2084

Rats

The activists say the one thing that kept them from kicking us out years ago was the fact that they needed us for balance, I say bullshit. They could wipe us all out if they wanted to and no one would blink an eye, but I suppose it would be really hard to replace an entire community or would it?. Maybe they left us alone cause we were no threat at all; my people lacked interest in everything, I doubt they could stage a rebellion half of us are too selfish to give up our lives for someone else. Or maybe we proved to be the biggest threat, most people here had little or nothing to live for, they would go into war without hesitation it didn't matter to them. Or we were an asset cause we had no loyalties to anyone and we could be easily recruited by anyone in battle and the activists were pretty sure we would be on thier side, the rats followed who ever provided the food.
    My father who was the only realist with a seat in the counsel was given a seat just so they'd have access to us whenever they could and cause they needed someone to deal with the rats, apparently they weren't willing to get thier hands dirty ironic, considering how blood stained those hands are my dad was a former war veteran turned war veteran. He fought well during the war he held our quarter for 3 weeks under the worst conditions. It was under siege and the weather was cold, the snow storms were never ending if the freedom fighters had broken the defense the outcome of the war would have been really different. The activists weren't aware of this fact until my dad mentioned it, and it was too late to send recruits. He mobilized the few men willing to fight there were less than a thousand of them. compared to the freedom fighters men, who seemed to multiply each week. Severely outnumbered they still fought on, thier entire defense had  rested on the fort and walls that had been present in the quarter even before the war. They held the fort till the activists were able to send troops. After risking his life and nearly dieing during the bloody siege as most people referred to it, all he wanted was retirement. And how do they repay him, they put him in charge of the worst quarter in the entire state the war was won but in the end  there wasn't much left to celebrate. The walls crumbled, the blood was everywhere and the broken people left were forced to carry the dead bodies to the hill for burning. The good houses left were very few the rest were patched up and assigned to the remaining people. Our quarter is a nightmare that came to life. There's always ash on the streets and it seems like something or someone was always getting burnt, fires break out regularly the water supply is terrible and it's worse when it rains or snows.

My father was easily the richest rat so it wasn't unusual when other children started picking on me,they believed I didn't deserve to be called one of them cause I lived in a big house and had a servant entitled to me; the house was nothing fancy three rooms a library and  good water supply and it's far away from the inner quarter where the conditions were worst, the thick smell of rotting flesh which was common in the inner quarter didn't really get to us. My father visited there everyday and tried to help as much as possible. Most people hated him but alot of them liked and respected him or they acted like they did, the rats also loves the one that feeds them.

   I always walked to school alone except for our helper ivy, she was born in what the former world used to call middle east, she was dark skinned with big beautiful brown eyes and thick black curly long hair, sadly she never spoke so we gave her her present name. I always told her everything that bothered me, mostly because I knew she wouldn't speak and there was no one else to talk to. My dad was always too busy and my mum; well I never met her. My father doesn't speak of her, I try to figure out what happened to her maybe the war took her or maybe she died before I still do not know.
Ivy served as both helper and guard, she was pretty strong and fast like a female assassin or soldier. I know this because she once fought off a gang of thieves that attacked on my way back from my usual drug errand for my father, she fought with a knife laced with  some kind of tranquilizer or poison used for animals. I didn't understand why the men fell down few minutes after the knife sliced them until I asked my father and he explained to me .

When I got to the gate of the school she followed me in,and as usual the murmuring started, we found our way to the class and I went in and Ivy took her usual position by the door.I walked to my seat and dropped my things, the class was noisy as always and everyone seemed to be happy to see themselves except, no one talked to me.
I Sat down and brought out  the
Book I was reading two girls with dark hair walked towards me,I knew them very well Don and Renee best friends or sisters no one knew all I knew is they tried to make my very existence a living hell

"Look who's in school today, heard you got robbed" renee said
"we were kinda hoping the thieves  got to you" Don added

I didn't look up my head was down and I tried as hard as I could to pretend I was engrossed in my book;usually they ignored me when I did this but today they kept on talking I tried not to listen and still kept my head down. Renee obviously angered by my silence pushed my book off the table I looked up confused, she looked like she wanted to start a fight I usually avoided this type of thing but it seemed like me staying away from trouble wasn't enough to keep it away. she was about to hit me and I was prepared to take the blow and be done with it but, she was stopped by Don who pointed at Ivy, she was watching in her usual silence ready to strike if anything happened to me. Renee sighed in frustration and spat
"you're spineless! just so you know she won't always be here here to save you".
I sighed in relief, I knew what she said about Ivy was true but  was I glad she was here this time. I picked up my book as the teacher walked  in and I tried to act like the incident never happened .
  My mind wondered off as it usually did in school there was no point of all this we were never going to use this skill anyway or at least I wasn't.