You had lived among these people for nearly four days. Every single day was the same. You woke up and were left to sit in a chair and listen to people talk about anything they wanted. Not only were you slightly disturbed with how cultish everything was, but every day you were counting down until you were 18 and free. 40 days. For now, you had no access to your bank accounts or whatever your mother had left for you, but it would all be yours soon.
That Ainsley kid seemed nice. You rarely actually spoke to him, he just floated around you when you were out of your room. This vegan diet was good, but you were lacking in proteins, which they didn't offer any substitutes for. Since you had arrived, there had been a party nearly every evening in celebration.
People would be waking up for their morning chores soon. You had been pretty much left to wake up whenever you wanted, just like 'Father Carlisle'. But you didn't like that very much, because unless you woke up on your own, then you'd be practically swarmed with 'followers' until you went to bed.
Your phone alarm went off for 5am. You turned it off and glanced at the screen. 27% left. You would have to find a way to charge it. It'd been four days of only using it for alarms and it was already at 27%. There was no electricity in the commune, so you were trying to figure out a plan. That's partially where the plan to get into town came from.
You dressed yourself up in nice warm clothing. It was getting colder by the day, with temperatures dropping past freezing every night, but you were warm in your big house.
You snuck out the front door, glancing every which way for anyone who could possibly see you. You slipped down the path ways, staying close to the buildings and keeping an eye out. When one of the houses opened its front door, you ducked behind one of the other nearby houses so the person couldn't see you. You had to make it to the fields before anyone else got there.
A day before, you had been shown this really pretty area near the fields, where the wall around the commune opened up just a bit for a small waterfall to trickle into the crops. It was quite lovely, and rather smart on the side of the commune. You could only guess how lovely it would be as the sun came up.
You finally made it to the part of the massive wall that encased rows and rows of crops. The sun was starting to turn the sky a brilliant shade of orange. The geese flew high in the sky, heading south for the winter. You couldn't help but smile at them. Geese were some angry mother fuckers, but they sure were pretty from afar. You snuck across the walkways surrounding the crops. In the furthermost wall there was a break. The mountain standing over the commune was beautiful. Not too tall, and facing the east so the sun rose and cast its shadow into the forests rather than on the crops.
The waterfall was gushing, as it usually did. The wall was cut out perfectly to allow the waterfall to wash into the small rivers between rows of crops with raised beds for specific crops.
A wheelbarrow sat near one of the rows of crops with a blanket draped over it. It looked like the perfect spot to sit and watch the waterfall. You glanced at the rushing water as you approached the wheelbarrow. The water was very pretty, especially reflecting the sunlight into the commune before the sun hit the crops itself.
Ainsley was awake and ready, having spent the better part of another night staring at his ceiling. He headed down the walkways towards Father Carlisle's house. He wondered what the two of you would get into today. He was enjoying being at your side, even though you never really looked at him. That was fine, you were a god, you were busy with more pressing matters. He couldn't expect to distract you from saving their souls. He glanced at the path towards the fields, seeing a figure in the distance near the waterfall.
You sat down in the tipped wheelbarrow, resting into the cold metal gently. But there was something poking your back, like a small brick. Maybe a sack of potatoes or something. You stood up and lifted the blanket. It was certainly not a sack of potatoes.
A shriek rang out through the air, making Ainsley jolt. It came from the fields. The guard didn't hesitate to bolt down the walk ways. As he approached, he realised it was the Paragon, fallen to your knees with a hand over your mouth as you stared into a tipped over wheelbarrow. Tears were already falling down your cheeks as you choked out sobs. Ainsley almost fell over repeatedly with how fast he was darting to your side.
"Are you okay!? What happened!?" He threw his arms over you protectively, and followed your broken gaze to the wheelbarrow.
Now half laying on the ground, half in the tipped over wheelbarrow, was the small, blueish body of an infant. It looked as though it had frozen to death. Ainsley immediately stood between you and the itty bitty corpse, trying to shield you from the sight. One hand on your shoulders, pulling you into his chest and the other on your cheek.
"Come on," he urged in a soft voice. "Come on, let's go get help. We'll go get someone, let's get you inside." You were shaking badly, frozen and shaking, but Ainsley did his best to guide you. He stayed in front of you, walking backwards as he guided you towards the houses of the commune. Members who had heard the shriek were approaching in a panicked state.
You were left in your room as Ainsley got Father Carlisle. By then, most of the commune was surrounding the baby corpse in the field.
"Tend to YN," Father Carlisle commanded as he stood at the beginning of the sloping walkway to the fields.
"But-"
"I said go." His tone was rather angry. Ainsley knew not to fight. This was a tragedy. And you were the one to find it. What luck.
You paced back and forth in your room. Time was flipping by uncomfortably. Something had to be done. You grabbed your phone to call the police or something. You clicked the button over and over again. Your phone screen wasn't turning on, only showing the flashing grey outline of a battery. It was dead dead, and it wasn't turning on. Fuck.
Your bedroom door opened, and your guard slipped in. Ainsley worriedly approached you, rubbing his hands together as his stomach did flips.
"Are you okay? We're taking care of it, everything is going to be okay." You sat on your bed, your dead phone in your hand as Ainsley stood over you. "Um... Would you like to go to the library? I can get you a book, or some painting supplies, perhaps?"
He was desperately trying to find something for you to do that would take your mind off of everything. But then it hit you. A sudden perfect idea. You didn't want to take advantage of such an awful situation. The feeling of accidentally touching the infant was lingering in your mind, but for both of your sakes, you had to do what you could.
"We can go to the library?" you asked, barely hiding the wavering panic and excitement. He nodded.
"Yes, Father Carlisle allows everyone to use his personal library. And-" You rolled your eyes. If you could get to the library in the city, you could maybe charge your phone and contact some form of authority. The plan was forming in your head faster than you could come up with the words.
"Ainsley," you said, your eyes furrowing slightly. Hopefully this plan would work. It had to. "Why don't we go to the library in town?" His eyes widened.
"Excuse me? The nearest town is, like, a mile away. And Father Carlisle would never approve, you know. I can't-"
"Why?" You stood up, suddenly in his face. The boy was thrown off, taking an anxious step back as you were merely inches from him. "Why can't we? I'm the paragon." The word formed in your throat like a stone you had to cough up.
"Well, of course you are. But-"
"I want to go to town." You turned around and crossed your arms over your chest. "I'm supposed to save the world, but I can't know the world I'm supposed to save as the paragon? It seems useless." Ainsley felt his stomach cramping, the last day of food threatening to come back. "I demand you take me to town."
Ainsley couldn't say no to you. He just couldn't. You were a god, for the paragon's sake. Your argument was sound... in a way. It didn't need to make sense to him, he was meant to protect you, but Father Carlisle would kill him.
Your nails were digging into your sides as you stared down your appointed protector. You had to focus to make sure you seemed strong and confident. If he could see you shaking the way you were, he would be able to see through your bullshit and say no. Ainsley forced some air into his lungs.
"Fine, okay," he sighed, his eyes on the floor. "I'll ask Caleb to drive us to town." You grinned, your stomach still spinning in anxiety. As he stepped out, you slipped your dead phone in your pocket. You needed this to work.
Caleb seemed annoyed if not angry, but nevertheless, he was a follower of the Paragon. You and Ainsley sat in the backseat as he drove you through the empty country roads. You entered the town through a small street with several businesses that looked empty. As you leapt out of the van onto the sidewalk, Caleb rolled down his window.
"I'll be back for you at sundown," he said in a gruff voice. You nodded and started off in a direction, Ainsley following behind. His commune robes stood out in the street. There was almost no one around, but the few who were out stared directly at him. The poor boy followed you close behind as you looked around. Just down the street around the corner from where Caleb dropped you off, there was a sign in the centre of the road.
STREET CLOSED FOR FESTIVAL
You shrugged. Apparently there was a festival happening on the street. You looked back and forth, seeing what looked like people putting together floats and food stands. You had to stay focused, there was a mission at hand. Then your eye caught the large sign.
CHELBA PUBLIC LIBRARY
You darted down the street, almost forgetting Ainsley was behind you. He ran after you, his eyebrows furrowed. He hadn't seen such floats before. He hadn't left the commune in years. He felt almost naked amongst the outsiders, his clothing looking so incredibly different. You opened the door to the library, holding it open for Ainsley to slip in. You glanced at him, rubbing his hands together and trying to remain calm. He was failing badly.
You went to the librarian, who was an older man balding on top. He wore a dark green v-neck sweater and large squarish glasses frames. You tapped the desk twice, making him sit up and look at you.
"Do you guys have mobile device charging stations?" The librarian glanced at you, then to Ainsley who stood beside you, looking at the ceiling and floor. Nothing had changed since he had been there years prior with the other children, and yet it all seemed so different. The lights felt brighter, the sound of people walking around upstairs, the buzzing of the things plugged into the walls. What was all this?
"You guys aren't those cult deprogrammers, are you?" he asked. "We can't let you use the conference rooms anymore after last time, like, legally." You scrunched up your face in confusion.
"What? No. I just need to use a charger." He pointed to a wall covered in phone chargers of all types next to a series of tables. You walked over, with Ainsley close behind, and found a plug that matched your phone. Ainsley sat at one of the tables as you looked him over. You looked him over, anxious and wearing weird cult clothes. "Give me a second, I'll be right back." He opened his mouth to protest but you were already walking away.
You walked over to the library lost and found, finding six right handed gloves, two hats, multiple socks, a pair of boots, and a big brown coat lined in fur. You grabbed the coat and rushed back to Ainsley.
"Put it on," you commanded. He hesitated, but slipped his arms into the sleeves. "We can't have everyone asking if you're a cult member."
"What's a cult?" he asked. You glanced at him and opened your mouth before closing it quickly. There was no real way to explain this to him. He grew up like this, this was just life. How do you explain? You just rolled your eyes.
"I'll explain later. I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." He stood up.
"Can't I come with you?" he asked. He didn't like being left alone in such an unknown world. He knew nothing of what was around him, and as much as you seemed more comfortable, he needed to keep you safe.
"No," you said. "I need you to stay here and protect my phone." He hesitantly sat back down, twiddling his thumbs in his spot. You walked over to the front desk and whispered to the librarian. "Can you give me directions to the nearest police station?" The librarian nodded and wrote it down on a small piece of paper. "And hey, keep your eye on him." You pointed towards Ainsley, who was staring at his own hands and bouncing his left leg. The library grumbled something quietly. "Don't worry, I don't think he's gonna go anywhere, just... you know."
Ainsley looked around at the walls. They were all a pale beige colour, except for one down the hall where he could see the children's area. There were a couple small kids sitting in a circle, all listening to a woman dressed in a red afro wig, a big red fake nose, and white face paint. The woman read a page then honked her nose, making a loud noise. All the children giggled to themselves. It looked so fun, Ainsley couldn't feel the dumb grin on his face.
Ainsley wanted to go sit in the circle. He wanted to go listen to the story with the children. He glanced at your phone charging beside him. No, no. He had to protect your phone like you told him to. He had to stay put. He couldn't hear the story the woman was telling, but he could hear the honking of her nose and the giggling of the children. He just kept glancing back and forth between them and your phone.
The station was only a street over and a couple blocks down. You burst through the front doors and past a hooker in handcuffs to the front desk. Behind the desk stood a tall man with cropped blonde hair in his uniform red coat. You slammed your hand down on the desk, making the officer jump.
"I gotta report a death."
*****
Don't forget to vote and comment. Have a nice day.