The More Gifted Brother

Ivet continued to slave away on the dinner she was preparing. Oh, how surprised her precious son's would be when they came home from their dreadful journey to the sweet aroma of gray squirrel.

For the past few weeks, all she could gather to cook for Emmanuel and Gabriel were the bugs and dry grass that surrounded their old cottage. Eating insects was not the most desirable of meals but they had to manage somehow. This past spring, the putrid heat destroyed all the crops she had physically invested in. She had nothing to offer in the village for trade value, so as repulsive as it sounds, grasshoppers and caterpillars were her family's new found "delicacy".

This week was one of the most difficult weeks Ivet had to endure in her life. Her twin son's turned 14 years of age. It was now their turn to endure "The Trials".

The Trials was a rigorous, all day event that challenged the mental and physical capacity of a young male. If he didn't pass, in one week's time he would be put to death in front of the whole village.

Every mother in the Americas hated this event but none would dare challenge it. After all, since its conception in 2055, world hunger had temporarily ceased. And there was talk amongst their Leaders that advancements in medicine were being made that could finally vaccinate the entire world population from Epolion, the vicious, viral disease that almost destroyed mankind twenty-five years ago.

Ivet remembered it like it was yesterday. She was 10 years old when it happened. She often thought back to those times when her family 0f four would gather around the dining room for dinner while they watched the evening news.

Oh, how she missed those gatherings. She missed her father's warming smile. He would often dismiss many of the stories on the news as mere propaganda and inaccurate info to invoke fear into citizen's hearts. He never showed great disdain or malice towards the segments. He would just yawn and roll his eyes to the back of his head in an amusing way that would cause Ivet, her sister Iman, and her lovely mother to roar with great laughter.

However, no one was laughing when the CDC notified the public about an emerging disease that could wipe out most of the planet if it wasn't contained.

A year passed by, and there were some deaths, but not many. 100,000 individuals died from symptoms that were flu-like. A great tragedy yes, but not tragic enough to cause widespread panic. So when the government alerted the world about a vaccine that had been developed to prevent humans from receiving the infection, most of the population didn't even bother to go to the clinic to get the free immunization.

Another year went by. Despite the government's urges to get vaccinated, only a 1/10 of the world's population did so, and within a few weeks the most deadly virus known to man erupted, killing 3/4's of Earth's occupants.

Her father was the first to go. The same father that years ago shunned the very existence of a viral force of nature was now hanging on to every detail of every instruction the CDC would relay out on the news programming.

Wash your hands every 30 minutes.

Don't go outside for any reason.

Close your windows and seal them tightly.

The list went on and on.

Her father's constant face of paranoia frightened her badly. Her mom wasn't any better. She was forced to get out of bed after laying in her room for days. Then one day as 12 year old Ivet went to wake her parents, Ivet's mother shrieked in horror as she opened her eyes and saw her husband's rotting corpse staring right at her.

The instant death Epolion placed on its victims had to be the most horrifying part of the sickness. One could be healthy one minute, then gasping for air the next.

During the next couple of weeks, her mother and sister passed as well. Surprisingly, a severely, depressed Ivet continued to fend for herself while being confined to her family's home. Then one day, after months had passed, and Ivet had eaten every canned good in her household, she opened the door to go outside. There wasn't a citizen in sight. Fatigued, and malnourished, she walked for miles until she fell flat on her face on the road.

Days later, she woke up in a town she had never been in. An individual from the town named Maxwell helped nurse her back to full health.

To this day, Ivet doesn't know how she survived. Up to that point, she had never received a vaccine. Later, it was revealed that individuals with a certain blood type were actually immune to the virus. Now only a few million of people, those that had been vaccinated and those with the rare blood type, were left on this earth to try to pick up the pieces.

Even though she was now fine and fit to travel again there lied one huge problem. Maxwell wouldn't allow her to leave.

There was no police-man. There was no militia. There was absolutely nothing she could do. Epolion had not only wiped most of the habitants off the planet, it had also decimated the rules and and laws that governed society, and Maxwell was quite aware of this new, lawless feature.

Maxwell was twenty years her senior. In a normal society, a child relating to such an older man would be deemed outright criminal. Now however, it was a normal practice that the Leaders encouraged in hopes of re-populating society in a quicker fashion.

Despite her hatred for Max, Ivet lived the next five years of her life dependent on him for her very survival. He taught her how to hunt, cook, and become less trustworthy of other individuals in society. The plague had ravaged communities and a lot of people were lying and cheating just to be able to live to the next day.

At the age of seventeen, Ivet became pregnant. During the night of her delivery, as she laid outside, kicking and screaming unpleasantries, she stared at the stars in the sky. She remembered as a little girl looking upwards to the sky with her daddy sitting behind her telling her that she should never just settle for anything in life. He told her just like the sky, there are endless possibilities in this life, and to go for what makes her happy.

It was at that very moment, right before Emmanuel was born, and Gabriel seconds later, that she decided she was going to finally leave Maxwell even if that meant disappearing to the other side of the Earth.

She waited days later, when she was able to be mobile again. Maxwell kissed her goodbye as he went to the forest to go hunting. Soon as he left, she gathered the twins in a warm cloth that she had cultivated during the winter, and tied them to it around her chest. As she was about to walk out of Maxwell's home for the last time, a sudden idea struck her brain. She quickly walked to Maxwell's side of the bed and looked under his pillow.

Behold, his valuable heart-shaped locket was gleaming radiantly in her face. With this treasure, if her and her son's ever faced any hardships that were too great then perhaps they could use it as trade value to rise from their deprived state.

Fortunately, fourteen years had since passed, and although life was hard, she had never yet had to offer it for any life-saving value.

Ivet sat on the floor with her family's dinner placed on a decoration of dry leaves in front of her. She stared at the meal in silence as she anxiously awaited her children to barge in the cottage with great news.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"My beautiful boys," she exclaimed. "How did everything go?"

The look on her children's face gave her great panic.

"What's going on? Answer me, Emma."

Emmanuel looked up at his mother's sullen face.

"Dear mother. I have failed you," Emmanuel cried.

"You failed?" she gasped.

"No mama. Gabriel did."

He turned back and put his arms around to embrace Gabriel.

"I fear I did not do enough to prepare my brother of The Trials," he whimpered. "I'm so sorry mama. I failed you."

Ivet was distraught and very surprised. Both her son's were highly intelligent individuals. Surely, the Leaders recognized this.

They read at highly, extreme levels. They were above-average mathematicians. They hunted with the best of them. What could have made Gabe fail?

"I don't wanna die," Gabriele screamed. He ran into his room and shut the wooden door behind him.

"It was his chronic breathing disorder mama. The Leaders said it would make him no good. That it is a weakness that future populations of society cannot have among us."

"I don't get it mama. Gabe, Gabe is smarter than me. He could help fix things. Make the world a better place. Yeah, I may be stronger, may be healthier, but I can't fix the world like my brother," Emmanuel added.

Ivet collapsed onto her wooden chair. Were these sacrifices she made these past fourteen years all for nothing? Why couldn't the Leaders look past his slight disorder? She had implemented the type of instruction and guidance to help them become extraordinary citizens, yet the Leaders gave no notice of it.

"Mama, I came up with an idea though. Gabe don't gotta die, mama. Mama, I can take his place."

She gazed up at Emma with an astonishing look on her face.

"What did you just say fool?"

"Mama, hear me out. We're twins right? Identical, since birth. I can take his place. I can take his place, and the Leaders, the town, no one will ever know," he chirped excitedly.

Ivet instantly jumped out of her chair and slapped him hard across the face. Tears started to trickle down his eyes. Tears started to pour down Ivet's eyes rapidly as well.

"I lo...love you mama. And I...I love Gabe with all my heart as well. He can change the world mama," he whimpered.

"I slept in the same bed with him for fourteen years! Bathed with him for fourteen years! Shared secrets with him for fourteen years! I know what he's capable of. This world can't go back. No more diseases, no more famine. We have to move forward, and he can do that."

Ivet hugged Emmanuel and held him tight.

"Yes, I'm stronger than him, mama. And a little bit healthier. But strength ain't gonna change the world."

"That's where your wrong son," she intervened.

She pulled back from the hug and looked straight into Emmanuel's eyes.

"It was because of y'all I gained enough strength to change my life. And no matter how tough times got, I was blessed since I made that decision."

Emmanuel looked down on the floor.

"I love you son. Thank you so much for being the best son and the best brother. Now go to sleep and comfort your brother. Not one of my son's will die this week."

Later that night, as her children slept, Ivet left for her final journey. She couldn't bare to tell them goodbye. Doing so could prevent her from doing what she had to do.

Two days later, after walking a great length with minimal rest and food, she reached her destination. Once again, she was in front of Maxwell's house.

Maxwell was now an important aide to the Leaders. He held much value and reputation with them.

Once Ivet finished explaining their children's ordeal to the much older, wrinkled man, she knelt before him and offered him back the heart shaped locket she had stole from him fourteen years ago.

He accepted the gift then ushered her inside to begin her lifelong servitude towards him in exchange for Gabriel's life.