You pull the brakes to slow down, the bike hadn't stop before you throw a leg over skillfully enough as to not go crashing on your face. Precariously you balance on one pedal, then you hop off letting the bike clatter on the chipped and worn once white bricks of the driveway. The single decaying element of the overly large house you lived in.
You break out into a run, never slowing, and not thinking. You worked your phone free from the pocket of your plaid skirts as you darted through the metal gate, and of course it's already opened, you'd bet anything it was close just before you popped above the horizon.
You look down at the small rectangle no longer than ten centimeters in length, no thicker than three, it had a smaller square for a screen, that is also around three centimeters, the rest of the face was nothing but buttons. You press one, and you see just how late you are. You run harder, your muscles aches from the unfamiliarity of such rigorous movement. Your chest gets tight and you feel hot, it doesn't help that your bookbag keeps slapping your back, you want to stop, you don't want to get sweaty, what if someone smells you, what if you collapse.
You press on until you see the bus speeding off. A rasping "WAITTTT!!!" scrapes free from your still raw throat, this makes you cough. Whoever is driving doesn't hear you, as the bus turns right down the winding road. You stop, heaving, bent over with your hands on your knees, your back sinking, then bending to an outward arch as you try to suck in air. "Fuck." You don't know what it means but it feels right.
Finally you catch your breath and you look around, it's beautiful, the red falling leaves and the blossoms, and the morning light, peeking through areas where the leaves are thin. You almost regret spending your school break inside, almost. You learned another interesting thing. Kee trees need to be paired with the Ac trees to produce the fruit your mother had prepared for breakfast. It's rare and expensive because some old emperor killed all the trees in the land. It only grew here in Yahsuh and.... Ok maybe you should have researched more about Kee and Ac trees, or maybe you should try harder to remember these things you looked at online. You're still breathing heavy, not quite right but enough to move, as you do your thighs ache, and your hands were near useless at your sides, you're sure you could move them if you really wanted, but no. With some effort you drag yourself to the bus stop on the sidewalk. It's small and new. Nothing like the other stations littered in the city, though you've only seen those in passing. This is only here for you, though it's strange, there's not another house here for miles. Since ancient times this was an area designated for those people who were allowed to trade with the empire. Time passed, immigrants and merchants and their like would live here, doing business in Alwiss, the city nearby. The last people to live here were some Yahsuhans who had lived in the Stu'on colonies for generations before returning when they could. You don't remember much of them, something about them being Yahsuhan supremacists, always wanting to return to the motherland. They were given the lands here, far from the capital.
You find the strength to thump your own head, "too much thinking." You resolve to do what you should, now knowing what that was, you don't want to think about it. A few minutes wouldn't hurt in any case. You took out your phone and checked for texts, Ada had sent you a text near an hour ago. His was the only other house in this, "district" if you could call it that, what with thousands of miles occupied by red trees and two houses, two very big houses.
"Hello, how are you?" There was another, some fifteen minutes later. "Your bus just passed me on the road. Be on the look out for me." There was a small rectangle at the end. It confuses you, it's new. Some minutes later he sent. "I don't see you. Are you ok?." There were two more of those empty boxes at the end. You'd like to know what those were but you resolved to just reply to his texts. You had to call your parents after all. Your mother would have to drive you, your father wouldn't, and you don't want to go back to the house, don't want to talk to them, you know you have to, but any distraction was welcomed. 'But school' you think as you sucked your teeth in annoyance.
"I'll just call him," you said, putting the phone to your ear.
Ada picks up after two rings. "Hello?" His voice was low and deep.
"Hi, Ada, I'll be late to school, the bus left me."
Ada gave a snort. "You mean to say, you didn't catch the bus."
You roll your eyes, he thought he was funny when he really wasn't, but you could hardly come up with a rebuttal. "Hmm"
"I'll go talk to my mother in a few minutes."
"Don't do that."
"What?"
"Just Don't, I'll be there in a few minutes ok."
He hung up, you just sat there staring at the screen for a moment before deciding to wait, you're tired so you were going to anyway. You sat there, listening to the rustling of the leaves and the chirping of the birds, not thinking about anything that worried you. Nice not to think about what your parents would do or say…'nothing' a voice reverberated within.
"Well it was nice not to think about them while it lasted," you said to the sky. You heard the hum of something going fast and approaching, before you could whip your head around to see a black blur zoomed past, what was it? You resolve not to think about what must be an abnormally fast car or whatever that was, it didn't concern you, or it might, this was a gated area after all. You were still staring though, and when it came to a jerking halt just before the deftly crafted metal gate made in ages past. The thing went in reverse, and it stopped at your feet, humming, no it wasn't humming, vibrating but not loudly. The darkest of tinted windows rolled down, before you remembered to be scared. In an instant of simple curiosity, you neglected fear. Except for that bit of uncomfortable business with your mother, you've lived a sheltered life, though you don't think you do, and only as a child could, you think yourself wise, though you call yourself stupid, you can't afford to be vain, wise people never are.
The car is small, and short, too low on the road, it wouldn't have any troubles, though most of the roads are old, they are still in excellent condition, old Yahsuh was great indeed. You hear slick laughter, a laugh nearly as slick as the car. Curious, you lean sideways to get a look at this character, the grin on his face faded to shock, then to a frown. It was Ada, or close enough to be him, this person had a beard, pale, the colour of pale straw, near as white as your own hair, Ada's face was square and his cheeks were smooth .
"Oh it's you." Ada said in his deep rumble and you thought the annoyance in his voice was a little forced. "Well, get in, you're late enough as it is."
"You're late too." You said puffing up your cheeks, you added. "And the beard is hideous." You could have found a better insult. You were flustered, why was that? Maybe because he had said, "Oh it's you." He seemed disappointed, you remember that flirty smile on his face dropping into a frown when he looked at you. That had hurt your pride as a girl. You frowned at the thought. Then you remember you were too tall and a little too fat to have any girl pride.
(You were never fat in truth, uncommonly voluptuous I'd say, as a number of others did say.)
You open the car door, then awkwardly you crouch, putting in one long leg that seemed longer because of the tiny dimensions of the car. A normal person would be uncomfortable here, you're twice that. Your skin is pinched when your knee is pressed against the dashboard and you try to scoot yourself onto the seat. Eventually you're in the car, hunched so your knees were digging in your breasts, an inch more and they would be grinding against your rib cage.
You looked over at Ada, he was staring at you, no doubt searching for a jibe to throw at you. His eyes had a flat look though, those almost white eyes were too cold, you almost never know what this boy thought, even smiling he looked menacing. But you know he's a sweet boy. 'Boy…' you wonder, looking at his stubble, noticing the set of his tight jaw. His eyes stopped looking at whatever part of you he was fixated on and locked with yours, the network of pale green veins on his face vanished as he reddened. He wiped his head around to face the road and before you could get a word out, the car revved up, jolted forward and whipped around with a screech. Your head whipped to one side and hit the door with a soft thumb. He heard that and reached over, carefully so as to not touch you, he pulled a leaver and the seat went back giving your feet some much needed room, not enough but better than nothing.
The car began accelerating again, and you noticed he wasn't pressing on any pedals, you know nothing about driving, but you've seen the foot pedals others used. And there were no pedals in this car. His feet were set on the floor mat just as your feet were, if you weren't still scrunched up that is. 'How does he drive this? How does he know how to drive? How does he have a car?'
"You know how to drive?" It came out as more a statement than a question, which prompted a quizzically cool stare from Ada.
"Oh no I just remembered I don't know how to drive." He said in a mocking voice then began to swerve the cars on both sides of the empty red leaf covered asphalt road.
He laughed a deep throaty laugh that made him seem much older than he was. He finally stopped swinging the car every which way, though he seemed not to be able to stifle his laughter, small quakes of mirth still shook him and for a few moments, which you spent seething. You also noticed the way he held the steering wheel. His grip was loose, and his fingers danced along the back deftly. Your eyes ran up the length of his long arms, Ashanti arms, too long for driving. You realized then, this car was one built for his kind.
The Ashanti, stocky people, heavily muscled and long armed. Most were hairy and all were pale, with eyes of varying light gray like ice. Ada had clear eyes almost like the whites that surrounded the iris, with a fleck of blue you could see whenever he turned his head.
"This is an Ashanti car", you said, proud that you noticed, and looking around at the thing with more wonder than before.
"Yes," he said, leaving his mouth tight . He shook his head slightly and smiled again.
"You know they aren't allowed here."
"I was getting to that… Relax, people will gawk, but no one will actually do anything." He said as sure as the sun rose this morning.
"You're going to get your brother in trouble." Panic rose in your gut.
"No, just…" he sighed.
"I can't do it, I already, I already…" Your chest began to rise and fall quickly, you whipped your head around frantically looking for escape.
"What?"
"I was on the internet." He stared at you as if he was looking for the odd frightening thing you said or would say.
"Oh right, you're not supposed to use that here. What did you look at?" His face picked up a wry smile that would have made your dream dragon proud.
"Dragons" you said half dazed, remembering her smile.
"What are you stupid?" You shot him a sharp look, his stare might be cold but you know your eyes burn just as hot as your father's when you are even the slightest bit peeved. He gulped. "It doesn't matter anyways. I bet this car that your government doesn't have the time to be watching you so closely anymore. They haven't for a few months now." He said matter-of-factly.
"How could you know that?" You're curious, and a bit calm, you release the sleeve of his jacket you were clinging on to.
He reaches over with his left hand and pulls the glove compartment free after some thought. It hits your knees, he pulls out a black rectangle, after rummaging a bit. It had some reflective writing etched on it. He flipped it around, showing a black reflective surface and fumbling with the side. It lit up and a photo of him pops up, his hair was swept to the right like it did now, but all messed up. His lips were parted and eyes slightly shut. You gave a chuckle. His mouth twitched with embarrassment and he shoves the thing into your hands. You looked again, and laughed again.
"Shut up just… ok," you laugh, and you feel pleased with his embarrassment, remembering how he jerked the car around earlier. You take another look. He didn't have the broad bulging nose Ashanti usually had, his was a strong and aquiline one.
You looked out the window, seeing the red of the leaves, orange here and there where the morning light touched them, it all rushed passed in a near incomprehensible blur, you jerked your eyes away. You look over to Ada who's eyes flickered on you and on the road by turns,, his eyebrows showed worry in spite of the cold look in his blue flecked eyes. But he said nothing. You thought that was a thing that men did as you watched him chewing his bottom lip in thought. He wanted to say something you realized. Belated you remembered, you know nothing of men, nor women, no one ever took the time to tell you about any of that. Maybe you should ask. But who?
The screen was a shade darker now, you tapped the thing, it flickered back to the same level of brightness but the photo had changed, though the squares and circles you had noticed were still there, seeming to float a little above a photo of Ada and his brother. A tall man with much the same pale skin as Ada, he was much more slim than Ada, with black hair, but the same gray eyes. Or you thought so, you couldn't make out much since the photo had been taken from a ways off.
He was a handsome man if you remember correctly, he was actually cold not just his eyes, you hadn't met his eyes only a glance when he had looked at you. His face was smooth, you imagined all of him was. It meant he took to shaving regularly. So did Ada, up until now, but his arms were still smooth. You looked to make sure… they were.
"What is this for?" You ask. Turning the thing in your hands.
"It's a phone-"
"What really?"
"Yes-"
"It's big, and has no buttons"
"Very observant Emi, do you see a circle was green and red swirls?"
You shot daggers at him, he didn't look at you he just kept his eyes on the road. "Yes" you said, realizing that this was the search engine you used.
"The phone, the car, it will be a lot to explain."
"About how you know how to drive?"
"Oh… my brother." He gave a nervous start
"Make sense." You say carefully and questioningly.
"But as for how the car… Just type 'Sands' in the search bar."
"The Sands?" You repeated curiously. They were a loose assortment of people scattered in the desert just beyond The Wall up north.
The Wall, Yahsuh does things like that. Nowadays people call them primitive for naming things the way they did, as though they were the first to conceive of an idea or they had built the only one of its kind. "The Wall" and "The Bridge" are only two of such. Yahsuh itself meant "Right here", eventually people took it for meaning "Central", the state, the first and only state, through which all others came to be.
You opened the search engine, you did not need to look far, or even search. Just below the search bar was a photo of tanks trekking through dry desert sand, with the heading. "ARE THE OPPRESSORS BACK??? Why is Yahsuh in The Sands?"
You grimace, wanting to distance yourself from… From who? You've never seen any oppressors. You've never oppressed anyone, Yahsuh is simply… peak. You did not like that thought either, you know The empire enslaved people, countless peoples, and killed countless more. But who didn't, it's not as though that made it right. You pushed the phone away from you, pushed the twisted world away from you. You looked out the window, the car had just went through the tunnel that went down the hill to Alwiss, the morning was clear, so when you look out to sea, you saw the marvelous statues, not marble but yellow vein and shining white, the were old and unmarried by time. It was an army, a warning to all those who would dare attack the empire. How could they have built those things, did anyone else enslave or conquer anyone else, all you were taught was that Yahsuh took everything, they were oppressors, you're oppressors, you weren't. Were you?
Ada must have noticed something because he said "I… I don't think you're an oppressor." as softly as his deep voice could manage.
Your features twisted in a snarl, you let your yellow hot gaze meet his icy blue, they melted and he looked away. He took a right turn, and you both let the silence stretch on for a while.
After a while you calmed, Ada didn't deserve the glare. "Sorry." You said, letting your chin touch your chest.
"Yeah." You expected him to say he was sorry too. You know you're not an oppressor, you didn't need him to tell you, but...
"Anyways", you begin peevishly, "what does any of that have to do with driving and you having this car?"
"Well, they're illegal here, and… well. You'll see. Ashanti can't stay out of the war for too long, my brother told me they're planning… the government is planning to do something more than trade along the straights" You notice how he said, "they", just like you, distancing himself. But you feel it's for a different reason. Ashanti were no oppressors as Yahsuh was, or looks to be.
"So why do you have it?"
He looked surprised for a second. "Well, when Ashanti gets involved, they're going to run rough shout over you guys, them, the army I mean. When that happens they'll be subjected to the whims of Ashanti."
"Ok, but that's 'If' Ashanti gets involved."
"They will. And they'll win, Yahsuh isn't what it used to be, and warfare isn't as it used to be. Yahsuh kept itself walled off for too long."
"That still doesn't… you're letting them get to you aren't you?" Ada was silent. "What is this going to prove?" you sat back in the seat hard. "I swear, men." you sighed in exasperation.
He opened his mouth to say something and closed it again. You didn't talk to him for the rest of the drive to school.
Yahsuh would be fine of course, but it would take a hit, there was no reason to believe what Ada said wasn't true. 'When did I start thinking of him as a man? Maybe it was because men were dumber than boys, they did get more stupid the bigger they got, so the saying went.'