Mornings in the Garden are normally pretty quiet, since almost every able-bodied person who lives here gets up at the ass crack of dawn to go tend to the vegetables and orchards that are used in the Market.
Walking leisurely through the trees to the Badlands, I keep going over everything that happened yesterday.
There are so many questions that I need answers to.
How is it that only me and the Fireside Elite saw that fog stuff? Was he controlling it? It seemed like he was. Why would Spider know what was going on, and what was that crap about her being a follower of the Fates?
I mean, she tried to teach me about the gods and such when I was little, but I always lost interest and ran the first chance I got. Could my abnormalities really be because a Goddess chose me for something? It seems a bit far-fetched. Everything I dreamed of last night could've been my subconscious explaining what I am.
But it felt real, even though I was asleep.
Taking a deep breath of the morning air, I let all the anxiety and confusion inside me go as the tents that make up the border between The Garden and the Badlands come into sight.
'There's no use worrying about things you can't control. All you can control is yourself,' I remind myself as I pass the first set of tents.
A ball comes sailing at my head from some kids playing in the street. I catch it and toss it back, waving as they yell, "Thank you!" before running off.
Spider told me once when I was young that there used to be places called schools where children were taught about the world. Now, it was up to the parents to teach their children, or they learned as they grew up. There are those few who don't have parents. For those children, the 'sides had made homes with adult volunteers to help look after them.
I'm grateful every day for Trey finding me and taking me to Spider instead of one of those homes. There's no telling what they would've done to me.
Shivering the thoughts of 'what if' away, I quicken my steps until I get to Spider's tent. The smell of mint is strong as I come closer to the opening, telling me that she's awake.
Before I can yell out that I'm coming in, her voice reaches me from inside, "Come in Callie, I've been waiting for you."
I narrow my eyes and lift the flap out of my way.
"Really? Why?" I ask, wondering what she'll say.
'If she says that her Goddess told her, I'm going to freak the hell out.'
"Ohh, no reason, really. I just knew that today was your day off and figured you'd stop by. Here, I made you a cup," she says, handing me a metal mug of mint tea even though she knows I can't stand the stuff.
The smell is so strong that it stays in my nose for hours, days if I drink it.
I thank her and take it, setting it on a wooden table beside me before I grab a cushion to sit on.
"The fabric guild is looking for more workers. Apparently, a few of the new boys they hired thought it would be funny to chase a few of the sheep until they keeled over in fright. I also hear that Fireside is going to take over the investigation into that new drug that's been going around, even giving them access to all the 'sides! First time that's happened since they were established after the Quake. Seems the other 'sides are too busy with their own business to spare more than a few people to help."
As Spider speaks, she putters around her space, checking her plants and gathering knitting material. Her knittings are some of the most stunning and artistic pieces I've ever seen.
"They're even making a special force of Collectors from each 'side, can you believe it?! The 'sides are finally working together. Hopefully, this will work out better than when they tried to collaborate in the beginning. Well, they each have their places now, so there shouldn't be the same infighting about who's in charge of what."
"That all happened when you were growing up, right?" I ask as I watch her start to stitch a swirling picture with her needles.
Blue, black, and purple thread zooms around and around her hands in a mesmerizing pattern.
"Oh yes, yes. I was nine years old when the Quake came. Back then, everyone had a box that they all talked to everybody on, even those on the other side of the world! I was looking on a site that let you speak to others when it hit. No warning or signs. My house started shaking and all the lights went out. I used to live up where Fireside is now, ya know. My mother was the only one home with me. She came to get me, screaming at me to get under the door frame of my room."
Spider put her knitting down and got a faraway look on her face.
"It was the middle of the night and the moon was full, but I had my curtains closed. I remember my mother singing to me, holding me while the quake went on and on. The noise was so loud I could barely hear her over the house falling apart around us. I remember a sharp cracking sound above me and my mom pulling me closer into her arms, covering me with her body before the door frame fell, burying us both. It was a miracle I survived."
She sighs shakily and then looks me in the eye.
"The Quake wasn't caused by man, you know. It was caused by Chaos."
I'm so surprised by her words and the seriousness of her tone that I jerk back before clearing my throat.
"What's Chaos?" is all I can think to say in the following silence as she continues to stare at me.
She shakes her head and grunts before picking up her knitting.
"Bast couldn't even tell you that much? Leave it to the gods to never explain anything."
I sit and stare at her, my eyes wide with shock. My mind goes blank before it starts babbling incoherently.
'Bast. She said Bast. Does she mean Bast from last night? Goddess Bast? Of course, she means Goddess Bast from last night, you dumb ass! Who else would have that name?'
I feel all the blood drain from my face and I start to sway.
Spider sets her knitting down again and reaches out to place both her hands over mine.
"Child, I'm sorry. The night before Trey brought you to me, the Fates let me know you were coming. You were so tiny and lost, I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I kept saying, 'Later, I'll tell her later', but..." She sighs and looks down at our joined hands, her black skin contrasting with my tanned. "I still couldn't bring myself to say anything. You had enough trouble, what with your ears and all. I just couldn't burden you further by telling you that you were chosen by the Gods."
Her words are fading in and out as my ears buzz.
I reach up and cover one of my ears through the wig and lift my head to stare at her. This is the woman who raised me, who held me when I cried. She helped me hide my differences from the world. And yet… and yet she knew. She knew why I was different and she didn't say anything.
"I have to go," I say suddenly and stand, forgetting that she's still holding my hand until she tugs sharply. I fall back onto the cushion with a grunt and look at her incredulously.
"You're not going anywhere, girl. We're going to talk about this-"
"Talk about what? That you've lied to me all my life? That I'm some Chosen of the Gods? Are you mental?"
The resounding crack as she slaps me stops my words.
Spider has never hit me before. Spanked me when I disobeyed or got into trouble, sure, but she's never laid a hand on me like she just did.
Her face is hard as I stare at her in disbelief.
"Calm down! There's no time for you to lose your head. Chaos is coming, and you need to be ready for it."
She lets out a long breath and releases my hand.
I'm half tempted to jump up and leave, but I can't. Even with everything going on, she's still the only woman I know as my mother. I raise my hand to my still stinging cheek, blinking back tears as she stands and starts to pace in front of me.
"Now, I need you to pay attention. I've tried to tell you about the beginning before, but this time it's vital that you hear me out so you understand."
She gives me her 'mom look' and I nod sharply, focusing on what she's saying instead of the swirling vortex of emotions that are going on inside me.
She grabs a cushion from her couch and sits in front of me, taking both my hands in hers and pulling them until we create a small circle with both our hands in the middle.