Elevation 2: The Rising Tide. Helen Brain

an order. A soldier pulls Lucas away from the wall and rips off his blindfold. He stands alone on one side, facing his family: Twenty-two of them, backs to the wall.

      “Ready … aim … FIRE!” yells Major Zungu.

      I jerk away as shots ring out. A child screams.

      Then there’s silence.

      When I open my eyes the bodies of the Poladion family lie crumpled on the ground. A spray of blood stains the white wall.

      I lean over and vomit, spewing out the horror of the pure evil that stands next to me, stiff-jawed and impervious.

      When I am able to stand, Mr Frye pulls me close to him. I feel myself shake against his chest.

      “General, I think I should take Miss den Eeden home. We’ll take Lucas Poladion too, if that’s not an inconvenience,” he says softly.

      The general shrugs. “As you wish, Frye. As you wish.” He turns on his heel and leaves.

      “This way, Ebba.” Mr Frye leads me down the stairs flanked by the stone lions. I avert my eyes, away from the bodies. When I see Cassie’s feet in her gold sandals out of the corner of my eye, I vomit again.

      Lucas is still standing alone to the side. Mr Frye puts his arm around his shoulder. “Come along, Lucas. We’re taking you to Greenhaven.”

      He looks at us unseeing, his blue eyes huge in his face. Huge, and completely empty.

      *

      WHEN THE COACHMAN drops us back home, Aunty Figgy goes straight to Lucas. She takes him by the shoulders and examines him. “Lucas, what have they done to you?” She brushes his hair off his face, but he doesn’t react.

      Then Isi runs to him, places her front paws on his chest and whines. He strokes her head, and it’s the first sign of life I’ve seen from him.

      “Come inside,” Aunty Figgy says putting an arm around his waist. “I’ll make you some tea.”

      When Lucas has gone inside, Isi comes to me and pushes her nose into my hand. She follows me into the house, staying close to my heels.

      Aunty Figgy is clucking around Lucas, putting him into the chair nearest the fire, chopping fresh herbs to make him a soothing tea. While the tea is brewing, she looks for sheets and pillowcases in the linen cupboard.

      “Ebba, go and make up the bed for Lucas in the yellow bedroom,” she calls to me.

      I need to tell her about the execution, about the tiny baby, about the dead family, but I can’t. Not in front of him. So I do what I’m told. Isi pads along after me, and her nose nuzzles my leg until I sink onto the carpet in the yellow bedroom, and she crawls onto my lap. She looks up at me, and I know she understands what I am feeling.

      “What am I going to do, girl?” I murmur. I’m not going to cry. I’m not. If I do, I might never stop. She licks my hand as I tell her, “The general is a total and utter bastard. We thought the High Priest was bad, but the general is a million times worse.”

      Aunty Figgy calls down the passage. “Are you nearly done, Ebba? It’s almost dinnertime.”

      I sigh, get up and make the bed as best I can with my bandaged arm, wishing it were the end of the day and I could crawl into my own bed and sleep until the nightmare playing in my head is over and the throbbing ache in my shoulder is gone.

      The pile of bodies.

      Cassie’s gold sandals.

      The baby, held so tightly in her mother’s arms.

      Hal …

      How will I ever get these images out of my head?

      At dinner, I’m too upset to eat. I push my stew around the plate. Lucas has joined us at the table, but he’s not eating either. He hasn’t said a word yet. He just stares with those huge eyes. He’s in shock, I can see it.

      “What happened with the general?” Fez asks as he eyes my plate of food. “Can I have that if you’re not going to eat it?”

      I push the plate towards him. “Be my guest. The general wanted me to join the council.”

      Leonid turns to me, his face darkening. “You didn’t agree, did you? Or didn’t you have the balls to refuse?”

      My cheeks are burning. “What could I do? And at least it gives me some power. I got him to agree to let out fifty girls. And …”

      They stare at me like I’m a criminal.

      “And … if I’m on the council, I can find out what happened to Micah, and …”

      They’re still frowning. It’s freaking me out.

      “And …”

      What can I do to show them I’m on their side? Then I remember the papers. I grab them from the dresser and wave them in the air.

      “And guess what?” I exclaim, trying to sound cheerful. “None of you need worry about being arrested – we’re all citizens now. Even you, Shorty.”

      I pass the papers to Fez, Letti, Shorty and Jasmine.

      Jasmine points to the paper I’m still holding. “Who’s that for?”

      “Micah. For when he comes back …” My voice shakes slightly.

      Leonid’s chair screeches as he pushes it back. He walks out, slamming the door behind him.

      Jasmine jumps up. “You bitch. Your own half-brother, and you didn’t think to make him a citizen too? No, you were too busy making sure that your boyfriend was taken care of! And you don’t even know if he’s alive!”

      Staring at the shocked faces around me, I go cold. Leonid … and Aunty Figgy – how could I have forgotten them? She’s like a mother to me, and I didn’t even think to ask for her citizenship.

      She leans over and squeezes my hand. “Don’t you worry about me,” she says. “I don’t want to be a citizen. I’m a Boat Bayer, and I will be until the day I die.”

      Letti is the first to break the mood. “Does this mean we get to stay in the house?” she asks brightly. “If so, I book the room with the pink curtains.”

      “And I want the blue one with the bookcases,” Fez says.

      I remember how, when I came alone to Greenhaven, straight from the colony, I imagined having my sabenzis in the house with me, each with their own room. Now it’s come true, but I never imagined it would be as difficult as this.

      “Where will you sleep, Jas?” Letti asks. “You needn’t share with Aunty Figgy anymore.”

      “There’s the yellow room,” Fez says. “That can be your room.”

      “Lucas is in the yellow room,” I say, and instantly regret it.

      “Actually, you know what?” Jasmine snarls. “I don’t want your stupid citizenship. You can keep it. And your ugly bedroom. I’ll stay one of your servants, like Leonid. I’ll move down to the coach house and share his room. At least I’ll have some integrity.”

      Letti gasps. “But you can’t sleep with him. It’s wrong –”

      “Don’t be so childish, Letti,” Jasmine snaps.

      Throughout it all, Lucas has sat dead still, staring at his untouched plate.

      Only his right leg jiggles under the table, faster and faster, and it feels like there’s a swathe of grey energy swirling around him that no one can break through. But suddenly he pushes back his chair, gets up and walks out.

      I jump to my feet. “Lucas, stop! Please stop. They don’t mean it. You’re very welcome here, I promise you.” I follow him down the passage and out