THE GIVER CONTINUED
Chapter 1. The arrival
The sled ride was better than even the one from the first memory he had ever received, on that very first day of his training. Jonas and Gabe cut through the thick snow, speeding down the hill. The sled slowed down, coming to a gradual halt beside the road. Jonas was sure now that his wishes had come true, all his hard work to great avail. He looked up the hill behind him, covered in the sparkling flakes of soft snow. "What do you think, Gabe?" Jonas asked the toddler who he was already starting to think of as his brother. Although he knew that the small toddler wouldn't be able to respond, Jonas needed someone to talk to. He had been cut off from any civilization for weeks on end, biking the endless miles to Elsewhere. He finally had arrived. Just minutes after the exhilarating sled ride, a middle-aged, redheaded woman walking down the street saw them and walked over. "I don't think I've seen you two here before. Do you live in the area?"
"No" Jonas replied "We arrived just minutes ago." "On a little sled without your parents or any coats? Not to mention that you both look like you haven't eaten in days!" The woman exclaimed incredulously. "Where are your parents?" "They are far, far away, and the chances of ever seeing them again are about the same as the chance of one of us getting hit by lightning in the next hour," Jonas answered sadly, just now realizing that he had left his thoughtful parents, ever-happy Lily, the kind giver, comical Asher and gentle Fiona, not even having the chance to tell them goodbye, and never would get the chance to see any of them ever again. The terrible realization hit him like a hammer to his chest "Well, you both look like you need to have some food and rest." The kind lady commented. "Why don't you and your little friend come on down to my place and have a bit of something to eat, and then you can get some rest." "Oh, Thank you so much!" Jonas breathed, overcome with happiness and relief. "Your observations happen to be quite accurate, actually. Neither of us has eaten in at least a day, and we haven't slept on something other than rocks or fields in weeks." "My goodness!" The woman gasped, obviously appalled. "Well, all of the few fleeting inhibitions I had about letting two runaways into my home are now far past gone. Follow me back to my place and we can get you two a much needed bite to eat."
Jonas trudged through the thick, cold, dirty substance that was covering the road. He hadn't received any memories of it, and hence did not know what it was called. The task would have been quite effortless, especially with his newly developed strength, but he was weak form lack of food and sleep, and his legs were beyond exhausted, making something as simple as walking down the street a quite daunting task. Of course, pulling the toddler that he now loved more than anything he had ever known down the street in a sled definitely didn't make anything easier for him, especially because he was being exceedingly careful to avoid all of the road's bumps and holes as not to disturb the now sleeping boy.
Regardless of all his worries and discomforts, as Jonas slowly made his way down the street behind the woman, tugging Gabe along, he felt happier than he had been in years. He was so close to achieving his goal of finding a new life Elsewhere with young Gabe, who he now thought of not as just the baby that his father had brought home to his family for extra nurturing, but as a brother which he would do anything to keep safe.
"Well, this is it," the kind lady said, coming to a stop at the steps of a small, cozy looking brick house. "It's not very much, but it's my home." She paused for a moment before asking Jonas if he would like her to carry Gabe upstairs for him, as dragging a sled up a staircase is not a very sensible idea. "No thank you" Jonas replied "I can bring him up, and you have been so generous that I would hate to impose even more on you than I already have," Even though truly, he just wasn't yet comfortable with the idea of letting anyone else handle his little brother.
"Okay, if you insist" the woman replied as the three entered the house. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Anne." She started to go down the hallway in front of them, and Jonas followed, with Gabe still in his arms.
Anne entered the kitchen, and opened up a door to a room full of food. Jonas was taken by surprise, realizing that he would have a lot to learn if he wanted to fit into this strange new place. A whole closet full of food? Why did anyone need so much more than the 3 daily meals that were given out by the community. Or was this world so different that they didn't HAVE their meals given out by the town, he pondered, amazed by the mere idea that people here might actually be able to eat all that they want, whenever they wanted to. He had never seen anyone who ate a lot more than himself, as his food was rationed equally for all members of the community, but he had the feeling that the results would not be very good. He decided to ask Anne. "Where do you get so much food that you can actually have a whole room of it? Doesn't the government only give you enough to have for one meal?" "The government giving out meals to people?" Anne asked, befuddled by the apparently strange question. "Did they actually do that wherever you came from?" "Yes," Jonas answered sheepishly, embarrassed from asking a question that was apparently very unusual. "Where I come from, the government just gives out meals to all of our families at each mealtime." "Wow, this is going to be a longer story than I thought it would be, isn't it…what's your name? sorry if you told me and I just forgot." "My name is Jonas, and this is my kind of brother Gabriel, but most people call him Gabe. And yes, it probably is going to be a long—"
Jonas instantly stopped talking as Anne set down a warm bowl of oatmeal in front of him and Gabe. He gently woke the toddler from his slumber and held out a spoonful of the delicious food for him. Gabe ate the spoonful in an instant, so Jonas got him another, and he practically inhaled it, as he did with the next spoonful, and the next, and the next, until the bowl was completely emptied. "Wow, that little Gabe is gobbling up the oatmeal like he hasn't eaten in two days!" Anne exclaimed, amazed that such a tiny person could eat so much. "That's probably because he hasn't eaten anything in two days." Jonas informed her, annoyed that she had said it like it was some kind of joke or something "WHAT?" Anne shouted " Oh my god, the poor child!" She paused for a moment, thinking. "And judging from how caring you are for him, and that you gave him the food first even though you are probably just as hungry, if not hungrier than him...When was the last time that you ate something?" "I think something like 3 or 4 days ago " Jonas informed her, sadly telling the truth as he fed Gabe some more oatmeal from the bowl that Anne had just put in front of him.
"I'm starting to wonder if this is all just some kind of trick or s…" Anne was cut off by a sound like five motorcycles starting up. "Jonas, do not tell me that that noise was your stomach growling" "Okay, I won't" He grinned sheepishly "But I will tell you that if I said it wasn't, then I would be lying." "And my wondering has disappeared. My goodness! I just want to warn you, you should probably stop giving Gabe more of that or he might be sick. You, on the other hand need to eat some of that oatmeal before your stomach gets me arrested for illegal possession of a machine gun with that awful noise." Jonas laughed, set Gabe down on a chair next to him, and took a bite of the oatmeal. "My god, that is GOOD!" Jonas exclaimed before cleaning the bowl in an instant. Anne, knowing how hungry he must be, had already set down another bowl next to it. It was gone in under a minute. "I think I had forgotten what my stomach feels like when it is satisfied. And I will admit, it feels less than terrible."
"Well, Jonas, now that it's nice and full, I bet you and Gabe would like some sleep, wouldn't you?" Anne asked. "Yes, and I owe my life to you because if I hadn't gotten something to eat soon...I, well, I wouldn't be in a very good situation," Jonas said. "But I need to ask you one more favor-could you please enlighten me on the location of the bathroom?" Anne laughed. "Well, what could I have done other than let you come back here with me? I mean I couldn't just leave a young teen and a baby to sit out in the cold to die could I? And the bathroom is down that hallway, second door to the left." "Thanks" Jonas replied before running down the hall. When he came back into the hallway, he saw Anne at the other end with Gabe walking unsteadily in circles around her, obviously very proud of his great skills. "Come on down here Jonas, so I can show you your room for the night." Anne called to him. Jonas walked down the hall, admiring the nice carpet. The house might not be huge, but Anne definitely had a knack for interior decorating.
Jonas got to where Anne was waiting with some…Jonas gasped with excitement…she had gotten him clean clothes to wear! (He had been wearing the same disgustingly filthy clothing since he left his community almost a month ago!) and even had somehow got something for little Gabe to wear. (where did she get baby clothes from?) Jonas walked into the bedroom and lifted Gabe up onto the bed. Anne turned off the lights "We're safe at last, Gabe," Jonas whispered, and they both slept.
{Author's note: next chapter goes back to Jonas's old town, at his family's house the day after Jonas leaves for Elsewhere. Please comment this is my first fanfic story tell me what you think!}