Chapter V

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Chapter V

Andy was surprised she could hold her breath for so long. She could’ve stayed underwater longer but her eyes had started hurting. The water wasn’t exactly the cleanest with hundreds of people scavenging there every day. She rose to the surface and took a deep breath. She could feel the sharp edges of sencurium hurting her palm but she had to make sure no one took it from her before she reached the shore. It had been weeks since she last found some of the green metal. Her mind started working on the best prize to collect. No one in her family was sick so there wasn’t actually any need for medicine but maybe she should take some just in case. Some bread would also be nice. She remembered the last time she had it. It had been a present from her sister for Andy’s thirteenth birthday.

She swam closer to her Grandpa and started dragging the net behind her to not draw too much attention.

“Grandpa,” she said quietly. He turned his head towards her and smiled.

“What is it?”

“How are you feeling?” It was a code they had come up with for when one of them would be successful in their scavenging. It was also useful to know if any of the family members needed something desperately. Grandpa’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Everything is good,” he said meaning that she could choose whatever she wanted and not worry about the others.

“Good!”

Andy dragged her net closer to the shore and stepped out of the water. One of the guards had noticed her and stepped closer.

“You found something or get back to work!” the guard's voice was rough and his eyes full of hate. Andy never understood why everyone despised them so much. What had she done wrong to earn such treatment? She had to control herself not to say something witty that would earn her a punishment. Instead, she displayed the green metal in her hand.

“I did find something,” she said trying to be calm.

The guard took it into his hands and examined it a bit closer. He seemed to be satisfied with the find and nodded.

“Okay, come with me.”

Every piece of metal found had to be stored safely immediately. Andy didn’t understand what they were so afraid of. That she or any of the prisoners would steal it? She followed the guard to one of the safe houses near the Darq gate. There were more guards there than by the lake.

The safe house was one of the biggest and fanciest buildings in Sencor. Its stone walls were high and carved. The roof was bright red and there were massive statues of ravens at each corner. Andy had always found them beautiful. She had heard that ravens were extremely intelligent birds which only added to their beauty.

The thick wooden doors were decorated with some sort of pattern and Andy found herself wondering if they meant something, if it was actually some sort of text. They stepped into a grand hall. The floor seemed to be made of some kind of green glass and there was an enormous painting of the Emperor on his black horse looking into the distance. Andy hadn’t seen many paintings in her life but for some reason, all of them had been of the same person.

“Wait here!” commanded the guard and disappeared into the dark corridor.

Andy’s thoughts drifted off to the weird guard she had caught watching her earlier. She hadn’t noticed him before. He was really acting odd scribbling something into his notebook. Maybe he was documenting their work, taking notes of who worked harder and who was lazy. It was the only logical explanation. He must have been a spy for the Emperor.

In a way it was exciting. Sometimes Andy couldn’t help but imagine herself being a hero of some story. She could save all the prisoners of Sencor and take down the Emperor himself maybe. And then people would gather by the fire at night and tell tales of her victories. But first, she would have to deal with the spy.

Stop it, Andrea! She thought to herself seeing the guard returning.

"Everything seems to be legit. What do you want in exchange? Bread, some meat, new clothes?" Everything the guard offered, Andy wanted. Her mouth was watering only due to the thought of bread or meat. And her clothes were so dirty and old. But she knew she wouldn't be choosing any of those things. A thought had started haunting her lately and she hoped that with the help of her Grandpa she could make it happen.

"Could I have a book?" she asked and saw the confusion on the guard's face. For a moment the hate was gone.

"I'll have to ask." He stormed off back into the corridor. Andy felt stupid. She should've just asked for something practical like everybody else. Or maybe just for a day off and enjoy some sleep for a change. She didn't even know what book she wanted. Would it even be possible to learn to read at her age?

Someone else had entered the hall. Andy realized to her surprise that it was the same weird guard who had taken notes, the spy. It was so obvious he didn't belong there, he looked so different from the prisoners. He had short blond hair and an oval face with high angular cheekbones. He was fit but not overly muscular. This boy hadn't suffered from hunger or sleep deprivation. He was free to do whatever he wanted. Yet he had chosen to spy on slaves. Andy hadn't thought of her family like that before but it was true - they were basically slaves.

The boy looked at her again and his face turned red. He had recognized her. The redness wasn't of anger though, it seemed more like he was blushing. His soft gray eyes were spaced evenly apart sitting below trim eyebrows. He looked so innocent.

"No books are allowed," said the guard startling her a bit. She hadn't noticed him returning.

"I'll have new clothes then," she said quietly, regretting she had gotten her hopes up about the book.