by L K Hingey
“Breakfast scrambler,” she read aloud. “Sound any good? Or do you want to wait until breakfast?”
“Let’s try it! Mmm. Sausage, egg, and cheese,” Tristan said wistfully as Kimber poured in a bit of water. “Besides,” he looked around skeptically, “who knows if there will even be a breakfast.”
Kimber huffed and put a hand on her hip. “I’m going to eat a bite of your portion of blueberry cobbler for that.”
Tristan laughed. “Good, because I want the meat,” he said in a low, silly voice as he reached for the breakfast meal.
“I’d wait for that to soak for a few more minutes,” Kimber advised.
Just then, something crashed into the side of the building with a giant thud. Tristan looked at Kimber with raised eyebrows. “Like I said. Who knows if there will be a breakfast!”
Kimber and Tristan sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting to see whether or not the building would be blown apart. They had heard of the destruction tornadoes could cause, but since there were no centripetal forces associated with the windstorms, things were usually not ripped apart too badly. After a while, they began to relax again, and Tristan tried his breakfast meal.
He made a face at the unexpected powdery taste. “Okay, it’s not an Inannian fresh breakfast... but it’ll do.” Tristan gulped down the bite he had taken. “Want some?”
“Tempting, but no thanks,” Kimber said and finished off the last of the beef stroganoff.
It did not take long for Tristan to eat the entire breakfast pouch. He didn’t exactly like it, but he knew his body needed the calories. To get the taste out, he washed it down with more of the chocolate bar. He took the bottle of water from his belt and shared it with Kimber.
“I know it’s early, but would you want to try to take a nap? Let our bodies recoup a bit?” Tristan asked. His stomach was now full, and even though the sun was hours away from setting, the day had already proved to be quite taxing.
“A nap sounds amazing,” Kimber replied. She was suddenly struck by how strange it was to live out here on their own, making their own eating and sleeping schedules and checking in with no one. She grinned. “Very amazing.”
Tristan flopped onto the couch as Kimber threw the dinner wrappers into a trash can under one of the desks. He picked up the blanket and gave it to Kimber as she came into the living room. Instead of settling into the recliner nearby, she laid next to him on the couch and pulled the blanket over both their bodies. The space was tight, but Tristan didn’t mind. He scrunched his body as close as he could to the back of the couch and held onto Kimber to make sure she did not fall off.
It did not take long for the roaring of the wind to fade into white noise, and only minutes after lying down, Kimber’s body went limp. Feeling Kimber’s release triggered Tristan’s mind to let go as well, quickly following her into sleep. The exhausted pair became impervious to the world that continued to howl around them. The sun set and darkness settled in. The storm was too dense to allow any shine of the borealis through, and the blackness lulled them into a dreamless slumber until the early hours of the morning.
***
The pair was jerked out of sleep by a loud ripping sound. They blinked into the darkness and heard another rip. Tristan, whose groggy mind was one step ahead of Kimber’s, pushed Kimber onto the floor and threw his body on top of hers. Suddenly, the roof lifted, dragging the section of caved-in roofing across the building before the whole thing cleaved in two. Half of the metal roof disappeared into the night sky while the other half rained down on the little living room.
Wind swooped into the now open bowl that had been the Hart County Road Department, getting underneath the heavy piece of sheet metal. The metal started to thump up and down dangerously above Tristan and Kimber. Once enough surface area was exposed, the wind scooped it up and threw it out of the building, raking the jagged piece of metal against the southern wall on the way. Tristan was still on top on Kimber, swearing loudly as the wind ripped away the cover of the fallen roof.
The two Auroreans stayed huddled next to the couch as the storm carried on. Tristan listened closely to the walls buffeting around in the winds. The walls sounded like they were holding. The night was pitch black, and Tristan could not see anything. He kept his eyes shut to seal out the sand and yelled at Kimber to do the same. If the rest of the structure started to come apart, he would move them outside, but right now, the safest thing to do was to stay hunkered down.
For hours they stayed huddled, Tristan’s body protectively lying on top of Kimber’s. Kimber tried to convince him to get his own body into cover, but he refused. They were both so exhausted, they caught themselves repeatedly nodding off, only to be jolted back into consciousness by some loud crash or thud. Eventually, morning broke over Kentucky, and the sun’s rays began to soothe the vicious lashing of the wind.
Kimber heard Tristan sigh with relief when the wind starting to abate. His entire body had been tensed for hours, and as the rattling of the walls began to quiet, Kimber finally felt him relax. He picked himself up and helped Kimber get to her feet. The wind was still blowing steadily, and the dust reduced the visibility to only a few feet in all directions. They silently riffled through the wreckage for their belongings, and Tristan bit off a huge chunk of chocolate to help shake off the shock.
“You might have been onto something,” Tristan conceded as they stepped through the gaping hole that had been the door just a day before. He adjusted his shemagh to cover more of his face. “We couldn’t have traveled in this low of visibility on the road, even if we had wanted to. It would have taken us forever. We can leave the road here and cut southwest, straight towards the Green River. Towards home.”
Kimber nodded, still dizzy from the long sunrise. They suited up and looked around at the carnage. “The world up here sure is chaotic,” Kimber said inanely.
Tristan squeezed her hand and handed her a piece of chocolate. She took it gratefully and quietly munched on it beneath her scarf.
“Luckily, our direction does not have to be spot on. As long as we head generally southwest, we can’t miss the river,” he spoke above the blustering wind. Kimber followed closely behind Tristan as they walked, the rising sunlight refracting in the haze all around them. They were traveling over rocky fields now, and though it was safer than weaving around the giant fissures of the roads, it was no less difficult. Stones, hills, and hardened farmland grooves slowed their pace to almost a crawl.
It took about an hour to reach the river, and Tristan and Kimber were practically standing in it before they realized they had arrived. They were broken out of the reverie of their foggy worlds by the trickling water in front of them. Tristan yelled excitedly. They were home free now. The storm would only continue to clear as the day progressed, and within a few hours, they would be greeted by their fellow Auroreans. Kimber felt the cobwebs clear out of her head as she splashed into the water.
Tristan took his time filtering as Kimber soaked her aching feet, enjoying the sensation of the clay. It felt good to be grounded by something familiar, even if that something was as insignificant as the slimy clay squishing up around her toes. She let Tristan enjoy the first couple bottles of water before drinking her own. She asked for a second bottle and then surprised him by asking for a third, drinking it down with a grateful smile.
Tristan and Kimber cut across the switchbacks of Kimber’s christened ‘Blood’ River in silence. They were exhausted, achy, and the blowing sand was still burning in their watering eyes, but the pair walked with their heads held high. They had not been broken by what the journey had thrown at them. They had been bent by the elements, the distance, and the dangers, but they had not been beaten and were finally making it back to the boundaries of their home. But was it their home anymore? The question weighed as heavy in their minds as the packs did on their tired backs.
The gully of the river offered some reprieve from the wind, and occasionally, the pair stopped to filter water or to soak their feet. Their pac
e had been reduced to what felt like a stroll and though they tried to keep a steady gait, the urgency seemed to have been sucked right out of them. They peered out from behind the slits in their face scarves but could not see much, except for the never-ending blur of burnt dirt. For hours, they climbed up and down the hardened riverbanks until at last, they started to recognize some of the terrain features.
The crosswind was stiff as they turned away from their watery route and onto the last leg of their journey. The earth remained bare and crusted underfoot, and had Tristan and Kimber not been though the blistering wind themselves, they would have had no indication of the gale forces that stripped the landscape mere hours before. The turn away from the riverbed revived their spirits, and the pair shared excited smiles as they hastened their pace towards their brothers and sisters.
They followed a field of small hills that rolled towards Shelter One. Kimber was surprised by the pang of home sicknesses she felt swelling in her heart as they drew closer. She missed Naomi’s clucking and Raquel’s preening. She missed Kat’s shy silliness and Rene’s speculative nature. Kimber realized how much she missed being surrounded by her sisters and the flurry of all their distinct colors.
She missed everyone, from hotheaded Eve, to fragile little Adelaide, to artistic Hanna. From Brie and Tauren, who were rough and tough like the boys, to Mariam who was a continual moral compass, to Tegan who was as eccentric as was her dark purple coloration. Kimber swallowed the lump in her throat. She had never expected to miss them all so keenly. She thought of the male Auroras. She loved them dearly too. And her mother. Her heart was full of pain and confusion, but despite the storm that raged inside, she knew she missed her mother most of all.
Chapter XXII
Tristan held his breath as the Mammoth Cave Welcome Center swam into view. It had been almost a week since they had departed Inanna and neither he, nor Kimber, knew what to expect. His best guess was that the council and the Auroreans would be locked in a stalemate, much like the world had been for decades during World War III. Or perhaps more like The Last War’s more primitive predecessor, the cold war of the 1960’s and 70’s. The wind blew around the pair of wanderers, lifting their anxiety high into the sky for the, now obscured, borealis to suck it up into the heavens.
Tristan and Kimber exchanged uncertain glances as they closed in on the building. With a nod, Tristan pulled open the door and let Kimber duck through under his arm. The sudden reduction in brightness, paired with the tiny eye slits that Kimber had been reduced to looking through, left her momentarily blinded in the doorway. She felt Tristan push in behind her and heard a flurry of commotion in front of her.
“OH KIMBER!” she heard Naomi’s voice exclaim. Blinking hard, she held out her hands to her sister while grasping around to unwrap her shemagh. Naomi helped her unwind herself and as Kimber’s eyes adjusted, she clung to the teal blur in front of her.
“We were so worried. That storm that hit last night. We were so nervous that you may have gotten caught in it. Are you okay?”
Kimber looked at her through surprised eyes, not knowing what to say or where to even start.
“Oh, listen to me go on! Get in here and take all that mess off!” Naomi clucked, passing Kimber to Kat, who had run up to take Kimber’s pack off. Renee swooped in as well, and within a few seconds, the girls had stripped Kimber of her gear and had her sitting in a chair near Tristan. The male Auroras had descended upon the pair too, and for a solid five minutes, the room was nothing but a flurry of color and concern.
Everyone was impressed by the gear they had brought back. The extra sack was unpacked, and the canteens were passed around along with the heap of shemaghs. Wondering glances were shared amongst the Auroreans when Tristan unloaded the briefcase and Kimber placed the vial of tardigrades on the coffee table along with Sophia’s wristband, the pile of dog tags, the keycards, and the stack of stolen papers. Out of respect, no one touched the items, and everyone sat down eyeing the collection suspiciously.
Aeneas took a seat on the stoop and was the first to break above the chatter and launch the group into a formal discussion.
“We cannot tell you how worried we were,” Aeneas began, his deep voice humming. His eyes were dark and somber, and his dreadlocks were neatly tied back like always. “We had no way of knowing when you’d be back, and we figured this storm would delay you at least an extra day. I won’t speculate on your travels, but it is a blessing that you are here now. The humans detained Aaron and Raquel two days ago. Their hearing is set for this evening.”
The color drained from Tristan’s face. “Detained them?”
The rest of the Auroras stayed quiet, the entourage of vibrancy surrounding Kimber nodding from their seated and standing positions.
“Yes, they were taken when they delivered the first draft of peace terms that we drew up. Aaron and Raquel volunteered to take them to the council for submission. The council has informed us that they are being well looked after, with food, water, and warm beds. Their trial is tonight, and we have been alerted that all of Inanna will be present. I do believe that they are being well looked after. The council will not abuse them while campaigning for the votes of Inanna. It’s a bold move the council has taken to make us look more volatile... more venomous. It alienates us further from the people of Inanna, and we assume that is exactly what the council wants.”
Aeneas spoke with a slight accent. His mother was a beautiful immigrant woman. No one knew how she had been found by the Bureau, but she was a powerful, colorful, and comical woman who had never seemed to lose her heavy South African accent. Aeneas could detect Tristan and Kimber’s uncertainty concerning Aaron and Raquel’s wellbeing and tried to wave it away.
“The humans will not hurt them. Not with the city watching. We need to discuss our plans. We have but hours before the trial commences,” Aeneas reassured them.
“Where is Eve?” Kimber asked, looking around. She noticed that a handful of Auroras were missing, apart from Aaron and Raquel.
“Eve is resting,” Aeneas said tenderly. “I have been watching her myself. She is strong.”
“And the others?” Tristan asked quickly.
“Out scouting for supplies. They left at daybreak, so they should be back any time now to prepare for this evening,” Aeneas said, looking around. “Zaak, Hunter, and Adam have gone along with Brie, Tauren, and Tegan. We figured a bigger scouting party was better due to the limited visibility.”
Tristan and Kimber nodded and then looked down the table of trinkets.
“We have a lot to tell you,” Kimber said softly. “But we need everyone here... including Eve.”
Aeneas nodded to Kat, who got up and walked into the staff room. With wide eyes, Hanna, Mariam, and little Ade knelt by Kimber’s chair, speaking in low, excited voices. Renee stepped over and started to massage Kimber’s shoulders, letting her love and encouragement seep through her fingers and into her sister. Jordan, Jameson, Lo, and the last Aurorean male born, Micaiah, buzzed around the nuclei of the group like electrons.
Before Katherine could bring out Eve though, a rustling came upon the door. After a few bangs and crashes, the door swung open and a flash of color and pattern swirled in. Zaak, Adam, Brie, Tegan, Tauren and Hunter spilled in, loudly cursing the wind. They had armfuls of supplies and as soon as they spotted Kimber and Tristan, they all but dropped the goods on the threshold to greet their brother and sister. Food and medicine went everywhere as the Auroras said their greetings.
After the second flurry of color had settled down, the supplies were picked up and a glowing Eve emerged from the staff room door. Kimber’s eyes grew wide in amazement. She had anticipated the growth rate of Eve’s baby to be accelerated, like the gestation period of the Mothers had been, but seeing her sister showing a belly bump took her by surprise.
“Oh Eve,” Kimber whispered.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in person, Kimber,” Eve lamented with an apologetic smile. “Would you like to meet Orian
a?”
Kimber sank to her knees by Eve’s stomach and placed a kissed on her belly. Though the act was tender and intimate, it did not strike the Auroras in the slightest as unusual. Kimber had grown up next to this girl who would soon be the first full-fledged Aurorean mother. Call it sin, call it fate, or call it divine perfection... it made no difference to the Auroras. This little life was precious, and they all felt a responsibility to protect it.
“What if he is a boy?” asked a grinning Tristan.
“Orion,” answered Eve serenely. “He, or she, will be named after the stars.” Kimber looked at Eve, whose colors were blossoming in the hazy midday light. Motherhood will suit her well, Kimber thought.
Once the formalities were over, and everyone was seated, Kimber stood up. Suddenly she felt the weight of the safety of every one of her brothers and sisters on her shoulders. She had never intended to lead, nor to carry the torch of her species’ emancipation, but here she was, navigating them through the choppy waters that had become their lives. She would not let their leaf capsize. In a clear, calm, and deliberate voice, she began to unravel the tale of their journey.
She looked at Tristan, and Tristan alone, when she got to the part about the subterranean laboratories. They could all hear the pain dripping off her words as she told them of her many discoveries and observations. She held nothing back as she told them of the mutated animals in the jars, the terminated fetuses, and the bodies scattered around the facility. She did not waiver as she spoke of her mother’s involvement in Sophia’s death. When she finished as much as she could muster the strength for, she turned the floor over to Tristan to tell the group of the discovery of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex and their trip back home.
The entire room was silent as they finished their story, ending with their summarization of the council’s intent and involvement in all the controversial activities, both before and after the flare. A tear rolled down Kimber’s face once the silence seeped in. Her brothers and sisters now knew what she had found. They knew what chaos they had been born out of and the atrocities that their leaders, not to mention Kimber’s own mother, had committed. Kimber did not know if they would hate her forever for it. She did not even know if she hated herself. Her tear hit the ground and shattered into a million shards of crystalline light.
