Who Was Maira?

“Mum, its raining again...” Allan complained.

“Mum!”

“Mom's not here doofus, mom and dad are still at the mines right now.”

Allan a boy of eight sighed disappointedly.

“Sam will you play with me?”

“Sorry bud, I have some homework to do.”

“You always say that.” he huffed.

She ruffled his messy ear-length brown hair as she walked passed him and shut herself inside her room. Samantha was his older sister of sixteen, her hair was dark and messy just like his but a little longer.

“Mum and dad always work late...” he complained as he sat with his freckled nose pressed on the window pane.

The rain sizzled as it came down. Allan wasn't allowed to go outside in the rain, no one was. Mum and dad said that about forty years ago when they were young, something happened to the world. It started dying at an alarming pace. The animals died out quickly and in some places in the world many people died at once because the air grew bad. The countries around the world joined forces and split everything into sectors and then provinces. We lived in Sector F, Province N; it was a bit further away from the city, we lived near what was left of nature.

The water in the rivers and oceans had gone bad and anything that flew through the skies had also died. That's about all mum and dad told me and that the rain was dangerous, mum said it would hurt my skin. Oh and mum and dad always had to go work in the mines, everyone's parents had to. The world's leaders had gotten together and used there super big tech machines to drill deep holes into the earth, my parents and Jack's parents and all the others worked in the mines, excavating whatever was left of the earth just to survive.

Allan sat with his forehead and nose still planted against the living room window, watching the rain pitter-patter and sizzle for another good hour before it let up, the sun which also wasn't as bright as it used to be was already melting into the earth for the day. A familiar screeching of train brakes came to a halt outside followed by a loud whistle, Allan jumped off the sofa excitedly and ran for the front door, throwing it open in haste. Some water from the passing storm hit his arm, burning his skin.

“OUCH!” Allan said through clenched teeth.

He was slightly dizzy for a moment before he came to. It wasn't too bad actually, it only stung a little bit, it hadn't been a big drop. Mum and dad were coming down from the train so he quickly hid his arm behind his back and waited at the door. He jumped eagerly from left to right as they neared. Dad rubbed mum's shoulder lovingly as they walked over, they looked tired and very dirty from the mines.

“Mum!” Allan jumped out the door and into his mom's arms.

Nathan his father, caught her bags as she opened up to catch her son in a tight embrace.

“Ooof! Hi sweetheart!” she nuzzled her nose into his neck warmly. “How was your day? Was your sister good to you?”

Allan nodded, who also had his nose buried in her shoulder.

“Mum, you and dad are both late.” he murmured.

Jean sighed feeling a pang of guilt in her stomach.

Nathan tried to lighten up the mood, “Hey bud, guess what we found today in the mines?”

Allan slowly peeked over at dad, his face lighting up.

“Carrots! You found carrots!” he jumped down and grabbed the carrots, running back into the house to clean them quickly.

“Allan! Watch the puddles don't splash over your boots!” Jean called after him.

Nathan sighed. “Jeez when I was a kid I hated carrots, I loved chocolate and candy...Allan and Sam have never even seen those things...” his voice trailed off.

Jean kissed him on the cheek then. Her straight long dark hair framed her dark eyes and lashes, her cheeks were rosy from working so hard, she was stunningly beautiful in this moment. He kissed her forehead, letting his frustrations wash away and wiped some dirt off her cheek.

Both parents walked inside and collapsed into the chairs at the dinner table.

“Mom, dad, how was your day?”

Sam came out of her room to greet them, turning the tv on as she went.

“Ugh.” both parents answered her.

Some static buzzed on the tv. Sam walked back over and hit the top of the tv. Knocking it back into focus. Allan was busily scrubbing the carrots at the sink.

“On Sector By Sector talk today, looks like Sector A: Province R has excavated some amazing finds but are they selling them at too high a price? We go now to our contact in...”

The news went on for a bit in the background before it caught all their attention suddenly.

“Breaking news! This just in! Sector M has just collapsed! We aren't sure yet if the provinces within have all survived, another earthquake along that same plate it seems!”

“Shut that thing off now.” Nathan said.

He rubbed the throbbing headache at his temples. Allan brought the carrots to the table and went back to carefully retrieve a knife, he placed that too in front of his mum.

Jean smiled, “Alright dear, hold on a second.”

They all snacked on the carrots for a bit, passing along small talk, sitting around the little round dining table.

“Samantha did you two eat dinner already?” Jean asked.

“Sure did.” she responded through a teethy grin.

“Good girl. Sorry we're so late today.”

“Ah look how good our kids are, we have nothing to worry about!” Nathan said.

Jean huffed, “That doesn't mean its okay for us to come home late so often.”

Jean scooped up her son and hugged him in her lap, kissing him through his messy dark hair, he smiled from ear to ear. Allan cuddled with mum on the couch till he was well asleep that night, nothing was better then laying with mum.

The next day Allan waited for Jack near the dead river where they were never allowed to be. A sky with metallic hues of orange, metal and rust spread across the land above him like usual.

“Look Allan! Look what I found earlier today!” Jack shouted excitedly.

Jack held out a heart shaped locket necklace from his hand, it was a strange black metal.

“Looks cool.” Allan simply said.

“No it was like steaming off some rock when I found it! Anyways here, take it and hide it for me for now. Mom needs me back right away, I'll come back tomorrow, bye!”

Jack left so quickly that Allan hadn't the chance to respond. Was it safe to bring this home, it sounded strange? He walked a bit further from the river and laid in the grass, closer to the trees. He inspected the locket over and over in his hands against the ombre sky. It was then suddenly that the trees moved behind him. Startled he crawled backwards from that spot but it was in the next moment that a little girl, probably no older than him popped out from the trees. She had long straight blonde hair, wore an expensive looking red and white dress and red shoes to match. Hazel eyes stared back curiously at him; she looked like a doll.

“Hi!” her voice was melodic.

“H-hello.” Allan answered shyly.

“My name is Maira! What's yours?”

“Allan...” he knew he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers but she looked the same age as him.

“Do you wanna play with me?”

Allan nodded slowly, “Sure.”

They had run around for a bit when they finally both plopped down on the ground for a break.

Allan giggled, “you're alright Maira.”

Maira showed him a big smile with perfect white teeth, that is until she started coughing miserably. Allan didn't know what to do. Finally her coughing fit ceased.

“Are you ok?!”

She nodded quickly, wiping tears out of her eyes just as fast.

“Sorry if I scared you, I have this rare disease, makes me cough often.”

“I'm sorry...” Allan wasn't sure how to respond.

“Oh its okay! Don't be sorry, I'm okay!” she showed him another big beautiful smile and a thumbs up.

They sat side by side on a hill at the edge of the treeline facing the dead river. Everything looked brown, yellow and dead.

“Ya know...in my grandpa's journal, he says that the skies used to be blue and the rivers too.”

Allan was rolling the locket in his little fingers absentmindedly.

“Really?!” Maira's eyes lit up. “That's so cool!” she was quiet for a moment before she spoke up again. “Mama says the skies are blue beyond this life too, she says one day soon I'll be able to see it too.”

Allan looked over to see her smiling, always smiling. Did that mean she was dying? Wasn't she scared?

“Aren't you scared of your illness?” he asked finally.

“No, I'm not.” she answered.

He smiled. “You're pretty cool.”

“Hehe, thanks!” she grinned.

Something clicked in his fingers then and they both looked down at his hands, he had opened the locket.

“Wow what is that? Its so pretty!”

Inside the heart shaped locket was a strange sight to behold, both halves contained what looked like storm clouds swirling constantly, lightning seemed to flicker throughout.

After inspecting it some more Allan closed it shut and held it out to his new friend.

“Here, you can have it.” he smiled.

Her face lit up like what he heard the sun used to be like, at least from what he could imagine.

“Are you sure?” Maira asked.

“Yup!” Allan smiled his biggest smile.

He handed her the locket. It was in that same moment a lot of things happened. He saw some new technology suddenly revitalizing the world and then blood...lots of blood. He grabbed at his head, he felt like he was losing his mind. An ear piercing high pitch sound then filled every crevice of his mind and he fell unconscious.

Some time later:

Suddenly there was commotion in the hallways; panic. Nurses were rushing by the door.

“How horrible!” someone said as they ran by.

“I heard their sending some of us for reinforcements.” said someone else.

“I heard the entire sector collapsed!”

Allan mouthed the words...S E C T O R as his eyes fluttered open, then he heard his dad's voice.

“Excuse me,” Nathan had walked over and stopped a nurse, “did something happen?”

“Yes sorry I'm in a hurry, Sector M has just collapsed due to a massive earthquake.” the nurse answered quickly and left.

“Nate! Sam! He's waking up!”

Allan felt groggy and his head hurt, “What's going on? Where am I?"

" The hospital love, you ran into the rain that night to meet us...” his mother said.

She took her hand in his.

“I did? Wait, where's Maira? Where's the locket?”

“Oooh, who's Maira?” Sam teased.

“Samantha, not right now.” mom warned her.

Something strange crossed Allan's thoughts then, “What did that nurse say?”

“She said that Sector M collapsed, did you catch that? How horrible...all those people.” Jean responded sadly.

“Wait what?”

A cold sweat broke out across Allan's forehead. Was this what they called deja vu or something more? Allan a boy of eight was about to find out.