Nature Rules - 2022 WATTY'S SHORTLIST

Weather or Not

Jude is forever in my memory. He was just a child, younger than my sisters, when he was killed three years ago by Waterstealers. Waterstealers are horrible and nasty but they were made that way by something, someone, far, far more sinister: Lucius Sebastian. President Supremeness Emperor of Every Nations Lucius Sebastian has ruled my settlement, Settlement 33, all my 15 years and five more. Sebastian takes advantage of the weak for his own benefit. He uses people to strengthen his grasp on the world.

Hell hath no fury like Mother Nature, is something people used to say. She used to wipe out cities and towns with a wave of her watery hand and stop humans in their tracks with wind and fire and earthquakes. The force of nature was something to be reckoned with, however, now Dame Natura is an old, senile, infertile woman. She can't heal herself. Sebastian claims he is her saviour and will return her children, her seasons, if we follow him.

Sebastian is the leader of what was once called Canada and (a bit) of the United States. The region is now called Vesperia. It's sort of moronic that Sebastian says he's the Emperor of Every Nations because he is not. No one would say that out loud though because of fear of reprisal. You could be put in the Silo or killed if you speak out against the greatness of Sebastian.

Sebastian hopes to be world leader one day. He came to power over Vesperia in 2073, after the New Year's Eve War, after everything was blown to bits and the seasons flattened into one long summer. The war happened before I was born so I've only known the global government (or the GlobalGov as it's more commonly called). Blech. Thinking about Sebastian and the GlobalGov makes me feel slimy, like I've eaten a rotted mushroom.

My parents had a much different upbringing than me. Dad grew up in a place called Revelstoke.

"Shhh," he tells me when I use the town's name.

We're not allowed to use the real names of towns, the GlobalGov forbids it. Dad grew up in the bottom of a mountain town that was once lush and green – an inland rain forest. In winter, the snow banks matched the height of the roofs of houses and in the summer, rain cooled the heat rising from the lowland floor. That was before the war. The heat today can't be quelled and there is no such thing as snow.

Mom doesn't talk about where she grew up. She says it's tough enough to live in the present, never mind the past. She says we're lucky to be where we are now, Settlement 33. Thirty-three used to be called Queest, a peak in the Monashee range, part of the Columbia mountains. Queest, once renowned for its alpine wildlife and fauna, is now home to dust and boulders and a couple hundred caves built into the rock face to make up our settlement. My house is in one of the caves on a peak overlooking what used to be a roaring river called the Columbia, a river that was always in a rush to get to the Pacific Ocean. Both are just dried and cracked land today.

The settlers in Settlement 33 came here from the burned-out towns in the lowlands. With most of the trees gone and wood almost non-existent, the one thing plentiful was gunpowder. Our homes were shaped by blowing out the rock to make hollows for families, families like mine. Our hollow is small and has three rooms – one is the living and cooking area: the main room. The second room is for my parents and the third chamber is where my sisters and I sleep.

At 15 years old, I still get water from the glacier. After what happened with Jude, I make sure to always, always, always walk with someone up and down the mountain. It's hard to keep pace with the adults and I'm always huffing and puffing after them. Thankfully, I rarely hike alone and always return home with full buckets. Today, I lost less than half a cup of water.

I pound the dirt off my feet loudly outside after returning from my morning trek. I'm hot. I'm tired. My back hurts and I just want to sit down. I kick through the thin red sheet metal door (an upgrade from the curtain), shoving my middle sister, Crinae, out of my way as I enter the kitchen.