Chapter 4
Seda
“Wake up, sleepyheads!” Benny burst through the bedroom door and jumped onto Seda’s bed, knocking the air out of her.
He ruffled her hair, which had come undone from the braid overnight while she slept.
Seda roughly pushed him off the bed and threw the blankets over her face with a loud groan.
Even though they were both adults, Benny was still a few years younger than Seda and just as annoying as when they were kids.
“Why did you give him a key again?” complained Cahir from his side of the room. He slowly rolled over and rubbed his sleepy eyes. “The guy has no sense of time. Why are you here so damn early?”
“Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that, but mostly I was awake and wanted to show you guys this,” Benny said while holding a newspaper. “It’s actually a little concerning.”
As the haunting prayer began to resonate through the apartment walls, they stayed silent, waiting for the song to end.
“Welp, it’s six AM,” said Benny when it finished. “I almost got this to you before the morning call.”
“Let me see,” Cahir said as he reached out to take the paper from Benny, his hair a messy tangle on top of his head. He shifted on the bed and looked at the paper, his eyebrows furrowing.
“This isn’t what I saw yesterday,” he said, biting his lower lip.
“What does it say?” Seda asked as she sat up, her interest now sparked. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned.
Cahir paused for a few extra seconds to reread it and bit his lip. “It says that because of recent Jotnar attacks, our food supply is now limited. Which roughly matches what I saw yesterday. But…”
“Why would Jotnar attacks affect our food supply?” Seda interrupted. “They’re outside the dome.”
“It doesn’t, and it also doesn’t say. But it does say that a couple of people were taken to the Camp yesterday for misbehavior in the food lines.
They’re encouraging everyone to stay calm and remember to follow the rules, especially the curfew.
It mentions they collected a few people, but I clearly saw thirty people loaded into cells.
Even the kids. The paper doesn’t mention anything about the kids.
” Cahir bit his lip again, and Seda noticed how his hand reached over his shirt pocket, possibly fiddling with the piece of paper beneath it that he had brushed off from the night before.
“You saw kids taken, Cahir?” Benny asked as his leg began to jump up and down, a nervous tic he’d had since childhood, his Gardvord uniform pants rustling with the movement.
“I came here wanting to tell you about the food. I had no idea you were there yesterday, and I’m glad you’re okay. Seda, were you there too?”
She shook her head. “I came home right after the Wyrd. Cahir went to grab the food with the tokens before too many others arrived. Seems everyone had the same idea.” She rubbed her shoulder, expecting there to be pain.
When she looked down, the scratches were gone; no pain, no sign that the bird had scratched her yesterday at all.
Interesting…
“I want to understand why the Jotnar attacks are impacting our food supply. We’ve been making significant progress lately in the Gardvord. I knew we had limits on how much we could distribute, but I didn’t realize that the Jotnar attacks were related to it,” said Benny.
Both Cahir and Seda nodded their heads. There was no logical explanation why the Jotnar’s attacking the dome had any impact on the food.
“Do you think Dad might know more?” Seda asked Benny. “Has he said anything to you recently?”
Jason was the top scientist at Gardvord.
He worked his way up from the Barrio as a child who had scored well and then moved to Orience, where he met Sara.
They started a family, and Jason chose to stay in Orience, despite his career taking off, so he could be close to the office.
He was the reason Seda always worked hard in her studies her entire life.
Benny shook his head. “No, and he isn’t in Orience for the next few days either. He has meetings in Cascade. Maybe it’s to discuss this? We can ask Mom if we see her today.”
Sara worked in the Gardvord as an orchardist, one of the lower levels within Orience. She found solace in getting her hands dirty and watching the trees grow, even though her test scores suggested she was more suited for a higher-paying career.
“You two, get ready so we can walk over together,” Benny said. “I’ll be waiting outside.”
As Benny left the room, Cahir got out of bed and looked over at Seda. “I’m concerned, Sed. What I saw last night isn’t what they said in the paper. I fear things are changing.” He paused and then continued, “We can find a new life together out there. Just consider it for me, please?”
This was the second time Cahir had mentioned leaving Joro in the past few hours. Where would they go? Outside the dome, dangers and miles of emptiness awaited.
Seda was speechless. She gazed at Cahir as her mind spun.
Cahir grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom to get dressed.
“Hey, Cahir?” Seda asked as he was passing the doorway. He paused with his back to her. “The Wyrd was a close call with us potentially being called. If I can get pregnant, then we wouldn’t have to talk or think about leaving. I want to go twice a week now for insemination, if that’s okay with you?”
He didn’t turn back to look at her and said in a muted voice, “Yes, we can go again tomorrow.” He stepped out of the room, and the door shut gently behind him.
After they dressed and said their prayers, they met Benny downstairs and began their walk to the Gardvord.
They passed multiple apartment buildings on the way out, alongside others also heading to work.
They walked by a couple of people with confused looks who were quietly arguing while looking at the morning’s paper.
Cahir watched them as they walked by, but Seda looked away.
They made their way up the long gravel path to the entrance of the Gardvord, where each of them pulled out their ID cards.
Benny scanned his and walked through the open door while Cahir and Seda waited for their turn.
Due to recent security concerns, a new protocol was implemented, allowing only one person through the door at a time, and the door quickly sealed shut after the approved person entered.
Cahir held out his hand to let Seda enter next. Seda scanned her card and walked through the doorway, the smell of soil and chemicals hitting her nose. She tucked her card back into her blue uniform pocket and stepped aside so Cahir had room to enter.
“Let me know if you catch Mom today. Will ya, Seda?” Benny asked over his shoulder as he walked toward his department.
“Sure thing. Let me know what you find out, too.” He gave her a mock salute, just like the Rozzers, and walked down the hall, away from the two.
As they began walking toward their office, Cahir slipped his arm around Seda’s shoulder, and the frayed opening on her uniform from the bird made her skin rub against his.
They passed by a few other workers wearing the same blue uniform along the way.
No one said anything to them as they went by, too focused on their work to notice.
They approached their office and entered once more. As Seda stepped into the room, she took in the scent of paper and ink, and a sense of comfort enveloped her. Her work was her refuge, a haven of normalcy and quiet ease, a steady rhythm from the chaos outside the walls.
She and Cahir were the only workers in this department now. Their former coworker, Esper, was taken to the Camp during a previous Wyrd six months ago. Like them, Esper and her partner, Diantha, had been trying to get pregnant through artificial insemination for years.
Seda sat down at her desk and turned on the computer, keying in her passcode. Cahir sat across from her, watching her intently. “Seda, there is something…” he paused as if he didn’t know how to say the right words.
“What is it?” she asked as she waited for the computer to load fully.
“Well…” He moved his lips, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat. “I mean, there are things I want to tell you. Can we walk home alone tonight, and I can try?”
“Why…” Seda began.
“It’s just… something,” he interrupted her and paused. “Better said while on a walk home tonight. I love you, Sed.”
She glanced up from her computer at him, her gaze locking onto Cahir’s smile once more—the same smile that had left many girls blushing. His emerald eyes seemed to plead with her to say yes.
“Of course, Cahir. I love you, too.”
The day mostly passed in silence as they worked, entering data quietly. At lunchtime, Cahir pulled out a couple of bananas and some chips for them to share.
Around three in the afternoon, Seda stood up, stretched her legs, and looked over their workstation at Cahir.
He was asleep… again!
She threw an eraser from her desk at his head, but Cahir’s hand shot up and caught it before it smacked him in the face.
Dammit! Almost had him.
He lifted his groggy head, and Seda saw the peel from the banana he’d eaten earlier stuck to his cheek.
“What did I miss?” he asked, the banana peel moving as he spoke.
She fought back a smile. “Wanna go for a walk? I want to see if I can find my Mom. She likes going for walks around this time.”
“I don’t know, Sed. I’m kinda busy here with work.” Cahir grinned mischievously as he got up from his chair, removed the banana peel from his face, and held out his arm for her to take.
“You really need to stop sleeping at work.”
“I was inputting calculations in my brain,” he joked. “It’s called discrete mathematics for a reason.”
Seda rolled her eyes and accepted his outstretched arm.
They left their office and walked down the long hall to the entryway, then stepped outside.
They wandered around, watching the bees dance around the gardens, then headed toward the orchard’s side entrance.
Both Seda and Cahir scanned their cards and went inside.
Sara sat on a bench near the trees, crying as she clutched a piece of paper in her hand.
“Mom! What happened?” Seda asked as she ran up to her.
“Oh, hi sweetie.” Sara wiped her brown eyes with her uniform sleeve.
Her hair was a bit messy, with half of it coming out of her braid.
“I just got…” Sara paused and held out the letter for Seda to take.
“I just got this letter from the Palatium. It seems your father was taken to the Camp for misbehavior.”
“Misbehavior?” Benny paced back and forth in the orchard between two trees, biting his nails. “Dad exemplifies the best qualities of society!”
Jason always followed the rules and encouraged his children to do the same, setting an example for them to follow.
The letter, unfortunately, did not say much.
It was addressed to Sara and family, indicating that last night, around six in the evening, Jason Arbor had been taken into custody for misbehavior and was being transported to the Camp as soon as possible, and that they wished for a quick rehabilitation, given his status.
Seda sat on the bench next to Sara, her worry about her father growing heavier with each passing thought. Was he okay? Did they hurt him like how she saw that man the day of the Wyrd?
The news was so overwhelming that the cool concrete bench was the only thing holding her steady, stopping her from collapsing to the ground. Would this mean she would never see him again?
“What could Dad even have done? Mom, do you know why he was in Cascade?” Benny asked.
Sara shook her head as she nervously twiddled with the hem of her dress. “No, darling, he did not tell me why he went there. Just that he had meetings with some officials and would be back in a couple of days.”
Cahir was standing behind Seda, and she numbly felt him touch her shoulders, doing what little he could to offer her comfort.
“What if I go to Cascade and try to talk to someone on that side of the Palatium?” Benny suggested.
“Please, no,” Sara said. “I cannot have something happen along the way, and you possibly being taken as well. I couldn’t handle it. All we can do is pray to Lord Mordred for your father’s rehabilitation.”
Seda agreed. There really was no way to get to Cascade in time, especially with the curfew approaching soon. Benny would definitely get caught being out after hours. He wasn’t the best at being sneaky and often got into trouble as a child.
But they had to find some answers. The letter didn’t give them any valuable information to move forward.
“What if I go?” Cahir suggested.
Seda looked up at him suddenly and exclaimed, “No!”
Cahir and Seda rarely left each other’s sides. She couldn’t bear the thought of her best friend going to the Camp if he got caught.
“Seda, I can help with this. Let me see if I can find some answers.” Cahir’s gentle eyes met hers.
“Seda is right. You shouldn’t go, Cahir. You two are trying to start a family. I can make some calls and see if I can find some more answers,” Sara suggested as she lightly patted her swollen eyes.
“I love Jason, too. He is as much my family as you are, Seda.” He looked back down at Seda.
She vehemently shook her head again.
“Seda, he wants to help. Maybe he can find some answers for us,” Benny said as he sat beside her, nervously shaking his leg. “Please? I’m really worried about Dad. It has to be a misunderstanding. We both know they won’t answer when Mom calls.”
“But what about curfew?” she asked, her voice cracking.
“I’ll arrive before curfew and find a safe place to stay overnight. Then, first thing in the morning, I’ll look for answers. I’ll try to meet you here tomorrow afternoon with an update. Maybe I can arrive before he gets transferred to the Camp and see if we can work something out,” Cahir answered.
Seda did not like the idea. She couldn’t recall a time when someone could interrupt the process, but her father was probably scared and alone, and he was a high-society member.
Maybe rules could bend sometimes?
She stood up, spun around, and wrapped her arms around him. She inhaled his cedar scent and whispered into his shoulder, “Thank you, Cahir. Please be safe, I can’t do all of this without you.”
He leaned in, gently kissed her forehead, then pulled away. He softly brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb and offered a tender smile. “Would you mind staying with your family tonight while I’m away? What if another bird breaks through a window?”
She let out a strained laugh and nodded before watching Cahir walk out the door, leaving her alone for the first time in five years.
“Bird?” Benny asked.