Puppy Mill
June 8th, 2013; 12:26 AM
Ain't nothin' worse than waking up one morning and realizing you're dead. *shakes head slowly* Sigh... (Randomness, don't ask. XD)
June 8th, 2013; 10:19 PM
Phew! Today has been a productive day. Last night I was babysitting (three boys) but when I got them to bed, I got to write for two hours before the parents came back. Most of that time was spent editing Chapter 1, which I will update eventually. I got home and went to bed at 2 AM.
The next morning (this morning) I forced myself up at around 11:00 AM (ugh, so tired...) and worked for roughly an hour. Dad came back, I ate food, and then I had a dilemma with the story which I needed to consult Remi-sama for. (Woo, look at that -sama! Ain't she special?)
I solved the emblem dilemma (well, Remi solved it, but close enough), then got distracted by ArsMagna (because all five of them are completely adorable and super talented dancers) along with other things, then started working on a new floor plan for this story here because I'd lost the old one, then Daddy managed to find the old one (yay!), then I got distracted some more, erased the eight rooms and one hall I'd managed to draw at that point (LOL, it takes even longer on the computer!), then... I'm sure there was stuff in between, but eventually I started working on my new Avanna.
Just a recap for those who don't know, I got Zero-G's Vocaloid 03 Avanna for my birthday two weeks ago (May 27th).
I was just fiddling around and randomly decided to make her sing Servant of Evil. ... In Japanese. ... Don't ask. I didn't even realize until I had 'Kimi' down that, 'Oh yeah, she's an Engloid. I should probably try making her sing an English song. Oh well.' Her Japanese is very good, though. XD I had two lines done when I decided I wanted to do something on time with the music. At that point I figured out I didn't want any automatic stuff (IT'S EVIL, I TELL YA!), so I scrapped that and started a new file. Two hours later, I had two lines of I (Love). ... :3 I'll admit I got pretty distracted by Remi and DuffQuick. Damn you, Skype...! Oh, and then about half an hour was spent trying to find the off-vocal, another five minutes was spent with us three gawking over the fact that there were hentai ads EVERYWHERE on the download site (like, WTF? I'm trying to download an instrumental- NOT A HENTAI FLASHGAME! D:), and then another five minutes was spent converting to MP3 into a WAV file. And then another five minutes was spent trying to figure out when the song actually starts. XD I mean, don't get me wrong, I knew where it should start with the whole 'I- blah blah I forget the lyrics... I- see how she fakes her affection', but it was really hard getting it to start at the EXACT right moment. And then, to my horror, I had to do the same thing eight more times just for ONE line. o.o In total I managed twenty-one different syllables before Dad kicked me off. XD It sounds pretty good, though. It's surprisingly easier than UTAU (then again, I haven't even managed to get the right Teto installed, so I have no right to compare) once you figure out what the hell you're doing, and it's actually a lot of fun!
Just for the fun of it, here are some things you should go search.
Remi is an awesome fanfiction author. Her pen name is Catatonic Inspiration, and... well, just go read. She's got talent. ;) Oh, and she posted a little mini-story on there of us ranting about the infamously terrible fanfiction My Immortal, so go read that too.
'I (Love)' is an awesome Gumi song by Circus-P. It's an English song that was actually done before Gumi English was released, using only Gumi Whisper. It's an answer song to 'Lie', by Luka (and, of course, Circus-P), which is also an awesome song. Actually, they were recommended to me by a reader, which I am very grateful for. They're so catchy!
ArsMagna is a dance group consisting of five awesome and super talented guys. Their dance cover of Invisible is amazing, and... they've also got a dance cover of Gigantic OTN. Now you know you want to see it. Yes, I know you do~!
Hentai flash games are... No, I'm just kidding. XD Seriously, don't search THAT up. You'll regret it. ... Or... depending on the person, maybe you won't regret it...? o.o Just don't. Don't look up Boku no Pico either. BAD!
Umetora-P is my favorite producer. Seriously. He's amazing. His most popular song is 'If You Do, Do' (also known as 'Pomp and Circumstance' and not to be confused with If you doodoo... even though it sounds like it. XD), though he also has other awesome songs like Isshin Furan, Dancing Wildly, and a newer one, Jewel. He's my favorite, so you know he's gotta be good.
Okay, I'm done now. ... You don't have to google that. (Googoore kasu~! You know, Go Google it? The song? ... No? Okay...)
You know, I haven't had an uber-long A/N for a while now. I guess this is my redeeming. Sorry Chiio-sama. XD (AND YOU'D BETTER LEAVE A REVIEW THIS TIME!)
Anonymous Reviews
Guest: (I DUN WANNA BE RAPED BY DELL! Anyway, awesome chapter! PLEASE Make More!)
Tsk, tsk, you little liar! XD I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. Thank you very much! I hope you'll like this next chapter!
Ownitlikeaboss: Aw, hello~! Ugh, who DOESN'T like Dell more? XD Len's a sweetheart and all, but… even I… kind of… … … Shoot. I'm into pedophilic relationships. o-o" WTF. NO. LOL, yeah, I was just like, 'Go away Miku, I need some Rin x Len fluff!' She kind of just… evaporated. Well, this one's got a lot of Miku to make up for it. She's quite sweet, really, and I'm sad so many people hate her. And yes, most people at the TP have horrible attitudes. XD It's just how they're raised. They're raised to be judgmental, so they act like complete asses. It's just how they roll. HA! Honesty is awesome. XD I'm sure Dell wouldn't mind raping you either. He'd mind even less if you resemble a cute blonde five-year-old, too. Just sayin'… *whistles innocently* I'm sorry, there's no Dell here. D': I know, I'm sad too. And yes, you DID just say that. ^^ You little sloot, hahaha! Oh, don't worry… Dell likes minors. XD
Guest: (I don't mind being raped by Dell. ;D LOL just kidding... I think... LOL if this was twilight, Dell would be Edward and Len would be Jacob. Loved this chapter! Len is adorable! :D I don't care who Rin ends up with, it'd actually be so awesome if she had a love triangle with Len and dell xD ...yep. Don't mind my weird brain)
… I've been compared to Twilight. … I'm not sure whether or not to be flattered or disgusted. XD LOL, yeah, Dell would be Edward because they are BOTH creepy! Yay! Oh, you think it'd be cool if she had a love triangle like that? Well then, have I got some good news for you… It IS a Rin x Len x Dell love triangle! YAY! And, I will never EVER mind a weird brain. Hell, do you think I'd be able to write this if I DIDN'T have a weird brain? Be proud of that brain, hun. Be PROUD. XD
Chapter 4 – Don't Leave Me Hanging
All my life I'd found Sundays exciting.
Sundays were the days ceremonies took place, the days special news was announced, the days Invalids and Outsiders would be given extra food. Not only that, but Sunday was also the assigned date for the Nego-Quadram to take place.
I ran alongside Len as we hurried to the large room, the room with the wide double-doors that only ever opened on Sundays. Every time I entered, I couldn't help but gawk at it all. There was just so much different stuff, of all colors, sizes, and shapes! Different stands lined the walls filled with various treats and trinkets as well as the things necessary for most of our existences.
Most stands were made of wooden tables (built by the people of the Terra Perfectionis of course) with cardboard signs advertising products such as vegetables, dairy products, clothes, metal trinkets, and any other thing one could imagine at the Terra Perfectionis. My favorite stand was run by a Pure-Bred Invalid who sold books. I loved books with a passion, though I was never allowed near her stand. Despite her Invalid status, she still strictly followed rules; I wasn't allowed within five feet because of the special mark on my neck. It didn't matter either way, for I had nothing to trade for the books, nothing at all.
Entering the market, a female Invalid to our right sold jewelry made of precious stones, while to our left a male shouted out various names of fish. The scaly creatures were all neatly aligned on his table, glimmering in shades of green, blue, and purple. Their dead eyes eerily seemed to watch me, yet I found this intriguing. Didn't fish close their eyes in death? Could they still see me, despite being lifeless? No matter how curious they made me, I dared not touch a product meant to be sold, no matter how tempting it was to feel their glimmering scales on my fingertips- I'd be given quite a scolding if I did. I'd never tasted fish before, but hoped that someday I'd have something to trade in for it.
Len took my hand and pulled me towards the middle of the room. This was the grains' stall where you could buy sugar, flour, wheat, et cetera. It was run by yet another female Invalid. It was extremely rare for a male to be turned Invalid; either they were granted chances again and again or they were quieted.
"One bag of sugar, one bag of flour and two bags of salt," Len ordered. The Invalid hurried around to fulfill his demands and came back with the necessary items. Len opened the bag he'd brought along with him and took out three bi-colored cylinders he called 'batteries'. The Invalid cringed but took them without complaint.
Batteries are supposedly little towers of energy. Some items from the Outside require them for use and batteries cannot be made within the Terra Perfectionis. The only ones who have them are council people and Invalids, who sell them during the Nego-Quadram. Invalids and Outsiders don't usually have much need for them. We don't usually get the privilege of electronic objects.
We continued to the animal section next where Len asked for two dozens of eggs, two cartons of milk and one pack of sliced pork. Most people at the Terra Perfectionis didn't eat meat, considering it a waste of milk-producers, but I'd tried it once before thanks to Len. It was delicious! Unfortunately, it was also very expensive. Len had to give two of his batteries out for the pork on its own plus three more for the rest he'd bought.
"What is your momma making you for dinner?" I asked him cheerfully.
"My momma? Um... I don't know," he responded. "She just told me to get her these things, but she never told me what for."
While Len would be enjoying a nice meal, I'd be waiting with the other Outsiders for the leftovers. Anything Pure-breds decided to donate as well as anything that had not sold and eventually turned bad would go to us. There were more Invalids than Outsiders and never enough food, so this was the one place the peace rule could be revoked. Rather than sharing equally, making sure all had their share followed by everyone's grumbling stomachs the rest of the night, the Pit was quite competitive a place. If you wanted food, you had to be quick enough to get it. People would arrive and dump leftovers into pigs' troughs and we had to push and shove each other to gain our fill. Despite being small, I never starved.
Sometimes I was jealous of Len for having a mother. I'd never met her but she obviously took enough care of him to give him food and clothing and other nice things. What had mine done? She'd sold me to this place as if I were only a pest she had to get rid of. I hated her for doing that but knew it'd probably been better for me in the end; the Terra Perfectionis was a much better place compared to the Outside world. The Outside world was reigned by guns and crying and hatred while the Terra Perfectionis was far more civil. It'd been far better for me to have been left here instead of that sad place outside those doors, but sometimes I wondered what my mother could have been doing right now. Was she happy without me? Did she ever think of me from time to time? It hurt me to wonder.
While Len continued on towards the vegetable stand, I lingered by the fabric section. This was always crowded with Pure-bred women and girls, for fabric was one of the most worthy buys there. One could trade it for very little, sew it together into clothing, and then trade it back with higher worth. It was the most popular source of income among women and all learned to sew eventually. Or at least, all with mothers. Because I was an orphan (a trait I shared with every other Outsider), I hadn't a mother to teach me the basic ways of life. Without the ability to sew, I was far behind all regular girls and would be forced to eat from the Pit the rest of my life. (Perhaps that was just me being pessimistic, but it often felt this way.) It was an important skill I lacked, but who would teach me? Rarely would Pure-breds ever even come near me. All because of the emblem on my neck.
Len too was an only child, as was Miku. Actually, Miku told me an important secret once: A long time ago, she'd been supposed to have a little brother, but he apparently died very little. As I grew older I realized he was more likely quieted than lost.
Beside the fabric stand was a Pure-bred woman selling infant's clothes, most likely pass-me-downs, but two stalls away was an accessory booth that I knew sold only things made by the man and his pair. It was even written on the sign.
I always paused there to admire it all. I often saw the female, a Pure-bred named Felicia, buy beads at the crafts' stall; she was one of their few customers. She slid her precious beads onto thin silver wires and made them into earrings and necklaces and other pretty things. Along with that she'd make multicolored headdresses, wire ribbons that tied easily, tiaras made entirely of wire and beads, veils made only with transparent fabrics and more. She was a talent to behold and their booth did very well.
I gazed longingly at a spiral ring dotted with amber-colored beads. How pretty it was... "Hey! Scram, you little Outside brat!" Like most Pure-breds, this man wasn't fond of us lower-rankers. I liked Felicia, who'd once given me a blue beaded hair clip, but I definitely didn't like her scary pair. I quickly scurried away to where Len was.
"Hey," he laughed as I clung onto his arm. "Rinny, what are you doing?"
I was going to tell him about the scary man but couldn't take my eyes off the booth. When I grew up and finally had my own pair, I'd make him get me something pretty from that booth. I hoped he would.
Len followed my gaze and made a small hum sound. He reached into his pocket and gave the Invalid four batteries then gave me his heavy basket. "Could you please hold this for a second, please?" I watched him go back to the stand and followed him a few steps behind. I couldn't hear what he was saying but saw him point and give the man two of his batteries. Normally, two batteries would have been far too much for such simple things, but this stand was an exception. Like I'd said, homemade items were worth more than Outside-made products, no matter what.
The man handed him the item with his usual grouchy look and Len thanked him. Then, he turned to me. "Close your eyes, Rin!"
I had some problems with trust. I was always afraid that when I wasn't looking, some mean Pure-bred would push me off my feet and hurt me like they had so many times before. But I trusted Len. Len wouldn't let them hurt me. After a moment's hesitation I closed my eyes, tensing slightly. I felt him walk up behind me and flinched. I couldn't help myself- my brain just for a moment doubted it was Len and felt enemies surrounding me, ready to hurt me. I scolded myself; it was just Len! Len wouldn't hurt me! Despite myself I flinched again when I felt his hands in my hair.
He lifted my short golden locks and slid something underneath then wrapped it around my head and made a knot on top. I knew what it was already but it didn't stop me from feeling the top of my head and asking. "Look!" he answered, pointing at a mirror on the booth. "It looks so pretty on you, Rin!"
He'd bought me a white wire ribbon. It was twisted rather crookedly which I quickly straightened, but it just looked... right. It looked like it belonged on my head. Of course, I was only thinking that because Len had bought it for me. He could have bought anything available at that booth and I'd've been convinced it was meant for me. It didn't matter: I loved it.
The grouchy man suddenly noticed me there and eyed me suspiciously. Then his gaze locked on the black emblem on my neck and his eyes flared. "We don't sell things to Outsiders!" he roared.
"Sir, I bought it!" Len spoke up, sounding a little scared himself. I didn't blame him; the man was five times his size.
The man ignored him and aimed his hand to the bow in my head. I saw him coming for me, saw a blurry vision of his hand coming for my head, and stood completely still. Terror had frozen my nerves, my muscles, my bones. At the last second I snapped to and my reflexes finally kicked in. I backed away so quickly I fell onto my bum and his hand gripped thin air where my new white bow had been.
"Rin! Are you okay?"
Len was right in front of me, blocking my vision of the giant ogre behind him. Without thinking I shoved him off of me. "Len! Len!" The ogre-man was coming around his booth now, raging eyes locked onto me. "LEN!" I screamed.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Everything went quiet in the normally loud room. Murmurs of conversation died, children stopped playing, owners stopped debating. They all stared right at us and the big ogre-man. Len stood up on his feet and glared. "Don't touch her, or I will have you quieted!" My eyes nearly bulged at the threat, as did the ogre-man's. "My momma is on the council; you know I can do it. If you don't want Quietus, then leave us alone and go on with your life!"
The murmuring returned and I heard the word 'Outsider' enough times to know they were speaking of us. The ogre-man glared at me one more time, a warning to never again approach his shop, but backed away. I watched Len in admiration as he helped me up. "W-What happened?" I asked.
He only smiled. "We're okay now. He won't bother us." He refused to explain.
I was shocked. Everyone who understood English knew what Quietus meant and feared it. Quietus was to be sent away to a place worse than the Outside, a place where one could never return. Being the age I was, I didn't understand it completely, only knowing it was bad, very bad to be quieted.
We quickly made our way to the doors and I softly asked, "Is your momma really on the council, Len?" Again, he didn't answer. He'd mentioned before that he didn't like some of the things his mother did. To me, that was ridiculous, for the one thing I wanted most in the world was my own mother, but he didn't follow up when I asked what his mother had done to upset him. I knew he wouldn't want to talk about it and swallowed my temptation.
We relaxed as we stepped into the hall. Normal six and seven-year-olds wouldn't have been able to recuperate so quickly from something so traumatic (or at least, traumatic in their perspective), but this was something they were both used to. I was used to being pushed around and hurt by others and Len was used to saving me from it. I felt bad about it, especially when someone tried striking out at Len because of me, but Len wouldn't listen. He was taken with being my hero. It was just who he was.
"Len, is Miku still sick?"
"I think so." Our biggest source of concern at the moment was directed at pretty Miku. Miku had been bedridden for over a week now and no matter what time we went to visit her at, she was always sleeping. "Actually, I think they even took her to the medicine wing." He sounded worried for her but was nothing compared to my outburst.
"WHAT?!" I tugged on his shirt. "We need to go see her, we need to go see her! Len, why didn't you tell me it was this bad? You told me it was a cold, just a cold!"
I felt strongly for Miku. She was like an older sister; she introduced me to her friends (though it never seemed to work out), defended me when someone threw an insult my way and played with me even though no one else would. I admired her so, wished I were as beautiful and kind as her, and of course, as pure-bred as her. Apart from Len, Miku was my only real friend and it hurt me to know she was sick.
"Come on!"
"Wait! Rin! You might not even be allowed in!" I began running towards the medicine wing and when he saw I wouldn't stop, Len followed. "Rin, wait for me!"
The Nego-Quadram was very close to the medicine wing. We ran down the hall and turned right when we reached the library. Once there, all we needed do was follow down straight and we were there. The medicine was very large because not only did it cover serious emergencies, but minor injuries as well. If a child cut his finger and his parents had no bandages, he was sent to the medicine wing to get one. If someone fell down the stairs and bruised their knee, the medicine wing was where they'd go to get ice. If a person had their arm broken as punishment, the only place to get a splint was at the medicine wing. It covered all different kinds of emergencies, making it a very busy place.
I ignored the lobby-lady and quickly sped into the hall where I knew the patient's wards were. Once I'd been kept in one of them after a particularly severe beating. I poked my head into each room, trying some and finding them locked. Perhaps it would have been wise to stop at the desk and ask for Miku's room number, but I hadn't had the time for that. Len probably had.
The door to Miku's room was open. I knew it was her from the long teal hair cascading off her bed and rushed inside. I stared sadly at my dear friend lying on the thin white cot. She looked not much different from the last time I'd had seen her two days before apart from her face. Her mouth was now stretched into a pained grimace as if she was hurting from the inside and her skin was very pale. It worried me as I stood there watching.
Ring, Miku's mother, sobbed in a chair placed beside the bed. "I didn't mean to hurt her, I didn't mean to!" she cried. "I thought she'd like it and it was such a rare thing... I didn't mean to hurt her...!"
Ring looked a lot like her daughter. They both their long blue hair, though Ring wore it straight rather than in pigtails like her daughter's. Both of them had the same face too, the big teal eyes, the small upturned nose, the wide mouth. The only difference was the obvious older age. There were always bags under Ring's eyes and her face was thinning out. She always seemed tired and depressed, even when there was good news to be told. Now, with bad news, she looked like death was at her door.
"Oh, they're letting people visit now." Len came up to my side, panting slightly from the running. "She doesn't look much better, does she?"
"I didn't mean to hurt her!" Ring crowed in her corner.
"Not at all, Len-Len..." I glanced over at the middle-aged woman. "Neither of them look good." I pressed my hands onto Ring's knees to get her attention. "Do you think she'll be alright?"
Ring, like Miku, didn't make a big deal over Outsiders. It seemed they didn't care. This in itself made me like them. "No... No...!" she sobbed, though I wasn't sure whether or not she was answering me or sharing her grief. I waited for her to calm down. "T-The doctors... She might not make it! She might not make it, and it's all my fault...!"
"Might not make what?" I asked obliviously.
"What?" Len exclaimed, eyes wide. "Are you serious?" All Ring did was cry.
"I don't get it! What's she mean?"
Len stared at me for a long time before finally answering. "It means we might lose her."
Though very much alike, Loss and Quietus were also very different. When someone was quieted, it meant they were banished for doing something bad. When a person was lost, however, it meant that no matter what doctors and others did to try and save this person, he or she never woke up. The person's soul floated out of their body without any way of return, no matter how good that person had been during life. There was nothing anyone could do.
It scared me, especially when I looked back at Miku's unmoving body. She looked dead. Maybe we'd already lost her, maybe she was already gone. Without wanting to, I began to cry. It made me feel even worse! Not only would it make Ring cry harder - which it did - but it also made me look weak to Len. I too often felt weak in front of him and it was always him saving me. Sometimes I wished I could save myself.
"Excuse me?" A doctor in a long white coat entered the room.
Doctors were very important at the Terra Perfectionis. Only the smartest and worthiest could become doctors and neither Outsider nor Invalid was allowed that right. They were given remedies to trade which were extremely valuable, especially to the many women expecting. Not many people had official jobs at the Terra Perfectionis, but for most employments, you were considered special if you were assigned to one. Unless you were stripped to becoming an Invalid, that is.
"Is the official guardian of Miss Miku present?" At the Terra Perfectionis, no two people shared a name. This way, people were easily recognized and not confused.
Ring stood. "Y-Yes?" Desperately she clung to his coat. "Please tell me, is she going to be okay? Will we lose her?!" She sniveled pathetically and the doctor cringed.
"Please, control yourself," he demanded, pushing his glasses up the ridge of his nose. "I came here to ask once more for your story, if you don't mind. May I?"
"I-I...!" Ring dropped to her knees in misery. "I want to know the condition of my daughter, sir."
"And you will," he assured her, "once I confirm the details of your story."
I gazed at Len curiously. Was he talking about what had made Miku sick? Did Len know what had happened to Miku?
"I-I... Two weeks ago, Miku started complaining about how she wasn't feeling well. I let her go to classes for a few days until she threw up on... the fourth day, I think." Ring swallowed noisily, her eyes scanning the room restlessly. "I kept her home and took care of her and she slipped with... it." 'It'? "She slept through nearly the whole day after that, getting up to eat and draw pictures, and the day after that was the same. Yesterday, though... Yesterday, she slept the whole day through. She only woke up for five minutes to vomit on herself and passed out even before I finished cleaning up."
The doctor nodded. "Now tell me more about that stuffed doll of hers."
A stuffed doll? "She calls it Chii-choo," Ring said. Ah, yes, Chii-choo. Miku had showed it to me nearly immediately after I'd arrived, bragging about how rare it was. Chii-choo was a pale blue velvet rabbit-like creature with long ears and a plump body. He felt soft to the touch and was fun to squeeze. His eyes were just black little marbles and he never smiled, but I'd been a little jealous that she had something so special. She did however share with me whenever I asked, so she wasn't only rubbing her belongings in my face. Miku wasn't like that, Miku didn't brag. She just had everything I'd ever wanted.
"I already gave it to you, since you mentioned you thought that was what..." she trailed off. "I got it for her almost a year ago but she kept it on the shelf. She complained that it stank and I thought nothing of it. Then, about six or seven months ago, she realized it was rare and started playing with it all the time..."
Six months ago? That was when I'd first arrived here. Was it maybe my fault somehow? The part about it stinking did ring a bell. Often I complained about his smell, and always she'd answer, 'He always smells like that.' But maybe it'd actually been my fault he began to smell as he did. Somehow, maybe I'd done something...?
"You skipped the process of possession of the stuffed animal," the doctor sniffed. "Please clarify."
"Process of...? Oh." She nodded, seeming to understand, as I stood with question marks floating around my head. "I... I got it at the Nego-Quadram."
The doctor's head snapped up. "You didn't mention that when I last questioned you. Perhaps you were too much in a state of shock to remember..." He suddenly seemed very interested. "Go on, please."
"I..." Ring squirmed. "An Invalid- she was selling dishrags and towels. She called to me and showed me the doll, and I... I...!" Tears slid down her cheeks as she launched into a coughing fit.
"I need you to calm down to be of any use to me, please." I didn't like this doctor. Somehow it felt wrong to blackmail Ring this way, to get her to tell her story by withholding information about her daughter's life.
"I..." She gulped. "I thought she'd like it, so I bought it for her, and..." A wretched sob escaped her throat.
"Very well, I see there isn't much of great importance proceeding its purchase. Can you recall this Invalid's appearance?"
I helped Ring back into her chair. She seemed so fragile, perhaps even at par with her unconscious daughter. "T-The first thing I saw was... the ex on her neck."
The doctor rolled his eyes and sighed. "Every Invalid has an ex on their neck. It's their marking. Knowing this really won't get us very far."
"Let her talk!" I yelled at him. He rolled his eyes once more but didn't speak.
"I... I didn't pay very much attention to her looks. She just seemed a regular merchant, but... I remember she had dark hair, and... pointy eyes."
"Was her hair short or long?"
Ring struggled to remember. Her eyes raced around the room wildly and she seemed extremely stressed. "Sh-Sh-She... I don't know! I think... she had long hair." She shook her head. "I don't know!"
The doctor sighed in annoyance and wrote in a clipboard he'd picked up. "Very well. If you cannot help any further, I suppose I must take my leave."
"Wait!" Ring reached out to him. "M-Miku! You promised!"
The doctor frowned then let out a small 'Ah' as he understood. "The girl's condition. Yes, yes, very well." He nudged up his glasses and cleared his throat. "We ran some tests on the doll and discovered that it was indeed filled with poisonous chemicals. We are certain that these are what caused Miku's condition and that these chemicals will not be found within our community. Therefore, as you've explained, it must be an Invalid's fault."
Ring's eyes widened. "Are you trying to say that someone...?"
The doctor nodded. "It seems so. It is very probable someone purposely tried to cause your daughter harm."
I thought Ring would faint then and there.
"Thankfully, because we were able to identify the source of sickness so rapidly, there is little chance of losing your daughter. The chemicals were absorbed through the air which means that so long as the child is no longer breathing the poisons, her body should be able to naturally rid itself of the unwelcome and the sickness will revert itself automatically. There is, therefore, very little chance of loss in this case."
Ring seemed only slightly relieved. "Someone... tried to quiet my daughter. It isn't just loss, it's Quietus! Someone tried to quiet my daughter when she did nothing wrong!" Ring began to tremble. "That isn't right! That's against the rules!"
"Shh...!" I tried to calm her down. Len quickly came to her other side. "It's alright, Miss Ring. Didn't you here? Miku's going to be alright! You can relax. Everything will be fine..."
"I'm glad you've understood so well, Miss Ring," the doctor said. "Yes, whoever the perpetrator is has committed an illegal gesture and shall be quieted when found. We will find her. The council is already working to solve this matter. Everything shall be well classified." He nodded. "I thank you for your time."
And then he left. Ring, who'd been forcing herself to stay strong while the doctor was there, finally collapsed and resumed her crying. I gazed at Len. "Someone... tried to hurt Miku? Why?"
Len knew much more about the Terra Perfectionis than I. Sometimes I wondered if he'd been hoping for a spot on the council, but he often seemed very against the way things worked there. Maybe he just paid strict attention to the rules to make sure he didn't break any. "Some people- usually Outsiders -don't agree with some of the rules here." He seemed reluctant to go on, especially knowing I myself was an Outsider. He always seemed hesitant to speak about them as if worried he'd offend me.
"Why not?" I asked.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I don't understand why not. My momma says they're a little wacky. Sometimes, though, these people get really mean and scary. Sometimes they try to run away to the Outside, and once in a while, they even try to destroy the Terra Perfectionis, home. It isn't good because whenever they try to do that, people get hurt." His eyes narrowed and his nose twitched. "I hate it when people hurt others on purpose."
My eyes widened. Of course I'd always known he detested seeing people get hurt but it suddenly threatened me, in a strange way. I felt a chill run down my spine as if my body already knew it would disappoint him. But it just didn't make any sense. "S-So what happens when they catch those people?" I asked.
He hesitated and answered only with "You'll see." He seemed certain whoever had done this would end up caught, so I believed him. After all, Len was nearly always right. A month later, his prediction came true.
I rushed in wide-eyed and panting. "Is everything okay?!"
Four doctors surrounding Miku's cot loudly murmuring amongst each other. Ring sat horrified on her chair in the corner, watching them, and I knew something had to be wrong. I'd known it as soon as I'd seen the doctors rush in.
"H-Her heart," Ring mumbled dazingly. She'd probably gone into shock. Her eyes glazed over and her face seemed to age five years. I felt bad for her, but right now, I was just as stressed as she. I rushed up to Miku's side, poking my head between two lab-coat-clad adults. They hissed in annoyance and barked orders of some kind, but I couldn't hear them anymore. All I could see was Miku.
Her skin was so pale it seemed blue and her face was contorted into an even stronger grimace than before. She'd lost a lot of weight the last few days. Her hands were thin and boney and her ribs were a little more protruding than they should have been, but the scariest thing of it all, the one thing that made me feel like crying, was that she didn't seem to be breathing.
A fifth, younger-looking doctor tugged the back of my dress, one of the only four I owned. He smiled at me kindly as he guided me away from them and warned me not to intrude while the doctors performed such an important task. "Your friend's heart has stopped and I know that seems scary, but I promise you, she'll be alright," he assured me. He went on about how effective the doctors here were and how very few people ended up lost, but it all sounded like another language to me. Miku's heart had stopped. Miku was on the verge of death. It was all I could think about.
I joined Ring, both of us in our own bubble of shock. "She might not make it..." It took about five to ten minutes to get Miku's heart back to normal, but to the both of us, it felt like hours. Len probably hadn't even heard of this yet, or else he would have been here with me, holding my hand, reassuring me all would be fine in the end. I felt even more alone without him here.
The doctors congratulated each other as they hooked her up to a monitor. Strange waves traveled through the small screen accompanied by loud beeps. "It's her heartbeat," the youngest doctor said with a smile. "I told you they'd do it." But had they really?
It'd been only six days since Miku had been accepted within the medicine wing and already she'd nearly died. Tomorrow, what if they weren't fast enough to fix her? In two days, what if they decided it was best to Deliver her and take her out of her misery rather than spend all this time keeping her alive? What if in a week from now, I'd never see her ever again?
My sniffling made Ring jump. "Y-You're... crying?" I wiped at my tears and nodded pathetically, the big white bow on my head threatening to fall off. Ring was silent. For a moment, just the slightest bit of a second, she reached out to me, as if to hold my hand. She gave up midway and pulled her hand back. I didn't mind so much; I was too taken with the fact that she'd actually tried touching me, comforting me. I was an Outsider! Most would smile if they found me crying, laugh at the funny noises I made. No one would dare try and make me feel better- no one but Miku and Len. And if we lost Miku, then just Len...
I made a promise to myself to try becoming closer to Ring, close enough that she wouldn't hesitate to pat my head, close enough that she'd treat me as her own daughter...
That promise was quickly forgotten.
Once the room was emptied again I stood and walked up to Miku's side. Ring had fallen asleep during the enormous period of time when the staff had been 'packing up' their things. She seemed a lot more peaceful within her dream-world.
Miku's skin was already gaining back some of its color though she was still sickly pale. I wondered what the doctors had done exactly. The fifth one had probably explained it to me already but I hadn't really listened to anything he'd said. At least her chest rose and fell rhythmically as it had before. At least she was still breathing.
"Excuse me?" a woman interrupted. "We need to disperse all visitors so Miku may have her nap. Thank you." She shooed the both of us into the hallway. I was still in shock and Ring probably wouldn't leave even if the building was on fire. She was always there no matter what time I'd visit.
We both stood there in front of the doorway, staring as if we would magically be provided x-ray vision to gaze at the girl within. "She's too young..." Ring whispered to herself.
"There are younger."
She flinched at the sound of my voice as if she'd forgotten I was there, but soon relaxed again (or, relaxed as much as was possible for Ring). "Rin... that's your name, right?" I nodded. "Rin," she repeated thoughtfully, "you're a special child, aren't you? You and Len both... all three of you, you're so special..." She looked on the verge of tears again.
My heart wept for her and my eyes didn't water, but I couldn't let myself cry. If I cried, Ring would only feel worse. I had to stay strong for her and every other around me. "I'm not special," I mumbled. "I'm just an Outsider." I decided to leave before my tear ducts exploded.
I didn't know where to go and decided to stop at the bathroom. Afterwards, I'd head to the library.
As I stood in front of the sink washing my hands, a Pure-bred girl entered. She had mid-back length black hair that was pinned up cutely on both sides of her head. Her eyes were a dark gray and very wide. On a scale of one to ten in beauty, she was probably a six or a seven.
She started for one of the stalls then stopped and glanced at me. Her eyes locked onto the emblem on my neck and she squeaked, quickly locking herself into one of the stalls. Maybe she thought my eyes were lasers, that if we stared at each other too long, I would melt the inside of her brain. Or maybe, like many others, she simply clung to the belief that I was contaminated.
I sighed and rose higher on my tip-toes, trying to see myself in the mirror. Finally I gave up and lifted myself onto the porcelain surface. On my neck was the mark I hated so much; The Outsider's emblem.
The Outsider's emblem was a thickly-lined circle on one's skin with darker smudges within. 'What is it supposed to be?' I once asked Dell. He'd looked up from his papers and fixed his attention onto me. 'Hm? Your mark?' He'd shuffled a few papers around. 'It's supposed to represent a dirty earth- the opposite of a perfect community. It represents where you're from.'
I traced it. I remembered how I'd gotten it. It had stung so badly when Dell had stamped it onto me- I'd been squirming so much, Cural had had to force me into bindings, chaining my hands and feet away from my body. And then the stamp... the stamp had been so hot it glowed red and hurt like flames when pressed against my pale neck. For days the spot had been burned red and I'd had to put special ointment on it to prevent blistering. Now, it was forever there.
Forever I would be reminded of my difference, my flaw. Forever I would curse myself for it and someday, I would find a way to take it off.
That too was a promise I never saw through.
A few days later Miku woke up, but was so out of it, it was like keeping company to a zombie. She mostly slept and woke only long enough to eat and maybe to listen to us talk a little. Gradually she began getting better though and now, a month later, she was nearly back to normal.
"I'm really glad you're okay."
"Oh Rinny," Miku laughed. "You say that every time. Quit being such a worry-wart! You're even worse than Len!"
I frowned at her. "You have no idea how scared we all were. We thought we were going to lose you. Weren't you scared of Loss?"
Miku shrugged. "I didn't really get what was going on. I don't really remember much at all..." She sighed. "I can't believe Chii-choo did this to me... They're going to quiet him too, so I won't be able to play with him anymore at all!"
"Aren't you angry?" I asked her, surprised by her casualty.
Again, all she did was shrug. "I didn't realize what was happening. It didn't feel like I was dying, so I'm not really that angry. Besides, it could have been an accident, too! Maybe it wasn't her fault!"
I didn't answer. I was sure it was done on purpose, especially after Len had told me protests like this happened often, but I wouldn't spoil Miku's mood. While she should have been angry in my opinion, it was probably better for her to be as content as she was. It was probably better for her not to remember how sick she'd been. I wish I could forget it as well.
I let out a shaky breath. "I... I just can't believe it... It was so scary! I thought I was going to lose you forever!" I sniffed and wiped at my eyes to prevent any tears from escaping. Thankfully, they were only tear-glazed without threat of them falling. Good.
"Aw, Rinny!" She beckoned me over and wrapped her arms around my smaller body. I flinched, as I always did when people touched me, but didn't pull away. I liked being held. It made me feel warm and safe and loved.
While it wasn't considered a rule, it wasn't considered right to show very much affection to others in public. With a person's pair, it was alright to touch and smile and love, but between anyone else, even parent and child, just touching was something to be frowned upon. Miku never seemed to care for those rules. Even in a full room of adults, she'd hold my hand if I felt nervous. Their frowns would turn into grimaces as soon as they spotted the mark on my neck, but Miku didn't mind. It was one of the many things I loved her for.
I tentatively squeezed my own arms around her waist which made her giggle. "Aw, Rin-Rin! You like being cuddled, don't you?" Her eyes sparkled. "When we grow up and get our own pairs, I'll make sure yours cuddles you all the time, okay?"
Oh, pairings. That was a topic every girl talked about here. It was just so exciting! "Who do you think your pair will be?" I asked her curiously.
"I don't know," Miku admitted. "I just hope it won't be with some older guy..." She stuck out her tongue. "Some people get stuck with adults instead, which must really suck."
I nodded in agreement. "I don't want to be with an adult."
Miku examined my face and tilted her head thoughtfully. "Maybe you'll get paired with Len, Rinny-Rin. We learned in class that people like yellow hair a lot."
"Blonde," I corrected without thinking and blushed. It came from the reading I often did.
"Mm-hm. Well, you and Len both have yello- I mean, blonde hair. Because they really like blonde hair, maybe you'll be paired together so your babies will have yellow hair too." She grinned at her own logical inference which made me smile too.
"I hope it's Len," I confessed. "I like Len. I want my pair to be with someone I like instead of a stranger. And..." Unconsciously I stroked the mark on my neck. "If it's a stranger, they might not like me, because of..."
Miku tsked. "If they don't like you because of that, then they're just stupid. I like you lots and lots, and I don't care 'bout where you came from. I'm glad you came here!" She squeezed her arms a little tighter.
I made a low purr sound. "Me too. I'm happy you're my friend." In some books I'd read, when the girl confessed the words 'I like him', her friends immediately began harping on her about who it was, why it was, and other small details. Here, there was no such thing as 'liking'. There were no childhood crushes, no teenage romances. There was only Union.
Just then there was a knock on the door. We released each other and turned to find a coat-clad woman waiting for us. Her black hair was tightly drawn into a bun and her eyes were very pale. She wore glasses with thick lessons which led me to assume her eyesight wasn't so good and her cheek bones were slightly too protruding. She was probably a three on a scale of one to ten.
She grimaced in disgust at our 'intimate gestures' and I knew I'd be getting a scolding from the council very soon. Oh well. "I've been told to report that your criminal has been discovered," she announced monotonously. "She will be quieted tonight and you are encouraged to attend, Miss Miku, to watch justice be served to your culprit."
I stiffened and immediately turned to look at Miku. She seemed surprised and a little scared. "I-Is Momma going to be there?" she asked.
"Yes, your mother will be attending."
Miku hesitated and glanced over at me. "I don't know if I want to see that happen..."
I, on the other hand, was brimming with curiosity. "I've never seen Quietus happen with my own eyes before! We'll go together, okay? I want to see what it's like!"
Miku's eyes filled with something similar to an adult's look when their child begins saying they'd like to become an Invalid. "Well... okay then, Rin. Are you sure you want to?"
I nodded enthusiastically. It'd been only eight months since I'd arrived and all I knew was that Quietus banished people into nothingness. I hadn't a clue how they were banished nor where they went afterwards. Now, I'd finally get the answers to my questions!
"Alright. Then we'll all go down to watch." The way she said it made her sound scared and uneasy about the idea, but I couldn't have been happier.
I just didn't know back then. I knew nothing at all.
"Are you cold?"
Miku shook her head. "It's warm outside, Len. Even sick, I can feel it."
"It cools down a lot at night," Len insisted. "We don't want you to get any worse!"
Miku only rolled her eyes. Secretly I too wished she'd wear a coat, despite it now being the warmer season. Even I had chills- though perhaps that related more to the tension in the air than to temperature.
Everyone around us walked silently, angry expressions pasted onto their faces. Some carried candles to lighten their way while most just watched others to keep on the path. Some wore dark cloaks which I found added to the eerie atmosphere. All looked vengeful and determined. I could only glance around in anticipation.
Neither of my friends had told me what would happen tonight exactly. Maybe they wanted to keep it a surprise for me. It made me impatient though and everyone else seemed to be moving slower than usual to me.
I didn't understand why we had to walk through the woods. Perhaps it was part of a ritual. Len had told me our walk wouldn't last too long, but I didn't mind much anyway. I'd never been out in the woods before. Birds croaked and I could have sworn I heard an owl somewhere. Bugs buzzed around madly and all three of us were constantly swatting away pesky mosquitoes.
"Are we almost there?" I asked.
To my surprise, Len lifted his head and sniffed the air. Miku saw him do so and mimicked his gestures. I found it very odd, but if they both did it, then maybe it was some kind of requirement to the ritual. I lifted my nose up to the air and took a deep breath in myself. All I smelt was mud and trees and traces of the rain that had fallen two days ago. What important thing was there to smell?
"Almost," Miku answered. "You'll know when we get there." They glanced at each other knowingly.
"Why? How? What is it?"
"You'll see." That's all I'd get whenever I asked questions. I'd just have to wait a little while longer.
"When will you be able to leave the medicine wing?" Len asked.
"The doctors say I should be able to leave this week, next week at the latest," Miku replied with a grin. "I'm just going to need a lot of rest."
"Will you be at school?"
"Yeah, probably. I think it's after that Mom will keep me in. I probably won't have much time to play..."
"We'll make it work. Won't we, Rin?" They both stared at me expectantly.
"... I still don't smell anything."
They both sighed and shook their hands. "Trust me," Miku said, "you don't want to."
I glanced back at her and took in her appearance. Her skin had taken back its normal fleshy pink tone and her eyes had regained their cheerful sparkle. She was a lot skinnier now since she'd lost a lot of weight from her sickness, but she seemed healthy enough. It made me happy, but at the same time... I felt a sudden prickly feeling.
I'd felt it a few times before but it had passed too quickly for me to analyze it. Now, it lingered just long enough to register into my memory. For a moment, I'd felt nearly angry. No, maybe 'angry' wasn't the right word. It was more like a bitterness, a dryness. I'd stared at Miku, at her generous beauty, and felt like it wasn't fair, felt upset that she had something I didn't.
For only just a moment, I felt jealous.
I didn't have too much time to think about it before suddenly I was doubled over coughing, clutching my nose. "E-Ew! What's going on?!"
I seemed to be the only one affected by the terrible curse that had been afflicted. All other adults walked on without even changing their expression. Len and Miku winced slightly, but were then back to normal. "What's going on?!" I repeated, feeling my stomach churn at the repulsive smell.
"Just breathe through your mouth," Len instructed.
It smelt like rot. Once we'd had a project where we'd kept a slice of bread aside and left it there for a few weeks. When we'd opened it up again, it was covered in green moss-like fur much like the plants decorating the earth I stood on. It had an unpleasant smell to it as well. To call this newscent unpleasant was a definite understatement. This new scent was a million times worse than that of the moldy bread. She felt she would faint before remembering Len's tip and switching to breathing through her mouth.
"It always smells like this," Miku explained. "It's the smell of the quieted." I didn't really know what that meant but nodded like I did. The crowd in front of us stopped walking. We were now caught in the middle of everyone, and I couldn't even see a thing!
An elderly woman nudged us from behind. "Ah, children... Are you the victim, girl?" she asked me. I started to shake my head but was ignored. "Go ahead and make your way to the front so you'll be able to see all of it. After all, the best way to learn a listen is to have it done to you."
I later realized this advice hadn't made much sense- because it wasn't actually us ourselves being quieted, we couldn't learn the lesson by having it done unto us, only by witnessing. And so, things didn't work out quite the way she'd predicted- or at least, it didn't work until much much later.
They ushered us to the front, encouraging the poor victim girl (the pure-bred, at least) to take her revenge. They encouraged cruelty. It sent a small needle of unease down my spine as if somehow, a part of me knew this was wrong, but I didn't bother listening. To me, anything the people around me believed was right had to be so. I soon lost this innocence.
We were in front of a wooden stage. I wondered why it was so deep in the woods but figured it was a stupid question. The stench however strengthened the closer we came to the heart of the lot, the center of the forest, as if there was more further within.
The crowd behind us suddenly went silent. I turned around to see what had happened and saw them all separate in the middle, creating a lane within the crowd. Pushing a ragged woman forward was Lily, one of the three council members. Her long golden hair stood out in the darkness and her blue eyes pierced all who met her gaze. Her face was stone-serious, as usual, yet there was the smallest spark of rage when she shoved the other forward again.
The Invalid fell to her knees. Long knotted hair hung drily around her face (Invalids didn't have the same bathrooms as Pure-breds and therefore didn't clean themselves as often) and her pale skin was scarred red from whip lashes. Horrified, I took in the absence of seven fingers, bloody stumps were long digits must have once been. Every time her hands brushed her sides, long streaks of red were painted onto her shirt (if it could even be called a shirt).
Everyone glared at this woman, but beneath her disgusting appearance, I still saw a gleam of hatred in her eyes, a final sign of rebellion. It both scared and intrigued the six-year-old me.
Lily shoved her up the stairs to the raised platform and she stumbled, fell to her knees. The anger that sparked in her eyes surprised me, but the way she swung one arm backwards shocked everyone. People began yelling, advancing closer, swearing at her, and she only smirked at them like it was nothing.
"Did she just try to hit a Council member?!" Miku gasped. Even Len seemed surprised.
"SILENCE!" Everyone's shouting was reduced to angry muttering at the command of the great Council woman. Lily strode forward to the front of the stage as black-dressed guards forced the Invalid into cuffs and chained her to a t-shaped structure of wood. The Invalid struggled but eventually gave up and let them chain her, seeing as she wasn't getting away no matter her efforts.
"This disgusting, pathetic Invalid," Lily sneered, "attempted to quiet one of our children. While it has taken some time, we were both able to revive the child and pinpoint the criminal." I glanced over at Miku. She seemed nervous as they talked about her. She would be turning nine in August and I didn't know how she felt being referred to as a child (though she was what she was), but she didn't seem to really notice. She stared at her would-be killer with a fear none could replicate. I felt sorry for her, but couldn't understand. This woman was in chains and beat. There wasn't any way for her to attack Miku again. So why was my friend so terrified of this Invalid?
"Guess what?" Lily leaned down in front of the arrested woman. "You failed. This child had a purity like none other, and one cannot kill purity! All you've done is gotten yourself into this situation and ridden us of another sour apple. How does that make you feel?" Lily grinned sadistically. "Doesn't that make you angry? Doesn't that make you feel terrible inside, knowing you're minutes away from death?"
"Death?!" Len brought a finger to his lips to shush me and a few adults glanced my way in sympathy. What was it that happened when one was quieted? What would happen now?
"No," the Invalid answered, her smirk growing into a grin. "I can't say I regret a thing. I tried, you know? It doesn't matter that I failed, because I tried!"
Lily seemed disgusted. "What exactly would you have succeeded in by murdering a child?"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh Lily, you're such a hypocrite."
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL HER BY NAME!" Someone yelled.
"Lily," the Invalid emphasized, "you have no right to look at me like I've done something wrong. You murder children all the time, don't you?" The Invalid turned to the crowd, her dry brown hair falling into her face. "Don't you see it?" she asked the crowd. "Don't you see how crazy you all are?! They're tricking you, fooling you! They pretend to take care of you, but in the end, you'll all just be DEAD!"
People began screaming again until Lily gestured to a guard, who took a whip out of nowhere and slapped it against the woman's stomach. "SHUT UP!" Lily yelled at her, but all she did was glare. "For this woman's crime, the Council has decided her name will be banned from any future use. Therefore, no newborn will ever again be named Avanna."
A low murmuring began within the crowd. I cocked my head and stared at the poor bleeding woman pitifully. Avanna… such a pretty name. She seemed like a pretty person too. She was probably a 6 or a 7, thanks to her striking blue eyes, though points had probably been taken off for her freckles.
"You're about to die, now, Avanna," Lily hissed to her. "Perhaps an apology could be offered?"
"I've done nothing worse than any of you." Her eyes suddenly locked onto Miku's and my friend stiffened. "You should have been dead."
Her comment sparked outrage and completely drowned out Lily's voice as she tried to silence them. Finally she gave up and barked orders to the guards.
Avanna's hands were already chained to either side of her wooden hold like that of a scarecrow, a strange puppet-like thing I'd seen in a book once. As she watched the black-clothed men with disinterest, they struggled and lifted her wooden post – with Avanna still on it – and carried it further within the woods. The crowd followed. We three stood still.
"You… We don't have to go watch," Len told us. "Momma said we could leave now if we wanted to."
"What are they going to do to her?" I asked, a little alarmed. For whatever reason, I'd decided I liked this woman. My foolish five-year-old mind had already forgotten of her sins and admired her for her confidence, her bravery. For whatever reason, my foolish mind had looked up to her. It didn't last long.
Len hesitated a moment, then began to back up slowly. "We should go," he said quietly, the sound nearly engulfed by the angry shouts of rage.
"No!" I insisted. "I want to go see!"
"I'll go," Miku answered shakily. I finally took a good look at her and realized she's gone into a state of shock. She trembled like a dead leaf in the fall, her face pale and blank. "I'll go back…"
"Come on, Rin." They both walked in direction of our home.
Len waited for me impatiently, but I stood my ground. "No!" I replied, stubbornly crossing my arms and pouting my lips. The sounds were getting further and further away. "I'm going to watch!"
Len seemed torn. Yes, he wanted to safely escort Miku back to the Terra Perfectionis (despite him being two years younger than her), but he also wanted to go with me. Well, I wanted him to go with me, and he more likely just didn't want to disappoint me. It was in his nature. Finally he made his decision. He forced his face into a cold frown. It didn't suit him in the least. "I'm going to bring Miku back," he announced. "You can go, Rin, but you'll be alone there until I come back. So no being scared!"
"Fine," I grumbled. To be honest, the idea of going there alone terrified me, but I wasn't going to seem like a wimp in front of the both of them! "Come back quick then, okay, Len?"
He nodded. "I'll come back as fast as I can."
We both parted our ways after that.
I followed the faint sounds of shouting down a hill and stopped for a moment to plug my nose. The smells got stronger and stronger the further down I went.
"That's it?! That's not bad enough! That's too simple!"
"More! Give her more!"
I struggled down the steep hill and finally reached the large mob. Except… I was at the very back. Adults were far taller than I; I couldn't see a thing. I needed to see what was happening, I had to!
"Excuse me!" No one heard me. I squeezed my way between two people and ended up getting squished between them.
"Move, stupid kid!"
"I'm sorry!" I cried back at him.
I pushed and shoved as much as everyone else but to no avail; all I ended up doing was tiring myself. Everyone's shouts turned into cheers and I wondered what was going on. I even tried asking one lady, but she couldn't hear me.
I stayed at the back of the crowd, discouraged and fatigued. I'd stay until everyone else cleared out, and then maybe there'd be something to witness. But… what were all those strangely-shaped trees all around? They seemed different from regular trees, with far fewer branches and no leaves to be seen…
Finally, people began to leave. I had to keep to one side as people began their journey back to the main building and I wondered where Len could be. There were still too many people to see anything of interest.
Finally, when only half the beginning amount of people was left, I heard him call my name. "RIN!" He was at the top of that hill, also getting pushed and shoved by people, yet his face was filled with such horror. I wondered what was the matter.
Instead of taking the set path that twisted to the left, he ran right down the front of the hill, where no person stood in his way. "Rin!" He yelled again. He was running so fast, I was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop. In fact, he didn't. He collided into me with so much impact, we both nearly fell to the ground.
"What's wrong?" I asked him.
"Don't look." It was only then that I noticed he had my face pushed into his chest. All I could see was his shirt.
I tried to push him away. "L-Let go of me, Len!" It wasn't a very comfortable position either; because we were practically the same size, I was halfway bent to my knees, which hurt my legs. He held onto me so tightly, at one point, he was even pulling on my hair to keep me from turning my head. I could feel people's stares on us as they retreated from the area.
"L-Len… Let me go!" Finally I managed to squirm out of his grip. He lunged to grab hold of me but realized it was too late; I'd already seen it.
Her t-shaped structure had been planted into the ground not too far away, but she was no longer there. Instead, she was on a large oak tree.
At first I'd thought she was standing. Her clothes were gone and she seemed to be staring down at the ground, the moonlight emphasizing her nude, damaged skin. Then I saw her stumpy hands up around her neck. The three remaining fingers clutched something that circled her neck, something that stood up vertically. It wasn't until the next gush of wind blew through the woods that I realized.
As her naked body leant over to one side, the rope around her neck caught the light. A thick rope tied her body to that strong oak tree. I gazed down at her bloodied feet and realized that they weren't touching the ground. She was hanging, swinging from that old oak.
I gazed up at her face again and felt a sudden urge to scream. All the pride she'd had, that confident expression she'd worn… Gone. Disappeared. Her pretty blue eyes were opened so wide, it seemed she hadn't any eyelids. Her mouth was ajar in shock, her cheeks empty of any color. She was… gone.
So this was what it meant to be quieted. This was Quietus.
"I shouldn't have let you see this…" Len whispered.
As I glanced around, I realized the strange trees from before were more t-shaped structures with more people attached. That was the smell: rotting corpse. I quickly averted my gaze from the decomposing bodies surrounding me and threw up in the grass. My stomach heaved and orange-colored spew flowed out generously.
Len watched me go, nearly in tears himself. "I'm sorry Rin! I'm sorry!"
I forced back my sobbing and struggled to stand. Here we were, two poor children in woods made of the dead, Hansel and Gretel in a forest of hell. Where were our breadcrumbs?
I forced myself to look back up at Avanna. Despite how pathetic she looked now, I still felt the tiniest ounce of respect to her, for something she said confused me and made me feel strange altogether.
"I can't say I regret a thing. I tried, you know? It doesn't matter that I failed, because I tried! Don't you see it? They're tricking you, fooling you!"
I didn't understand. I wouldn't understand for a long time. But I would remember how I felt when I heard those words. I would remember the suspicion that swirled inside of me. I would keep her memory. But I had to be very careful about it.
I gazed again at her face, the face of her death, the expression of contorting pain, the sudden thought that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
Such a sharp mind I had, for as I stared, I was filled with a sudden fear.
For even then I realized that with just one mistake, that girl hanging from the tree could very well be me.
Wow. My five-year-olds are pretty genius, aren't they? That, or maybe just plain creepy. TTwTT
July 6th, 2013; 9:12 PM
*awkward cough* So… *smiles* Sorry it's been so long! I promise it wasn't by will! I've been practically DYING over here. I've gone nearly a MONTH without writing! D': OH MY GOODNESS, HOW?! Well, see, long story, um…
See, I babysit for this one family of three boys. One is nine years old, one is six or seven, and the youngest is two. Well, see… I brought my mini-netbook thing to work on this chapter about a month ago when babysitting them. I had it in my bag and I was going to work when they were all three put to bed. The bag was on the dining room table. Well, the baby – Isaac – felt kind of bored I guess and decided to pull up a chair to the table to climb up. He's very smart, this child, so I wasn't worried; he does this all the time and is very good at it too. (He once managed to climb onto the counter trying to get a donut. He knew it was up there, but didn't know I'd hidden it from him. I watched him spend all this time and effort getting onto the counter, only to realize they weren't even there. XD) Anyway, I was warming up his milk and he was in the living room. Well, he decided to explore through my backpack.
I heard a crash and ran into the living room. He'd gotten to my laptop and hung it off the table by its charger, only to let it fall. And… I hadn't realized then, but he actually broke it. While the computer turns on, the battery pack somehow got damaged, so no matter how long I have it on the charger, it doesn't charge. We tried buying a new charger already. *shakes head* It doesn't work.
It's been nearly a month now and we tried buying a new one, but it doesn't want to install WordPad or Microsoft Word, so… I don't know what to do. I don't have much time on this computer here, so until I get a new laptop- WITH Word –I don't think I'll be able to update anything. Thank goodness I only had about 2,500 words left to this, so I was able to finish it today, but… I'm very sorry to say my updates will be very few this summer. I'll try my best, but… *sigh* I don't know. We'll see, okay?
I think next, I will try re-writing Chapter 15 of TGW. The ending kind of sucked. XD
I hope you liked this chapter. I mean, it's 13k words! That is 13,184 words! You damn lucky kids.
I'm going to warn you now, I think the next chapter might be a little more… risky. I'm a little nervous about it. It may be slightly sexual, but… well, it isn't really lemon or lime or anything, just… slightly sexual for an eight-year-old. *awkward cough* I'll probably end up changing it though, but… just in case I don't…
Oh, and I've added a little terminology chart underneath here to help you understand some of the new terms used. Because… I really wanted to use awesome secret terms and stuff. Totally cool. XD
Alright, I believe that is that. (Sorry this chapter was a little rushed...)
~Naty17
Puppy Mill Terminology
There are quite a few special terms within this story, so I figured I'd give you a small glossary. Not all terms are listed here because some might spoil future chapters (for example, Union is NOT listed). You're welcome!
Pure-bred: A person whose parents were both born within the Terra Perfectionis.
Outsider: A person who was imported from the world outside the safe haven that is the TP, like Rin. Most are kidnapped and sold to the TP to introduce new blood, etc. They have a mark on their neck to prove their status: a 'dirty' earth, a circle with dark smudges within. After all, the opposite of a perfect world would probably be a dirty one, wouldn't it? ^^
Invalid: Someone who has been reduced to serving Pure-breds. They do all laboring work and chores. They are also the only people (certain exceptions apply) allowed to go Outside, but only if they are sent on errands specifically demanding they make the journey. Invalids are usually either infertile or 'ugly' girls. They are marked by a black ex on their necks. If the Invalid is also an Outsider, the ex will be over the Outsider's emblem.
Quietus: In one word, execution. It is meant to be feared and presented in shame. People who have been quieted have usually committed some great offense, though it actually happens quite often. Also, when someone murders another for whatever reason (like in this chapter), this term also applies.
Loss: When a person dies of natural causes or an accident, it is considered a Loss. This is different from Quietus in the way that it isn't intentional at all.
Deliverance: I don't think you've heard this term mentioned yet, but Deliverance is the intended peaceful death of a person. For example, let's say a person is reaching elder hood (probably around fifty years old at the TP), Deliverance shall be acted onto them to transfer them to Elsewhere, the TP version of Heaven.
Dismissal: When a child is given to the council, it is called Dismissal. You'll find out more about this later, I think… ;)
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