Running With the Wave

Chapter 3

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Era:

We stumble back into our cell, stomachs still aching from the Scar. At least now it's over with. Now I have something else to worry about. The next group, two twelve year olds, Amiya and Tamio, are waiting by the door.

"How'd it go?" Tamio asks as I walk by, Amiya leaning forwards to catch my words.

"Keara's safe. For me... Well, we'll see in time," I breathe back.

They both give me sympathetic looks.

"Don't worry about me," I smile back, "You'll be fine, as, in the end, will I."

Because if I die it could be better than this life, I add silently.

"I love you, Era," Amiya tells me.

I hug her, holding her small body close to me. The door opens in front of them.

"I love you too, honey. Now go," I give them both a gentle shove and they walk out of cell fifteen, the door clanging shut behind them.

Keara stands near the window, looking down at her stomach both in awe and fear. I begin to chew at my lip again. I know that I keep telling Keara she's strong, but in reality she snaps very easily.

"Keara?" I call her name.

"Mm-hm?" she replies, absent mindedly rubbing her belly.

"Are you okay?"

She doesn't answer for awhile.

"I guess," Keara whispers finally, "It's just that I don't want to help the men, and well..."

"And what?" I prompt her.

"I'm scared that what happened to my mom will happen to me," She says, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't want to die."

"Oh, Honey," I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to me and resting my chin on top of her head, closing my eyes, "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise you won't die."

When I say the words I mean it. I dig into my pocket and pull out a small stone shaped like a wave and painted like one too.

"This was my mothers," I tell her, placing it in her palm and closing her fingers around it, "She gave it to me right before she died. Nothing bad can happen to you while you have it. Her love is in it."

"Era..." She whispers, "You can't give me this."

"I can and I will," I say firmly.

Sighing, I kneel down so that I'm the same height as her small, malnourished figure.

"I won't always be here for you." I whisper seriously, "It's only a matter of time before I'm Disposed."

"Era-"

"Let me finish," I interrupt her, "The stone, it's also something to remind you of me, to remind you to be strong, when I'm not here. Do you understand?

"Please-" she starts

"Do you understand?"

"Yes," She gulps.

I release my hold on her, at least a little relieved.

"Don't worry, Keara," I whisper, placing my hand on her belly, "You're going to give birth to a beautiful baby girl and survive through it."

She nods. I stand up and look around the room, many of the women staring at me warily. There once was a time when they'd rush up to me, asking if it worked, if I was okay, like they do for everyone else. But not anymore, when they already know the answer I've been giving for two years: it didn't work. Feeling sick, a side effect of the Scar and the painkiller they'd given me waring off, I leave Keara and climb onto my ledge. Staring out the window I close my eyes, and in a matter of minutes I'm fast asleep.

The Ringer rings through the building, startling me awake. I jump off, yawning. That's the first time in years I've slept through the Ringer. The painkillers the men switched to must cause drowsiness. I look around, confused. No one else is getting up. My hand goes up to my ear. There's a bluetooth in there, turned on. Who put that there? I know better than to take it out though, so I leave it in reluctantly. My gaze wanders to the clock on the wall. It's only 5:32 am. Why is the wall screen on? Why am I awake? A dozen questions tumble in my mind, but I have answers to none of them. Feeling kind of frustrated, I look at the wall screen for information. Three words are lit up there: Good Morning, Era. As I watch the words melt away, and three more words appear: please get dressed. I grudgingly obey. I'll probably be here all day if I don't. Am I going to be Disposed? Don't think of that. Don't. Just in case I pad over to Keara and kiss her on the forehead, slightly relaxed by the sound of her breathing. She'll be alright, the other women will take care of her. More words on the screen: Wait by the door. I walk away from Keara and stand at the door, trembling slightly. I'm not fearless. I'm only human. No matter what the men think, I am a human being. And I don't deserve to be treated this way. But I'm not going to be the one the defies them. I have too little things to lose, and once they are gone, well, not much of me will be left. The door opens, the same man with the clipboard. I wonder if he's gotten bored of his job yet? Probably. But in this world the job you choose at fourteen is the job you train for and stick with your whole life. If you're a man, that is.

"Take out the bluetooth," He instructs me, sounding lazy as ever.

"What's going on?" I ask him, taking out the ear-piece.

I know better than to expect an answer, but I can't help but ask anyways.

"Follow me," He turns around.

No Keepers this time. It doesn't really matter. I may never have been educated but I have some common sense, I'm not about to make a run for it. If I'm not being Disposed, I'd prefer to at least live awhile longer. We walk down the familiar hallway filled with cells and Keepers, but at the end we take a right instead of the left to the room where the Scar is done. That's weird. As far as I know, no one but the doctors has been down this way. Even the Disposed are taken to the room for another try with the Scar before the Range, where they are shot.

"What's going on?" I repeat, my eyes narrowing slightly.

The man doesn't even acknowledge that I've spoken. I rub my temple warily.

"Think, Era. C'mon." I mutter to myself.

We reach another door. he takes a key ring filled with at least a hundred keys, and selects one, inserting it into the lock. I stare at the key ring. Wow, this place must be bigger than I thought. The door swings open, and as I walk by, the man says his signature sentence:

"Remember, no funny business."

Then he simply walks away, closing the door behind me. The room isn't much. Same sterile white walls and stainless steel floor as everything else. A regular syringe on a table next to a regular chair, and Dr. Ventrez sitting on a stool by the chair, being his smily self.

"Sorry to wake you, Era." He apologizes, but I know better than to say he means it, "We'd just like to run a few tests."

"For what?"

"Hop in the chair please. I'm just going to do a simple blood test." He continues, completely ignoring my question.

Well, what did I expect?