𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧

Chapter 1: Violet

I took a big bite of the packet of spiced meat and vegetables. It was such a small packet but it made my absolute favourite meal ever. Alan smiled at me, devouring his own packet of goodies. We saved up for almost three weeks just to get one short moment of delight. A rare treasure in times of despair.

We sighed at the same time as we crumpled the empty packaging of the packet. It was the feeling that you'd get after a delicious meal. You feel satisfied, yet longing for more.

Alan took my packaging and we walked together to the trash station, conveniently located on our street. It's barely a street though. Instead of the fancy houses that the Upper Quarter citizens had, we had to make do with hand-made tents that could hardly shelter us, especially in the cold season. We liked to call them hideouts.

"Violet, hold my hand," Alan said, holding out his hand. It was rather embarrassing to hold my brother's hand, especially since I was twelve already, but my brother insisted I do so. I held his hand anyway, since I knew that he was just trying to keep me safe. He only wanted the best for me, being a few odd years older than me. When we walked past people, they watched us, brother and sister, having the time of our lives. We were so great together and other people were jealous of us for it.

Alan started being overprotective when we lost our parents. That was two-hundred and fifty-seven days ago.

Every day, I would leave marks on the tree next to our hideout. It would mark the days that I'd been through without my parents. I didn't know why I did it. Maybe subconsciously I had the hope that my mother and father would come back, to say that it was all a bad dream. Maybe. I'd never know.

I touched the smooth gem of the necklace around my neck. My mother managed to sneak it to me just before she was taken away. My beautiful mother was always there for me. Not here for me anymore.

A flashback of the terrible memory played before my eyes and I stumbled. Alan grabbed onto my arm, ignoring the stares that we attracted. Pain flashed at the edge of my vision and I cried out. Blood dripped from my nose and I lifted my sleeve to wipe the river away. I felt Alan lift me up on his shoulders, not minding that my blood was spilling onto his shirt. The pain got more intense, my vision became so blurry that I couldn't keep my focus anymore. I gave in to the devil and drifted into unconsciousness.

*************************************************

When my eyes opened, I was not surprised to see Freddy. He was a Medic for the Government of the Upper Quarter, so he regularly travelled with their patrols. However, it was pure luck that he happened to be here in the West Quarter today. He was very good at helping me deal with these headaches. "Hey, Violet," Freddy said in his soothing voice. "How are you feeling?"

I was struck once again by a wave of gratitude. He was a friend of our parents.....before they were taken away by the nasty Government. Freddy used to live a few hideouts down ours and he always came to visit us. How he managed to become a Medic working for the Government I really didn't know. I wondered how the Government would feel if they realised they had a West Quarter citizen working for them. Make that a former West Quarter citizen. After Freddy got his promotion, he was shipped off to the Upper Quarter to live a luxurious life. If he were like most people, he would have forgotten about us, as if we were a part of his past life. But being the incredibly kind person he was, he always visited us whenever he could, trying not to get caught. He said that he was technically not allowed to communicate with people from the West Quarter, but Freddy broke that rule just for us.

I watched carefully as he wiped the blood off my arms. He did it so gently, with great expertise in every touch. Even though he was gentle, my head still burned as it always did. Alan held my hand the whole time, his warm grip calming me. I wondered if he ever got these headaches and memory flashbacks. He's always been the brave one out of both of us.

Freddy massaged my temples. It felt good but it wasn't really making my headache go away. It felt like someone was pounding at my head with a hammer. "Alan, ping me on my Messenger the next time Violet gets a headache, ok?"

Alan nodded. "I will."

We were very lucky to have a Messenger. It was a luxury to have one as a West Quarter citizen. Freddy managed to snatch one for us a while ago and it was a way that we could contact him. Alan kept it because he was a lot more responsible than I was. It stung me a bit when he said that I was irresponsible, but I guess it was true. He saved me from losing things many times.

I looked up as Freddy stood, ready to leave. "I need to report back to my patrol. They think that I'm inspecting the trash stations." He barked out a laugh and I had to smile too. What would happen at the trash station anyway? It was the most boring place in the entire West Quarter. Alan and I waved goodbye as Freddy walked out. I looked outside and I realised that the sun had set in the evening.

It was quiet in the hideout. Alan shuffled over to me. "Are you okay, sister?"

I shook my head. I was not okay. My stomach was churning and I couldn't think straight. It hurt me every time I think of my parents, but I couldn't control it. I swallowed the pills that Freddy left on the table. They were a beautiful shade of purple, my favourite colour.

Alan coughed, his throat sounding dry. He tried to stifle his cough, but I noticed.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

My brother replied to my question quietly. "I must be getting a bit ill. It's probably nothing. I don't want to worry you about it."

It was my turn to be overprotective. "You don't know, though. It could be something bad. You need to take care of yourself too, Alan."

Alan sighed. "Okay. I will." He put his arms around me and we fell asleep, wrapped around each other.