Chapter One - The Fall of Vector

A group of five teenagers, rebelling against the all-powerful Spectrum, band together to start an uprising that will change life on Vector forever.

Chapter One - The Fall of Vector

My head snaps up at the sound, hushed and sweet, like a child's whisper. I rest my elbow on my shovel, firmly planting the tip in the hard soil. I sigh, wiping the sweat from my brow. The sun beats down relentlessly on the workers in the orchard, giving us no peace even during the fall harvest. 

There it is again, a melodious note sounding very much like a whistle. Again, sharper, until I can just make out the words...

"Luuuu-ce!" the voice cries, in a sing-song tone that makes me grin. Brihn.

"Hey there, kiddo," I tease as my younger sister runs up to me, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dancing. She bends over, leaning her hands on her knees as she catches her breath.

"I'm on a mission," she announces to me, her broad smile running from ear to ear. She brushes off her dress, stands straight up, and says proudly, "We have a visitor. Sabi Drescha requests your presence at our house in exactly half an hour." She gives me a short nod of her head before turning on her heel and prancing off.

I heave another sigh, deciding to call it quits for the day. I remove my gloves and put away the tools in a nearby shed, pausing only to say farewell to some of the other workers.

It is a short walk from the orchard to the tiny house where Brihn and I live. It's more of a shack, really, with a closet-sized bathroom, a small kitchen, and one large room that serves as a bedroom/living room.

Despite it's meager size, the house suits us just fine. Our father died when Brihn was just a baby, and our mother soon after, nearly ten years ago now. Times have been hard for us ever since, Brihn barely passing by in school, and myself, doing what I can to make sure she is fed and bathed. I work days at the orchard doing manual labor in the summer and fall, and when the weather gets colder I can usually catch a ride on one of the fishing boats in the harbor, selling some of what I catch at the market for vegetables, milk, and cheese. Together, the two of us make a good team. Brihn is precious to me, the one thing in this world that keeps me going. I've been taking care of her for as long as I can remember.

I climb the three steps up our porch, ignoring the peeling, faded blue paint and the splintered railing. I push the door open to find Sabi in our kitchen, helping herself to a glass of contaminated tap water.

I take the cup from her hands as she raises it to her lips. "Hey!" she cries angrily as I pour the water down the drain of the sink.

"Here, try this," I say, retrieving a jug of filtered water from the fridge. She raises an eyebrow questioningly.

I shrug. "Tap water isn't safe to drink here anymore. Hasn't been for a while."

Sabi frowns, but drains the glass. She opens her mouth to speak, but Brihn enters through the open door, hurling herself into Sabi's arms. Sabi is at least four or five inches taller than myself, almost Amazonian in height. Her skin is the color of dark chocolate, her eyes golden brown. Her muscles ripple in the afternoon sun streaming through the window as she picks up Brihn, a 70-pound girl of twelve, and twirls her around as if she weighs no more than a pillow.

Brihn squeals with delight, and Sabi laughs, deep and rumbling from somewhere in her chest. She sets my sister down lightly, ruffles her bob of jet-black hair, and shoos her away.

Sabi turns to face me, her expression suddenly serious. "Trouble in paradise, Lu."

I frown. "What is it this time?" I ask, my voice a whisper.

Sabi leans toward me, her voice hushed too. "I've been hearing rumors. Of uprisings, all around Vector. There's... there's even talk of people rallying against the Spectrum."

Ah, the Spectrum. The glue that holds us all together. Or so they'd like us to think. 

We live in a small country named Vector, made up of five different sections. Brihn and I, we live in the agricultural section, also referred to as Section Three. Farming, fishing, hunting; those are our areas of expertise. We are the suppliers of vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat, and herbs and spices. Sabi lives in the neighboring section; industrial. Section Four. Mining coal, chopping trees for lumber, steel production. Gritty, dirty work. Even worse than working in the fields during the harvest.

"This could be it, Luce. We can finally be free!" I take a step back, automatically shrinking away from the spark in Sabi's eyes. I've seen her like this only once before.

Ten years ago, the first uprising began. We were both eleven, Sabi living with her parents and three brothers, Brihn and I living with our mother. The Spectrum is our government, made up of five men and women, almost superhuman in their strength, who rule over each section of Vector. In the past, not everyone has always agreed with the Spectrum's decisions.

We were living in poverty, struggling just to make it by each day. Many people were resorting to the unthinkable, and prostitution and thieving became common. People were dying, from either starvation or disease. 

The people of Vector revolted against the Spectrum, saying they were selfish and unjust. After all, wasn't their number one priority to take care of their citizens? An uprising began, and for the first time, the five sections joined together as one.

It took less than a month for the Spectrum to squash the rebellion, to completely stop it in it's tracks. 

And the weird thing is, no one knows how they did it. Our country was dying, on the brink of ruin, on the verge of war, and suddenly it was over. Things just went back to normal. But not before Sabi's family was destroyed. Not before our mother's life was so cruelly taken. Not before the casualties were too many to be forgiven.  

The Spectrum murdered innocent people, of that much I'm absolutely sure. And ever since, people like Sabi, people who were deeply affected by the last uprising, have been waiting, hiding in their houses, their ears listening for the faintest whisper of a rebellion. And if Sabi is correct, that time is now upon us.

<-------------------------------------------------->

I shoo Sabi from the house, refusing to take part in such gossip. An uprising, now? When everyone has finally gotten their lives back together? It's almost laughable. Almost.

I sigh, standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter for support. Brihn cautiously peeks her head around the doorway, staring at me intently, contemplating whether or not it is yet safe to ask me about my conversation with Sabi.

"It was nothing, just Sabi's usual rumors about people in town," I say, trying to force a smile for Brihn's sake. It must come out as more of a grimace, because she just stares at me doubtfully.

"Come on, let's get washed up for supper," I say, taking her tiny hand in my own and leading her to the shower stall outside. We use a tiny bit of soap that I traded a big bushel of apples for, scrubbing the dirt and grime from our skin until we're both pink as a pig. I wrap Brihn in a big, fluffy towel (the only full-size towel we own) and pat myself dry with a small dish cloth. Once we're dressed, I run a brush through Brihn's hair. I allow her to set the table while I fry some vegetables on the stove top, adding a tiny bit of salt and pepper, the only spices we have.

Brihn doesn't say a word throughout our entire meal, just keeps glancing sideways at me from across the table. Finally, I can stand her silence no more. I set down my fork and knife and lean back in my chair.

"What is it, Brihn? Did you hear something today?" I ask. She just looks up at me with those big grey eyes of hers. "Brihn, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything," I plead. 

Her eyes shift down to her plate, as if she cannot bear to look at me. "Is it true, what Sabi said?" Her voice is so pitifully weak, it pains me to listen. Her eyes fill with tears, and her face is full of fear. I know what she is thinking, although she does not say it out loud. Our mother was killed in the last uprising. Who is to say we won't be next? And should anything happen to me, where would that leave Brihn?

"Come here, Bri," I say softly, motioning for her to sit on my lap. She bolts out of her chair and throws herself into my arms, burying her face in my chest. I try to soothe her, stroking her hair and rubbing her back, but it has little effect.

Finally she looks up at me, tears still streaming from her eyes. "You won't go, will you? Promise you won't leave me, Luce?" she whimpers.

I take her face and cup it between my hands, looking deep into those frightful eyes. "I promise, Brihn. I'm not Mom. As long as you are alive, I will never desert you."

<-------------------------------------------------->

Brihn is fast asleep in the bed, but sleep does not come as easily for me. Instead, I spend most of the night and a good portion of the morning pacing back and forth across the room, occasionally standing in front of the lone window and gazing out into the moonlight. My head is a whirlwind of thoughts, but I can't seem to pin them down long enough to make sense of them.

An uprising. In Vector. For the second time in a little over ten years. I don't want to admit it, but Sabi is rarely ever wrong. That's the beauty of being so low on the Spectrum's radar; most of what people say and do while in Section Four goes unnoticed. Rumor has it, as Sabi told me only hours ago, that it began in Section Two, the tools and machinery section. No one knows exactly what happened, and probably never will, but all of a sudden citizens have started protesting in the streets, riots are breaking out among the city, and the workers have all gone on strike.

Now, in our neighboring community, Section Four is planning a rally. In just a few days time, citizens from Section Three and Four will gather in the square at the heart of their respective sections, and demonstrate against the Spectrum.

Ten years ago, my mother attended a rally. It was there that she was murdered. Cold, bloodthirsty guards from the Spectrum's inner city arrived, gunning down anyone who got in their way. It was chaos, and when our neighbors delivered my mother's body to our house, I vowed never to take part in something like this. I would never leave Brihn alone and defenseless. I am no fool.

Brihn stirs, rubbing her sleepy eyes. I go to her immediately and give her a glass of filtered water. She gulps it down and blinks up at me, her eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight now streaming through the window.

"Did you sleep at all, Luce?" she asks, looking concerned. I smile and shake my head, wrapping my arms around her.

"Not really, but I'll be all right. We're going to market today, anyway."

Brihn is instantly energized, bounding out of bed and tugging on her clothes. Market Day comes once a week, a day when Brihn and I travel to the square in the middle of town and trade. People from all the sections of Vector come to offer goods, and if you get there early enough, you can acquire items rare even within their own section.

It takes nearly an hour to travel there on foot, as Brihn has to stop and rub her feet or drink some water every fifteen minutes. Finally, I can see the stands in the distance, rising out of the square like miniature houses.

There are already quite a few people here, riffling through the different sections' items. I hug my pack close to my body. Inside, I've packed some flowers from Brihn's garden behind our house, as well as a few extra apples from yesterday's harvest. Technically, this is illegal; everything we collect is supposed to be brought in to be counted, and then "evenly distributed" by the Spectrum. There is some debate as to how evenly they actually spread around the goods, but of course no one can prove anything. Besides, it's virtually harmless to steal a few apples, and no one ever asks where they've come from. Either they don't care, or they'd rather not know.

I buy a few basic supplies; soap, a small spade for gardening, some new gloves, and a little doll for Brihn. When my pack is full and the apples gone, I search the crowd for Brihn. The sun is high in the sky now, and the square filling up fast. If we don't hurry, it will be a long, hot walk home.

I hear it before I see it, a low rumble coming from the sky. I turn my head upward, shading my eyes with my hand, squinting in the sunlight. Thick, black clouds are rolling this way, I can see them just beyond the horizon. Another rumble erupts from the earth, and the clouds are moving quickly. They're nearly hiding the sun now.

"Looks like a storm brewin'", says a voice in my ear, causing me to jump. I whirl around, coming face-to-face with a complete stranger. He's a young man, maybe about my age, with shaggy brown hair and soft blue eyes. His delicate features make him look younger than he is. That, and his complete lack of facial hair. Clearly he is well-groomed, and obviously not from Section Three or Four.

"Excuse me?" I say, taking a step back. 

He watches me kindly for a moment, then rolls his eyes skyward. "Storm's comin'. You can smell it," he responds, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

A sharp sounding crack ripples through the air, and I tear my gaze from this odd boy, and back towards the sky. It has grown suddenly dark, as it usually does before a storm. The wind picks up, whipping through my hair, tugging at my clothes. Dust and sand swirl around all of us standing in the square, and I can no longer see more than a few feet in front of me.

Suddenly, a helicopter dips out of the sky from behind the clouds. Another, then another, until we are surrounded on all sides, like a herd of cattle. A scream rips out into the haze, and like a swarm of angry bees, it sets off pandemonium throughout the square. Everyone starts running, shrieking, and pushing their way through the mob.

A tiny hand slips into mine, and I look down to see Brihn staring up at me with wide eyes. However, she appears surprisingly calm. "We have to leave," she says slowly, as if I am the child here. She looks over at the boy still standing next to me. "You have to come, too," she explains, gesturing toward my free hand.

He nods, as if this is a perfectly acceptable suggestion, and takes my hand. Before I have time to question either of them, we are running, weaving our way through the crowd of panicked people. It is all I can do to hold onto Brihn, she is so tiny and quick on her feet. She slips between people while I just crash into them, stumbling occasionally. 

Strong hands grip my hair, and I let out a shriek as my head is pushed down. I try to wrench one of my hands free, but Brihn and the stranger are holding too tightly. However, I quickly understand; we are crouching now, ducking through a narrow passageway between several of the shops. If it hadn't been for the boy, I probably would've been knocked unconscious by the low beam passing over our heads. I squint through the dust that has been kicked up by the helicopters' blades, trying to pay closer attention to where I am going, and see an empty shed lies ahead. My eyes widen as the door flies open before we even reach it, as if it were welcoming us.

Brihn ushers us in and slams the door. For several moments, no one speaks. All I can hear is the sound of my breath, coming in short gasps, and the blood pounding in my ears. As my racing heartbeat slows, I can hear the sounds of the helicopters lifting into the sky, growing fainter until, at last, I am sure they are gone completely.

It is dark in the shed, save for a lone rectangular window high above our heads, letting in a thin stream of light. I wait for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, and I can just barely make out the strange boy's face. He is staring curiously, it seems, at Brihn.

"Is it you?" he whispers, as if we may be overheard.

She just stares back, her grey eyes glinting in the darkness. "I'm Lazo," he says softly, reaching out to shake my sister's hand. She simply nods to him, as regally as a queen, and then takes my hand again.

"We must go now, Lazo. Will you come with us?"

"Brihn!" I cry indignantly, only to be hushed by the two of them. "We don't even know him, Brihn. He's not coming with us. I don't need another mouth to feed," I say through gritted teeth. I glare daggers at Lazo, who only smiles sweetly.

Brihn frowns at me. "He's going to find us again, anyway!" she argues. My jaw drops open, as I am struck speechless by this sudden outburst that is so unlike her.

"Brihn..." I begin slowly, fearing she has lost her mind, "...what are you talking about?"

But she has no time to answer. The sound of an explosion erupts around us, shaking the walls of this dingy shack, raining loose dirt down on our heads. "Go!" Lazo yells, opening the door and pushing us out into the sunshine.

I try to scramble to my feet, but Brihn is already up and running, her hand entwined with my own. 'How does she do it?' I wonder, staring at our linked hands in awe. Before my brain has even registered what has happened, Brihn is already two steps ahead of me. She's half-dragging me, crying in despair that I am too slow, that I must hurry, before it is too late...

We reach the orchard fields after fifteen minutes, and I am feeling faint. "Brihn," I gasp, pulling away from her, trying to slow her down. "We have to stop, Brihn." She either does not hear me, or chooses not to acknowledge me. Instead she hurries onward, although she has slowed her frantic pace. We reach the side of town near our home, but Brihn tugs me in a different direction, past the street we live on and down a long, dirt road. Suddenly, I know where we are going.

We are leaving Section Three. And heading into Section Four.

Author's Note

This chapter is still being edited, just wanted to post what I've got so far and hear some feedback.

Reviews

[Skin]

I think you have something very good here, the writing flows well enough, I found no land-mines of bad grammar or the like. The writing kept me interested and I would certainly read more of this story. When I have more time I will reread it and send you further feedback (if you wish). By further feedback I mean that I will give the piece closer scrutiny and make suggestions on how it might be improved, if of course I find any improvements to make. I hope you stick with it.
Regards Skin

[The old me]

Great chapter. A bit long for my taste, but i hate reading sometimes. But your work was good enough to keep me reading, good job. The overall story is good. I like what you are doing with it. Cant wait to read more.