Trackers - Battle For Novu

Chapter 1 - Don't call me "mom"

"Shiloh! Don't burn the sausages, that's the last we have.", screamed Jackie.

"I won't, geez mom.", I defended.

"I told you not to call me that." Mom hated being called anything parental tk. She thought it made her seem older than what she was, but honestly, she did kind of look old for someone who was only thirty two.

"Hey mom, have you ever seen a live chicken before?", asked my brother Fredd dancing to music in our cramped living room.

"I heard they're only found over in the next Ward.", I said, jumping off the couch and slipping into the kitchen with my green socks.

What was left of our world was seperated into clans of people called 'Humiwards'. Each Ward had a little communities each named after the Enemy Clans of the Humi-kingdom.

"We'd know what chickens looked like if it wasn't for the war..." stammered Fredd.

He was only twelve but extremely annoying and always making his pants sag, calling it 'Urb'-urban-.

Mom had curly hair like mine but dyed it black and cut it short. She was tall and bony with freckled skin and always wore spaghetti-strap tops.

Her nails were always cut short - she worked with food all day - and her pink nail-polish chipped.

I popped the canned sausages out of the rusty black-plated frying pan and divided it in three plastic plates, leaving each one with 2 little canned sausages. I took three steps out of the kitchen into the living area - which was also the dining room, closet and my moms' bedroom.

All the little apartments in the outskirts of city were called 'Flats' and only had enough space for one person to live.

Our block of flats is called the 'Queens block'. I know it sounds regal, but it only housed the less fortunate families, and yeah, that's us.

All of the blocks were named by our Kingdom - "Solace". The flats, however, were anything but royalty. Most people had their own home businesses and private practices under the noses of law-enforcement to save them from judgement in the Clan Court for failing to comply.

The 'Rules' were laws set by the Novu clan to keep us in order.

I served the plates of warmed canned sausage to Jackie and Fredd. "Oh man! That looks worse than yesterday's meal.", moaned Fredd.

"Well, welcome to Queen Block.", I snickered.

Novu is the city we live in. The Clan, Novu, invaded our city at least forty years ago and renamed it. The Clans are groups of terrorists that brought about the War. They're always out at sea claming pieces of land all around the world and implementing 'Rules'.

The Clans are at war with each other. The clan who owns most of the land, owns the world.

Most of the citizens who survived the calamities live in the lower city- like us-

Whoever isn't part of a clan is left here to hide from the bloody mess happening out there. I don't know much about the history of the War but frankly, I don't want to know...

"When are you going to start working in the trailer with me?", asked Jackie.

We weren't allowed to go to school but I managed to sneakily go till I turned sixteen last September in Mrs Caster's flat right above ours. She taught us English, some basic math and economics from her old school textbooks.

We didn't use or own many books since everything was digital and we all have our hand-held devices.
Computers are a part of daily life in 2096.

The kingdom clan ruled against educating us, thinking that they would be able to control us better if we were uneducated.

"I don't wan'na sit there selling sausages all day.", I moaned.

"Well you're not going to laze around and play in the arcade every afternoon Shi, we need the extra points", she ordered as her fork stabbed the stubby sausage.

Mom owned a food trailer in the market area that was open from five in the morning till about five in the evening. Money was earned in 'points' and put on our 'silver cards'.
Everything about us was put on electronic cards; from medical history to birth certificates.

To pay for an item we tap our card on the item's barcode and to transfer money from one card to another, we use our handhelds to log into our accounts. This techno-advanced life is cool I guess. My granddad used to tell stories about people that lived simple lives, used paper money and ate fresh fruits, but it's too far fetched to believe.

"When you're done with your lunch will you go to the store?", asked mom.

"Yeah, I don't really have a choice do I?"

"I finally got enough points to buy coffee!", she cheered.

Coffee was one of the more expensive pleasures but cigarettes were something of a 'cheap sin' I suppose. Mom smoked everyday and even got me to do it once. I couldn't stand it though. They stink, taste horrible and waste a whole seven minutes of my time!

Bread and dairy products weren't very popular because they didn't last very long. Most things we ate and drank were canned to last us because the only other place to get food was in the 'inner' city.

My dad works as an officer there and only comes down to see us twice a year. The inner city is the area over the Novu bridge where all the main routes are.

It used to be the central business area where everything was polished and clean but now it's gang-invested and full of law-enforcement. The tall concrete buildings are painted with graffiti decorations. The sky is opaque; covered in a thick black fog and the streets are lined with broken vehicles and corpulent rodents.

Every few months groups of people go to the inner city and raid the malls or stores to get food for our markets.

"Here take my card.", said mom, handing it to me.

I slipped on my dirty, high-top sneakers without fastening the laces and tied my long brown curls up before taking it from her.

"I think I'll make a stop at the arcade before I come back okay."

"Whatever, just get back before sun-down.", she requested.

I licked my lips to gloss them and slung my elderly pink purse over my shoulder. I looked mature for a girl my age but definitely didn't act grown-up.

My handheld was my best friend and I spent my points on arcade games every afternoon. I ran down the rusty metal steps outside our flat and head on my way to the market.

Mom wasn't at work because it was Sunday - her personal day off - that meant that I had to take on shopping responsibilities. I guess I didn't mind that much; it's either this life or death out here.