2085

Bex Meere woke up early to the heat, like every other day for as long as she could remember. She stretched out on her cot before putting her thin pale feet on the sandy ground. Bex was 5’ 6” with deep red hair and freckles all over. Freckles that seemed brighter when Bex was excited. You see, she had celebrated her fifteenth birthday just two days earlier and that meant she was no longer a child and could now leave the safety of her home, the mine.

Before her birthday Bex was a considered a child in her clan and had to stay inside the mine. As a child she went to “learning time,” did chores to help the clan but most importantly she learned the history of the new world. She’d heard the story so many times she knew it by heart:

“In the year 2030 earth was scorched. The sun underwent a series of solar flares. These flares not only caused damage as they were happening but they also raised the constant temperature of the sun. Temperatures soared all over. The ice caps melted and oceans dried up… all the surface water did. The world was a desolate desert.

Those that had survived the solar flares took to the ground for relief from the surface. Like-minded people banded together in clans to survive. That is how our clan was formed. We took shelter in this copper mine. Now we scavenge things from the world before to enrich us and trade for things needed. The last 65 years have been humanities worst fears realized. Now, we, the Copper Clan must thrive to survive.”

Bex got dressed; her clothes were old and looked as if they had come from a patchwork quilt. Normally she would complain while getting ready but not today. Nothing was going to dampen her mood today. Today she was going on her first scavenge. Bex couldn’t decide what she was most excited about, the scavenging itself or the chance to finally go outside?

As she passed people on her way to check in with Emit she let her mind wonder to what she might find… “Oh, I’m sorry,” Bex said as she bumped into a table made of crates. “My mind was…”

“On your first trip outside. It’s ok. I was the same way,” Kerk laughed. Kerk was Bex’s best friend. They had spent their whole lives in the mine together, well, all of her life, since Kerk was a year older. After getting their breakfast, if you could call a dry cracker type bread breakfast, they scampered off to find Emit.

Emit was barely twenty-one but he was next in line to lead the clan; only because he was the best scavenger in the clan in the shortest amount of time. The items he brought back were very useful. Things like: books, pots and pans, clothes, and best of all food and water. Emit was everyone in the clans favorite but he wasn’t very nice and that bothered Bex. In her mind a leader should be fair, honest, and kind. Emit missed on all marks.

Upon checking in with Emit, Bex and Kerk received a shovel, a bag, and a cactus cladode each. As she approached the mines entrance the light hurt her eyes. She was blinking so much her eyes began to water. Everyone in the group began to laugh her, everyone but Kerk. He rolled his eyes, gave her a quick smile, took her hand and pulled her along. It didn’t take long for her eyes to adjust. She was stunned. She was always told there was nothing outside but she never thought it would just be sand. Emit took notice of her expression, “It’s a lot of nothing. Stop looking like you’ve never seen nothing. We see nothing every day.”

“I guess, I just thought, I don’t know, that there would be more than just sand piles,” Bex said. Then she asked, “How do we get back? Which way are we going?”

“Listen here Bex the hex, don’t worry about it. I’m in charge. Just do what you’re told like a good little girl,” Emit yelled in her face.

From behind Kerk pulled Bex out of the way, “Leave her alone! Just because you’re in charge doesn’t mean you can yell at her. And don’t ever call her that again!” He turned to Bex as the group began to walk again, “Are you ok?”

“Absolutely,” Bex lied with tears in her eyes.

“If you say so,” Kerk said sadly. “By the way, the mine is that way,” he pointed East.

Bex spent the rest of the walk quiet. Her thoughts roamed to “Bex the hex,” a name given to her by some of the clan that thought her responsible for the deaths of three clan members. When she was just a small girl of four years her father left with two others for a scavenge and never returned. Normally, this wouldn’t be blamed on one of the clan but Bex’s father had gone in search of books; books for her benefit. Those that knew why he’d left that day blamed her when he and his group didn’t return.

“There! Emit Look!” a girl in the group yelled. Everyone, not just Emit, stopped to look. On the horizon they could see another clan. “Hide!”

“NO! RUN!” Emit yelled as he took off.

Bex was already half way hidden in the sand when she realized that nobody else was hiding. She looked around and all she could see was another clan coming her way. What else could she do? Run, no that could get her captured or worse. Better to just hide. Thanks to her love of knowledge and Kerk pointing East she was sure she could get back once it was safe.

From her hiding spot in the dune she saw a group of men with swords. They were loud; laughing and talking in a langue she couldn’t quite make out. Every few steps the men would stop and dig a small hole looking for water. Bex couldn’t help but fidget when she was scared, and she was way past scared.

Night fell before the Sword Clan, as Bex had named them, moved on. Bex was smart, she knew that it was going to be hard to find the mine in the dark. So she hunkered down for the night and ate her cladode. Sleeping in the sand was weird compared to her cot. The sand seemed to swallow her at times. Bex finally got comfortable enough to sleep but that was short lived…

RUMBLE! THUD, THUD, STOMP!

Bex’s eyes flew open. Something was outside. Did the Sword Clan come back with more men? Was it her clan coming back for her? Before she knew it her sand hole was caving in. Then, SWOOSH! Bex was rolling downhill. As she came to a stop and lifted her head she saw the biggest lizard ever. She had read about them once during learning time. They looked like interesting creatures in the book but in real life they were downright frightening. Long like a mine shaft, dry like sand, and faster than anything she’d ever seen.

The sun’s rays came burning down just in time to see the lizard go over the next dune. Finally, she could go back to the mine. She stood up slowly; looking around cautiously. Her plan was to head East as quickly as she could but the desolate desert wasn’t done with her yet. Turned out the giant lizard was headed East as well. Bex used this to her advantage. She followed the lizard, at a distance of course, keeping her tracks within the lizards. Her hope was that nothing would follow the lizard, making her journey safer.

Bex had been walking for a while when she saw a bright piece of sand just ahead. As she approached she saw it wasn’t sand but a sparkly gold heart. Bex reached down and pulled. Up came a gold heart locket on a chain. Bex had never seen anything so beautiful. She put it over her head, looked down, and opened it. Just her luck, Empty!

After standing in awe of her new charm Bex couldn’t help but wonder if this dune held more than one lonely locket. She dropped to her knees and began to dig. The sand was like fire on her hands but even the blisters didn’t stop her. It felt like an eternity had passed when Bex hit something solid. It was a huge glass dome.

Thunk! Thunk! Bex was kicking at the dome trying to crack it when she heard a familiar voice. “You’re alive! I was worried. What happened to you?” It was Kerk and he wasn’t alone, he’d brought a whole rescue group.

“I hid,” Bex answered crying. “Is there an elder with you?” Bex asked wiping her face with her sleeve. Kerk nodded and pointed to the group. “OK. Good. Can you please break this open?” She asked pointing to the dome.

Kerk and the others began opening the dome while Bex went to talk to the elders of the clan. She was in the middle of explaining what had happened when the dome broke. Everyone, elders included, went to see what the dome held. To their surprise it was a mall. Tons of old stores with lots of good supplies.

As the finder it was up to Bex what to do with it. Her idea didn’t take long. “A trading post!” Bex announced to the elders. “It’s huge, has supplies that are now ours, and we can keep the mine if we work in shifts.”

The elders agreed without so much as a thought. Some of the rescue group stayed behind to guard the new ‘Copper Clan Trading Post,’ while Bex and the elders went back to the mine. She had just finished telling the rest of her story when they reached the mine. Her clan was glad to see her return safe. Well, everyone except Emit. He was no longer the clan’s favorite, Bex was.

Bex wore her locket proudly every day. The sparkly gold heart was the new symbol of the Copper Clan’s leader. Bex the hex was no more, Bex the brave was there to stay, helping her clan thrive to survive.