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Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lucia

My mom? Fatally ill? I had never seen her get sick. You'd think that living the way we did in Zone 9 would get us sick more often, but we never do. A lot of the Zone 9 population had adapted to its filthy conditions and were less vulnerable to common diseases in Zone 9. But since I had never seen my mom sick , I was skeptical. But that didn't mean I didn't freak out. My eyes opened wide and screaming (Yes, I screamed with my eyes. It's possible.). And my mouth hung wide with shock.

"Aurelle? Are you sure you heard right? MY mother?" The man sighed.

"What did I just get finished saying!"

"That's ridiculous! Someone must have got it wrong. " I turned away nervously, hoping I was right.

"No. Mr. Boss saw her with his own eyes. She's very ill. She got sent home a little while ago. One moment she was doing work, feeling fine, the next she collapsed, pale as a ghost, breaking out in a cold sweat and shaking violently. Strange if you ask me." My forehead creased. A sense of unease built up inside me.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." I looked out the door of the Burner room. I made a split decision and started racing home like a madman through the halls to the front door. The camera snapped my picture and let me through. I sprinted the rest of the way there. I went back through the winding hallway, knife tucked in my back pocket, along with my gloves I had taken off during my run. I came to our house and openly gasped at what I saw. My mother, fragile and weak, lay on our quilt, shaking violently, as the man had said. Life draining from her eyes. MY eyes started to water with hot, angry tears.

"Mother! No! This can't be happening!" Her only response was a cough. I wiped away my tears fiercely and began to shake her shoulders desperately. "Mom! Snap out of it! You're fine, everything's fine-"She clasped her fragile, trembling hand on my arm.

"No, it's not Lucia." Her voice was all but a whisper. " I'm dying." I stood up and backed away refusing to accept it. I kept repeating the same word over and over again between sobs- no. I looked at my mom fearfully. I was afraid. It was so sudden! And now she's dying! What happened?! Only this morning, she was healthy and loving as always- giving me hope and putting up with my short temper. I weeped with sorrow instead of anger this time, crumpling to the floor, and crawling over to my mother.

"How did this happen?" I said softly. She shook her head. A salty drop of water fell from my eyes and dripped down her cheek. I wiped it off with my thumb. "Hang in there. There must be a cure or-" I stopped talking when I saw the look she was giving me. It spoke one word- just like I had spoken it over and over again- 'no'. I knew that really meant we not only could not afford a cure or if one even existed, but she wouldn't make it until then.

"What ever is making you sick, sure is moving fast." My voice cracked.

" I love you Lucia." I smiled.

"I love you too." Then she began coughing violently until she choked up blood. She was wheezing and shaking feverntly. And I couldn't do anything about it.

FIND HER, a voice called in my head; it was my mom's voice. But her lips weren't moving. She wasn't speaking aloud. But I knew this was important. It could be her last words.

"Find who?!"

ARALIA, I heard her voice say in my mind. Then she stopped shaking and just lay still.

"No!!" My rage returned in full-force. I refused to feel self-pity or morn- that's just the way I was; I had already cried enough. I screamed and kicked at anything I could find. Throwing things at the wall. It didn't matter anyway. Not without... A sharp pain stabbed through my chest at the thought. I didn't understand. Nothing made any sense to me. "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?" I shouted to no one in particular. Rage burned like a great fire inside me. I felt like I was going to melt then explode. Either one would suffice. Before I knew what I was doing, I threw something else at the wall. I gasped in shock. It was a huge ball of fire. I had caught my house on fire. I quickly evacuated. Leaving my mom's dead, lifeless body to burn to ashes. Luckily, everyone was at work, so when the apartment building burned down, I was the only one inside- alive that is. I stood in the crisp noon air, watching as my home burned down. I have nothing, I thought. I used to have my mom, a house, a collection of useful items (my mom and I would laugh when we called them useful, even though we found uses for a lot of the stuff we had found) and my job- I didn't have that anymore; no way I could go back. No, I reminded myself. I have one thing- myself. Oh! And a knife if that counted. Plus, I knew what I had to do now. I had to go find this 'Aralia'. At least I had one thing to look forward to- getting out of this dreadful Zone. I forced myself not to dwell on the moment my mother somehow spoke to me in my head, or when I threw a ball of fire. Time to find this girl. She had to be important somehow. I needed to find her. And quickly, too. Who knows? Maybe the same sickness will come over me if I stick around here too long. I have no where else to go but forward. I started sprinting off in direction where I saw the sun slowly, very slowly, dimming. All the while hoping this was the right way- toward Aralia.