Beyond The Ember
S.R. Harris
Lina and Doon were still looking around in awe. They'd never realised how beautiful the world would be once they got above ground. Their new source of light shone brightly.
Poppy, who looked content enough, munching on the grass, was staring down at the shimmering water below them. Lina didn't know if it was safe, but she left it. It probably was and she was just over reacting.
"What did the message say?" Lina asked Doon who was making his way down the slightly tilted cliff they were on.
"I don't know, I can't remember," he replied with a shrug.
"Come on Doon."
"Why? Why do you want to know?" he snapped, looking at her with a harsh glare.
"B...because I want to know," she stuttered back, surprised at Doon's sudden change in emotion.
"Look, I'm sorry for snapping, I'm just...I don't know what to feel at the moment. Everything's new. The message I sent just said we'd made it to the top and to not worry about us yet."
"It's okay. Is that all?"
He smiled. "Yeah, and I asked if there was any way of them being able to get up here without our help."
Lina sighed and walked over to Poppy who had moved on to eating the dirt. "Poppy! Don't. It could still be contaminated." She decided it was better safe than sorry and picked her up, hoisting her onto her hip.
"Wait, what do you mean, contaminated?" Doon asked, surprised etched into his features. Lina was shocked.
"No one ever told you about why Ember was built in the first place? Why the Builder's decided to build underground?"
"No?" Doon replied with a shake of the head.
"Really?"
"Really. Care to explain?
"Well, I only know what my parents told me, but here goes," she started.
"Around 200 years ago, everybody lived on Earth. Like aboveground. Everyone was happy. Civilisation thrived and there was enough food and resources for everyone to survive. They thought the wars had stopped. But they were wrong. Terrorist organisation," Lina said, using her fingers to emphasise her point, "whatever that is. My dad didn't get to finish explaining."
"But anyway, a terrorist organisation was planning a massive nuclear explosion. American officials, who we know as the Builders, caught wind of what was going to happen and began building a new life underground. "
Lina took a breath and looked over at Doon who was listening intently.
She continued. "While the officials were devising the plan for the underground world, they alerted many families about what was to happen. The families all agreed very quickly to moving underground because they knew it would be safer. The officials told them quietly, fearful that if the terrorist organisation found out, it would be disastrous for them. Millions and millions of people died because they had no idea. And the officials only just made it underground. To the world that they made our home."
Doon held up his hands for her to stop even though she most likely had more to tell. While Lina had been talking, all of three of them had sat down. Poppy had found a flower and was pulling off the petals.
"Wait a second. Hold up. All this happened around 200 years ago? What about that box? What's the got to do with all of this?"
Lina breathed in and started talking again. "The answer's yes to the first question and I was getting to-"
"Did you hear that?" Doon interrupted, getting up quickly.
"Hear what?" Lina questioned, standing up too. Poppy had been sitting on her lap but was now on her hip again.
"It sounded like a thump. Let's go check the entrance." Doon hurried with Poppy and Lina behind him.
"Why the entrance?"
"Why not?" Doon replied with a smile.
Lina giggled and ran up beside him, the thump getting louder and louder as they got closer to the hole. Doon reached it first and looked straight down.
"Be careful!" Lina scolded.
He laughed. "Quick Lina! Come here."
Lina put Poppy down, grabbed her hand and ran. Poppy got the idea and ran with her.
"What is it?" Lina asked.
"Look down."
Lina did was she was told, and looked down, adjusting her eyes to the darkness below. When she could finally see clearly, she immediately recognised what it was. "What's it doing here?"
"I don't know but look, it's coming closer."
Doon looked over to Lina with a massive smile on his face. "The writing. It looks like my dad's. He must have received the note."
When it reached the entrance, Doon helped it up and sat it down on the grass. The note was flapping in the slight breeze.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Lina cooed. Its wings were caught in the harness Doon had put on it only few days before. Lina unhooked them and the note fell to the ground. Lina picked it up and opened it.
"It's so fluffy," Poppy squealed, touching the faint black and gold fur. Lina and Doon both looked at her and laughed.
"Alright. Poppy, can you stay here for me?" Lina asked gently. The little girl nodded, satisfied by patting the creature.
Doon and Lina made their way over to a rock that was large enough for both of them to sit on.
"What's it say?" Doon asked, as eager as ever.
Lina laughed. "Well, I've already read it. Do you want me to read it to you or you read on your own?"
"For starters, you talk too fast. So I think it'll be a better idea if I read it myself," Doon chuckled.
Lina reached over to Doon, handing him the note.
But he didn't have enough grip on it. It slipped out of his hand, the breeze lifting it off the rock and over.
"Doon!" Lina cried.
"It's okay! I'll get it." Doon jumped up and over the rock. He disappeared from Lina's sight. "Uh Lina? Come here for a second."
She rushed over, seeing Doon about one metre down the cliff on a landing. Her jaw dropped, afraid for Doon's safety. "Uh...um, what are you doing?" she said, worry coating her voice.
"Lina, chill. It's okay. The note fell down here, so I had to get it. But look." He swept his arm around, causing Lina to look around.
For the first time, Lina actually saw. She saw the mountains. She saw the green trees and the harsh countryside. And finally, she noticed the river. It was huge. It wound around the mountains, the water shimmering in the sun.
"Here," Doon said, stretching out his hands. "Jump."
"Oh, no. I'm okay thanks."
"Come on Lina, we'll be down here for five minutes at most," Doon almost cooed.
Lina shook her head but jumped anyway. She landed in Doon's arms. He put her on her feet. The look from there was just as breathtaking from where she'd been previously. Her mouth was still the O shape, both from awe and shock.
"Wait, is this a river or a lake?" Lina asked.
"I don't know that for sure yet. But if we read what this note says," Doon said, shaking the paper in his hand, "we might be able to check it out."
"Pass me the note," Lina said, outstretching her hand.
"Why?"
"Because last time you had it, you really didn't. I don't want you to die by falling down a cliff trying to get it back because you dropped it again."
Doon handed her the note. "Read it to me."
Lina took a breath. "Okay. Here goes. Dear Lina and Doon, it's Loris. I just want to say congratulations. Well done. Down here, the whole city's going crazy. The blackouts are getting longer and longer. Our food and water might only last us 6 months at the most. We're running out. It's hell here. Without a mayor, we've got no one to run the city. We've resorted to voting on three of the most eligible men here. That includes me.
What we really need you to do is to find another way out. Can you do that? The way out you guys took was only ever going to happen once.
Lina, I talked to Clary and she informed me about the man that you both saw when you gave her a message. Do we know where he came from? Because, I think Clary mentioned something about him going on about the outside world. If we can find out if he did, then you both might be in luck. If you can find out which way on the outside, the greenhouse is, then you might be able to work out a way.
Get back to me as soon as you can. Send Ash back to me, he understands words. Attach the note to his harness and he'll find his way back to me.
Hope all is well and you guys can find some way to live without me for a while. ;)
Loris." Lina read it out slowly, looking at Doon every once in a while.
He laughed. "God, I miss him. I didn't think I would. But I really do," Doon said shakily, as if worried his voice would break.
Lina moved over to him and hugged him. "We'll get them out," she whispered. "I promise."
"I know. I just want him out now. Okay, for starters, we need to get back to Poppy."
Lina nodded. "Yes. Let's. Can you, uh, help me up?" she asked with a worried voice.
Doon laughed. "Yes. I will."
After they were both up, they walked over to where Poppy had been sitting. But she wasn't there. "Poppy!" Lina called out suddenly worried that she'd gone over the edge.
"Li, chill. She's right here." Doon was holding her; she had another flower in her hand.
Lina breathed a sigh of relief. "Poppy you can't do that."
They all laughed about it before they sat down on the grass. Doon sat Poppy aside, next to him.
"So, what do we write back?" Lina questioned.
"I'll do it. There are some, uh, private things I, uh, want to say." Doon snatched the letter from Lina, and walked away over to the rock again.
"Don't fall down!" Lina called jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. She didn't hear anything as a reply. "Hey Pop, you wanna go for a walk?"
Poppy nodded her head and stood up.
The walk they took around was beautiful. The trees were green and so was the grass. Poppy fell over a few times but quickly got back up again. Lina laughed and looked around. The sky was blue without clouds and the water shimmered, making the rays of sun reflect back up on to Lina.
"Lina!"
She turned around, expecting to see no one but the rock Doon was on. But Doon was there, running towards her. "Yeah?"
"Find a rock for me? We should send it down now."
"Yeah, okay. Pop! Let's go find a rock." Lina ran over to Poppy and the skipped down to where Lina and Doon had been previously.
The cliff had slight shavings off of it. Poppy picked one up and tapped Lina on the shoulder.
"Not that one Pop, it's too small."
They looked around for a while, each picking up a rock too small. Finally, Lina saw one hanging almost of the edge of the cliff.
Worried about falling off, she laid flat on her stomach and reached for it. Her hand grasped on to it and she pulled it back.
"Doon! I got one."
She stood back up, helped Poppy up the side of the cliff, and then lifted herself up. Doon was there waiting for them.
He held out his hand and Lina passed him the rock. Doon did something to it and suddenly the note was stuck to it. "Let's go."
The three of them walked over to the hole and Doon dropped the rock. It tumbled downwards to the centre of Ember.
Little did the three know, but it was Loris that received the note again.