Another long(ish) chapter! I is soooooooooooooo on fi-uh, like Katniss! Hizzah!
"Exactly what is the Banshee?" Windsong asked, once we were all in Fay's house. "Other than the legendary phantom, of course."
Seriously? How could she not know about it? Then again, she preferred fluffier subjects. I remember once trying to teach her about killer bees, and she totally freaked out on me.
Fay replied, "The Banshee is a windy storm, which inflicts its tempestuous gale force upon Amity. Look outside. See that no trees or bushes or anything is being moved? The wind only moves humans."
"But why?" Susan inquired.
Fay explained, "Many think the Banshee is a form of punishment. When Amity does not go by its beliefs, but, rather, gives in to the ways of the other factions, the Banshee comes to teach us a lesson. These past couple of weeks have been horrifying, with our people saying yes to Erudite's new GMO plan, which, as we all know, will only help those Matthews plotters come up with their new bioenergy weaponry."
"What?" I asked. "Why in the blue blazes would Amity say yes to such a thing?"
"Some folks thought it would help keep the good ties between our faction and the Erudite. The fools. Now, because of their degeneracy, anyone caught outside will surely be taken by the wind. Off and up and away."
"But we need to get back to Abnegation," Rebekah muttered.
"Yeah!" Sarah said. "What'll folks think when we aren't there in the morning?"
Fay said, "Well, you're just gonna have to wait here. There's no knowing how long the Banshee's gonna last."
Since it was obviously we'd be staying there all night, we set to talking.
Shimea said, "So… I hear that Amity has some sort of 'Peace Serum'. What's that all about?"
Albert blurted out, "It's the most amazing thing! It's the best ecstasy depressant ever! It's even better than the Prozac I used to take back at Erudite!"
Windsong said, "It's just something we put in the bread, to keep the people generally calm. Of course, if a real conflict starts, the Serum gets injected with a scary syringe into those members participating." She had an accusatory look on her face. "Geb once had to be injected with the Serum."
"What?!" My Abnegation friends looked shocked.
"What'd you do, Geb?" Susan asked.
Sheepishly, I replied, "Someone said something rude about Delilah, my sister… He insulted her honor, based on some stupid rumor at school. So, I flat-out told him, 'Shut up, paleface! Flirt-gill whoremongers like yourself oughtta go to Hell!' He then yelled back at me, calling me 'a whore's brother and a whore's son' and 'a man-snogging eunuch'. Neither of us would ever have done anything physically violent. Still, arguing isn't acceptable around here, so we both got doped up on Peace Serum."
"Those are fighting words," Sarah said.
"Yeah," Rebekah agreed. "Were your parents upset that you had a conflict?"
I answered, "I don't remember. It's all a blur from there. I just remember afterwards, when the Serum wore off."
Shimea said, "In Abnegation, when kids get into fights and arguments, they go on time-out or get a spanking, or something. It's not really necessary to have everyone on drugs."
Fay said, "I agree with that, though many in this faction think otherwise. I've explained many a time that my tribe throughout the centuries never needed such a thing as a 'Peace Serum'. I've suggested during faction meetings that we take the Serum out of the bread, but keep the syringes for emergencies, but, of course, they didn't listen to me. Even when I talked about the possible health defects of too much Serum, they didn't listen to me. You'd expect them to respect their healer a little bit more…"
Rebekah said, "You keep mentioning your 'tribe'. What is a tribe?"
"Geb can explain this," Fay said, smiling.
I explained, "Back in the days before our city's specific faction system, there were various different ways to group people. A lot of it was either legal, based on the government, or ethnic, based on ancestry. Tribes were a sort of ethnic faction system. A person was normally apart of a tribe because their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, et cetera, were apart of that same tribe."
Sarah said, "Sort of like the Israelite tribes, in the Torah. I didn't realize they were factions. Actually, I didn't much understand the purpose of them at all."
Rebekah asked, "What tribe do you come from, Fay?"
Fay answered, "The name has changed several times, mostly due to land claim issues. Before the modern faction system was invented, back when our city was in chaos due to violence and deceit and selfishness and all that rot, my people were called the Across-the-River tribe, because they lived on a reservation across a muddy, polluted river."
Windsong said, "Geb and I come from the same tribe, through our mother. Through our father, we're from some sort of Cherry-Key Nation, or something. But, weren't they really common?"
"Since when were you interested in ancestry and genealogy?" I inquired.
Windsong replied, "Well, I got into it when I realized there's the possibility that rhycomalyxia runs through the family. So, I've been asking the matchmaker to write up a family tree, since she has all that information, anyway."
Albert said, "It turns out, the rhycomalyxia gene has been eliminated in Windsong, if the Punnett square the matchmaker drew is correct. We won't have to worry about our kids getting it!"
After talking on and on, teaching the Abnegationers about how ancient cultures have survived in bits and pieces through Amity, we all curled up in quilts and wool blankets in the parlor and went to sleep in front of the blazing fireplace.
Sharing a grey-and-red zigzagged quilt with Shimea, my eyelids drooped downwards as sleep came over me. That's when I felt it happen. The deeper I fell into sleep, the easier I saw it. It was a green, hilly country, with a forest in the distance on one side, and what looked like a palace way in the distance on the other side. Nearby was a clear creek. In the clear, blue, sunless sky, bird chirped and flew about. I started to wander about the hilly countryside, amazed at how beautiful it was, at how perfect everything looked.
I came upon a field of purple daisies. Stopping, staring, stunned by the vivid color, I didn't notice someone walk up behind me.
"Geb?"
I turned around.
"Mama!" I said. "What is this place? What're we doing here?"
"Um… I don't know." My mother smiled, a genuine, happy smile. "I'm almost certain, though, that this place is Heaven."
"But how do you know? This could just be any old pretty place."
"But it isn't. Everything is so perfect, in beauty and in harmony. There's no sun in the sky- the light is almost too much for my eyes, since I'm so used to the light on Earth."
She was right. The sky was unusually bright.
She continued, "And, I don't feel any pain here. One moment, I'm lying on my bed, trying to fall asleep and get over this migraine I've been having, and, the next, I'm here, almost wondering if pain and discomfort actually exists."
"Speaking of pain," I said, "not to change to a gloomier subject…"
"Don't worry. I don't feel as if I could ever be gloomy while here…"
"I'm sorry for the tough time I put you through, transferring the Abnegation."
"Honey, it's okay. It's hard seeing your child grow, but it's also wonderful. True, I was hurt, but who wouldn't? After Visiting Day, I thought about all I'd said to you. I may have said the truth, and may have vented out the unhappy emotions I felt at the time, but, at the same time, I should have also told you to follow what you believe is right. True, Abnegation makes me uncomfortable, because many of its members are so legalistic, but if God wants you there, then I should accept that. Will you forgive me, for not saying what I should have at the time?"
"Of course, Mama."
"You must promise me two things, though."
"What will those be?"
"First, you must promise to visit me once you complete initiation. Amity is plenty okay with visitors, you know that. Don't be like Delilah, who doesn't ever visit because she thinks I don't love her anymore."
"Actually, I'm in Amity right now. Once the Banshee stops, would you like me to stop by your place?"
"You're in Amity? Don't tell me you ride the train… No, Geb. You need to go back to Abnegation once the Banshee stops. I'm certain there are worried people over there, wondering what's happened to you. Anyway, now for the second promise. Second, you must promise, no matter what job you receive, to be an advocate for the factionless. Make sure those filthy politicians know that by allowing factionlessness to be a social status, they are taking away basic human rights. They are condemning individuals, as well as their descendents, to homelessness and poverty."
"I promise to visit you, and I promise to advocate for the factionless."
My mother hugged me, kissing the top of my head.
"I was wondering when you'd discuss your little problem," a voice said. It was a quiet, husky voice, with a slight lisp that only gets noticed after years of hearing it.
There he was, my father. He had that smile on his face, the one he always reserved for when he had a surprise for my siblings and me. He looked different, as if everything had been all nice and good for him ever since he arrived here, as if years of wear and troubles had been taken off of him.
I felt myself wrapped up in his arms.
"My Geb, look how much you've grown!" he said once he let me go. "You look so much like your mother here. Last I saw you, you were still a boy. Where'd all the time go?"
"You've been gone," I replied. "But, everyday, I knew you were happier, and that made your physical death worth it."
"You transferred to Abnegation? Have they been treating you well? The Lord only let's me see vague impressions of what goes on back in Earth. Tell me what's going on, so I know what to intercede for."
"I am very happy in Abnegation. My main problem is with a couple of my instructors, who are strict. I'm concerned I won't pass initiation, because I don't quite fit into their box, into their molded plan. In fact, I'm worried I don't quite fit in at Abnegation, at all. The other day, one of their leaders reprimanded me for reading controversial books, calling my actions self-indulgent."
"Would you have fit in more in Amity?"
"Not really… I simply care too much for those who need help, while the rest of Amity sits by. To me, actions speak louder than words. While Amity talks about being kind, merely being friendly, Abnegation actually acts the part. If only I could learn to reject myself, and be purely selfless. I sing too much, though, and I read too much. I want to learn too much."
It was then that I noticed a woman walking towards me. She had dark skin and hair, and a hooked nose, with the gentlest smile imaginable. She was clothed in a dress and head-covering of gleaming white pearls.
"You don't need to reject yourself," she said. "My Son's words were, 'Love your neighbor as yourself', not, 'Love your neighbor more than yourself'. Selflessness is about caring for others when you can afford it; remember, if you give so much that you have nothing left, you'll be useless and might never be able to help ever again."
"John and Cindy don't realize that," I said. "Virgin Mary, if you only knew how much they can't stand me! They think I'm nothing but a putrid wannabe who thought he could successfully transfer!"
"And do you believe that about yourself?"
"Sometimes. I mean, they should know how I should be acting. They're the ones who've grown up in the selfless culture, so they must be great examples of it."
A man appeared, walking towards me. He was clad in a cloak as green as grass, as was the color of his eyes and the clovers strewn through his hair.
"You don't have to grow up in a culture to help those apart of it," he said. "Don't worry if you never get the hang of being 'the perfect Abnegationer'- just realize there's more for you to learn, and more for them to learn. There's a reason you were put there. In fact, maybe what makes you different will get people interested in paying attention to you. Because of this, they'll notice who you have sympathy for, and realize there's some sort of flaw in some area of their philanthropy."
"Could I really impact anyone in that way?" I asked. "Am I that important? There's no way I can change as many lives as you did, Patrick."
"We're all important," another woman said, walking up. She had pale, fair skin and a large nose, and was wearing a simple but shining white-and-blue cloak and head-covering. "Sometimes, though, we don't realize our importance. When I started my ministry, I didn't realize the effect it'd have. Whether or not you learn the good you've done, never dismiss yourself as a useless member of the collective. God has a plan for you, and He will make it work out."
"Teresa is right." Another man, a somewhat stocky, dark-skinned one with a mustache, dressed in a gown of blue flower petals and green-orange leaves, walked up. "People look to me as a big hero, because I helped lead a civil rights movement, but one woman is considered the mother of the movement simply because one day she refused to cater to someone's demands. Just because you do one simple thing, remember that everyone is watching."
A woman dressed in a gown made of wheat walked towards me.
"And remember, Geb," she said, "you are beautiful, because God made you beautiful. When I immigrated to Israel, I appalled everyone, because I was a Moabite. But God had His favor on me, because I honored Him. To your new faction, you are an unruly, selfish Amity. God is your Heavenly Guardian, though, so you are far from vile and disgusting. You are a beautiful creation, ready to make way for more of our Lord's beauty."
Beautiful. When's the last time anyone's called me that? I've mostly remembered troublesome, self-indulgent, strange, and foolish, but not beautiful. To be beautiful is to be pleasing, to be wonderful. What Ruth was saying was that my soul reflected God's beauty, that no one would be correct to tell me the contrary.
My parents were smiling at me.
"Geb," my mother said, "I think it's time for you to go."
"Goodbye, Mama," I said. "Goodbye, Dad."
I looked back up at the sky, which shined with God's light. I felt a breeze go by me and through me, filling me with the Holy Spirit's comfort and guidance. It was time to go back to Earth, and wait out the Banshee.
As I woke up in the morning, though, I realized the Banshee had stopped.
Shimea let out a big, undignified yawn. He looked over at me.
"Well, you look peaceful," he said. "Normally, you have a worry line on your forehead, like the old principal at school. What sort of dream or vision did you have while I was asleep?"
"I'll tell you about it later," I said. "The wind's stopped."
"Correct." Fay walked into the parlor. "I've got breakfast cookin' on the stove. After that, though, you kids better head off on from opposite towards where you came from."
After breakfast, my friends and I thanked Fay, and headed back towards Abnegation. We decided to go on foot, since we didn't want to draw a crowd by showing off our train-jumping skills. We arrived in the grey-buildinged neighborhood around nine o' clock.
Shimea, Sarah, Rebekah, and I had ditched Susan at her own place. Once we walked through the front door of the dorm house, we saw Cindy, John, and Natalie sitting on the couch, worried.
"There you are!" Natalie said, rushing towards all four of us an enveloping us in her arms. "Where were you? Cindy says she woke up in the middle of the night, and you were gone! She thought something terrible might've happened!"
Cindy rushed over towards us.
"Geb," she said, "I hope you haven't been leading your friends astray."
What a loving woman that Cindy is, caring and kind as always.
In through the front door walked Elgobelia and Olgaba.
"So," Elgobelia said, "I so heard some of the young'uns have gone off and… There you four hooligans are! Where on earth were you?! You could've been hurt! Don't you realize it's not nice to run off without telling those responsible for you?!"
"Honey," Olgaba said, "let's not let our fear cause us to say things in a cruel or harsh manner…"
Elgobelia groaned, which is a common response people give when someone criticizes their behavior during tempestuously emotional moments.
"Where were you?" Natalie asked again, gently.
"We were in Amity," Shimea blurted out.
The instructors' eyes got wide with surprise.
"Amity?" John asked.
"It's my fault," I said. "I know how to jump on and off trains…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Elgobelia interrupted. "Where did you learn to do that?"
Sarah said, "But we all really wanted Geb to take us there, and show us around. He's such a pushover, so he consented. During the night, there was a storm, so we couldn't come home."
Cindy said, "Geb, you little demon! You're always causing trouble! This time, you're in deep sh...aving cream, because now you'll never have the hope of being an official Abnegation member ever!"
John said, "He should be made factionless on the spot!"
Olgaba said, "Now, now, you two! That's not the way to handle this issue! All I see are four young adults who wanted to go out at night, but didn't feel they could tell their nagging, overly strict instructors, so they went off the deep end and made a mess of the whole deal. They didn't hurt anyone- they just caused a little more concern than necessary. You wouldn't disown a kid just because she or he did a rebellious thing, would you?"
"Like you would understand rebellious kids!" Cindy snorted.
"Uh, yes, I do," Olgaba replied. "Elgobelia and I can tell you about plenty of time when Matthew just wouldn't behave. Except, a few of those times, someone actually did almost get hurt. He once accidentally set the floor on fire, and another time he put a tack on his teacher's chair, and yet another time his aunt caught him smoking in the dugout."
"But trains can hurt people," John said.
"They're surprisingly safe, though," Natalie said. "I should know."
Needless to say, John and Cindy persuaded Natalie to make it so my three friends and I were not allowed to leave the house for the next two days. They deemed that a good punishment, especially since we were now untrustworthy wretches in their sight. We were so wretched in their sight, that they convinced Natalie to take us over to her house, since they couldn't bear to look at us.
Once at Natalie's house, she said, "Well, kids, I gotta tell you that it's not acceptable going places without permission, even if you are almost adults. Personally, I'd be willing to give you one more chance, since none of you has ever been troublesome. In fact, I'd even say you could got back to Amity by train an evening a week if you so desired, as long as you didn't raise a ruckus or do anything hurtful or illegal. But, while I may be John and Cindy's boss, John and Cindy still have a ton of say in the so said. So, for now, you're all under house arrest. I've got paperwork to do, so y'all can make me some elevenses."
Just before she walked into her office room, she said, "And clean the cobwebs off of those light fixtures. They look hideous."
That night, Shimea and I slept in Caleb's room.
"How are we gonna do this?" Caleb asked. "I don't have an extra mattress, and the floor's too hard to sleep on…"
"I've slept in trees before!" I said. "I get dibs on sleeping in the window frame!"
"Are you sure that wouldn't be more uncomfortable than sleeping in a tree?" Shimea inquired. "I mean, trees are fantastic, while that window frame doesn't look like it has much potential. Why don't you just go with the floor?"
"But the floor is boring!" I said. "Also, it'll feel too much like lying in a gravel driveway! I can certainly walk barefoot across a gravel driveway anyday, but sleeping on something so hard and unforgiving just isn't my couple of java cappuccino chai tea!"
Caleb said, "Fine. Geb, you get the window frame all you want. Shimea, there's room for two on my bed. Be warned, though- I kick whenever I have dreams about being chased."
I started to drift off in the window frame, when I heard the door open slightly. Since there seemed no reason for there to be perverted stalkers in the Prior household, I kept my cool and didn't move a muscle.
"Honey," Andrew's voice said, "don't wake them up."
"I'm just checking on them," Natalie said. "You never know if they need something."
"Oh… my… word… Is he seriously sleeping in the window?"
"Yeah, he is. He's a weird one, but he's got a beautiful soul. Such a nice boy."
"He has a few things to learn…"
"Which, he will. Life is about learning, and how we respond to that learning determines whether we become beautiful or ugly. His heart will be truly beautiful when he learns to drop the ugly things pulling him down, such as lack of self-worth and confidence."
"Hey, I wasn't meaning to make him feel bad…"
"Just try to be nice to him. He's like Caleb in that he's got a conflict going on inside, a conflict between factional stereotypes."
It was then I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, after breakfast, Natalie called Rebekah, Sarah, Shimea and me into her office room.
"Since you don't seem appalled by nonconformity and going against convention," she said, "I've decided to discuss some sort of… ongoing project with you."
"What is this 'ongoing project'?" Rebekah asked.
Natalie said, "Back in the day, there was this concept known as slavery, in which one human could own another. There was a type of system, though, in which people who were opposed to slavery would give shelter to runaway slaves. A century or so afterwards, a dictator rose up who wanted various 'non-Aryan' people groups to be annihilated. A system was set up in those times, also, to protect and hide those people whom the dictator wanted to destroy. I want you four to help me work with a system to aid our modern society's equivalent of slaves and non-Arians. Once you're past initiation, I want your homes to become safe houses. I know you four are willing to lend a hand to those who need it."
"Of course," Rebekah said. "But, who are these people needing help? And who wants them persecuted?"
Natalie said, "Jeanine Matthews has brought up this topic before in The Nosies. These people she hates so much are known as the Divergent."
Oh, my word! The suspense(ish)! Who do all you-all think is gonna end up moving in with Geb and Shimea due to his Divergence? If you wanna know, just read all of my story *The Horrendously Honest Life and Times of Me*! I kind of wish I was still writing that story- it sure was fun. But, now, I'm writing this one! :)
Thanks to my reviewers, including poseidon's hufflepuff daughter and Winnie Friends! :)
