The Parables

Laia - Precinct Thirteen

Laia - Precinct Thirteen

I pull the bowstring to my cheek, feeling the tension rippling through it. The arrow points towards a rabbit, innocently perched on the root of a tree, unaware of its death in the next few seconds. Fixating my attention on the rabbit's rear end, I slowly step forward, making no noise as I near my prey. Another step closer and I have no chance of missing the rabbit.

I'm about to take another step when I pull my leg back, not wanting to risk being heard or seen by the rabbit. Drawing the bowstring back a little bit further, I focus on the rabbit's rear, then let go of it. The arrow shoots forward and stabs the rabbit near its tail. The poor creature gives a sudden start and tries to bound away. But every move it makes, it tumbles forward onto its head.

I watch blood seep from the wound, dying the dead leaves scarlet. The rabbit starts twitching erratically, its body convulsing, before falling limp and motionless on the ground. I pity the animal and say a silent prayer before I gather the dead creature up in my arm and toss it into my sack.

I never like killing the Thicket's wildlife. It's cruel and unfair to the animals who have always been innocent in their life. But I live here too and I need to survive. I'd rather have rabbit or squirrel any day than munch on grubs for the rest of my life. Worms are the worst. They still wriggle in your mouth when you're trying to chew them.

Slinging my bow over my shoulder, I head back home, weaving my way in and out of the trees, keeping to the shaded parts of the Thicket where I can't be seen from the Precinct. Anyone caught here will be hung in The Commune. I digress from the matter, and probably break half the rules in the Book of Laws. But, as long as nobody knows I'm here then the situation is in hand. Well, almost nobody.

Ducking under a low branch, I come into a clearing, where the trees are tightly packed together on one side, shielding me from the eyes of the Precinct. However, anyone coming in from the Precinct can easily get into the clearing. Like I've just done and like the figure standing in my camp has just done. Groaning, I walk up to the figure and dump my sack beside my makeshift shelter.

"You shouldn't be here, Rudie," I say, kneeling down on the grass and emptying my sack. "Not today."

"Well, I came anyway." Rudie crouches down in front of me. "So, what did you catch today?"

"Two rabbits and two squirrels." I pull the arrows out of every dead animal and toss them aside onto the smouldering fire. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"Not really, no."

"Then why did you come here?" I load the animals back into the sack.

"To see you," he says, rather bluntly. "I check on you every day, Laia. Today's no different."

"Yes, it is," I snap, crawling into my shelter and putting the sack inside it. "Today, there will be more sentries watching the fence to see if anyone dares to leave the Precinct because of the Retraction. If they saw you coming into the Thicket, they won't know that you'll come out of it again."

"Well, nobody saw me."

"You don't know that." I take a seat beside the shelter, then grab my bag and pack my Retraction outfit in it.

"Yes, I do, actually." Rudie smiles somewhat smugly at me. "All the sentries are down at the Plaza, setting up for the Retraction."

"How do you know all of them are?" I demand.

"I...look, that's not the point," he says. "What matters is that I got in here without any sentry seeing me. So stop whining and come on, else you'll miss school and then somebody is bound to find out you don't live in the Precinct." Rudie offers me his hand, and I take it, allowing him to pull me up. Together, we head out of the glade.