Iridescent: Chapter Five

Iridescent

Chapter Five

~Scarecrow~

After the Fall

Chaud woke up slowly. The rain had started to taper off in the early morning hours. Amber was close by. She sat on a tree root, with the gun he lent her in her hand. Amber struggled to stay awake. A twig snapped somewhere in the woods and she shot awake. She aimed the gun at arm’s length in the direction of the sound. Amber shook with fear.

“I think I’ll take that back now,” Chaud stated as he reached for the gun.

Amber looked at Chaud and smiled, “Chaud!” She threw her arms around her brother.

“Ow! My arm!” Chaud exclaimed, “That is a bad bruise.”

“Sorry,” Amber apologized.

Chaud smiled through the pain, “Well, what was in that pack that you just had to have back there?”

Amber shrugged, “Just some extra food and three weird vials.”

Chaud looked interested and held out his good hand, “Let me see.”

Amber went through the bags and retrieved the three blue vials. Chaud looked at them and knew instantly what they were. He flipped on in the air and caught it.

“These are going to be useful,” Chaud smiled.

“What are they?” Amber asked.

Chaud answered, “These vials counter what the Silver Void does to us. It gives a pretty good power high but a real mean crash. What it does is push you to at most limits and as Others that means activating our powers in every cell of our body. So when it wears off, the user is understandably exhausted. Some even die.”

Amber shifted uncomfortably, “You won’t use it, will you?”

“Only if I have to,” Chaud smiled.

There was a long silence. Amber looked at her hands, deep in thought. Chaud let her think as he tried to get to his feet. He threw on his back pack, wincing as he tried to move his arm. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for some aloe plans to help with the healing. Chaud made sure they had all their things before looking over his shoulder at Amber.

“Let’s get going,” he told her.

“You haven’t eaten yet,” Amber stated.

“Yeah, I did, just now,” Chaud lied.

Amber glared at him, “We have enough food now, just eat something.”

“I’m fine, really,” Chaud smiled.

Amber crossed her arms, “I’m not moving until you eat the rest of the bread.”

Chaud sighed. Even though she was adopted into the family she acted more like their mother with each passing day. He knew that she meant every word that she said. They were going to get nowhere if he didn’t eat the bread. So he sat down again and took out the bread. Amber watched every move he made. He ate the bread making exaggerated eating motions. When he had put the rest of the bread in his mouth he dusted the crumbs off his hands and got up.

“Swallow it first!” Amber insisted.

Chaud’s shoulders rose and fell in a silent sigh. He did as he was told and only then did Amber stand up. She picked up her pack and waited for Chaud to lead the way. Chaud led on after gaining his bearings. After their run through the forest the day before, he understandably got a little turned around. They walked in silence for a few more minutes. Amber looked thoughtfully at the ground while they walked.

“Where are we going?” Amber asked after a while.

“To the north east corner of the Island,” Chaud answered.

Amber looked at him, “Why?”

“There is where out ticket out of here is,” Chaud continued walking.

“Then why are we going north?” Amber asked.

Chaud picked up a stick and drew in the fresh mud, “We’re taking the long route through the mountains and the desert.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to go over the gorge?” Amber pointed.

“There are also a lot of people,” Chaud said, “There won’t be so many people in the mountains and desert because they aren’t the nicest places to be. There isn’t a lot of food. So that’s why we’re going that way.”

“You don’t want to run into people like those men that tried to kill us, do you?” Amber looked at her brother.

He smiled, “I’d be a lot easier to protect you, that’s for sure.”

Amber nodded as if confirming something to herself, “Teach me how to fight.”

Chaud stared at her, “W-what?”

“Mom said that she didn’t want me to learn how to fight like you boys. She said that I was her little girl and that I should let you boys do the fighting.”

“She said that?” Chaud raised an eyebrow, “This is coming from a woman who threatened an accidental trespasser with a rocket launcher? She, our mother, the same one who prides herself on being a good shot said that she didn’t want you to learn how to fight? Dad had to hide all the guns in the house from her and she said that fighting was too violent for you?”

Amber shrugged, “I think the word she used was ‘unladylike’.”

“Mom’s the last person to be using that word,” Chaud muttered.

“But would you teach me how to fight and use my powers?” Amber asked again, “I don’t want to be a burden.”

Chaud looked at her, “You’re not a burden.”

“But I feel like one!” Amber said loudly, “I just feel in the way and useless! I mean, how many times did you need to save me in the city? Huh? Four times and you saved me two more times when we got to the forest! And then there was yesterday! What if you died yesterday!? What would happen to me!? I don’t know the first thing on how to fight! You have to teach me, you just have to!”

Tears started to form in Amber’s eyes. Chaud reached out to hold her. He could rarely say no to his sister but at the same time he didn’t want his mother’s wrath when things finally got back to normal.

Chaud sighed, “Well, better late than never. Another reason to go through the mountains. That’s where all the masters train their apprentices, right?”

Amber had to smile, “Shut up.”

“Come on,” Chaud started jogging up the incline, “Let’s make the most of this daylight.”

“We’re running?” Amber asked.

“Hey,” Chaud called over his shoulder, “in gym class they made us run around the Island for five days, not including the city portion though. Of course we didn’t have to run the whole nine days and we had camps where we slept the night. They gave us a backpack full of water and bug spray and sent us off. Zara finished the fastest in our class. We need to get your stamina up! Let’s go!”

Amber sighed and started to run behind her brother. She maintained his speed for several minutes as she did run the five mile run in middle school. Her stamina was decent for the children her age on the Island but it was nowhere close to her brothers. He barely showed any effort. It was even possible that he was slowing down so that she could keep up.

After about five miles, Amber’s limit, Chaud slowed down to a quick walk. He reached into his pack and gave her a water bottle. She accepted it and drank a big gulp.

“Not too much,” Chaud said, “You’ll get sick.”

Amber nodded and gave the water back. Chaud put it back in his backpack.

“We should be there soon,” Chaud said.

“There?” Amber asked breathlessly, “There where?”

“You’ll see,” Chaud smiled, “We should be there within the hour.”

Amber nodded and walked quietly. She tried to keep an even pace with her brother. She watched him closely. Amber noticed that, unlike her, Chaud didn’t make so much noise in the brush. As he walked, he seemed to subconsciously avoid stepping on twigs and branches that would make noise. She watched him and tried to follow in his footsteps. Her noise level dropped significantly though not entirely.

It was what she did. She copied. It was her power even if that was taken away from her because of the inhibitors. As a copycat she could copy a person’s ability and power to a T. Of course some practice would be necessary but for the most part she could copy someone’s form and access that power. Even if her power was taken away, she still had the skill. She could copy Chaud’s movements easily but she wouldn’t be able to copy his powers.

Chaud looked at her and smiled. Apparently he was waiting for when she would catch on that she was making too much noise. Amber felt embarrassed that it took her so long to figure it out. She must have been like a bear trampling through the woods compared to his light footsteps.

Soon they came to a clearing in the forest. In the center of the clearing was an old shrine. Half of it was burned and charred yet half of it remained standing. Amber guessed that a missile struck near the building. Chaud looked a little worried at the sight of the building.

“Stay here,” he instructed her.

Amber protested, “But—”

“Just for a minute, okay,” Chaud said before drawing his gun and heading for the building.

Chaud entered the first floor. No one seemed to be living there at the moment. He progressed upstairs and found much of the same. The place had defiantly been looted and the original residence had long since left the place. But the building was still standing and he wondered why there weren’t any squatters in the building. When he entered the portion of the second floor where the roof was blown off he got his answer. He sighed.

“Is that and inhibitor?” Amber asked.

Chaud turned quickly, “I told you to stay outside!”

Amber simply shrugged. Chaud turned back to the sighed. One of the devices that the New Order used was sitting half way through the floor. It hummed ominously as a signal it was working.

“Come over here,” Chaud signaled to her, “Help me move this.”

Amber looked at him, “Where are we moving it?”

“Outside,” Chaud walked closer to the device.

“Why?” Amber shuffled nervously.

“We need a scarecrow,” he smiled to reassure her, “No one will come a mile of this place when they see this sitting right outside.”

Amber nodded and walked up to help her brother.