Survival

Alaric

I hate the dome. The light is too clear. It’s cold compared to the outside. The water tastes funny. Everything looks artificial, in some way or another, fake. Everything feels too smooth, too perfect. The people here are privileged beyond belief, we have to survive outside, and we barley manage that but the people in here have everything. We walk back out to the car, I now take the back seat with Raine sitting beside me whilst Emory sits in the passenger seat and Skyrah drives.

“Where are we going?” Raine asks, her voice light and frail. Her voice is the complete opposite to her personality, she is strong and brave and smart.

“To my house, for starters Alaric and I need new clothes, my brother’s clothes might fit you, and I need to let Astraea know that I’m safe” Skyrah says, her voice is strong but delicate at the same time, just like her, in some aspects she is so strong but in others she is fragile. I don’t like Emory. He is taller than me and looks down on me like I am nothing more than a piece of dirt on the bottom of his shoe. I am an outsider after all. I feel the tough leather beneath me and sigh, I miss my family, but we need to do this, otherwise there is no chance of peace. The car starts to move and one of Skye’s hands rests in Emory’s. I feel this strange tingling sensation arise inside of me, heat joins the tingling sensation and I start feeling slightly nauseous. This awful feeling started because Skyrah and Emory are holding hands. Why is this happening?

We drive down a few streets before the car grinds to a stop. Skyrah opens her door and we all do the same simultaneously. She walks hesitantly up to the front door, Emory has his hand on the small of her back, ushering her to go on whilst Raine and I drag along behind. Her hand hovers over the handle and she opens it looking around to see if anyone is there, we all pile into the house silently. She turns a corner and finds no one there, we all run up the stairs into a room with a black door. There is a made up bed with grey sheets, everything is plain, very ordinary. There is a locker built into the wall and a dresser, apart from that furniture is very scarce, there is a desk with a black chair and an arm chair in the corner. A book case filled with books sits near the chair and a bedside table sits with a strange electronic device on it. Raine closes the door behind her and Skyrah turns around. She runs her hands along the bed and sits in the middle perched on the edge.

“Em, can you go and get some clothes from Sterling’s room please?” she asks and he nods and walks out. She gets up and walks over to the locker.

“Open” she says and the door pops open, she grabs something inside the locker and pulls it out. It is a bow and quiver, very different to anything I have ever used. It is smooth and curved, it has patterns carved into the bow and the quiver. The arrows have metal tips and the fletching’s are made from a softer more flexible material, maybe rubber, but they are painted so they look metallic. She runs her hand over the upper limb and places it on her bed. Raine pulls the desk chair out and the legs scrap against the floor. I go over to the armchair and sit down.

“I don’t know what we are going to do” Skyrah says sitting on the edge of her bed near the cabinet.

“Well maybe you should figure something out” Raine says viciously.

“Raine!” I exclaim. Skyrah stays on the bed but I notice her small hands clenching as her knuckles go white.

“Don’t act like you weren’t thinking it” Raine says rolling her eyes.

“I wasn’t and it’s not fair for you to put all the pressure on Skyrah, she’s only human, she can’t deal with this stuff all the time” I say and Raine frowns at me.

“I can deal with it” Skyrah speaks up “Alaric you have pretty much ignored me since we got here and now you defend me by saying I’m weak, thanks a lot buddy” she says angrily.