To my sister, Chloe-Anna. You always read my short stories even if they are boring. Her is one more for you to enjoy. I love you so much!!
I am Rosa Davis, and I am trapped in Timoria, the place of punishment. There are three huts in the middle of this entrapment; one is for girls, one for boys, and the other for meals. We don’t do much eating in there, seeing as it is really hard to get a good meal, but we choose to stay inside so we don’t have to see the monsters that are being held back by a tiny electric picket fence that only reaches my waist.
They call them dinosaurs, but we call them monsters; because that is what they are. They live in a twenty-foot-wide loop, which is the space between our picket fence and the steel dome that covers all of us. They stomp around and make a ruckus. We are all so scared.
There are only two doors to the outside world; the first is fifty feet tall and thirty feet wide. When they want to lock the dinosaurs up, they throw human bait into a giant pen on the other side.
The second door is small, maybe four feet tall. We call this the Door of Hope, because it is.
At twelve o’clock every night they lock the monsters up and give anyone who dares nine seconds to run from the fence to the dome, all the way to Hope. But on the tenth second they close the doors and let the dinosaurs out. If you are caught between the Camp and the Door of Hope, you’re a dead kid.
Why are we even here? Because all of us have something in common; our parents are Rebels. They don’t believe in the “new government”, and to keep them from causing damage to the High Ruler, the soldiers capture their kids. If a parent does something against them, the child will be sent to the dinosaurs to be used as bait or amusement for the workers that watch us through little tiny cameras.
My little brother Tern is eight years old. Every day we practice running really fast. When I decide he is ready, we’ll attempt to run for Hope. If we don’t make it, we could find ourselves bait for the next midnight amusement. And, of course, I don’t want that to happen.
A boy comes up to me. He has overheard a rumor saying that he may be tonight’s bait. His little sister Maggie is too young to fend for herself. He wants me to take care of her. I want to, but this means that I can’t take Tern and I to safety. Surely he knows that a four year old can’t run that fast?
“Sorry Nolan,” I say, “It’s every man for himself,” I look at him and our eyes meet. His blue gaze flickers with worry, and then he smiles.
“Thanks Rosa, I knew you’d be willing,” And he nods his head slightly and saunters away. If he’s hoping to make me feel guilty that I didn’t agree, he’s wrong. I don’t care if his little sister is all alone; I just need to get out of here.
Later that night, just after I put Tern to bed in the boy’s hut, I heard the midnight processions begin. Stepping outside I saw that the blazing white lights on the dome were flashing and the siren was wailing. Four children huddle by the gate, waiting for midnight to come. Walking over to them, I realize that one is a girl I know.
Her faded red tunic is short and ragged. Her long blonde hair lies in curly locks that she brushes every day with a plastic fork. Amidst all of this, she remains the prettiest girl alive. And now she is leaving.
“Lucy,” I say, “Run fast, okay?” I pat her head gently. She nods. “Good,” I say, “And promise me that you’ll try and contact my Father. Tell him to hang on just one more week, okay?”
“Okay Rosa,” She whispers. Then she turns away, getting as close to the fence as she can without getting electrocuted.
“Hey, Lucy?” I say, calling her attention back. “Who did they send to the Bait today?”
“I want to say it was Nolan Robertson, why?” She asks.
“He left me a gift I don’t really want,” I reply grudgingly, “A thirty pound present.”
The light turns red and they gate swings open. Lucy, along with the other three, runs for Hope. I hold my breath until I see her disappear to the outside world. Then the door closes. A small boy doesn’t make it. I watch as he shouts in alarm and runs back to the fence. But the gate has closed as well, and the dinosaurs have been let out. I plug my ears and look away. I don’t want to remember his screams.
I run to the girls hut, hoping to escape the nightmare I live in. But it is no use.
I hear her crying in the far corner. I know the adorable little brunette is there, even though I cannot see her. The sirens have stopped, and the lights are dimming, but the dinosaurs can still be heard. Sitting down next to her, I wrap my arm around her tiny shoulders.
“Come on Maggie,” I whisper, “Time for bed,” Without a single sob, she stands up and takes my hand.
“Thirty-four,” She says quietly, “Bunk number thirty-four,”
“Okay,” I say, leading her to her bed. “You are three places down from me, if you need me,”
“Stay,” She whispers. So I watch her lay down and close her eyes, her little lips moving as she prays to herself.
“What on earth am I going to do with you?” I say, not expecting an answer.
“Teach me to run,” She says, opening her eyes and smiling at me through her tears. Maybe, just maybe, this little girl can do it.
Two days later I find myself watching as the nimble four year old outruns my brother of eight in a heartbeat. She runs like a wild horse. I tell her this, and she asks what a horse is.
“A horse is a large animal with four long legs. Some people ride them on seats that strap around the horse’s belly,” I explain to her, “I have only seen them in old picture books because we mostly use Solar Cars nowadays. But the horse is strong, fast and beautiful. My mother, Dr. Davis, worked in the Time Lab, which is a scientific laboratory that specifically works with time. She was able to bring things from the past and put them here, in our time. She told me that when she got the chance, she would bring back a horse for me to ride.”
“Did your mother bring good things from the past?” Maggie asks. Tern, who was never really interested in this story until now, leans forward to listen.
“Mostly good. She usually brought back animals and plants, seeing as we really don’t need any more technology. Once she brought back the eggs of a chicken, which I guess is a kind of bird.”
“What bad things?” Tern prompts. “Did she bring the monsters?”
“Yes,” I say, “She didn’t know what they were at the time. No one did. The stories of dinosaurs were lost in history until she brought back some research books and scrolls. Turns out they were more dangerous than our war weapons. In here, in this arena, we only get the weak ones.”
“Oh,” Maggie whispers, “So, out there they have bigger ones?”
“Sure they do Mags!” Tern exclaims excitedly, hardly noticing the shaking girl, “Bigger and meaner, with sharper teeth and longer legs. Why, just one could wipe out all the peasants in the region,”
“My mommy is a peasant in the region,” She says before standing up and gazing at the giant T-rex that stomps around. His tiny arms wag, useless because they are so small. His giant tail flicks happily as the younger dinosaurs hopped about his legs.
A velociraptor tumbles into view, his herd of seven follows close behind. It is a wonder that they don’t try to eat each other.
Maggie sits down as quickly as she stood. I stare at Tern, then at Maggie. My eyes roll to the tip of my head. I am just about done dealing with little children.
“Go and play somewhere,” I shoo them off, “I need some regenerating time,”
I walk over to the gate-keeper, the man who patrols the fence and keeps it in order. He is tall, with light skin and blue eyes. He looks at me and smiles. “Why, Miss Rosa, how nice to see you today,”
“Hello Abdu,” I say, “I have a question,”
“I have an answer,” He smiles again, displaying his neat grin.
“What is there on the outside of the dome?”
“I don’t know,”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You’ve been out there, haven’t you?”
“Miss Rosa, I came here when I was two years old. Somehow I made it to be ten without becoming Bait, but I was too cowardly to escape. Finally, I reached my eighteenth year and they had me replace the old gatekeeper because a Rex got him the month before. I’ll be here till I die I’m afraid.”
“Oh,” I say, sorry that I brought it up. But the question nags at my very being, and I just have to press his patience, “was it worth it?”
“Not at all,” He shakes his head and continues, “See, because I was scared, I missed my chance. Surely life out there is better than watching children exceed me in every aspect of bravery, and making something real of themselves along the way?”
“Yeah,” I nod, “But it is worth risking the lives of little children?”
“That isn’t the question, Rosa.” His face becomes dark and eerie.
“Then what is the question?” I throw my hands to my hips in frustration.
“Are you brave enough to do it?” He whispers.
“I don’t know,” I say, “I have no idea.”
“Figure that out first, and then come talk to me,” He says. “Now off you go. You have some thinking to do,”
Sulkily, I turn away. Great, now the only grownup here is a nut-job and the children are no different. I am only twelve, why should I face my biggest fears? Why should I have such an uncertain tomorrow? I’m supposed to be fresh and new and boisterous. Yet I walk with a limp and teach my own brother how to survive. I take care of someone else’s little girl because they are all killed or imprisoned. I eat 900 calories maximum per day when I should be having much more.
I am not normal.
“Rosa?” I hear Maggie’s voice, “I heard that they chose Tern,”
“What?” I say, “Who told you this?” I swing myself at her, angrily. No one makes my brother the Bait—no one.
“Senta Maples, the whiz kid,” Maggie answers, flinching at my actions. “She is the one who told me when Nolan was going. She doesn’t lie,”
“When?”
“Tomorrow night. We need to leave,” She says. She speaks like she is an adult already, even though she is only four.
“Okay, where is Tern?”
“He is already at the gate. We need to be the first ones out if we’re going to make it,”
“Who told you that?” I ask. Common sense isn’t usually one of a former toddler's strong suits.
“Nolan told me to go if you didn’t take care of me. He told me how to do it,” She says, her knotted brown hair covering her eyes. “Midnight is in four hours, but people are already starting to flock the gate.”
In no time we make our way to the fence. Abdu nods respectfully at me, and I smile at him. He comes and hugs me tightly.
“Live my dream,” He says quietly, “Live it well,”
I don’t answer, I can’t answer. All I can do is hug him back and find comfort in it.
“If one of us can’t make it, can you save them?” I ask.
“It’s too dangerous,” He answers.
“So is what I’m about to do,” I reply, “So is life and everything in it. If you ever want to live a worthy life, then you have to fight a worthy cause. Be noble Abdu, it’s what you’re made for,”
“Little Rosa,” He says, cupping my face with his hand, “I will try my best.”
We wait for midnight to come. The Bait is set and the dinosaurs are locked up. The sirens wail and the flashing white lights turn red. The gates open and we burst forth. I pull the younger ones behind me, but Maggie falls and I must let go. Tern and I reach the Door of Hope and it begins to shut. We hold it open as best we can while Maggie gets back up, attempting to limp the rest of the way.
She is on her knees now, crawling her way to the door, but the seconds are up and it continues to close. I am screaming for her to hurry because I am no match against a moving steel wall.
Abdu runs for her, picking her up and thrusting her through the little space that’s left. The door is still closing now, but I catch a glimpse of my grownup friend. There is no time for him to run back, and I heard the dinosaurs being freed.
He smiles at me, even though he knows his fate.
As soon as the door closes, I have a look around. We are in some kind of elevator. A woman speaks through a monitor on the wall.
“Congratulation’s,” The voice is high and feminine. “You have earned not only your freedom but that of your family as well. You and your family will be shipped off to 2018, a time where everything is possible,”
“We did it guys,” I look at the younger children. “We’re free!” I don’t know what the future holds, and I don’t know what to think. But I have survived Timoria, and will now have hope for a better life.
I close my eyes and remember the last bit I saw of this horrid place: Abdu’s final smile. “Live my dream,” His eyes seemed to say, “Live it well,”
“I promise Abdu,” I whisper, “I promise,”