Alright soo I got a lot of feedback on this story from my Twitter page EverlarkQuotes, and everyone seemed to wanted to see the next chapters. So uhhh yeah here!
Tetra : Chapter 2
"What is it? Clouds?" Aimes asks looking through the telescope.
Of course he would think it's the clouds. He's probably never seen a boat like this before. Neither have I really, but I have seen them in books.
"No Aimes. Way back then people used these things called sailboats. They aren't pushed by motors." I tell him.
"Then what do they run on? Air?" He asks with a laugh.
He takes this as a joke. The thing is, they actually do run on air. Wind actually. This just goes to show how less people know that haven't read the books that I do. I could write pages and pages about the older world. But no one would even care to read it.
"They do Aimes. The boats are pushed by the wind. The sail picks up the wind, and pushes the boat whichever way the wind is blowing." I say.
"Okay, so what's your point?" Aimes asks. "Why do I care about these sailboats?"
He doesn't get it? I guess he's not a very deep thinker, and he doesn't pay attention in school, but really. Doesn't he get that boats mean people? He really needs to start reading more.
"Okay Aimes, do boats drive themselves?" I ask.
"Well of course not!" He says. "People drive them. Wait a second… People! Oh my God Lia, People! People off the island!"
He finally gets it. I bet he's never even thought about if there was other land out there. It's not a topic anyone on Tetra really thinks about. They just figure this is the best we can get, and there is no other way. But I am way too logical to think that way. I know the whole ocean couldn't just consume everything.
"Yes! The possibilities! We have to go find those people. There must be other land if there's other people out there! Don't you get it? The lies the government has told us. All of our lives. All they are is greedy. Greedy for power." I say.
"Well we have to tell someone Lia! We have to go find those people." He says.
He wants to go there. To get off this island. Probably so he could skip school. He's only stating the obvious though. Of course we have to tell someone. Of course we have to find the people.
"I know. But how? No one will come up here with us to look. They won't believe us. I'd have to go alone." I say.
"Just you? What about our family? What about Less?" He asks with a worried face.
He's right. I can't go alone. Without my family and Less, I have a patrol boat and land I don't know about. I don't have anything worth living for. I also can't take them all with me. My parents and Celestia's would never believe us, let alone go with us. They can't go. Also, where on Tetra will I get a patrol boat? I'll have to go meet someone with a patrol boat. Not only that, but convince them to let me take it. That puts their Level 1 job in jeopardy. This trip seems to make less and less sense.
"I couldn't take all of you. Do you really think our parents and theirs would believe us? Let alone go with us." I say.
"You'd really leave all of us behind? I want to come with you Lia. You can just take me you know. You don't have to take everyone else." He says.
No I couldn't. What if the land was too dangerous? What if it worse than here? I wouldn't want them there. For all I know, their government could put me in jail for trespassing. It's seems like a place with sailboats wouldn't have a government like that though… In that book it says sailboats are used for something to do. For fun. Still though, I couldn't take Aimes. Or anyone else. I need to explore this place by myself.
"No… what if the land is dangerous? I don't want to take you there if it's like that. Let's face it, you're a sissy." I say to him.
"What? No I'm not! I can handle it, I swear! You can't just leave me here Lia… I'd miss you." He says.
"Okay, how about this. I go to the place and see what it's like. If it's better than here, I come back and get you guys. If it's worse, I come back to stay. Is that okay?" I ask.
"But if it's worse, you probably won't come back." He says worriedly.
"Look, I know this seems like a big risk. It's better to take the risk than live like this for the rest of our lives. I'm going to meet a patrol boatman and make them let me steal a boat. You can't tell mom and dad about this. You can't tell anyone. I'll tell Less and Addyson, but no one else. You know I'll be back for you. I'd never leave you forever. You're my world." I say.
Aimes looks like he's about to cry. I've never really seen him do this before. He must be genuinely worried about me. If I never did come back his life would be over. I'm all that he has. He's all that I have. I know I have to go though. No one wants to live here. But the problem is, no one thinks they have a choice. I want to give them that choice. How will our rulers react? Surely they'd note my prolonged absence at school. After you're gone for a week, a guard comes to your house to make sure you're there. What would they do when I wasn't there? My parents would genuinely not know where I was, and Aimes would have to lie to the guard. The government would have to look everywhere for me. Every citizen has to be accounted for every day except for our day off; Sunday. Only a few jobs have to work on Sunday. Patrol boatmen don't have Sundays off, so it would work. Too bad tomorrow is Friday… I want to leave on a Sunday. How will I ever meet a patrol boatman in just a few days? I have to find someone. Maybe I can take Aimes to the West side of the island where all the merchants are. Surely there'd be a few patrol boatmen there on break. Besides, I do need to buy Celestia a birthday present for tomorrow.
"Sometimes we have to take risks, whether we want to or not. We have to take risks for the better of other people." I say.
"I know you have to leave. You've always told me if you ever got the chance to leave the island, you would. You have to go Lia. If anyone can fix this place, it's you." Aimes says.
I stroke Aimes' brown hair softly, and then I kiss the top of his head.
"You want to do something fun today?" I ask. "I've always wanted to take you to the West side of the island. I need to get Celestia a birthday present and find a patrol boatman. You want to come?"
"Of course I do! I want to buy you something too." He says.
"Alright, race you home!" I say.
I jump down from the tree, and start rushing home. I always win races against him. He's probably not even down from the tree yet. Surely enough when I get to the house, there he is still running towards me. go upstairs to my room and look inside of my pillowcase. 40 dollars is there, just where I left it. I meet him downstairs, and we walk outside towards the bus stop. A bus goes to the west shore every 20 minutes, and the same on the way back. We sit down on the bench to wait for the bus. I don't think Aimes has even been on a bus before. We always are walking places. There's not really a need to go to other sides of the island.
"If I don't find someone today, I'll have to wait until I do find someone. I want to leave on a Sunday though. That way the Rulers won't know I left." I say.
"Well I'll be sure to cover for you if any guards show up to our house. I got my lying skills down! I do it all the time when I tell the teachers that I lost my homework. I usually just don't feel like doing it." He says.
This is the one time his lying skills will actually be useful. What will he tell the guard? That I just went to someone else's house? Or that I left the north side? Whatever it is, he'll tell the lie good. If I want to trust anyone to lie for me, it's him.
"Just whenever you hear a knock on the door, you go get it. Not mom… Not dad… You. And if they ask who it was, just tell them it was a friend from school." I say.
"I know what to say Lia. You're talking to the master of lying." He says.
"Well I guess everyone is good at something." I say with a shrug and a laugh.
The bus slowly eases up to the bus stop. The bus door opens up with a loud creak. These buses are probably more than 30 years old. Instead of just making new ones, the government is constantly repairing them.
"2 round trip tickets to the west side please." I say to the driver.
"That'll be 4 dollars." The man says.
I hand him 4 dollars, and we board the bus. We take 2 seats towards the back. I look outside at the spring weather. It's already May. We get the whole month of August off. Then in September, we go back to school but in a new grade. I dread the days I'll be a Senior. Some kids don't even have to go to school as a Senior. If their 18th birthday is in August, they just start work then. It's weird how we go to school as a senior, and then just leave. One day a school student, another day a worker. Within one day. A postman drops off a letter at your house at 6 AM. You have to open it, then go to your job when it tells you to. Failure to go to your job on your first day and you get another letter the next day. They automatically give you a job that's on a lower level. The bus stops at a busy town full of shops. Merchant would be a good job to get. Huge supply trucks drop off drop off goods from the lower levels. Sometimes the Merchants even use parts from these goods to make stuff of their own. That's how I got Aimes' telescope.
"And here's your tickets for the way back. The buses run until 9. Be sure to be back by then!" The bus driver says as we walk out the door.
Aimes steps off the bus and just takes in his surroundings. He's never been away from the north side of the island. I've always wished that I could live over here. Everything just seems more happy and upbeat on the west. I look around at the stores. At the spare part store is where I found the telescope. He looks straight at someone in the crowd. Who is that?
"Aimes?" I question. "Who are you looking at?"
"Addy! Addy!" He yells and runs up to her.
I look through the crowd and see Addyson and Celestia looking back at us. They wave, and then start walking through the crowd to find us. How am I ever supposed to buy Less a birthday present if she's going to be following me around this whole time?
"Less!" I exclaim. "What are you doing here?"
"Well I thought I'd take Addy to see the west side before I had to work. I get my letter at 6 AM you know." Less says. "Today is my last day… Being a kid I guess."
Last day being a kid. After today, Celestia is a full citizen of Tetra Island. One that works every day. No longer does she have to go to school. No longer can she be with me very much… Maybe I should just enjoy today with her while it lasts. Who knows, her job might be one where she works all day long and just comes home for nighttime. Then in a few years, she has to get married and have kids. She'll probably get relocated to a different side of the island. I have to tell Less my plan. I kneel down to Aimes.
"Why don't you and Addyson look around while me and Less talk? We'll catch up with you later." I say.
Aimes and Addyson walk away leaving me and Less alone. She's going to think my plan is crazy. I explain to her about how Aimes and I climbed to the top of a tree and saw sailboats. I tell her how I'm going to find a patrol boatman and take their boat. The story leaves her wide eyed. She probably doesn't even believe what I just said.
"All these years…" She says.
"Lies. All these years we were lied to. By everyone. The government, our teachers. Our parents… I have to go there." I say.
"I know you have to leave Lia. You're destined for this. But how on Earth will you find a patrol boatman by Sunday?" She asks.
It will be a difficult task. If I want to leave this Sunday, that means I have only about 2 days to find someone. Not only that, but get them to like me. Like me enough to let me take their boat, and possibly their job.
"I don't know. But I'll find someone. I will. And when I come back to Tetra and say the government has lied to us all our lives…" I say.
"War. The people will start an uprising against the government. Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asks.
"If anything, that's what we need. If that's what it takes to get everyone off the island." I say.
I never really thought about that. What happens if and when I come back? People would probably at first think I was crazy. I would have to bring back some sort of proof. But what? And then that would start a war. What kind of war? The government couldn't just try to prove that I didn't come back from a different land. The people wouldn't believe the government after what I told them. What would we do as a war? Not go to work or school? March directly to the Rulers Palace and tell them they're liars? Whatever it is, I'm sure mostly everyone would participate. That or be against me for causing so much trouble.
"Well good luck on finding someone. The patrol boatmen have very irregular shifts and breaks. Addy and I have to get home." She says. "Addyson!"
Addyson runs up to Celestia with Aimes following close behind. She grabs Addy's hand and turns to walk away.
"Less… I'll see you tomorrow morning at 6… Right?" I ask.
"I'll see you then. And like I said, good luck." She says.
Less takes Addy's hand again and walks towards the bus stop. Addyson must be taking it pretty hard. She's always been so attached to Less. Going to work won't be bad, but the horrible thing is when Less is sent out to find a husband. She'll probably move to a totally different side of the island to only see her little sister occasionally. That's the worst part of living here. We're forced to get married and move. I don't even want to date, let alone get married. I would go to school and live with my parents and my brother the rest of my life if I could.
"You go ahead and run around looking in the stores." I say to Aimes. "I want you back no later 2 o'clock. You hear me? 2. There's a clock in the center of town."
"2 o'clock. Got it." He says and runs off.
I look around for any patrol boatmen on break. Absolutely none in sight. I'll just have to keep a look out as I walk. I walk into a kitchen store that has an assortment of every kitchen utensil you can think of. I walk over to a knife that has a little sign in front of it. It reads "SHARPEST KNIFE IN THE WORLD." This sounds ironic to me know, because I know there is another world besides this. The shop owner sees me looking at this knife and walks over to me.
"The knife can cut through a pineapple in one chop. It might look small, but it sure does work." He says.
I have no interest in this kind of stuff. My mom is usually the one that cooks around our house. Unless of course I used this knife for something else… If there's going to be a war, I might need a weapon. This is probably the closest thing I can get to one. If it truly is the sharpest knife on Tetra, that means I'll have the best weapon on Tetra.
"How much for it?" I ask the shop owner.
"20 dollars." He says.
"20 dollars!" I exclaim and almost drop the knife.
I guess I do have the money for it… What else am I going to spend it on? This should be 20 dollars well spent. But that sure seems a lot for just a knife. I dig in my pocket and hand the man a crumpled up 20 dollar bill.
"I'll take it." I say.
The man takes my 20 dollar bill and the knife from me. He wraps the knife in brown paper, and then puts it in a little box. I take the box from him and turn to the door.
"Have a nice day." He says as I walk out.
I look around for stores that Celestia might like. The house store? No. The store where I bought the telescope? Definite no. The bookstore? Perfect. I walk in and a scent of paper and dust comes over me. Celestia likes book that I like. Stories about the old world. The hard thing will be trying to find something she hasn't read. I approach the woman sitting behind the sales counter. She looks up at me from her book.
"Can I help you?" She asks.
"Do you have any stories from the old world?" I ask.
She gives me a puzzled look, and hesitates. She drops her book on her desk and walks over to a bookshelf in the very back of the store. She points at a particular shelf full of ancient looking books.
"Those are only 2 dollars each. No one is very interested in those kind of books." The woman says and walks back over to her counter.
I look at the assortment of the books no one has even bothered to look at. I blow hard on the shelf and a cloud of dust surrounds me. There's not much of a selection. Celestia and I have never really bought books here before though. We usually go to the school library for what we want to read. All the books I see are ones I have never read before. I pick out a book a dark navy blue in color. It's titled "The Present Day: The Way it is Now." I open the book and start flipping through the pages. I see pictures from back then. People swimming, eating some kind of bread thing, and looking at these weird skinny boxes. This must've been a very long time ago. I've never seen or read something like this. I'm sure Celestia will like this book very much. I walk over to the woman and set 2 dollars on her counter. She glances up quickly at the book I have.
"Thank you, have a good day." She says.
I'm out the door, and I turn my head to the center of town. I still have 20 minutes until I have to meet Aimes at the bus stop. There's really nothing else I have to do here, so I lean against the bookstore and watch the people walk by. I might as well face that I won't find a patrol boatman today. Tomorrow I'll go to the east side of the island to look. Then I'll have more time and I won't have to worry about Aimes running around a place he has no knowledge of. The 20 minutes goes by like seconds, and before I know it I'm waiting at the bus stop for Aimes. I see him run up to me with a small bag in his hand and a big smile on his face.
"Did you have fun today?" I ask him.
"The most fun I've ever had!" He says.
I smile at him and take his hand. The bus creeks up next to the bus stop sign. The door swivels open and I show the girl driving our round trip tickets. She motions her hand for us to come on. Again, there isn't anyone on the bus. It's not really time for anyone to go or come home from work.
"What did you get?" I ask Aimes.
"Just a couple plantains from the grocery store. I haven't had them in a while." He replies.
I nod and look out the window. That was probably my last trip to the west shore. If I do find land, I'll never need to go back to that side of the island. The bus door shuts and we get on our way. In no time we're already back home on the north shore. Aimes and I get off the bus and begin to walk home. When I get home, I just lay down on my bed. Tomorrow is a big day. My last full day on Tetra. Tomorrow I find someone on the east shore and have them let me take their boat. That will sure be a hard task. But I want this so much, I'll be able to get the job done. I get kind of tired and just decide to sleep. When I wake up, I realize it's already 7 o'clock. I go downstairs and see my parents serving fish.
"We were just about to wake you up." My dad says.
"I must have slept a long time." I say.
I sit down at the dinner table and begin to eat my fish. We don't get fish very often. We usually eat some sort of fruit salad or something. I'm not very hungry. I only eat a few pieces and then put my fork down.
"What's wrong Lia? You usually eat all of your food." My mom says.
"Oh I'm fine. It's just… Tomorrow Celestia gets her job package. I'm just nervous she won't get a good job. That's all." I lie.
That's the least of my worries right now. I'm really worried that I won't be able to find a patrol boatman tomorrow. But I obviously can't tell my mom that. She's going to know nothing about this situation. I guess my parents will just have to think that I went missing. I can't help that. They'd never approve of this trip. Even if there was for sure other land they wouldn't let me go.
"Are you and Aimes going to leave early to stop by her house tomorrow?" My father aks.
"Yeah we are. I'm going to go to bed now so I can wake up early." I say. "You should too Aimes."
I'm really not tired at all. Not after that long nap I just had. I'll probably just lay in bed and think about tomorrow. I walk back upstairs and pick up Less' book. I grab some scrap paper and wrap it up. I even make an effort to write her name on it. Afterwards, I hide my new knife in my dresser. I change into my pajamas and lay back down in my messy bed. Surprisingly I can already feel myself drift to sleep…
"Lia! Lia! It's time to wake up!" Someone yells loudly in my ear.
I flutter my eyes open and see Aimes above me. Oh that's right. It's time to go to Celestia's. I tell Aimes to meet me downstairs in five minutes. I put my school clothes on and brush my teeth. I grab Less' present and head out the door with Aimes. Luckily Less' house is only a couple blocks away from mine. I hope that I'm not too late for her to open her job package. When we get there, I knock on the front door. In a few moments, a sleepy Addyson appears.
"Lia! Aimes!" She exclaims. "Come on in!"
We walk in their house. It looks almost exactly the same as our house. Celestia's parents also have to leave at five in the morning. They aren't one of the luckier couples though. Celestia's mom has to work on level 2 putting together clocks, and her dad works on level 4 making school supplies. I see the job package sitting on the kitchen table. I walk in the kitchen and see Less standing there waiting for me.
"I couldn't open it myself, Lia." She says. "Would you open it for me? Open the letter first, not the package with my uniform."
"Of course I will." I say.
I tear the white envelope off the box. On it says "CELESTIA HARPIN." I rip open the top of the envelope and slowly pull the piece of paper out. I unfold the paper and skim over the first few parts. I almost faint when I see the big bold words at the bottom. Less has been assigned… Patrol Boatman.
Thank you so much for reading, you have no idea it really means the world to me. If you guys could please review and tell me suggestions about how to improve this story I would greatly appreciate it! And this question has been asked the most by my followers and people who PM me... YES there will be a guy in this story!
