Shards

Chapter 8 - Barbed Wire

I wake up earlier than usual. Four in the morning. The outside is rather bright, but it’s summer so it’s all justified in my head. I slip out of the bed as quietly as possible. Jurian’s breath is loud. I tip-toe downstairs and sit down on the living room couch. I turn the TV on. It only shows old shots of Albens in their uniforms, the neatly tailored uniforms which I hate with a passion. However they are quite popular with the women; many men had joined Albens solely for that reason. The main people of Albens (Jurian, Melecio, Ansel, Aaru, Felix) took the form of idols. I’m not surprised, as I, myself, am in love with Jurian.

  I don’t appear on TV. Mainly because I didn’t wear the uniform and when they really did the more important things, such as show their aiming skills, I was not involved.  Jurian did show me how to shoot but I failed at it. He said I didn’t need to know it so we left it at that, more or less.

  I go to the kitchen and take the first thing that comes into my mind, which is hot chocolate. I boil the milk and put the powder in it. I go back to the living room and drink it. After I’m finished, I switch the TV off (which is now babbling something about the past attacks conducted by Albens) and head on to my private room. I open up my secret storage and run my fingers through my navy friend. Now it will take more time for Aaru to make me that necklace for the sheet inside…

  I take out the sheet out of my navy friend. I read it and re-read it again and again.

Yesterday night the president signed a petition regarding the consequences of the outburst of wars across the globe. From next year on, the ownership of any historical elements and documents, photos, or any kind of data will be deemed illegal. Discussing such matters shall also be punished by law. Any person not able to comply with this law will have to face death penalty. Speaking of the recent events as well as the preceding events will also be a punishable offence. From now on every individual shall begin getting rid of any data regarding any historical events as well as any objects and such that might hint at its existence. Failure to comply will also be punishable and any punishment deemed right by law shall be implemented for the safety of the globe and our state.

I wonder why they stopped wars. It’s a question that still is on my mind on and off all the time. Jurian likes war. I don’t know how about myself, but as long as Jurian’s happy then I am happy. Death penalty had been implemented in Albens before. I remember that. The guy was a traitor. It was when Albens started.

  I hide the sheet back into THIS WILL BE OUR FUTURE and close the secret storage. I don’t know what to do. If I tried to go back to sleep I probably would not succeed.

  Sighing, I get my lazy body back downstairs and open the back door. I sit down on a chair in our garden and just gaze around the place. The exactly same thing had actually happened before. But at that time Jurian showed up.

  I sit at the back garden for a while until it’s seven and Jurian’s up on his legs with a cup of coffee in his hands. He sits down beside me.

  “Morning,” he says.

  “Morning, morning.”

  “It’s nice today, isn’t it?” He says and drapes his free arm around me. “Why up so early, though?”

  “I woke up early,” I say. “And couldn’t fall asleep. I don’t know, everything leaves me worried lately…”

  “Why, what’s the matter?”

  “The whole Otro thing… isn’t it too sudden? Don’t you need to plan it more?”

  “Are you worried about me?”

  Actually, I don’t worry about Jurian. Because I know he’ll be safe; he’s careful. We have all the things, all the experience. Compared to Albens, all the other armies account to nothing.