***
“We should get some lunch,” a voice said from a distance, breaking through his subconscious. “I had oats for breakfast. You know how that stuff goes through me.”
“I know. It digests in like half an hour.”
“At least you get a half hour. I feel like I’m eating air.”
“Doesn’t your Mom make you bacon and eggs anymore? You used to brag about that every morning while I had to suffer on porridge.”
“She says I gotta watch my weight. No girl’s going to want me if I’m fat.”
“Your Mom said that? That’s kinda harsh.”
“She’s just saying that cuz she wants me to get married, eventually get a job and take care of her someday.”
“It’s still weird for a mom to say.” The voice stopped. James was vaguely aware of some scraping of shoes on the gravel outside of his window. There was a moment of silence.
“There goes my stomach again.”
“That was your stomach?!” the second voice cried in alarm. “Sheesh, I thought it was a gopher or something.”
“How do you know what a gopher sounds like? Do you even know what a gopher is?”
“Hey, just thought of something…since we’re here, shouldn’t we see if James wants some lunch too?”
“What time is it?”
A pause.
“Two o’ clock. Prime steak with extra onions time.”
“Then we shouldn’t bother. It’s not even four in the afternoon. You know he’s never awake before then.”
“Then how does he get to school?”
“Most days he doesn’t. You know that.”
“And he’s passing?”
“No,” the voice said flatly.
“Man, that’s cold. Shouldn’t you lower your voice? He might hear you.”
“He knows who he is. He won’t care.”
The voices trailed off as the last sentence forced James awake. There was no way he was going back to sleep now. And as slow as they walked, he figured he could perform his morning ritual and still catch up to them. Jennings was going to pay. He had to be the one who made that last comment. His mouth lacked a filter, and James suddenly had a mind to give him one. What right did he have passing judgment so casually? So what if James had told him he was a “slacker, born and raised?” That didn’t mean he could talk about him behind his back. It was time to settle the score.
James rolled off the bed to his hands and knees, quickly busted out twenty push-ups, turned around to give the Maker a quick “thank you,” and then immediately launched himself into a pile of clothes, threw on his favorite coat, and ran out of the room. He could still hear his friends talking at the street corner when he burst out of the house and hit the ground running.
They had to be on their way to Stuff and Gorge, the only working restaurant in Allay. It was bound to be crowded, but no one seemed to mind. Not only was it the sole place to eat out, it was also very cheap and all-you-can-eat, which meant everyone in the Kingdom had this place to thank for the muffin tops they called a stomach. James was grateful for his fast metabolism.
It didn’t take long to catch up to them.
Jennings may have been a football star, and an athlete with little to no fat on him, but his partner in crime was Korey, a faithful customer of Stuff and Gorge. No doubt he was keeping them at a comfortable pace.
James tried sneaking up on them but he was sure Jennings caught him out the corner of his eye as they turned onto the next street. The following conversation confirmed it.
“Was that James just now?” Jennings asked rhetorically.
“Let me see…was it a light-skinned, short-haired teenager with the same loose black shirt, dark blue pants and ‘vintage’ coat?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“Then yes, we saw him. I think he was attempting to scare us.”
“Even his tricks are lazy.”
“Guess you guys just love to gossip, huh?” James remarked, knowing his cover was blown. Jennings smirked with his signature pretty-boy smile. The smile that made simple-minded villagers forgive all his dirty dealings.
“The only reason we said those things was because we knew you were there,” Jennings replied, moving out of the path of a moving pile of hay. The village was catching its second wind, finishing up the mid-day chores and transactions. James usually didn’t notice, but today for some reason, he didn’t mind taking in the smell of manure, straw, and sweat permeating the air. It was disgusting, but it was home.
“Still no reason to talk about my clothes or my character,” James’ voice cracked as he matched the stride of his friends.
“Alright. Alright. I’m sorry. You can be so sensitive…but while we are on the subject, why do you wear the same clothes every day? Especially that coat. Is it a family heirloom or something?”
“It was my father’s. My mother gave it to him a few days before she left. When she disappeared, he gave it to me. He felt like she had been planning her departure for a while, the way she gave it to him.”
“What’s it say on the back again?”
“Farewell.”
“Oh, that’s dark,” Jennings said, his voice trailing off.
“So, James,” Korey interjected. “What are you doing up so early?”
“A couple of friends of mine wouldn’t shut up outside my window.”
“Aww,” Jennings laughed. “I know how getting less than twelve hours messes up your whole schedule. Need some coffee?”
“Nah, lunch with you two should wake me up, especially if Korey’s eating. It’s like watching ants rip an injured fly apart—disgusting, but it’s sure hard to look away.”
“Hey,” Korey laughed. “You don’t eat like a civilized human being yourself.”
“The fact is, both of you disgust me,” Jennings said firmly. “But having you around is the only way I get to show my face at the restaurant. The way you two load up your plates, no one bothers glancing at mine. I can eat to my heart’s content and still maintain my reputation.”
“James, you got money right?” Korey asked abruptly.
“Of course,” he declared proudly. “I horde my money like we’re about to have a famine.”
“Just asking. Because I was just wondering if your father cut your allowance again.” Korey chuckled as he tripped over his own foot. The conversation didn’t miss a beat. They were used to his clumsiness, especially around the raised cobblestones that covered the ground. Jennings was usually quick to make a smart remark but since they had been friends for so long, no one thought much of it. Jennings was often aware of his comments but only after they had already been said, and so each day in the privacy of his home, he would silently pray that his friends wouldn’t find him too arrogant.
The villagers saw only the superstar jock, and while he loved the attention, he knew that he needed real friends too. The kind he could talk to uncensored and raw about life, women, and where he needed help in his short-comings. Friends that would love him no matter what, even if the general public would someday turn against him. He was a jerk, but he was their jerk, and he was happy to remind them just how corrupted his thinking was at times. James, on the other hand, wasn’t quite ready to bear his all in front of others, even to those close to him.
“What’s my father got to do with anything?” James asked.
“Whenever I think about your father,” Korey sighed. “And it’s a lot—”
“—weird—”
“—I think about him trying to grow corn on that fertile ground and how he still hasn’t managed to do it. I know you didn’t get your money from him, so I was wondering what he actually sells. The clothes on his back? The food he secretly buys from the market? I’ve seen the jars in your house. That’s gotta be it. And it would explain why you ran outside so fast. You must be starving!”
“We’re doing fine actually…somehow. I think my dad has a side job he’s not telling me about. There’s no way he could still own the farm with what he grow
s. His savings have to be shot by now. I don’t know how he manages.”
“Can’t be a side job,” Korey said. “Small village like this? Too many people would know who he is. Do you have a job you’re not telling anyone about?”
Jennings burst out laughing.
“Good point,” Korey said. “Well, about your dad then. Did you ask him how he keeps the farm afloat? I mean, you have that house. It’s not the castle or anything, but it’s still the biggest house in the village.”
“I asked him once,” James said flatly, looking over to Jennings. “But he just yelled out that farming is all he needs or something. I didn’t really hear the whole thing.”
“Typical,” Jennings muttered. “Hey look, there’s the restaurant.”
The restaurant was actually Sally Marie’s house. Sure, the place was small, and in serious need of expansion, but that didn’t stop the villagers from crowding into any vacant chair or corner they could find. By clearing out the first floor and replacing all the furniture with wooden tables and cushioned chairs, every room but the kitchen had become a dining room. Legend had it that she slept on the roof when the place closed down for the night. The villagers whispered that the Maker himself bestowed recipes from Paradise upon her while she slept up there. Her food was so good, even the most ornery of villagers swore to its authenticity.
Stuff and Gorge had been an instant success upon its opening and had been in business before James and his friends were born. Jennings used to tease Korey, saying that Sally Marie was secretly his grandmother and that that’s why he’d gotten doubly fat while the rest of the villagers were just fighting off a couple of fleshy tires. Korey rarely took offense to the insult. He genuinely wished they were family.
“The line goes all the way out the door,” Korey whined when their destination came into view.
“You expected different?” Jennings grunted in annoyance. He obviously had.
“Still, it’s worth the wait. Seriously, where does she get all that food?”
“Probably steals it from James’ dad. It’s why we never see the crops.”
James chuckled, despite himself. Sally Marie had to have had a deal with half of the farmers to be able to meet the demand.
“I can’t say too much,” Korey said, rearing up on his tip-toes to see over Michael Crick’s ginormous head. He was a tall and wide theater director, ritually stuffing and gorging himself after a particularly atrocious rehearsal. Korey continued the conversation.
“Can’t say much at all,” he repeated.
“Why’s that?” James asked. He could care less if they made fun of his father.
“I’d probably have nothing to sell if I was a farmer. I snack too much.”
“Maybe…”
“Ever thought about taking over the family business, James?”
“Why? You want a job?”
“No. Just wondering.”
“How could he be a farmer when he knows nothing about it?” Jennings, of course.
“What can I say?” James replied, shrugging his shoulders. “He’s right.”
“Do you want to be a farmer?”
“Not really, but I might have to learn it just in case.”
“You should talk to Leidy,” Jennings said as he nodded at his own suggestion. “She’s definitely got the farmer’s touch.”
“What’s the farmer’s touch?”
“I don’t know,” Jennings sighed. “I just made it up—whatever—she’s good at what she does.”
“Yeah, she’s so successful that she has no time for us anymore. When was the last time we all hung out? The four of us?”
“Can’t remember.”
Korey growled in anger. Michael Crick and a few others in line turned around and looked at them cautiously. A couple little girls further up giggled.
“What was that?” James asked, raising his eyebrow. “A dying lion?”
“This line hasn’t moved in five minutes,” Korey mumbled.
“Well, stop thinking about your stomach and join the conversation,” Jennings snapped back.
“We should go to Leidy’s store. She runs it when her parents need a break. We might be able to get some free fruit to tide us over.”
“You do know that this line isn’t going to hold our spot.”
“I don’t care. I’m just hungry.”
“Doesn’t matter to me,” James said as Jennings threw his hands into the air.
The three of them left the line simultaneously and a couple people behind them cheered under their breath. Thankfully, it was only a couple streets down to Leidy’s. It was really her parents’ store and it actually had no name, being known as the “fruit store” by the villagers, but since Leidy did all the work, friends called it by her name.
The villagers didn’t know what to think of Leidy and her unusual character. She was as plain as dirt even by the village’s standards, and her attire usually consisted of a dingy tank top and a pair of manure-stained loose pants that she refused to wash. She never wore shoes. And she cared little for what others thought of her since her assertive attitude had always gotten her ahead in life. Not to say she was arrogant or full of pride. She was actually a sweet and well-mannered individual…until she set her sights on something she wanted. Then she transformed.
It took only ten minutes to journey to Leidy’s corner store, and to their amusement, she was already doing her rounds of kicking non-spenders out onto the street.
“You’ve been scaring ma customers long enough!” Leidy scolded one man, her thick accent already making them laugh. No one knew how to label it, but it sounded like she was chewing peanut butter when she talked.
“I’m not scaring them!” the man pleaded. “I’m warning them!” He was wearing a stained poncho with a number of patches on the exterior. Korey muttered something about the man’s name being John.
“Warning em o what?” Leidy asked, giving him an evil eye. “R great savings and discount prices? Cuz if it’s anything otter than that, yeh gotta go!”
“Judgment is coming! The Maker will soon destroy Allay for its disobedience and complacency!”
“I hear yeh alright. Yehr being too complacent in buying ma products, and too disobedient in leaving ma store, but I’m no Maker! Just a lady wit a growing temper that rivals his own!”
“I’m leaving now, but I’ll be back tomorrow!”
“Well, I guess I’ll see yeh in tha morning. In tha mean time, I pray tha good Maker will take yeh by then!”
The beggar left surprisingly unscathed. Leidy shook her head in disbelief as she turned toward her friends. Her eyes immediately lit up in joy as she saw them, chuckling amongst themselves.
“Next time I’ll charge for tha show,” she laughed. “How are ma boys?”
“Well entertained, Lei-Lei,” Jennings laughed. “Never a dull moment with you.”
“Sometimes I pray there were, but it’s not ma lot in life. Now…what r yeh three up to today?”
“Hungry,” Korey sighed.
“Oh, I see,” she frowned. “I kick out one beggar ta get three in his stead. Yehr like locusts…all o yeh, but I shoulda known from yehr tired faces. Well then, come along. I’ll close up shop and join yeh. I’ll get us a feast from tha produce that’s about to expire in tha back.”
“Only the best,” Jennings laughed, rolling his eyes. The fact they were getting any free food from her at all was a miracle.
Leidy headed over to the money till behind the counter and began counting the change from the day. One guy from the back of the store ran through the aisles as if a stampede were behind him and he threw a bag of apples onto the counter like he was reaching out for a touchdown. He refused to look up at her as he began fishing through his pockets for some change. Leidy ignored him, even when he threw the coins onto the counter.
“Hey! Lady! I need you to tell me how much these cost!”
Leidy scowled at him and gave him her signature evil eye.
“Since I don’t know
yeh, I must assume yehr sayin lady in a derogatory manner, and not because yehr saying ma name.”
He stared at her in puzzlement.
“What?!”
“Put ta apples back where yeh found em. Shop’s closed.”
“It’s three-fifty,” he said, looking down at his watch. “Shop doesn’t close till four.”
“Well ma till closes at three-fifty, but window shoppers r welcome.”
“Are you serious?”
“Serious as childbirth.”
The man grunted an expletive under his breath and threw the apples to where the grapefruit lay. He stormed out as Leidy chuckled to herself.
“Little old me gettin a grown man all ruffled like that. Makes ma day every time!”
“So are we eating now?” Korey whimpered. Jennings smacked him upside his head.
“Of course we are…MA!” Leidy screamed toward the back. “I’m leaving now! Close up!”
“Think she heard you?” James winced, cupping his ears.
“She’ll close up,” Leidy muttered. “This shop is all we got after all.”
Leidy picked up a wooden basket from behind the counter, overflowing with juiciness.
“To tha meadow in tha north, gentlemen,” she ordered militaristically and the rest followed like a pack of hungry dogs.
The meadow wasn’t very big, but it was arguably the most beautiful spot in the village, not only because it was the sole place you could find untouched flowers and unpaved grass, but primarily because it led to a steep hill which gave the Kingdom of Allay its most impressive view of all: the castle.
Sure, one could look all around them and admire the geography of the Kingdom itself. Its oval shape, fortified by giant cement walls with only a few miniature exits located respectively to the east, west, and south. The Academy was located by the south exit, barely visible by an ever-advancing army of gigantic vines and exotic foliage. And the village was found in the middle—a labyrinth of huts and shops that could easily have been the world’s largest shopping district (though no outsiders visited).
But the castle was far and above their shining beacon. A declaration to all that they were not just a people scrambling for importance. They were a Kingdom, and therefore they deserved respect for achieving such a status. Over time, however, the people had lost their way and now they didn’t act like nobility at all. Hardly anyone talked about the castle, yet whenever traveled outside the confines of the village, they opted for the beautiful hill before it rather than any other location. It was a great mystery to James.
If it were up to him, he would have moved his house even closer to enjoy the sight, but it was as if the village shrunk farther and farther from it, crowding together and condensing every year, moving away from the north and southern exits as far as it could, as if an invisible danger was constantly lurking, waiting to devour them all.
Even as you moved from the core to the outskirts, less and less tenants inhabited the residential complexes, resulting in the outer lining of the village being completely composed of condemned homes and beggars of the lowest means. Beggars that strangely stayed away from the eerily quiet castle.
Supposedly a king and queen once lived there, and now a steward reigned in their place, comfortably dictating everyone’s lives, but James never saw any evidence of this. Whenever he asked a villager about the castle or its royalty, their answers were as vague as a weather report. Yet, it was still an unspoken understanding that whoever lived up there was still in charge. James had no opinion in the matter, and as a result he cast the royal family in the same category as the Maker—nowhere to be found. Not that that stopped him from following the decrees and ordinances that were passed upon him.
“What do yeh suppose they’re doin now?” Leidy sighed as she began distributing lunch.
“Who?” Korey asked with little interest.
“The king and queen.”
It was a conversation that was often brought up between them but never concluded to anyone’s satisfaction. Still, they each gave their own conjectures as they ate greedily.
“They probably take a percentage of the people’s hard-earned money,” Korey said through bouts of chewing. “Even if they might be lands away.”
“If they do,” Leidy interjected, “I haven’t seen any taxman. We must not be that important.”
Jennings yawned as he reached for another apple.
“Well, no one’s actually seen the king and queen for years.”
“So someone’s seen them?” James asked, intrigued.
“Oh, I’m just speculating. The way everyone’s so silent, I suspect as much.”
“There may be no one up there at all,” Leidy said. “And we’re all alone, governing ourselves.”
Leidy—always the realist.
“That’s scary,” James said.
“It would explain why no one’s kicked James’ dad off the farm,” Korey guffawed.
“Just imagine if that castle was empty,” Leidy continued. “Yeh know, we should check it out someday soon. If it’s empty, I’d like ta see if there’s anything valuable inside.”
“What if someone really is up there? We could be hanged,” Korey said. “No, I’m with James. It’s too scary. I’m sure there’s a reason no one’s talking and it might be best to keep it that way.”
“I’m not one to stay ignorant forever,” Jennings replied.
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
“Yea, but satisfaction brought him back,” Leidy interjected.
“Where did you hear that ridiculous line?”
“I think I heard it in a dream.”
“And this is where we get our proverbs and words of wisdom,” Jennings laughed. “Perfect.”
“Sure ain’t from our parents,” James muttered.
“So it’s decided,” Leidy said in excitement. “We’ll check out the castle in a couple o’ days.”
“Who decided?” Jennings retorted. “You? Leidy, you’re forever deciding things for us to do.”
“If yeh don’t do as I say, who will get yeh free food?”
Dead silence.
“Well played,” Jennings nodded. They all burst out laughing and James patted Leidy on the back. She was taken by surprise as she immediately jerked forward, almost dropping her banana in the fine manicured grass below. She came up quickly after retrieving it, but her curtain of red hair slapped James in the face on the return. He spat in a panic as some flew into his mouth and he threw up his hands to fight off the onslaught. It only got him more entangled.
“I think that’s the closest thing to a kiss James is ever gonna get,” Jennings laughed. James glared at him and Leidy giggled as she picked strands of hair from his face.
“Geez, Leidy,” James whined. “It’s like a spider web. When was the last time you washed that thing?”
“Not trying ta impress no guy, so I figure why bother?”
“Doesn’t it smell?” Jennings asked.
“Yes,” James said quickly.
“Smells natural,” Leidy said as she took a handful of her hair and took a whiff. “Smells good ta me.”
“Wow,” Korey said with eyes wide open. “That is gross.”
“All these pixies running around trying ta get a bum to clean up after. I’m in no rush. Trying ta make something o’ myself first. All love brings you is heartache and headaches.”
“Says the girl who’s never been in love,” Jennings snickered. “You just wait. You’ll meet Mr. Right and then all of a sudden you’ll be in the hair salon getting bathed in…strawberry autumn blossom or whatever they call those fragrances.”
“I know ma priorities.”
“Sure you do.”
“Anyways,” Leidy said, putting an arm around James’ neck. “Now that James had his first hair kiss, we’re practically engaged. Surely he has ta come wit me on a castle expedition now. Our first date.”
“Wish I could,” James muttered, thinking of tomorrow. This was it. Now or never.
/> “What,” Korey replied. “You going on vacation for a few days?”
“I love how Korey’s acting like he’s going to the castle all of a sudden,” Jennings replied.
“You look glum, James,” Leidy ignored Korey and leaned into James’ face. “Not gettin enough sleep?”
Korey giggled and Jennings punched him in the arm.
“Let the man talk.”
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow,” James sighed, feeling a little embarrassed. “For the Academy.”
He let the information sink in as his friends looked at one another in horror.
“The Academy,” Jennings said in all seriousness, leaning towards him. “The Sentinel Academy?”
“Yeah. One and the same.”
“What’d you fill out an application while you were sleep walking?”
“My father,” he said. That was all that needed to be said. Jennings shook his head in disbelief.
“Oh,” Korey said quietly, looking out towards the castle.
“Oh!” Leidy cried as she wrapped her arms around James’ neck. She began to sob into his cheek and he immediately thrust her off violently.
“Geez, Leidy. I’m not dead yet.”
“But…no one comes back. No one, James.”
“I know,” he said firmly. If she didn’t shut up soon, he was going to start crying himself.
“I know he wants to motivate you,” Jennings said through a clenched jaw, “even make a man out of you. All that garbage. But this is ridiculous. He knows the statistics, the life expectancy. Does he want to get you killed?”
“You’re making me think he does.”
“There’s still some hope, isn’t there?” Korey asked.
“When yeh go to tha Academy,” Leidy sobbed. “It’s like a death sentence. Yeh know we’re a small Kingdom, and no one in r village knows basic combat. We’ve been in a bubble. The Academy trains lost souls, citizens of Allay that have nothin left ta lose. They train them ta die. Ta become sacrifices for whatever Kingdoms r out there so they’ll leave us alone.”
“Tell me something I don’t know!” James shouted at her.
“You don’t really think there are other Kingdoms out there, do you?” Korey inquired.
“We’ve all seen tha strange markin’s and scars o battle along tha Kingdom walls,” Leidy said assuredly. “Somethin went down around here. Coulda been a hundred years ago but there’s evidence of others out there.”
“So you don’t actually know?” Jennings asked.
“No.”
“Then why are you scaring him with stories of sacrificial offerings and death? All we know is that anyone who goes to the Academy never comes back, and is usually reported dead within a few months. We don’t actually know if they die. They may become ambassadors of Allay, negotiating for our safety instead of dying for it.”
“Regardless,” Leidy sobbed. “It’s a sacrifice.”
“Can his father just sign him up like that?’ Korey asked.
“Yeah,” Jennings said. “Unless he’s proven that he has a stable occupation that benefits the community, he can be drafted, so to speak.”
“Guess you should’ve gotten a job, James,” Korey said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jennings smirked. “We all know James. First chance he gets, he’ll make his escape. He might be leaving us, but he’s not going to the Academy.”
James hated Jennings sometimes.
“Why would you say that?” James snapped at him. “You’re making me sound like a coward.”
Jennings got up and stared directly into his face, their noses nearly touching. Jennings knew to call his bluff.
“Because you are,” he whispered. James clenched his jaw, imagining scenarios in which he might be able to win against the athlete, but nothing came to mind. So he did what he was best at, regardless of what his friends thought of him.
He was going to leave.
“You never gave me a chance to say what I thought of the whole thing,” James said as he began backing away.
“Don’t have to,” Jennings said, his eyebrows lifting at seeing his friend starting to back off towards the village. “Your face says it all. The only reason you’d consider otherwise is because I’m making you think of it right now.”
James kept walking backwards.
“Well, it’s been fun,” he called. “But I gotta go. Have to become a soldier tomorrow.”
“Are you seriously going to the Academy? Don’t go just because I called you a wuss.”
“Guess you’ll find out.”
“We’ll be seein yeh, James,” Leidy cried, running forward and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She began crying loudly again so he turned away from her, in case he started getting emotional too. Korey gave him a lazy goodbye with a wave of the hand and a sunken expression on his face, and Jennings contributed with a head nod, his competitive spirit finally subsiding.
“See you, Jennings,” James said, turning to head back home. He was pissed. What right did Jennings have calling him out like that? Was he saying that if he was in the same situation, he would just go through with it like a mindless idiot? As much as James’ pride was wounded though, he couldn’t deny that Jennings was right.
He would have to make his escape.
But he didn’t think running made him a coward. He just saw nothing positive about going through the Academy’s program. Even if he tried his best and ascended through the ranks, it would only bring him a quicker death as his graduation would send him straight to the battlefield. The only ones who never had to worry about anything were the King and Queen. All they had to do was survive their own birth. What else did they ever have to work for?
James made it home quickly, ready to go to bed early and face the next day as it arrived. But unfortunately, his father was already waiting, in the same position he had left him in—cooking on the stove. Probably ready to “share his wisdom” with his son.
Sure, James had his own beliefs and opinions, but he decided there was no point in relaying them to others. They’d either laugh and think that he was joking, or that he was really dumb. And it did sound ridiculous when it was said out loud.
Laziness as a way of life?
It made no sense to the logical mind. But James figured that it was better to stay still and wait for conflict to come to him than to go looking for it. People were too quick to act on impulse, to get themselves into messes they could’ve easily avoided. If only I had had the foresight to avoid this one, he thought.
“Hello,” James’ father said, with no hint of ulterior motive in his voice. James wasn’t fooled.
“Hey, dad,” he said flatly, taking a seat next to him as his father began eating a couple of fried eggs.
“Long day?” his father asked through bites.
“You know it…Jennings and the gang—we all had lunch in the meadow.”
“That’s good. Last moments together, huh?”
“More like last memories.”
“You’ll see them again someday.”
“Says who?” he raised his voice, wavering on the brink of disrespect.
“There’s no reason you can’t. When vacation break comes next summer, you can visit.”
“Nobody comes back over summer vacation, Dad. No one’s lived that long.”
“Just because no one comes back home doesn’t mean they all die. Maybe they go to the Academy and find something worth staying for. A sense of purpose.”
“Yeah, right,” James snapped. His dad gave him a glare.
“You believe what people say too much,” he said casually, keeping his gaze steady. “And you’re too lazy to see if it’s true. You fail to understand that anything worth knowing requires hard work. Not half stepping. I’m talking blood-coming-from-your-hands, sweat-blurring-your-vision kind of work.”
“Dad, Leidy cried today because I told them I’m leaving. She never cries. Never.”
“Crying when someone’s leaving is only natural.”
“Da
d, but my friends—”
“—are overrated.”
“What?” James yelled back at him. He got up from the table and looked at his father angrily. His father barely moved.
“Friends come and go. When you go to the next grade in school. When you move. When you have a change in interests. There’s nothing wrong with friends. But you place too much value in them. When you leave, their lives will go on and slowly but surely, you will take up less and less of their thoughts. Someday you’ll understand, James. You have to be a man of principle, and live for yourself first. Get your act together. Then you can enjoy the pleasures of this life.”
“Just because you lost all your friends, that doesn’t mean I will.”
“I know…but like I said. Lives go on. Even if you’re still committed to them, they may grow well accustomed to life without you.”
“There’s no point in talking about this right now. We’ll see when the time comes.”
“Fine, but there is one more thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What is it?” James sighed through his restrained emotions.
“I know you’re not happy about this whole Academy thing, but I really do think it’s in your best interests to give it a shot. Don’t run away from this. This is an opportunity to make something of yourself.”
“Who says I want to be a soldier?”
“No one. But you may find the discipline and resolve necessary to carry you into what you actually want in life. You can be whatever you want to be, James. But you need to grow up.”
“That’s a lie all parents say, but it doesn’t line up with the conditions around us. It’s not reality.”
“It’s true.”
“What if I wanted to fly? That’s impossible.”
“Not necessarily. You might have to study the physics. Maybe understand how birds fly in the first place. After all, a lot of our inventions and infrastructures are based off of ideas that were taken from examining nature.”
“What if I wanted to be king?”
“Might have to become devoted to that goal completely. Pursue and devote your very life to a princess or queen. Show you’re the best man for the job and that you’re not in it for the wrong reasons.”
“What about the Maker?”
“…James.”
“What? I can be anything, right?”
“You might be able to convince some that you’re him,” his father sighed. “People tend to be gullible. But don’t be surprised if the consequences of such an act aren’t what you intended.”
“One more question then. If I can be anything…why are you nothing?”
His father laughed heartily. Not at all what James was expecting. But before he could recover from the surprise, his father leapt out of his chair and lunged at him. In a second, James was backed up against the wall. The force of the slam caused several spices and pots from the counter to fall to their feet as his father made him suddenly realize that under his grip, he was still just a child.
“A sniveling, pompous little brat to the end,” he breathed heavily in his son’s face. James didn’t dare move. “You drone on and on about what you believe in but at the first sign of trouble I know you’ll run. Just like your mother. You stand there and say I’m nothing, but then what does that make you? So what if your father’s not what you want him to be? So what if your momma ran out on you? So what? You’re the problem. Just you. At the end of the day, we choose what we are, and what you are is a coward.”
James gulped down his fear and balled up a fist. His father looked down at it and then back up and into his son’s eyes, chuckling from within and giving him a smirk of superiority.
“Am I making you mad? Am I finally getting a rise out of you? Or are you too lazy to take action?”
He chuckled and let his son loose from his grip. Brushing himself off, James continued to stare at his father in disdain as the man marched away, still confident, and silently reveling in the fact that he was still the alpha male. James sneered and spat out the words he had been holding back for years. It was the only attack that could hit its mark with deadly, painful accuracy.
“She left because of you!”
His father stopped in his tracks, sighed heavily and turned his head, his lips barely visible as he spoke.
“Get out of my house…tonight. You have ten minutes to gather your things.”
“Where am I supposed to go?” James asked in shock.
“The Academy. You wanted to get there early, didn’t you?”
“I need more than ten minutes.”
“Any longer and your stuff goes in the burn barrel.”
And without another word, he stormed out of the house, giving his son the space to gather his belongings. James huffed as soon as the door closed, feeling like flipping the kitchen table over. So that’s going to be the good-bye of my old man, he thought. One last kick to the groin.
“Fine,” he muttered to himself and headed upstairs to his bedroom for the last time. He was barely aware of what he was doing, just throwing a bunch of clothes into a satchel, too angry to think straight.
He finally stomped downstairs with his satchel over his shoulder, deciding to raid the ice box one last time, grabbing everything he could carry and making sure to break his dad’s precious eggs on the way out. He barely looked back when he headed out the door.
Thankfully it was still warm outside so he wouldn’t have to fight the climate, but where was he going to go on such short notice? Jennings’s parents were clinically insane and would probably end up giving him a beat down just for interrupting their beauty rest. Korey’s parents were no better and Leidy would hurt him personally, especially since she had to wake up early in the morning to open the store. She might forgive him this once and let him stay the night since he was on his way out, but he really didn’t want to bother her. Once more, his father’s words had gotten through to him…as they always did. Suddenly, he felt utterly alone.
There were no benches or conveniently flat boulders to lie on so James knew that he would have to settle for the ground, ladled with hay, mud, and hungry critters on the hunt…which also meant he wasn’t going to get any sleep that night. Best to just stay up.
But what was he going to do so late at night? What was his plan anyway? He had never actually thought about where he was going to go instead of the Academy. He had heard there were other Kingdoms but he had no clue of which direction they were in, and the people in the village were so scared of going outside the borders that he figured there had to be something dangerous.
Wouldn’t that be ironic? he thought. Abandon the Academy because I would get killed there, only to be killed because I didn’t go.
James sighed and started walking toward the carriage hut. Wherever he was eventually headed, it was best to start there. It was only a five minute walk, and it was well past dark so no one was up in the village to catch his movements.
No one to watch my leaving, he said to himself. No one to weep over my departure.
When he arrived at the hut, the driver was sleeping, snoring and nearly toppling over onto his horses. It must have been a light doze, however, for when James came near, he turned to him as if they had already exchanged pleasantries.
“Where to, young one?” he asked, steadying the reins in his hand. One horse neighed as if to wake the other.
“I’m not sure,” James said. “But I want to go somewhere far. Are there any Kingdoms you can take me to?”
“Now why would you want to go do a thing like that? Those other Kingdoms will kill you on sight, just for being part of Allay.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t know. The boss says I have to tell anyone that asks. Never been too far outside the walls myself.”
“Okay…so where can I go? What’s the farthest you’ll take me?”
“Edge of the forest. You’d be on your own from there though. It’s pretty dangerous. I hear there’s poisonous snakes by the thousands.”
“Okay,” James shrugged. Supposedly, no place was safe. “I’ll go there.”
“That will be hundred shell.”
“A HUNDRED SHELL?” he yelled. The driver twisted a finger in his right ear.
“That’s right. Times are tough. Nobody travels outside the village anymore.”
“That’s most people’s annual salary!”
“Well, I can drop it to eighty shell if that helps.”
“I barely have five.”
“Wow. Geez. Sorry, son. You’re out of luck then.”
“Where can I go for that price?”
“The Academy. It’s not that far from where we sit.”
“The Academy? Seriously?”
“It’s actually a free ride if that interests you. All those who sign up for the place aren’t charged. Got to be some perks to throwing your life away, right?…but, if you want to hand me the five shell anyways, you know, I do have a wife and child to feed.”
James sighed and closed his eyes, weighing his options. He could always walk to wherever this forest was…but, he honestly had no idea what lay in store. The driver did say it was dangerous…so maybe, just maybe, the Academy was best…for now. It would have a bed and some food waiting for him if he went, and that didn’t sound so bad. Perhaps he could stay for a month or so and then try his hand at the forest. No one said he had to stay at the Academy against his will. And in the meantime, he could find out more about which direction the other Kingdoms were in.
But was this really the right answer?
“To the Academy it is,” he found himself saying. The driver nodded and motioned for him to get into the stagecoach.
“I hear there’s a storm coming in, so I hope you don’t mind if I take it slow. Should be there in no more than a few hours.”
“Thank you,” he sighed and then he climbed into the back of the wooden structure.
For the first time in his adolescence, there was no flood of thoughts rushing into James’ mind once he laid his head down.
But it might have been because he had no pillow.