PART TWENTY FIVE
"So, where are you going?"
Iva looked up from the magazine she was reading to see the familiar pale face of her sister; a little worn since she had last seen her, but still the same smiling girl sitting across from her.
"Ena! What are you doing here?" Iva attempted to rise from her seat, but was thrown back by the jolting of the bus.
"I'm going back to Mum and Dad. Where's Dione?" Ena broke off.
"He's in the bus behind this one, looking after Angele and Chantel."
Ena nodded slowly. "Aha, and who are they?"
"Some people we met in Ivan." Iva couldn't hide the tone of disappointment in her voice.
"What? Didn't you stay? I thought you and Leone and Dione were going to stay there forever. Nobody comes back from Ivan!"
Ena gripped the arm rest of her seat and looked at her sister in shocked confusion. Iva, borne down under the stress of the last few days, the last few years, slumped in her seat and looked hard at her brown skirt, biting the sides of her mouth to suppress the tears which she had kept back for hours.
"Well," she began in a small voice she was trying to keep steady, but which Ena had no chance of hearing. "Maybe they were kept from leaving."
She heard Ena unbuckle her seatbelt and stagger across the aisle to sit beside her.
"Where's Leone?" Said Ena, putting her arms around Iva.
Iva sniffed and croaked through her tight throat, "He's with Dione, I told him I'd be alright." she took out her hanky and blew her nose.
"He obviously didn't think so or he wouldn't have called and asked me to come." said Ena. This was too much for Iva. Sobs overpowered her. Leone was so thoughtful, even though he should be angry at her for persuading him to come on this wild goose chase.
"So, what happened?"
"I don't know." Iva said between her sobs.
She clung tight to Ena, that shard of sound, the gunshot, stabbing her ears. Had it hit anyone.
The headcount once they'd hidden.
The shock that three of them were absent.
"I don't know."
Maybe the others had got away, but gone in a different direction. Maybe if she hadn't decided to go on The Long March none of this would have happened. If she was good all the rest of her life could they be okay? No, that wouldn't happen. She would never know.
"Mum will be excited to see you." Said Ena.
The thought of their mother only brought on more tears and memories. Mum had always been so patient, kind and unruffled by most things. She had never understood why everyone thought The Long March was so important. She thought getting on with other people was a better way of using time and energy than going off and never coming back. No one who went ever did come back, As Ena said. If they did come back it was because they gave up. They would be dishonoured for life. Mum just didn't think that was fair.
Along with mum, came memories of Dad, who loved them all and had a wicked sense of humour. Why did she ever leave? She wished she could have stayed home forever, but she had been young, newly married and feeling overly confident. When one of her friends said she was going on The Long March, Iva decided that was a good idea and persuaded Leone and Dione to come too. How would Mum and Dad be glad to see her? How would anyone love her again after she had been so mean? She fell into an exhausted sleep.
Epilogue.
In the years following the escape, a war was fought, Angele had a child she named Holly, the capital was taken over, Evan was executed for aiding in the escape. Etina had a child who she named Enia, and was subsequently imprisoned for life in the newly captured capital. Lana and Ivan also had a child who they named Alia. Chrystal died, leaving the ruling of the country to Ivan. Connal was kidnapped by Rhoda, Shine's nurse, who disappeared with Walter and Mirabell. Angele went into hiding with Iva's family. Chantel married Leone's brother, Manuel. Under assumed names, (Amiri and Carl), Leone and Iva attempted to inform the world of the truth regarding the Hidden City. They were unsuccessful and had to flee over the mountains on the outskirts of the capital, where they began a community focused on plants and animals.
"So, where are you going?"
Iva looked up from the magazine she was reading to see the familiar pale face of her sister; a little worn since she had last seen her, but still the same smiling girl sitting across from her.
"Ena! What are you doing here?" Iva attempted to rise from her seat, but was thrown back by the jolting of the bus.
"I'm going back to Mum and Dad. Where's Dione?" Ena broke off.
"He's in the bus behind this one, looking after Angele and Chantel."
Ena nodded slowly. "Aha, and who are they?"
"Some people we met in Ivan." Iva couldn't hide the tone of disappointment in her voice.
"What? Didn't you stay? I thought you and Leone and Dione were going to stay there forever. Nobody comes back from Ivan!"
Ena gripped the arm rest of her seat and looked at her sister in shocked confusion. Iva, borne down under the stress of the last few days, the last few years, slumped in her seat and looked hard at her brown skirt, biting the sides of her mouth to suppress the tears which she had kept back for hours.
"Well," she began in a small voice she was trying to keep steady, but which Ena had no chance of hearing. "Maybe they were kept from leaving."
She heard Ena unbuckle her seatbelt and stagger across the aisle to sit beside her.
"Where's Leone?" Said Ena, putting her arms around Iva.
Iva sniffed and croaked through her tight throat, "He's with Dione, I told him I'd be alright." she took out her hanky and blew her nose.
"He obviously didn't think so or he wouldn't have called and asked me to come." said Ena. This was too much for Iva. Sobs overpowered her. Leone was so thoughtful, even though he should be angry at her for persuading him to come on this wild goose chase.
"So, what happened?"
"I don't know." Iva said between her sobs.
She clung tight to Ena, that shard of sound, the gunshot, stabbing her ears. Had it hit anyone.
The headcount once they'd hidden.
The shock that three of them were absent.
"I don't know."
Maybe the others had got away, but gone in a different direction. Maybe if she hadn't decided to go on The Long March none of this would have happened. If she was good all the rest of her life could they be okay? No, that wouldn't happen. She would never know.
"Mum will be excited to see you." Said Ena.
The thought of their mother only brought on more tears and memories. Mum had always been so patient, kind and unruffled by most things. She had never understood why everyone thought The Long March was so important. She thought getting on with other people was a better way of using time and energy than going off and never coming back. No one who went ever did come back, As Ena said. If they did come back it was because they gave up. They would be dishonoured for life. Mum just didn't think that was fair.
Along with mum, came memories of Dad, who loved them all and had a wicked sense of humour. Why did she ever leave? She wished she could have stayed home forever, but she had been young, newly married and feeling overly confident. When one of her friends said she was going on The Long March, Iva decided that was a good idea and persuaded Leone and Dione to come too. How would Mum and Dad be glad to see her? How would anyone love her again after she had been so mean? She fell into an exhausted sleep.
Epilogue.
In the years following the escape, a war was fought, Angele had a child she named Holly, the capital was taken over, Evan was executed for aiding in the escape. Etina had a child who she named Enia, and was subsequently imprisoned for life in the newly captured capital. Lana and Ivan also had a child who they named Alia. Chrystal died, leaving the ruling of the country to Ivan. Connal was kidnapped by Rhoda, Shine's nurse, who disappeared with Walter and Mirabell. Angele went into hiding with Iva's family. Chantel married Leone's brother, Manuel. Under assumed names, (Amiri and Carl), Leone and Iva attempted to inform the world of the truth regarding the Hidden City. They were unsuccessful and had to flee over the mountains on the outskirts of the capital, where they began a community focused on plants and animals.
THE END :) 😁
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