Broken

Chapter Six

One week ago

/"You just aren't good at your multiplication facts. Admit it."

The words stung and I clenched my teeth.

"I'm the best at school."

"You WERE the best. I'm sure there are many more people better than you now."

"I just can't do it on the spot! I'm not like that!"

"YOU SHOULD be able to. You should know them just like that." Mom snapped her fingers.

"I need time to think."

"I asked you seven times six, and you said 49."

"Because I know you won't stop saying 7 times 6 until I said a number!"

"Ariadne Lillian Thorn! You're absolutely unbearable! You're ungrateful, unwilling to learn, and can't contain information that girls your age should be able to!"

My paper crinkled as my fist closed around a corner.

When was she going to understand that I couldn't do everything?

"I got straight A's in college, you know that? One B in Physiology. It was because I knew my multiplication facts at age five, and I was doing this in third grade. I competed. I won."

My insides boiled with anger at this betrayal. My own mother, choosing my path for me.

The day after

"Can't believe you've lost all your information on percentages! I TAUGHT YOU THIS!"

"I can't contain information forever. Especially with algebra practically going against my existence."

She took out a new page and scribbled her nonsense all over it, all her words going through one ear, and out the other.

"Can you do it now?"

"Yes." I lied. I wanted her to go away at this point.

"Make up ten problems for you to solve about percents. Be sure to make them challenging. I'll come check."

I still had an Algebra page to do, and now ten percentage problems too?

Yup. Not happening. I'm not a puppet.

"Add Bureaucrat to you spelling list. You misspelled it."

"Add Camaraderie to your spelling list, you spelled it wrong, then and add ten more new words."/

I didn't realize my fist had already closed over a stone before my arm was in motion. I chucked the rock into one of the columns, where the rock busted into smithereens.

Shyanna jerked awake.

I painted heavily, sucking my emotions back in.

"Ari?" Shyanna put a hand on my shoulder.

"Im-" I forced my tone down to calm. "I'm fine. I just... threw obsidian. It's really brittle, so it broke easily."

"Well, your wrist is okay."

I looked down at my wrist and rolled it around a few times.

"That's good."

I looked up at the pale gray sky.

"We should get going." I helped Shyanna up. "We need to find a knife to cut the bands on that."

I gestured to the katana.

"We also need to find a shower."

I lifted a strand of my short hair. It looked absolutely horrid.

"Mine's worse." Shyanna tried to maneuver her fingers through the little knots, but her long hair only tangled.

We ran out of the crumbling manor and started wandering aimlessly.

"Do you have any food?"

"No."

"Water?"

"No."

We both scavenged through abandoned shops, not nessiarily stealing, more like surviving, living off the Asian store we found.

"The red bean mochi is interesting." Shyanna commented.

"I'm telling you, eat the ubae bread. Yes, it's a yam, but it's delicious."

"Your taste buds are going haywire from the lack of food."

"No they're not! I've eaten this for years! Mom gets them whenever we come here."

Shyanna took a bite out of one of the purple- filled rolls. "They're not heavenly like you say."

"They are too! Please pass the Pocky now."

"Which flavor?"

"Strawberry."

She passed me the box.

"Have you tried the salted egg chips yet?"

"Excuse me?"

"Nevermind."

I sucked on a brown sugar boba drink. We had found instant boba packets.

The water from my hair ran down my neck, soaking my collar. We'd found a sink, and figured that we should at least rinse out hair off.

I unwrapped a strawberry mochi and bit it. The sweetened bean paste inside did have an interesting taste.

I grabbed a nearby cloth bag.

"Fill it with anything that won't spoil, unless you plan to eat it tomorrow. Take the water too."

Shyanna raided the candy section while I took all the snacks that we were actually familiar with, or willing to try. I also DID NOT give the store an ubae bread shortage.

Okay yes I did.

I also took the boba tea packets, and all the strawberry mochi.

What? Just living live to the fullest.

Shyanna came running back with an armful of Pocky, Yan- Yans, Hello Panda and whatever else in a whole nother bag.

We also stole another bag and all the store's bottled water.

"How are we gonna carry this?"

I set one bag on each of Shyanna s shoulders, then threaded her katana under the straps.

Then, I slung the last bag over my head and positioned it to go diagonal across my body.

"There. And both of our hands are free."

I walked towards the entrance, gazing at the vibrant lights of what was left of our city below against the night sky.

It was too dangerous to go back.

Me and Shyanna had to find a way to survive.