The Shattered Genesis (Eternity)

by Rudacille, T.

“Violet and Penny are close!” I called over my shoulder.

  “What?!”

  “Stay here!”

  After going through so much trouble to save Savannah, Oliver and their mother, one would assume that Elijah would have listened. However, he left Alice and Quinn, both sleeping, to guard the new additions to our merry band.

  “What do you mean they’re…”

  But upon breaking through the trees, I saw four and a half shapes trekking towards us, lifting their feet to step through the still melting snow at the foot of the mountain.

  “Oh my…” No witty remarks or elaborately formed exclamations could adequately express the relief or the joy. Tears might have sufficed, but then, I was not one for crying, as I’m sure you have gathered.

  Violet cried enough for the two of us. I did break my code of conduct by kissing her cheek twice, though. I held her so tightly, I thought she would be crushed. The previous twenty four hours seemed so long, an endless stream of time with only darkness at the end. Every inch of my all-knowing ways could not have predicted the outcome of Violet and Penny being taken. I had been unable to see and thus, I was left to wonder and speculate with only the darkest tools of my mind to mold the future.

  And yet there they were, right in front of me. I scooped Penny up, my trembling arms locking around her small body so that no one could take her again. I looked her over before turning my searching gaze to Violet, whom Elijah was now practically suffocating in an embrace. If there was one bruise, even a paper-cut… But there was none.

  To call her an elephant in the room metaphorically would be accurate. To call Maura an elephant in the literal sense was far too generous. Her clothes hung from her skeletal frame, reminding me of the gruesome images shown during Health class to warn of the dangers of eating disorders. The bruises that covered her did not spark a rage in me; I felt merely a dim concern. For a moment, I wished that I could feel something towards her. I wished that I could rush to her, inquire about her well-being, and promise her that I would remedy any pain she was feeling. For a moment, I thought those feelings would emerge but in my mind, I saw her hands flying up to cover her ears. Ice saved me from sympathy.

  “You look…” I started to say but she nodded.

  “I know. Are you going to gloat, Brynna?”

  Malice was absent from her voice. In fact, when she spoke those words, I heard only quiet pleading.

  “Do you think so little of me?” I whispered to her so the others couldn’t hear.

  “I left him. I left the life we had built…”

  “Don’t get sentimental.” My voice rose one octave from an only slightly gentle whisper to an aggravated hiss. “Look what he’s done to you!”

  “It wasn’t him.” She muttered with her eyes fixed below her on the ground.

  “Why won’t you look at me?”

  “I can’t tell you anything about them, alright?” Her eyes rose to meet mine and I saw a mirrored image of myself; defiance was staring back at me. “There are good people up there. People that I don’t want to see get hurt…’

  “How very noble.” I turned away from her and thought I heard her crying softly. Elijah, despite his earlier anger towards her, swooped in to comfort her, knowing that I could and would not.

  “It’s alright. It’s okay.” James told me softly as he squeezed both of my hands. I looked past him, out at the mountain and the surrounding land glowing in the twilight. The greenery was beginning to spring forth from the snow, gasping for the fresh air. I could sympathize with that, surely.

  “You don’t owe her anything.” James told me. “Don’t think that you do.”

  I nodded.

  “Even if there is no debt, we still have to take her with us. We can’t leave her. Any person with a scrap of goodness in their heart deserves a chance, James.”

  “I know. Of course we’ll take her with us, baby.”

  I heard a shriek of joy behind me and Alice was flying through the trees, running to Violet and Penny. Violet screamed, too. I had missed the emergence of their friendship, though when I thought back to those peaceful days in the kitchen, I remembered their long talks about typical nonsense. To hear such inane conversation normally evoked an eye roll and a disdainful remark from me about the vapid nature of youth. But in their case, it warmed me to see such normalcy. I wanted them both to be young.

  “I almost had an asthma attack chasing you and they’re really uncomfortable, so don’t ever get taken again.” Quinn told Violet. She giggled raucously in response and returned his warm hug.

  There was one person that I had not spoken to yet. I walked over to Nick and stood on my tiptoes to embrace him. When that awkward moment of warmth expired, I went to pull away immediately.

  “Stop being weird.” He told me.

  I smiled and held onto him for a minute longer.

  “Thank you. From her thoughts, I gathered that you were taking care of her.” I informed him.

  “No way. She was taking care of me. It was her grand escape plan.”

  “Well, just so you know, she was thinking that she couldn’t have done it without you. So I suppose that warrants a pat on the back.” I reached back and clapped him on the back once.

  “Ow.”

  “Pansy.” I grinned and then turned to the group at large. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we…”

  “…are going to follow Adam back to the city.”

  As was always the case, Adam’s appearance was sudden and unwelcome. I jumped in surprise when I realized he was standing just in back of me, so close that we were almost touching.

  “Back up two steps. I value my bubble.”

  “What bubble?” He asked me, sounding blithely amused, which was also quite common for him.

  “If you don’t take two steps back, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Don and a group of four others came stomping out of the trees, looking disgruntled.

  “You know, you really should tell me when you’re going to take off like that. We almost lost you.”

  Don, in typical passive aggressive fashion, scowled at me instead of Adam.

  “Hello, Don.” I greeted him with a winning smile of pure taunting. The grin vanished abruptly from my face as I looked back at Adam, rolled my eyes and moved to stand beside James. Though it was a doubtful scenario, I was starting to wonder if Adam was, as Violet would put it, “into me.” Surely, a leader of so many who was several thousand years old would have no interest in me. But his subtle glances and his knowing smiles were strange. Perhaps he wanted to kill me, which would be far more desirable a scenario than him coveting my affections. However unlikely, I still made a point of standing beside James when Adam was present so as to make the point crystal clear: James was the man I had chosen to be with and that more than likely would not change. Though both men were, if honesty is required, incredibly good-looking, James was also kind, humorous and, though this is awkward, very skilled at copulating. Adam was nothing more than a warlord who hid in his vast city, contorting circumstances in the world at large to create the most entertaining spectacle, which he would watch with rabid enthusiasm even as lives were ended violently. In fact, the more violent the deaths, the happier he would be.

  But I digress. This is all unimportant.

  “Brynna, I need to talk to you.” Violet took my hand and pulled me away from James.

  The secret! In my relief, I had forgotten ever learning that there was a revelation to be told.

  “What is it? I know there is something significant.”

  “It’s more than significant.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. She looked behind me to ensure that no one was eavesdropping. My anticipation grew.

  “What is it?” I demanded again.

  “Well, I’m sure that you know that the Bachums sent people to spy on us. They sent them so they could attack us from within, you know? And they’ve joined with the other natives. You know, the ones that Adam is fighting...”

  “Yes, I know, I know. N
ow, what is the secret?” My impatience was growing.

  “Brynna…” Her hands grasped mine and her eyes looked behind me again.

  “Get up!” A voice shouted and now, I whipped around.

  “Stop!” Violet was screaming and running away from me. Though the sight before us should have erased the questions from my mind and spurred me to immediate action, I still found myself mentally pouting, knowing it would be even longer before I knew the hidden truth she was withholding.

  Maura had fallen to the ground, her body weakened from whatever physical abuse she had been forced to endure. Don was pulling her up roughly by her arms, trying to force her to stand. When he finally managed to maneuver her onto her feet, he moved forward so his face was close to hers.

  “You’re with him?!” He bellowed in an intimidating show of brutal, verbal force. “You’re with him and you think we’re going to take you in!? I want to know everything, do you understand?!”

  “Put a leash on your dog. A muzzle, too, while you’re at it. We’re trying to have a discussion.” I snapped at Adam as I watched Violet grab hold of Don and throw him off of Maura.

  “She’s his wife!” Don had gotten back onto his feet and was pointing an accusatory finger at Maura.

  “I left him, didn’t I?” Maura screamed back but her voice was trembling under the threat of tears.

  “She came with us willingly. We didn’t take her.” Nick explained hurriedly in an attempt to help.

  “You all know that we can’t just let her come live with us like nothing has happened! For all we know, they wanted you to take her! She could run back to them any time she wants! They know you three trust her!”

  “And what would she tell them?” I demanded with a derisive giggle. “I’m sure our forages for berries and roots and our hurried search for shelter will be most pivotal in determining their next course of militaristic action.” I rolled my eyes to the sky, begging for an intervention that would swiftly remedy the stupidity of those individuals around me.

  “You’re just mad because of what they did!” Violet proclaimed furiously. “You’re just trying to punish her for what Mary and Rich did to us! It wasn’t her fault, Don! She’s suffered enough! She wants to be on our side now! You’re just trying to make her suffer because Mary and Rich took our people and burned down the house!”

  “They killed ten of our people, so yes, I am.” Don replied quickly and curtly. “Now, shut up and get out of the way.”

  I zoomed forward in a blur, appearing in front of him before he could even process that I had moved at all. His hands were wrapped around Violet’s wrist and he had been in the motion of pushing her away from him forcefully. Upon seeing that my fangs had emerged, he immediately let her go.

  “You and I do not see eye to eye. That has never yielded favorable outcomes, has it, Don? If you ever touch her again…”

  “Brynna, I’m not a spy. I don’t care about this war. I just want it to be over.” Maura was telling me quickly as two of the men cuffed her hands behind her back. “Brynna, please don’t let them do this!”

  “What is it that you are planning?” I demanded. “What is it that you think she can tell you?”

  “It’s not a matter of her telling me anything. It’s a matter of what she’ll tell them. Weren’t you listening?” Don snapped at me. I chose to ignore his condescension.

  “Walk.” One of the men who had cuffed her hands was steering Maura forward.

  “There are three others from their camp in the trees. That’s what her thoughts are saying!” The woman speaking pointed at Alice, who gasped and covered her ears. I rolled my eyes again.

  “I’m sorry! Brynn, I’m sorry!” Alice covered her mouth now.

  Savannah and Oliver’s mother had regained consciousness. Because she was an adult, they cuffed her hands as well.

  “Mommy!” Her son screamed and my heart panged in painful sympathy.

  “Please do something!” Ellie was imploring James and I, as though we had extensive control over Don and his lapdogs. I so desperately wished that was the case but alas, it was not.

  “I will do what I can for all of you when we arrive where we are headed.” I managed to tell her quickly as two other men pulled her away from me. “Don’t worry, Ellie!”

  With one hand, I latched my fingers around James’s. With the other, I ran my fingers through my hair and drew in one deep, trembling breath. There would be blood shed that night and pain experienced by these poor woman that I was inadvertently responsible for. I had several miles to prepare for that grim reality. My plan would have to be formulated before we reached the city.

  Throughout the entire duration of the walk, Violet never stopped screaming at Don. Every couple of minutes, Elijah would threaten him with some painful and degrading consequence, should harm befall any of the prisoners he had taken. Adam sauntered along at the front, looking pleased with himself. Why wouldn’t he be? He had his bloody show.

  “Do you think I owe her something now?” I asked after several minutes of silence. When James did not answer, I turned my fiery gaze onto him.

  “Yes. But you and I both owe that woman and her children far more.” James told me softly. His grip tightened comfortingly on my hand. Since we were close to the back of the group, I allowed myself a small showing of weakness: I rubbed my head against his shoulder and left it rested there until we had broken through the trees.

  I dreaded what might happen in the city for good reason. The end of a time was upon us. A seismic shift in climate was brewing. I watched the last of daylight disappear completely; we were suddenly plunged into darkness so thick, it could only have been symbolic.

  By the time the Pangean sun rose, our world would be in ruins.

  XXX

  I was sitting on the other side of a two-way mirror. Apparently, mirror-craft is a universal occupation. I’m afraid that torturous interrogation techniques are also.

  Another backhand across Maura’s face left her silent. She had been crying, begging to see Violet, who, as she claimed, would explain everything.

  “You’re his wife! You can’t convince me that you don’t know anything, Maura!” Don bellowed at her. Even from outside, the volume of his voice rattled my eardrums. My hands were on my face, my fingers massaging the center of my forehead. I noted briefly that I was trembling.

  “There’s nothing you could have done. If they exiled us, we would have nowhere to go. We tried to live on our own when we first got here. Every day, there was something else. We can’t do it, Brynn.” James tried to reassure me softly. In his voice, I heard no true dedication to the words he was speaking. His excuses did not register, even to him.

  “I can’t sit by and allow this.” I told him. “There is never a reason for a man to raise his hand to a woman. I’m sure I have told you my feelings on the matter many times.” I stood and turned away from the sight. “And right now, what they’re doing is just the tip of the iceberg. Who knows where it will end? Well, of course, I do. I do not see a course out of this where she lives, James.”

  I hadn’t spoken the words out loud. I hadn’t told the grim truth to Elijah, whom I could hear shouting enraged promises of violence out in the hallway or Violet, who was sobbing openly. I hadn’t told Alice and Quinn, who were upstairs, trying to rally together a makeshift protest.

  “She doesn’t deserve to die.” I told James.

  In those terrible moments of the purest, most desperate terror and the most disgusting degradation all those years ago that Maura had allowed to happen by promoting her own interest over mine that I would ever say later that she deserved her life. As I stood, watching her succumb to such heinous torment, I knew that I could not allow it to continue.

  “I have to go to Adam. He can stop this. He pulls the strings, James.”

  “No.” James told me firmly. “I don’t know what he wants exactly, but by the way he looks at you, it’s not in your best interest.”

  “I don’t care! He’s helped me before with
out giving me a debt to pay.”

  “You only think that he didn’t give you a debt to pay. What are you talking about? When did he help you? Was it when he blithely informed you that you needed that plant to save Quinn? Was it when he showed up on the mountain when you were freezing to death? He’ll call your debt any day now, Bryna. He is sick. He’s meticulous, too. He will play any angle he has to, as long as he gets what he wants from you. The more you ask of him, the higher the price.”

  “James, I believe you are over-reaching just a tad.”

  “I'm not!” James exclaimed before rubbing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts. “It's the way he looks at you, Brynna. I can't stand it. It makes me sick!”

  “Is that what this is about?” I pulled his hand away from his face gently. “James, I love you. You know that my feelings towards him border very closely on absolute loathing...”

  “I don’t know what he wants from you, Brynna, but I know that you’re in his debt. He’s saved your life before. He saved you…” He trailed off, remembering the terrible instance involving the Peace Fruit.

  “We cannot have this conversation now, James. Later, we can discuss it for hours, if you feel so inclined. Adam is the only person that can stop Don. I am going to make him do just that.”

  “Then you’ll owe him again! Brynna, you cannot play games with him. We have seen what he can do. We know what he wants from all of us. You think he’ll cut you loose from your obligations to him just because you can talk quickly and negotiate well? He doesn’t negotiate! And you can’t outsmart him. Look at how long he’s been around.”

  “What do you recommend, James? Short of killing Don, the only course of action that will result in a favorable outcome would be going to Adam for help. He saved Violet and asked for nothing in return. That was the most crucial instance of him helping me. Surely, that instance would designate the highest payment, given how deeply I love her. If he was going to ask for his payment, I believe he would have done it by now.”

  James sighed and put both hands on his face. After a long moment, he exclaimed in frustration.