but ceased, although it was rumored that some groups still secretly ran their own investigations.
“Yaya, are you ready yet? It's time for prayer, and I have the list ready for you.” Mama's voice called from the kitchen.
I came back to reality, and took one last look in the mirror, but stopped cold. I slowly leaned forward and squinted my eyes as my heartbeat quickened. Very faintly, the pupils of my eyes were.......glowing.
I blinked twice, willing the reflection to be trick of the sunlight bouncing off my eyes, but it wasn't. The glow intensified to a brilliant amber-white swirling orb, and then vanished.
“Yaya!” Mama called again, with agitation this time. I jumped and stumbled backwards tripping over my own feet. A yelp escaped my lips, and I could hear Mama walk closer to the end of the hallway. I could just imagine her worried look. “Yaya, are you OK?”
“Yes, Mom, I'm fine, I'll be right there.” I replied, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. What had I just seen? I was terrified, and thrown off balance. Not wanting to agitate Mama more, I grabbed a mauve tunic from the top of the clean laundry pile, threw on a slightly wrinkled pair of white cotton pants, and wrapped a dusty pink scarf around my head.
I hurried into the family room and fell in line behind Papa for the morning prayer. I glanced at everyone to see if they had a clue as to what had just happened.
Aziz just threw me a look over his shoulder as if to shake his head and say “Girls.” Everyone's eyes closed without suspicion, and I relaxed a bit. I prayed it wouldn't happen again until I found out what was going on. I didn't know how I would explain glowing eyes to my family.
We finished making prayer, and all I wanted to do was get out of the house and into the fresh air so I could think. I grabbed the grocery list off of the kitchen table, giving Mama and Papa a kiss and the greeting before heading for the door.
“Yaya,” Papa called. My chest tightened, but I tried appear normal.
“Yes, Papa?” I replied, turning around slowly.
Papa smiled. “Sharif was just asking for you. Say goodbye to him before you leave?” Papa's kind eyes were focused on me. He knew how much my younger brother adored me, and wanted to see me first thing each morning.
My pulse slowed, “Of course Papa. I didn't know he was awake yet.”
I headed down the hallway, and turned into the first room on the right. Sharif was sitting on the floor surrounded by small mountains of building blocks.
“Yaya!,” he said excitedly as soon as he saw me. “Eeese!” he squealed, clapping his tiny hands together.
“Eeese” was his version of the greeting “Peace of the Most High be upon you.”
At 18 months, his vocabulary was still limited to simple sounds, so he had picked up names like mine pretty easily, and translated anything more complicated into his baby language. He raised his little arms, wanting a hug.
I crossed over to Sharif in two steps, and bear hugged his soft, pudgy body. He was such a sweet little boy, and I loved him immensely. “Peace be to you my Sharif! How is my baby today?”
Sharif placed a tiny hand on each side of my face. His head tilted to the right and he said, plain as day, “Peace be to you. Have no fear. Today is the day.”
Chapter 2
"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven"
The Holy Bible, New Testament,
Matthew; 7:21
I nearly wet my pants.
What the heck was going on? Sharif released my face, and went back to playing with his blocks. I blinked incredulously. Had he just spoken? The words Sharif had uttered had not been baby talk. No, his words had been crisp and concise. I placed one hand on the floor to steady myself, as my body had begun to involuntarily shake. I bit my lip, then leaned a little closer to Sharif.
“What did you just say?” I whispered. Sharif just connected two blocks together and held them up for my approval. “Yaya!” he replied smiling his baby smile. He giggled, and picked up another block.
I got up slowly, my legs feeling weak beneath me. I walked out of the room backwards and collided with Aziz as he came sauntering around the corner.
“Geez, Yaya, what is up with you today? Having......ahem.....lady issues?”
I pushed past him. He had no idea.
Usually, I could talk to my brother about anything, we were pretty close. But today was different. Today was supposed to be one of the biggest days of my life, but something wa
s wrong. I felt unbalanced, uncertain, and afraid. Lady issues? I laughed worriedly to myself. I wished.
I practically ran to the front door, grateful that no one was in the kitchen to see me. I closed the door behind me and shut my eyes, my heart pounding in my ears.
I inhaled two deep breaths of the cool morning air, begging my heartbeat to normalize. My skin was clammy and my head began to swim. Oh, Allah, please don't let me throw up. A blur of images flashed against my eyelids:
The Planet Earth, spinning out of control,only to dissolve into a million tiny white lights,
A pair of hands, open in supplication.
A woman with dark skin, hooded, her hands holding something. She was stretching her arms out to me.
The juices in my stomach gurgled a warning, and I ran over to the corner of the house where the Shing bush grew. I picked one of the flowers, and inhaled deeply. The tart, earthy fragrance settled my stomach at once. Mama had planted several medicinal plants around the house, thanks to the help of her best friend Mother Willoni, who also happened to be the tribe's most skilled herbalist. I had never been so grateful. Ya, Allah, I whispered to myself, I'm too young to go crazy.
I straightened up, took another deep breath from the petals, and then smoothed my tunic and adjusted my scarf. I took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching me, but both ends of the lane were still deserted, save a few Silus pecking around in some of the neighbor's front yards.
I started out for the Aisle, trying to make sense of everything. Maybe I am having lady issues I thought to myself, and then had to suppress a giggle.
Mama was going through what the younger kids in the tribe called 'the grown lady change”. She had everyone in the house going crazy because one minute she was freezing and had the heat turned up high, and the next, she was 'hot as a frying egg”, throwing all of her layers off in agitated discomfort.
We had all learned to adapt, and usually had some type of sweater or a cool drink nearby. Maybe some of her 'lady issues' were rubbing off on me.
After walking a few paces down the road, I heard a familiar voice. “Peace to you, dear child, off to the Aisle?,” I sighed internally. It was Mother Tal-ya, out gathering vegetables from her garden. Upon seeing me, she stood up and planted both hands on her hips. Her mouth puckered as she eyed me quizzically.
Mother Tal-ya was known for gossiping and being a bit nosy around town, but I quickly dashed the thought out of my mind. I shouldn't dwell on others' faults. Allah, forgive me. I pray that You help us all to overcome our imperfections.
I smiled, and stopped at her gate. “Peace to you, and good morning Mother Tal-ya. Would you like me to pick up anything for you?” I smiled again, and tried to appear normal. Please, please, please don't let my eyes start glowing now.
Mother Tal-ya returned the greeting, still looking me up and down. “Peace of The Most High to you, daughter Yaya, peace to you.....”
Many religions had come over during the settlement, but people had decided to put away their differences and do their best to work together for the common good. “Peace to you” was the informal greeting we all used, no matter what religion you were.
The formal version of the greeting was either “Peace of the Most High to you” or “Peace of the Creator to you”.
Mother Tal-ya squinted her eyes at me, then frowned and came closer. Her hand reached up and gave my scarf a good yank. “Are you all-right, Yaya? You look a bit off kilter. Are you sick? Ah! Up all night with that baby in the house, no doubt. Poor dear. Didn't get a wink of sleep, did you? I know you didn't. And you look a bit green, too. Probably something your Mother made for dinner. Hmmm? She's not to blame, of course, with all the work she has to do. Leftovers, did she fix you leftovers for dinner? Because you know, you can't leave them out too long. Food spoils. And it gives you terrible diarrhea. Come on in now, Mama Tal-ya will fix you a good meal, and get you some of my special herbal tea mix for your stomach pains. You just need someone to talk to, isn't that right, dear?” She placed her hand on my shoulder, and patted me soothingly on the back.
I shook my head, “Not to worry, Mother Tal-ya. Everything is OK, and Mama's cooking is fine.” I looked her kindly, but directly in the eye.
“Humph!” Mother Tal-ya replied, looking as if she didn't believe me at all.
I offered Mother Tal-ya another smile. I knew she was still a little sensitive on the subject of cooking.
Mother Tal-ya was still a bit sore because she wasn't the best of cooks. One of the community programs was called The Community Plate. In it, each time a family had a meal, one extra plate was made. Tribe volunteers would collect them and take them to Community Tribe or Health Centers so that anyone who was sick or just needed a meal could eat for free.
All of the Mothers in our tribe prided themselves on donating the tastiest plates, for they of course all thought they were the best cooks in the tribe. But, if too many complaints came in about your food....you were quietly asked not to participate. Mother Tal-ya had been one of those people.
She placed her hands back on her hips. “Well, no need to get huffy. Off you go, Daughter Yaya. But if you should ever need a good meal...”
“I know just where to come. Thank you so much, Mother Tal-ya. May the Most High bless you for your kindness,” I replied quickly, while inching away. This seemed to put her at ease. She let out a satisfied, “Umm-hmm,” as if to say, my job here is done, and bent down to resume plucking at her vegetables.
A few more yards, and the Aisle came into view. As I got closer, I noticed the air felt different. For one thing, it was much quieter than usual. Shop keepers weren't joking with customers, haggling about prices. Faces looked serious, nervous even.
I neared the shop which sold the fruits and vegetables Mama needed. Father Joshua was busy unpacking a fresh bunch of onipers and placing them in woven baskets. He didn't look up as I approached.
“Father Joshua? Peace unto you,” I said quietly, trying to get his attention.
He glanced up, and recognizing me, brightened a bit. He flashed a distracted smile, and motioned for me to come over to the counter. I handed him Mama's list. He took it, and bent his head as if he was reading it, but he directed his words towards me.
“Peace of the Most High to you, Daughter Yaya. Thank the heavens you came. You must hurry home and tell your Father and Mother that the Houdakin have increased their number of guards, and have begun to interrogate members of Deloria. Tell them to take all precautions. Will you do that for me?”
I glanced to my right and left, trying not to be too obvious. The number of guards had virtually quadrupled, and there seemed to be a guard at almost every corner. I looked back to Father Joshua, a little alarmed. “Of course, I'll give them the message.”
I bit my lip. Usually, Father Joshua was a jovial character. This pensive, serious version of him made me nervous.
Father Joshua turned around and began filling my grocery order, still addressing me. “Tell them that the festivities will go on as usual for tonight's Essentia.” He turned around with a slightly worried, preoccupied smile, and handed me my bag. “You can pay me later. Now, hurry home child. See to it that you do not delay. Peace to you.”
I nodded, returned the greeting, and quickly began to weave my way back to the main road. I was careful not to meet the eyes of any guards. What in heaven's name had happened? The Houdakin were known for being shrewd, selfish, and ruthless. Greed had hardened their hearts and minds to the needs of anyone but themselves. They were content to live a lavish lifestyle and not think about the backs of those they stood upon to continue it. Had they come up with some new way to exploit people from the tribes?
I hurried on my way, passing more homes, shops, and the Central Hall of Worship. My eyes glanced over the oval plaque which hung over the doorway. It read, “All who believe in The Most High, The Creator of our Universe, who gave us a second chance at life, enter with humble hearts, and with peace.”
Amen I whispered to m
yself.
The Central Hall of Worship was a modest building, similar in its circular shape to the adobas which served as our homes. It was larger of course, and had one additional floor. Entirely carved from Cicara wood, its roof culminated in three arches that intertwined as its apex stretched towards the sky.
Many religions had survived after the Earth's death, and while they still had their separate places to pray and listen to sermons or lectures, the Hall of Worship served as a central place where anyone who believed in God the Creator of the Universe could come and pray or meditate. The halls of the beautiful structure were divided into equal sections, separated only by carved columns. The Central Hall was located at the center of the city, and so made it an ideal place to stop and remember The Most High in the midst of your daily work schedule, or while out running errands. The idea was that the spiritual power of all was maximized when offered up to the Most High in an effort to work together in peace, despite differences. Offices were arranged on the second floor in a similar fashion. There, leaders worked together on programs and activities for the improvement of the tribe.
A guard walked by the Hall, but I noticed that he kept a respectful distance. No weapons were allowed inside, and the Houdakin had always remained surprisingly distant.
My pace quickened as I neared my adoba. I entered, saying a quick Bismillah, and searched for Mama and Papa. I found everyone in the Family room, seated on the couches and chairs which had been pushed into a quasi circle. Mama, who was holding baby Zaria, jumped up as soon as she saw me.
“Alhamdulilah, all praises to the Most High, you have returned safely!” She motioned for me to come and sit beside her. Her face was relieved and anxious as she pulled me into a grateful hug.
“Did you hear about all of the guards at the Aisle? It's a little scary down there. And Father Joshua wanted me to deliver a message to you.”
The Azurean Trilogy (All Three Books: 1, 2 & 3): Essentia, Burgeor & Manifest Page 2