The Blade in the City

The River

Whoosh thud, whoosh thud. Two bullseyes. Dead middle, perfect form and aim. Alexandra has been shooting since she was five years old. Shooting arrows at hay barrels, anything and everything. She had been taught how to shoot by her father who also taught her how to fight and protect herself. They were a small family, Alex being the oldest, then her younger sister Emily. Emily was six years younger than her, Em being ten and Alex sixteen. They were the happiest they could be. The outskirts where they lived were not for the faint of heart, it wasn't suburban but neither was it country. Everyone lived in poverty according to the rich, to Alex they lived better than most. Gangs prowled the streets at night and the military ruled the roads during the day. The military prevented any activity other than what you were given, for kids that is school and adults was to work in the factories. The military were there because the leaders of the country thought they needed to protect their citizens. But everyones knows they are only there to keep the workers on task, the factories meant everything to them. They earned little to nothing compared to those in the city. It wasn't the best life but they did what they had to.

Whoosh thud.

"Alex?" Called the next door neighbour. His name was Josh, a tall muscular blonde boy. He was the same age as Alex and went riding with her often.

"Yup." responded Alex.

"You want to go for a ride?" He had been teaching Alex to ride for the past six months. He had said she needed to properly know how to ride and began teaching her.

"Sure." She strapped her bow to her quiver and filled the arrows back into it, and then she grabbed her small dagger and shoved it into its sheath on her thigh. She took this everywhere in case something bad happened and strode off toward the rusty wire fence. It was a small fence easy to jump over.

They walked around to the paddock on the other side of his house, passing a rusted clothesline and a broken shed. Everything here was either rusted or broken due to lack of maintenance, nobody could be bothered or had the time to fix things.

Strapping the saddle to the horse and jumping up.

"Where to?" Alex asked.

"I hear the river is a nice place to cool down on a hot summer's day." They had been to the river every summer as it was the only place where the shade was decent and wasn't watched by the military. The river was outside the town's boundaries but that didn't stop them.

The pair galloped over the plain field. Alex loved riding, feeling the horses muscles contract under her thighs, the wind whipping her face blowing her brown hair out behind her. It was invigorating, as long as you don't get caught there's nothing stopping you from feeling free.

The ride to the river was shorter than she would've liked. The trees that surround the river are dense and it took a good half hour to get through them. The clean water that rushes down stream was cold from the shade and refreshes them both.

"How's your family?" Alex inquired.

"Oh, you know the usual, bored of the same bland colourless food, ma's annoyed at the guards again. She says they shouldn't carry guns because nothing happens in the town everyone's too dead to do anything." that was life here nothing good or exciting ever happens, usually.

"I heard a rumour that 16 year olds were being forced to attend a ball this year." Alex said.

"Oh yeah? I wouldn't be surprised the new town mayor loves balls. And it's tradition for 16 years to do something each year. What was it last year again?"

"I'm pretty sure it was a dinner party or some other stupid thing, remember it was called 240E dinner party."

Josh chuckled to himself. It had been a stupid name. The name was the year and what the venue was. The thick trunks gave them privacy as they neared the river. Alex breathed in the cool air, sliding off the horse, She set to work roping the horses to the trees. Josh a little way off was busy taking his shoes off.