Elydius (Primeland)

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StayZone #6

I look out my window to stare at the grey sky and see a few rosy white birds fly towards east. The house is quiet except for the faint snore of my father coming from downstairs. It will be time for him to get up, any minute now. Then he and my mother will plod along with everyone else to collect the resources and provisions. The whole village is quiet, catching up on its final dozes of sleep. But I am awake, and my mind is unsettled.

It is time to go.

I creep down, trying not to make the wooden floor creak, but annoyingly, it does. I freeze, and I hear my mothers' sharp voice from her room below.

"Regan? Are you awake?"
Crap.

I race down the stairs and grab a small empty bowl from the counter, and just as I am about to open the front door, my mothers' shout causes me to flinch.

"You can't go out! Not today!" But the rest of what she says is lost to the wind, for I am already running out of the house and escaping to The Greenery.

I race across the many small, dilapitated houses and dive under clotheslines, all the while hearing my mother chase after me. She is a thin woman, but her strength surprises me on many occassions, including now. I step into a dirty puddle and the bottom part of my cream-coloured frock gets wet. Soon the sound of chasing ceases, and when I turn around just as I reach the house of Mrs.Hobbins, my mother is gone.

She cannot afford to lose time by chasing me, not when the provision distribution begins in a few minutes. Then she will have to turn in the opposite direction and eventually lose time reaching there. The stocks at home are low, and I haven't had a proper meal in days. I know she is desperate for the food and the other resources. I feel ruthless for driving her away from our last resort of survival, but I cannot stay at home. Not today. My throat churns and I feel the urge to cry, but I control myself. Today is the day the stayzone will bristle with excitement and hope and dreams. Today is the day before the tomorrow. The tomorrow that is the only promise of a better future. Of the only future. It is the tomorrow that everyone awaits with anticipation.

Including myself.

It is already around noon and I don't want Mrs. Hobbins to be late for the Collection. The old widow lives all by herself and Hughie -my younger brother who is 7- is all the company she wants to have. She did have a son who would have been my age if he were still around, but he was one of the New Residents who were taken away to... God-knows-where. Or the 'New World' as how the Representatives and we call it. I think his name was Prince and he was 10 when the beam hit him, but it's not his bio-data that holds my attention. It's the place that he was taken to is what fuels my excitement.

The New World.

"Mrs. Hobbins! It's me Regan, I came to collect Hughie!" I call out from the doorstep. A tall, frail lady emerges from inside and gives me a look. One I've seen before and know too well what it means.

Oh boy. She's gonna blow.

"WHERE IN HEAVEN WERE YAH GAL?! THANK THE STARS I THOUGHT YAH FELL IN A SEWER AND TRIPPED YOUR PRETTY LEGGIE! DO YAH KNOW WHAT THE TIME IS GAL?! IF IT--"

At that moment, a low bugle horn is sounded and I know that it is the horn that alerts the people of Elydius StayZone #6 that the provision distribution has begun.
Mrs. Hobbins' eyes go wide and curses under her breath.

"AH, off yah go with your baby brother gal. Now don't drag your ass about cause yah already delayed meself. And don't forget to close the door behind yah."

"Yes Mrs. Hobbins. I'm sorry for making you late!" I call out to her quickly retreating figure, but I doubt she heard me. Poor woman, I've made two people start late to the Collection. First mom and now her. But all my thoughts are pushed aside as I land my eyes on a small silhouette sitting on the floor. He is playing with the laces of his shoes (undoubtedly bored) and when he hears me call out his name, all he does is reveal a gap-toothed smile. "Regan." He says and rushes out to me.

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