BLUE

Blue — now

Before she was born, the Earth had tired. It was a slow death.

People argued about the causes. Blue had been too small to understand.

She remembered her parents’ hushed voices.

Her mother crying, “They’ll hear—”

Roy holding her tightly against him as they stood listening by the doorway.

In the end, her brother guided her back to her room.

As Roy pulled the blankets over her, she cried.

“I’m scared.”

“I’ll look after you. Always.”

Blue’s jaw shifted.

He tried.

She paused and scanned her surroundings. Nothing. No one.

Blue’s throat tightened. The fear followed. She pushed it away. Useless. Her eyes fell to the ground.

A small growth of green?

She knelt down.

No. Just plastic.

Still, she pulled it free.

The buried part remained brilliant in colour, untouched by the elements.

As brilliant as a dream.

Or at least how she imagined dreams once were.

She rose again. Ollie gave a small whine that edged into a bark. He curbed it. Always aware. She looked down at him. He cocked his head, earnest amber eyes fixed on her.

Her smile rewarded his restraint. Then her gaze drifted to the horizon ahead. The forest stood there before them, to the northeast.

The woods were dangerous. Still, she preferred that danger. At least there was the company of the trees. They offered the possibility of calm.

She shifted her feet, feeling the weight of her pack. Growing light fast. She was running out of food. If she veered west, in two, maybe three days she would reach Cabin Row—

Thinking, she cracked her neck sharply. She’d be hard-pressed to trade. Of course, there were other ways to pay—

Chances were, the place was staked out. She could still go. Take a look—

Her chest tightened as she weighed the choice. Her choice. She held it close.

This was what you wanted.

Risk either way.

She exhaled heavily. Never had she been away from him this long. Never this far.

Thinking of Clem carved deep.

It was true.

He had taught her how to hunt, to track—

How to survive.

Even his thoughts remained. A hierarchy etched beneath her skin. Distrust. Attack. Never hesitate.

Emotions were a liability. They got you dead.

Blue couldn’t say who she was apart from him.

She looked up at the sky. Even at midday, the sun pierced the grey only faintly. Each year it grew brighter. She believed that. Had to.

Options were preferable.

Blue headed north.

Blue — age 9

Blue kept stepping back, away from the cliff edge. Smiling, Roy shook his head. She was determined to launch herself further than himself and Clem combined.

Her eyes were wide with equal parts determination and fear. She was different from most kids her age. Even different from how he’d been at nine.

She was scared. Roy could see that. She just swallowed it.

The sun was rare. Roy squinted up at the sky. It managed to stab through here and there. The heat was impressive. Clem stood off to the side, talking Blue up, clapping his hands in encouragement.

“That’s it, Blue, you’re gonna fly!”

Roy laughed as Blue finally stopped, her eyes narrowing with concentration—

She didn’t wait for a final verbal shove. She chose her moment and was off and running. Both he and Clem raced to the edge as she neared it.

They watched as she leapt with the grace of a gazelle off the cliff.

No hesitation.

Not a lick of fear.

Clem’s hands came up to either side of his mouth as he cheered her. “Yeah! Blue!”

Roy smiled, watching as she seemed to fall toward the water in slow motion.

Then his brow tightened.

Should he be worried? His eyes darted to Clem, no concern at all. ’Course Clem saw things differently. Always had.

Blue disappeared beneath the water.

“Let’s go get our girl.”

Roy swallowed and nodded. “Yeah.”

By the time they reached the bank, she was already swimming for the shore. Arms pinwheeling, she spat water as she excitedly asked them, “Did ya’ see me? How far did I go? Did I beat Clem?”

Roy pulled her from the water to her feet. Clem stood beside him, hands on his hips.

“You didn’t beat me,” he said straight-faced.

Then he laughed. “Came close though!”

Blue nodded, pleased with herself. Measuring herself against Roy and Clem was normal.

He watched as she crossed to Clem and he hugged her, patting her back.

“Damn, you’re brave. That was impressive.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Clem’s arm rested around her shoulders as the two faced Roy. He and Clem were both fourteen, yet Clem’s shoulders were broadening, his voice had lowered. Roy observed him, suddenly conscious of how much smaller he felt.

For a moment, Clem’s smile faded as he held Roy’s gaze—

Don’t spoil it.

Only then did Roy realise he wasn’t smiling. He forced an awkward laugh.

“That was amazing, Blue. And I think maybe you did beat Clem.”

Clem laughed. “Ya’ ever know a girl as badass as this one here?”

Roy shook his head. “No, never.”

“Badass!” Blue exclaimed excitedly.

“God, you say that in front of Mom n’ Dad and I’m denying this conversation ever happened.”

“I would never tell,” Blue stated earnestly.

Her eyes lifted to Clem, still beside her. “I won’t tell them about the jump either.”

She crossed her heart solemnly.

“Not ever.”

Clem looked down at her. “We know that, Blue.”

He looked at Roy again and nodded.

“We know that.”

“Did your dad do that?” The words slipped from Roy’s mouth too fast. He couldn’t take them back.

Clem froze for a second as he shrugged into his shirt. He pulled the hem quickly down, covering the welts on his back. Then turned and faced Roy, his face blank.

Roy’s eyes fell low. “I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay.” His eyes flicked toward Blue.

She was looking for the perfect shell.

“Just not around her, alright?”

“But she asked?”

Clem looked out over the water.

“Yeah.”

He breathed deeply.

“I told her I fell.”

Roy nodded. “Do you think the schools will reopen?”

Clem stared at him silently for a moment.

“No.”

“You mean not this year?”

Clem stepped toward Roy. “The world’s changing fast now. That’s what my dad says. Need to get ready.”

Roy’s hands twisted together before him. “I thought about it. I want to learn things… what you know. What you and your dad know.”

Clem nodded. “Good. It’s time.”

Roy looked up at Clem questioningly.

Clem’s head tilted.

“It’s time to start growin’ up.”

Blue — now

The spectre of Cabin Row rose rough and ugly on the horizon. A callous shape defined by the last vestiges of light as the sun toppled once more.

The edge of the forest was thin, the treeline mostly dead. Blue clung to it. Ollie padded along beside her. Ears alert and on point.

Blue moved between the trunks carefully, eyes alert for any movement, any patrol. Devoid of bark, the grey trees subtly glowed in the darkness. As she threaded between them, she admired their eerie beauty.

She could not hear the thunder. Not yet. Far in the distance, past the settlement, lightning flickered. It grew emboldened with each flash.

Thunder or no, rain arrived suddenly. Heavy and cold. The lights of the ’Row were powered by generators. They faintly pulsed in the darkness. Blue stilled and observed. The encampment was still too distant to clearly make out the watch towers or the guards. She shrugged her pack off and pulled the binoculars free.

What are you hopin’ to see?

If there is someone planted there they aren’t going to fly you a flag.

Four towers. Each manned. More guards walking the walls.

She had been within the walls a few times in the past. Always with Clem. Trade between the ’Row and Castle had always been critical. Despite the distance between the two, both settlements prioritised the connection.

Blue swallowed.

That made the ’Row hazardous.

Ollie murmured a soft grumble. She looked down and met his concerned gaze.

“I know.”

Blue pulled her hood up. Put the binoculars away. Her hand instinctively went to her hip. Knife. Gun. Another blade in her boot. Her bow across her back.

The gun was a last resort. Too much noise. Too much attention. She added a silencer to her mental list.

“Let’s take a chance.”

Blue left the relative safety of the trees and walked for the ’Row. Ollie yipped once and then fell into line. The open land surrounding the settlement provided it ample protection from a simple ambush. Only a coordinated effort with enough people and firepower could breach its walls.

Even so, Clem had always felt their security was too lax, the people too comfortable. The first time he had brought her with him he gave her a walking tour. An opportunity he used to point out the camp’s faults.

Failings he found contemptible.

He was driven to do so for the sake of teaching. And beyond that—to keep her safe.

What do you do first? The minute you enter a new building or camp?

Find my exits.

Eyes narrowing, he nodded once.

This place is actually a sieve. Lemme show ya’—

Soon she could make out the guard towers and the flicker of movement, betraying a robust contingent of guards. They would have seen her by now.

Blue continued. It was frowned upon to approach a settlement after dark. It was deemed suspicious. She gave a sharp hiss and Ollie heeled impeccably. As they closed the distance, her stomach knotted.

She stopped short of the gates and waited. Ollie sat obediently beside her. One didn’t knock.

Harsh light cast over her while a coarse voice boomed from above, “Name. What’s your business?”

She looked up, “Jules. I need supplies.”

“The hood.”

She pulled it down.

“Good, now look up at me again.”

She couldn’t see him, only the glare from the spot light, she squinted against it.

“Weapons?”

“’Course.”

“And the dog?”

“He won’t be a problem.”

The man grunted noncommittally.

“Five minutes.”