Hi readers!
**wince** So it's been a while. Well, I have it for you now. And nobody encourages me.. **Reveiwers begin to throw tomatos.** Well, maybe that's not totally true. No excuse, I guess. But you guys have no idea of the planning that went into writing this, I'm talking MAJOR writers block.
Thanks to all my reviewers. **glares at non-commenters** Especially thanks to Daine, Liz Skywalker, Luna, and *~Amethyst~*. Welcome to my specials Luna!
Now it's time for everyones fav part. The Disclaimer!
All Giver characters and themes belong to Lois Lowry, but, **deep breath** Koren, Goren, Eliza, Duke, Jake, Dawn, Jinkie, Aimee, Angela, Maggie, Gretele, Hunny, and the plot are mine, please ask to use them. Which you are quite welcome to!
(I made up THAT many characters? Now I'm scared.)
Waiting For My Sun To Rise
Interlude
One man's treasure...
Part One:
One young man stumbled through the street, falling ever lower before catching himself. It was the Memories that were doing this to him. He was happy... When was it? So very long ago... His name, he remembered, and his occupation. Not that the latter meant anything now.
His name was Koren. His occupation...his former occupation, was Engineer. He'd had friends, and rivals. Accomplishments, and failiers. But none seemed quite so deep. So horribely vast. He had to get out of here. He had to leave.
But how? That was the awful question. He was an engineer, but he could not think. The Memories had taken care of that.
How had they come back? He knew it had to do with the boy, Jonas. He had died. How? By falling in the river.
But Koren knew. Jonas hadn't fallen in. He'd jumped, jumped in to escape the Memories. Koren knew he would have. Suicide had been common. His Memories proved that.
Could he, Koren die? He didn't think he had the courage. But there were other ways to escape. He would run far, far away. Away from his problems. The Memories had taught him this too, but oddly, those Memories never seemed to go on. They just stopped. He wondered why...
Part Two: New Begginings
Koren was sweating. Today, he would meet the Leader,and find out just what he had to do to enter the Clan. He had found the Clan several months earlier, when he had been lost, and starving.
He walked down a white hall. It was in a building he had stumbled upon in the forests. Out here is the middle of nowhere.
Color had become common-place in the forests, he had stumbled out of the feilds, and the Memories had left. He felt bad about that, but he'd held them long enough, let someone else.
There was no color here, white halls, black trimmings, gray and white clothing. After the vivid greens and browns, he thought it almost drab. But he was sure he was just mistaken, it was just the toture of the Memories that influenced him. Wasn't it? But the Memories were gone. Surely he was mistaken.
Then, he opened the door to the Leader, and looked in.
Inside, there was another small room, like so many he'd been in lately. Name and occupation.
Koren started as he heard a voice, but quickly traced it to a speaker in the wall. Koren, Engineer.
Welcome Koren. I am the Leader. The voice came from the speaker. You have found us. Now you wish to join. Do you have what it takes. I do not believe you do.
The door slammed behind him, and darkness came as all light left the room.
Then the first wave of pain hit. Over and over, until he was screaming like any newchild. This innitiation, for that is what it was, would leave scars on him for life, phisical, and mental.
Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. Welcome Koren. Welcome to the Clan.
The voice of the Leader explained to him about their beliefs. What was to be his beliefs.
You will be a good Clan member Koren, I can tell right now...
And that is how it began.
Part Three: A Raging Tiger
After his training, which he still didn't understand for the most part. He now knew all the weak points on a human, disguise, arson. The list was endless. Each night he found it harder and harder to sleep.
Clan member Koren! Are you listening? I just assigned you to salvage in Community Twelve! Get moving!
He raked his memories from before the Memories. Before Jonas' betrayal, he told himself. He'd heard about the boy coming back, and all the evil he'd done. He brought his mind back to the task at hand. Community Twelve.
Koren knew that Community Twelve ws the last one before what used to be the range of the Generator stopped. Not that it mattered now, the Generator was gone. As he walked down the trail with his three man team, there wasn't much to talk about, until Coomunity Twelve came into veiw over the hill, and the forests ubruptly stopped.
As they neared the Community, Koren felt something was wrong. Nothing moved in the town. Not even a small child. Holding down his rations, he entered the town.
Well, now we know why we are here. Split up and find anything yoiu think might be useful. Koren told his men, managing to keep his voice even.
The men split up and entered nearby buildings.
Drawn by some force he didn't yet know, Koren moved towards the Hall Of Closed Records. Maybe there would be information useful to the Clan.
The door squeaked and groaned as he pushed it open, using all his strength. He groped for a switch, before he realised that the electricity hadn't worked for years.
He struck a match, and lit a candle. In the middle of the room there was an area in the floor that had cracked and moved upward. The work of the Generator.
Koren edged around the hole, and entered te next room. Shelved lined both sides of the room, with only a small isle down the middle.
Koren picked up a document, and shook off the dust. It read, Release of Old: Markus.
Koren shuddered and replaced the record. He glanced around again, and this time, his candle caught the words written over the door. Release Records.
Suddenly feeling cold, Koren entered the next room. This time the room held small boxes, opening one, Koren saw tapes. The letters on top of the door read, Hall of Justice. Nothing here eighther. He looked towards the other wall expecting to see yet another door. Nothing. He moved towards the door, when he was a couple feet away from the door, the floor fell from benieth him.
Koren didn't fall far, but he was now in a room where nobody had been for a while. He could tell by the smell.
His candle had gone out, so he took another match and lit it again.
The room was almost empty, except for a pedistal in the middle. And on top of it was a tube.
Koren causiously came closer. When he picked it up, it looked like any other holo tube. Only, holo tubes were fairly new. This was at least a century old. Very odd, he thought.
A small pad was on the top of the pedistal too. He picked it up.
On it was was writing, seemingly copied there. He began to read.
Whoever you might be,
I was a Reciever here. I found this tube. Whoever you are, you MUST keep it from those who might use it. If the Generator fails, leave it, for it captures us. I am only one, I cannot do much, but later, someone else might be able. When that happens, you have to keep this from them. I have a glimpse of what we had, they are called Memories. Though some are bad, others are so good! Promise me...
Maggie
He stared stunned at the note. Could it be? Could they restore the Generator?
Then he thought again. What for? Why are we so ubsessed? This Maggie was very wise. He would heed her advice.
Then his alert beeped. New mission, urgent, Commanders eyes only.
We are moving forward! We shall take Jonas's daughter Dawn, and then kill him. We will prevale!
And for the first time, Koren thought, Not while I'm living! and vowed to stp them.
Why now? He thought. Such a little note, and so much influence. Now, where was Jonas? Community One. Here we go again...
Part Four: Endless Trail
After scrambling out of the hole, Koren thought of how far it was to Community One. At least a week or two's travel. Best to be started now, he thought.
**********
A few days later, he came to the next Community, and was stunned. He had expected to find another ghost town, and instead he'd found a thriving village. Coren and potato feilds dotted the area around the village, and people moved amoung them.
Who are you? Kore started at the voice, and then looked for the source. Finally, he looked down. A small boy stared up at him, bright eyes wide with curiousity.
Hello there. May I talk to the leader of your town? The small boy couldn't have been more than a three.
No. She is traveling to Community One. You can probably talk to my father though. The little boy told him.
The youngster led him into the village, and Koren saw no signs of any conflict here, other than the colors, and small hills, it looked like any other Community.
A loud bell rang, and youths began to pour out of a building to his left. Their laughter echoed in the square, and the sound haunted Koren.
What'cha looking at, come on! Koren tore his eyes from the sight, and followed the boy.
A ways further, he stopped in front of a small house.
This is it! Come meet my dad. The small boy tugged on his shirt sleeve, and Koren let himself be drawn inside the cheery house.
**********
Yanis hadn't noticed his son Mike enter, so he started when the boy shouted from near his ears.
Dad! Look who is here! Yanis stared at the man, starting with the long scars on his face, and moving to the uniform and battered arms, back to his face. He narrowed his eyes. Who are you? There is no fighting here!
The man seemed to notice the floor more than Yanis. Then his shocking eyes moved to Yanis' face. They were the brown of the Community, but held the emotion of any pale eyes. They brimmed over with sadness, and oddly, betrayal.
I need your help.
**********
After expaining why he was there, and the plot which he strove to crash.
'Jonas is out going to take Dawn to see his family. But I think the head of Security, Jinky is still there, you can talk to him. Yanis told him.
Jinky? He was alive? A thought struck him. you're a squad leader, you might have had to kill him. He shook his head violently, not the time for that. He had to warn him.
Is there a fast way to Community One?
There is a way, but to make it there before dawn, you must hurry, you can't wait for the sun to rise, you must move. Yanis told him.
Yanis showed him the trail, and Koren was off, alone once again, but not for long this time, not for too long...
Part Five: A New Horizon
Koren was on the outskirts of Community One. The river had not been a problem, but he had to assume that he couldn't just walk in, couldn't just say Jonas' daughter was going to be kiddnapped. Couldn't...
A message, that is how he would do it, a message, and a meeting place. He would need a cloak. Eyeing a clothes line, he thought, not a problem.
But the message, how would he get it to Jinkie? He didn't trust another not to read it, so it had to be in person, how would he get it to him, and not have Jinkie know who he is? Very carefully. He donned the cloak.
Koren blended into the shadowa as he moved through the town. It hadn't been hard to fing Jinkie, he'd known him be his voice, which you can't miss froma mile away. After that, it was a simple matter of location.
Then, it was time. Jinkie turned into a dark alley.
would you stop following me and tell me what you want? Koren nearly blew his cover totally with his suprise.
Well? What is it? Get in here and talk, or go stalk someone else.
Koren moved towards his childhood friend.
I have a message for you. He deliberatly disguised his voice, if he could tell Jinkie's, he had to assume it went both ways.
Jonas' daughter will be kiddnapped. You must stop all messages coming from the Speaker building. Koren stopped there, and ran.
Part Six:
For the second time that day, Koren ducked into an alley. There was no doubt. He wasn't the only Clan member here. That had been too close...
Pulling his cloak closer around his face, he left the alley and began to walk in the direction of the Speaker room again.
**********
The town is infested. That was the forth. Blast these scars! Not only do they indentify me as a Clan Member, they make me ugly, and make me stand out. It wasn't just Clan Members he'd run from, it was the questioning stares of the people around him. And if they could see his scars, so could the Clan.
The Speaker room was a bleak gray building, isolated in a long non-used part of the Community. But on this day, voices drifted to him from the small gray building.
splatches of words, that if he hadn't known what was going on, would have meant nothing to him. He leaned closer to the door. As a result, he never heard the man who walked up behind him.
There was a silent struggle, but the result was pre-made, he lost against two men.
And a hand over his mouth, he was shoved inside the Speaker room.
Koren couldn't remember much after that, he might have passed out, but he awoke when the half wit guard shouted, and recovered anough to take down his captor, in the face of the distraction. He saw Jinkie do the same.
When the two men lay un conscious on the ground, Kore relised his hood was down. He reached for it. Too late...
You know Koren, those scars do nothing for your appearance, not that it was anything to start out with.
I won't ask where you have been. Tell me when you are ready friend...
When I'm ready? Jinkie, friend, I'll never be ready, but I will tell you anyway. I have made mistakes, but I will make up for it. This I promise you.
Thank you Jinkie. But you have new problems. And mine are intertwined.
Hello friend. We'll never be split like that again. Friend...
And for the first time in over ten years, Koren smiled.
~Siti~