Beyond

Listen to while reading: YOU ARE ONLY HOPE NOW by Jordan Rees I am running, trying to reach for a breath that I can’t find. I trip but get back up because I need to move on. I can’t stop running. It feels like one of my regular training sessions; but something doesn’t seem right. It feels all too… real. I don’t feel like I am running from rebels, but from something else. Key word, something, not someone. Then I hear it, laughter. I stop, still breathing heavily; trying to steady my breathing. I hear it again and slowly with caution, I follow the laughter, allowing it to guide me. I look behind a tree and see two children playing. I look around the premises to make sure it’s not a trap. Could these children be alone? The girl must have heard me because she quickly stood up, startled by the noise and ran to hide behind a boy. The boy quickly took a knife out from his boot, pointing it in my direction. The small dagger was black with a red dragon engraved on the handle, it looked like the one I had owned, but I didn’t pay attention to the minor detail. “I won’t hurt you.” I said in a clam voice placing my gun on the ground. He stood still, one hand on his blade the other holding the girl close by his side, while she clung to him desperately. “How can I trust you?” the boy replied scowling at me; with every word his dagger moved closer to me. I keep my hands up in surrender. If I play this right he will lower the blade and talk to me. “I put my weapon down, didn’t I?” The girl began to let go but the boy grasped her hand too tightly, and she yelped. “Blaze! That hurts!” he turned around and began to apologize kissing her hand like a mother would a child. She giggled and forgave him. He then looked at me ready for a fight but the little girl placed her hand on his, lowering the dagger. “I don’t think she will hurt us, Blaze.” She looked at him so intently as if he were everything to her, while he examined me prying his eyes into mine trying to reach an agreement with himself. She took his hand and came closer to me. Before I had time to ask the question, the little girl beat me to it. “What’s your name, Miss.?” She smiled at me. She had brilliant golden cat like eyes, and her hair was a dark auburn red that gently swayed back and forth as she moved closer to me; she wore a beautiful red dress, the color of the Freedom Republic Society, that’s a good sign. The boy had hair as dark as night, and eyes as blue as the sky, he wore a blue shirt and black trousers, colors of the rebellion, not a good sign. He was beautiful, though. He stayed farther away from me, still holding the little girl’s hand tightly, almost pulling her back repeating the same words every time he had the chance. “Come with me, we have to go.” “My name is Ari, short for Ariella, what’s yours?” But before she could answer we heard bombs, and the boy yelled louder to the girl. “Come with me! We have to go!” and just like that she ran away with the little boy she called Blaze, stopping for a second to look back at me, only to have the boy come and bring her back from her trance. Its then a bomb came almost beside me and fell to the ground but for some reason I felt my hand hit something hard and pain shot up my arm. I work up to Archimedes on the floor. Blood was dripping from his nose beside my bed I quickly threw my blanket off of me and came to him examining the damage. “Well Ari, you throw a mean punch, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t late to class, again” He wipes his nose “You know how your parents get.” He looked at me trying to hold a scowl but failing miserably as the slight smile began to peak out. “You look like you saw a ghost. You okay?” I felt flushed. The dream tugged at my heart. Those children, it’s like I knew them somehow. “What were you thinking?!?You know you can’t try to sneak up on me!!” I felt very terrible inside realizing the way he winced as he wiped the blood from underneath his nose only to see that more was coming out. He flipped his head back and hair fell back too. It wasn't long but it was thick and a honey gold. “You’re telling me, I am the one on the floor with the bloody nose.” He says chuckling, and wincing in pain, his beautiful brown eyes looking at me in innocence containing no blame. That didn’t help how I was feeling. I rushed to the refrigerator. Archimedes chuckled still holding his head back to avoid dripping blood on the floor. “You still have one of those? Isn’t it like, an antique?” he was looking sideways at me while I grabbed the ice pack. “Yes. What’s it to you? It holds ice and all the things I need. Do you want the ice? Or should I let it swell up?” I start to walk over pretending to hand it to him and then quickly snatch it away. “Besides I have had this thing for a while and every time you bother me about it.” “I am sorry. I want the ice.” He willingly gave up because the pain was too much to handle. I wanted the old antique, I could have gotten one of the high tech refrigerators, but I didn’t want it. It took me forever to find one I liked. I settled a bet on this one over a game of poker, another old game that only the older citizens remember. “Lay on the bed.” I ordered; he gave me a sinister smile as he walked over toward my bed. I quickly made the bed before he laid on it. “Why don’t you join me then?” he patted the spot next to him, I walk closer and push him hard enough to have him fall over on top of the bed, but before I can make another move he grabs my wrist causing me to fall on top of him. “Archimedes!!!” he struggles to keep me on the bed and laughs as I struggle for freedom. He takes my hands behind my back still confining me to his body and still struggling on the bed. I am not only lying on top of him but I also have no way out. I can feel every muscle every ragged breath he takes as he is struggles to keep me from escaping. I can feel his warm breath on my neck. “I told you there was a spot next to me” he whispered in a husky breath. It takes me a couple of minutes to realized I have the advantage, I lift my head up to hit him in the nose but he is two steps ahead of me and pushes me off him, onto the floor, pinning my hands on the floor, climbing over me, and hovering over me, ready to gloat. “I win again, Ari.” He smiles his prize smile that gets all the girls melting away at his feet. Just as he is about to let me go I kick him in between the legs. He’s on his knees and tears begin to form. I roll over quickly before the blood from his nose hits my face. “Well then you won’t mind if I take the glory now?” he gets up and lies on the bed, obeying my every word, as I stop the bleeding nose before more blood gets on my bed. I go get another ice pack and I throw it at him; he places it on the area I kicked. I laugh. “I am sorry; I think you should still be able to have children.” I laugh again. He throws me a disgusted face. He doesn’t want children; he’s all about the thrill of life. No children no responsibilities, is his motto. “Well at least you won’t be late to class; you know how your parents get.” “Yea, yea, I know Mr. Handler. More like babysitter if you ask me.” I mutter the last part, but Archimedes still hears me. “Yes, and I think I am a darn good babysitter. Looks like you’re still alive, aren’t you? “Yea I am alive but you can’t even protect yourself against me. If I can beat you, what’s that say about a guy trying to kidnap me?” “Oh please, I let you win. Pass me the buzz?” Something most people find hard to come by these days because of its price but it’s totally worth it because every morning without it is like not even being awake, they used to call it coffee before the War of the Worlds. The only perk of having your parents as captains is that everything is practically free, Especially Buzz. Archimedes and I have our buzz, and he escorts me to class, on our way to the class he explains to me things that we need to get done today after I finish school, it feels like I am listening but I am too caught up in my thoughts. “Ari? Earth to Ari??” “Oh sorry. What’s up?” Archimedes looks at me sideways. “Are you okay Ari? You seem distracted lately. I can hear you through the wall at night. You always scream one word, Blaze. Is that supposed to mean something?” I avoid his eyes glancing every way possible. “No, I am fine. Watching too many movies at night.” “I told you to stop watching those old things.” Archimedes turns my chin towards him. “Ariella,” He looks at me with concern “are you sure you’re alright? I keep getting this feeling this might be something else. You can tell me, you know.” He searches my eyes. “I am fine.” I give him a slight reassuring smile and quickly head into the class avoiding his gaze. He always knew how to get me. One moment I am promising myself I won’t tell him anything and the next I am pouring out my feelings. Archimedes doesn’t stay but heads to the Academy of Vetrima training lodge where he trains soldiers. He received this position very shortly after one of the trainers went missing out on a late night patrol. He will be publically acknowledged tomorrow night as my father's second in command and a trainer for the soldiers. I bet he has been dreaming for a job better than watching me every single hour of the day. He is forced to live in the room next to mine, to make sure no one tries to kidnap me, as if I need to be protected. “The Battle of Los Angeles, yes does anybody want to elucidate to me on what they read in the reading last night?” says Mr. Webster peering over his glasses to find a willing hand raised, but there are none. This gaze sets upon me. “Ariella?” It takes me several minutes to realize he said my name. No one in the class seems to pay attention. The question is asked daily so that we can be reminded of the heroic deed that Mr. Webster had done before he was shipped off here to Vetrima, or what used to be Washington DC, the capitol. “The part that the general of the 23rd regime plunges into the midst of war to save the 22nd regime. If I remember the picture, he looked a lot like you Mr. Webster.” Yes I am a suck up, that’s how I get away with missing class, I make an excuse to leave and he never tells my parents. “Very nice Ms. McDevitt! And why thank you!” he giggles, walking away to write something on the board. I rip a piece of paper out of a notebook on the floor and slip away from the class walking down the hall and hiding and dodging any other instructors. Once I reach the door I take the paper fold it four times and place it on the small alarm that goes off if someone tries to leave the institution, and quickly open the door and slip out before anyone notices. There are guards usually posted for the student’s protection, and to my luck there are more guards today due to last night’s patrol disappearance. I survey the area. There are three guards to my left and five to my right. Two at the corner entrance and another five at the main entrance, this will not be an easy escape. I search my pockets for anything that can help me. I am lucky I am not wearing my tight training gear. I find a string and a paper clip. I take the string and tie it to the paper clip. I secure the paper clip to the paper. I run to the nearest corner, I am very lucky that the string is long enough. I pull the string causing the paper to come out and alarm goes off, I quickly hide. All the guards run toward the school, while the attention is on the school I run toward the main entrance. No one even glances my way while I make my way quickly down the still avoiding being seen. I arrive to the door and glance back no guard in site. I open the door and see the green grass, something we don’t see in Vetrim because it only exists outside the wall. I crouch down and feel the cool wet grass on my hand the weather is perfect it is early spring and the air is cool but refreshing; I look left then right and then run into the woods taking in every breath as if it were my last. No one goes in there because they think the rebels will try to come to get them. But I have been there too often to fear any rebels and I am trained well. So I run into the woods, following the path I have forged, to the garden. “ Rose Garden: Dedicated to all who dream of hope and change – Ron Paul” A large glass building lies hidden from the world. Except for one broken window, the building is still in good condition. It holds the most beautiful flower, the rose. It is late March the still a chill in the air but surprisingly, the roses are there most of the year because the air is moist and warm there can be a draft because of the window but I try to make sure it’s patched up with something. In the city you don’t see that many plants because everything beautiful is shut out. We are surrounded by a large wall that protects us from the outside. It so happens that the school is near one of the entrances. Pretty stupid of them I would say, but I didn’t build the darn thing. I love coming here it allows me to escape the craziness that city offers and even just to escape Archimedes hammering me about another drill, school or anything else he can possibly think of, sometimes I think he is too over protective. I look at the roses and pick one. I can never understand what brings me back here over and over. It feels like the rose represents something that I can’t remember. Sometimes I get images I can’t explain. I take care of the roses and it has started to get warmer so new little buds have been appearing more and more. After watering the roses I walk to the small man made pond and stare at my reflection. Gold eyes, wavy dark red hair, small lips, not too big and not too thin, that was what I saw. An average girl, is what I tell myself, but I am everything but average. My parents being of the most important people causing all hope to cease of a normal life; the little moments I steal in this rose garden help me get through my everyday life. It’s like I have some kind of connection to this place that is unexplainable. I know I have to head back because if I am gone too long they will notice my absence. I run a finger over my reflection causing the ripples to distort my face in the water, and walk to the entrance. I glance back once more trying to take in the breathtaking view of the roses growing on the walls; hoping the next time I come they will all bloom. Then I run back to the city.