Better Future

Chapter 3

Death Valley, California, Year 2150

Hilaria and Blandus landed in a desert. The large planes of beige sand were not visible for far; they were in the midst of a dust storm. "Oh my gods, where are we?" Hilaria cried. The two looked around. The orb lay at their feet, and they were left dumbfounded at what had just happened. In the distance they saw the shape of other people. Adults.

"Look! There are people!" Blandus exclaimed. "Hello?!" he shouted, trying to get their attention.

***

Off in the distance, the scouts heard the shouting of a male. Perhaps a teenager. They couldn't quite make out his words other than, "Salve?!"1 All but one of the scouts had a person in their hands, and he decided to scope out the situation.

***

Hilaria bent down and scooped up the orb, hoping it would take her back. No such thing happened, and her stomach dropped. They were stuck. Blandus continued to call to the people, one of which was now approaching. She interrupted his yelling.

"Blandus! The orb! We're stuck!" he stopped yelling, and turned towards his friend.

"We can take it with us, we have to figure it out. The gods wouldn't have given it to us if they meant to punish us, I don't think. We didn't do anything wrong, did we?" Hilaria shrugged.

"What if touching the orb was bad?" Blandus couldn't respond because the adult walked up just ten feet from the two teenagers.

***

"How old are you kids?" the scout asked. He looked at the teenage boy and girl. They both had dark hair and eyes and wore similar white robes turned cream from the blowing dust. They gave him a confused look.

"What is he saying?" Hilaria asked. Blandus shook his head.

"Nothing I've ever heard before." he looked towards the man. "What are you saying?" he asked.

The man scratched his head from under his hood. He didn't understand a word the kids were saying. It sounded somewhat similar to Spanish, though he couldn't put his finger on the language. He gestured his arm to beckon them back to where the other scouts were.

They surprisingly complied, talking to each other. The girl piped up to the man. "Mini nomen est Hilaria, et sibi nomen est Blandus."2 she pointed at herself and the boy. The man turned around. He pointed at the boy.

"Hilaria?" he asked. The boy looked offended and scoffed at him. He corrected himself. "Blandus?" the boy nodded, still exasperated. The scout pointed to the girl. "Hilaria?" she nodded. At least he knew their names.

The scout trekked back to where the rest of the people were at, grateful for his new find. He glanced back at the two. They looked surprisingly healthy, most children are rail-thin with sunken faces and waxen skin. The teenagers looked strong and healthy. Their expressions were actually... hopeful?

That won't last long when they get to the factories.

Latin Translations:

1:  "Hello?!"

2:  "My name is Hilaria, and the name to him is Blandus."