Worlds Apart

Chapter Four - Scarlett

        There are eight days until my birthday. No one in the Waste really celebrates birthdays, we actually find them to be sad, depressing things instead of joyful. When you age, your body ages with you. Although some people might think birthdays are great, your body slowly starts to decay, and becomes of no use. And in the Waste, we like to get the most out of our lives. If you are no longer able to move, or do any work, then you are of no use to the Outsiders, you are just another mouth to feed. When we reach a certain point in our lives, the moment when we know there is no good we can do for anyone else, we begin to feel like we are no longer needed in the world. We have done what we could, and served our duties, but now our lives are over. Some prefer to just get it over with and kill themselves. They do it in the middle of the night, and somewhere no one has to see the body. Although people will miss them, sometimes they understand that it is for the best.

        I will be turning 16. I don't think of it as a very great thing either. I, along with everyone else living in the Waste, feel it is a sorrowful, and depressing day. So we do not have cake, or throw a party, or get balloons to string all over the place, we just continue the day as we always would. Occasionally we will wish one another a happy birthday, but we try to avoid the subject as much as possible.

        I sit at a long, rectangle table with the others while we wait for Bambi to return from her duty as Sentinel. Everett came back an hour ago, complaining that Blade left him by himself to rummage threw the trash. But he brightens up when he remembers he found a pocket watch. River had been sitting in her room the entire time. She is working as a hash slinger today, but Zarich told her he would take over the breakfast shift.

        River is the youngest of the group, at the age of ten. Although she is young, she has quickly learned the ways of the Outsiders. She has picked up all the skills quite fast, as has everyone else when they were first delivered or born here. River was older than most of us were when we came here. She was five already.

         I was especially old. The Outsiders hadn't picked up any children from the system in a while, because there weren't enough kids, but then eventually more came, and they took us all together.

        I'm not sure why River was so old. She never talks about what happened before she was brought here. Nobody really does. Either they don't remember anything, or it's too painful to bring up.

        Bambi is 14, yet thinks she is 25. She believes it is only fair that if she has to do the same work as everyone else, then she should be treated like everyone else, meaning the older children. Bambi has not yet learned that sometimes life isn't fair, and you won't always get what you want.

        Sky is 21, and you can definitely tell. She always wants to drink, or have a party, or just do something insane. Sometimes I think she would have been better off in Arcadia, so she would have more access to those things. Then I remember the Arcadians don't do things like that. They like simplicity, and they don't like to waste things if they don't need to be used. They also don't believe in doing things just for the fun of it.

        Sky can be strong and fierce when necessary, but like any other girl, she can't always be tough, and she still feels things. I remember one memory from when I was no older than 13. I woke up one night to the sound of crying. I soon realized the noise was emanating from Sky's cot. I thought of trying to talk to her, but quickly decided against it. I have experienced the same thing before. Sometimes the trauma of living in the Waste never leaves you. It wriggles its way into your soul, and nests there forever. And as much as you try to run from it, pain will always catch up. There is no escaping it. It never fails to find you.

        The most immature person living in our base would have to be Blade. His real name is Conner, but when he was 10, he decided that wasn't cool enough, so he changed it to Blade. He is two years older than I am, so he is 18 now. He is probably the best friend that I have made here, but everyone else has been just as kind and accepting.