Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge Chapter 7

Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge

Chapter 7

 

Nora lay down as soon as she got back to the room. She didn’t even care whether the others were going to stay awake or not. She put a napkin over her eyes to blot out any light, which may result from the other two coming in and out of the bathroom. Finally, Nora started to drift off. Unfortunately, Nora awoke a mere couple of hours later. And what was more, she found she was remarkably alert. Unable to shake her skittishness, she went to the tiny bathroom in the corner of the room. There she threw water on her face. On the one hand, she felt it was great that they had a bathroom attached to the room — it was that added touch that made it seem as though the Administration cared about them. Now, though, given Nora’s interaction with the people here, she could see less positive motives for including it in the room design. It did keep people from the halls and from one another’s rooms. Isolating members of the group from one another might limit talking, which could limit any action they might take to free themselves. As it stood now, there was seemingly no legitimate reason to be wandering around. Still, it was nice — nice to have that bathroom.

Nora was careful to turn off the light before she exited the bathroom, so that the brightness wouldn’t disturb her two roommates. Then, she opened the door carefully to avoid making unnecessary noise. It occurred to her, however, that maybe there wasn’t any need. Maybe they weren’t really there at all. Maybe the two girls had disappeared just as Tina had that morning. Nora waited by the doorway in the darkness. She held her breath and listened. She was relieved when she could hear them breathing. It was silly but to her it meant things hadn’t changed for the worse again.

Nora made her way by memory to where she thought her bed was. When she got close to the spot she remembered it being, she reached out her hand and felt for it. Eventually, her fingertips felt the softness of the fabric. Nora followed along the edge of the bed to her end table. She was planning on recovering the food she had left there; she found she was hungry now. At first, it seemed as though it would be a little difficult to feel which item was which. However, one item was fairly easy to recognize, and she pulled the bag of crackers from the bag. She sat on the bed, opened the package, and began eating them as quietly as possible. After she ate the crackers, she lay down again. Unfortunately, this round of sleep did not go so well as the last one had. Nora began to have nightmares almost instantly. They were the kind of nightmares that were so all-consuming that they seemed to be actually occurring.

The bad dreams were about the nebula reapers. They consisted of scenes taken from what Nora had actually experienced that night as well as parts from the video she had been shown the day before. Nora awoke in a fog. There was fear in Nora — yes. But mainly there was this overwhelming loneliness. Nora wanted her mother desperately. The panic, which had been held fast just beneath the surface, began to leak out. Nora clenched her hands and fought hard to keep it from being released. Eventually, there was no stopping it, and it gushed out. Nora began to sob violently. Yet, she still held out hope that her roommates were asleep. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after that that a light came on from next to Tina’s bedside.

Nora bit her lip as she stared up at the ceiling. She wanted to stop crying, so she’d be left alone — but it wasn’t meant to be. Tina came first then Elsie. They stood on either side of the bed. They loomed over Nora with curious expressions on their faces. Nora looked at the foot of her bed to avoid making eye contact with them.

“What’s wrong?” Elsie asked Nora in an incredulous tone.

It felt like insult to injury to have Elsie standing there judging her. Nora pulled herself up.

“I’m fine.” Nora returned defiantly. Unfortunately, her voice choked at the end. “I just had a nightmare.”

“About what?” Elsie pondered.

Nora shot a glare at her. Was she serious? Nora was then surprised when she noticed Tina pulling a chair over towards Nora’s bed. Tina then sat down and just looked at Nora.

“What?” Nora asked.

“You were screaming. It must have been something.” Tina pointed out.

Nora’s brow furrowed. It felt as though they were annoyed by her interfering in their sleep. This condemnation after all of the stress they managed to put her through! Nora looked down and bit her lip. She was hoping they would take the hint and leave her alone. When she realized their leaving wasn’t happening, she looked between them.

“You mean besides all of this?!” Nora returned in a sarcastic tone.

Elsie shifted uncomfortably; she then headed toward her bed. Good, Nora thought. Elsie’s presence was annoying to her. Yet, she did feel a pang of guilt about it.

“Yes, besides all of this.” Tina said softly.

Nora looked at Tina quizzically. Did Tina think she was being too harsh? Then again, why should Nora care what Tina thought about it? They were all struggling with this reality. Why pretend it was all great?

“I miss my parents, all right?” Nora remarked defensively.

“They weren’t taken, too?” Tina asked. She seemed confused.

“No, were yours?”

“No, I don’t have parents anymore.” she responded.

Nora looked down. She had mixed feelings about being told that. Was she not allowed to be upset because someone else had it worse?

“I’m sorry to hear that. I must seem heartless.” Nora decided to say.

“No.” Tina countered. “I miss mine, too. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Nora looked back at Tina. Nora breathed as she hesitated. Her eyes drifted towards Elsie. After all, she had learned the other day that Elsie could hear most of what was being said. For some reason, Nora didn’t want Elsie to know. Maybe it was the fact that Elsie didn’t seem to get the seriousness of the situation anymore — if she ever really did. As it turned out, it appeared as though Elsie was sleeping.

“I just … I went there that day on my own, and they don’t even know where I went or where I am now.” Nora began to cry again. “This is all my fault. But then, no one deserves to be here — I’m not saying that. But you and the others did nothing wrong. I, on the other hand, brought this situation on myself.”

Suddenly, an odd look crossed Tina’s face.

“You’re not from the underground.” she realized.

So much for Nora’s avoiding the topic of where she came from; it seemed her nightmare had made that impossible.

“No.” Nora replied.

“The old district, then?”

“Well, I lived there when I was a child … but no. We moved years ago. That day was ironically my first time back. I remembered it fondly. So, when I saw the nebula reapers the night before … Well, I thought going there would calm my fears.”

Tina looked surprised.

“But don’t tell anyone.” Nora was quick to say. “I’m worried for my parents. I don’t want them to get involved in this situation.”

“It seems to me that you should be worried about yourself.” Tina pointed out.

Nora had thought about that possibility but was surprised to hear someone else say it. It made it more real. Nora couldn’t figure out whether the heightening of that feeling was a good or a bad thing.

“Well, I’m afraid my parents would get into trouble if they looked for me.”

Tina looked dumbfounded.

“You know, most people probably don’t know about this place and what’s going on here.” Nora thought to add. “They might hurt my parents to keep it a secret.”

“You really think that’s so?” Tina asked. “About them not knowing, I mean.”

Nora’s brow furrowed.

“Don’t you think they’d want to know what the government’s doing about the nebula-reaper problem?” Tina wondered.

Nora considered.

“I won’t say anything.” Tina concluded.

Both Nora and Tina looked over at Elsie, who still seemed to be asleep.

“So, you’re all right now?” Tina asked.

“Yes … I mean, I’m better anyway. Thank you.”

“All right.” Tina decided.

Tina stood and headed back to her bed. Soon the light was turned off once more. Nora lay back down in the darkness. Slowly, she drifted back into an uneasy but less dramatic sleep.

Copyright © Jennifer Alice Chandler 2016

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Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge Chapter 6

Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge

Chapter 6

 

By the time the trio got back to their room, it was clear that something heavy was weighing on Tina. She sat down on the edge of her bed, her hands clasped in front of her and her face downcast. While Elsie was busy looking through her bag of new belongings with renewed vigor, Nora walked over to Tina. It took awhile before Tina raised her eyes toward Nora’s face. It was clear Tina didn’t want to talk about whatever it was. Unfortunately for Tina, Nora didn’t really care at that moment.

“Did you leave the room on your own?” Nora asked in a barely audible voice.

Tina stared at Nora for a moment. A tense silence ensued. Nora thought of telling Tina that she wouldn’t ask anything more about it; but just as she came to that conclusion, Tina shook her head.

“They said I should ask the two of you for details about the meeting I missed.” Tina spoke in a low tone; her eyes were seemingly staring at something below Nora’s face.

“Oh, I took notes!” Elsie chirped. She suddenly sprang up.

Nora was surprised Elsie had been listening in. She watched as Elsie abandoned her bag for her notebook. Then, Elsie took the notebook straight to Tina. Nora could tell by the look on Elsie’s face that she was looking for praise. Instead, Tina just stared at the pages filled with notes unblinkingly.

“I know it’s probably not the same as seeing the video.” Elsie admitted.

There was still no response.

“But honestly, I kind of wish I hadn’t seen the video at all.” Elsie added.

Tina remained silent and withdrawn.

“There is a lecture in a little more than an hour.” Elsie informed Tina.

There was still nothing from Tina.

“You probably didn’t miss anything that isn’t in those notes.” Nora reassured Tina. “There really isn’t much there that is necessary to know either — aside from the daily instructions. I’m not exactly sure what the point of all of it was.”

Finally, Tina looked up at Nora and managed to smile.

“Thank you.” she said softly.

Nora heard Elsie gasp; Nora then looked over at Elsie. A look of confusion seemed to cross Elsie’s face. Nora figured Elsie was confused as to why Nora was the one being thanked. Tina seemed to sense this wounding of Elsie’s pride as well and added, “Thank you, too.”

Elsie nodded, but she still seemed put out by the experience. She left the notebook with Tina and headed back to her bed. She sat at the end of the bed looking sullen; her eyes were cast off to the side.

“We got a lot of food from the cafeteria.” Nora brought up.

Just as Nora said the words, she heard a groan coming from Elsie’s direction. She turned and saw a disgruntled look cross Elsie’s face. To think, Elsie had been the one to guilt Nora about the fact Nora hadn’t wanted to share before. Now, apparently, Elsie was no longer that thrilled with Tina.

“Are you hungry?” Nora continued. “I have some food.”

“Yes. Like crackers or something. I’m not that hungry.” Tina returned.

“Yeah. I think I have those.” Nora concluded.

Nora went to her supplies and found some peanut butter crackers near the bottom of her bag. She crossed the room again and handed them to Tina, who thanked her once more.

“I have a slice of apple pie …” Elsie grudgingly admitted, possibly wanting to be included in the expressions of gratitude. “Apple’s not my favorite anyway.” she added.

“Yeah. That would be nice.” Tina responded.

A frown creased Elsie’s face briefly, but she quickly cast it aside and proceeded to retrieve the promised pie from her bag.

Nora took this moment to contemplate what she had just found out. To think they had taken Tina from the room, and now she was shaken up about it. And why had they done it in secret? Why not make an example of her? Then again, handling the issue in secret was what they had done with Lisa. Maybe they were concerned that the group as a whole hadn’t been made to submit yet. Better to pick them off individually. As it turned out, it was actually creepier this way.

Nora began to stare into space as Elsie watched Tina slowly eat. Nora felt as though she was sinking into herself. Emotionally she wanted distance. Images from the video flashed through her mind. How could Elsie, who seemed so weak, have been capable of watching it all the way through while Nora couldn’t? Nora realized that all three girls were on the verge of falling apart in their own way. All three were struggling. Nora didn’t know them well enough to depend on them for emotional support. She needed her parents desperately. She bit her lip.

First Tina then Elsie turned to look at Nora. Nora purposefully shook off her anxiety.

“So, Elsie …” Nora began, her voice hoarse. “After the lecture, will we have some time off?”

Elsie went over and picked up her notes from where they lay at Tina’s side.

“Yes, but the lecture is set to last until dinner.” Elsie announced.

Nora moaned. She was in no mood for this development. With sleep no longer a possibility — Nora was too filled with adrenaline for rest — it suddenly felt as though there was a long time left to wait for the lecture. And it didn’t help that the room was so stark … so devoid of anything to do. Yet, a lack of entertainment wouldn’t be a problem after the lecture, for there was no doubt in Nora’s mind that she would be able to sleep then — despite the stress she was under. She would be too exhausted to stay awake forever.

Unfortunately, as time passed, Nora became less and less convinced she could actually stay awake until after the lecture. She even wondered whether Elsie and Tina would cover for her if she fell asleep during it. No, somehow she would have to get through it. She couldn’t risk being caught nodding off. Eventually, the intercom emitted its signal, and all of the recruits made their way to the auditorium like a herd of cattle to the corral. It was rather demoralizing to see the passive looks in the eyes of the others. They were resigned it seemed. Nora wasn’t resigned, but she was helpless nonetheless.

All three girls sat together in their designated area after signing in. During the sign-in, Tina seemed particularly concerned that they record her name correctly. Once Tina sat down next to Nora, Tina seemed much more relaxed. Nora wasn’t sure she would ever get Tina to disclose what had happened that morning when she stayed behind in the room. Yet, it seemed clear that skipping meetings had turned out not to be a viable option. The net was tightening around them, and it seemed unclear how bad it would get before they were released … if they were released. No, Nora couldn’t think like that. She had to keep calm; she just had to. If she lost it now, she would probably never again regain her composure.

When the lecture began, Elsie quickly started to take notes. During Mrs. Grafton’s pauses, Nora could hear Elsie’s pen scratching away feverishly at the paper. Nora sighed, leaned back, and closed her eyes. Moments later, she could feel Elsie nudge her. Nora looked over. She was about to protest that she really wasn’t sleeping when she noticed that Elsie was handing her something. Apparently, they were handing out books. Instead of being professionally made, they seem to have just been printed out and bound together in-house. Nora was relieved. At least they didn’t plan for their abduction way in advance; that would have scared her more. For, it would mean that the world Nora knew was always a lie and that there was no hope.

Nora opened the booklet and flipped through it. There was mostly information about piloting planes in there. Nora furrowed her brow. Planes? They were supposed to pilot planes? Were they going to pursue the rogue reapers through the streets of the city? At first the thought was disturbing. But then, the thought occurred to her that if she were let out into the world in some sort of way then this nightmare wouldn’t be so heinous. And possibly, she could even see her parents again. Nora sat up in her chair. She began listening closely to the lecture. There must be something in the lecture — something that would tell Nora she could go home. She wanted to hear there was an end to it; she wanted to hear that they would be released. But Mrs. Grafton didn’t say that. She made no such promises — alluded to no such hope. And then, it was over. Even though time had passed and the rest of the group seemed antsy, Nora was disappointed the lecture was over. She could feel her heart pounding. That couldn’t have been it — it couldn’t be. And yet, people were filing out of the room with those same empty expressions on their faces they had had when they first came in.

Nora could feel her roommates staring at her. The rows were such that there was very little leg room given for people to pass by one another. Elsie could have left, for this time she was seated closest to the aisle. However, she seemed reluctant to leave on her own. So, both Tina and Elsie waited for Nora to stand and walk away. Yet, Nora didn’t want to go — not until they told her what she wanted to hear.

“Nora.” Tina started softly. “Don’t you want to get some sleep?”

Nora looked over into Tina’s eyes. There was some understanding there. Perhaps, Tina could tell that Nora was about to break down. Or, perhaps, Tina could understand what Nora was feeling — a sense of panic — given whatever Tina went through that morning. Either way, Nora couldn’t trap Tina in her seat for the rest of the evening. The room was practically cleared out, and Nora had a feeling that none of them wanted to loiter in the room and draw the wrath of whoever was in charge of closing up. Nora stood. At least, the lecture was over, she thought. But then, the disappointment that she was still trapped by the Administration and was given no hope to cling to about leaving someday crept up on her. Nora almost didn’t catch the despair before it made its way up her throat, but she managed to gulp it down again. It lingered there, buried in her stomach. She could fight the tears. So what that she almost cried? Almost isn’t crying.

Nora didn’t see Jack in the cafeteria. Then, it occurred to Nora that she hadn’t looked for Jack at all that day. She had been so preoccupied with everything going on that she hadn’t thought about Jack at all. She began to grow angry with herself; her face flushed. Maybe he had been trying to get her attention and thought she blew him off. Then, she heard some people nearby discussing how empty the cafeteria was in comparison to the previous night. Apparently, those from the other dorms had just been given the opportunity to partake in the buffet. At first, Nora managed to breathe a sigh of relief that Jack likely hadn’t been there. But then, moments later, she found she was bitterly disappointed. After all, the past was not so important as the present. Would she never see him again?

Ironically, that realization became another blow she couldn’t take at that moment. It became just one of many reasons why Nora would find she wasn’t hungry again. Even so, Nora knew her lack of appetite wouldn’t last. She certainly didn’t want to go hungry or need to ask for food. So, she once more chose food she could take with her. Afterward, she had thought about not waiting for the others to eat and going back to the room on her own. She thought she might want some time alone. And yet, no matter how many good reasons there turned out to be for her leaving, she just sat in that chair in the cafeteria. She felt rooted there somehow. It occurred to her after awhile that what kept her there was fear. She didn’t want to be alone in that room.

Copyright © Jennifer Alice Chandler 2016

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Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge Chapter 5

Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge

Chapter 5

The two girls finally made it back to their room. The scene seemed exactly as it had when they left that morning. The pile of blankets, which constituted Tina, was as high as it had been before. Nora felt a pang of envy seeing that lump. After all, Nora did what she was supposed to do and was robbed of sleep because of it. Not that she wanted to see Tina get punished for sleeping in. No, it was more as though Nora just wished she had had the same amount of courage, so that she could have refused to go. Maybe refusing really was a way for the “recruits” to take back the power over their lives. Maybe the only thing to do was to face down the fear she felt. It was even possible Lisa was around here somewhere. Heck, they could have released her and made the rest of them fear what had become of her in a bid to control those foolish enough to remain.

Nora sat on the edge of her bed with her sack of food, facing the pile of cloth that was Tina. Nora just sat there frozen, staring at the monotonous design of Tina’s blanket.

Elsie, on the other hand, was pulling food readily from her bag and eating it. Nora suspected Elsie had slept better than Nora had the night before as she didn’t show the same telltale signs of fatigue. Given how nervous and fragile Elsie had seemed, her newly found composure surprised Nora. How did Elsie manage to suddenly appear so calm? Perhaps, Elsie’s life had been difficult at times in the past, so she learned to be as happy as possible whenever possible. Maybe Elsie did have some strength — some buried emotional reserve — she could draw upon and was fortunately drawing upon it now.

Suddenly, Elsie looked up. Nora then realized that she had been staring at Elsie in disbelief.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Elsie asked Nora sheepishly.

“In a minute.” Nora replied.

Elsie shrugged and continued to consume her sandwich.

“It’s good.” Elsie told Nora. “You might want to go ahead and eat.”

The tone of Elsie’s voice … it was unbelievable. Once again, Nora could sense that Elsie was letting her guard down. This trust came despite the video they saw and the explanation that came afterward. Then again, it wasn’t as though Nora really wanted to think about that nebula-reaper footage either.

“Maybe we should have gotten some food for Tina. Then again, we do have quite a bit.” Elsie put forth.

“I’m going to save mine.” Nora said. “Tina can get her own.”

Elsie appeared to be shocked by Nora’s apparent selfishness. Nora reconsidered.

“I guess if they close down the cafeteria we can share with her.” Nora acknowledged.

Nora was surprised by just how bitter she was about Tina’s opportunity to sleep. It was true that Nora could probably try to sleep again, but the stress she felt would make it difficult. And if she did manage to sleep, would she merely be awoken a short time afterward? Just then, another announcement rang over the loud speaker.

“Good morning, recruits. This announcement is to inform you that you can now begin to obtain personal items at the commissary. When you hear your room number, please make your way to the commissary room at the west end of the lobby. Thank you.”

“You hear that?!” Elsie exclaimed. She quickly placed her remaining food to her side. “Finally! I just hope we don’t have to wait too long to be called up. You don’t suppose they’ll run out of supplies, do you?”

“They’ll probably ration the stuff.” Nora yawned.

Far from being relieved by Nora’s response, Elsie frowned. Apparently, she’d have rather heard there were far too many supplies.

“I hope we get enough.” Elsie muttered.

When it became clear that the room numbers were being called out in random order, Nora decided to go ahead and eat. It didn’t look as though sleep would be forthcoming. And yet, if they were called to get their supplies soon, eating at that moment gave Nora the greatest chance of having time enough to sleep between appointments. Thankfully, it wasn’t long after she finished eating that her room number was called. Since Tina had been sleeping all this time, Nora and Elsie decided to call out to her. After all, she would be in quite the mood if she didn’t get any supplies. Not to mention, that neither girl wanted to share hers with Tina. When there was no answer from Tina, Nora and Elsie looked at each other.

Elsie then stood and headed for the bed with determination.

“Tina, we have to get our stuff!” she exclaimed to the unmoving lump.

Finally, Elsie pulled the blanket off the bed revealing nothing but pillows. Elsie gasped aloud. Her hands began to shake.

“What?!” she cried out.

Nora stood and moved toward the bed to make sure she was seeing things right.

“She—she’s gone!” Elsie gasped. “What do we do?! I mean, where could she have gone?”

Nora had no idea. Everything just looked hazy and unreal to her. What could this discovery mean?

“Nora?!” Elsie’s squeaky call managed to rouse Nora’s attention.

Nora quickly moved toward the bathroom, but she could tell before she reached the half-open door that it was empty.

“Let’s go to the commissary.” Nora announced once she realized she had no better plan.

As the two girls quickly walked the halls, their eyes darted to and fro scanning for any sign of Tina. Of course, Nora felt guilty now for being angry with Tina. As much as she tried, she couldn’t convince herself that everything was fine. There was this nagging feeling Nora couldn’t shake. It just didn’t seem likely given Tina’s mood this morning that she got up on her own. Certainly, there were no latecomers at the presentation, and she never took her assigned seat either. Could Nora and Elsie have missed her at the cafeteria? Nora decided they would check there after she and Elsie got their supplies. One thing felt certain: when you’re told to do something around here — even if they say please — it wasn’t optional. As it was, Nora didn’t want to miss her scheduled time at the commissary and apparently neither did Elsie. Then, as Nora and Elsie approached their destination, they could see a figure in the crowd staring at them.

There was Tina standing next to the commissary door — a ghastly shade of gray.

“There you are. I’ve been wondering whether you’d show up.” Tina uttered. She was trying to sound casual, but the shakiness in her voice betrayed her anxiety.

Elsie and Nora kept sending each other questioning looks. Tina seemed to be avoiding direct eye contact. She stared straight ahead, her face flushed. Nora tried to stockpile enough nerve to ask Tina what had happened. Though, every time Nora began to speak Tina would talk over her; she would rattle on and on about the supplies they were getting. Tina seemed surprisingly interested in the commissary. It was true that Nora knew little about Tina. And yet, even with what little she did know about her it seemed odd. However, Nora and Elsie were in too much of a hurry to question her then. All three girls headed inside the commissary instead.

As far as Nora was concerned, she was underwhelmed with the amenities. Though she was happy to be getting personal items, they were clearly generic and bought in bulk. Yet, even though they were cheap, they were still being rationed. Stone-faced employees reached into unmarked cardboard boxes and grudgingly handed over as little as possible to those waiting in line. It seemed strange given that they had to know how many recruits there were by then. Why did they seem so unsure how much to give them? And if they couldn’t afford to provide enough for them, why had they captured so many people? The commissary experience caused the recruits as much stress as the meals had caused relief. It felt as though they were imprisoned for some unknown crime. They weren’t given the option to pay for anything or to take more of one item and less of another. They were treated as nuisances — nuisances who would take more than they needed if given any slack.

And really, why spend so much money on the food but not enough on other things? Maybe it all came down to the fact that food was more of a mood enhancer than a bar of soap. Even so, this whole process was degrading, and for Nora it completely undermined any gain the Administration had made with the food.

“You know, I got to thinking. What if someone used our names to get more?” Elsie worried. “We have no way to prove who we are.”

That thought had never occurred to Nora. Honestly, it didn’t seem they cared who they were all that much unless it was to punish … Nora suddenly looked over at Tina, whose face was still a mask. It sent a chill up Nora’s spine that Tina seemed rather giddy; it just had to be a facade. First off, this behavior didn’t seem to reflect Tina’s personality. Secondly, the contrast between the reality of the situation and Tina’s reaction to it caused confusion for both Nora and Elsie. Elsie particularly looked dazed. Even during those rare instances when Nora got eye contact with Tina, Tina managed to keep up her act. Thankfully, the three girls eventually made it through the line. Nora was glad to be out of there. The crowd inside the commissary was so large compared to the room’s size that it had quickly became stifling. Nora determined that she would conserve her supplies the best she could. Not only did she not want to go back to the commissary, but she also had no idea when or even if she’d be given leave to do so. She certainly didn’t want to have to ask for more.

“Do you think they have a laundry room?” Elsie pondered.

Nora looked down into her bag and realized someone had put clothing in it. Nora stopped suddenly.

“How do they know my size?” Nora questioned.

“I thought about that.” Tina admitted in a drained tone. “All of our clothing seems to have different color collars, so I figure the color given to us was based on the size we requested that first time. That way, they don’t have to ask again.”

“Oh.” Nora remarked. “I guess that is pretty efficient.”

“Too bad they didn’t ask what we like.” Elsie spoke up suddenly. “I really don’t like lavender soap. I got a free sample at a store once. It made my skin itch for days. What am I going to do? I have to have soap.”

“You can have mine. I got aloe.” Tina told her, her voice still surprisingly hollow.

“Oh, good!” Elsie cheered.

Nora was surprised that Elsie wasn’t being sarcastic and actually seemed happy. She could understand Elsie being relieved, but how could anyone be happy here? Just when Tina seemed to come back to reality, Elsie started to act dizzy again. Maybe, Nora concluded, she should just be glad that so far one of them was capable of being related to at any given moment. All she could do now was hope that they wouldn’t both lose it at the same time; Nora was barely holding herself together as it was.

 

Copyright © Jennifer Alice Chandler 2016

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Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge Chapter 4

Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge

Chapter 4

“What are we supposed to sleep in?” Nora could hear Elsie ask as they entered their room.

“If it isn’t one issue, it is another with this girl,” Nora thought. Nora didn’t care; she just crashed upon the bed. Even so, she could hear Elsie opening the dresser drawers.

“There’s nothing. There’s nothing here!” Elsie exclaimed.

“Give it time.” Nora grumbled with her face wedged into her pillow.

Nora was surprised to hear the sound of a drawer slam. Her eyes opened briefly then slowly drifted shut again.

“Oh well,” Nora thought. “I guess Elsie has a temper after all.”

Eventually, Nora could feel herself drifting off to sleep. Unfortunately, it was a shallow sleep, and it didn’t last long. She awoke repeatedly. Thoughts came crashing into her mind over and over again. Still, Nora continued to grow more and more tired as the night passed. At one point, it seemed as though Nora might actually be able to get some deep sleep. Then, just as Nora was finally able to sleep well, it seemed as though just a few moments had passed when she heard a loud noise coming from the hall.

Nora shot up; the other two girls did as well. They looked among one another in a daze; their eyes were puffy and red. After a beeping noise, an announcer started to speak. Though this voice came from a woman instead of a man, the tone of the voice reminded Nora of the announcement after the nebula reapers appeared on the street. Nora looked off to the side. Certainly, it was just a coincidence; all government agencies must use the same type of announcement for some reason.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Tina groaned “It’s only 6:00 a.m.!”

Nora looked at one of the clocks. Sure enough, it was 6:00 a.m.

“What are we supposed to do?” Elsie asked. “They said we are supposed to wake up, but they didn’t say why.”

“I don’t care!” Tina exclaimed.

Tina crashed back down upon the bed. Every time Elsie spoke again, Tina would audibly groan. Eventually, Elsie stopped asking questions. Nora felt a bit guilty about it, but she found she was relieved Elsie stopped talking. And yet, the question Elsie had asked was actually a good one. What should they do? Nora didn’t really want to go; her lack of sleep was getting to her.

There was a stirring in the hall. Nora looked to her left, even though the door was closed. She could hear people begin to move into the hallway. Voices began to build on one another. Another message began to play over the intercom. The voice directed them all to go to an auditorium, which was apparently next to the cafeteria. The message promised breakfast. Elsie grew excited.

“I wonder what they’ll have for us today!” she mentioned with enthusiasm in her voice.

Nora wondered how many times the people in charge of this place were going to use food in order to lure their captives to where they wanted them to go. They had established a certain trust the night before with the buffet. It certainly seemed to be working on Elsie; it was less effective on Nora. Instead, it was the memory of the threat of force the day before that began to rouse Nora. Nora began to consider the consequences of not doing what they asked. Even though her body craved sleep, she thought that maybe the easiest thing to do would be to go to the meeting. After all, it might be short. Then, she could return and finish sleeping. Besides, was there even much chance that they would allow her to sleep now? Even if people just beat on the door or kept blaring that message, Nora wouldn’t be able to sleep. And what would happen if they did come for her? What punishment would she receive? Then, suddenly, it was the moment of truth. The message ended, and the hallway cleared. An eerie silence ensued.

Nora and Elsie looked between each other in the dim light. Both seemed to get how serious this moment was. Nora knew if she didn’t act now, it might be too late. A rush of adrenaline shot through her. It was enough to wake her up and give her the energy to move. So, Nora went ahead and made the decision to go to the meeting. She pulled back her blanket. Not surprisingly, Elsie followed Nora’s lead right away. They put on their shoes. While she was lacing up her new shoes, Nora looked up in the direction of Tina’s bed. All Nora could see of Tina was a pile of blankets. Nora straightened. She looked over at Elsie briefly then back toward the pile. Almost as though Tina could see the two of them staring in her direction, she grumbled, “I’m not getting up.”

Elsie and Nora looked at each other again. Then, they headed for the door. They instinctively began walking at a pretty fast clip.

“Do you think …? I mean, can she really do that?” Elsie wondered.

“I don’t know.” Nora stated. Then, she sighed. “Let’s just get there.”

Elsie withdrew emotionally, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. When they finally got to the auditorium, Nora and Elsie were dismayed to see a man about to shut the door. Nora wondered whether she should say something. She decided not to. She and Elsie just looked at him with desperation. He, in turn, looked at them disapprovingly, but he fortunately allowed them to enter.

“Thank you.” Nora decided to say. But, as expected, there was no response.

After Elsie and Nora were ushered into the room, they were surprised to find a woman at a nearby table. She asked the two girls for their names and their room number. Elsie and Nora looked between each other once more. Since the girls had been grouped together by number the night before, they hadn’t yet given their names to the people here. Nora had wondered after the fact whether telling her roommates her real name had been the right thing to do. Now, the dilemma was much worse. Nora didn’t know what to do. Should she give them her real name? Was there a way they could find out who she was even if she didn’t? If her parents were looking for her, the people here might find out her real identity. And if they did figure it out from another source, Nora figured she would undoubtedly face punishment of some kind. But it was really the hope that her parents would be able to find her if she did give her real name that caused her to give it.

“Nora Montgomery.” she said.

She could feel her heart race as the woman wrote her name down. Elsie then did the same thing Nora had. After the woman was done writing, she motioned to another woman to direct them to their seats. A speaker in the front of the room was just approaching the podium as Elsie and Nora arrived at a grouping of three seats. The seats were designated by room number. These people had thought of pretty much everything, Nora thought. Nora couldn’t help but cast a look towards Tina’s empty chair.

Nora then noticed a person coming around looking at the empty seats and taking notes.

“Is that …? Is Tina going to get into trouble?” Elsie whispered.

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Elsie hesitated.

“What do you think they’ll do?” Elsie wondered.

“I don’t know.” Nora repeated.

Nora found herself to be almost relieved when the lights went out and the presentation started. Nora was hoping that would be the end of Elsie’s questions.

“Attention. Attention.” The man behind the speaker tapped the microphone. A screeching noise emanated from the front. He reminded Nora of her elementary school principal. Her principal was a very nice man, though; this one, it would soon become clear, wasn’t.

“Shut up now!” the man suddenly shrieked.

The room fell into silence in front of the quivering man. Nora could hear the man breathing heavily, seemingly overwhelmed by his rage. Slowly, he seemed to get a hold of himself.

“All right. You are all here for a very important reason.” the man started.

Suddenly, the man was speaking so softly that his voice became almost impossible to hear. Nora wondered how and why this man was so difficult to hear given the microphone and his formerly loud voice. Nevertheless, his prior display of anger induced Nora, and seemingly those around her, to strain to hear what he had to say.

“Welcome to the Administration of Public Defense. You are the recruits of the Administration. You may be asking yourselves — recruits to what? Well, we have a video.”

The man turned toward another man, who was apparently then given the signal to start the video. The second man leapt from his seat and walked to the middle of the stage. Nora could hear his distinct footsteps strike upon the floor; it was that quiet. Though that frightful night had occurred only days earlier, the video showed the incident involving the nebula reapers. It wasn’t just the actual footage that bothered Nora but also the fact that the video was so expertly made. How had they found the time or possessed the desire to make such a professional theatrical presentation? It was almost as though they had been waiting for something to happen. Then again, there was apparently always video footage being taken of the nebula reaper’s captivity bin. So, at least that part of it made sense.

The video started by showing the captivity bin as it had been for years. Then, suddenly, there was a massive explosion. A screeching noise shook the air. The reapers at first smashed together toward the center of their group. Then, they untangled themselves and spread out. Next, the video showed scenes from the streets of Colony 52. You could see what Nora caught only a glimpse of that night. The nebula reapers had “consumed” many victims under the cover of darkness. Sometimes there were remains left behind and sometimes there weren’t. Nora was conflicted as to whether or not to remove her eyes from the screen. Maybe something important was about to happen. Then again, maybe it was all just for shock value.

A couple of times Nora did look away. When she did, she noticed that the reactions of those around her were a mixture of disgust and revulsion. She could hear someone close by heaving in the near darkness. As the video ended, Nora could see an ashen Elsie shaking so hard that Nora was surprised she didn’t disintegrate on the spot. The lights came back on without warning. The man resumed speaking at the podium.

“As you can see, this situation is of the utmost importance.” he advised them. “This affects all of us. Even if you weren’t at the Institute now, you’d be called upon later. You will be fighting for your lives, and we’ll be giving you the tools to survive. This way, your lives will be in your own hands. Other people will be forced to count on you during this critical time, but you will have the control to count on yourselves. I, for one, am glad to be a party to my own survival. I’m glad that I don’t have to wait around like the others: wondering … worrying … helpless. You don’t have to live with that uncertainty. You have the power. I will now present to you Mrs. Grafton. She will explain to you what you can expect during your stay here.”

The woman, whom Nora had seen when she first arrived, glided slowly to the podium. She nodded slightly as the man stepped to the side to allow her to take his place.

Nora’s eyes began to lose focus as Mrs. Grafton talked about the rooms, the food, the lectures, and the training. Nora couldn’t concentrate anymore. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but she had had enough. All she could hope for now was that Elsie was paying attention. Nora looked over and was surprised to find Elsie dutifully taking notes. That observation was a relief. It was all too much … too much.

“Also, in the future be aware that you will be expected to use the alarm clocks by your bedsides. We will expect you to arrive at the auditorium promptly at 6:30 every morning. You will be given an opportunity to eat breakfast between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.”

The meeting was finally over, and they were released. Nora swiftly rose to depart from her chair. Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea. The aisles were quickly filled, and Nora and Elsie were trapped in their seats. Nora decided to just sit back down again.

“You’re upset.” Elsie stated.

“Yes. Aren’t you?” Nora responded coolly.

“Of course.” she replied.

Elsie clutched the notebook in her hands.

“Thank you for taking notes.” Nora mentioned to her.

“No problem.” Elsie replied, a large smile on her face. “I just wanted to help out. I’m not very good at very many things.”

“I didn’t see you grab that notebook from the room.” Nora admitted.

“I got it from the table when we signed in. I hope they don’t want it back. I don’t have anything of my own, especially now that they’ve taken my old clothes. Did they have to take what we had before?”

“I don’t know. I’m hoping today they will give us some supplies, which we need.” Nora proposed.

“Well, it seems we’ll be busy with the lecture they have scheduled for today, but I hope that they will make the time to give us some stuff, too. I hate sleeping in this outfit.”

Nora turned and watched the people pass by on their way out of the room. It was still slow going. She was hoping to make a quick break for it before Elsie started talking again. Even though Elsie had been helpful by taking notes, Nora found she was too tired to talk anymore. Eventually, the room was cleared enough that they could get in line, and Nora’s facing the other direction seemed to keep Elsie at bay.

Once the two girls managed to get out of the auditorium, they headed for the cafeteria. There they picked up some food to take to their room. Nora couldn’t have cared less at that moment whether they were supposed to take any food back with them — let alone the large pile she had accumulated. Elsie informed Nora there were three hours left before the lecture, and Nora intended to get some sleep right after she finished eating. Actually, eating wasn’t on the top of her list of priorities. However, if she didn’t take something with her now, who knew when she’d be given the opportunity to acquire food again.

The majority of the items Nora had taken were non-perishable. She selected those items purposefully due to the fact they did not have a refrigerator in their room. Though they didn’t discuss it ahead of time, Elsie silently followed suit. They then made their way back to their room.

“I guess Tina didn’t have to go after all.” Elsie sounded mostly relieved as she relayed this conclusion to Nora.

Nora could guess what she was thinking: things were not so bad as they had seemed.

 

Copyright © Jennifer Alice Chandler 2016

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Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge chapter 3

 

Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge

Chapter 3

After everyone had finished changing in the locker rooms, the large group was divided into smaller ones. Nora’s group was then led into a building, which was going to serve as a dormitory, by several newly arrived guards. The group Nora was in was comprised of both males and females. The boys were going to reside on a different floor than the girls. Regrettably, Jack was not one of the boys in Nora’s group. As they entered the building, Nora noticed that some of the others were in awe of the place; never before had they seen such wonderful accommodations. To Nora, the rooms, which she passed by on the way to her own, seemed sparse and impersonal. But she had other issues on her mind besides this poor example of interior decorating. The first action she took when she found the room she’d been assigned to was to look for a phone. Alas, there was none.

Nora walked slowly over to a bed. She sat upon it and looked down at her folded hands, which she had laid on her lap. Almost instantly, she was distracted by a noise from the doorway. There were two girls there. One was a step ahead of the other girl. The first girl was bawling hysterically. The second girl was taller and had a ruddy face; she stood behind the first girl and stared at her in seeming disbelief. The female members of Nora’s group had counted off when they had reached the second floor. The numbers they had been given corresponded to their room numbers. Nora had been too distracted to notice which girls had been assigned to her room. Apparently, these two were to be her roommates.

Nora stood. She was unsure of what to do for the crying girl. It was true that Nora had mostly been focused on herself until that moment. She hadn’t given much thought to what the rest of the people were going through — with the possible exception of Lisa and, of course, Jack. Nora only remembered wondering on the conveyance vehicle why all these people were there. Then again, maybe the situation was not so bad as she feared, Nora suddenly told herself. If only she could convince herself it were true … Nora approached the crying girl. She laid her hand on the girl’s arm. The action broke the girl’s concentration. She looked down at Nora’s hand; the girl’s look appeared to be one of disgust. It caused Nora to retract her hand immediately. The girl seemed stunned silent.

“I—I’m sorry.” Nora stammered.

“Don’t be.” the taller girl replied. “This is the first time she’s stopped crying since we came to this place. I thought she might drive me insane.”

The taller girl then walked past the timid girl, who still stood in the doorway, and came into the room.

“I can’t help it!” the timid girl cried out.

The taller girl gave the other girl a look that implied she couldn’t care less. The taller girl then claimed the bed opposite the one Nora had sat upon. Nora thought to herself that it was the one farthest away from where the timid girl was standing. The timid girl seemed to comprehend the slight, for she then went and sat on the bed next to Nora’s and farthest away from the one the other girl had chosen. Nora was about to head back to her own bed when the timid girl called out to her.

“Thank you.” the girl managed to say.

It occurred to Nora that the girl was probably reaching out to her merely because she was feeling the other one’s disdain. She most likely just didn’t want to be alone. Even so, Nora managed to smile anyway.

“I wonder what’s in the buffet.” Nora brought up.

The taller girl scoffed.

“Like I would eat their food!” she protested.

Nora thought to herself that their captors might not have much food available at the buffet. It was possible that if the three girls didn’t get down there right away they wouldn’t eat at all. Nora wondered how long they could realistically hold out without eating. It would be worse for them to get desperate with hunger and have to go begging these people for food. Either way, the tall girl’s implication that something bad was done to the food didn’t really make much sense to Nora. Why would these people even want them dead? What purpose would it serve? Then again, it could be possible. Nora considered. She then decided if their abductors really just wanted them dead they’d probably be dead already.

Nora was strangely emboldened by that thought. Whatever the reason for abducting all these people, killing them didn’t seem to be the purpose. Of course, that conclusion didn’t mean that there was no danger involved. Nora’s thoughts suddenly turned to that girl Lisa. What had happened to her? Nora was ashamed to admit she hadn’t seen Lisa since the girl lingered back to talk with Mrs. Grafton. It didn’t seem as though it was Nora’s business at the time, but maybe she should have made it her business. Outside of this situation, back at home, Nora probably would have spoken up. But Nora was just too busy thinking about herself and her family. Plus, she was honestly too afraid to intervene. Besides, what good would it have done? Nora had no power here … and that realization made her feel helpless again. Jack’s presence had lessoned that feeling of anxiety in her. Somehow, just being around him made her feel better. Oh, how she wished he hadn’t been ushered into a different dorm! Still, what became obvious to her at that moment was that she wasn’t going to see Jack again just sitting around in her room.

“Well, I’m hungry.” Nora decided. “So, I’m going to go.”

The taller girl shrugged.

“How about you?” Nora asked the timid girl.

The timid girl looked between the two girls.

“I—I guess.”

“Well, all right. Oh, and my name’s Nora Montgomery, by the way.”

“Elsie Snyder.” the girl replied.

Even though reaching out to Elsie hadn’t exactly gone well the last time, Nora decided to try again. She offered Elsie her hand. They shook hands. It wasn’t until later on that Nora would wonder whether she made a mistake giving her real name.

“Tina Fitzgerald.” the other girl grudgingly added.

Nora felt a sense of accomplishment for having succeeded in improving this mini-crisis. As it turned out, there wouldn’t be many moments of personal satisfaction in the weeks ahead.

All three girls ended up heading for the cafeteria together. Tina, at the last minute, decided to accompany the other two girls to the buffet. When they got there, Nora found that the buffet was actually pretty impressive. This realization was fairly shocking to Nora, especially given how much she had worried that the buffet would be sparse. It also occurred to Nora that the food might taste bad, and Elsie would burst into tears again. Instead, Elsie’s eyes seemed to light up just a little upon seeing the elegant table setting and the variety of the offerings. The buffet had done its trick. As Elsie looked at Nora, Nora could tell that her fears had been allayed. Even Tina seemed to be impressed by the food.

Fortunately, no one asked for Nora’s opinion on whether she thought the effort their captors had put into the buffet meant that things would be okay overall. Nora wouldn’t have wanted to lie, and the truth was that she still felt very uneasy. And no matter how good the buffet looked, it wasn’t going to make Nora feel any better. In fact, Nora wondered whether she could even manage to eat. What she was happy about was the fact that Elsie was finally calm. Even so, Nora wouldn’t have minded it if Elsie stopped clinging so tightly to her arm. Elsie had latched onto Nora the moment they left their room. Yet, Nora didn’t want to directly ask her to let go and have another crisis begin.

Instead, Nora maneuvered herself and the clingy Elsie toward the large line, which had formed next to the buffet table. Tina trailed behind them silently; she seemed to stare off into space. Apparently, Tina’s initial positive reaction to the food was short-lived. Elsie kept her grip firmly on Nora’s arm, seemingly oblivious to how awkward her actions were making their efforts to walk. Fortunately, as they finally arrived at the stack of plates, Elsie realized she had to release Nora in order to be able to gather the food. She became self-conscious and let Nora go.

For a moment, Elsie’s hands shook as she reached for a plate. They shook a little less as her hands gripped the curved edges.

“So, what will you be having?” Nora asked Elsie in a tone that she’d usually reserve for a child.

“I—I don’t know.” Elsie started. “Those eggs look good. Then again, I don’t know. Would the sausage links be better? Which would go better with the french toast? Or, I could get a sandwich instead. It all seems so good, but I can’t tell what I feel like. I don’t want to make a mistake.”

For a moment, Elsie’s nervousness made Nora worry that Elsie wouldn’t be capable of keeping down whatever she did end up eating. Yet, the immediate concern seemed to be keeping Elsie’s choices on the plate. The plate was wobbling to and fro as the people manning the buffet line attempted to offer her the different options. Nora decided that she would help Elsie with that instability. After Nora was able to offer support to Elsie’s plate with one hand, she decided the next thing to do was resolve the girl’s indecisiveness. She concluded the best way to handle Elsie was to request small amounts of every item be placed on her plate. Elsie did help a little with the selection process. Every time she craved more of a particular item, she would look up at Nora longingly. As the food began to pile on, Elsie cast a concerned look toward where the cash register was, even though no one was actually there. Elsie then looked around to see whether someone was standing nearby. She seemed relieved when she found that the cash register was unattended.

It was about this time that Nora managed to ease her eyes toward Tina’s plate. She was surprised to see that Tina’s plate looked almost identical to Nora’s and Elsie’s plates. At first, Nora thought it was a good sign — that maybe Tina was starting to relax a little. But then, to look at her, Tina seemed to still be staring off into space, and her actions seemed almost robotic. Far from getting over the shock of the abduction, it was clear Tina was just going through the motions. Nora didn’t know why she cared so much about Tina’s emotional state. They were all in the same heinous position, and it wasn’t as though Nora was handling these circumstances well or anything. Yet, somehow, Nora felt that if her two companions were calm it would make her feel more optimistic. Their emotional turmoil just reinforced the anxiety that Nora couldn’t quite shake. Nora concluded it was selfish to expect Tina and Elsie to pretend to be happy just to make her feel better. She decided to just let them feel whatever they were feeling.

Finally, the three girls made it through the long line. They then carried their plates into the main cafeteria. While looking around the room for a spot, Nora caught sight of Jack sitting at one of the tables. She wondered whether his appearance there meant that Jack would be eating at this cafeteria regularly. Things were definitely looking up all of a sudden.

Then, Nora made eye contact with Jack. She stopped suddenly —seemingly incapable of pulling her eyes away. It was odd, but she started feeling as though she were back in school. There was a feeling of distance and nervousness between them now. Nora could feel herself blush. At that moment, Tina poked her in the arm. Nora turned and looked at Tina then accompanied the two other girls toward a small spot at the end of one table. They managed to all squeeze in together. Ever since she saw Jack, she had a feeling of normalcy. Her mind, most likely in an effort to protect itself, created the illusion that she was just in a new school system. These were her new friends, and Jack was her new … She turned and looked back at him briefly. Yet, the illusion was broken as quickly as it began. For when she turned back toward the two girls, she was shocked by the looks on their ashen faces. She remembered at that moment that she was no longer in her old life. She felt a chill go through her, and she shuddered slightly.

In order to cover for her nerves, she quickly grabbed a container of chocolate milk and a straw. The other two girls began to eat in silence. Nora, meanwhile, sipped slowly and tried her best to lose her thoughts. Even though Nora didn’t want to think, she couldn’t seem to help herself. She went through the day’s events in her mind. She thought once more about Lisa. What had happened to Lisa? Nora casually looked around the room trying to see whether she could spot her. Yet, there was no sign of her. Perhaps, Nora could have been able to see Lisa earlier when Nora had been standing. Nora now wished she had thought of that possibility before she sat down. If she actively looked for Lisa at this point, it would only upset the other two girls, and Elsie had just stopped crying. Nora told herself it was silly; Lisa wouldn’t have been punished too severely for just asking a question.

Once the milk was finished, Nora had a dilemma. She felt she would have to force herself to taste each item on her plate despite the sudden queasiness in her stomach. She’d have to admit to how dire things were if she just continued to sit there and stare at her food. Of course, there was no way she would be capable of eating all of this food. She decided to save back the items that wouldn’t spoil. For the rest, the trick was to eat as much as she could then minimize the appearance of the remaining food on her plate. At least trying to figure out how to pull off this sleight of hand gave her something to think about other than the circumstances she found herself in.

“So, I wonder what will happen now.” Elsie pondered, much to Nora’s dismay.

Living one moment to the next without panicking seemed difficult enough without pondering the future. It was all too overwhelming, and Nora simply wanted to hide under the table and hope everyone would forget she was there. She had this sudden terrible realization that she had become Elsie’s unwitting crutch. Propping up Elsie when Nora’s own feet were so unsteady seemed like an impossibility at that moment. Tina also seemed annoyed; Nora could see her roll her eyes. This mark of disrespect was also noticed by Elsie, who stared at Tina with a wounded expression.

“Let’s just go back to the room.” Tina spoke up in a gruff voice. “There’s no point in discussing what none of us knows.”

Elsie looked as though she was about to cry again. Nora braced herself for yet another onslaught of tears.

“Oh.” Elsie uttered.

“At least the beds are comfortable.” Tina offered. “We’ll just have to hope that whatever this situation is will be over soon.”

“But I hate …” Elsie started. “Being forced to be here — if it were for a good reason I might have come anyway. I mean, if it weren’t dangerous I would.”

“We all hate it.” Tina interrupted in a confidential tone. “Very few people are happy to be here. The only ones who seem pleased are those who haven’t eaten in a while. The rest of us are just trying not to lose it.”

Elsie blinked several times at Tina. It was as though it never occurred to her that they were all feeling what she was … only quietly.

“Do you feel that way, too?”

Nora was surprised to find that Elsie was asking her that question. Nora’s brow furrowed.

“Of course.” Nora stated.

Elsie looked down with a sulking look on her face, almost like a child who’d been denied a toy. Nora was so grateful to Tina at that moment. She couldn’t imagine being alone with Elsie. Then again, Tina probably felt the same way about Nora being around. Nora stared off into space. Her adrenaline was suddenly gone, and she felt weak.

“You know, this place isn’t really so bad. The underground could be a lot worse some days. Yes, I wish we could leave if we wanted to, but this place is okay all things considered. Maybe this situation is just part of the solution the government came up with for all of us.” Tina put forth.

Elsie nodded.

“You two know each other?” Nora asked. It was now Nora’s turn to be surprised.

Elsie and Tina looked at each other.

“Not really, but you know, we’ve run into each other before.” Tina mentioned. “Most people from the underground know of one another. I mean, I’ll admit I’ve never seen you before, Nora. And some of the other people here I don’t recognize, but mostly we know one another. We’re used to being treated poorly by the government, though this situation is extreme even for them. Then again, why am I telling you this? You must know what I mean.”

Nora just looked at them. They then looked between each other.

“You do know someone here, don’t you?” Tina added suddenly.

Nora squirmed a bit in her chair. Then, she thought of Jack.

“Yes.” Nora replied lowly.

Tina nodded as though she suspected as much. It was a bit disconcerting for Nora that they all knew one another for the most part. Nora hadn’t thought she could feel more isolated; it appeared she was wrong. Nora was afraid to tell them that she wasn’t one of them. But what if they found out anyway? What if they asked a question she couldn’t answer? Nora wasn’t sure what to do, but maybe she didn’t have to decide right away. In any case, it may never come up again. Still, Nora decided to appear relaxed — maybe even cheerful — when topics she didn’t want to discuss were brought up in the future. That way, she hoped, no one would ask her too many questions. It seemed as though they had only asked her about her life when she appeared to be upset by what they were saying.

“Well, it seems people are leaving. Are you two ready to head back to the room?” Tina asked.

It sounded good to Nora, but the look on Elsie’s face suggested she felt otherwise. It was almost as though Elsie thought if she could cling to this one place she would be safe again. But Nora was no longer in the mood to cater to this girl. Nora stood silently, took up her plate, and left the table. Nora concluded that sleep, if she could obtain it, sounded pretty good at that moment.

 

Copyright © Jennifer Alice Chandler 2016

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Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge chapter 2

Nocturne’s Reaping® : Dirge

Chapter 2

At first Nora just hung out around her old house and neighborhood. She saw her old elementary school where she had attended kindergarten through second grade. In fact, Nora remembered her parents taking her to a local market when she was in second grade. She had gone off by herself for a little while. She regretted stressing out her mother, but, aside from the worry she caused, she remembered that day as being remarkable — almost freeing.

As Nora made her way to the market, she began to remember a scene from long ago when she saw something in a nearby gutter. Nora’s mind visualized the edges of a face there. Nora blinked and the image in her mind flashed away. Meanwhile, the scene of the current day unfolded in front of her. She had walked the distance to the market so quickly it surprised her.

“I guess adult legs get you there faster than a child’s legs can.” Nora shrugged.

The speed in which she arrived there wasn’t the only thing that shocked Nora. The place didn’t seem the same as it had before. Nora assumed that was the way of it with memories, especially the memories of a child. Maybe it was the way the sky looked. Nora remembered the light cast a golden hue over everything back then. And there were a lot more people around before. They also seemed happier back then somehow. As Nora spied the rundown booths and roughened streets, she began to wonder whether her memory was faulty.

There was one memory left that was hers. She had to see whether she remembered that one right. She followed the same path she had as a child. She felt a lot of anticipation as she came to the spot chiseled in her mind. She wanted to see the gutter to relive the memory. But there was also fear mixed in with her emotions. What if it wasn’t there? There was a person standing in front of where she thought the storm drain should be. Fortunately, the woman stepped aside, and Nora saw it. She grinned.

“I guess the important memories stay the same.” she noted.

There was a sudden movement in the storm drain — sort of like the movement that drew her eyes to the drain all those years ago. Nora approached the storm drain and peered into it. Though, try as she might, she couldn’t see anything but a leaf stirring near the bars.

Then, for some reason, Nora felt someone watching her. She turned. At that moment, her hair blew forward and partially covered her face. She pulled her hair away and saw a young man close to her own age, standing among the crowd. He was taller than she; his short hair was about the same color brown as her own. His face was a bit rounder than hers. He looked at her from underneath his dark eyebrows. He seemed familiar. Suddenly, her eyes were diverted to a spot behind the young man. People began stepping out of the way as a large conveyance vehicle meandered down the street. Nora looked back toward where the teen had been, only to find him gone. Before she had a chance to figure out how she felt about his sudden departure, the conveyance vehicle opened, and many men emerged from it wearing riot gear.

Nora became even more confused when the men entered the crowd and approached individuals. There was no riot here. What was going on? Nora opened her mouth to utter something, though she didn’t know what that something would be. She then sensed someone approach her from the alley located to her left. That person touched her arm. Nora turned and saw the same young man she had seen before.

“Come with me.” he told her.

For some reason, Nora implicitly trusted the teen enough to follow him without hesitation. Then again, she also knew that something was wrong with the conveyance vehicles, so naturally fleeing from them seemed like a good idea. The teen led Nora down the alley. In the distance, at the other end of the alley, Nora could see another conveyance vehicle arrive. Nora was surprised there was more than one.

“This way.” the young man told her. He jumped up and grabbed onto a fire escape ladder. Then, he pulled it down toward them. Finally, he offered his hand to Nora in order to help her overcome the distance between the ladder and the ground. She took his hand willingly.

They climbed the ladder toward the roof. Nora did her best to keep up with him, but it proved to be pretty much impossible. Therefore, the young man had to wait for her at one point. When Nora made it to the landing, the young man pulled up the first ladder. He then set to work climbing the second ladder; Nora followed suit. When she finally got to the roof, the teen offered her his hand and pulled her up a final time.

“You don’t belong here.” he told Nora once she got her footing.

“What’s going on?” she asked him haltingly, as she was out of breath.

“That I don’t know, but I don’t see how this roundup has anything to do with you.” he replied.

“Who are you?” she asked him.

He looked at her funny with his pale blue eyes, so she rephrased.

“What’s your name?”

“Jack.”

“I’m Nora.”

Nora had hunched over in order to catch her breath so her head would stop spinning. Therefore, her hands were resting on top of her legs. Still, she reached out one of her hands to the teen in order to shake his hand. He took her hand briefly. Then, suddenly, a look of concern crossed his face, and he went to the edge of the roof. He then looked back at Nora.

“This isn’t a normal raid.” he informed her.

“Normal raid …” she repeated.

“They don’t seem to be looking for a specific person. They seem to be rounding up everyone they can.”

“Why?” Nora asked.

By the look on Jack’s face, she could tell he didn’t know what to make of this raid.

“I probably should have gone down.” Jack said.

“Down?”

He looked at her with confusion again.

“Well, Nora, we should probably just wait to see what they want. Now, maybe they won’t come up here, and it won’t even come to a confrontation. Either way, like I said, they probably aren’t interested in you.”

It wasn’t long after Jack said those words that Nora could hear footsteps on the stairs coming from inside the building —pounding and getting louder and louder as they approached.

Jack waited in front of Nora as the men burst through the doorway and onto the roof. Nora remembered wondering why they had guns.

“What is this about?” Jack asked them.

No response came from underneath the men’s gas masks. Two men just came forward and grabbed the two teenagers by the arms and ushered them down the staircase. Nora felt pressure inside herself to say something as the men loaded them onto the conveyance vehicle, but she couldn’t seem to get the words out. Maybe if she waited … maybe once someone with some authority introduced himself or herself she would receive an explanation as to why she’d been detained. Meeting that person would give Nora the perfect opportunity to ask to call her parents. Her parents could then verify Nora’s identity. Surely, the fact that Nora hadn’t been in the area long enough to be who they were looking for would make a difference. Nora wrung her hands after she was settled onto a bench aboard the conveyance vehicle. She noticed that Jack, who was now sitting across from her, was looking at her questioningly as though he was expecting her to take some kind of action. But really, what could she say to these people that they would believe anyway? And yet, even though Jack seemed to be putting silent pressure on her to act, she was glad he was with her.

Nora didn’t panic when the conveyance vehicle started up; she was still convinced this misunderstanding could be cleared up easily and swiftly. Nora leaned toward the glass. She pressed her fingers upon the pane. Time passed slowly. Then, suddenly, Nora looked up in amazement as the vehicle headed past a large fence onto a sprawling complex. Was this facility a prison? It seemed odd, on the one hand, that she’d never heard of this seemingly large institution. Then again, she’d be the first to admit she didn’t know everything that happened on this colony; life always seemed to get in the way. But why would she even need to know about this place? This situation wasn’t her fault; certainly, her lack of awareness of this place didn’t create the situation she found herself in now. True, she shouldn’t have gone back to her old neighborhood without telling anyone, but she doubted all of these people were rounded up for wandering away from home. Yet, it was true that if she hadn’t left home she wouldn’t be where she was now.

“No one knows where I am.” Nora mumbled to herself.

Jack raised an eyebrow. She could tell by his expression that he wondered why she wasn’t speaking up. Nora swallowed hard.

“Excuse me.” she said to one of the guards.

The man took a long and angry look at her. It was a look that warned her not to press further. Yet, she was obviously here by accident; she hadn’t committed any crime. Maybe his reaction was for someone who was supposed to be here — someone who had committed some sort of crime. And yet, as Nora looked around her she couldn’t help but notice that the people on the conveyance vehicle were rather an eclectic mix. How could they all be suspected of the same crime? Still, if she did nothing … if she waited too long, they might not believe there’d been a mistake at all.

“I …”

Suddenly, she noticed Jack shooting her a look of warning. So, she bit her lip instead.

Even so, the guard wasn’t willing to let her utterance go.

“Shut up!” the guard’s voice growled in her direction.

Nora recoiled as the man pumped his fist at her. Some of the other guards laughed aloud. Nora looked down pensively. She barely reacted when the van slid to a harsh stop soon after.

Nora rose in a daze when the guards instructed her to stand. Everything seemed like a thinly veiled threat. She had no doubt that the situation could become violent at a moment’s notice. Nora and the rest of the civilians were then sorted into two lines: one for women and one for men. Just as Nora had feared, anyone who resisted the orders was struck. A female guard headed the women’s line. She informed the women that they would be receiving new uniforms, and that they were to change at nearby locker rooms. Nora looked up and made eye contact with Jack, who was standing nearly across from her. She just stared at him as numbness crept over her. This situation was real, yet unbelievable … unbelievable.

The uniforms were sort of like jogging suits, only more form-fitting. Nora’s was black and gray. They were brand- new and looked rather expensive. Nora noticed that there were more uniforms than were needed given the number of people who were assembled there. Nora was curious as to what that meant, but at least it was less creepy than if they had known their sizes ahead of time.

“You are all very fortunate.” A neatly-dressed woman came forward. “You have been chosen to help our colony.”

There was a pervasive silence; Nora figured it was caused by fear. Certainly, no one wanted to ask what the strange woman meant. No one seemed to want to do anything that brought attention to herself.

“You’ll be given more information about this situation in the days ahead. In the meantime, we want to give you all the opportunity to get settled. Oh, and we also have a buffet for you to try after you get your room assignments.”

All the girls looked among one another.

“Excuse me … but what about our belongings? We weren’t allowed to retrieve them before …” one girl spoke up.

Everybody looked at the girl in horror. She had actually spoken aloud and demanded an answer. On the one hand, it was understandable that the group of women reacted this way. Unfortunately, in retrospect, the women anticipating a reaction may have actually caused one to occur. After all, they were all waiting to take their cue from what happened next. If nothing bad happened, more questions were likely to come; the feeling of silent foreboding would have lifted. If it didn’t go well, then it would reinforce their fears, and the invisible control over the group would be maintained.

At first, Nora could make out a slight pulsing on the neatly-dressed woman’s forehead. Then, just like that it was gone.

“What is your name, dear?”

“Lisa … Smith.”

The girl grew agitated by the response from the crowd. Apparently, it hadn’t occurred to her that her question could put her in any danger.

“Well, Lisa, my name is Mrs. Grafton. You and I can have a little discussion after we’re done here. As for the rest of you — in case you’re wondering — we will be providing you with all of your needs during your stay here.”

Lisa looked down and seemed to flush. Why would she need to talk with Mrs. Grafton after her question was answered? Why should she get punished while all the other girls gained benefit from her question? But Nora was more concerned by Mrs. Grafton’s use of the word “stay.” Exactly how long was the “stay” going to be? Would there be hope of being released after some time had passed? Perhaps, this abduction was just part of some sort of a work program? And yet, why wasn’t it optional? There had to be a better way to get compliance than this method. The thought then occurred to Nora that it might be better that they didn’t know she wasn’t living in the area they took her from. Since Jack didn’t seem completely surprised that they were rounding up people, maybe this occurrence happened routinely yet was not widely known about. If this were commonplace, it would seem better to wait it out, to blend in with the others. That way, they wouldn’t know that Nora knew too much. Still, maybe if she had spoken up right away … Nora wrung her hands. What was she going to do now? How was she going to get information about her whereabouts to her parents? She had to find a way to call them, but how? As they were led away from the area near the conveyance vehicle toward the locker rooms, Nora cast a look at Lisa. Nora actually made eye contact with the shuddering girl at that moment. Nora wondered what would become of her — what would become of them all.

Copyright © Jennifer Alice Chandler 2016

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Nocturne’s Reaping® : Prelude Chapter 28

Nocturne’s Reaping® : Prelude

Chapter 28

Lark and her crew lay low on Colony 12 for about a week. It took that long for word to get back to Lark about the fallout from the installation’s destruction. That news would come from Waterburg’s brother, Kenneth Waterburg, who managed to escape from one of Monrage’s crews before Leader Monrage found out he was Waterburg’s sibling. Kenneth had communicated with his brother shortly after Lark and her crew left Colony 9.

Waterburg then planned for a rendezvous with his brother. It was Waterburg’s idea to meet Kenneth elsewhere lest the meeting end up being a trap of some kind. It turned out all right, and Kenneth and his cooking talents joined Lark’s crew. Kenneth, as it turned out, was a bit peeved that his brother hadn’t given him a heads-up about the destruction of the installation. Waterburg then protested that he barely knew anything about the situation before it happened, and that his brother pretty much cut off their conversation that day anyway. Plus, did Kenneth really want Monrage to find out that he had gotten the information beforehand? That was that, and Kenneth didn’t bring it up again. Still, Lark could tell that Waterburg, despite his comically antagonistic relationship with his brother, was relieved he was safe.

Of course, having two Waterburgs on board caused a bit of confusion at first since the crew members were used to calling each other by their last names. Also, Waterburg had refused to give Lark his first name. Lark never did figure out why. Still, given her lack of desire to ask questions and to have them asked of her she decided to remain silent. So, it was determined that Waterburg’s brother would just be called Kenneth — with no last name — from then on. Lark, for her part, decided not to confound the crew too much and permitted them to call her either Officer Twelve or Lark — her last name really didn’t feel like an option for her somehow. Strangely enough, the crew took to just calling her Lark rather quickly. Maybe without Monrage’s costume, the name Lark fit her better. Or, maybe they were just afraid that they could all be linked to Leader Monrage if they used the other moniker. It turned out for the best, especially given that Owen had already taken to calling her Lark. It would have been awkward if Owen were the only one who did that.

As for the story of the incident, most of what Kenneth knew was also known by Lark. However, one piece of information was new, and it concerned Lark’s cousin, Celeste.

Lark found out that Celeste had been in the area of the explosion when it occurred. Lark, for some reason, couldn’t handle not knowing what had happened to Celeste. She, therefore, decided to return to Colony 9 to find out what became of her cousin. In order not to risk her crew, she contracted for a small ship to take her there. Days later, she arrived back on Colony 9 dressed as Lark to see what she could find out. Part of her was relieved when she saw a very much alive Celeste standing amid the ashes and rubble of the installation site.

“Come to see what you left of me?” a shrill voice called out to Lark, after all the other bystanders had departed the vicinity.

Lark considered briefly.

“You may not believe me, but I’m glad you’re not dead.” Lark answered.

“Oh, I believe you, all right. That I believe. How can I suffer unless I’m alive, right?” Celeste returned.

“You might not want to stay around here.” Lark advised. “The police are bound to be looking for you and Frederick.”

“Oh, so that’s your game. You want me on that prison colony. And what about you? You can be returned there, too. In fact, under the circumstances it may be worth it to me.”

Celeste started looking around for someone. Perhaps in her frantic state she was actually looking for a police officer.

“I don’t exist. You saw to that.” Lark reminded her.

Celeste stared back at Lark with confusion.

“How do you mean?” she asked with an eerie softness.

“I’ve done my time … or should I say your time. Then, there’s Officer Twelve. Leader Monrage took her with him. He’s probably killed her by now.” Lark finished.

“Too bad I couldn’t watch that.” Celeste stated.

“I’m done.” Lark concluded in disgust. “I’ve done enough for you. If you want to blame me for everything, go ahead.”

“I do blame you. You destroyed everything, and what was it to you?!” Celeste screeched. “That was my future you were ruining back then — you and your neediness! You wouldn’t have been much better off if I had been taken to the prison colony instead. Only one of us could have lived, so what that it was I who survived?!”

Lark was dumbfounded; Celeste was serious.

“I had to do it. Leader Monrage couldn’t be allowed to keep those weapons. There was no way to know what he would do with them. Not to mention what he would have done with me.” Lark informed her.

“Then, why not just turn him in?” Celeste countered.

“To whom? And with what proof?”

“So, this is your solution?” Celeste gestured with her arms. “This rubble? You could have killed someone — murderer!”

Lark just stared at her. It was pointless to mention how many lives would have been lost because of Celeste, Frederick, and Monrage’s actions.

“You know, I’ve lost Frederick. I have no money and no house. I have nothing. What am I supposed to do now?” Celeste stammered. “Of course, you don’t know. You don’t think anything through. Nothing is your responsibility.”

“Good-bye, Celeste.”

Lark was about to leave when Celeste shouted her name. Lark turned partially back toward her.

“Good-bye?! I’m the one who says that. This time I’m the one who’s going to leave you!” Celeste spat. “From this day forward I no longer have a cousin, and you have another enemy.”

Celeste turned abruptly and stormed off. Lark found she was glad to see her go. Yet, she still felt that most of the conversation had been disturbing. Could Celeste really do worse to her than she had already done?

“Lark.” a familiar voice called from behind her.

Lark turned to see Owen standing there.

“Are you ready to go back to the ship, Commander?” Owen asked.

Lark smiled.

“Owen.”

“You didn’t think I’d let you come here alone, did you?” he offered. “Are you all right?”

Lark looked at him a moment.

“It’s possible to go so far deep into yourself that you become lost there.” she whispered.

A moment passed, and then Owen asked, “Is that what happened to you?”

“Almost …” she admitted. “Almost.”

Suddenly, Lark smiled.

“Let’s go. I have one more stop to make, and then I’m through here.”

Lark went to visit her parents’ graves and to say good-bye to the people from the church. She and Owen then headed toward the cargo ship for their departure. She noticed that Owen breathed a sigh of relief when they successfully took off.

“It will be nice to get home.” Lark mentioned to him.

“Home?”

“Our ship.” Lark said smiling. “The crew is there. And Cinnamon is there, of course. Oh, and you.” Lark beamed.

“I’m glad I made the list.” he joked.

“We will all have a lot of planning to do, and I want every member of the crew to be involved. I think we’ll be quite the success. Still, it’s too bad I couldn’t have paid Leader Monrage for the ship. I have this thing about stealing — particularly now.”

“I think the years of forced, barely paid servitude should be compensated for somehow.”

“But does it even out?”

“Well, maybe someday you’ll be able to ‘pay him back’.”

Lark laughed at the way he said that.

“Maybe.” she replied. “Maybe.”

“Plus, you talked him out of destroying that ship … and wasting his weapon. Oh, that’s right, the weapons were destroyed.”

“Weapon …” Lark repeated.

“What is it?”

“Just thinking that Leader Monrage never did anything until he was paid.” Lark started. “Maybe he was just grandstanding, but I remember he also mentioned something about a weapon. I wonder whether it really is one of the ones from the installation.”

***

Celeste scrounged the streets for days hiding in the alleys and trash receptacles. Life for her was misery. And what was more, she lived in fear. It had occurred to Celeste that Frederick could easily lie and blame her for the whole incident. After all, it would be easy to link her to Leader Monrage through Lark. Maybe that’s why Lark had been involved all along, so that Celeste could take the blame if the scheme fell through. Then, one day she saw a familiar figure and followed him. She couldn’t seem to help herself. She even overheard a conversation he was having. He was looking for someone they both knew.

Out of desperation, she made herself known. What could be worse than how she was living?

“Leader Monrage.”

He turned, and a repulsed look crossed her face.

“Well, well … you’re still alive. Sort of. I’m surprised you would lower yourself to live like this.”

Celeste flinched. She didn’t like the feeling of being pitied — when it wasn’t part of her plan at least.

“Tell me.” she started, her voice barely recognizable. “Did Frederick set me up? Were you in on it with him? Was that why Lark was here?”

An odd look crossed Leader Monrage’s face when she mentioned Lark — it contorted in a grotesque way as though Officer Twelve’s former name had stabbed him.

“What of her?” he stammered. Then, he remembered Celeste’s question. “No, why would I care?”

“Did he know about Lark before?” she pursued softly.

Leader Monrage began to get antsy. He didn’t care about this woman.

“No, not from me. Is that all?”

Celeste considered. She had been so sure. Still, did it really change anything? Frederick had felt no qualms about sending Lark to prison to save them both. Surely he would send Celeste there or have her executed to save himself. Leader Monrage turned to leave before she could respond.

“Wait!” she pleaded.

“What now?!” He spun around. “Don’t you dare follow me!”

“I won’t … unless you want me to.”

“Want you to?” he questioned her in disbelief.

“You know. I was reminded the other day of where I come from.” Celeste paused. “I’m thinking now that you and I have more in common than I ever had with Frederick.”

“Is that so?” Leader Monrage’s eyes flashed. “So, what exactly is it you want from me?”

“I’ll do anything. Just get me out of here.” Celeste begged.

Leader Monrage took a moment to think that through.

“Fortunately, I remember when you were beautiful.” he finally said while touching her face with his hand. “Maybe you can be of use to me. Well, come on. You’ll have to keep up if you want to be with me.”

“Of course. You say jump …” Celeste started. “I say how high.”

Months passed … and Leader Monrage journeyed with Celeste to a place he hadn’t been for years but couldn’t get out of his head.

“There you are.” Leader Monrage stated as he stared at the monitor.

“I don’t know why you need me here.” Celeste answered.

Leader Monrage turned. It almost seemed as though he was startled by her. But how could that be, given that he had just spoken to her? There was no way to tell his mood. Since most of the lights in the room were turned down, his eyes remained in shadow. And he had summoned Celeste to this dark room without letting her know his purpose.

“I don’t need you here, but I do want you here. I thought you’d be interested.”

“Interested in what? A barely visible planet?”

“I made a mistake. I see that now.” Leader Monrage stated. “She was under my control until I brought her to that planet of yours — to you.”

“You’re still moping over Lark.”

“Yeah, well. She was mine.” Leader Monrage turned back toward the monitor. “I trained her well. See how well she did that last day. I didn’t have the heart to destroy her — not when she did it so well — just as I would have done.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Celeste was about to turn to leave.

“You did well, too. Incredibly well, in fact. I wanted to show you just how well. You see, Twelve tried to stop me. But I’m going to show her it was pointless. True, the scale is going to be smaller, but she doesn’t need to know that. She also doesn’t need to know that this was the plan — or at least part of it — from before I even knew of her existence. Then again, knowing her she’ll probably blame herself for talking me out of destroying her with the one weapon I managed to obtain. Regardless, what she does know of is this place. I don’t think she will ever forget it. And now, you won’t forget it either.”

“Why don’t we go back to our room? I’m tired, but I can stay up for a while.”

“That won’t be necessary. I have all I need right here.”

“Well, I’m going back to the room.” She turned away from him.

“Stop!” Leader Monrage yelled.

Celeste stopped.

“I want you to see what you’ve contributed to.”

“Me? I haven’t done anything. It was Frederick.”

Celeste’s eyes had adjusted enough to the light that when she turned back she saw an intense Monrage staring back at her.

“We’ll see whether you still believe that after …” He paused. “We’re almost in range. You set all this in motion for me. True, I lost Twelve and a ship, but I did get this weapon because of you …”

“So, you’re going to destroy that dinky planet?”

“No … not directly anyway. Though, they’ll probably wish I had.”

Celeste looked at him skeptically as he started a countdown. He then grabbed Celeste by the arms, so she couldn’t turn away.

“Remember this is all because of you.” Leader Monrage insisted. “And just in case you try to blame Twelve for this, you can’t. It’s all you and me. That’s what this little demonstration is meant to show you, and I won’t let you change that.”

“You should be blaming that guy she was kissing instead of me.”

“What guy?” Monrage demanded in a dark tone.

Celeste was taken aback for a moment.

“I don’t know. How should I know? The point is she betrayed you!” Celeste screamed.

Leader Monrage sighed.

“But only because you betrayed her first.” He glared at her with ferocity. “But don’t worry. I won’t destroy you for it, but you may destroy yourself before this is all over.”

“What is that?” Celeste demanded in a disturbed tone of voice.

Leader Monrage released Celeste then turned from her. Now that he had gotten her interest, there was no need to detain her further.

“They took most of my weapons and think they’ve won. I’m about to unleash the ultimate weapon.” Leader Monrage explained. “There are more of these scattered throughout the galaxy, but I can’t free them all now. My down payment is only enough to destroy one of the force fields. I chose this one because it’s weak and because it means something to me.”

Celeste blinked. The reality of what she was viewing had just started to sink in. Leader Monrage turned back briefly to grin at her as he reached his hand out to press a button on the console.

“Wait, no!” Celeste cried out in horror.

Leader Monrage pushed the button without hesitation. He then zoomed in the camera toward where the weapon had gone. There was an explosion. Celeste squinted at the image. Then, as it became clear in her sight, she screamed again.

“Relax. It’s much too far from us. We’ll be able to escape long before they even realize we’re here. Too bad the same can’t be said of that planet.”

He then walked behind where Celeste was standing and began massaging her shoulders.

“I just wanted to see the nebula reapers freed.” He hissed in her ear. “I can relate more to them than people, you know. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Beautiful.”

… And hence it began.

End of Book One.

Copyright © Jennifer Alice Chandler 2015

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