The Fall

If you’ve arrived here please start at Chapter 1

Chapter 3 AMAIA

The Valley, New Zealand. 209 years after The Fall.

Amaia is sound asleep when Marcus burst through the door. He is well into his seventh decade but is spritely and fit. He rushes noisily across the spacious room to the windows.

"Amaia, you have to get up!" 

Marcus pulls the curtains open. Sunlight streams in hitting Amaia in the face.

"Oh my god!" she groans. In all her 16 years, 7 of those years as rangatira she had never felt anyone respected her privacy.

"It’s urgent," Marcus says. Amaia sits up, angry.

"Doesn’t anyone knock, I could’ve been doing something."

"Like what?" Marcus asks as he pours some water into a tall glass. His hand shakes slightly.

"I don’t know, but nor would you if you knocked! I’m supposed to be your..." Marcus cuts in.

"We found someone." he gasps.

"What?"

"In one of the traps. Panea and Toa, caught a..." Marcus can't believe it himself. He gulps down Amaia's water.

"A what?" Amaia can't take this news in. It's too early and Marcus is known for being dramatic.

‘A boy! They caught a boy in the trap."

Amaia doesn't know what to think.

"What boy?" She can see he is serious. Marcus almost whispers, "He’s not one of us".

Amaia is stunned. She shakes herself awake.

"Ok, get out. I’m getting dressed." She jumps out of bed.

Amaia and Marcus rush down dimly lit flights of stairs.

"Where did he come from?" Amaia asks.

"We don’t know." Marcus puffs.

"How old is he? Like is he a kid?"

"No, not a little kid, it’s hard to tell."

"Well you’re a bundle of information aren’t you Marcus."

At the bottom of the stairs, they move along a darkened corridor. People have gathered at the end and peer through an iron gated doorway into a cell. They’re talking, gasping in amazement. There is a heavy loud voice coming from within the room. Amaia approaches the crowd.

"What’s Rātū doing?" she shouts. People turn and face her, then part letting her through to the iron door. Inside the room the boy is tied to a chair. Rātū stands over him gripping him by his hair. Panea and Toa stand by.

"Talk! Or we’ll...". Amaia cuts him off. "Ratu! Let me in!" She grips the iron gate, rattling it. Rātū stops and looks over at Amaia. "It’s not safe Amaia!"

"He’s tied up. Let me in!" Rātū isn't going to have it.

"Not until we find out who he is."

Amaia looks over to Panea who doesn't have to be asked. She crosses the room and unlocks the door. Rātū protests. "I’m here to protect you. If you don’t listen to me how can I do that?"

"Well, no one listens to me. They just walk into my bedroom like it’s a kitchen."

Marcus sighs.

Amaia approaches the boy. He is dirty, bruised and in pain. "What did you do to him?" she says inspecting his bruises.

"His injuries are from his fall," Panea says. "We caught him in a drop trap."

Rātū is in no mood for sympathy.

"His injuries are the least of his worries if he doesn’t talk."

Amaia's had enough of the mistreatment. "Step back away from him! Now!" Ratu eyes her. Steps back.

Amaia inspects the boy. She is gentle. "It’s Ok. No one will hurt you now," she reassures him. She looks angrily at Rātū. "Especially him." The boy is only slightly relieved.

"What’s your name? Where did you come from?"

He doesn’t answer. She looks around the room. The crowd at the door has grown as people push for a better view.

"Do you think he understands?" she asks. No one has an answer. He stares blankly at her.

"Water?", she asks.

The boy hesitates. Then nods. Panea passes Amaia a water container. She puts it up to the Boy's mouth. He drinks thirstily. Amaia is incredulous.

"You didn’t offer him water?"

Marcus clears his throat.

"We need to know who he is. There must be others!" his voice is shaking.

Amaia looks at the boy.

"You understand us?" she asks. The Boy nods, ‘yes’.

"Why won't you tell us your name?", she asks. The boy nods ‘no’. He looks around the room, wary but not scared.

"No what?"

She inspects him a little more carefully. Under his bruises and dirt, there is a scar on his neck.

"Can you talk?" she asks. The boy looks at the others, then back to Amaia. He nods, ’no’. This angers Amaia.

"Did anyone bother to think why he’s not talking?" she shouts.

"How do we know that's true?", Marcus asks.

"Ask him," Amaia snaps back. They're all are silenced.

The boy indicates more water. Panea fulls the bottle.

"What shall we do?" Marcus asks.

"He is our guest. The first guest we have had in 200 years." 

"He is a threat!" Rātū shouts. "There could be an army of people waiting to…”

"There is no army, Ratu. You know this. No one survived."

"Who is he then?"

"That’s what we’ll find out, soon enough", she answers. "He is our guest. Bring him to the Changeover celebration. He can eat with us after the proceedings."

Marcus is nervous. "We need to be cautious here." She ignores him.

"Clean him up and bring him!" She inspects the boy again. He looks tough. And hardened. Maybe she should be cautious.

"If he steps out of line I’ll do him myself. Now clean him up!" Amaia turns and leaves with Marcus in tow.

Rātū and Toa are angry. Panea smiles after Amaia with admiration as she moves toward the boy to untie him. Rātū grabs a bucket of water and splashes into the boy's face.

"Clean enough?" he growls, throwing the bucket aside.