Her World

Chapter Two "Saved"

   As I stare up at the soldier watching everybody else, I hear a kid say, "So are we going to die now?" So I turn around to see their terrified expressions as they look for their loved ones. I look for mother but seeing that she moved away from my sight earlier I'll just look for her later when I head home, or just go to my spot on the hill and watch the sunset while they leave. I do feel bad for all who are chosen today and I say my silent prayers for them, but It's the life I have known since birth. Maybe one day I'll too be sent to harvest, A very grim outlook.

   "Oh, there's the captain." someone says as the center hushes in silence, a silence that just gets more nerve wrecking with each passing second. I jump around to try and see above the other kids to catch a glimpse of the captain, I can't see anything, "I guess another moment missed to see the front." I've become very interested in them above, they are mysterious, no one knows the reason they're here but humans seem to be there primary subject of interest for I have not seen them at all pay attention to wild animals. 

   In my thoughts I hear him call out to the selecting groups, "Move in rows ranging from height, weight, gender."

 I start hearing the whispers of two kids talking, one says, "I guess it's another harvesting," the other kid says, "I know but who is that behind the captain?" This peaks my interested as I try again to see who else is here for harvesting, "He's huge!" A kid yells out in the crowd, "Can that be the commander?" A man says across the center, mean while I can't see a thing. "Why are all the tall kids in the back with me" I mutter tired but jumping up and down. "Look there are others behind them coming through the gates too," another man says. "Oh my god, it is the commander!" 

"How can you tell?" I'm intently listening to their conversation like they're a radio station, "Because look, he is bigger than the others and his suit is white with those markings on the sides of his helmet." The commander sounds very serious, and likes to be taken serious from what these men are saying.

   I hear the captain talking again, "The females are cleaner today, it seems as though none of them wish to be selected." And here I thought they were trying to win favors of not being annihilated as a whole today. The captain goes through the selection crowd, and picking matured or healthy looking individuals. "We need to stay longer, and review this communities food ration disbursements, because a lot of you males look famished." He says as he picks up a man that does look rather skinny like he's light as air. "What does this mean for the leaders?" someone says, "I don't know but they are in trouble if they figured out the leaders are hoarding the food for themselves." The captain continues searching, and after making the final selection he goes somewhere and stats talking again. "There isn't a decent selection today, and we are disappointed in the state of your bodies."

"Leaders!" The captain yells out, "We are done with the harvest selection, now come forward and show us the conditions of your community." He says as everyone starts moving and leaving the center, no one is in a hurry since it's over. I just stand there watching everyone leave especially since there is a lot of people, from what I see they only took twenty people. That's not good I thought to myself, if we can't meet their requirements what will happen to this community? I see the soldiers walking around too, people are scurrying away as soon they see a soldier coming near them. Though I don't see the captain or the supposed commander, or the others they were with. Did they leave with the leaders to see the village?

   Well I might as well start on my way home too, since home feels like it's two miles away from the center. I walk down one of the narrow pathways with all of the overcrowded huts and look up at the sky, "I wonder what time it is, maybe I can go to the hill in time to see the sunset." I say as I start skipping happily thinking about how peaceful the top of the hill is, also how beautiful the stars look since there is no electricity for hundred of miles, or at all. There is also no satellites or human flown crafts so when I see something lit up high above in the sky I know it's them up there monitoring us. 

   As I'm skipping down the path, I unfortunately notice those kids who want to hurt me. I abruptly stop hoping they didn't hear, or see me, and I'm still far away from home. I try to slowly turn around when one of the kids yells out," Hey look, It's that strange one!" I don't look back hoping if I ignore them maybe they will leave me alone, "Hey you loser, get back here!" I hear them walking a ways behind me, "Look she's actually ignoring you, she thinks she's better than us!" No I don't, I just want to live peacefully un-bothered, "Let's catch up to her and make sure we bring her back down to earth!" They start running behind me, so I start running as fast as I can, they're bigger than me so I can't defend myself. I'm stretching my legs to try and run faster, taking sharp turns around huts, running into crowded main pathways to try to lose them. "Please leave me alone!" I cry out at the top of my lungs but that just makes them laugh while they're gradually catching up to me, "We're getting closer!" I try my hardest pleading for them to leave me alone, I try running faster but I feel my legs aching. How long were we running now? I'm still far away from home, It's in the opposite direction. "Grab her hair!" As soon as one of the kids say that one of them grab a hold of a large amount of my hair and yank my head back, I fall back hard on the ground as they start kicking me and stomping on my legs and arms. It's too late to say anything now, too late to try my best to save myself. I feel my tears from the pain running down the side of my face as I get into the fetal position, just wanting to bare it, and for them to get tired of beating me and leave. In the midst of my torment I hear some adults laughing and egging the other kids on, goodness how many kids are there? By then I don't feel the pain anymore, is it that adrenaline books talk about, can it stay until I get back home? I lay there thinking all this trying to escape this cruel reality, their laughter, their yelling, someone, anyone please help me!

   The moment I think my all is lost, the kids suddenly stop and the adults stop their noise as well. Then I hear them all running away, I try to get up to see why they ran away but I can't move, the adrenaline subsided as quickly as those kids left. "What's going on?" I squeak out quietly, while being in pain all over. I force my body to move, and get up to try to head home before those kids come back to finish what they started. As I get up slowly, I feel the ground move below me, I limp to a stand while stooping over. Then I hear those loud foot steps coming closer to me, then I manage to look in the direction those steps are coming from. 

   "You are huge," I again squeak out to him. That must be the commander, he does look very scary especially to someone as small as me. He approaches, and kneels down next to me, all I can do is look up at him in amazement. I then turn in a limp to face him, he just watches me. Goodness I probably look horrible right now, but it doesn't look like he cares, as I think of how I look I see him reach to the side of his leg and open a compartment of some sort, then he pulls a little vial out. I'm looking at this strange little bottle, Then he picks me up into his arms like he's cradling a tiny baby. I just look at the commander in shock, and surprise being in his arm thinking how awesome his suit looks up close, but why is he holding me, why is he paying attention to me? As I'm thinking all of these questions he lifts the small bottle to my mouth gesturing for me to drink it, I hesitantly open my mouth as he puts to bottle to my mouth and pours, I start swallowing this liquid with suspicion but to my surprise it tastes sweet, and feels warm going down. "Ahh," I let out as my body starts feeling like air, and he's just silent while staring at me. "Thank you for helping me," I say to him while just calmly laying in his arm, and letting this medicine I'm guessing take affect. He nods his head then starts walking with his huge resounding steps again, but I don't pay attention to where he's taking me because from some reason I feel safe, I don't feel like I'm in danger. The commander continues walking for awhile somewhere so I get up a little to see where he's taking me, Oh! We're near home, but it's also getting evening time. I can't help but keep staring at him, although I hear other foot steps behind us. I stretch my body to take a peek at who else is there, and I see that he's followed by many other soldiers, the captain and five others, to which you can tell by their markings on their suits that they hold different rankings.

   I ended up falling asleep with him carrying me to my home, whatever that liquid stuff was I drank, it really helped me feel better so quickly. I open my eyes and stretch a little from comfort, and look up at him to see him staring back at me, so I just smile at him in return, from that he returns looking ahead at the trails. I look ahead too to see that we have arrived at home, then mother comes out of the hut probably wondering what those sounds of marching is coming from, as she sees me she stops and stares dumb founded. "Hi, mother," I say as I still laying in the commanders arm. She looks at me then at the commander, although not very subtle expression of terror written on her face. With that the commander lifts me out of his arm, and sets me down on the ground. I stand up to my surprise that my legs don't hurt, or I don't have a limp at all. In fact nothing hurts now that I notice more, I jump with joy smiling from ear to ear looking up at him, spinning around too, I just can't help but feel like someone actually cares about me in this moment, the overwhelming happiness coursing through me. I see him reaching for something else again in one of his compartments on his suits, then he pulls out a little circular metal object, it's really shiny! He shows it to me while kneeling down again, he holds it up to my face, and I look at it with amazement. Then he props it open, gesturing to put it on me like a necklace, so I nod my head excitedly and lift up my head with no idea what it is, just me thinking it's a gift. He puts in on my neck and it clasps closed, "wow, it fits me perfectly!" I say feeling it around my neck. Then it starts glowing a little, with that I feel a little pinch in my neck so I wince in response. He then lightly touches my head with his, feeling his cold helmet on my forehead. In that moment, I felt like nothing else mattered in the world except this moment, my young mind wanting someone important, someone to look up to, someone to be thankful for everyday from here on out. He lifted his head and stood up looking at mother now, so I look back at mother too remembering she's still standing at the doorway. I smile at her and run towards her happily showing my new necklace that the commander gifted me, "look mother he gave this to me, and he saved me earlier too from those kids!" She just stares at it in disbelief but I didn't bother with her reactions, because I found someone who cares about me. "Okay now go inside and get ready for bed," she said so I look back at the commander and wave while smiling, then ran inside to look at my necklace in the mirror we have. 

   Then mother comes in a little while later with a sad look on her face, so I come up to her and ask "What wrong?" 

 "The commander has made you his pet," mother said with a cracking voice.

   "A pet?" I repeated, I thought they only chose pets from well off communities?

   "Yes, the commanders pet, from now on until he says no more." mother said while crying quietly.

   "I thought they take their pets?"

   "They do but I begged him not to, I couldn't let you go."

   "Why, he would've taken me from this place, here no one cares for me!"

   "You're still a child! Only six years old!"

   "Why do you care? You've never worried about me, or my well being before!"

   "Don't you dare say such things! I have raised you, and still am! And will continue to do so!"

   "Just like earlier when the leader told you to abandon me, and you agreed!" I say as the heartache swelled in my chest to the point that I wish to just cough it up.

   "I never agreed to such a thing!" Does she really think I'm dumb enough to fall for that?

   "I saw you and him talking by the door before the harvest! You nodded your head when he told you to abandon me!" I can't take this.

   "It was just the moment that caught me."

   "Why are you caring now? You wasn't the one that save me from all those kids' torture!"

   "What kids? they hurt you?"

   "Forget it, you'll always be ignorant to my needs, me entirely," with that I ran out of the house and kept running to the hill. I got to the base and kept climbing up until I reached the top, and stood facing to where they were all leaving in their ships, I couldn't help but cry as I watched the commander leave without me. Someone so kind to me, yet I don't know when I'll ever see you again. There they go off into the horizon with the selected ones, huh I wonder what they did with the leaders now that I think about it. Also mother, what did they say to her, or what did she say to them? I doubt I'll get any answers from her now, I mean to a degree I should mean something to her emotionally. Yes I'm young but I know that I deserve to be loved and cared for, I deserve to be happy too.

   I stayed up at the hill to watch the sunset and think about these things that are happening now, playing with my collar, which I thought was a gifted necklace. Just elated at it even though I have an owner now, but the commander wasn't mean to me at all, plus he even let me sleep in his arm. I just didn't want to fight with mother, I didn't want to cause any friction in our already depleted relationship. 

   "His pet," I said as I still played with the collar. It's pretty and white, although I wonder what that pinch was. Could it have been a tracker? No because those are placed inside us at birth, I don't know where mine is in my body, it's always somewhere different for everyone's bodies. In general being a pet to them isn't too bad, I read stories in the library from people; well former pets, that pets are treated very well, they're fed three meals a day, they have a home with their owner but the pets called them masters. The pets are relocated to the main ship in the sky where they are all housed, and they get a designated rec room or play room some where in the main ship. They also get nice clothes, kind of like dress ups, as I think about what I read I remember one of the chapters in the book where the pets described the commander. The commander never had a pet nor did he see anything as worthy of his time the chapter wrote, The former pets described the commander as very strict and forceful, no one was allowed to make mistakes, or no pet was allowed near him or any human for that matter. Maybe that was why all those others were around the commander today, to make sure he wasn't bothered. Former pets also get relocated again when their master gets tired of them and releases them back into human society, but it doesn't specify where the relocation place is. I guess I will never experience what it's like to be a true pet to him, but maybe it is true about him not wanting to be near anybody. But then it conflicts with how he treated me when he found me beaten by those kids, from what I experienced he is a very nice person.

   I feel a small chill run through my body as the sun began it's goodbye for the day, red and orange hues filled the sky as it went beyond the horizon. Darkness crept up and the sky filled with twinkling stars, so bright and mesmerizing looking up and breathing the chilly air. 

   I get up to head back home, hoping mother is asleep so there would be no awkwardness once I walk in. I made a detour to the creek so I could wash myself after that harassment earlier, I forgot how hurt and dirty I was from that attack. The creek seems pretty quiet now, just the steady stream flowing along, I kneel down to wash up and scrub everything off. Now that i'm done I head back up to the house, It seems dark in the house so I quietly go in and get in bed. I step into the door, she is sleeping in her area, I quietly close the door and tip toe into my bed. It feels like I haven't laid in my bed in forever! Goodnight world, it was a hectic day today so i'm thankful for it's results.