Listening intently, I try to take it all in, but can't seem to process anything past the first line.
She's been shamed since birth, the truth concealed behind lies. She was raised from the wrong crib, yet she will rise.
Seeing my distress, Atheno asks for ink and parchment so that he can write it down for me. Handing me the parchment, I read over it, unsure what to think of what's written.
"What is it talking about? How have I been shamed since birth? 'Raised from the wrong crib'? What does that even mean?" I rant, trying o solve it aloud, trying my best to understand what it's saying.
"Savahna," Atheno interrupts before I keep going, "take a deep breath, just calm down." Waiting patiently he watches as I get up from my seat and start pacing the office, my hands running through my hair. After a few minutes of deep breathing I am finally calm enough to talk without becoming hysterical.
"Okay, now what? I am calm, and will try to think about this rationally." I say, trying hard to believe myself, hoping that I sound convincing enough to them. Apparently I did as Aresia begins to speak.
"Savahna, I don't know what your mother has told you yet, but I think the best way for you to understand his is to ask her. I'm not the one that should tell you, it should be..."
"ARESIA!" A voice yells from the training yard, cutting her off. I jump from my spot beside the door as it swings open, almost hitting me in the process. A young woman enters the room out of breath. I recognize her; long blond hair pulls back into a braid down her back, big brown eyes and a simple yet elegant face. Jani. I think to myself. She was the last apprentice that Aresia had; she chose in this month last year.
"Jani, what's wrong? Aresia rushes over to her calmly, handling the situation like it's an everyday conversation.
"Fire, there's a fire. Oh Savahna!" She exclaims as she sees me. "I'm so sorry! It's your mother's place. Everyone's over there now trying to put it out." Pausing, she takes a few deep breaths in trying to catch her breath.
"Mother?! Is she alright? Is she hurt? Where is she?" I blurt out, worry etched into every work I speak, every action I take.
"That's the thing. No one knows. Vi and her mother first noticed the fire and alerted everyone, then, when they didn't see your mother they went searching for her. They can't find her, unless she is still in the house, your mother is missing." Jani explains slowly, giving me time to adjust to her words and be able to piece them together.
"Atheno, Aresia." I say and nod my head, "Please, forgive me. I must go. I have to find my mother. I have to know that she's alright." Rushing from the room, I run as fast as my legs can carry me across the community to The Edge where my house is located.
Long before I see the house I can see the smoke reaching outwards way from the source, spreading out through the trees surrounding everything. I keep running until the house is in sight, and what I feel cannot be described in words.
Smoke covers the entire scene like a thick layer of fog. Orange and yellow flames shoot out of the windows, engulfing the entire house. The outside of the house is charred black, the walls supporting the house barely holding up the wright above it; I can tell from here that it's only a matter of time before the walls give out and the house will come crumbling down.
As I watch the flames continue eating their way through the the house, my only thoughts are if my mother and whether she is still inside. As I move further into the house the floor that was above me crashes down behind me, making the flames go bigger and wilder. Running into the living room, I see a figure lying on the ground behind the flaming couch.
"Mother!" I scream and slide into my knees beside her unconscious body. Gently slapping her face, I try to wake her up, but it doesn't work. My lungs start burning from breathing in smoke and I start to cough violently. Picking up mothers limp and unconscious body, I out her over my shoulders and start for the back door knowing that the path to the front had been blocked he the floor that fell earlier.
Stumbling over furniture, I slowly make my way to the back kitchen, arriving at the back door. I push the door, wanting to go myself and my mother out of the smoke and into the fresh air of outside, but the door doesn't move. Grabbing the dike knob, I turn it, only to find that it's locked. I look around trying to ring the key, everything is on fire and nothing can be saved.
Backing away from the door, I run a it as fast as I can, throwing all of the weigh I carry into the door using my left shoulder to hit the door, keeping my mother on my right. Breaking down the door we go stumbling outside and fall into the grass, knocking myself unconscious as my head hits the ground.
YOU ARE READING
Choices and Consequences
Adventure"I've lived this way my whole life; out in the woods, just me and mom in our tiny community. Until now." Savahna has grown up knowing only what the community has told her, including all of the lies, but when she is faced with something outside of an...
