Spirit World Adventures

Chapter 1 - Aunty Whoever Comes to Visit

I drew my head from the stone well when I realised my mom had been calling my name. It took me a while because I couldn't hear over the echo of my own voice inside the space. There must have been a mini-me hiding inside of the water down there because it was repeating everything I said back to me.

'That's stupid, it's just your voice!' said my shadow-kin.

'Maybe, but it's pretty cool to think that maybe, just maybe, there's a teeny tiny Tenaya down there!' I yelled, flinging my stomach over the edge of the stone again, wondering how far the well went and whether it could go all the way to the other side of the world.

'TENAYA WALKER!'

Oh yeah, mom had called me; I forgot! I ran as fast as I could across the brown once-grass until I reached my doorstep. Quickly putting my gas mask back on, me and my kin walked through the open front door to find family members gathered in the sitting room. I rolled my eyes because this was a frequent thing. There was always a new person coming to live with us. It made sense. I understood that family had to take care of one another in these desperate times, but I wasn't sure these people were even relatives. Aunt Whatsit and Uncle WhoCares from GodKnowsWhere looked nothing like us.

'Tenaya, your aunty and uncle have come to help you. Remember how I said that young girls need to be sure to keep clean and proper?'

I nodded absently.

'Well, they are here to help me ensure you will be fit and ready for the pool when you turn sixteen,' mom said, a sickeningly sweet smile on her dark-skinned face.

I didn't know what a 'pool' was but I knew it was something bad. 'Aunty and Uncle' smiled and nodded. Something felt wrong about the situation, like sleeping with your shoes on. But mom smiled, so I did too. That's the thing about moms, they make you feel calm if they are. Dads always look confused or hungry, and so I got no help on the situation from my father.

'Speak, girl!' my mom said, sounding angry but smiling widely still – it was confusing.

'Yes, mom, that's fine...I guess...' I said, before walking past her to the kitchen where I grabbed a scone from the side, leaving my gas mask by the sink.

'Don't leave your mask by the sink!' mom scolded, and so I turned back and picked it up before walking back towards the stairs.

I knew how lucky we were to have stairs. A lot of the kids from the track said how rich I was compared to them for merely having two-storeys to my home. Funny the things you think are normal when you don't know any different. Housing was scarce for many, which is why so many people now live with my family. We have to share or go homeless. Why? Because there were so many uninhabited sectors in New Independent England (of the Northern Territories) that people have had to squeeze together to run from polluted and poisonous lands.

Upstairs in my room, I tossed my oxygen mask over onto my table. I have to share with my sisters, Benny and Riley (The Twins), but that table was mine. Turning my chair backwards, I hopped on with both feet up and my legs crossed and reached for my drawing tools. And by drawing tools, I mean a chipped pencil and a pile of paper. The rain started outside even though it was burning sunshine only moments ago. Damn it; I should have gone to the well while it was raining instead. But you never could predict the weather. Gran says that weathermen used to tell everyone what the weather was going to be for the whole week! I can't imagine it. But then she said things became too erratic, so their jobs were pointless after that.

My shadow-kin curled up happily on the table beside my drawing. She looked kind of cute, in her fluffy puppy dog form. For some reason, she purred, but it's not uncommon for kins to mimic different types of animals. I guess they aren't confined to the rules of science and law like we are. I decided to draw her in this form as it's my favourite. Like many kids, my kin's form often changed. I sketched out her arched back and little paws; her fluffy fur and curious big eyes. Her snout was pointed slightly with a wriggling nose. Then I reached for my limited supply of colours and coloured her in blue. She was pure energy. She was my spirit and right now, with the blue, she is apparently very calm.