Zinc 01 - Altors, page 3
part #1 of Zinc Series
Acacia suddenly seemed a lot less tired as he kissed her temple. This was right before he unlocked his arms from around her and lifted his hands to smack both me and Sol over the back of our heads. It didn't hurt; well, our pride maybe.
"Now getcha asses outta here! You know the drill, no dinner for you two tonight! And the courtyard is filled with leaves again. So tomorrow morning, bright and early, you get to work. Go, go, go!" He shouted, pointing his finger in direction of the stairs further down the hall. We scurried out of the kitchen, stumbling as we rounded the corner and running clumsily up the stairs after one another.
There were six bedrooms, two kids in one room, boys with the boys, girls with the girls. I shared a room with Delph while Sol shared a room with Holly. Acacia didn't know we switched during the night.
Walking into my bedroom, Sol followed me and plopped down face first onto Delph's bed, groaning loudly into the pillow.
"Here it comes." I whispered, walking over to my own bed.
"I'm so hungry!" She moaned.
"You never complain when we aren't banned from dinner."
Sol tilted her head to the side, glaring. "That's just it, Cali, the ban makes me want it so much more."
“You're such a baby." I muttered as I propped my arms under my head, staring at the ceiling.
She laughed. "I know you're thinking the exact same thing. You just don't say it out loud." I grunted, not denying it because she was right. And I knew she could tell when I lied.
~~~~~~~~
I stared miserably at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, inching forward with a worried frown on my face as I eyed the enormous pimple that had decided to root itself in the middle of my nose. Puberty sucked. Why couldn't the batch of hormones messing with your exterior come before you turned fourteen? At fourteen I wasn't supposed to be awkward looking anymore. I should be surrounded by girls like Delph. Or Helix.
It wasn't just the pimple; I had braces too because my teeth were completely crooked. Whoever my parents were, they did a good job making sure my teen years were miserable due to the physical genes.
My hair was greasy as well, sticking randomly to the side. You could not tame it and while Acacia might have a point by saying that if I washed and brushed it regularly it wouldn't be as bad, showers were annoying. Solenum was always greatly amused with how boys my age seemed to be allergic to water. It just seemed like a waste of time.
I turned my attention away from my reflection as I saw Brass entering the bathroom, smirking as he looked at me through the mirror.
"Morning, crater face." I scowled, turning around so I was facing him.
"Shut it, Brass." I sneered. He ignored it though, stepping forward and roughly catching a hold of my lip to press it upwards.
He laughed, sounding idiotically delighted. "Nice rails! Matches the bumpiness of your skin!" He kept on laughing as I smacked his hands away, shoving him against the shower stall.
"The current state of my face is the plague infested side effect from having to look at you all the livelong day!" He narrowed his eyes at me, pushing me back against the sink. Oh, great, another round of push and shove; like that was anything new.
"Shut it, Pimples!"
"Only if you will!" I was about to lunge at him, but Solenum burst into the bathroom, wide eyed.
"What's going on?" She took a stand before me.
Brass huffed. "Skeleton girl to the rescue. I'm bored." He announced, rolling his eyes as he exited the bathroom, leaving Sol and I behind.
Turning around so she could look at me, she asked, "Are you alright?"
I faked a smile. "Fine."
"Don't lie to me, Cali. Ever since you got those braces you've been anything but fine." She pointed out. "Will you stop worrying about them? I keep telling you, once you get to take them out and your acne decides it's time to take off and depress some other miserable teenager, you'll be the hottest boy in town." She waggled her eyebrows, trying to cheer me up.
It didn't work though. "It's not fair, Sol! Look, I'm a mess!" I pointed at my face to make sure she got what I was talking about.
She stared for a moment. "Well, you're not the only one. Look at me." She waved at her body and then directed the biggest puppy dog eyes at me. "I have no boobs! And!" I cringed as she continued, "No ass!" She shouted, slapping it.
I shook my head at her furiously. "Stop, stop! I don't want to hear about that stuff!" She grinned widely as she pried my hands off my ears.
"Then we agree. Complain again and I'll shout the word 'boob' over and over at the top of my lungs to see how you like it." She raised an eyebrow expectantly my way and I couldn't help but chuckle, braces on display for the entire world to see.
~~~~~~~~
Now, a year later, I still had my braces, but I was more optimistic as the acne was slowly fading away. I sighed deeply, closing my eyes as I felt tired. The last Sunday of each month was emotionally heavy. I knew they were for Solenum, too. We were happy because we had each other, but that was really the only reason.
I yawned, stretching my legs out on the bed I had been sleeping on for the past five years. The room was simple with twin beds pressed against their respective walls. The door to the room was opposite from the window that gave us a view of the courtyard. Flanking the door on either side were two thin, but long, closets that contained our clothes and the personal items we owned. We didn't really have many, perhaps a book and maybe a picture or two, but that was it. For a room that was shared between two fifteen year old boys, it was surprisingly clean. Sure, the occasional heap of dirty laundry lay here and there, but nothing more than that.
I smiled as I could hear Solenum getting off the bed, skipping over to mine and a second later a soft kiss pressed itself against my cheek, followed by a murmured goodnight before I heard her walk out, closing the door softly behind her. I tended to fall asleep immediately after hearing that noise.
Only to wake up a couple of hours later as I heard Holly whisper harshly by my ear. I didn’t even need to ask why she was trying to get me to wake up and steal my bed. Sighing heavily, I stood and stared wistfully over at Delph’s sleeping and snoring form across the room before stretching out my arms over my head. By the time I walked out of the room, Holly was already sound asleep in my bed and I couldn’t really hate her for it, as she had tried uselessly to help Sol already.
Rubbing my eyes, I went straight for their bedroom. Solenum was whimpering through her sleep, her eyebrows knitted tightly together as she was working through her nightmare. If it wasn't her, it would have been me. Sometimes, I envied Sol for knowing what her nightmares were about, as mine where cryptic messages I couldn't make out. They scared me and that was the extent of my knowledge. Further explanation wasn't given or shown.
Sol on the other hand; she had witnessed the most terrible thing and re-experienced it practically every night. I could make her talk again, make her live life, make her smile and laugh. But I couldn't protect her from the nightmares, or make them go away, only break her temporarily out of them.
Kneeling down beside her bed, I gently stroked her head, repeating her name a couple of times to wake her. Like always, her eyes popped open, fear pooling in the yellow depths, a scream wanting to rip its way out of her vocal chords. When she realized who I was, the whimpering died out and the fear diminished.
"Which one was it?" I whispered.
"The one with the noise." That one was the worst. It sent chills down my own spine. She didn't cry anymore when she had nightmares. She used too, but I guess they had become routine. I was never sure whether that was a good or a bad thing.
"The one where you're in the closet and your parents-"
"Let's just sleep, okay?" Her voice sounded extremely tired, and it wasn't because her slumber had been disturbed; she was tired with the weight of her past.
Nodding, I moved to lie down next to her and smiled as she tucked part of her own blanket over me before snuggling into my side. While I could only offer her a protective hug to ease down the fright she felt after each nightmare, I knew that at some point both she and I had to find ways to move beyond whatever it was that triggered these recurring dreams. For now though, only dawn could calm us.
* * * *
Chapter 3: Calycanthus Esquivel
“Are you wearing lip gloss?”
* * * *
The Ring was a sport that took place once a year and was quite popular. There was a wooden stick that was about the length of your arm and from there you had to create your own moves, combos as we called them, to beat your opponent. The rules clearly stated you weren't allowed to hurt one another; it was expected that you learned how to handle the stick properly so you managed to avoid doing any serious damage. It was all about tapping your opponent with the stick on specific body areas. The upper arms received less points as it was the least protected region, while a tap on the thigh or side got more points.
We called the game 'The Ring' as it took place in the gaming ring of Lithium Village. This was also where the elderly held their chess tournaments and where college cheerleaders showed their latest routines. The Ring had been invented by a couple of bored local kids nearly fifteen years back and they'd planned it as if it were a true heroes tournament. It became big and a favorite among the LV teens. When you didn't know how to kick a ball, or pull off a pyramid, this was the sport you turned to.
Parents had protested it, saying that the adults shouldn’t be encouraging kids to participate in such violent sports, but in the end, football actually did a lot more damage than The Ring did. They’d relented when the council had agreed to give masks to protect the faces of those who entered the tournament and each wooden stick was to have rounded ends. They were made in a way that if you actually were evil enough to decide to beat someone with it, they’d break on impact. Basically, you couldn't even properly bruise your opponent.
To reach The Ring from the boarding house, we had to ride the steam train. We lived on the island that was considered boring in LV, since it only held our home, Edge, a small harbor and a beach. Whereas the other island had our school, the city center, Acacia's flower shop and the garage where Lupinus worked. You could also find the gate that led to Corium Desert, and then last but not least, The Ring.
School was supposed to be a bore and it was hard to pretend not to be interested. Especially in history. I loved history. Well, when I'd had a good night of sleep that is. The history teacher's voice was just so soothing. He kept on talking and talking, barely taking breaks, giving me the perfect lullaby. That, along with the warm sun streaming through the large classroom windows was enough for me to nod off.
I picked up random words on occasion. They weren’t new to my ears. Blue Bloods, Rebellion, Zinc Sea, Palliums. The Blue Bloods were an interesting topic. Those who had once ruled Zinc. They were still around, or so it was claimed. I had never seen them in LV and although my memories from when I was little were foggy or practically nonexistent, I was certain I hadn't been confronted with them.
Acacia said that LV was lucky, the boarding house was a safe place, somewhere she felt she didn't need to worry about those types of things. I'd tried talking to her and Lupinus about this, but they said that the Blue Bloods had died out and whatever was left of them was taken care of by the Rebellion. Which the history teacher contradicted as he claimed the Rebellion had gone extinct just as much as the Blue Bloods. It was all very confusing and I assumed nobody had any idea what they were talking about.
What was certain was that in the big cities such as Cobalt City or Iodin City, you could see those who descended from the Blue Bloods walking among all the others. They carried the physical traits resembling those who'd once ruled Zinc. There weren't any in LV, never had been, and because all the teachers in this town had never stepped outside of this region, their description of the royal descendants wasn't fact, but only based on rumors that may or may not have come from foreigners that had once passed through.
This topic held my curiosity as the Blue Bloods and Rebellion had once been at war, and it was almost unimaginable for me to picture the situation since peace was all I knew. The details of this war had become hazy, and because there was a lack of documentation, nobody knew what was legend or fact. What was said to be fact was that you could find more Blue Blood descendants in the eastern part of Zinc, like Iodin City and the Wastelands of Xenon, since that region had belonged to them when Zinc had been divided in two. Technically, it was still divided; not because of who ruled, but because of geography.
The only reason LV was so secluded was because it took too long to travel by boat, and those who had done it swore to never do it again. The only passage that allowed you to leave this town by land was so deadly, you didn't even want think about it. While it wasn't exactly far to the eastern part of Zinc, the same lack of accessibility blocked it off from the western part.
The Wastelands of Xenon was the overall name given to the eastern part Zinc. And wastelands was truly the right word as it was mostly covered by 'Immortalis Silva', The Immortal Forest. It surrounded Iodin City and a bay that was called 'Sunus Ut Sono', The Bay that Sings.
Immortalis Silva was said to be a place of mystery, ruled by the trees. If you were to try and reach Iodin City by foot, you were forced to travel through it, which was impossible, as everyone who stepped foot into it, was known never to have returned. The only way one could reach Iodin City from the western part of Zinc, was by ferry. The only ferry that went to that city was located on Iron Island. While the price of the tickets could make you think twice about wanting to go there, it was said that each city in Zinc acted as its own country, having their own rules and ways of living. People rarely traveled from one place to another, least of all Iodin City.
I could understand. Either there was a dangerous forest, a haunting bay, or a sea that was claimed to be endless.
I yawned, letting my eyes close, basking comfortably in the sunlight heating the classroom while the history teacher continued to mutter out his lesson of the day.
* * * *
It was lunch time and the cafeteria was already packed when Solenum, Delph, Helix and myself found ourselves a tight spot somewhere at the end of a long table. We'd made sure to keep a chair available for Holly, who'd most likely show up any second.
"How about that practice after school?" Delph had been excited about The Ring ever since I could remember. He had me, Sol, Helix and Holly promise that we'd team up with him once we were old enough to participate in the tournament. As we were all the same age, we didn't have to wait for anybody. Brass and his gang had started The Ring last year. They hadn't come in first, but third place wasn't something you could simply brush away. It wasn't surprising, he was great at being a bully, why wouldn't he excel at beating people with a stick?
"We'll need to practice harder than we have over the last couple of months. Pushing each other around under Acacia's supervision really didn't muscle us up." I said dully, grimacing as I pushed my pizza slice away. It had olives on them. I didn't like olives.
Sol poked my shoulder and then silently took my pizza slice, obviously not caring about the olives.
Delph wrinkled his nose. "I wonder if Acacia tried making Brass and his gang put flower bouquets together so they'd connect with their peaceful side as she did with us." Sol lifted a hand, reserving the next speaking spot, but needing a minute to swallow the pizza she'd been chewing on.
"Whine all you like. She thinks I'm fragile.” She continued to chew. “I don't get why she won't accept me participating in the tournament as easily as she did with you guys." I smirked, knowing full well she didn't mind Acacia worrying over her that much.
"Forget you're a girl sometimes?" Helix waggled his eyebrows at Sol. She smacked him, and he chuckled. Helix Peterman was the tallest in our group, with short blond hair and bright blue eyes, much like Holly, really. They made a very pretty couple.
Solenum and Helix had dated for a couple of weeks about a year ago, but it hadn't worked out as Helix had been in love with Holly. Holly had ignored him on purpose, playing games with him constantly. When Helix started dating Solenum, Holly suddenly realized she shouldn't have played with him as she had, especially because she returned the feelings. It had been a rough couple of months in our tight knit group of friends, to say the least.
~~~~~~~~
A frown wrinkled my forehead when I walked past Solenum’s room, seeing her tug on the dress she was wearing. Deciding to figure out what was going on, I stepped into the room, frown still in place as she allowed me to scan her over meticulously.
"You look very pretty." I told her honestly. "Will you tell me why you are doing this?" She was doing it for something, I knew she was. She hated dresses. She hated her hair untied as well. "Are you wearing lip gloss?!" I asked. Loudly.
Her eyes widened. "Yes. I just wanted to look-" She grimaced. "Like a girl."
I smirked. "You are a girl."
"Like a real girl, Cali!" She wasn't joking around, and she was upset. "I want Helix to like me. You know, the way I like him?"
"I figured. Don't change who you are to please someone, Sol."
~~~~~~~~
I think she was more angry at Holly for not making up her mind, rather than Helix. I'm not sure, Sol didn't like to talk about it much. One day she'd just decided to forgive the two of them and move on. "You were right, Cali. I shouldn't change myself in order to have a boy like me."
Delph spoke up, bringing me back to the present. "Teenage boys that get into fist fights are a lot more common than teenage girls doing it. She cares about you, that's all. Plus, if it's anything like last year, you and Holly will be the only girls entering." He pointed out.
