Phoenix 56 (Dystopian/Fantasy YA Novel +Weekly Updates)

WHERE'VE YA BEEN? WHERE ARE YA' GOING?

Chapter Three

Where've Ya Been? Where are Ya' Going?

"All is gone, all is gone, admit it, take flight

I gagged in contradiction, tears blinding my sight

My mind it was mangled, I ran into the night

Leaving all of love's ashes behind me."

-Bob Dylan's "Ballad in Plain D"

Sren walked alongside the side of the decimated once-town. With Leah's weight on her shoulders, her legs submerged into the upturned warm dirt. Leah could see from her shoulders, dented metal, burning cinders, singed mounds and craters-nothing else, there was lake by this town-I never noticed it. Sren looked over where Cy and Dia sat down, right where the town center used to be, and heaved a sigh. The town looked felt empty as Dia's memories-nothing but nothing.

"Sren, give Dia a couple more minutes. She might remember something." Leah looked down at Sren's eyes. Sren eyeballed her back. "

"The girl made it clear, she can't remember anything." Sren said, "A couple minutes won't make a difference."

"But, Sren, if she can't find out her memories here, then what else?" Leah felt there would be a clarity if Dia saw some pictures or something that aroused some memories.

Sren knew the concept. Tabula Rasa or the "Blank slate." Some sort of mad philosopher.

"They get just a minute." She pulled out a dented bronze pocket watch, where the glass had even fractured. "I doubt she'll remember anything, Cypress can only help so much, in fact, he already did enough, trying to help her..."

Leah hushed.

###

Dia sat on a giant slab of cracked granite, digging her feet into the warm ashen dirt. Cy had sat on the opposite end of the slab, his shadow the only evidence of his presence. He was playing with the undamaged cast iron rings, letting them jingle around in his hand. They were facing away from each other, but they could tell they were a mere inches away from each other.

She remained quiet, the lone movement was her hair blowing slightly in the wind.

"My mom and dad had a saying they'd say over and over, 'ang hindi-'" He struggled with the words, as if saying it for the first time, but he continued, "-lumingin sa pinanglingan." He coughed, then continued to say, "Which means, 'a person who does not know where he came from, can never hope to get to his destination.'" Cy paused to see if she was still listening and then added, "I had this odd idea. That the reason why we never get anywhere is because we have no clue how we ourselves got here."

Dia said, almost as quiet as the kiss of the wind, "What happened to your parents?"

"They left. " He said, "Along with everyone in our town and our culture, they disappeared. One day. Everyone vanished-like a puff of smoke, I theorize all sorts of things. Some people dead-all due to this Heir War." Cy continued, "Some heirs blew up cities that wouldn't conform to their standards. When Leah was young, I took her away. Telling her we were going on a trip. We met Sren in a rare twist of fate-she was younger than, but she's the oldest of us. She took care of us. We told her our story. She never told us her story. We don't even know how old she is."

"Why are you telling me this?" He brain did hurt, she liked the stories...

"Cause you're traveling with us. If you want to..."