Factionless

Chapter One: Basil's point of view

I awake to the aromatic smell of baking bread. Why must those neighbors torture us so? So what if they chose to be Factionless and then someone helped them by bringing them supplies? Lots of supplies. Shouldn't that entitle them to share? Indulge that sense of righteousness; help the other guy out?

"It's the Regal in you," I think. "Once a Regal, always a Regal." 

I roll over. The small bed I'm lying on squeaks in protest. I shut my eyes. "Five more seconds of sleep. I need just five more seconds." But the pestering scent remained. My eyes snap open. It was five in the very early morning; I couldn't handle this right now. My internal clock ticked off another thirty seconds. I curled up into a tight ball, but the scent found my nose anyways.

I sat up quickly. Too quickly. The bed squeaked loudly. I squeezed my eyes shut. "Please, Please no." But she sat up anyways.

Mother Quinna opened her eyes. I flung myself back onto the bed, quickly enough I hoped. The bed shrieked loudly again.

"Basil? You are awake?" Mother Quinna asked. "Basil?"

I lay on the bed and tried to slow my breath.

"Basil?" Mother Quinna stood over me. Her fishy smelling breath blew onto my face. "You are not awake," She said moving away. "Still asleep." She went to the part of the small shelter that we called the kitchen.

Then I made the mistake of letting out a sigh of relief.

Mother Quinna spun around swiftly. Her sharp blue eyes stared at me. "Basil. You are awake. Get up." Her commanding tone made me rise to my feet.

"Yes, Mother Quinna?" I asked, trying not to put attitude in it. Mother Quinna always said, "Children, especially girls, should not have an attitude. If you ever have one I will not feed you for a whole day."

Mother Quinna glared at me, "Awaken yourself. Stretch yourself out and come here." I quietly obeyed; stretching every one of my limbs out. Then I slowly made my way over to her. 

"Make some breakfast," Mother Quinna said. "Make some breakfast and eat. Do not let the fololish ones across the way bother you."

"Yes, Mother Quinna."

She returned to her place against the wall. She proceeded to light her pipe and begin smoking.

I opened a small bag of apple slices and layed them out on a smooth wooden plank supported by sawhorses; this was our table. I stretched again and wondered whether or not Mother Quinna would notice if I took a small break. "She wouldn't notice! Just kneel down, like you're getting some bread or something to eat, and relax! Come on, it would only be a moment. I need five more seconds of rest anyways..." But the smarter part of me debated this statement. "She's smart, old Mother Quinna. No breaks! Just finish your stretch and get some bread. Set it out on the plates and serve it." I knew the smarter part of me was correct, but I was so tired...I fought the exhaustion and got our 'plates'. These were flattened pieces of glass, the sharp edges had been smoothed down. I put the bread and apples on one of the plates and handed it to Mother Quinna.

"Thank you, Basil." She said the instant I handed her the plate. I watched her take a bite of her food. Then I hungrily began on my food. "Basil, fetch me my tobacco." I stopped eating and fetched her her tobacco bag. "Thank you, dear."

I finished my food and watched as she finished hers and then began to put tobacco in her pipe and smoke it. "Mother Quinna?"

"Hmmm?"

"Mother Quinna, I was wondering if-"

"No!" She cried out, flying out of her smoking daze. "No! You do not wonder! You do what I say! There is no way for you to wonder!"

I nodded, terrified of what she might do if I did otherwise. "Yes, Mother Quinna."

She sat back down, went back to her smoking. "Yes, Basil. No wondering. Not ever."

I slowly retreated back to my cot; keeping my eyes on her the whole time. She stayed seated, back in her smoking daze. I sat on the cot; it squeaked lightly. I stared out the door, feeling tired and sorrowful about the choices I'd made. The scent of baking bread floated back into the shelter. I lifted my head up to sniff it. Oh, how good that bread smelled. Oh, how much it reminded me of my home, of Regal. I sighed and sniffed the warm bread smell.