Skelly

Skelly

Have you seen it? I can’t find it. Not again, where is it! Skelly woke in a panic grasping at her neck. It’s ok she breathed, it’s still there. The heart-shaped locket her mom gave her just before she left. It’s the only thing she gave her and it’s the only thing Skelly has left.

She was only five when they abandoned her. She doesn’t remember much but the smell, it was a mix of dried mud, shit, and old coffee. It was hot, so hot that if you sat very still and didn’t move for a long time you’d still sweat. There was no breeze or rain for months. Some families packed up and left without saying a word. No idea where they went, or if they found anything better. Fear and unrest ruled but it had no face. There was no one or thing to point to or blame. That made it even worse, you didn’t know what or who you were mad at. Skelly remembers being mad at the sun.

Two months later the town was barely surviving when tanks rolled in and told everyone that didn’t want to join them to leave. Skelly’s parents knew what was happening. They knew they had to join them – but they hid her first.

Skelly stayed in the dark cave for what felt like weeks curled into a ball crying herself to sleep. There was little to no light, it was damp, and it felt like spiders were always crawling all over her. Her mom told her to stay as long as her food lasted. Her food should have lasted two weeks, but Skelly is not sure how long she stayed in that cave. There were many times she wanted to run screaming from it. Run into the light, back into the sun and apologize for all the times she had cursed at it before.

When she couldn’t take it any longer and her food had run out Skelly crept to the edge of the cave and peaked out. The light was blinding but the first thing she noticed was the smell. It smelled like petrichor and flowers. The scent brought back the memory of her mother so strong that she tasted tears before she realized she was crying. Then screaming all she heard was someone screaming at her – “Hey you, what are you doing?” Skelly didn’t see where the voice came from, she just turned and ran back into the cave, rolled into a ball, and clutched at the heart-shaped locket. Before she could even think someone grabbed her arm and pulled her up right. She heard the voice talking to her, but she didn’t want to look. When she opened her eyes, she was staring at a teenage girl with kind brown eyes. Skelly didn’t recognize her, but she was so desperate to not be alone again, she blurted out everything that happened, even showed her the necklace her mom told her not to tell anyone about. Cora not wanting to be alone either decided she would take care of her, even though she knew what it meant to have that necklace and what it would mean if anyone knew.

Now, at 17 Skelly and Cora have spent years traveling and learning how to live off the land. They have met a few other people that live in the woods too, but they never stay with them for long and they never trust them. Cora will go into the City a couple times a year to get things that they must have, like medicine if one of them becomes ill. Skelly is never allowed to go. Cora made this clear from the beginning.

Parents

They knew the time was near, they would have to leave her behind. If they didn’t, it would never work, and she would be killed instantly. The word was already out that the people they were looking for had a daughter age five and were expecting another baby soon. They couldn’t do much about the baby on the way, but they could hide Skelly and pray that it would be enough to save their family. When the time came it was an impossible thing to ask a parent to do. The heart-shaped locket was their family crest. It’s the way they will find their way back to one another. This is how they will stay connected; it’s also how they stand out. Norma still remembers her last words to Skelly and how hard it was to leave her there so tiny and scared. Sam kept her going when she wanted to go back. Telling her it was to save Skelly’s life and they would see her again and Skelly would understand, someday she would have to understand.

They went to the City with everyone else. No one suspected them for what they were. No one looked twice at them. They were assigned work duties like all the people around them and for five years they did everything they were told. They had their son 5 months after they arrived and named him Nate, no one lifted an eyebrow. It was five years to the day when they were contacted to begin what was put into motion even before the tanks came that day. They knew what to do. They had been born into this life. Their parents signed on before they were even born and passed this duty onto them. There were multiple families involved but no one acknowledged they knew each other. They had contacts in the highest levels working to pass information down so it could be spread to the people.

The day the tanks came is a day no one will ever forget. A new leader was taking over. He did not ask for permission, no one voted for him, he didn’t wait to be sworn in. The people who supported him felt like they were the forgotten, under-privileged and demanded their fair share. Why should people have to work for things when they could just take them. It was the right of the more powerful to have what they wanted and the weak could fight for the scrapes. Alliances formed fast and living in groups was the only way to stay safe. If you were alone, you were dead. Norma and Sam knew they had to join them that day. They knew they had to fight them from the inside, like a disease that is eating them from the inside out. Embedding themselves in every part of them that by the time they were discovered it would be too late, like stage 4 cancer.

Nate

Mornings were always Nate’s favorite time of the day. Lately, he started getting up before the sun and would sneak off into the woods and sit at the top of a cliff overlooking the river and watch the sun rise. He knew he wasn’t allowed to leave the City limits. His parents would ground him, but he would also be put on lock down if the patrol caught him. This morning he was climbing back into the house when he heard his parents whispering about something urgent. As he got closer, he heard his dad saying it was time and tonight was the night. Whatever that means.

That night

Norma and Sam knew tonight was the night. It was time to put the plan in action. The people closest to the leader were going to try to remove him from power. Their job was to create a distraction and use the other people in the City to help them. The plan was in place the roles were cast now everyone just had to play their parts. Norma and Sam needed to make sure they attend the Annual Celebration Reception for the Leader.

Skelly decided she had enough. Tonight, was the night she was going to the City. Something was going on; she could feel it. Cora would not tell her anything and she was done living in the woods alone there had to be more out there for her.

Nate was restless, he knew his parents were going to the Annual Reception. They went every year; he was never invited. He decided he was going to go wander around in the woods since everyone would be at the reception. Just as he was starting up the path into the tall pines that line the meadow, he thought he saw someone. He stopped and stood very still. He saw a girl approaching him from the woods. She was tall and fierce looking, she looked like his mother.

Skelly towered over this boy. He stood there challenging her with his eyes. She could tell he was scared. She stopped right in front of him. Neither of them said anything for what seemed like several minutes. Then she saw it. He had a heart-shaped locket around his neck too. She reached for his neck and he jumped back. He thought she was going to try and steal his necklace. He knew it was special, his parents had told him the story of it. How it was a family crest and has been passed down for generations and the heart symbolizes the family name but the locket is for the group that was formed and only the members wear the necklace so we know who belongs. Since there is no communication between members that is how you can tell who is involved. If someone is wearing a heart-shaped locket they are part of the movement to free the people. Skelly realized she scared him; she was so excited he had a necklace just like hers. She didn’t want him to leave so she quickly grabbed her necklace from around her neck and showed it to him. She is not sure what she said but it was something like “me too!”

Nate showed Skelly how to sneak into the City. They ran to the Annual Reception where Nate knew his parents would be. He still did not know who Skelly was, but he knew she has the necklace, and he wanted to find out more. Her mom saw her first. As she grabbed her husbands’ arm and pulled him to her she whispered Sam, it’s her- she’s here. Sam saw her seconds later.

Everything happened at the same time. Skelly saw her parents as they ran for her. Sam spotted the leader and broke off in his direction, Nate turned to Skelly just as a shot went off…. Then everything went dark. Skelly’s last thoughts were not of her parents they were the same thoughts she had every morning when she woke up, have you seen it? I can’t find it. Not again, where is it?