World is Broken

Chapter I

Juana woke up hearing the neighbours' dog barking at the top of his lungs. Sighting, she got out of bed and took a glimpse of her clock. It was five am.

She groaned as she drew the curtains away. She knew what the barking meant. Another attack. The third that week.

She got dressed in a blue skirt that reached her ankles and a white shirt. She combed her hair and prepared her schoolbag, in the darkness. 

Barefoot on the floor, she took a timid step foreward. In her head, music was playing. Her heart longed to dance. How long had it been since she actually went to a ballet class? She couldn't recall. Money was tight, she understood. So she danced in the darkness, trying not to look outside of the window.

She had breakfast with her father and picked up her things, getting ready to go to school although it was way to early. The sooner she was there, the sooner she could relax, she thought.

"Be careful" Her father told her. Of course. It was always the same thing.

She picked up her knife, tried her hair up in a braid and got out, holding her breath and hoping that nothing would already be there.

Oh yes, what a lovely life! The village was a wonderful place, everyone knew it. Completely wonderful. She felt the urge to spit on the ground, but knew she was not to make any noise.

She made her way towards her school, the smell of putrid blood making her want to puke. She prayed not to find the body. They were never far. She made it to the corner, as far as the street made it, and braced herself to cross the forest. One mistake and she was gone.

She crossed it without even breathing, as quick as she could go without actually running.  As soon as she turned, she heard them. Branches crunched behind her, and the smell of blood lingered in the air.

Run. Was all she could think of. And she did. 

Juana jumped fence after fence, trying not to look back and to loose them. Her schoolbag was heavy and slowed her down, but she had grown accustomed to it. Once she made it to the main road, she could no longer hear them.

She looked down to her arms. Shallow cuts were all over them. She shook her head. First safety, then whatever she had to do. She dodged a few buses, as they didn't have a sidewalk or street light, and entered the building.

A huge wave of relief washed over her. She had survived once more. She smiled as she kept her weapon in her bag and bracer herself for another day at her school.

***

"Juana, can you take a look at this?"

"Juana, what have I got?"

"Juana, do you think it's broken?"

"Juana, am I going to die?"

"No, you're not" She cut the boy "Please wait"

School nurse? Oh, please. Why hire someone who's a specialist when there's a girl who actually wants to become a doctor? It's a win-win. And, that way, she won't have to leave the village.

Juana didn't flinch when a boy came, blood pouring from a gash in his forehead.

"What happened?" She asked, calmly, as she dabbed some rubbing alcohol in it.

"Got hit with a branch" He winced.

She placed some false stitches in the wound and covered it with a band-aid.

"You're good to go" She smiled.

She bandaged a few scratches, took a look at a wrist that was definitely broken and gave out a few pills to some kids with a fever. Just a normal day for her.

***

"Hey Juana"

"Alvar!" She smiled "Please, get me out of here"

He pushed some of the kids aside, alloweing him to get closer. She grabbed his hand and they ran away from the chaos together. They speeded up until they reached a lonely spot. Their spot.

"Is there anything wrong?" He asked "You seem... pensive"

"Have you ever wondered...?" She ventured "Nah, forget it."

"What is it?" He asked.

"Don't you sometimes feel as if there's something being hidden from us?" She asked.

"Why would there be something hidden from us?" He replied.

"Forget it, it's stupid" She looked down.

"No it's not" He looked into her eyes "If it bothers you it isn't"

She gave him a half smile.

"Have you even wondered the reason why they don't want us to leave?" 

"Population control, I suppose" He shrugged "Why?"

"No reason" She lied, smiling.

Brainwashed. That's all she could think. But she tried to forget about it.

***

Her way home was safer. Darkness was gone, and with it were the wolves. She caught a glimpse of the body, a maimed cow, and silently mourned for her as she climbed the mountain she lived in and went inside her house.

That afternoon, after finishing her work, she had to 'go shopping'. Meaning she had to climb up trees and grab some fruits before they went bad.

She went for the lemons first. A beautiful lemon tree grew close, and she didn't have to make a big efford. She climbed up a fence with pointy tips, grabbed a few and climbed back up. Easy peasy.

After that, she looked up the pear tree. It was harder, but she wouldn't give up. First, she slid down a hill, bruising her knees for the fifth time in two days, and looked up. Climbing the tree wasn't hard, the problem was that she wasn't the first one there. A wasp nest rested on the higher branch, and wasps were vicious. Hence that, she tried to be quiet and hold her breath as she picked up the fruit and kept it in her bag. 

As soon as she was done, a wasp decided to venture itself so close to her it nearly reached her arm. Juana lost balance and fell down.

She ran back just as the small vicious bugs were starting to fly towards her. She closer the door, gasping for air, and let herself fall to the ground.

"I'm back" She panted.

***
She helped to make dinner, ate and took care of her little sister while her parents finished some of their work.

"Juana, how is it?" Her sister, Zara, asked.

She sat down beside the young girl. She had been outside the mountains two times, two incredible yet brief times.

"Different" She told her "It's less green. And there are lots of people everywhere"

"Do you think I'll ever go out?" The little girl's eyes shone with excitement "I want to be an architect!"

Juana giggles and ruffled her hair.

"Keep dreaming, little one. One day, perhaps"

And the promise felt more to herself than to the girl. Because world had to be more than that valley between mountains...

...right?