When It Rains

Chapter Two - Family Feud

"How is my baby doing?" asks the Lieutenant-General while strolling through the door. She doesn't wait for my answer though.

"What am I going to do with you?" says Mom, settling behind the desk, "you should have been nicer to your sister. You never know when you'll need her."

"Like you leaving when we needed you?"

"I was doing what I thought was the right thing to do and it was the right thing to do. Your father was going to get you killed."

"So you had him killed. Probably Rassel, Greg and Syon, too."

Mom crosses her legs and leans back in her chair and frowns. These days, her face is always covered in make-up, leaving no trace of the dark circles and fine lines that used to mar her skin. Her hair is coloured black, no wispy strands of white peeking out, showing her worries. She's always impeccably dressed no matter what she wears, which today is a silky gold shirt and trousers.

"Naia, we're going to have to shut the door on condemning me for what I did. I am never going to apologize."

"Can we at least talk about bringing Hyla and Chuck into the residence with us? They're my family."

"Ha!" says Mom. "Hyla Raleigh will never be family to you. Besides, she has Chuck. They're together, living and working."

"They're Orgs, slaves! They can't even use their skills."

"That's what happens when your parents are mixed up in the conspiracy to bring your uncle down. Once Hyla and Chuck spend some time in the Organization, I might consider new arrangements for them."

The Organization is where Aeternians who have ties to the Resistance or have broken a law are held. Orgs are the worker bees of Newtopia. Really, it's no different than being at one of the camps, which of course, were Sebastian's creations.

The Orgs in Newtopia are always on duty cooking, cleaning and ensuring the crops are growing – without using their skills. No one in Newtopia is allowed to tap into their abilities. There are strong laws against Aeternians using their skills unless officially sanctioned by Sebastian.

Hyla and Chuck do very important work but theyare not given a place in Newtopian society. Orgs kept on the city outskirts and given the lowest quality food and clothing and don't have access to amenities. Need to see a doctor? Too bad. Need new shoes? Not getting them. Orgs are allowed to accept charitable gifts and so when I have a sweater or sneakers that I haven't worn in a while, I bring the items to the Org village. This is how I can see Hyla and Chuck.

Hyla has always been thin but now her arms are as thick as my little finger. Chuck used to talk to me a little bit but since we've been here, his mouth stays shut. His eyes though, say a lot. They bore holes into me. I try not to look at him when I visit their apartment, a dark and dirty concrete room in a dark and dirty concrete lodge. It always smells like onions.

I told Hyla and Chuck last week that I wished there was something I could do to change their situation.

"We're protesting," said Hyla. "It would help our cause if one of Sebastian's nieces stood with us."

"Ahhhh," I said. "But, but, but..."

"But what?" asked Hyla, wrapping a skinny arm around Chuck.

"I've got a thing," I said, looking at the ground. "A meeting or maybe it's an event. My uncle has me popping into all these gatherings as one of his official envoys."

"Sure," said Hyla, taking a step towards her damp cell.

"It's just that I have to go to these things or mom will kill me," I said with a nervous giggle. "You know how it is."