Chapter 6
Back with Rose, Cole inquired what she thought of Effie, and how they could best help her. Cole had never met someone from outside the barrier wall, nor someone he’d considered “hungry” , possibly even a starving person.
“What can we do, Grandma? We have to help her. I don’t think she has eaten much in a long time.” Cole asked.
“Whatever we do, Cole, you must keep her a secret. People in the City are easily afraid of any one different. We don’t know if the king’s guard will take her away for sneaking in. They might think she is a spy, or worse, a revolutionary.” Rose spoke calmly, as she broke pea pods open into a wooden bowl on the table.
“Have you met someone like her? Like… not from here?” Cole pictured Rose had never left the garden.
“I remember people lived differently before the gardens were created… there were many kinds of people beyond here, villages and even great cities… I don’t think many of them are still standing though.” Rose became quiet as she spoke, finally trailing off, looking at Cole as if she shouldn’t say more.
“What happened to them?? Why did it change?!” Cole eagerly looked at Rose, worried she would not continue, keeping him in the dark.
“What happened to who?” Effie asked, standing in the archway. Cole looked up from Rose, and the sight of Effie struck him. As she stood there in her long dress, the details in stitching up her waist, he followed the dress up to her neck, seeing her nearly glow now. As his eyes met hers, Cole wondered if he was even looking at the same girl. Her hair before a matted mess from her journey, a dust cloud nearly following her like an aura. Now she beamed light, an aura of glittery white and gold, a brightness to her eyes restored. He had not noticed what incredibly green eyes she had before.
Dumbstruck, Cole answered, “Um… well, your people, I was asking Rose what happened to the people beyond the wall. She was talking about the great cities.”
“There have not been any ‘great’ cities for a long time,” Rose chimed in. “I don't know when exactly, I haven’t left these lands in a long time. But once when I was a young woman, we visited the city of Teleran, they had a grand fair every year for the harvest. People came from all over to trade… But… one day things changed.” Her gaze left the bowl and met Effie’s.
Effie could see worry in Rose’s kind eyes. “People couldn’t travel any more. They couldn’t leave their villages for fear of arrest. The rulers of the 3 major kingdoms recruited anyone who could hold a gun.”
“First, the men…then the boys who were not quite men… eventually every woman without a child to feed. The battles far off in the fields, became closer to homes, until there were no homes, only battlefields. At least that’s what I was told, the few times I was able to speak to people I once knew…outside the gardens. Then the barriers were built, and any new information stopped coming in after that. I … think that was 50 years ago now.” Rose gave Effie’s hand a squeeze and looked to Cole.
Effie wasn’t unaware of the world before the endless warning, but it was so odd to hear it being told by an elder. She had never met anyone old enough to remember the world before. Even the pub owner, Elye, had been too young to know anything different. He had salt and pepper hair, but Rose’s hair was gray and white.
Cole interjected, “Wait, what?! Why did the war start?”
“I don’t know really, many people speculated, and the troops would announce why but it changed so many times, first it was over fear of the enemy striking first, then it was over resources, and who had a bigger army, at some point both soldiers and resources were gone.” Rose said as she sat back down, obviously filled with emotions.
“My parents fought in some of those battles,” Effie said, “Too many battles. I don’t remember my mother at all, but my father said they fought together in the battle of Ildey, before I was born. And most of the time they felt it was because their superiors told them to go on. He said by the time he lost my mother, he didn’t worry about why, just how to keep going on.” And I stopped asking why a long time ago. Effie thought to herself.
“Were you fighting when you came here?? Will there be more soldiers behind you?!” Cole worried.
“No! It’s just me. I…I am alone. I didn’t mean to come here. I am not really sure how I even got here, or where here is actually. I was in Newcastle, its a small area with a few hundred people who are all too young or weak to fight. I … ended up in the river. And barely kept myself above the water. It was so rough. Then when the river finally let me go, I found myself lost. It’s been days. I saw the wall, and had nowhere else to go but over it. And I woke up in this amazing place.” Effie ended with a sigh. Not sure what they would do with her, she decided the truth was the best option, but left out being thrown in the river to not sound like she deserved it or seem like she would cause trouble.
“How awful for you dear!” Rose said as she wrapped Effie in a hug. Effie wasn’t sure how to handle the hug, it wasn’t everyday she received a feeling of support from her elders, or even saw anyone to look to for comfort.
“Well, how do we help?” asked Cole, “Do we send you back to your people? Try to find your way home? I mean, it could be dangerous and you don’t have anyone. Wouldn’t it be better to just stay here?” he said trying to help.
“Oh, I couldn’t, I don’t have my parents but I am not alone back home. I mean I don’t have a home, but I do have people I see as family. My friends need me. The group relies on me, and each other, but I can’t give up on finding them again. I…I dont want to leave, but I can’t stay either.” Effie said, and as she said it, she wished she didn’t have to leave, but she worried for Jerrico, Paulo, the boys and even ornery Sandfly. She missed their laughs, and their hugs the most.
“Well, I don’t know if you are able to journey back so far so quickly yet! But Cole will help you when you are ready.” Rose decided.
Cole had never gone anywhere, but the very idea of leaving was enough of a reason to go pack to him. He didn’t want to sound too eager to leave, but he knew Rose was right, after a week of garden food, Effie would be in top health and able to make the difficult journey home. But how would he keep her a secret till then? What if the king’s men find out about their plans? Cole was as excited as he was worried.
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