Lies

LIES
Chapter One
Interactive

тАЩs POV:

It was another hot day. It seemed it was always hot now, I had forgotten what a cool breeze felt like. I brushed my hair out of my face as I pushed myself off of my cot. Sweat made my skin feel sticky and I sighed. I missed being clean, but most of all, I missed air conditioning.

I picked my worn cargo shorts off the floor and pulled them one. I threw my thin blanket back onto my bed and found my boots had been hiding underneath. I tried to brush off the dirt, but that was impossible. I pulled the laces as tight as I could, they still felt huge even though they were my size. I picked up my favorite black sweater and pulled it over my tank top. There was a hole in the sach and I had taken тАЩs knife to the sleeves, so now they stopped on my elbows.

I looked around my tiny room. The guys were nice enough to let me have my own room. They shared the other one located on the other side of the house. I pushed the blanket that stood as my door aside and walked into the kitchen

, my older brother by one year, sat on top of counter, picking his nails with his pocket knife. A deep frown was etched into his face. It always appeared when no one was around. The house was unusually quiet today. I couldnтАЩtтАЩ hear anyone.

тАЬ?тА? My voice rang through the silence. The flipped his knife close and was shoved into his pocket. The frown faded from his handsome face and he hopped off the counter. It gave a loud creak. It really shouldnтАЩt be sat on.

тАЬYou slept later today.тА? My brother said with a tone of annoyance. тАЬI was getting worried. A girl went to sleep last week and never woke up.тА?

He was always annoyed nowadays. He rarely smiled anymore. No one did, besides anyway. only smiled to make me smile. He didnтАЩt know I had heard him tell this. But the walls of the house were paper thin, and it secretly delighted me to hear him say that.

тАЬIтАЩm sorry, .тА? I said. тАЬI was really tired. Yesterday took a lot out of me.тА?

crossed his arms in front of his chest. His checkered shirt was tattered like every other piece of clothing we owned. One sleeve was rolled up, the other was torn off at the elbow. An old scarf hung around his neck, not for comfort or style, because it was the last thing he had from his fianc├йe, . She had gotten sick almost two years ago and everyday blamed himself for her death. It wasnтАЩt his fault, Wonderland just didnтАЩt have the right medicine and not everyone was strong enough to survive the change. Now he constantly worried about losing me. I donтАЩt think heтАЩd be strong enough to survive losing anyone else.

тАЬYou just went to the marketplace yesterday.тА? said. тАЬHow could you be tired?тА?

тАЬWellтАжтА?I hesitated and tried to think over my answer. couldnтАЩt know what I really had done yesterday. I hadnтАЩt exactly lied when I told him I had gone to the market. But, I had been in the black market. If I could just purchase a few more gallons of water, we could travel far enough. It took ten gallons of water to go one hundred miles in тАЩs van. The hydra cell leaked terribly. It was dangerous for women to go into the black market. Bad things happened there. had banned me from going numerous times.

тАЬYou went to the black market again, didnтАЩt you!?тА? тАШs voice was quiet, but was stern. His jaw had tensed and I could see his piercing blue eyes had darkened. I shrunk under his scrutiny.

тАЬI was only trying to helpтАжтА?

тАЬJust donтАЩt go back there.тА? said. It was more of a command. Sometimes he acted more like a father than a brother.

тАЬWhere is everyone else?тА? I asked, quickly trying to change the subject. тАЩs posture relaxed, but his eyes remained hard.

тАЬItтАЩs water day. I got my water hours ago.тА?

тАЬWater day!?тА? I shouted. тАЬIтАЩd nearly forgotten!тА?

I didnтАЩt let say another word, but ran out the front door. My boots caused billows of dust with each step as I came closer to the market place. Already I could hear the chatter of people waiting patiently in line for their four gallons of water. I came to a halt at the back of the line. There was so many people! Usually I was the first person here on water day, but I was really late. Almost four hours late. I hoped they didnтАЩt run out like last week.

I leaned and looked towards the front of the line. I caught side of a familiar back of the head.

.

My heart quickened when I saw him, and I forced the smile to fade from my face. Life wasnтАЩt about falling in love, it was about surviving. He turned to say something to and caught sight of me. He motioned for me to cut in line I didnтАЩt like to cut, but I was at the end. I skipped to the front, ignoring the curses and glares I heard from the people behind me.

had a huge smile plastered on his face. gave me a playful push. did nothing, his expression fell when I approached. He always did this when I was around. I hated to say it, but hated me. I had always known this. He thought I was bad luck.

тАЬBeautiful day, eh?тА? asked.

тАЬItтАЩs pretty enough, I suppose.тА? I said putting my hand to my eyes and looking at the sky. It was a strange color of blue, with dusty yellow clouds hanging overhead. The sun was too bright.

Waiting in line was always the worst on water day. Everyone was restless, but it was a time when the whole town met in one place. and got their four gallons of water a piece and started heading back to the house.

тАЬThanks.тА? said to the emotionless mask that was the shop keeperтАЩs face. Dark makeup marked his face, a sign of a citizen of the Iron Werks. He silently stamped тАЩs card and was motioned to the side. He waited for me as I took my turn.

тАЬAge.тА? The man rasped.

тАЬ25.тА? I said, it was the same routine every time.

Everyone over the age of 20 got four gallons of water. If you were a teenager, you only got three gallons, children got two. It wasnтАЩt fair, and it wasnтАЩt enough. But no one questioned the Iron WerksтАЩ rules.

My card was stamped, a heavy box of water was shoved in my arms, and I was motioned to the side. A woman grabbed my elbow and I spun around.

тАЬThe devil has his eye on you girl.тА? She said in a low cackle, her arthritis diseased finger pointed at me. Her eyes glowered at me, and I shuddered as if a sudden chill had gone up my spin. She let go and I walked towards .

The womanтАЩs words troubled me and I tried to push them away, but it was hard. Everyone was superstitious, and I had the feeling that was a bad omen. I remember saying something about talking to an old woman the day before she got sick.

тАЬWhat did that woman say to you?тА? asked as we lugged our boxes of water back to the house.

тАЬNothing,тА? I replied too quickly. тАЬShe just thought I was her daughter.тА?

let out a soft laugh and I laughed too, despite my uneasiness. The door was open to the house when we got there. All of the water was stacked in the corner. All together we would have twenty gallons. If we were careful, it might just last us a while. closed the door behind us.

was back on the counter, was sitting on the table, and was leaning against the wall, he caught my eye and glared at me before looking away. collapsed into one of our worn chairs. I settled myself on the floor at тАЩs feet.

тАЬWe have 20 gallons to last us two weeks.тА? said.

тАЬThat should be plenty, right?тА? asked.

тАЬThatтАЩs if we donтАЩt go anywhere.тА? said.

тАЬExactly.тА? said. тАЬWe canтАЩt do that. We have to see if there is anything else out there.тА?

тАЬWe got too close to the Iron Werks last time,тА? said. тАЬWe almost didnтАЩt make it back.тА?

Everyone went silent, remembering the day. I was forced to stay home, and when they didnтАЩt come back I had cried. It was two days later when they returned. and had gotten really hurt when they had snuck in the Iron Werks for more water. It was the only way they could have gotten home. It was attempt to live, or die in the harsh desert.

тАЬWeтАЩll think of what to do.тА? said. He was the leader of our little group, that was obvious. He had changed so much from the olden days. Three years ago he had been a cheerful immature musician, and now he was this harden man that some times I didnтАЩt even recognize. тАЬWeтАЩll talk about this later.тА?

hopped off the counter and went out the front door. Everyone else went their separate ways. lagged behind, and I jumped to my feet. shuffled into his bag.

тАЬI got this for you.тА? He said with a shy smile.

I looked at the square shaped package he held out for me. I took it and carefully opened the brown paper. A worn copy of Wuthering Heights stared up at me. I felt tears come to my eyes. I loved to read, and only had a few books I read over and over again. But I had lost my favorite books years ago.

тАЬI know itтАЩs not as good as your last copy,тА? said. тАЬBut, I looked really hard for it.тА?

тАЬItтАЩs wonderful.тА? I said looking from the book to his warm brown eyes. тАЬYou outdid yourself. Thank you.тА?

тАЬIt was worth it to see you smile.тАЬ said with a smile.

I hugged the book tightly to my chest and walked into my room. I collapsed on my thin cot and opened to the cover and began to read, a large smile on my face.It was little luxaries like this that made life a little bit easier.