Age of Silence - bloodlines

Darkness draped over the sky like a blanket of nothingness. Living on the outskirts of the city, silence filled the air as Mari walked down her neighborhood street. Oak trees lined the perimeter of the houses in the area. They lived on the edge of Grunewald Forest, the largest green area in the city.

Mari climbed down into her home and dropped her bag onto the wood floor. The house was quaint but plenty big enough for her and her father. A wood stove in the family room heated the top floor. The walls and floors were made of oak. It was the kind of house you’d expect to see in the forest, but after the last earthquake, new homes were being constructed with earth friendly supplies.

Her weeks were always busy, but this one had been like none she’d ever had, and boiling under the surface was a rage, and a longing for revenge. Amidst everything, Mari feared that a shadow person had followed her home and was lurking outside. But she needed some rest to digest everything that was going on—especially the meeting with Veleda. Mari set her bag down next to the ladder contemplating whether or not she wanted to take a nap.

I’m exhausted.

Her father peered at her from the kitchen then walked over and greeted Mari. “How are you feeling, sweetie?”

“I’m going to take a nap.”

Her dad was in good shape, well above average height, and had dark hair. He was a good father, a good man. Understanding, strong, emotionally available and even funny sometimes. But he was not a buddy to his child. He knew where to draw the line and was big on cultivating a discipline with a compassionate approach, because he saw where it had gotten him in life. Mari’s rebellious streak definitely came from her father. He had served in the C.I.A., but had left to work for the Alliance. He wasn’t an active member anymore, but was periodically briefed about what they are up to. “Okay, sweetie, I’m here if you want to talk.”

She walked down the hallway into her room and plopped down on the bed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the owl feather. I wonder if this thing actually does anything? As she caressed the feather with her fingertips she desired to see her past self in her dreams again.

Mari stared at the ceiling wondering when she’d figure out what she was meant to do on earth. All of these people were telling her she had a purpose, but she felt lost. A pounding noise vibrated the sliding glass door. Pins and needles shot through her stomach. Then it sounded like chalk scratching a chalkboard. Jesus, Is someone cutting through the window? She was afraid to look but she had to. She jumped off of her bed and walked up to the door. She was scared to open it but she had to. Mari pushed the drapes and braced herself for that she would see.

It was gone. “Jesus, what was that?” I have to find out what that was. Mari opened the door and peered out to the left and right to make sure it was clear. She stepped into the back yard. The wind whistled through the fern leaves. She heard twigs snap at the edge of the trees. Mari didn’t hesitate. She dashed toward the forest and hurtled the fern bush fence, bark kicking up as she landed and sprinted into the forest.

Mari stared out the window at the crescent moon shining through the abyss of the sky. As the night grew deeper, the tension of the week was set free. Her papa had told her that since its inception, Berlin had been known as a party capital of the world. To this day that was still true, but now this once safe city had become like many other cities around the world, infested with murder, terrorist attacks, and chaos. It was quiet where Mari lived, but the city was about to explode in a furious madness.

Mari sat down on her bed, still spooked from what had happened in her room. The other day. Or was it last week? Mari was losing track of time. She stared out the window, angry that she never really felt safe in this city, in her life. Mari worried if whatever had pounded on her window was watching her. The dark thoughts inside her were growing. It all had started when her mother had been murdered years ago. She’d left to go to the store but had never come back. Mari and her father had found out while watching the news that she’d been murdered. The instant news of today was disheartening as people were being watched. They never found the killer, but Mari suspected it had been a shadow person. With her father’s connection to the police department, you’d think they would at least have found a lead, but they hadn’t; her death remained a mystery. These shadow people lurking must pay, she thought. She was tired of looking over her shoulder every time she left her house.

Her papa knocked on the door. “You okay, Mari? I heard a noise.”

Ugh, sometimes he’s too nosy. Mari opened the door and stormed out of her room without saying a word. She walked into the family room, waving her hand across the sensor on the projector box. A life size holographic image of a news anchor appeared in the center of the room. The projection stood in front of her, the colors vibrant with almost a human glow. Because of the economic crash, not all households didn’t have this sort of technology, but the technological breakthrough was breathtaking.

“NEWS UPDATE,”

Images of Baku’s latest speech in Berlin appeared in the sphere. Alliance released emails to the public aimed to expose President Baku’s association with terrorist group…

“You hear that, Papa?”

“Baku is not very popular these days.”

Her eyes glazed over. “I don’t understand how so many people are blind to the fact that the politicians with the most power are evil and corrupt.”

He handed her a warm cup of ginger tea. “What is your solution?”

She touched the owl’s feather in her pocket and looked out into the forest. “Set up a zero tolerance law with corruption and greed.”.”

Her father sipped his tea. “That easy, huh?”

“First of all we need to clear out the government and start over. Then we need to kick out the corporation and banks that are controlling the politicians.”

“How do you know they are controlled by corporations?”

“Then, we nominate and elect officals who are just. if they ever deviate from the principles that they vowed to uphold, they’re removed instantly.

Her papa stood back up and put his cup in the sink. “Unfortunately it’s not that simple.”

Mari was fuming, she was discussed by the excuses people have been making for politics for far too long. “That’s because these corrupt assholes have no intention to actually do what’s right. We have to kick them all out.”

Her father sat back on the couch as she continued on. “Most people don’t want freedom, they just want to be comfortable. If we stopped voting for them, we could start over and create a system build off of integrity.”

“That won’t happen…There will always be people that vote, we need to find another solution and that’s why I got involved with Alliance.”

“Just another organization that is too caught up in diplomacy. We just need to kill the corrupt corporate bosses and their puppet politicians.”