The Parables

Aliss - Precinct One

Aliss - Precinct One

I jog lightly down the road. Huddled crowds of adults turn to stare at me as I pass them. Many bow their heads or look away. I sigh. It is like this every time on Retraction Day. They look at kids like they would never see them again. Very few kids from Precinct One have ever survived The Parables. They're normally trapped in the first or second round, then killed by the monsters that roam the Labyrinth.

I turn left and speed up. The sound of the church bell signifies it's ten o'clock. Four hours left. I jog to the end of the road and stop. Ahead of me, lies the Prairie: the one and only green space in all of Precinct One. All that is there are grass and animals and vegetable patches. Beyond the Prairie lies the barbed wire fence that divides the Precincts. Further on from the barbed wire fence, is the Thicket. A Thicket separates two adjoining Precincts, occurring in an alternate pattern of Precinct then Thicket.

The Thicket is out of bounds. You're only legally allowed in there if you have authorization from The Bureaucrat and his consultants. Most things these days require an approval from The Commune's authority. If you trespass on a forbidden place or disobey their orders, you're most likely to be sentenced to a hanging or a beheading. Or they turn you into a slave for the people residing in The Commune. They're all rich egotists, in my opinion. One single person living in The Commune probably has more money than the amount of money everyone in Precinct One has combined. It's ludicrous how they're better off than us.

I check from left to right for the sentries. Deeming it clear, I sprint over to the other side of the Prairie. Stopping short beside the barbed wire, I walk along the side of it until I reach a small hole. A small hole, but big enough for anyone to crawl through. I presume it's put there so it will entice others to crawl through it. Gives the sentries entertainment, I guess, hanging the person for trespassing. Ironically, I've never been caught.

Crawling through the hole, I stand up on the other side and dart into the Thicket, instantly being greeted by gentle birdsong. Smiling, I carry on jogging until I come across a small stream. The icy spray of the water splatters me with water droplets. Shaking them off, I crouch down. I look for a mark. Any sort of mark that is only made by a human.

And then I see it. As broad as daylight. An arrow, pointing west. Grinning, I straighten up and run to my left. I've been beaten. Again. I'm always the last person into the Thicket, more than likely because I have too much to do in the morning to be here early enough.

Suddenly, I halt. In front of me, stands a figure. A boy. His back is turned and he's holding a wooden spear in his right hand. With extreme power, he hurls it forward. In the blink of an eye, it stabs the trunk, slicing straight through it. I grin.

"Next time you try to kill a tree, invite me along," I call out. "It's not every day you see somebody go mental." The boy spins around and shoots me a death glare.

"Yeah, well it's not every day you watch somebody killed because they haven't learnt to defend themselves," he retorts. I shake my head, smiling.

"Give me a break, Merlin," I tell him. "I was being sarcastic."

"Sure," Merlin scoffs, kicking up a bunch of fallen leaves with his foot. They're flung into the air, and as quickly as they went up, they flutter back down to the ground.

"You know you shouldn't be here," I say softly. "It's not safe. Not on Retraction Day."

"Do I look like I care?" Merlin snaps. "Just because there are a billion sentries out there, does not mean I'm gonna get caught, you know."

"I know," I reply calmly. "I'm just saying."

"Well, you shouldn't," he says sharply. I'm taken aback.