My name is Elisa Matheson. I'm 14. I won't say that I am a regular girl form Monroe Republic. I'm not. Neither would I be considered normal anywhere. My parents are Miles and Nora Matheson but I haven't seen them since I was ten. Dad was one of the two fathers of the Monroe Republic as he was the General and 'uncle' Bass still is the president. And what's whit all those 'is', 'was', 'would be' and so on? Let me tell you a little story how I ended up in Ulster. But let us start from the beginning.
There was this think called Blackout that came upon Earth. All the electricity vanished and non can be produced anymore. How? Well I wasn't even born yet so ask someone else. Anyway... It lad to a panic. People finally showed their true natures. They showed who is capable of what and it wasn't pretty. That was nearly sixteen years ago. My dad and his friend Bass happened to be marines and so had access to weapons and thinks like that. Dad decided to go and find his brother Ben and Ben's family in Chicago but on the way encountered too much to just stand by and do nothing so in the end he abandoned his original plan and they ended up creating Monroe Republic to protect people from anarchy. On this journey of theirs they encountered my mom and her sister Mia Clayton. Two month before they established Philly as the Capital I was born. Three month after Corry McCoy made her way to Philly to contact Bass. They had something going on between them two years before the blackout and as it happened Bass was a father to a two years old boy by the name of Christopher. And hear finally starts the part that you are probably interested in. How did I end up in Ulster? Where are my parents? What happened between dad and 'uncle'?
I grow up pretty much together with Chris Monroe and a slightly older Jason Neville. We liked to sneak around the militia personal and got some basics form them as some were eager to share. My parents weren't too happy when they finally realized but gave in and trained us some more. Than there was this big incident when I was ten and it was father's birthday. Someone prepared a bomb to get him killed in a restaurant. It really scared me how close to loosing him we came. Than something happened but for next two years I wasn't told what. Just one night out of blue mom woke me and send me off with 'aunt' Corry. I hadn't seen them since nor hear from them. Later I learned that Bass did some crazy nasty stuff to the attacker and to his innocent family.
Anyway 'aunt' and I – we ended up in Ulster. It's a small village on the border between Monroe Republic and Georgia. 'Aunt' once told me that she had inspired by some old Japanese castles when it was rebuild. There are two walls. In between them are traps and to pass from gate in one to the gate in other you have to walk a half way around the village. Guards are on both walls. Then there are fields and animal farms. In the center is the village circled by two more walls. The same pattern is used as with the outer walls. In the center of the village are placed houses, water-well and storages. Some even underground. On the fields as well as in the center are mostly civilians. Also we have huge farms outside of the village. That's where we live now.
A blond girl approached the gate of the most inner wall and was made to go towards our house. I was just coming back from my training. "You've gotten yourself a kitten Billy?" I asked one of the patrol who lead her in. Billy is four years older than I and is my good friend.
"Yeah, Hun'. And she claims to be a Matheson." He gave me a big smile. It seamed they already tough her the hard way not to speak. But her eyes sought me instantly. Well, I may as well watch how this plays out for her.
"Well, we shell see about that shortly." I tried briskly to find any similarities in her looks but hadn't enough time. So I fallowed.
"Good afternoon Billy, Scott. What do we have hear?" 'Aunt' asked not unkindly.
"We found her scouting nearby. She claims that she is alone and that she is a Matheson." Scott sad.
I finally got a chance to study that girl closely. She kind of resembled aunt Rachel but I saw that women wary long ago as a child and just two or three times to that. I could've easily been mistaken. "What's your name?" 'Aunt' asked the girl.
"Charlotte Emma Matheson. And you must be Corry." She didn't say the last part. She probably assumed that 'aunt' went under a fake name. That she stated her middle name was clever as it wasn't commonly known.
"You are Rachel's girl. I see the resemblance." She smiled at her.
"Uncle and aunt will arrive shortly. They will be alarmed that I'm not back yet." Aunt send the boys off and Billy and Scott left us. Charlotte eyed me with interest.
"Hallo cousin. So they are coming?" I asked somehow dumbstruck. I knew that one day they may come back but thought that day wouldn't come. It was more likely that they just abandoned me for good.
"So you are Elisa? I heard so much about you." She gave me a smile.
How long have they been around her for her to 'hear a lot' about me? A sharp pain stroked me. Not literal. "Sorry. I can't say the same. Father didn't use to talk about you guys and I wasn't allowed around aunt Rachel." Anyway how so that Rachel abandoned her family and ended up in Philly? "We were both left by a parent or two."
A grimace formed on cousin's face. "Just don't!" Now she was frustrated as I innerly felt but I didn't let it show.
"Well girls." 'Aunt' saw the upcoming catastrophe and intertwined. "Let us go to watch out for them so there is no unnecessary fighting." She gave us a small smile and we both agreed that it'd be better.
Just as we came to the outer gate we saw two people approaching. I plastered a neutral smile on my face but there was a storm inside. Questions were rolling over in my head. Themes to shout at them for. Reasons not to wont to see them ewer. Emotions created a labyrinth falling apart on my head. It must have been visible how much I was spacing out by now. A pair of hands hugged me and I finally came out of my stupor. "Elisa."
"Mom. Dad." I smiled. Despite everything I can and may as well be happy to see them for now. It's like visiting an old estranged friend and forgetting just over what puny little thing your argument were about. All three of us hugged and by cousin's face this was not something you usually saw around my parents.
"We missed you."
It were hours since my parents and 'aunt' dissipated into her office and I was left to my own resorts aka showing cousin around. As we made it back I confidently walked to the study.
"Anyway we were about to relocate as there is an upcoming war with Georgia." I heard 'aunt' and walked in fallowed by cousin. So they came to some agreement by now. "We are moving to the border of Canada and Plain Nation so we can spare some men."
"Spare for what?" I asked bluntly. 'Aunt' is a authority to me but I didn't like what it suggested. They were hear for help, not for us.
"To stop Monroe. He killed dad and Danny. And Maggy died thanks to him too. " I looked at cousin. She looked angry and scary. Uncle Ben, I newer had have known, was dead and so was cousin Danny. Something inside me twisted. Who is Maggy wasn't important right now.
"Thanks Corry." Mom sad.
"I can spare twenty men including us. Monty will be in charge of the moving." 'Aunt' added.
"By us yo mean?" Dad asked somehow taken aback.
"She means herself and me." I stated the obvious.
"No way. You know what he will do if he finds you?! And Elisa?! I won't allow it!" Dad went pail.
"Sorry to brake it to you but I've done scouting out in the field for last two years and am not half that bad at it. And don't say 'aunt' what to do and what not to!" I sad sharply.
He looked at me stoned for a second there and everyone started to speak over each other. "How could you let her..." Yeah, that was mom. "My decision is final." 'Aunt'. "Don't talk that way to Miles! He..." Charlotte... I just smiled at her sweetly. "I am..." Dad.
"I'll rather go with the moving party." I sad calmly but loudly. All faces turned to me, surprise written all over them. "I don't wont to fight in your fight. I have my own life. I know 'aunt' has her reasons to go and I respect that but I won't come." I promised that to myself. I don't want to eventually fight him.
"But Eli." 'Aunt' looked me in the eyes and realized something. "So what exactly have happened during your last intelligence-gathering mission?"
"Nothing that's out of usual. I just saw Chris from a far distance as I told you. This is your fight people. Sorry." I sad calm on outside.
"Bass won't think that way about you." 'Aunt' sad softly. There was something akin to understanding in her look.
"He kill dad and Danny." Charlotte snapped.
"Yeah and you know what? They are complete strangers to me. I newer have had known them. They may be a complete myth as far as I know. But people hear are my family. If I so much as come with you I'll lose them. People hear rely on each other. I can tell that Corry doesn't expect us to return. Also those that she wants to take with us. She won't ask Monty for an exact spot where the village moves. That way they will be protected. But you know what?! She shouldn't even take those she wonts to. Our people need their loved-ones and all the protection they have now. If all you wont is manpower ask Georgians if they'd land you some. They may." I stormed out of the room and the house.
There were footsteps as someone rushed after me. "So tell me the whole true about the 'far distance' incident." 'Aunt stood in my way and pointed at the nearby armchair in the still opened house. The others came down. Charlotte still looked as if she wonted to shout at me.
I was send to a intelligence-gathering mission in Park Terrace to find out why a new militia base was established there. I stayed in a small hotel in the center that had a bar downstairs where militia higher ranked officers liked to drink in the evenings. On the day four in the morning I came down and found someone else at the breakfast. Usually it was just me and the staff. There set a militia officer in the far beck corner of the room where I usually set. He looked young from across the room. You could see everything and all the costumers from that spot. He was reading a book so I made my way to a nearby table. He lowered his book and smiled at me right before something crossed his mind visibly as it also stuck me. We knew each other from Philly. I've made a half turnaround when a hand touched my shoulder. I turned back. That was definitely him. What was he doing hear? How will he react? Will he take me in? I shifted my weight so I would be prepared for a fight.
"Eli?" He asked somehow surprised. His voice had changed and he definitely wasn't twelve anymore. He was now taler than me by nearly a head and was wider in the shoulders than I remember. I couldn't help but checked him out as we both stood there still unmoving. His hair was a bit longer than he or Bass used to ware and his eyes weren't child-soft as they used to be. His hand still rested on my shoulder.
"Christopher." I sad somehow tastelessly waiting for him to make a first move. He removed his hand off me and gave me a small smile.
"Let's eat together." He sad and set back in my favorite spot. There was no need to rush in thinks and I didn't wont to make a mass out of the bar so I set down. We waited silently for the food and than he asked the staff to leave us for a while. As the door were now locked and we were alone he looked me in the eyes. "What are you doing hear? Where have you been? Where are the others?" There were no emotions behind those questions.
My grip on a knife in a holster on my leg tightened. I was sure his hand under the table was on some weapon as well. "I've been fine. Thanks. What about you? Oh... But you asked something else. Sorry. I thought we will start with the basics." I sad sarcastically. His eyes darkened a bit. "OK. OK. I live not too far from hear or so I did and am hear to look for a new house. I worked at the farm as I was left alone by my parents and that's it. I see you ended up in militia." And there goes a chance for telling him the true on our first meeting after those years but it's not my place to tell him about 'aunt'. Now I have to by cautious about what I tell him so I won't start to contradict.
"And I am an elephant." He sad dryly. A scrawl now visible on his face. He knew me for more than two thirds of my life. Who was I kidding.
Non less I couldn't help it. "Hallo Mr. elephant." I gave him a huge smile even if I still felt uneasy.
He cracked a smile. "You know you are helpless." His eyes somehow softened even if he still reminded tense.
"I can't tell you. Your mom is fine and that's all I can tell. I haven't seen my parents since that night." I sighted. A hurt expression crossed his face. "I hadn't a say in what happened nor the means to go against it." In that moment there was an interesting peace of egg on my plate that I was looking at. It was still untouched. He mused be thinking about her abandoning him and choosing me over him but he had at least still one parent near him.
"So... She just decided not to come back. I still hoped they forced her to leave." His expression became blank again.
My hand went automatically for his under the table and his was in a fist as I guessed it'd be. "I'm sorry."
He slightly flinched at the touch but than accepted it. "Why are you hear? There is no way she would let you chose a house." He eyed me, his eyes pleading that it won't be what he feared it would be.
"To see why are you out hear and what are you planing to do hear. You are preparing to attack Georgia. Everyone in the area is worried." I added to get through to him. No military operation just a frighten citizen of a near by village.
He sighted. "Yes and I can't tell you more. But were I you I'd quickly move out of the border area." I knew it.
"Chris, there are people who have lives hear. Whole families." I sad dryly.
"We know there are that's why we are preparing so cautiously. We have to be done by spring. I'm not in charge." He set there and now he was looking on his food. It was cold by now and both of us reluctantly started to eat. "He's looking for you. All of you." I looked at him closely as I know he was talking about 'uncle' Bass. "I should probably take you in."
"But you won't." I sad neutrally and we looked at one another.
"No, I won't." He sad reluctantly. We finished the food in silence.
"Can you consider me something else than an enemy?" I know I was asking for a huge favor. His mom chose me over him in his eyes. My parents were traitors to the Republic. And so on.
"Not if it is evadable." I gave him a small smile and both my hands landed on the table so now I wasn't holding any weapon.
He gave me a smell smile. "Will you stay around for a bit?" I smiled in a response.
That was the part I told to my family as I didn't wont to talk about the other thinks that came up after. 'Aunt' now understood and I think she guessed the rest thanks to the lack of playful flirting I usually have done with Billy. The others not so much but now dad insisted that I go with them as 'Chris could have utter motives'. In the end only ten of us went with my parents back to the rebel camp. The trip was tiering and long but in the end we made it. All those seven were told we won't be going back to our people.
