There are some things in life that will never change.
Like how the Government Assembly is cruel and heartless. ("the government assembly" ew) How they kill innocent people without slightest reason or hesitation. How they starve Brinkan to death, and baby the other Fields. How, no matter how comfortable a Field you live in, they force you into The Quest.
It's funny how they say Kandar used to be separate land masses called continents. Seven of them, I think. (oh, i forgot that this is supposedly the world in the future. how original.) Each with their own different countries, each with their own different rulers. That was before World War III. We don't know much about the first two- which continents were involved, who won- but we do know World War III consisted of every single one. Every continent. Every country. Every city. All at war until many years later, and they all forgot where they came from, who their ancestry was. (how??) They say after more than five generations passed, they came together, having forgotten why they were fighting in the first place, and the Government Assembly rose to its ruling power. To "protect" us from any future wars about one another. (that's not how wars work, but okay.)
The Government Assembly grouped us together into the three Fields: Brinkan, Cassem, and Zure. (so... you still separated them.) They filled the gaps of water between each continent with land, so we could all be one. (wouldn't that... kill the earth?) The northernmost tip of the globe, an area known as the Tundra, was destroyed, and the Government Assembly rebuilt a more substantial habitat to live in. (breaking the laws of nature. nice.) And then there was Kandar.
The Government Assembly is the only Field to wield Magic, a deadly substance used for evil deeds- killing people, teleporting the Contestants of The Quest to Nowhere. I always wonder- now, don't laugh- if Magic could be used for good. I know, crazy, right? But what if? (i hate it when my characters talk to the reader. what is this?)
I, being a Brinkani, have the trademark Brinkan looks: straight, jet black hair, black irises that make my eyes look like two huge pupils, and deathly pale skin. (oh, so she's basically everyone in twilight.) At sixteen, I'm very lucky I haven't been called for The Quest yet, as so many people before me have.
What is The Quest, you ask? (no, i didn't ask.) Well, a death trap set up by the Government Assembly, if you must know. Every year, three people –aging from fifteen to forty- from each Field are chosen at random to go on this journey. But I don't know why they call it a quest. After all, quests are supposed to be driven by some meaningful cause, like saving someone's life. Or so I've read in old fairytale stories. But this is nothing of the sort. The Government Assembly tells us that the people that survive The Quest immediately gain a position in the Government Assembly. That is their supposed meaningful cause. But, seeing as nobody survives, their offer is just a myth.
The nine Contestants are set in what used to be Antarctica, the coldest continent. But the Government Assembly rebuilt it. (how do you rebuild a climate...?) It's now called Nowhere. Feared by all. Nowhere is a place that ranges from high mountain peaks to low valleys; from chilling temperatures to steaming ones; dotted with forests and deserts, meadows and prairies, from sunshine to blizzards; and you never know what kind of monsters are hiding in the caves and depths- all under the control of the Government Assembly. Each year we watch all nine Contestants get eaten by monsters, freeze to death, drown, or burn to ashes.
Each Contestant is given a fake name, because the Government Assembly doesn't want Brinkani to hear a Zurite or Cassemite name and use it later. (what?) Because since they broadcast this whole thing on TV and radio, all of Brinkan could quickly learn names. The worst part is you have to listen to the Government Assembly commentating. All of them, sitting on couches lazily, laughing and shrieking at the people falling over dead.
My beloved father, Paps, was a Contestant on The Quest when I was seven, and, of course, died. (paps?) Nobody knows how, though- the Government Assembly never found his body. Or so they say. His fake name was Harnish, and he's famous to all of Kandar as the only Brinkani to be the last survivor on The Quest. That's him. Aaron "Harnish" Dunstan. My Paps.
My mother died that day, we got the news Father died. Not physically, but mentally. (hunger games, anyone?) Her brain just stopped working. So she stopped working. She wouldn't get out of bed unless my siblings and I made her to go eat, or bathe, or just getting her up to move her stiff muscles. This went on for a long time, a couple of years or so, until Mother finally began slowly making her way from her room to the table all by herself. Shiva, my nine year-old sister, was very happy at this, but I saw no need to celebrate. This was no improvement. Drake, my twelve year-old brother, and I still were the ones working our tails off so we could get a few slices of stale leftover bread from the bakery to feed out starving family. And what made things worse was Cole.
Cole is seventeen now, and for eight years now, he's been sick with the Unknown Disease.
(care for any more info-dumping? because here it comes.)
The Unknown Disease is named for its unknown cure. Many Brinkani have suffered from it. Your eyes go dilated and turn grey, and you can't see anything anymore. You have fevers that make your temperature rise up and down quickly, not staying at any particular temperature for longer than a few minutes. You go mute. Your arms and legs go limp, they become useless; you can't work, you can't think straight, and sometimes, the Unknown Disease drives you insanely mad.
Eight years. For eight years Cole has suffered. And there isn't anything to do about it except hope he isn't picked to be a Contestant. He'd be dead for sure. And I don't want to watch him die.
I come home from mowing Cassemite lawns, and see Drake coming around the corner, from work at the mines. He's covered from head to toe in dirt and dust, and his pickaxe is slung over his shoulder. He looks so tired. As he should be. I would be, too, if I spent the day working hard for little to no money. (but... you actually do?)
Before I call out to him, though, Shiva comes running out from our tiny apartment. She tackles him. "Drake!" She yells over and over, hugging him like she hasn't seen him for weeks. I grin as Drake roars and pretends to be a monster chasing her. He picks her up and playfully shakes her in the air, tossing her around as if she were as light as a feather. He's so tired, but still makes room for playtime with Shiva, who doesn't even know how hard he works. (i could've made this about three different paragraphs, but whatever. little mckenna doesn't care about your grammatical standards.)
Then she turns and sees me. "Mara!" She screeches, laughing and running into my arms. "Save me from the mean old monster!"
I hug her close and laugh too, saying, "You'd better run, because I'm a mean old monster, too!"
Drake and I chase her around the street, and finally, when Shiva has had enough, she sits on the cracked pavement and lets out a huge breath of air. "Guess what? I have good news!"
"What's that?" Drake sits next to Shiva, but she plops herself on his lap and starts bouncing around. I smile and sit next to them.
"I learned a new song today." She pants, still red in the face from running around. "To sing to Mother."
"To what?" I jump up. (why's that a big deal?)
"Sing to Mother." Shiva didn't have the slightest idea that this was huge news, and didn't say anything further, as if those three words just explained it all. When she sees my confused face, she adds, "She wanted me to."
"How do you know?" Drake seems excited too.
"Oh, she asked me to again." Shiva giggles.
"Again?" Drake and I say at the same time
"Yeah," Shiva is still bouncing around in Drake's lap, even though she is tired from running. "This is the third time!"
"Why didn't you tell us?" I ask.
"Why did you just tell us now?" Drake tickles her ribs, and she bursts out laughing.
"Because today I learned a new song to sing to her." Shiva says.
I am really mad at Shiva for not telling us such big news, but Drake is calm and cool, as usual. "And what song is that?"
"It's an old nursery rhyme." Shiva explains. "It's called Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." She tilts her head to the side. "Do you want to learn it?"
"I already know it." ." I say, anxious to get inside. I remember the old days when Paps taught me that little song, while I curled up in his arms. I try to keep the tear I feel forming inside me, and I manage to keep it from coming out.
"Really?" Shiva grins broadly. "Can you sing it to me? I want to hear someone besides just me to sing."
I remember that Shiva had never heard Paps singing to us. She was born a few days after he left on The Quest. "I will tonight, for bedtime." I promise.
"Okay." Shiva hops up.
(i hate how much i loved useless dialogue back in the day. i hope i've gotten better about that since then.)
Drake and I stand, both sore from working today. We exchange worried glances and I say gently, "Shiva, next time Mother does something, please tell us."
"Okay." She doesn't feel the anxious pressure Drake and I are feeling.
We rush inside to our floor, the second floor. Usually Drake and I have a hard time climbing the old broken stairs, but today there is a reason to come home, instead of dragging ourselves up to see a mentally dead Mother and a sick brother, who have been counting on a little nine year-old to feed and dress them and clean the house all day. No protection.
I open the door slowly to see Mother taking careful steps to the stove. She opens the door of the stove and takes out... bread. My jaw flies open. Mother is cooking dinner? (idk, i just don't see why i need to feel emotions over this. i sure didn't do a good job making me care about any of this.)
"Hello, Mother!" Shiva runs to her and gives her a huge hug once she sets the bread down. "I told Drake and Mara about how I learned Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star today!"
"Did they?" Escaped from my Mother's dry, cracked lips.
"Mother." Drake says.
"You can talk." I say, even though I know it was a dumb thing to say. Of course she could talk, she just chose not to.
"And cook." Drake says.
"What if you got hurt?" I am suddenly aware of my surroundings. (hurt... talking? and cooking?) A mother who is baking bread when she couldn't even walk a few days ago. (how do you know she wasn't walking days ago? she's apparently been talking and stuff without you knowing.) A brother laying up sick in bed. A nine year-old who is the only one capable of doing anything around the house while Drake and I are gone.
"Of course." Mother says, her expression lighting up a little bit since Shiva came in. "Surprised?"
Drake and I don't even say anything. We can't. Finally Drake says, "So... so you can do things?"
"Yes. Thanks to Shiva." Mother actually smiles. The last time I saw her smile was when Paps said he wanted to see her smile before he left for The Quest, and she forced herself to smile through her tears.
"I helped her talk and eat and cook and walk until she could just do it on her own!" Shiva smiles, proud of herself. "Mother said not to say anything about it, because she wanted to surprise you!" (ah yes, of course, let's mentally torture our children just so surprise them!) When she realizes she actually did tell us, she blushes. "Oops. Sorry." She tells Mother.
Mother smiles even bigger.
I just gape. Drake seems to recover quickly, but I hear the shakiness in his voice. "How long have you been at it?"
"A few weeks." Mother sits down wearily. "You two have been the head of this house long enough. Only twelve and sixteen! Cooking, cleaning, hunting, taking care of me, Shiva, and Cole! Is that a way for a Mother to treat her children? To back away from her responsibilities? Not one bit."
"Mother, all that matters is that you're back." Drake hugs her.
I smile a little, littler and littler, though, until it's gone. Mother hasn't spoken to me in literally years. I haven't really spoken to her in literally years. So it's very awkward even looking at her- she's back. She can walk, talk, cook, and eat on her own now, without us forcing her out of bed. She still has that hollowness in her brown eyes. I can't bring myself to talk to her. It's making me remember my childhood too well, after all these years of silence. I don't like it.
We eat dinner, consisting of the loaf of bread Mother made and some cheese Shiva made today from the cow. Then I get Shiva into bed and tell her I will be back to tuck her in.
I walk outside slowly, the now cold air pinching at my nose. It feels like icicles going down my back. I have to check to see if the Letter has come.
The Letter is something the Government Assembly sends out to the people who are to be a Contestant on The Quest. It usually comes out today. If there isn't an envelope in the mailbox, we'll be safe for yet another year. (i love info dumping, wow. stellar writing.)
I gingerly open the mailbox, scared to look in. And there... there sits a small green envelope. With Cole's name on it.
(dun dun dun...
well, there's chapter one. see how it's literally the hunger games? love that for us.
the next few chapters get worse and even more boring, though. don't you worry!)