XVI
The next few days went by relatively fast. We spent our days baking cakes or catching butterflies. The latter proved to be an exacting undertaking. The butterflies never wanted to stay in one place; yet liked to crawl around on our backs. Our nights were spent in the entertainment car. Each night had a different performer, mostly musicians. It was refreshing to hear music that wasn’t depressing.
The towns we stopped in were all so similar that I lost interest quickly. Nara explained various different aspects of Azureland life to me. How the town governments worked, why there was so much open space. Unfortunately I never paid attention long enough to hear the explanations. My mind was filled to the brim with what Calrus had said. He couldn’t give any answers, which only excited my imagination beyond belief. I had fully invested myself to the belief that the Cityers had created the bracelets. I mean, who else could have done it? They had grenades and guns, why not super advanced bracelets? Besides, I found it right in there territory. It could have been that somebody who built the wall dropped it. I was under the impression that a crew had to actually build it. But that didn’t explain the fact that nobody could get in. Unless that was the only one made and whoever dropped it didn’t want anybody to know that they made it. How the bracelet ended up there was not the main concern. That honor went to the mystery of the bracelets creation. If it wasn’t the Cityers then who created it? It wasn’t the Humurom’s, and it evidently wasn’t the Azures.
I spent many hours devoting my thoughts to that end. In consequence I never caught a butterfly and most of my cakes ended up subpar. Nara noticed my state and frequently gave me comforting glances. These, like many things she did in those few days, really annoyed me. I didn’t want her pity or her understanding. My mood had shifted to the darker edge and all I wanted was to be talked to like a normal person, not somebody who was in need of comfort. I was on edge a lot. The new development was yet another twist in my life; I needed more time to adjust. And I wasn’t even adjusted to being in Azureland yet. I guess I wasn’t good at sudden changes. My mind was a mess by that point. All I wanted to do was get my mother and friends to Azureland, and then forget everything else. But that was going to be hard for me to accept. I still wanted to help everyone from Humurom.
The train slowed into Wall City six days after we left Mr. Kilray’s house. We disembarked and went back to the government building. Nara let me go back to my room alone; she knew I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone but Calrus. It was night when we arrived. I was too tired to go looking for Calrus that late, and so went to bed. I couldn’t sleep at first; there was too much buzzing around in my head. I went to the window and watched the tiny figures moving about under the streetlights. I wondered what they were thinking about, what problems they had. It didn’t make any difference, they didn’t care about me and I didn’t care about them, but it did put the situation in perspective. All of them had problems, and I would bet that every person out there thought theirs were the worst. Sure they might not have had a sick mother living on Nutrition in an old bomb shelter, but did that mean that their problems were any less significant to them? No, of course not. Strangely this brightened my mood slightly. It made me realize that I wasn’t alone in any way, ever. Not physically, nor mentally, not even emotionally. There would always be somebody who understood.
The next morning Nara woke me up. She had gone to see the mayor the night before and arranged an appointment for me. I went straight to his office once I got directions. It was hard to find and I got lost a few times before stumbling upon it. It was much smaller and out of the way than I was expecting. He invited me in and I took a seat in a tiny couch next to his desk.
I jumped straight to the point. “I was wondering if anybody knew anything else about the bracelets.”
He smiled at me from across the desk. “I haven’t talked with Calrus today, but I assume it is still a mystery.”
His lack of knowledge on the subject unnerved me. “Thank you sir, I also have a request of you.”
Gilik raised his eyebrows. “Anything Hardin.”
“When the bracelets are done I will go back into the wall. My mother is really sick and I will get her out and bring her here where there is better medical treatment. What I ask from you is that fighters come with me to better my chances of getting her out.”
I hadn’t been that nervous since being inside the wall. He looked at his desk sternly for a moment, thinking it over. I began to sweat, something I rarely did when nervous. I had become so accustomed to the feeling that when it was time to be anxious my body did not show any signs of it. Azureland had indeed changed me; made me used to safety.
“Oh, I am sorry, but I cannot authorize that. It would be too dangerous.” He said finally. I could tell he wasn’t the least bit sorry. I felt like I looked at him for the first time then, seeing who he really was. I saw someone who was perfectly comfortable in their own world and wanted nothing to do with helping somebody from another. I had seen a similar look in Humurom.
“It being dangerous is why I need the fighters.” I said dully, not wanting to anger him.
He smiled in a way that proved beyond a doubt that he never had any plans to help. “Hardin, you’re out, be happy with that.”
“I’m not going to let my mother stay in there.” I held my anger in check.
“I am very sorry, but I cannot authorize that.”
I decided to go where I probably should not have. “Is there somebody higher up I can talk to? The leader of Azureland maybe?”
His face turned a sick shade of purple. I struck the right nerve, but at the wrong time. “This situation is in my city, I see no reason to bring the President into this.”
So there was somebody higher up than Gilik. I’m sure Nara told me. It was probably one of those times I wasn’t paying attention. I had one more card to play if it came to that, but I had no way to contact the President even if I wanted to. I thanked Gilik for his time and left. That meeting proved very important to me. It showed the true face of Gilik, and shrank his power in my eyes. Nara met me in the hallway. She was a welcome sight, somebody who actually cared about me. While Gilik’s image shrank hers grew in my mind.
“What happened?” She asked eagerly.
I smiled as I became conscious to the fact that my best ally was with me the whole time. “He won’t send anyone. Do you know if it’s possible to meet with the President?”
“I doubt I could get through. Besides, Gilik likes to keep things under control himself here.”
“Don’t you think word has gotten to the President by now? I’m sure they would help.”
She nodded. “Yes, but it would take too much time to get them involved. Especially if you go back soon.”
“Fine, I’ll just do it myself.” There was no other option. If I wanted this done at all, and I did, then I would have to go on alone. It would probably be better to go by myself anyway, less targets.
Nara thought that the bracelets wouldn’t be done for a few days and that I should go out and see the town on my own. She gave me a small little card that I had to give to people when I wanted to buy something. I left early the next morning, ate in the café, trying out the card for the first time. The waitress took it and then gave it back a minute later. I had another omelet, they became my choice breakfast.
The morning was cold, cloudy. I didn’t want to stray too far from the government building for fear of getting lost. Lucky for me it was quite a bit taller than most buildings, so wherever I went I could still see it. I found an alley lined with interesting shops and people. I started down it, hoping to find something for Mama. Something I could give her when she got out of the wall.
The first shop sold clothes. I ventured in and looked around, but everything was outlandish and bold. I was used to a dull wardrobe and so didn’t buy anything. Each shop was stranger then the last, and the people matched. Outside of a wi
ndow half way down the alley I came across a book shop. It smelled old in there, and was the first reminder of Humurom that I had come across. It was a splendid sight, books on shelves reaching to the ceiling. They weren’t falling apart or torn in any way, unlike the ones at home. The covers were not made of leather but of paper. I took one down and looked over it. The language and layout was almost the same as the ones I was used to. Azureland had retained some of its old ways after all. The shop keeper came to my aid.
“Finding everything all right?” The old woman asked.
“Yes.” I said, putting up the book.
“You look like you’re in to classics; would you like to see our collection?”
“Oh, no thank you. I’m actually looking for new books.” I had twenty two years of classics; it was time for something fresher.
She took me to a table in the center of the shop. The books there had a slick surface she called “plastic”. I liked the feel and bought the first book I touched. I had no idea what it was about, but I didn’t care.
I spent the rest of the morning looking through shop windows, thinking about the wall. I would have to go back any day, was I ready? I thought so. The only thing I feared at that point was being ambushed by Cityers. If it were to happen again maybe they wouldn’t kill me since I was going to be alone. As a prisoner I could explain my intentions and maybe bring about the peace I had originally intended. I don’t know why I changed my mind so frequently. I distinctly remember telling Nara that I didn’t care about the Cityers anymore, but knowing that I might see them made me come up with a plan just in case.
I ate lunch at a small restaurant. I didn’t understand the menu and accidentally ordered a plate of animal eyeballs. That alley was a strange one indeed. I exchanged the eyeballs for some kind of meat; I was too scared to ask what it was. I didn’t get sick so I suppose it was edible.
The cold started bothering me by that point so I started back. That evening was spent dwelling on my upcoming mission, though every time I tried to think up a better plan I got distracted by something out the window or a noise in the hall. I was procrastinating. I knew once I was out there my instincts would take over. My mind was exhausted of these thoughts. I went to bed early.
The next day was more of the same. Calrus promised that he was almost finished and I wandered around town all day. I brought the book along but didn’t feel like reading it. I grew mentally tired of everything around me. The delay was working against me. All I wanted to do was sleep. Two days later Calrus came to my room.
“Guess what?” He asked, I didn’t answer. “It’s done.”
“Really?” I sat up, alert.
Calrus put five bracelets on the small table next to my bed. “Yeah, the technology was hard to crack, but we did it.”
I jumped out of bed. “So I can go back now?”
“As soon as you want to.”
“I’ll go in the morning. It’ll be great; I’ll get my mother out and be back in no time.” I was telling this more to myself then to Calrus.
“Speaking of your mother, I brought some medication to bring her. That way she will feel up to the trip.”
I stared at him for a while. What was medication? The idea that something I could bring her would make her feel better had to be too good to be true. “There are things here that I can bring her so she’ll feel better?”
“Yeah.” He said coolly.
“That’s amazing.”
“The only thing now is to figure out who made the bracelet.” Calrus said.
“Are you sure it wasn’t the Cityers?”
“Almost positive, there’s no way that the technology could have been created by a country in their position.”
“I don’t know,” I said slowly, “they have grenades and guns. I’m sure they could manage this.”
“There’s a lot about the wall you don’t know. Trust me, it wouldn’t be possible.” He gave me several small purple pills before he left and told me that the affects would not last very long.
That night I packed my bag with food from the café, mostly chocolate bars, but also a few pieces of bread. I had chocolate on the train and thought it might last the trip. In addition they would probably help me sell the idea of Azureland. Anything with flavor would excite someone from Humurom. I went to bed early, hoping that I could sleep off my anxiety. Instead I tossed and turned for several hours, not knowing if it was the last time I would sleep on an actual bed.
I don’t know if I slept. Next thing I knew it was near dawn. I tried making my bed up the way it was before I slept in it, but I had tossed the blankets away and could not remember how they were situated. I took one last look at the room; made sure I had the bracelets, and went down to the lobby. I remembered that strange man I overheard on my first morning. I hoped he figured whatever it was out.
The lobby was empty and dark. I snuck out into the cold morning air. It wiped away any sign of drowsiness. The city was the same as the lobby. The sky lightened as the sun readied to make an appearance. I never was awake to see dawn in my short time in Azureland. I wanted to wait and see it, but I knew I had to get back as soon as possible. I wondered what my mother was doing. Hopefully she would be sleeping, awaiting breakfast.
It took me a while to find the little bridge that led to the wall. I crossed it and found myself face to face with the wall. It didn’t glow in the waning darkness. I slipped a bracelet onto my wrist and held my breath, trying not to think of anything but my mother. My wrist was only inches away when a voice stopped me.
“I thought you would try to sneak away.”
I turned to see Nara standing on the other side of the bridge. “I have to get there before I change my mind.”
“Good luck.” I could hear the emotion in her voice.
“Thank you. Hopefully I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Gilik wants to talk to you before you leave.”
I couldn’t tell if she was being honest or not. “Another good reason to leave now.”
“I’ll tell him he just missed you.”
“See you soon.” I turned back to the wall.
“Hardin, be safe. I’ll miss you.”
I smiled. “Don’t go saying that, I’ll be back before you know it.”
I lifted my wrist to the wall and closed my eyes. I felt my feet lift off the ground and slam back down in an instant. I slowly opened my eyes and became instantly nauseous. I was back in the forest.
Hardin's War Page 15
