Beyond The Know

The Trigger

"No," She shook her head vigorously, "We are not doing that. It is not permitted, Parker."

Her brother released an agitated breath. All that he was asking for her to do was to keep her mouth shut when he invited his friend over to the suite. Was that so much to ask?

"Why are you always so...uptight?" He groaned. She opened her mouth in protest, an offended expression plastered onto her features. Parker interrupted before she could get a word in edgeways, of course.

"Look, all you need to do is to remain in your chambers until she leaves, that's-"

"She!? Definitely not. Do you want her to get killed? Turned out to be a vagabond beyond the protection of The Barriers? You know what the Garrison will do if she's caught."

No way was she going to break a rule. The last time she'd done that, when she was eight years old, her Artisan best friend had ended up being taken away from his family. She never saw him him again; and she couldn't even remember his name. A Benefactress and an Artisan weren't allowed to communicate, let alone be the best of friends. But now her brother wanted to bring an Artisan girl into the suite whilst Mother and Father were busy at their evening gathering down at the Town Hall. If the girl were to be caught... well, she's already an Artisan; who knows what her punishment might be?

Her older brother gave her a look of pleading, one he knew she couldn't resist.

"Alexa, please? I promise we won't get caught. I swear it," His mint green eyes sparkled beseechingly, a pout forming on his face, "It'll just be for about an hour! Just after School Quarter Day, and I'll make sure-"

"Alright! Alright, but I have nothing to do with it. Do you hear? Absolutely nothing." She gave him a disappointed look, and shook her head sadly.

Alexa stormed down the mahogany floor-boarded hallway and into her chambers at the end. She needed to prepare for breakfast in the Commons. The Commons were a group of fields nestling in the trough of some valleys not far from the Benefactor's Quarter. Today was School Quarter Day: the one day of the season where everyone of the four Quarters were allowed to have lessons together, and try to get to know each other. Alexa was a Benefactress- her parents earned enough money to have some to spare. They paid welfare payments to the Artisans and supported the Savants. All residents of the Benefactors' Quarter had a streak of teal in their hair.

The Artisans were the workers; they farmed, built buildings, and were generally for hard, physical labour. They were the largest Quarter, and they tended to be unwealthy, and they had a few strands of hair dyed coral red, Alexa had gathered from what she ever saw of them. All she knew was that her family gave money to them so that they'd grow food for everyone and make...well, everything.
Then there were the Garrisons. Although they lived in the Garrisons 'Quarter', they were scattered around The Know in small and simple lodgings. They had a black streak in their hair, and they were enforcers of rule, protected The Known People. But they were also harsh- they held social grudges which, if left unsolved, caused deaths and executions.
The Savants were the elite few who'd strived in school. They usually came from the Benefactors Quarter, and they lived with friends. They had the all the academic jobs; doctors, scientists, engineers. The lists were endless. But they were always looking down at the rest of the people. Especially the Artisans. They had a lilac streak in their hair.
The bell in the tower chimed, and the reverberation made her feel safe yet trapped at the same time. She hastily brushed her dark, caramel hair into submission, slid on one of her short dresses and some graecian sandals. She sped out of the suite as fast as she could, sliding around corners and avoiding ornaments. She could feel a breeze in her hair as it flipped from side to side.
The heat didn't slam her backwards like it did the day before. This time it draped over her, hanging onto her skin like a heavy tarpaulin. She could see the other teenagers for her Quarter down the cobbled street lined with lampposts and grand mansions.
"Hey, guys!" She shouted, "wait up!"
She managed to catch them up in no time, the sun beating down onto them from above. She could hear cicadas chirping in the nearby trees. Alexa could see the everyone from her high vantage point up on the hills; the Artisans were already seated, and some of them were leaving to go to work. It always ended up like that; the adults go away and there are only children left.
"Loving the green, Alexa!" Someone commented on her dress. She merely looked down at it and shrugged.
"Nothing special." She muttered. She strode over to Parker, who seemed to be unconventionally rushed. He sped through the crowds in haste, heading straight for the Artisans' section of the Commons. Alexa grabbed his sleeve before he crossed the line.
Literally.
"Parker!" She hissed, "what do you think you're doing? Do you have a death wish? Give me one good reason-" she trailed off as a girl with fiery red hair began approaching the line, smiling adoringly at Alexa's brother. She looked at the girl, and then back at Parker. It had clicked; this was the 'friend' her brother had been begging her to allow to commit a crime.
But Alexa could tell that she wasn't just a friend. No, she was clearly much more than that. She had cat-like and smoky hazel eyes, and her hair was a deep red. She had a slim face, and Alexa had to admit that she was striking. There was something about her that stopped your train of thought, so you could attempt to work out what it was about her that had made you stop in the first place.
She approached them gracefully, and swiftly crossed the pebbled edge into the Benefactor's section. Alexa frowned in surprise, but her brother quickly informed her:
"She's allowed to. There are no segregation rules today." He put an arm around her, "this is Clara." She smiled up at him. Everyone had to look up at Parker, he was just so tall.
"Who is this, Parker?" Clara asked, smiling kindly at her. Alexa narrowed my eyes slightly, trying to figure Clara out. Parker put his other arm around Alexa and replied,
"This is my sister, Alexa."
Alexa was anticipating her reaction- and she was spot on. Clara looked from Parker, to Alexa and then back at Parker. Her eyes were widened and her mouth formed a small 'O'.
Everybody was always so surprised- it was because Alexa clearly did not have the same parents as Parker. He was Caucasian, with light green eyes and light caramel coloured hair. Alexa, on the other hand, had toffee coloured skin, with vibrant blue-green eyes and dark caramel hair. She always wore dark brown eye contacts so as to hide her 'abnormality'. Well, that's what her mother called it, and now she believed it. They both had a strand of teal in their hair, but Alexa always tried to hide hers, so that she wouldn't be judged.
"Different fathers." Parker added. Clara's face lost its confused look, and she wrapped her arms around Alexa, hugging her firmly. She smelled of mint leaves and white roses, so Alexa could tell that she lived by the gardens between the Savants' and the Artisans' Quarters.
"I hope we can be friends." Clara said, but it sounded more like a question. Alexa returned the hug warily and said,
"I hope so too."
****
That School Quarter Day was the worst yet, so far. Alexa's brother had left her, and it had taken her almost half the day to find her best friend, Lottie Robinson, who'd been casually sitting on the grass talking to a few Savant boys. When Lottie spotted her, she gave Alexa a beam and a wave.
"Where have you been? I thought I'd told you to meet me on the grass last night!" Lottie moaned.
Her new 'friends', realising that Lottie was no longer interested in them, sauntered off to a gaggle of girls chatting by the patio.
"You did? I don't remember that..." Alexa replied, sitting down beside her and crossing her legs. Lottie pouted her lips and frowned.
"Must have forgotten..." She mumbled. Her brown eyes wandered, searching the yard. But then they stopped, a mixture of confusion and annoyance evident on her face. She didn't even tuck the stray blonde hair which had flown onto her face behind her ear.
"What is it?" Alexa asked.
"Who is that?" Lottie replied, without moving anything but her lips. Alexa focused on where Lottie was looking, and her eyes landed on Clara putting a spoon of cream from her sundae onto Parker's nose, and giggling as he gasped and began to tickle her.
"Oh, that's Clara, Parker's friend." Lottie frowned,
"Friend? Are they just friends?" Alexa laughed a little.
"Well, I think they're a little more than that, if you ask me."
Lottie scowled, shaking her head.
"But she's an Artisan." She said it as if it were a disease, something to be ashamed of. Alexa was surprised; her friend had never shown much dislike towards Artisans. But Alexa also knew that Lottie had a sort of long-term, concealed crush on Parker.
Which wasn't all that surprising; almost all the benefactresses did. Probably a few benefactors too.
"What does it matter that she's an Artisan? She's a nice person, which is what matters." Alexa said, sternly. Lottie just widened her eyes in shock, as if to say: "What has gotten into you?"
"She's coming around to ours for a bit, later on." Alexa continued, " I hope I get to know her a little better."
Lottie's face hardened as Alexa got up to speak to her brother, which made Alexa ponder on whether her friend was to be trusted with anything when it came to Parker.
Alexa approached her brother, who had his back turned. She tapped his shoulder gently, and he moved over so that she could join them on the bench. Clara gave her a smile; she had pearly white teeth, and she had a genuine grin.
"So what are we going to do today? At your house?" She asked. Alexa gave her a confused frown.
"I thought," Alexa looked at Parker, "that it was just going to be you two." Clara laughed an amused giggle.
"And what would you be doing?" Alexa didn't reply, and Parker also looked quite confused.
"Well," Clara continued, "I could do your makeup, Alexa." Alexa shook her head vigorously.
"Mother doesn't allow me. She says it-"
"Do you want to wear makeup?" Clara interrupted, narrowing her eyes. Alexa thought about it. Her mother always restricted her. She couldn't do anything without her permission, and she thought about all those times she wanted to rebel. She thought about the time her mother had sentenced an eight year old child into exile just for being friends with her daughter. She nodded.
"Then I'll do it for you." Clara smiled. Parker nudged his sister's shoulder, and said, "You're finally making your own decisions." And she was.
And it felt good.
From afar, Alexa caught sight of Lottie frowning at her, and then turning her head to enter the school building, a shadow crossing her figure as she walked through the arched door frames.