When Pigs Fly

When all you've got is nothing, there's a lot to go around. That's what Van always said. Nina never understood what she meant.

Things were fine on Pen Island. Most raft cities that survived the famine learned quick. Waters were calm this time of year. After the flames destroyed land, humanity had to escape to the sea. So we built cities on boats and rafts. The truth everyone on Pen Island knew was as long as everyone worked together, there was enough food for everyone.

"Next."

Rations weren't complicated. Elders said that consuming too much was what killed the generations before and the land they stood on. Not on a raft city. Pen Island was one of the few raft cities where cooking food was prohibited. There wasn't a law against preparing food, but no one decent had time to prepare food: machine work.

"Next."

Nina was an enforcer. She didn't like the job, but it gave her a purpose. Nina was tall and athletic. By some standards, she was a bit too tall, a whopping 182 centimetres, but she did her best to toe the line. Pen Island had strict criteria for health and fitness. Nearly everyone who wasn't a laughing stock had a blender or juicer, but Nina spent so much time on the job and never used hers.

"Next."

Nina had been an enforcer ever since her parents decided to throw their lives away by abusing their influence and stealing rations. Nina had worked hard to distance herself and her sister from their toxic legacy. What could they've been thinking? As if they'd get away with it. Nina wasn't a genius, but she knew well enough not to make that mistake. Her sister Van had real brain work. Farmer scientists who developed nutritional shakes and supplements all proper people drink instead of pig food.

"Next."

With it being a quiet week, higher-ups regulated Nina to security checks for newcomers visiting the city. Everyone knew Pen Island was a no cooking island, so Nina never really had to give anyone's bag much attention. You would've to be an idiot to bring unregulated food to a city like this. Baking tools weren't necessarily illegal, but you'd be a social pariah.

Nina sighed, "Next."

Nina sometimes got jealous of her brainy sister. She was the perfect standard for Pen Island elites. Not too tall, short, just right. Not like some of the weirdos who thought they'd last. Nina scanned an oddly plain-looking boy who wore baggy clothes that'd hide some love handles.

He was relatively lean in the neck and face, but Nina knew this boy wouldn't be around for long with a gut like that. He certainly wasn't going to get any handouts. Visitors usually had a couple of weeks grace period to catch up to health and fitness standards, but looking at his passport with height and weight ratio, Nina knew it would be unlikely. He had kind eyes, though, some dark circles from lack of sleep, but a face like his made her job a bit harder.

Nina shook her head and stamped the pig symbol on his passport, "Azad... Welcome to Pen Island."

The boy named Azad smiled with his eyes, "Thanks!

Other enforcers picked through Azad's bag and found a small box that smelled strange but unique.

"What's this?" Nina's co-worker Jordan questioned Azad.

"Some leftovers from my trip, a little lamb curry with rice," Azad answered, "Want to try some?"

Nina's coworker scoffed and threw the box into the ocean.

"Stick to the rations, pig boy," Nina winced as she heard Jordan scold Azad, shoving the bag back.

Nina would never use the slur; something about it felt wrong. The fat and wealthy ruined the land before, but these days, the poor and uneducated usually didn't meet health and fitness standards. Only some rations were free.

"Jordan," Nina gave him her burning eyes look that put anyone on her team in their place.

Jordan avoided her eyes and rolled his, "Yeah and welcome to Pen Island. Go on."

Azad had to take his mourning with his bag elsewhere, which reminded Nina. Her overtime limit had been reached.

"Jordan, I gotta go," Nina checked her watch for emphasis.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Jordan waved her off.

"And try being less of a jank to the newcomers," Nina added.

"No promises," Jordan grinned bitterly into Nina's burning glare, which melted him into submission, "Whatever."

Nina shoved Jordan as she passed him. She didn't have much time to make it to her usual spot for rations. She'd have to get in the free meal line, which had a more intensive body analysis. Nina stuck to her regiment faithfully, so it shouldn't have taken long. As she waited in line, she saw Azad on his way out with a single bottle of the nutritional shake. He looked disappointed, but Nina knew those shakes were enough to cover him nutritionally for a day.

If Azad noticed her, he didn't show it. Nina passed the analysis and got her rations for the day. She tightened her ration pack on her back and started the jog back home. She thought about tracking down Azad but figured it was for the best his rations stay limited.

When she got home, Van was there writing or doodling something in her journal.

"Hey, I'm home. Did you get your day's rations? Eat together for a change?"

Not prying her eyes from her journal for a moment, Van nodded, "Yeah. That'd be doable."

"Looks like I got the garden variety shake, low-carb supplements and simmer slimmer tea. You get the same thing?"

"Doable, definitely within... the realm of conceivable..." Van trailed off the way frequently she did when lost in her little world.

Nina loved her quirky older sister. Most people wore practical clothing like sports or swimwear if they didn't have job-related attire like engineers that kept the island city running smoothly. Not Van. Van dressed in darker, intellectual apparel from the old times back when people lived on the land. Some worried about her, pining for the days when people abused the land into oblivion.

"People abuse the ocean too," Van would say, "Don't see what any of that has to do with the way I dress."

Nina understood both sides but knew Van was a harmless, small and innocent little nerd. Van landed a sweet gig as a farmer scientist too. Making sure the machines that made our juices and shakes were humming the way they should.

Nina flicked the back of her sister's head on her way to take a shower which snapped Van back to reality, "Oh hey Neeners, you're home early!"

"Late actually, overtime shift today."

Van hopped from sofa to window and examined the sky accusingly, "It was brighter out a minute ago.

Nina rolled her eyes as she started up the shower.

As they both sat there enjoying their rations, the radio background music cut out, "We interrupt these top songs for a public alert. There has been an increase in raiding boar sightings. Stay alert and make sure you have close contact with at least one enforcer-."

"Why don't they call them pirates? Sounds way cooler," Van grumbled, mockingly mouthing, "Raiding boar."

"There's been a lot of newcomers today. Could invite some over," Nina suggested.

"Sounds fun, but who has the time? Running the ship, machine maintenance, Etcetera."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Nina nodded.

Van smiled at Nina as if she were preparing to spill some juicy gossip or tell a very dorky joke. Knowing Van could be either one.

"I found something today."

Nina raised an eyebrow as she took a meek sip from her shake. Van scooted closer to Nina and pulled out a heart-shaped locket. The shape was an anatomically correct heart, making it much more macabre and on-brand for Van's aesthetic.

"Where did you find it?"

Van grinned through a bit lip, "Land."

Nina's smile faded, "What?

"There's this really cool group of drifters who comes to the islands, and one of 'em gave me this!" Van opened and closed the locket, "I think it's a map to buried treasure. Oh, oh or there's a wretched curse or forgotten blessing that can only be activated-"

"Van, drifters are scam artists."

"And the tastemakers who run this boat aren't?"

"Whatever."

"I think I'd like to go to the land," Van mused casually, "The drifters say it's lusher than ever."

"If that were true, why wouldn't they take the islands back? Hmm? Who's to say we won't fall back into the fat extortionist consumers people were before? We're better off here where there's a structure that can keep us in check."

Van's excitement dwindled as she shrugged, "Makes sense. Still, drifters seemed pretty happy."

"How could they, looking like they do?"

Van was about to argue when there was a knock at the door. Nina answered, and there, with an uncharacteristically sombre expression, stood Jordan.

"Is Van home?" Jordan asked, avoiding Nina's gaze.

"No," Van jokingly called out, "Oh, it's Jordan. We were just-."

"Van, you've been put on notice," Jordan interrupted, "I'm sorry. You're to find a way off the island by tomorrow."

"What?" Nina snapped back.

"Nina, I'm sorry...the rules," Jordan straightened up, meeting Nina eye to eye, but there was no mirth. This wasn't a joke.

"Deporting can only be done after the second...," Nina debated but was cut off by Jordan handing the warrant for Van's arrest.

The offence was failing the physical assessment for the second time. BMI had exceeded the island standard. Nina had never even heard about Van's first failure.

"No," Nina shook her head, "This has to be some mistake."

Van was perfect; perfectly acceptable height, weight, build. Van was beautiful. This couldn't happen to her. Van wasn't a pig, but according to the warrant, Van was. Nina turned to Van, not knowing whether to feel rage, betrayal, shame or something darker. Van looked at her shoes and eventually met Nina's eyes. Nina never had trouble reading Van before. Van's expression now was a stranger. Shame? No. Guilt? No. Annoyance? This was serious; how could she react that way?

"I wanted to get ahead of the shame parade," Jordan added, "Out of respect for you."

Nina couldn't believe what she was hearing as Jordan continued trying to apologise and over-explain the situation. She couldn't believe what she saw as Van packed her few belongings and tearfully said her goodbyes. She couldn't believe what she heard as the more zealous islanders booed and snorted at Nina's sister as Van was loaded up with the rest of the pigs onto a small boat off the island.

"Careful for boars out there, you greedy pigs!" the girl standing next to Nina hollered as the boat detached from the dock and motored away.

Nina shook and cursed herself, the sea and her sister for putting her in this position. Nina ran out onto the loading dock, shoving anyone smaller out of her way; none stood a chance. Before she hit the water, she heard Jordan say something, but it was too late. Instinct had taken over. Nina dove into the water and swam toward the boat. Nina couldn't believe what she was doing as she fought wave after wave, pushing herself to catch up to a motorised dingy. If Nina didn't reach it, there would be little chance she could make it back to the island. Nina lost count of how many waves nearly ate her whole.

After that, there was a chaotic mix of blue sky and shadowy figures, a feeling of arms lifting her and hands pressing the water from her chest. When her brain woke properly, the odd faces surrounding her took shape, only two familiar: Van and Azad. Nina looked at Van's cheap empty heart locket bouncing around her neck.

Van and Nina didn't speak the whole trip, only awkward glances to each other as Nina's brain reeled from new truths that were too hard to swallow.