Another evening spent at the fireside and no word from Dylan’s contact and Maddie could not help but spend it glaring at Lissa.
“Is there anything wrong? You seem to have been staring at me for hours.”
Maddie was not even aware that she was staring so openly.
“Where is Dylan tonight he usually likes to join us?”
“He is talking to his contact in the city, checking to see if it is safe for us to leave.”
John wondered how this was possible.
“He is in his hut at this moment so how is it he can talk to anyone? Mobile communications outside of the capital are limited to citizens.”
Lissa raised her eyebrows and looked to the sky.
“He is using the great god kali to summon the airwaves that can carry his voice to the city and blow the words into Dylan’s friend’s ears.”
Lana looked astonished.
“Really Lissa, I am sorry I mean Lysette.”
The whole camp erupted into laughter at this enquiry from the young girl that they all loved.
So you do have a sense of humour behind those cold eyes thought Maddie.
“You two are good to go and what is all the laughter I hear out here?”
“It is Lissa who knew that she had such a good sense of humour?”
Dylan knew it was one of the things that he loved about her and there were many more things that he loved.
“Yes Lissa has a sense of humour and you should all feel privileged to have been shown it.”
A smile of Impatience from Lysette showed Dylan that he should move on.
“My contact says that it is now relatively safe to travel and I have drawn you a map which pinpoints the check-points to avoid.”
“Dylan was handing the map to John when Maddie snatched it from him.
“He knows where he is going, I need to familiarise myself with this place. It is also sexist to assume that only the man can read a map.”
John gave a loud involuntary snort at this statement.
“There is no sexism here; they don’t know the meaning of the word. Just like there is no racism or discrimination against those of a different sexual orientation than their own.”
Maddie was altogether fed-up with John defending this crazy place.
“It is easy to have no racism if everyone is white and the same culture as your own.”
Dylan looked confused but countered her statement anyway.
“You are deep into the north of Velaria and the population here is white in its majority but as you get closer to the Capital in the south our people are much more diverse. What is sexism and why should we discriminate against someone’s sexual preference?”
My god thought Maddie it was like talking to a child until she remembered all of the questions she had thrown at Dylan.
“To be sexist is to discriminate against a person because of their gender, racism is to discriminate against someone on the basis of their skin colour and why indeed would you care who someone was attracted to?”
John was doing it again, trying to be the voice of reason in a world that still made little sense to Maddie.
“We have discrimination here too but only against those who cannot contribute to society.”
You are one cold bitch thought Maddie.
“Who decides if you can or cannot contribute to society? It seems to me that Lana, Jinn, George and many others here contribute a hell of a lot to your camp and yet society here discarded them.”
It seemed Lysette was considering this when Dylan answered for her.
“You have to understand Maddie we were raised within a system that worships strength and it is hard for us to consider that weaker members of our society have anything to offer.”
“You do not need to answer for me Dylan or defend me; I have my own opinion on what the outsiders say. Here there is enough resources for those who work and if you cannot then you are a drain on those resources. It is not that we would not like to take care of everyone it is just not possible.”
John felt he needed to say something at this point before Maddie challenged what Lissa had said.
“It is similar in our world Lissa but a great man once said. There is enough for everyone’s needs but not enough for everyone’s greed. I suspect it is the same here and I have seen those go without while others have plenty.”
“Perhaps you are right John but why do you think those that have everything should give it all up for a bunch of Imps that cannot fight for what they want?”
Maddie saw an opportunity and took it.
“They will fight and they do fight, do you remember what you said to me Dylan? You said everyone here fights and you were right.”
A smile from the camp leader was Maddie’s reward.
“Yes I believe I said that and it is true everyone here has to fight for what they have. I am not sure that you can replicate that across Velaria and if you cannot then you cannot hope to change things here.”
Lysette loved the idea of change but not in the way that John and Maddie hoped.
“It would be interesting to see the able bodied Imps pitted against the Academies and it would eliminate some of the weaker members within the outer Academies.”
“You only think in terms of strength and weakness Lissa. I think your lack of compassion for those that cannot take care of them-selves is a weakness.”
It was clear by Lysette’s expression that she had no understanding of what Maddie was saying.
“You are soft like your man and that is definitely a weakness, I am getting some rest now as we need to set off early tomorrow.”
“I can commandeer a transport to take us where we need to be.”
“No John you will need to travel by foot and keep to the back roads.”
“That will take days and with the uniform of the 1st it will be easy to find someone to take us………”
Lysette looked directly at John.
“You will not be wearing that uniform while we travel, Dylan will find you more suitable clothes.”
Lysette did not wait around to be argued with and quickly left the group.
“It seems your leader has spoken and I should listen to her and John make sure that you study the map that Maddie took from me.”
After that the group around the fire slowly broke up leaving only Maddie and John.
“You look worried.”
“I am terrified, now that it is time to go I am not sure that I can do it.”
John leaned in closer.
“You are incredible Phoebe, Maddie, Maddison and I know that you can do anything that you set that stubborn mind of yours to.”
A compliment of sorts thought Maddie.
“Do you always wrap your compliments up in insults? Besides I am not stubborn I just like to get things done my way.”
“What woman doesn’t?”
Maddie wanted to slap his face but he looked so handsome by the fire.
“You are thinking of introducing sexism to this world then?”
“Me a sexist, what nonsense I marched for women’s rights back in the day.”
Shaking her head Maddie threw more wood on the fire.
“You really are the fool John and I think back in the day it may have been your father doing the marching. He seemed to me to be the type to stand up for all that he believed in.”
The mention of John’s father introduced a sombre tone to the conversation.
“My dad was a far better man than I could ever hope to be.”
Maddie picked up on the past tense of this statement.
“You mean that your dad is a far better man than you could ever hope to be and I don’t think that is accurate either.”
John decided to ignore this and changed the subject.
“Did you notice that Lissa found her sense of humour when I asked how Dylan communicated with the Capital?”
“Not really and she wasn’t very funny anyway, why?”
??
?I think it is part of her Academy training to never give any information away to the enemy. It must have been an encrypted Sat-Phone that he was using.”
“They have them here!”
“Yes their technology is comparable to our own it just does not filter down to the general population. In the city I am told that there are fewer restrictions on using tech than outside and of course if you are not a citizen then you are forbidden to touch anything resembling a phone.”
Maddie could hear the sadness in John’s eyes as he said this and knew that he was thinking of his parents.
“I think about my mum too and I know that I will see her again just like you will see your dad.”
John shook his head.
“You cannot know that and I have been here long enough to know that I am not supposed to leave here.”
“And you cannot possibly know that so stop thinking like a loser and get back in the game. We will find a way home and just for fun we will fix this upside down country of theirs.”
John wanted to throw his arms around Maddie for trying to raise his spirits.
“You are a little crazy Phoebe but I must admit that does sound like fun. Did you learn anything new from the old man?”
“I got a potted history and he gave me some information that might be useful but the most interesting thing he said was that I am not the first to come through.”
“What do you mean you are not the first to come through, what exactly did he say to you?”
“He said that I was not the first strange girl to come through here and I really wanted to quiz him some more about this but we are leaving tomorrow morning.”
John found this to be very interesting and thought the old man may even know of a way back for them.
“If we make it back then we will have to find out all that he knows about this other girl and if she is still here or not.”
“If we make it back, I am not sure that I like the sound of that and if you are that worried maybe we should just find him tomorrow and forget about the whole revolution thing?”
John lowered his head and spoke quietly.
“I cannot leave without doing everything that I can to make it a safer place to live here. I have seen the injustice and cruelty that is doled out to the lowest of the low here and I need to help them even if it means I never get home.”
The determination in John’s voice brooked no argument not that that stopped Maddie.
“What about your mum, don’t you think that she deserves to see her son again? As it is she will have no idea of where you are or what happened to you.”
“You don’t have to tell me that I have had a year to think about how she feels and though now that I know it has only been a few weeks rather than a year for her it makes no difference. I know she will be heartbroken and my dad will be moving heaven and earth to find me. I can’t help that if I run away from my responsibilities here I will be running for the rest of my life.”
It might be John’s dad speaking thought Maddie as her admiration for the man sitting next to her reached new heights.
“Your dad would be very proud of you and your mother too but I am not sure she would approve of your decision.”
“I am damned sure she would disapprove Phoebe but she is not here and I need to do what is right.”
Maddie wanted John to hold her, touch her and kiss her but all she could think to say was.
“You can call me Maddie.”
“Thank you Maddie that means a lot, it is getting late now and we need to be rested for the trip.”
It was an awkward end to the evening and Maddie was not sure that she would sleep especially as when John got up to leave she could feel his breath against her cheeks. Being so close to him gave stirrings to feelings that she had never known before.