Princess Of Grey

Anemica

I stand in a crowd, my fingers outstretched, a cold winter chill runs down my back as I pass every busy person in the street more occupied with getting to their contributions. I pass a man with a wallet thick with cash from a day of work, then I pass a woman and snatch the bracelet from her wrist, it's almost too easy. By the time I'm done the pockets of my grey thin winter coat are filled with so many things, bracelets, rings, and even bills of colored money; gold, and silver; the money is a rare sight in such a world like this one. I clutch onto the money greedly, my chestnut colored hand warms with hope with the money. Maybe today I can buy ingredients to make warm cups of soup for my family. The thought of having warm soup makes my mouth water and my stomach rumble, begging to be fed after days of not eating. I walk with a little skip in step. Looking around at the desolate city, the white snow turns black from the pollution in the air and the old building from before my time, are left standing but the windows are broken into and the metal is rusted turning to a copper color, and the old copper buildings are now green. I'm sure in a time before this this place was beautiful, with skyscrapers that stretched all the way to the clouds, and the streets were busy with people that had money and weren't fighting in the streets to get at least a slice of bread,most people wear masks of different colors. A woman probably from a richer cast is fighting to keep her purse as she screams for help, the streets are filled with people that would steal to stay alive. Children in the streets run around trying to get a little money for food to feed their hungry bellies. I have no time to pity them as much as I want to. I was like them once running around the streets begging for money. But that was before I realized that people are not kind and their hearts are just as cold as the frozen streets. People huddle by trash cans that are filled with the warm orange red glow of fire. Their gloves filled with holes and their jackets are just as thin as my own. Amenica that is where I live, I am the lowest caste system, otherwise known as the greys. They are doomed to live on the streets for the rest of their lives. I feel a hand slip into the pocket of my coat where the money lays and I quickly grab the hand that dares to try and steal from me. When I spin around however I find myself face to face with a smirking boy with grey eyes and black hair that is glisens wet and with the freshly fallen snow from the sky. "Careful you don't want to get blood under your nails'' He says and I let go of his bronze colored wrist and shove my hand back into my pocket.
Tiberius the kid that I used to beat up in the streets to get a little extra cash, street fighting is one of his many talents, along with pickpocketing, the only reason he knows how to pickpocket though is because I showed him. "You're getting sloppy" I claim and he laughs at this. His hands at his side as he walks beside me. Like me he wears a thin winter coat and he shivers from the cold but tries not to show it. I notice a smile on his face, his lip is still swollen from yesterday's fight and I frown at this. He won the fight but still didn't get nearly enough money as he dissevered. "I thought I told you to put ice on that" I scold him and grab a piece of ice from a cooler full of apples.
I hand the ice to Tiberius and he just throws the ice back in the streets. "Are you fighting today or is it just me again?" He asks jokingly "You more than likely need the money" Tiberius says and I shoot him a dirty look. "Wow sorry I didn't mean to offend you, but what is it you have in your pocket, two bills and a few bracelets that are maybe not even real". He claims, "beside were you going to give the jewelry to the guy in the market" I nod my head and now as he says it I know it sounds stupid. "You know that guy is a crook, he doesn't give nearly enough money for what stuff is worth." I know he's right but I hate admitting it.
I think over the consequences in my head, "Fine I'll fight but you better be sure people bet on me" I say punching Tiberius's broad chest. Tiberius is tall but so am I.
Tiberius thinks it over a second. "Done, but don't just knock the person out give them a show, you will get more money that way" I smile at the thought that Tiberius knows that I can hold my own. We walk to a broken building and open the dirty door that is covered in dust, the windows are nearly completely black. The place is basically a whole in the wall, and though it is a building made of concrete and smells heavily of sweat I find some comfort in the place. A single ring sits in the middle of the room, and I smile at it before taking off my coat and hanging it on a rusted hook on the stone wall. Without hesitation I take my shirt off and put it on my coat, I wear a white tank top under the baggy grey shirt. I wrap my hands in an electric blue color cloth to protect from hurting my knuckles. I walk to the ring. The person inside is a woman who is shorter than me but surely has much more muscles. I must look very weak compared to her. People cheer for the opposite girl in the ring knowing that they will surely be getting money today. I lift the yellow rope separating the two of us from. The small crowd of people, most of them are drunks with nothing better to do. I stretch my fingers and crack my neck. I hear Tiberius trying to get people to bet on me. "Tweanty grey sickles for the girl with the white shirt." He says and people boo him, they think his bet is a loose and maybe it is. Some people however bet on me. Tiberius steps into the ring and looks at the rest of us, he looks at me and mouths the words "Are you ready?" I nod my head in response and he slices his hand through the air commencing the fight.
He steps out of the ring and the two of us circle the ring not taking our eyes off of one another. The girl smiles thinking the money she so desperately needs is in her hands already. She throws the first punch hitting my square in the jaw. I've learned to ignore the sharp pain that comes with every punch. I throw the second punch and hit her in the nose. I'm thankful that in street fighting there are no rules, but I remember what Tiberius said, giving them a show or they'll be bored of you. Her nose starts to bleed and she stumbles back a moment taken back by the strength in my punch. She punches my eye and I can feel it swell up then she punches me in the mouth along my lip break. The next thing I know she has me more cornered and is punching my head so hard that I begin to feel dizzy. This person is ruthless, and that is when I realize that she is not a grey at all. She is gold. They have been trained for this stuff. While I have just thrown punches at people. She knees me in the stomach once twice and I fall to the ground, but knowing that she is a gold only fuels my anger even more. She doesn't need to be here. She is bathed in riches and loves to rub their smug faces in everything they are good at. She kicks me in the head making me feel dizzy and I begin to see double. Then I feel someone lift me up and sit me in a cold metal chair in the corner of the ring that my legs stick to from the sweat. They hand me water and I take it gladly, swooshing the water in my mouth and I taste iron and spit the water on to the floor before drinking more and handing the water back to Tiberius though I can barely see him, he takes the water from my hand. My vision comes back but I still feel dizzy. "Can I do it now?" I say gasping for air and feeling like I want to puke from being kicked in the stomach. Tiberius nods his head and gives me his hand to help me up. I don't take it though I don't want to look weaker than I feel. Tiberius steps out of the ring this time a smile on his face. I dance on the bales of my feet, my shoes creasing my toes. The gold charges at me once again hitting my legs and throwing me to the ground, but I know something she doesn't the crowd cheers for the gold, this is probably the best show they have seen in weeks and to be honest I enjoy the cheers, let them think I am weaker than a gold so they don't see what is to come. I wrap my legs around her neck and hold tight, she picks me up and I know she is going to try and drop me but it won't work. The crowd gasps and I never knew a room could get so quiet especially with drunks. I just have to stay like this for ten seconds. She begins to fall and her blue eyes flutter shut before falling completely and I fall with her but I brace myself. Tiberius smiles and rushes onto the boxing ring. He holds my hand in the air, my chest heaves up and down and I am sticky from sweat. I smile at everyone surrounding the ring as they whistle and cheer. I step out of the ring and people clear a path for me. I go back over to my coat and unwrap the cloth around my hands that shake and my knuckles are still bloody. I put my long sleeve shirt back on and my coat. I collect the money the people bet on me for, it's about fifteen sickles which is a dollar. I look at the coins in my hand disappointed but I know that it's the best everyone else can do. Tiberius is getting ready to fight wrapping his hands up in the cloth. This is the way we get money, Tiberius usually gets more money than I do not just because of his appearance but because he is actually good at fighting. He is one of the few that was a silver but left because his life went downhill. In the ring someone broke his knee and his fame was lost, but then he came back here and he is happy.
As I stand watching Tiberius and watch as the money piles in for Tiberius ten, fifty, ninty. Someone walks up to me, "What if I told you the money you get could be more than a handful of sickles?" A scratchy voice says and when I turn over I see someone that looks like he might be in his early fifties, with gold eyes and blonde hair. The same as the girl I was fighting this is what most golds look like and they always have some type of jewelry to identify them with. In this case it's a gold bracelet.
I scoff at this, "As tempting as the offer is, I'm fine" I say sarcastically and he looks at me with a pity expression. "We greys don't need the pity of golds" I say, discussed in my voice, even the way he looks rubs me the wrong way.
He wears warm clothes and he looks as if he hasn't gone a single day without a shower. The man sighs "I'm not giving you pity, I'm just looking for a change, to change the fighting of boxing" At this I genuinely laugh.
He stares at me and somehow looks offended at what I said. "What your fights aren't entertaining enough because I thought seeing people fight was very entertaining for you" I say my eyes never leave Tiberius who has a broken nose but also has the person cornered and that person looks more hurt then he does. "Besides it's not me you want it's him. I say hiding my head towards Tiberius.
If the gold is impressed he doesn't show it instead he just looks at me, "Just think about it" He says and he walks away. The idea does linger in my mind, it would, nice to have food and be able to take a hot shower when you want to, but I will never serve under a gold their hearts are just cold as the metal they call themselves.
The golds are the highest in the caste, they are the wealthy people our government runs by the golds. They designed the caste system.The president or tyrant I should say is an evil human casting people by not their wealth but by their talents. Golds never had to work to where they are. They simply got in because they claim they can see others talents. They are the ones that sort out everyone into their caste's Next is the Silvers, they are the entertainment. They had to work to get to where they are but it is still too easy all they had to do was make sure a gold notices them when they know they are good. Then there are the blues, they are the smart ones, they are the scientists, writers, lawyers, doctors, and entrepreneurs they had to work to get to where they are now. They had to read books, only they can pay for those books and they can pay for school. Then the purples, they are owners of small businesses that have been successful but can never go as far as a few businesses they still get money and an education to start the businesses The greens are the workers in different places,they still got an education to be able to be in those places. Lastly there are the greys, they are the lowest class, they are the ones that the gold saw no potential in so they kicked them to the streets. Some of them were from higher classes that failed and the golds kicked them the streets, and some people like myself were born grey, they are hopeless with no talent so the golds don't want to waste their money on people like us.
Tiberius raises both his hands as the crowd cheers and he jumps down from the ring, "How much money did I get" Tiberius says he is out of breath. He has a cloth under his nose that is soaked with blood and like me his eye is swollen shut. His bare chest and head drip with sweat and I turn up my nose at him. "I don't smell that bad do I Sorenza?" Tiberius says laughing, he looks over at the bag of tokens and his smile goes down, "Take some of it" he says and I shake my head. "Please Sorenza I still have money from yesterday, and it's just me" He says I still shake my head. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when you need money" He says and I smile at him.
I put the fifteen sickles in my pocket along with money that Tiberius doesn't know I have. I feel bad for keeping the money from him but it's for me I found it, well stole it."Mom's going to be furious when she sees me" I say and Tiberius laughs, "You are a bad example Tiberius" I say waving my index finger at him.
Tiberius smacks his hand against his chest as if he has been wounded and he has a hurt look on his face. "Who me?" he says sarcastically and I laugh at him, "I would never" He says laughing. Both of our smiles fade when we see the van that carries a new person."I wonder where this one was from" Tiberius says bobbing his head to the van. I remember when he came back to Anemica, a pair of crutches under his arms and his leg in a cast, a sad look on his face. He falled his family, that is what his family said to him, they made him leave and he was left on the streets to starve. I mostly saved him because he taught me how to box and I taught him how to steal. Eventually my mom took him in as well, and fed him. She and my dad even offered a place for him to sleep at night but he didn't want to take it, he thought he would be using us if he did.
Then I remember, "It's January is it?" I ask Tiberius, he looks confused and counts on his fingers before hiding his head. "Bloody hell" I mutter and my stomach twists remembering January is the enrollment. Every January the golds take the eighteen years olds to fight in a war that has gone on for one hundred years, a battle between two places Huxia and Anemica. "We could run away," I say, sensing Tiberius's unease. He looks at me shocked and pushes my shoulders into an abandoned building that looks like it looks like the people before stopped building this building in the middle of construction. The post beams in the ceiling show through and the wires in the wall are tangled up.
The two of us are seventeen but we are less than a year away from being enrolled, Tiberius only has three months left. "Are you crazy, you can't say things like that, you are safe the war could end before you get enrolled" He says and his joking demeanor is gone filled with utmost seriousness.
I frown at Tiberius for thinking something as stupid as that. "The war is not going to magically end in six months Tiberius" I opined not knowing whether to laugh or cry because of Tiberius. "We could run away" I state, now Tiberius is looking at me the same way I was to him, like we are taking turns.
He shakes his head I think he was considering it, "Where would we go, and you can't just leave your family" He's right I can't believe I even considered it, if we ran away my family would be killed.
Unless, I think, chewing on my lip, and suddenly becoming very aware of the card that the guy gave me. My pocket gets heavy. "I had an offer" I blurt out and after I say it I cover my mouth as if I can take the words back, but then it gets worse, "Come with me, the silvers are always safe from enrollment" I continue and Tiberius's grey eyes glisten, "Come with me" I repeat even though I don't think I even want to go.
Tiberius put his two hands on the wall next to me boxing me in, he looks in my grey eyes and something passes between us or at least me, "You don't want to go do you, you are just trying to protect me" The thought of being enrolled doesn't sicken me as much as if Tiberius was to go. He may be a fighter in the ring but when he is out of the ring he cares more about others then any person I have ever met. I nod my head and he smiles, "I will be fine Saracha" He says a smile on his face that doesn't quite reach his eyes and the nickname makes my throat dry to think I will never hear it again. The nickname came to be when we were just ten, when we first met he asked me what my nickname was and he thought I said Saracha due to my little accent, and ever since then the nickname has stuck, I smile at him and blink away the tears in my eyes."Besides it's three months away and who knows I could get a job before than" He says brushing off everything that was said. I only wish it was that easy. I wish I could go back to the boxing ring, I wish I could kill the person that is responsible for this, responsible for taking away so many people that I care about. My brother and sister were taken the same day being twins, I still remember my sister Absco braiding my black curly hair in cornrows that I wear now. And my brother Jaheem's warm embrace and the necklace he bought me. I hold the little red gem hanging from the black rope now, knowing how the families feel now as every eighteen year old is walking to war, some of them will be safe if they stay close to the pine forest of the south, but others are marching to their death if they are put into the snow capsules of the north, most of them will freeze to death before they can even fight, and to the east is the trenches. This is the worst part of the war field. The trees are gone and the dirt is made up of ash. Holes are dug nearly eight feet deep in the dirt to keep safe from guns, but those holes don't do much good for the bombs that have killed so many. I shudder to think how many of them will be going there now, how many parents clutching their children will get a box of their children's belongings and a letter from the golds. Saying it was an honor for your family to serve us. The words taste bad in my mouth even if I don't say them. Some however will get letters from their children talking about the pine groves and how beautiful they are at sunset. I am envious of these people, the people that still remember their family member's voice because they get letters all the time. I haven't gotten a letter from Absco and Jaheem but I guess it's a good thing because it means they aren't dead. When I think of either one of them being in the trenches it makes tears want to come to my eyes, but I have to be strong.
The day they left Jaheem's words linger in my ear still. "Be strong Sorenza not because you have to be but because that is who you are" at the time didn't understand him, at the time all I want wanted to do was curl up in my older brother's chest and cry like I used to when I would scrap my knees from running, or riding a bike or when people would bully me for my height that at the time was too tall for my own good. Jaheem tries to send letters as much as he can but it is difficult especially when people read the letters you made before being shipped to families. I can't imagine what some people have read. The last letter Absco wrote she told us that she was heading to the snow capsules and we haven't heard anything since. My mom prays everyday that no one shows up at our door. We lost dad to the snow capsules. An Avalanche fell on his squad; there were no survivors; it chills me to my bones to think Absco could have the same fate.
I cross my arms to block out the cold because I realize I am trembling but I realize it's not because I'm cold, it's because of the enrollment. "You there how old are you" a voice says and I nearly jump out of my shoes, "Did you not hear me how old are you" the voice is loud and low and the person looks even more terrifying with a large burn going down the whole half of his pale face.
I clear my throat, "I am seventeen" I breathe. The soldier moves closer to me turning his head so his unburnt ear can hear me. "I am seventeen!" I shout and the soldier backs away, "I'm sorry was that too loud?" I ask, a wide grin on my face, the soldier gets ready to hit me, "Go ahead hit me I dare you" I say my voice loud enough to hear.
The man's face turns bright red, and I feel a pair of hands grab my shoulders. I jump a little until I realize it's Tiberius, "There you are darling I've been looking everywhere for you" Tiberius says careful to silent his t's in every word, so the soldier thinks us unintelligent he looks over at the soldier and and he stands up straighter, he looks every bit the person he is meant to be. "I you been giving this man a hard time, now you know he fights bravely for our country" Tiberius tsks, I doubt he has ever fought a day in his life, if it wasn't from the burn he would look nothing like a soldier, with a pungent belly and three chins. The burn probably isn't even from a bomb or fire. Maybe from having something scolding hot burn onto his skin on him as a child. I can see his greedy fingers reaching for something hot on the stove when it fell over. I hold my tongue however grey's especially grey girls are not supposed to be smart just tough. "I am so sorry sir" Tiberius says pulling me away from him and I go willingly. "You see my girlfriend has lost so much you can't blame someone for being a little mad" Tiberius squishes his thumb and index fingers together so he is gesturing to make things little. The soldier simply nods his head. He doesn't have time for people like us. "That is the general Sorenza you need to be careful" Tiberius whispers in my ear.
I just keep walking , "I don't care" I whisper back to him and I know he is rolling his eyes, "Do you think he fell on his head as a child or was he born like that" I say, a smile spreading on my face. How much I would enjoy humiliating him. All the pranks I would pull.
Tiberius falls in next to me, the rest of the walk is in silence, but I don't mind, just the comfort of him is enough. My mind wonders still even with the company of Tiberius. Perhaps I could save my family if I join the gold, Absco and Jaheam could come home and they could be safe. "I know you hate the golds so does everyone else. But they are the best chance of living" I scoff at this, the only chance of us surviving is if we save ourselves. Anyone with a brain can see that, only Tiberius doesn't have a brain. Then again he, like everyone else has been plagued by the knowledge that one day the golds will see our talents and there will be no more greys. I am one of the few that knows the golds are not going to do anything for us. The only reason they saw me was because of the gold I fought. I let Tiberius hope, and I don't tell him what I think, I simply walk alongside of him matching his strides.
His footsteps are loud, it's eerie how silent the village can be after enrollments, the parents with one child close their windows and pray that they will get back, but the families that still have children continue on with their days. The ones that already lost a child to the war sob to themselves wishing things were different. every person loses a little hope. The enrollment is like a monster that takes away each person's hope each year. "I wonder if Deion got a job before he has to get enrolled" my heart drops to my stomach. My brother, how could I forget about him. Gilt pours through me, but I shake it off Deion like Tiberius has hope that one day there will be no greys left. Only in a different way, he hopes that the golds are overrun. A long time ago he talked of a revolution. I told him I would never join him no matter how horrible our lives are. I couldn't stand thinking that if Deion started a revolution that he would be killed.
I twitch my finger at my side filled with anxiety . "He has a job to remember" I stumble over my words for a moment before regaining myself. The gold can take him away for talking about the revolution whether he has a job or not. "He works at the factory", the factory is a coal plant cut out at the edge of the mountain. Probably the only way to get a job here. Deion was fortunate enough to get a job before they ended up cutting people off from the job because they didn't have enough people to manage us. Deion works as a miner, he will come home with his face covered in coal. Though he will sometimes have a bag full of coal for him to draw with. His drawing will take you to a different world entirely. He loves drawing landscapes, people and anything that he can imagine. He drew me once but I don't think I looked like what he drew. In the drawing I was beautiful, I had high cheekbones and freckles across my face, my nose was straight which I know is definitely not true, I've been punched in the nose too many times to know that. We don't have mirrors here that is a luxury that only the caste above us wield. The streets are empty now. Only for the occasional woman with her children rushing across a dead street to get to a store to get food. Tiberius and I walk across the street as well.
Snow blows in our faces as we open the door to a pawn shop. A light bell on the top of the door rings announcing our presents. I walk over to the counter. An old man sits at the counter, his head resting on his hand. I put the jewelry I stole on the counter, he looks at the diamond bracelet then back at me. Milo has been working here and taking the stuff that I steel since I was twelve without question. "That's fifty," He explains, bored by the bracelet.
Fifty is enough to tide me over for a while and yet I want more. "Come one Milo, I'm your best customer,how long have I been here five years?" I say and Tiberius shakes his head, "At least give me eighty at the least". I say and Milo looks frustrated with me, scratching the grey stubbles on his chin he lays the fifty out his purple eyes glisten with something evil. I know what he is saying, take the fifty or get lost, So I take the fifty. "Thanks Milo" I say by the door, a fake happiness in my voice. He grunts and waves his hand at me. He is one of the few purples that's business isn't successful but the golds don't want to get rid of. Milo is lucky, if he was put on the street now he would most likely die from the cold or starvation. Though I am surprised he is't already dead at his age most people are dead. As I walk I remember Deion still has a week until enrollment and he still has a job. At this I relax a little knowing the chance of Deion getting enrolled is very slim. "Deion still has a week" I say shrugging even though that week can go by fast it's still a week. We walk into a store filled with food, I grab a few vegetables from the stand. Celery is one of my favorites, the green vegetable clenches my thirst. In soup the celery absorbs the flavor of everything in the soup. I grab carrots and potatoes as well when I hand the money to the woman I see her two children hanging off of her green dress that is filthy.
The woman's green eyes look tired as she hands me the bag of food. Pity wells up inside of me. I give her the rest of my money. She looks at me then back at the money, "Bless you, bless you" she repeats with a light laugh her eyes grow teary but a smile forms on her lips. "What is your name dear" The green says brushing a piece of brown hair out of her face.
I hesitate for a second, "My name is Sorenza" I say to her and she smiles, Tibeius waits by the door, "Buy the best food you can" I say from the door she nods her head and picks up one of her children. She has Brown hair like her mother that curly all over the place, her eyes however are gold. She is both a green and a gold. The little girl waves goodbye to me and I smile. The mixture of different color castes is not uncommon but it is rare, Greens and greys are the ones that usually mix, but a gold and a green is a rare thing. I can't afford to feel sorry for a gold. A green maybe but a gold everyone of them are cold and I will certainly never cry over one of them. At one point we were all the same and we were all free. Now though we will never be the same and we will never be free.