Allamenea

ESCAPE

 In the morning, I am slow to realize that Nilla is still asleep.  I did not dream last night, but the peace was almost haunting.  Even as I sleep I can’t stop thinking about the sorting.  I do not know what to do.  Suddenly, I hear an eerie creaking sound.  Glancing over, I see the boulder pulled aside.

 I do not think twice.  I jump up, racing towards the boulder and slip through the gap before it can close.  The man outside of it is so startled that he freezes.  I do not know where I am going, but I do not care.  

 Soon I hear the call: “Tester escaped! Someone catch it!”

 I feel offended that he called me an ‘it.’  I was a ‘she,’ or maybe a ‘her.’  But I was definitely not an ‘it.’  Of course, I quickly snap out of this thought once I see someone running at me.  Taking a deep breath, I begin to run again.  Only, I am now beginning to remember my injured ankle.  I have forgotten about it for a while, but it is fairly noticeable now.

 The men were far behind me.  I could probably take a small break.  So, I stop after a couple of more steps, breathing hard and massaging my ankle.  I am suddenly aware of a harsh, cold something slipping over my mouth.  Stomping and flailing my arms, I try to force the thing off, but it won’t come off.  After a moment of struggling, I see that the thing over my mouth is a hand.  That hand is attached to Max.

 I am shoved aside into a corner.

 “You aren’t from here, are you?” he hisses in my ear.

 Shrugging his hand off, I purse my lips.

 “What’s it to you?”

 “Should not you be asking what it will mean for you?” Max growls.

 “What do you mean?”

 “I mean that if you don’t tell me what I want, I will force you back there.”

 He jabs a thumb back at the hut I am supposed to be in.

 “No, I am not from here,” I snap. “Will you let me go now?”

 Max laughs a scratchy laugh.

 “You think that cuts it? Where are you from?”

 I pause.

 “I am from Naie,” I lie.

 “Really, are you sure?” Max snarls. “Because I like to think differently.”

 “That is too bad for you.”

 He shrugs.

 “No, it is actually bad for you.  I gave you a chance.”

 Curling a lip, Max rushes me out of the corner, holding up my arm.

 “I found her!” he bellows.

 Roughly escorting me back, he throws me into my hut and shoves the boulder aside once again.  Nilla rushes over to me.

 “What were you thinking?” she exclaims.

 “I wasn’t,” I mutter.

 Slumping off to my bed, I flip over onto my belly and begin to think.  I suppose it was very queer what Max had done.  The way he acted, it seems familiar somehow.  I remember how he just shrugged, and gave me up just like that.

 Something doesn’t seem right about that.  Just a simple gesture, and gave me up for good…just a simple gesture.  Then it strikes me; he shrugged.  No one in Allamenea that I had seen had shrugged.  Nilla hadn’t even known what it was when I had done it.  Max wasn’t from Allamenea.  Max was from Earth.   

n the morning, I am slow to realize that Nilla is still asleep.  I did not dream last night, but the peace was almost haunting.  Even as I sleep I can’t stop thinking about the sorting.  I do not know what to do.  Suddenly, I hear an eerie creaking sound.  Glancing over, I see the boulder pulled aside.

 I do not think twice.  I jump up, racing towards the boulder and slip through the gap before it can close.  The man outside of it is so startled that he freezes.  I do not know where I am going, but I do not care.  

 Soon I hear the call: “Tester escaped! Someone catch it!”

 I feel offended that he called me an ‘it.’  I was a ‘she,’ or maybe a ‘her.’  But I was definitely not an ‘it.’  Of course, I quickly snap out of this thought once I see someone running at me.  Taking a deep breath, I begin to run again.  Only, I am now beginning to remember my injured ankle.  I have forgotten about it for a while, but it is fairly noticeable now.

 The men were far behind me.  I could probably take a small break.  So, I stop after a couple of more steps, breathing hard and massaging my ankle.  I am suddenly aware of a harsh, cold something slipping over my mouth.  Stomping and flailing my arms, I try to force the thing off, but it won’t come off.  After a moment of struggling, I see that the thing over my mouth is a hand.  That hand is attached to Max.

 I am shoved aside into a corner.

 “You aren’t from here, are you?” he hisses in my ear.

 Shrugging his hand off, I purse my lips.

 “What’s it to you?”

 “Should not you be asking what it will mean for you?” Max growls.

 “What do you mean?”

 “I mean that if you don’t tell me what I want, I will force you back there.”

 He jabs a thumb back at the hut I am supposed to be in.

 “No, I am not from here,” I snap. “Will you let me go now?”

 Max laughs a scratchy laugh.

 “You think that cuts it? Where are you from?”

 I pause.

 “I am from Naie,” I lie.

 “Really, are you sure?” Max snarls. “Because I like to think differently.”

 “That is too bad for you.”

 He shrugs.

 “No, it is actually bad for you.  I gave you a chance.”

 Curling a lip, Max rushes me out of the corner, holding up my arm.

 “I found her!” he bellows.

 Roughly escorting me back, he throws me into my hut and shoves the boulder aside once again.  Nilla rushes over to me.

 “What were you thinking?” she exclaims.

 “I wasn’t,” I mutter.

 Slumping off to my bed, I flip over onto my belly and begin to think.  I suppose it was very queer what Max had done.  The way he acted, it seems familiar somehow.  I remember how he just shrugged, and gave me up just like that.

 Something doesn’t seem right about that.  Just a simple gesture, and gave me up for good…just a simple gesture.  Then it strikes me; he shrugged.  No one in Allamenea that I had seen had shrugged.  Nilla hadn’t even known what it was when I had done it.  Max wasn’t from Allamenea.  Max was from Earth.