After Earth: Part One.

By Lauren Farley.

Chapter 1.

Under a dark brown belch of smoke and clouds, a desolate city crawls with life. Taking on the form of a bull’s eye by design, the city of Elgia isn’t what a normal, sane person would call home, with its filth filled streets and vermin ridden buildings. Made up of wood, iron and fiberglass, it looks more like a poor constructed version of a Viking village rather then a booming metropolis that is claims to be. Yet it is here that any sane person with survival in mind goes to flee an otherwise certain death by oversized deformed ravenous creatures had they lived outside the corrugated iron walls. I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. Better off living in the slums of the LowerWard of Elgia rather then the desert wasteland of the outside world , I tell myself year after year as I pass by the only exit from the city walls. It’s a large iron gate, unmanned and located right next door to one of the largest acidic garbage pits of the Lower Ward. Gives new meaning to Life or Death I guess, with Life being the streets and Death being the gate. Every day I pass the gate, wondering what would happen if I just happened to open the gate; the locks were never secured at any moment. But like a good citizen, I walk on by, ignoring the gate’s existence as I trudge my way through the grime and filth back home. Home sweet home.

Chapter 2.

I guess since I’ve given you a bit of info about where I live now, might as well introduce myself the faceless narrator. The name is Arissa Skyryder and before you start wondering about my mental health: no I was not born with that name. My real name is Nelia Triglio and I am, or was, the daughter of Kelo and Leena Triglio, occupants of the Lower Ward of Eglia City. I say was because I’m an orphan, have been since I was three years old and I’m 21 now. That’s almost 20 years that I’ve gone without parents and I’m pretty proud of myself. Sadly, I can’t remember a thing about my mother, other then that she was a great singer and smelled of cloves when she hugged me as a tot. Last memory I have of her was her yelling at me to come back to her side one morning when I was a year old. That was during one of our daily trips to the garbage pits and I had gotten sidetracked, like any one year old would, by a butterfly flying past my face. Next thing I knew she’s screaming bloody murder and some weird hag like woman had me in a vice grip, running from the garbage pit. I started crying right then, not because I missed my mom, but because I was scared, some stranger was holding me and I didn’t like her. I cried for Papa for what seemed like forever.

The crone, who turned out to be a nearby neighbor from our tenement, dropped me off on our front step, leaving me there without telling my dad what had happened to his wife or why I was crying.

Trying to imagine the shock on my dad’s face when he found me crying on the doorstep, Mama nowhere to be found, tears start rolling down my cheek. Just as they ran down his after the police came by with one of Mama’s mittens, the stench of the garbage pit still clung onto it.

According to reports, she had taken a fall into the acidic vat while trying to pull me back from waddling to my own demise. I guess you can say I’m indebted to her for taking the fall, for if she had just ignored me like the other mothers, I wouldn’t be here. And as for my father, I have no idea what happened to him other then I was whisked away one day when I was three by Child Services after the landlord found me alone in the apartment while my dad was at work. All I can remember are the words Grinder and Dead Meat. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’d want to know what happened to him, seeing as he had worked at a local food processing plant. And as for me, I went on to live in the city owned orphanage, where my looks and social status were used against me every day.

Chapter 3.

“Arissa hurry up!” hollered my only friend from the orphanage, Kein, as he ran out the door of the main orphanage building. Located near the entrance to the sixth level of the city, the orphanage looked more like a match box then an actual building, with a railing less porch located in the front and few windows to let it air. I had been sequestered in the small dank place for six years by then, repulsive to look at. Chasing my friend down the stairs, I tried to keep up.

“Kein, wait up!” I was a horribly slow child, physically, not mentally and running had never been my strong spot. “Can’t, the garbage truck will be here any second.” I gave up chasing after him as he round a corner of the lower street and disappeared. At nine years old then, I had already learned my lessons: never chase Kein if he has food on his mind, even if it was the stale remnants from a nearby garbage bin. I’d be better off chasing a squirrel. “Arissa! Come look!” Kein’s voice echoed from far away as I started running again, trying to keep my sides from pinching. “What?” I panted as I rounded the same corner he had disappeared behind. “Oof! Kein watch where you’re standing!” He had been standing a foot from the corner, not something I had been expecting as I did a face plant into the back of his leather jacket.

That would hurt later.

“Are you seeing this Arissa?” he didn’t even bother looking back, if he had he would’ve noticed that I was on the ground, nursing a sore nose. “No,” I said with my hand covering my mouth and nose.

“Well you should. It’s really…interesting.” The way the word interesting rolled off the tongue, like a foreign word unheard of, made my ears perk up. “Fine, I’ll look…uh…mind pulling me up?” I held up both arms as he finally turned, first looking around then down. “Oh Gods, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.” Rolling my eyes, I allowed him to do the bulk of the lifting as I just sat there. “Damn you’re heavy.” He groaned as he finally yanked me onto both feet. “I would say the same about you…,” I could barely finish talking before Kein cut me off. “Look!” he said, pointing straight at was seemed like just a wall. What the hell was he pointing at? I couldn’t see a thing from where I stood, thanks to the soot filled air around us. Sidling up to Kein’s side, I followed his finger until my eyes landed on what looked like a crumpled up doll leaning against the iron wall of the Lower Ward. Head leaned forward as if taking a nap; the creature had to be human, unless there’s a new breed of legless humanoids that I never heard about. Dressed in rags courtesy of the nearest asylum, the thing slept on, propped up against the wall.

“Should we help her?” Kein whispered to me as I kept staring at the figure. “Uh…wait, how do you know it’s a she?” It looked like a ragdoll of no gender. He pointed to the hair, draped over her face, covering a pale face smudged with grime. “I dunno Kein. What if she’s a ploy?” A ploy was the kind of reject left on the streets by the police, a way of keeping tabs on the many dissidents in Elgia lower levels, and that’s about all I know about them. Falling for a ploy could send you to prison, or worse, to a detainment camp where you’re either quarantined for a year or shipped off to another location. I wasn’t taking any chances with the poor thing. I value my life, and my home. “Let’s go Kein. I think I hear the garbage truck arriving.” I lied through my teeth as I tugged on his jacket. Despite being the same age as me, even at nine years old he was eons taller then me and just as strong. “But look at her…” his voice was overpowered by a shrill call from behind us. “Arissa! Kein! Get back here this instant.” It was Ms. Krem, the manager of the orphanage, and she wasn’t at all pleased to see us out. “Coming!” Without giving the legless girl another look, the two of us ran as fast as we could back towards home, because sometimes saving your skin means more then simple charity.

Chapter 4.

That was almost a year ago. Now ten years old and still none the wiser, Kein was still bent on finding the girl we had seen near the wall that one day, many months ago. I still don’t see the point in helping; she was either already a rotting corpse or the new side show of one of the many freak fests that plague the upper wards. “Come on Arissa, wake up!” It was a little past noon, and I had been snuggled close to the only blanket I had, lying on the cold floor of the orphanage kitchen because there were no more beds left. “Wake up!”

then Kein woke me up, with the most dangerous quest. “I need you to come with me.” He never said where, just that he needed me. I was the only kid in the orphanage out of three thousand that liked him enough to follow along with his antics. “Fine, just give me a minute.” I had slept in just a shirt and since taking care of children’s needs especially clothing had never been the orphanage’s strong point, I had to resort to filching off a pair of cropped jeans from one of the other girls. They won’t be missed, I kept telling myself that little lie as I tied wads of cloth rags around both feet with heavy duty string before pulling over my sweatshirt, the only item that was mine by default. Gotta stay out of the sun somehow.

“Come on!” Kein whined as I quickly ran my fingers through the rat nest of hair on top of my head, not that anyone would see it with my hood over it. “Hold your damn horse, I’m going as fast as I can,” I snapped back as I pulled over the grim ridden hood over my face. Running out of the room I had been sleeping in with 500 other girls, I tagged Kein on the shoulder and made a dash for the front door, the little slow poke following close behind. Reaching the front porch quicker, I scanned the street for police or ploys. There were none, we were free to go. “All systems go,” I remarked as Kein finally made his appearance behind me. “Great, follow me.” Not really giving me a choice, he grabbed the sleeve of my sweatshirt, pulling me along the street. “She has to be somewhere around here.” Kein spoke to himself, right in earshot of me. “Who?” Blushing, he looked down, his grip on my sleeve tightened. “Nothing…come on, we’re late.” A pathetic excuse that did him no good. “Late? What the hell are you talking about? You’re the one that dragged me out of bed just so we could cruise around the city, without telling me where we’re headed.” By the time I stopped ranting, the two of us had stopped walking and Kein had finally taken his hand off my arm. “If I told you why Arissa, you would have laughed.”

Folding my arms, I looked up at him, trying to pull off the pissed look I had seen many of my orphaned siblings make when they didn’t get anything they wanted. I failed at it as Kein snorted and pulled me into a hug. “You can try all you want to be mad at me. That will never change the fact that you’re my best friend.” I refused to return the hug, still pissed that he woke me up just to look around the city when he could have done that by himself. Pulling myself from the suffocating hug, I started walking in a random direction, trying to find my way back. Somewhere between me yelling at him and the hug, we had somehow made it to the center of the Lower Ward, the marketplace that I had only been to once as a kid. “Arissa, where’re you going?” I didn’t bother replying, just kept walking. At least Kein was smart enough to figure out that when I’m mad, its better not to follow me, unless you really want to have a eye scratched out or a ear hacked off. Not that I could create that much damage, I’m just saying that theoretically it could happen. Anyways as I was saying, something about being dragged out of bed just to find someone that Kein had no idea about and had never met the girl face to face was enough to send me searching for a way home. I was lost.

The marketplace was an assortment of open buildings in one long row; wares were displayed in the ground on blankets and roughly built stands, the sellers squawking out their wares like parrots. Skimming over the blankets of randomly assorted kitchen utensils, old leather bound books and clothing I finally found the prize of all vendors.

Located a foot from my face, roasting under a cheap sun lamp, several loafs of bread sat in the open, the owner of the stand missing in action. Stomach growling from not eating before hand, I checked around me, making sure the coast was clear. No one seemed to notice me, a lowly street orphan with rags for shoes and cast off pants . No one will care, I whispered to myself as I slowly made my way towards the cart, dodging strangers eyeing the other wares. Another look behind me was enough to ease my guilt as I swiped a loaf from the cart. Easy aspie. Just as I ripped off a chunk to shove in my mouth, a shout caught me off guard. “Hey! You have to pay for that.” The bread seller was back, running from somewhere amidst a crowd of people, waving a metal claw at me as he yelled some more. And like any good orphan with a stash of stolen goods, I ran for it. Under the vendor’s arm, side stepping his claw as I rushed down the street ducking strangers. “Get her! Thief!” There’s no turning back now.

After Earth

Part Two.

By Lauren Farley Copyright 2009 by Lauren Farley

Chapter 1.

“Stop her! Thief!” Ten years old with a loaf of bread under my arm, my knees shaking knees as I stood in the middle of an abandoned street, one thing came to mind: I was lost. There was no way I would make it back to the orphanage with my life still in tact that much I was sure of. “Get her!” the pounding sound of boots on concrete grew louder. They were closing in on me. What to do? “Crap…” I swore as I looked around frantically for a way out. Shoving the loaf under my shirt, I considered flat out lying to the cops, but better judgment told me I was better off in a jail cell then facing Ms. Krem and her branding iron of a whip. Before I could turn around to face my ultimate incarceration, a hard tug at my pant leg sent me falling backwards. Landing on the ground with a thud, I winced as I sat up. “Ouch!”

That’s all I could say out loud as two hands yanked me by my arms backwards into a dark alley, where light never filtered since most of the buildings lining the alley were mile tall tenements with less windows then a hover car. Clamping a hand over my mouth, a voice hissed in my ear, “Be quiet unless you want to die soon.” That was more then enough to silence me as I watched police officers rush by the alleyway, never noticing me.

Chapter 2.

After what seemed like a few hours, the hand; grimy, pale and smaller then mine, let go its grip on my mouth allowing me to check my shirt for my stolen goods. The loaf was still under my shirt, something I hadn’t expected since I had fallen over hard. Pulling it out, I finished tearing off a piece of warm goodness and stuffed it into my mouth, not bothering to look behind me, not thinking to thank the person who had saved my sorry behind from becoming dissident toast. As I chewed through the crust with the loaf on my lap while adjusting my hood that had halfway fallen down, I was taken off guard when a finger tapped my shoulder. “Mind sharing?” the same voice that had hissed in my ear an hour ago was now pleading with me. “Uh, sure…” Not one to share easily, I thought it would be a nice thing to let someone have a bit of food, since they were particularly responsible for my escape. I turned around with the loaf in hand, outstretched towards whoever it was behind me. When our eyes met, my jaw slacked open, my arm recoiling a bit. It was girl Kein had been obsessing over for over a year. The same face with a torso and two stumps for legs. Her hair was a greasy mop on top of pale, translucent skin and grey eyes. She looked like she was sick, her eyes rimmed with red.

“What?” apparently I wasn’t very good at keeping my shock inside. “Nothing…” I stuttered the word as slowly handed the loaf to her, trying to make minimal contact. She seemed not to mind. As if she was expecting me to act like I did. “I’m sorry if I offended you…you see…” I tried to find the correct explanation, but the idea of telling a girl that her leg stumps, with their scarred edges and puckered discolored skin, scared me, made me cringe a bit inside. I’m not that heartless, I think. “That’s okay. You can say it. I’m a freak,” she spat out at me as I stared at her still. Her voice had tinge of acidic hate, like the words were poison on her tongue. Shaking my head, I tried to retaliate. “No, that’s not what I meant…” I hate when people, especially strangers, put words in my mouth. I’m not that easy to read, but thanks for trying. “I meant…what I meant to say is…I know…” She cut me off with the beginnings of a full blown tirade. “How could you know? You’re not physically handicapped since birth. You aren’t three feet off the ground and can’t walk without using your hands. You have no idea about me. How could you say that?” she blabbed on and on forever about how no one understood her plight, how she was the Lower Ward freak show. I’ve seen worse. Standing up, I just about had it with her griping.

Chapter 3.

“Shut up!” I yelled at her from my perch up above, glaring at her as I tore my hood off, exposing my rat nest hair and flaming eyes, she had just pissed me off. “How da—“her voice trailed off as she looked up, eyes meeting mine. I struggled to keep my anger down as she looked me up and down. “Oh my…what…wha—“She pointed to my hair, white as snow and thinner then a comb over.

“This? This is called being an albino.” I pulled at a tuff of hair, pointing at it. “See? No hair color.” I then pulled up both sleeves of my sweatshirt, revealing both of my arms, pale white in comparison to her yellow tinged skin. “No skin color,” I said as I place both arms next to my face. Then, kneeling down to her level, I made sure I was an inch from hers before motioning for her to look at my face. “And look, discolored eyes.” They were red, which was enough to scare the girl from questioning me again.

“Wow…so they do exist.” I rolled my eyes as I pulled my hood back over my hair. “Now can you see why I wear this?” she nodded as I bent over and picked up the loaf of bread that had been sitting on the street. Smart move Arissa. “I don’t think you’d want to eat that…” the girl said as she reached for it. Holding the loaf in my hand, I smirked.

“Really?” I kept my little smirk in place as I tore off another piece, pretending to shove it inside my mouth. I thought she’d take it as a joke, boy was I wrong. “NO!” she screeched as her hand flew up and smacked me right in the thigh, hard and right in my soft point. The piece of bread flew out of my hand and landed on the ground and so did I, groaning in pain. My leg! Without missing a beat the girl tossed the dirty loaf of bread and small piece into the sewer. “Get up you baby, I didn’t hit you that hard.” Yeah right you wish, I wanted to sneer back but decided that I didn’t want to risk another slam to the leg, lest I wanted to walk with crutches. I’m already a freak of nature. No need to add to the pot. “Okay…give me a minute.” I leveled my breathing as I pulled my self onto my elbows, still lying on the ground. The girl rolled her eyes as she made her way over to my side, rather quickly considering she was using her hands and not her feet. “Come on, I’ll help,” I gave her a questionable stare as she took an arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. “On the count of three, try to stand. Okay…one, two…three.” On three I slowly made my way sitting, leaning on her shoulders as I finally pulled myself up onto my feet. “That was easy.”

I snorted as I looked to one side, and realized I was now holding the girl by the waist, holding her two feet off the ground. “This is awkward,” I mumbled as I slowly placed her back on the cement floor. “That’s okay, I’ve gotten used to it. I’m Lussa by the name. Lussa Cantello.” She held up a hand to shake. Weird introduction, but I’ll roll with it. “Ne—Arissa. Arissa Skyryder, nice to meet you.” She smiled as we shook hands. When I finally let her hand go, she turned around and started making her way down the alley. “Hey, where’re you going?” I blurted out. “Home, it’s almost lunch time.” The chiming of the overly large city clock punctuated her words. Crap, she was right…that meant one thing.

“I should be going too…” I again cringed at the idea of seeing Ms. Krem waiting for me at the top of the orphanage steps. “Something wrong?” Lussa seemed worried as she made her way back towards me. Hoping that she would invite me home with her, now that was wishful thinking. “Nothing...” I lied as I turned around, shuffling down the dark alley way and back towards the main street. “Wait, Arissa!” I waved a hand, signaling that it was fine. I didn’t bother looking back to see if she was following me. I hadn’t gotten past the alleyway opening when I heard a voice from far off call my name. “Arissa!” That voice was oddly familiar sounding.

Chapter 4.

Running into me full force, someone, or something, again knocked me onto the ground. “For the love of Gods…” my voice trailed off as I looked up into the panicked face of Kein, his face flustered red. Before I forget, let me give a bit of a picture of what Kein looks like, since I forgot to a while back. As I had mentioned before, he is insanely tall with a mop of brown hair that covers most of his face. He is pale and brown eyed like every other member of the Lower Ward, except for his arms which have a odd farmers tan. And when I mean odd, I mean like he’s never seen a farm in ten years. And like me he’s an outsider, mostly because of where he comes from and also because of his personality, or as the orphan psychologist called him, bipolar. Mostly he’s on his best behavior, especially around people he cares about like me, but there have been times when he has outright back lashed at me because of something trivial like the way I buttoned his shirt when he asked me to one morning. Needless to say, he’s a good friend, except where Ms. Krem is involved. “Come on, we gotta go. Krem has been calling for you since an hour ago.” Did I mention he’s the biggest brownnoser on the planet?

He’ll outright lie to the woman just to save his skin and grovel at her feet too.

“Hell no I ain’t going back to the orphanage!” I cried as I slapped his hand away when he tried to pull me along. “Please Arissa. For Christ’s Sake, think of Krem…” That was it. Hitting him with force, I pulled off his hand and ran the other way, back into the dark alley. So much for being a good friend, he was trying to bring on my demise. “Arissa! Wait! Come back!” He didn’t follow me, no one with a brain would’ve. The alleys were no place for a kid my age to run to, but I had no choice. “Lussa!” I called, stopping mid way into the darkness. “Lussa!” I panicked. Crap I missed her! The sound of someone shifting around behind me made my spine snap into place as I shivered. Great, I was a goner. “Enough yelling, I’m right here.” Her voice filtered from behind me. I sighed and turned around, looking down.

“Hey…um…I was wondering…could I like…stay with you?” She blinked quickly before retorting, “Why?

You ran away from me a minute ago.” Not this gain. “Yeah but I had a reason to,” I said as I knelt down. Kein’s voice penetrated the air. “Arissa! Please come back.” I rolled my eyes and looked at her. Hopefully that was an explanation. “Looks like you have someone looking for you…” Apparently not.

“To have my ass whipped for stealing, yeah.” She smirked. “And that’s a bad thing…why?” I growled and stood back up on my feet.

“Because if the owner of the orphanage gets a hand on my behind, I won’t be here tomorrow. I’ll be dumpster stew.” Lussa shuddered as she nodded. “Fine, come with me then.” That was too easy, I thought as I followed her down the alley, Kein’s voice of treason growing fainter and fainter by the second. “Arissa!” he hollered one last time before noise of any kind stopped all together. We were in the deep abyss of the alleyways, all intertwined with one another, each one as dark and dangerous as the next. “Keep your head down and eyes ground level,” hissed Lussa as we passed a group of homeless men, sitting around a makeshift fire. Why would I have to look down around these guys? They were just like me, only a bit more on the drunk side. My answer came in the form of one of the drunkards following us, cooing words like “Hey there sweet thing,” and “Lookin’ good hot stuff.”

Either he was hammered or a stalker pedophile, because some of the things he said should never be uttered in front of a 10 year old girl. Especially one with a temper, like me. “Go screw yourself,” I muttered when the bastard came within earshot of me, his arms outstretched as he puckered his lips while making kissing noises. “What? What was that little lass?” he asked as he slurred his words, grabbing me by the shoulder. “I said, Go, Screw, Yourself.” I was pissed now. Putting his face up close to mine, well, as close as he could, he spat back one word. “What?”

His hand was on my wrist, iron clad and twisting my arm a bit to the side. “You he—Ow!” I screamed out in pain before yanking my hand back. “Come back kiddie…” he slurred his words again, lunging for me. “Not a chance douche bag,” I growled, kicking his shins hard. “Ah! Shit!” he fell down crying as Lussa and I made off for the nearest door. For someone with just hands for mobility, Lussa was a fast runner. “Arissa! Over here!” she yelled from a distance. How the hell did she do that? I might be slow, but I’m not that bad at running that someone as crippled as her could out run me by a few yards.

“Coming.” Sprinting the last part, I made it to her side. Looking around, all I could see was a door, no windows, nothing. “Where are we?” I asked. “Home,” she replied as she banged on the door, metallic and rusted on the edges. It slid open a second later, a grey haired man with lines under his dark brown eyes peaked out. “Daddy? Is it okay if my friend spends the night?” The man looked at me then down at Lussa before nodding. That was easy, I thought as Lussa tugged my pant leg. I followed her in, the door closing behind us slowly, creaking loudly. Home sweet home, I guess. After Earth: Part Three.

Chapter 1.

Lying on my stomach, my eyes were shut tight as I slumbered on top of a rock hard floor. Nearby, Lussa snored like a bulldozer in her plush bed, unaware of the fact that she was talking in her sleep as well. My eyes flew open and stayed that way as I stared at the nearest wall. This was not what I had been expecting when I asked to live with Lussa and her father. But I couldn’t complain; it was either the floor of Lussa’s bedroom or the straw mat of the orphanage which was rotated amongst fifty other girls. A week had passed since I first moved in with Lussa and her father, Doctor Howler. A week of acting as maid, confidante and test subject, and my keep paid by the work that I was told to do. I never understood why Doctor Howler and Lussa looked nothing alike yet they still claimed to be family. Turned out Doctor Howler has a slight interest in deformed humanoids like Lussa, who had been his guinea pig when it came to new products to cure her leg condition or new virus medications that he wanted to sell. That interest extended to me one day, when Howler woke me up one day to explain that he had a cure for my so called “disease.” I wanted to tell him that it was alright, I liked my “problem” and that aiding me wasn’t necessary. He would have none of it.

Chapter 2.

A hand shook my arm as I lay on the ground, groggy and not at all pleased that someone was trying to wake me from my little nap. “Arissa, wake up.” It was Doctor Howler. What did he want?

“Huh?” I grumbled as I rolled back onto my backside, looking up at the ceiling of the room. Howler stood over me, his face excited and urgent at the same time. “What?” He bent down and pulled me up by my arms. He didn’t say anything apart from waving his hands around like he had just found the cure for a deadly disease, like cancer. I never would understand the man. “Follow me,” he said in a voice that would rival a hyperactive 5 five year old. I really had no choice in following or not, he had my arm in a vice grip and was dragging me across the dirt hallway and into his small lab room, full of beakers and wires leading in all directions. Shoving me into the room, he quickly shut the door behind him. When he turned to face me, I could see a gleam in his eye. This wasn’t good. “What do you want?” I snapped at him as he ignored me. Walking past, he grabbed one of the beakers sitting nearby and examined it a bit before answering, “I think I may have found the cure.” That was…not helpful at all.

“What cure?” I asked, tilting my head slightly to the side.

Shoving the beaker in my face he grabbed my arm and pulled me into a waiting chair. “See this?” he asked, waving the glass tube in my face. I nodded obediently as he went on. “This is what might be the thing to cure you of this horrible condition you have,” I looked up at him, my face scrunched up into a frown. He had to be joking. “Um…Doctor…I’m albino…I don’t have a disease.” My words fell on deaf ears as the mad man tied both my arms to the armrests of the chair before shackling my feet to the chair legs. “Much better,” he said as he reached for a small suitcase nearby that held his medical instruments, including syringes and the like. “I don’t think this is necessary,” I stuttered as I tried to free my arms. Grabbing one arm, he looked at me, locking eyes. He looked deranged, his eyes red, bloodshot, his hand shaking as he held up a syringe filled to the brim with the supposed “cure.”

Aiming for my forearm, he muttered “now stay still,” before jabbing the needle into my arm. The pain in my arm from that one jab was enough to make me scream bloody murder. “Lussa!” I yelled, yanking my arm away from Howler, the syringe, half full, flying out. I yelled Lussa’s name again before Howler clamped a hand over my mouth, the other holding my arm. “Silence.” He commanded, staring me down. I tried not to cry out.

Chapter 3.

Whatever it was in that syringe that he tried pumping into me, it wasn’t meant for humans. I could feel a slight burning sensation in my arm as I sat in the chair, imprisoned by Howler’s hands on my arm and mouth. A few seconds of staring at each other, I could feel my stomach start churning followed by my chest tightening. I tried to signal for him to let me go, but the man tightened his grip on my arm, his eyes narrowed but he didn’t say a thing to me, just kept glaring at me. Daring me to fight against him. Then my gag reflexes started. My head was screaming bloody murder as I gagged, beneath his hand, trying not to vomit the contents of my stomach out. From inside I could hear a familiar voice outside the door. “Arissa? What’s wrong?” A few minutes too late, Lussa finally made her entrance, shoving the door back with one hand while rubbing her eyes with the other. “Go back to sleep Lussa,” ordered Doctor Howler as Lussa hopped closer. “Why?” She asked as she made her way towards where we were. My body was shaking by then, my eyes closed. I wanted out, now. Once she came within 3 feet, her eyes went wide. “What the hell are you doing?” She shrieked, leveling her stumps off the ground with her hands and shoving herself at his legs, knocking him over. His hands finally let go of me.

Slumping over, I hurled what I had been holding in, an entire days worth of meals. Vomiting my heart out, I barely realized Lussa had unlocked the shackles around my legs or that she was tugging me off the chair. “Go get a bowl,” she barked at Howler as she stroked my head as I kneeled on the floor, shaking and coughing at the same time. “Thanks,” I said weakly, wiping a bit of vomit off my chin before upchucking again. “It’s alright. Someone has to look after you.” Grabbing me by the waist, she didn’t bother waiting for Howler to return with the bowl, dragging me along the ground towards her room. “Lussa, can you stop dragging me?” I grumbled, though my legs were weak as jelly and there was no way my stomach would pay me any heed. “Not until I get you to bed,” she replied tersely. Fine, I growled inwardly though on the outside I remained silent. My only pair of pants was now covered in vomit and dirt, the stench reaching my nose as we reached the closed door of Lussa’s room. Before I could mention the smell, I could feel my vision narrowing, my ears ringing. This wasn’t good. Lussa laid me on the ground as she reached for the door knob. “Lussa…” my voice faded as my vision went to black. I could faintly hear her yelling at me, shaking my shoulders. I didn’t respond, I just wanted to sleep it all off.

It must’ve been an hour that passed after I blacked out, maybe a week. All I knew was my mouth was completely dry when I tried to scream in a dream I was having. I can’t remember the details of my dream, only that there were many midgets, ropes and hammers involved. Screaming in vain, I sat upright, gasping for air. I was alive! My eyesight had come back or at least I thought it did. The room was completely dark, I was still on the floor, my usual sleeping ground. Patting my face with one hand I was relieve to find it still intact. Feeling around in the dark, I felt for the light switch, somewhere in the dark. Tripping a few times, I swore as I groped the air, hands meeting plaster. Grime covered my hands in a few seconds, making me cringe. Where was that light switch? Patting the wall, my hand landed on something pointed and metallic…finally. Flicking the switch upwards, I squinted as the lights flickered on as the bedroom took shape. Lussa’s sleeping form hogged the bed near mine, her mouth gaping open, eyes shut. Looking around, I spied my reflection in a mirror. What the hell?

Walking closer, I strained my eyes, focusing on my hair. Something wasn’t right with my reflection. I lightly stroked my hair, running fingertips from the top to the bottom till I reached the mirror and the choppy tips of my hair at the same time. Blue tips.

Chapter 4.

“What the hell?” I screeched, staring at my hair. I was albino for Gods sake. We don’t have hair color. “Keep it down would ya?” growled Lussa from her bed. I could see her flipping a pillow over her head, blocking out the light and any noise I made. Turning around, I quickly walked over to her, shaking her by the arm. “Lussa, what happened to me?” I had taken pride in my appearance. I was one of a kind in Elgia, a albino child, something rarely allowed to breathe here. “Huh? Oh that? Just a side effect of the shit Howler made you take.” Howler…I almost forgot about him. “Where is he?” I asked, still shaking her. Peeling my hand off her harm, Lussa snuggled back into her bed covers. “He’s not here…why would you care? He nearly killed you with that damn shit of his.” She was pissed, and I didn’t want to even bother asking her again. Walking back to the light switch, I turned off the light, and then made my way out of the bedroom. Walking across the dirt floors, I felt my way through the dark halls to the kitchen; small and dirty just like the rest of the living area. “I wonder if there’s anything to eat.” I muttered, opening the fridge. Nothing. The fridge was bare. “Howler must be shopping then,” I muttered, shutting the fridge door. That meant I was on my own for food. “I’m starving.” I grumbled.

Sliding the front door open, I checked both ways before leaving the house completely. Better safe then sorry. Making my way down the alley and into the nearby street, I looked for a food stand. It was only a week since my little stunt with the loaf of bread, but I doubted anyone would recognize me, especially with my new hair do. My eyes narrowed on a cart of fruit, rotten yet still sellable to the miscreatans of the Lower Ward. Again checking both ways, this time for police, I slouched my shoulders over and walked towards the cart. As I made my way over, a pair of legs blocked my way, tripping me as I walked. “Ah!” I cried as I fell forward, catching myself by my hands before I could do a face plant on the street. “Sorry about that,” a voice piped up as I picked myself up, dusting the dirt off my hand. “You should be,” I snipped as I looked down, into the face of a boy my age. He was smirking at me, his face partially covered by tousled hair and a grubby looking pull over hat. His face was smudged like everyone else’s. I just gave him a shake of my head and went back to walking stealthily towards the cart, this time a bit more cautious since everyone seemed to have heard me fall. I could hear behind me, the boy stand up and follow me, as if he was my co-conspirator. As I reached the cart, the rotten and spoiled fruit filling my senses, the boy walked past me. Snagging one of the apples, he tossed it at me, and then proceeded to take several for himself.

“Um…thanks but I could’ve done that myself,” I said as he finished stuffing his pockets, walking over to me. “Really? From what I saw, the authorities would have heard you coming from a mile away. I’m Niam by the way.” He stuck out a hand. Weird introduction, but okay. “Arissa. Nice to meet you.” After shaking hands, he wrapped a arm around my shoulder, pulling me towards the same alley I had walked out of. “Better get going before the coppers show up.” I nodded as he pulled me into the dark alley. My eyes adjusted to the dark as he then pulled me down, sitting me next to him, up against a wall. “Eat,” he said, pointing to the fruit in my hand. He didn’t have to tell me that, I mumbled as I took a bite of my stolen lunch, I could taste the faint bruising of the apples skin, sour and sweet. “So, where you from,” asked Niam as he snacked on one of the many apples he had stuffed in his pocket. “Just down a ways. I’m staying with a friend.” I said that all with a mouthful of apple juice in my mouth, some of it dripping off my chin. Taking his sleeve, Niam wiped my mouth before continuing.

“Really? Where are you originally from?” he looked at me, his grey eyes boring holes into mine. “The state orphanage,” I muttered. I didn’t want to remember that part of my childhood, especially since it came with deception and pain. “Oh, I’m sorry.” My pain must’ve been obviously on my face. “That’s alright, it’s just painful to remember it that’s all. Now what about you? Where are you from?” I asked as I threw the apple core across the alley. Looking back at Niam, I was surprised to find him staring at me, his brow furrowed, jaw set. He looked extremely angry at something. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” I blinked a couple of times as he broke into a grin. “What the hel…” He motioned for me to keep quiet, his ears perked up. “Arissa!” It was Lussa. She had found out. “They’re after me…” Niam whispered, reaching for something in his pant leg. I reached out and grabbed his arm. “No they’re not silly. That’s Lussa, my friend. Come on, I want you to meet her.” Pulling him up, I dragged him against his protests that someone was coming to kill him. Maybe being around Lussa and I would change that. “Arissa, where’re you taking me?” I pointed straight. “Home.” I could hear him mumble something that sounded like, “Never trust the sane ones for they might prove otherwise.” I just shook my head and kept pulling him along. Having another friend can’t hurt.

After Earth: Part Four By Lauren Farley Copyright 2009 by Lauren Farley

Chapter 1.

2 years later… "Come on Niam!" shouted Lussa as she and I ran down the alley way towards the waiting garbage truck. If we were lucky, the driver would be on his lunch break and we'd have a bit more time to find food. "But..." his voice stuttered loudly from behind us, still stationed behind the wall where we had been waiting for a bit.

Sighing, I turned around and made my way back for him, grabbing his arms and dragging him out from his hiding place behind the wall. "No one's after you, Niam. How many times do I have to tell you this?" I didn't bother to wait for his answer; I already knew what it would be.

He wasn't exactly the hardest person to figure out. Shaking like a hairless cat he allowed me to drag him by the arm down the alley way, Lussa waiting impatiently at the end. "Hurry it up!" she squawked as the garbage truck started revving up. Dropping my hold on Niam's arm, I made for the end of the truck. I was too late; the truck was already pulling away, speeding off to its next destination. "Crap!" I muttered as I lunged for the tire, but ended up skidding on my stomach to a halt. That would leave a definite mark. Lussa sat besides me, the two of us watching the truck drive away. “So much for having a decent meal,” grumbled Lussa as she glared accusingly at Niam.

Chapter 2.

The three of us walked down the main drag of the Lower Ward, bypassing other stragglers with their goods, exiting the market area.

“Sorry about the truck thingy,” muttered Niam as he looked around, searching for a predator we couldn’t see. “Yeah, whatever,” Lussa and I responded at the same time. We had gotten over the fact that we would be going again without breakfast faster then Niam. His paranoid side was getting the best of him, looking for killers that were not there. Didn’t help that he was a pathological liar that had a tendency of getting us and himself into more trouble then we needed. It was his idea to walk into market and swipe a few apples and a loaf of bread from the vendors, at a time where almost everyone was done shopping and the people manning the stations were on their meal break. “Look!”

squeaked Lussa from her place three feet off the ground. Following her finger, Niam and I smiled moronically at each other as we realized what Lussa had meant. The vendor for the bread cart was gone, it was game time. “You guys go ahead, I’ll scout,” I gestured for them to go on. I had already had my taste of stealing a loaf from the bread vendor and for all I knew they probably still had a price on my head for the misdemeanor, even though it had been two years since I last walked the Lower Ward streets.

Lussa didn’t need any gesturing from me; she was already close to the prize: three loafs of bread waiting for the picking. Although they were the old kind, they were still perfect for a late meal. “But, I—“ Before Niam could make a excuse for dragging me with him since he was too chicken to do what Lussa did without blinking she was already back, two loaves under one arm and another under her other arm. “Here Arissa,” she said as she handed the single loaf out to me. “Thanks,” I said as I greedily tore a piece and shoved it in my mouth. I groaned with content. “Success never tasted so good,” I said with a mouthful of bread sticking out of my mouth. “Gross, Arissa. Chew and swallow.” Lussa aimed a punch for my legs, but I jumped out of the way. “You’re not my mom. Besides, doesn’t it feel good to finally get away with something?” A distant shout stopped our little celebration meal. “Hey!” I could feel my spine tighten, I knew that voice. “You have to pay for that!” It was the shop keeper from the last time! “Run!” yelled Niam as he grabbed my arm, finally having a reason to drag me with him. Turning around, I dropped the loaf, bending down to pick up Lussa by the waist. She couldn’t run, and I wasn’t going to let her take the blame. Picking her up, the two of us ran like hell hounds.

Chapter 3.

“I told you this would be a bad idea,” panted Niam once we reached an alley to hide in. With Lussa hanging off my shoulders like a human backpack, I didn’t feel in the mood for being chastised by anyone. “Shut up,” I snapped back, readjusting Lussa’s weight as she was heavier then an average pack. “Are you okay back there?” I asked as I shifted my arms, readjusting her arms which were iron locked around my neck. “Yeah, could ya move a bit away from the wall though? I’m getting a bit smushed back here.” Moving away from the alley wall, Niam and I looked around for a way out. The alley way was dark, there was no light whatsoever. Neither of us had been here before, the outlay of the place was almost foreign. “Where are we?” I asked. Niam shrugged, walking towards the dark abyss. “Niam! Where are you going?” I yelled after him. He turned and shrugged again before replying, “To see where it leads.” Turning my head to the side, I could hear Lussa whisper in my ear, “Better follow him, just in case the invisible police come after him.” I nodded and made a effort to follow him, jogging to keep up. “Niam, wait up!” He was gone. The darkness had swallowed him up like an invisible monster. “Where’d he go? Niam!” yelled Lussa. Not a sound came from the alley. We were all alone. This wasn’t a good thing. “Uh? Niam?”

Suddenly something grabbed my shoulder, making me shriek. Turning around quickly, I didn’t notice that Lussa had fallen off and onto the alley floor; I was too scared for words. “Wha—“I tried to scream, but a hand reached out and covered my mouth. “Shh, it’s just me.” My shoulders relaxed as Niam walked out from where he had been hiding.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do that,” hissed Lussa as she made an attempt to smacking him in the kneecaps, but he dodged her. Letting go of my mouth, he motioned for the two of us to follow him. “Follow me.”

Looking down at Lussa, we shrugged in unison and started after him, this time keeping pace since he wasn’t running off like the first time. We kept walking down the dark alleyway, dodging waste barrels and squirming rodents until we hit a dead end. “Great. Now what?” I asked him, pointing to the wall. The grin on his face made me wonder if he had finally lost his mind. “What?” I asked as he gestured upward. Looking up, I could feel my jaw drop. We weren’t in a dead end…we were at the exit gate for the Lower Ward…for all of Elgia!

There wasn’t a wheel to turn or a button to push, just as small door embedded within the large wall labeled Exit in faded white letters on hard metal. “What are we looking at?” implored Lussa as Niam and I air high fived each other.

Not bothering to answer her question, Niam walked over to the small door and gave it a push. Even after a few millennia of misuse, it still opened without a hitch. “Come on, lets get out of here!” Lussa looked at him, then at me, her face a bit confused. “But why? We’re fine here.” Kneeling down to her height, I rested a hand on her shoulder before whispering in her ear, “Why? Imagine all the fun we’ll have. Far away from a place where we’re the rejects. We’ll be able to live like kings, not beggars. What do we have to loose?” Lussa looked at me, her eyes were a bit on the sardonic side. “Really Arissa, that’s the best you could think of? What about the radioactive rodents they have out there?” I shrugged as I stood up. “More adventure for us.” She sighed and hopped over toward Niam. “A sudden change of heart?” I teased, following her. “Nah, someone has to make sure you two knuckle heads don’t kill yourselves within the next 24 hours,” she grinned at me before ducking Niam’s arm, hopping out the door. “Ladies first,” he said, gesturing for me to after her. “Just a sec, I wanna take it all in.” Turning around, I took a last whiff of the air, smiling contently. “Okay, I’m done.” Scurrying under his arm, I made my way out, the clattering of police boots echoing down the alley as Niam locked the door behind us. Free At Last!