One Thousand Tears

by Pauline Creeden

  The pressure of the water on all sides of her skin had disappeared and been replaced by air. She felt lighter, as though she could float into the blue sky above her. A breeze blew across her face and worked toward drying her dress, and wisps of her hair danced in the wind. Her tense muscles relaxed into the sand and she felt content. For the first time in she didn't know how long, she felt at peace. Her mother no longer needed her. Her father could make no demands of her. The clan she once lived in could no longer judge her. In the air, it felt as though she could do anything. A smile tugged at her lip for a brief moment. Could her mother look down from heaven and see her now? She wondered if she would approve. This was something they had never talked about.

  In reality, it was something Adelaide had never even considered as a possibility. And now here she was, the pressure of the water and the responsibilities her father dumped on her were all gone. The air enveloped her like an undertow, but so much lighter. It felt nearly impossible to dismiss, but at the same time, wispier than anything she'd ever experienced before. She breathed heavily while the morning light grew brighter. Her skin and hair and shift dress all dried in the sun and breeze. The salt made everything a little too dry, but it didn't matter much to her. It wasn't long before she succumbed to sleep.

  She woke shortly after, as the sun still remained in the east and hadn’t yet reached its zenith. It was just a bright spot behind a heavy blanket of gray clouds. Would it rain?

  After taking a deep breath, Adelaide pulled herself to a sitting position. Blood rushed to her head and a headache began to pulse behind her temples. Her throat felt dry. She stood and crawled to the water, trying to take a sip, but the salt was too much for her and she spit it all out. Her human tongue couldn’t take the excess of salt.

  Dehydrated. That’s how she felt. She needed to find water, but more than that, she needed to find Jonas. After standing, she started walking toward the city buildings she could see a short distance from the shoreline.

  Two hours later, she reached the city. The sun overhead bared down on her and she set out a hand against the red wall of a building on the street corner. The buildings of the barren city barely stood. Bricks crumbled under the slightest touch of Adelaide’s hand. She blinked. The webbing between her fingers had vanished and she hadn’t even noticed. Dust swirled around her fingertips and blew into her face. She coughed, choking on the persistent dryness in her throat. This new feeling enraptured her and scared her a little. She’d never experienced thirst before.

  Now she was surrounded by it.

  Underwater, the same buildings stayed solid as though preserved by the salt and water. But on land, open expanses of barren desert were broken up by the buildings standing in clusters. Wind carried constant dust, constant thirst. The red dust muted the sunlight overhead with its thick fog now that she was farther from the water.

  A cough to her right made her muscles tense. Too deep, too dry to be Jonas, but she needed to check anyway.

  “Jonas?” she called and followed the sound.

  Balls of safety glass crunched under her bare feet. Pain bit into her heels, but she ignored it. She peered over the remains of the broken window into the darkened building. A person sat against the far wall, huddled under layers of cloth. Red rimmed eyes met Adelaide’s, and then white teeth exposed a sneer.

  “Go on! Get! This is mine!” The gruff voice came out in a half-cough, half growl. Long feminine fingers wrapped around the woman’s prize—a small cup half-filled with murky water.

  Adelaide shook her head but licked her dry lips with her sandpaper tongue. “Peace, woman. I will do you no harm. I’m only looking for a friend.”

  The woman glared at her, narrowing her eyes, and downed the liquid in a quick gulp. She sauntered over to the window, her gaze taking in Adelaide’s smooth exposed skin. She shook her head. “Friends won’t be hard to find in scant clothing. The wrong kinds of friends. You’re inviting trouble, going about like that.” Her words came clearer, from a freshly lubricated throat.

  Adelaide glanced down at herself. Her chestnut hair fell over her shoulders, covering the straps of her white shift. The dust had already gathered in the seams, tanning it on the edges. Compared to the woman in front of her, she was utterly exposed. She tilted her head. “His name is Jonas, he’d probably come through here a month ago, wearing clothing similar to mine. Dark hair, sapphire eyes?”

  The woman shook her head. “Haven’t seen anyone looking like that. It would be crazy. The dust may seem to cover the sun’s rays, but since the ozone layer depleted, the UV light pierces even the dust cloud. You’d best cover up.”

  Adelaide frowned and squinted at the sky. Could the sun really do as much damage as the woman said in the air?

  “Here. Take this.” The woman pulled a beat-up sweater from within her jacket and grasped Adelaide’s wrist through the broken window. With another cough, the woman pushed the garment into her hand before releasing her.

  Dry coughs continued to wrack the woman’s body as she returned to the other side of the room, out of the muted sunlight.

  “Thank you,” Adelaide called in, before pulling the sweater over her head. It had an elongated turtleneck that was easily pulled over her nose and mouth. Breathing came a little easier when she used the cloth as a filter. Before turning, she called to the woman once more. “My sincere thanks!”

  The woman coughed and waved a hand in dismissal. Adelaide nodded and turned to continue down the street. At the other end, a murmuring crowd had formed. She’d been on land nearly two hours and had yet to see so many people. Without a thought, she rushed their direction.

  Her gaze swept over the crowd as she continued to search for Jonas, but most heads were covered with hoods and caps. Would Jonas be wearing one?

  “Let’s begin!” a man shouted through a mega-horn, as two armed guards helped him up on a pile of rubble near the center of the crowd. He wore a creased suit of clothes and his hair had not a strand out of place. Somehow the dust that clung to the skin, clothing, and lungs of everyone else, this man repelled. “This reaping, we’ll allow only four to join the sea-dwellers below.”

  A murmur went up from the crowd, while the man at the front remained silent, arms crossed, letting his words settle in.

  “No, they can’t.”

  “Last time it was ten.”

  “They said before there would only be a few reapings; would this be the last?”

  “If you’re not rich or born in the right family, you just don’t matter in this world.”

  A diamond ring sparkled in the muted light as the man ran his hand through coifed hair. “The initiate must be between the ages of sixteen and twenty. We will allow three females and one male. If you are eligible, please remain to be tested. The remainder of you may leave the quad.”

  The rumble in the crowd grew as protesters clamored for their rights. Someone pushed into her from behind, and Adelaide stumbled. Stones bit into her palms as they struck the ground. Before she could right herself, a boot crushed her hand against the gravel. She cried out.

  “Enough!” the man with the bullhorn shouted.

  Immediately, the crowd stilled, and the boot lifted from her hand. She cradled her injury against her chest as she rose to her feet. Tears sprung in her eyes. She blinked. Another sensation she’d never experienced. When the tears slipped down her cheeks and reached her lips, she tasted their saltiness. A wave of nostalgia gripped her. She wished she were home. Her heart ached, and her chest grew tight. Where was Jonas at a time like this?

  More men in dark suits of black armor, their faces covered in masks, surrounded the crowd. In their hands were weapons that reminded her of the rifles she’d seen in the underwater city, but bigger and more menacing.

  “Those who wish to volunteer as initiates may remain. The rest may go. If you do not disperse peacefully, next month’s shipment of supplies will be withheld a week. Maybe longer.”

  A general gasp went up from the crowd, and the dejected people
turned to leave. They headed Adelaide’s direction. She swiped the tears from her eyes, to clear her vision, and peered into the faces. This was her chance. If Jonas was here, she’d find him now. She continued to cradle her hand against her chest and searched. Too old. Too young. Not Jonas.

  The crowd around the rubble pile at the center thinned. She darted between the people who remained to search their faces, but she still couldn’t find him. Where was he? It had only been a month. Would he have moved on from this city?

  “Adelaide.”

  She spun at the sound of her name and found the sapphire eyes she’d been searching for as one of the guards pulled up the front of his mask. Her heart leapt into her throat. She opened her mouth and nearly squealed his name in their tongue, but she stopped when he pressed a finger to his lips.

  He leaned toward her slightly, but his eyes darted toward the closest of the guards a couple yards away. “Remain here. Do as they tell you. There’s no doubt you’ll be chosen as initiate. Just turn around and don’t acknowledge me again. I must go.”

  Without another word, he closed his visor, disappeared among the other guards.

  Her heart sunk. She swallowed against the grit in her dry throat. Her injured hand continued to pulse in time with her heart. The love of her life, the one she’d been searching for, had told her to stay and not acknowledge him. His coldness toward her twisted her stomach. The tears she’d stopped before stung her eyes. She faced the man with the bullhorn. If she did as Jonas instructed, maybe she’d get a chance to see him again. Really see him. Touch him.

  If that’s what it took to do those things, she’d become this initiate the man had asked for. How hard could it be?

  5

  About twenty-five people remained at the man with the bullhorn after the rest of the crowd had dispersed. They were almost evenly mixed between males and females and most were about Adelaide's age, though some looked to be a few years younger.

  The man with the bullhorn hopped down off the pile and came down to search the smaller group, looking into people's faces, and running his eyes up and down bodies while he spoke. "This may be the last time we're able to bring people down to the city we've been calling Atlantis 5 this year. Our numbers are getting full, but also, as it turns colder, none of us want to spend time up here on the surface for more than just bringing supplies."

  He stopped in front of the younger girl three people down and to the right of Adelaide. He hooked a finger under her hat and lifted it off the girl's head. With a frown, he asked, "How old are you?"

  She pulled herself up to her full height and lifted her chin. "Sixteen."

  He frowned and glared at her, drawing his face closer to hers.

  She continued to meet his gaze without flinching or blinking.

  After several seconds passed, he pushed her hat against her chest and scoffed. "Somehow I doubt it. No matter. There is only space for three females." He lifted an eyebrow while looking her up and down once more. "We'll see if you survive the initiation."

  The girl gripped her hat in her fingers and still refused to lower her chin. She whispered as the man continued further down the line up, "We'll see."

  The man ignored her and eventually stopped again, this time in front of Adelaide. He hooked a finger over her turtleneck and pulled it down from her face. Adelaide set her jaw and lifted her chin, refusing to look away, even though she wanted to flinch back. No one came so close or touched her so familiarly among her clan. Not even her own father. But she was determined to give the reaction it seemed the man wanted. She mimicked the younger girl down the row as much as she could.

  The man's eyes sparkled. "A pretty one, eh? How is it your skin has remained so flawless." His eyes traveled the length of her body and then stopped at her feet, where his brow crinkled. "Do you not have any shoes?"

  Not knowing for sure how to answer, Adelaide just shrugged.

  The man gripped her by both shoulders and lifted an eyebrow once more, his ice blue eyes remained fixed on hers for one heartbeat... two. Finally, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "If you make it to the city, you're welcome to share quarters with me."

  His breath was hot against her ear, and caused a shiver to race down her spine. But she refused to move in response. With a wanton grin, he winked at her and moved on to the next person.

  She couldn't help it. Her arms folded over each other, and she rubbed her upper arms, suddenly feeling chilled. She pulled the turtleneck over her face once more, wanting to hide. The man's gaze had left her feeling dirty and cold. She didn't like it. It had made her feel like running away. But Jonas had told her to stay, so she would.

  Continuing to make remarks as he went down the row, he stopped in front of random people until he reached the end. Then he backed away, folding his arms over her his chest. "The selection for this reaping isn't bad. I see some familiar faces—those of you who have attempted the reaping in the past. And some new ones." And his gaze landed upon Adelaide as he said it.

  She didn't like the man's attention. It was too much for her to handle. She wanted to slip into the crowd unnoticed, but somehow, he had singled her out. Her jaw clenched.

  He continued, "You will all now enter the Horizon Group Headquarters, where we will begin testing you all for fitness, health and begin your initiation."

  Behind him the building we'd all been standing before's wide, metal door rolled open automatically, the sound of the mechanical pulley system screeching as it went. A murmur went through the crowd, and the electric feeling of excitement coursed through them, even catching Adelaide up in the feeling. Her heart thundered in her chest, and for the first time today, she didn't feel overcome with thirst. She shuffled forward and followed the others as they entered the tall building which was in better condition than any other building surrounding it. Bits of glass and broken brick littered the ground, and she stepped as gingerly as she could around it all. Her pace was slowed by her caution, so she was the very last of the group to enter the building. The guards and the man with the bullhorn followed after them, and then the metal door came down, closing behind them.

  Darkness surrounded them in the room, and the crowd continued to murmur in hushed whispers. Then the lights came on. Adelaide blinked, her eyes stinging from the sudden light that was brighter than the muted sun outside. Everything in the building seemed so different than it had been outside. No glass or bits of debris littered the cool, tiled floor, and for the first time, her feet throbbed with pain, as though getting to relax for the first time caused pain to radiate through her lower limbs. A dull ache reminded her that she had feet instead of the tail she'd had in the water. Everything about the situation suddenly felt strange now that she was no longer driven by the need to see Jonas, to know if he was okay. She'd found him quickly, though he'd disappeared just as quickly. Now she just needed to do what had to be done so she could see him again.

  "Those of you who have passed the physical examination in the past will still need to be examined again. At this time, we will send the males to my right through this door. And to my left, all females will enter. After you are cleaned and examined, you will be fed. So, don't delay." The man clapped his hands together afterward and disappeared through a door to the center. The only one that was glass.

  The group split fairly evenly, and Adelaide followed the other females through the door the man had indicated. The building felt cold and clinical, but she was glad for not having to watch her step as she walked across the clean marble tiles. Again, she found herself at the end of the single-file line up.

  Once she stepped into the room, the door closed behind her. She jumped a little at the sound of it slamming. Then she stepped forward a bit more. The tiles in this room were different, smaller, and made of ceramic, and they had a wider grout in between each tile. They climbed up all four walls, and along the walls, metal heads pointed down from about seven feet in the air, additionally, other water spouts were lined up in between, at about three feet in height from the floor.<
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  Two women stood at the far end of the room, just in front of another small door. A heavy set woman in a severe bun, her hair peppered with gray, stepped forward, setting an empty basket on the floor. "Please remove all clothing and personal effects. Those of you who have participated in a previous reaping know that nothing is allowed to go with you into the Horizon building. The rest of you are learning for the first time. We do this for your safety as well as the safety of the corporation. Place all belongings into one of these two baskets."

  The other woman, who was shorter, thinner, and younger, set a second basket beside the first. Both women wore fitted grey jumpsuits with an emblem on the right upper-chest. The emblem was red and yellow and looked a bit like a rising sun.

  All around Adelaide, the twelve young women began removing their clothing. Eyes were cast down, as they tried not to look at each other. Adelaide joined them, removing first her sweater, then her shift dress and held them both to her chest as she peered around. She'd spent her entire life naked, so she had no shame, but those around her seemed to pull in toward themselves, their hunched bodies exposing their spinal protrusions and rib cages on their backs. They were all so thin. Not one of them could be described as anywhere near as heavy set as the older woman who'd spoken, or even the thinner woman who stood before the baskets.

  Slowly the younger women moved forward and set their belongings into the baskets, backing away with their arms wrapped around their bodies and their hair covering their downcast faces. Adelaide stepped forward and set her belongings in the basket as well. She stood straight with her head held high. The woman with the severe bun narrowed her eyes at her with a frown deepening in her cheeks.