When It Rains

Chapter Three - When We Meet Again

When I'm dressed, I lie back on the bed fully clothed and close my eyes. If I squeeze them as tight as I can, maybe I'll be able to block out the world. Who am I kidding? I have nothing to complain about. I'm amongst the privileged here. I couldn't have it any better.

I have running water, heat, air conditioning, more food than 50 people could ever eat, fine clothing (no more brown sweaters), shoes and my mother and sisters. I live a great life in many ways. I open my eyes and flop over onto my belly. I could be Hyla or Chuck. I could be in the Org. A knock on the door breaks my thoughts.

"Come in," I say.

My youngest sister slips through the door. Elody, at 12, hasn't grown that much over the last few years. She looks almost the same as when I last saw her in the camp. She used to be our little piece of joy, always laughing, curious and asking questions. Not anymore.

I had been forced to leave Elody when the fight broke out that day Rassel tried to help us escape. Crinae had been furious with me when we left without our sister. Turns out, Elody was long gone. Mom pulled her out before us.

"What's going on?" I ask Elody while I sit up.

"Um," says Elody, ducking her head. "I've got a favour to ask."

"Shoot," I say.

Elody rubs her bony hands together. Her eyes are sunk into her head and she's wearing grey robes that balloon around her body like clouds. If I believed in ghosts, I might think there's one in my bedroom.

"I need you to talk to Crinae and get her to talk to Uncle."

"About?"

"About my work at the Peoples' Champion Lucius Sebastian Institute for Science."

"And...?" I ask. "You've got to give me a bit more than that."

"I can't," says Elody, tugging her robes tighter around her waist. "It's a secret."

"You're the Overall Structural Engineer Governor, the head of the whole science institute, what you say goes."

"That's not true," says Elody, her eyes welling with tears. "Please, just tell Crinae to tell Uncle that I'm finished."

I put my arms around my sister. She feels like a fragile bird that I could crush if I squeezed any harder.

"I'll try," I say. "You know how she is, though. Especially with our uncle."

Elody sniffs and wipes her eyes.

"Thanks," she says. "I'm overwhelmed. I don't feel cut out for my job."

"You're not! You're still a kid and most people forget that. They treat you like an adult."

Elody gazes up at me.

"I know what I'm doing," she says, "but there are some things... Oh well. It's suppertime. We're expected in the dining room."

This will be the first time I've seen Uncle Sebastian since I was dumped into the bowels. My mouth goes dry as I walk down the long staircase with Elody. A servant dressed in a black and white uniform ushers us into the dining room. Candles set in gold and silver chandeliers glow and flicker above us while classical music fills the air around us. Mom and Crinae are already seated at the gleaming mahogany table. Crinae sits in the middle and our mother at one end. Elody and I sit across from our sister. Another servant pours me a glass of water out of a sparking crystal pitcher.

"Thanks," I say, taking a sip and then another when I hear the clip, clip of Sebastian's shoes on the tile floor.

"Greetings, family!" he says, striding to the head of the table. "Sorry, I'm late. Had to clean up a, let's call it, a mess."