The First Whisper

THE QUIET CHILD

Adele!! Yes, Mum, I ran to her. Please go wake your brother up; it's time for school. Have you packed the lunch boxes? Yes Mum. A few minutes later, you are still not ready? Mum, please give me 2 minutes. I hurriedly wore my uniform and brushed Ken's hair.

Ken is my little brother; he's 6 years old and rather stubborn but still cute. I just clocked 12, so I'm now an adult. My mom's little rebellion is a funny name right? My mom usually calls me that, maybe because of my beast tattoo bestowed upon me since birth.

We lived in a community called Nyleshk in the northern part of the country Viseria. My dad was a member of the council, a strict man. He really didn't care about my mom or me, just my brother. Why? Because the constitution allows it. Anyway, story for another day. Don't forget to tie your scarf, Adele. Yes, Mum, but Mum, it doesn't match with my uniform? I grumbled. Yes, it doesn't, my love, but it stands for peace, she told me, more like a death sentence. I rolled my eyes. She pinched my cheeks, softly smiling. This is why I call you my little rebellion, but don't remove it, alright? Yes, Mum.

My mom is kind of the most intelligent person I know, and I promise you I don't know many people, funny, right? We are not allowed to ask questions in school. Sometimes going to school is a privilege, but because it is the quick way for the females to meet their sponsors, that's why “Not going to School” is ruled out from the constitution of not doing anything.

My mom explains to me the cruelty and hardship of the world and the ways to fight for that which she called our right. She read countless historical books, mostly the one about Queen Elizabeth, which I think is her favorite because she reads that particular novel all the time.

After school, we walked past the square where the council's rules were carved on black iron.

Rule 1: A woman's voice shall not rise above a man's.

Rule 2: Disobedience is treason.

I never understood those rules, but I noticed fear in the faces of women who passed by, heads bowed, eyes dim. I realized that those rules are made to silence the women. And the fears written on the faces of those women are proof of their total submission and survival. Which is kind of sick because there is a rule that the men are supposed to be giving a rule which means proper equation. Maybe I should clean this rule in the night when everyone is asleep. Because if this rule is wiped by a total stranger it will take a while for it to be rebuilt.

When we got home later that evening, I asked my mother, "If someone breaks that rule, what happens” She froze, her needles pausing above the clothes. “ Then they disappear." I gulped down an invisible spit. I remember thinking I would sneak in at night and clean those rules early this afternoon, but I was mistaken because if breaking the rule is disappearing, how about cleaning the rules? Tck, I'm not sure if I want to think what they'll do to me. I snapped from the stupid thought and assisted my mom in sewing before my dad got back.