Fallen Angel

Touring the Capitol

The next day, Leira was woken by Kyle. Her sleep had been blissfully dreamless. The mattress on the bed made it feel as though she were sleeping on a cloud. When her red-haired friend came to wake her, she groaned in displeasure.

"Sorry Leira, but we've got to get moving or they'll put us on clean up duty," he said, sitting on the end of the bed. He wore the clothes Marissa had given him; some of Alexander's old things that he wouldn't miss. He looked like a native Incendian in the long-sleeved wool shirt and brown trousers that fit well into his military boots. His hair looked as though he had combed it recently, and his face was free of grime.

She threw off the bed sheets and leaped off the bed. She was nearly blinded by sunlight streaming through the single window in the bedroom. Sunlight; since when did Incendia get sunlight? She thought, stretching. Kyle seemed to sense her confusion and said, "It's nice, isn't it? Marissa said that because of the explosion last night, everyone stopped working in the factories. The smog's already starting to clear."

Leira shrugged and went into the restroom to change. Marissa had given her an old outfit; a typical black shirt to wear over her white tank top, and form-fitting black pants that slid easily into her boots. She didn't even have to stuff extra fabric into the shoe. When she began to comb her hair, she nearly yelled as the tangles came undone. It felt as though the hair was being torn from her scalp. She had washed it last night, so it when she finished, it looked silky and soft.

She pulled her hair back with a hair band and left the room. Will was fiddling with the same toy Leira had last night, only he seemed to know what to do to make it work properly. Incendians didn't vary their outfits much, Leira noticed. Will also wore a thick wool sweater and trousers, though it was orange instead of the red Kyle had on. Cora had on a dress similar to Marissa's, with long sleeves and a skirt that fell to the knees. Her pack was strapped on to her back, containing the crystals and their garments they had changed out of, recently cleaned and patched up. The machine they had taken to the volcano was broken; apparently Marissa had made it move so quickly that the engine had overheated and damaged the circuitry. They took a transportation vehicle similar in design to it. As they walked out to where their new vehicle was parked, Leira took note of the aftermath of the explosion.

Ash had fallen like snow everywhere. It was about a foot tall, and had partially buried some houses. People had stopped work and used mining shovels to scoop the ash into a large dumpster. This helped people out of their buried homes. The mountain still had magma running down its sides, and a large cloud of smoke lingered above the summit. Flaming rocks had landed here and there, and had crushed some unprotected items.

There were no casualties, according to Mr. Octavius's report. He helped younger Incendians shovel the ash.

Everyone climbed into the transportation machine, and buckled in. Leira sat next to Will, who looked sleepy but very excited. Marissa started the engines and soon they were off.

"How far away is it?" Leira asked.

"Not horribly far. At this pace, we could get there by noon," Marissa replied.

"You happy to be going home?" Leira asked Will with a friendly expression.

"I guess. My family is probably worried about me; I was supposed to be home days ago," he admitted, turning to look at her.

"I suppose I am too."

"Wait. Didn't you tell me your brother used to live there?" 

Kyle leaned over to interrupt. "It's a long story," he said. Leira gently slapped his head. He already knew what happened.

"After my father died, my older brother, Samson, was supposed to look after me. He didn't need to after I left to join the military though. The older members looked after me, and my job in the military brought money home. He had a girlfriend from the Capitol that I despised; she was a spoiled, rotten woman who only thought for herself. When my brother married her, I refused to speak with him again. She was just using him, but he didn't see it. He moved to the Capitol with her, and left me to suffer on my own."