[!]_The Price of Suppression_[!]

[!]_Natura Region_[!]

Chapter 4

Kai shouted over the radio, "Is everyone ready!?" Asher screamed, "I have no idea what you're doing, but NO!?" Mary and Audrey whooped as Kai screeched out of the parking lot, making a revolting turn. Asher's face turned green and he rolled down the window. Mary yelled, "Asher's sick!"

"Shut up, Mary..." Asher muttered as he took a breath. Audrey rolled the window back up and turned the radio down. "Are you really going through with this? I mean, you could get caught. All this for our electronics?"

Kai stated, "Also our books. Those are important."

"Well, not as important as 24 hour news!"

"Okay, but books have factual evidence-"

"BOTH OF YOU! SHUT UP!" Mary snapped. Kai and Audrey looked at her open-mouthed as she stared back.

"Asher sweetie, can you get my notebook? I need to finish a drawing," She muttered. Asher nodded, still green in the face, and reached into the backpack. He rummaged around for a while, then handed Mary a faded red notebook with the words, 'if stuffs gone to hell, use this' scrawled across the front. She opened it and started drawing. As she worked, Asher looked over her shoulder and let out a small gasp.

The whole notebook was filled with drawings of plants and animals, all in great detail. He spotted water hemlock, daffodils, and daisies. He also saw lions, giraffes, wolves, and beavers. Mary continued to draw, and Asher identified the plant as belladonna, or deadly nightshade. "That's amazing! How did you do that!?"

She whipped her head around in shock. "Uh, why were you watching me draw, Asher?" He shrugged and replied, "Because Kai and Audrey are boring." She nodded in agreement and chimed, "Well, I study the subject first, then I try to draw it in my style. Lord knows I've studied you enough, I could draw you in a fraction of a second, beautiful. " Asher grinned and asked, "Can... I try?" Mary nodded and handed him the book. She sighed and turned to look out the window.

Moss and vines covered everything, an omen of dark times. That was in one of the last books she ever read. Small, red flowers were growing on everything in sight, covering a church's stained glass window and vines were slowly spreading to the inside. Moss covered the old town square, making it seem like some sort of fairy garden. She had read about those too, in a book named "The Secret Fairy Garden".

Of course, that was one of the first books to get outlawed, or as the cult leader called it, 'emergency recalled for non-educational teachings'. If that was how it really worked, then every single book on the face of the earth was non-educational and about fairytales. Pythagorean Theorem and the missing X. How exciting. She snapped out of her endless thought void as she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"What's up, hon?" She muttered. Asher smiled and handed her notebook back to her. She took a sharp breath as she stared in utter shock and disbelief as a life-like drawing of her staring out the window sat on the page. She looked up and Asher sheepishly grinned. "I tried."

"This is amazing, Asher! Thank you so much!"

He nodded and looked out the window. Mary stared for a moment, then looked away as well. Audrey yelped as Kai skidded to a stop. "Crap," He muttered. "Get down, both of you! The Region Control is here." Asher and Mary leapt into the back seat as the Region Control strolled up to the car.

Kai rolled down the window. "Hello, sir! May I help you?" A tall man glared daggers at him and looked at the back of the car. "Are those your kids?" A look of panic crossed Audrey's face as Kai smiled sweetly back at him and replied, "Not yet, we've still got to get the official papers. With the outlawing of the books, we don't really get to read the clauses and information. We're actually on our way to the Middle Center now. Could you let us go?"