The Wastelands

Four Years Later.

Lilia Spencer was sleeping underneath a tree when her eyes jerked open, startled from a nightmare… just in time to see a slender leg coming toward her unprotected side. She caught the foot and flipped the person attached, in one effortless motion. The fight ended with Lilia standing over the attacker, her foot on their c.h.e.s.t.

Lilia's eyes widened in recognition. "Stella, what are you doing?" She looked down at the wriggling, brown-haired twelve-year-old girl, and she couldn't help but sigh. Lately, this had become a common occurrence, her little sister trying and failing to get the jump on her.

And this time it was a surprise attack, of all things! 'Please! The kid needs to stick to her strengths,' the sixteen-year-old thought, raking her cyan-streaked blond hair away from her sleepy eyes, then stopped.

'Wait, where is my headband?' Her hands moved down to her neck and felt the cloth tangled up with her headphones. She yawned. 'Oh well, I just leave it.' Though she made sure that the leather band around her forearm was firmly fastened.

She should be angry, but she had to be honest with herself. Lilia knew why Stella was acting the way she was.

Her thoughts returned to the nightmare she just had…no it was more than that. It was a memory. A memory that kept chasing her in her dreams for the last couple of months. Obviously, Stella noticed and was trying to get her out of her head.

'I don't know what is wrong with me, that event happened years ago. Why am I dreaming about it now?'

Her thoughts were interrupted by Stella, who was looking up at her in mock defiance. "What am I doing? What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be in class?" Stella's hands moved to adjust her glasses and stopped. She pushed Lilia away and started to search in the grass for something, almost frantically.

Lilia glanced slightly to the right and spotted the glasses right away. She picked them up and held them in front of her almost blind sister.

"My glasses!" Stella exclaimed, but before she had the chance to snatch them out of Lilia's hand, Lilia plopped them on her nose, poking it in the process.

Stella's outraged look was more than worth it.

"There you go, milady," Lilia teased. Teasing Stella was so much fun, it was hard to stop. Besides, it was her fundamental right as the older sister to show her love by teasing the heck out of her only little sister.

These moments felt like they were normal sisters just having fun, with no other worries in the world. It was an illusion, but it was an illusion that was precious to them both.

Besides, I kind of enjoy spending time with Stella… Just don't tell her that.

Stella gave her a pointed glare before adjusting the black-rimmed glasses on her face. Even with the adjustments, they were still too big for her small face.

Lilia didn't comment. After their mother had disappeared, her glasses were the only item that was salvaged. Stella hadn't taken them off since. But as the year's past, Stella looked more and more like their mother; the same dimple in her chin, the same curve of her nose, and the same small, slender frame. Seeing her grow up was like seeing their mother all over again.

Mom. Lilia's fingers brushed against her right shoulder. She had a scar, a reminder of the day that they lost their mother. Even when she closed her eyes, she could still see the particles rippled through the sky before dropped down like a storm destroying everything that she once called home, terrain, structures, people. It was horrifying.

If her mother were still alive, Lilia would hold her tight and never let go, but she also wanted to know why she didn't tell her that Lilia was adopted. Why she had to find out from a total stranger? Why didn't Mom tell her that Lilia was one of them? Why did she leave them? Just why?

Pain sliced through her. Why didn't she question it sooner?

None of this could she confide to Stella. No, not the fact that Lilia was adopted. Stella knew about that, but she didn't know about Lilia's feelings. How it still hurt. Lilia wanted Stella to keep some of her innocence. Especially in this godforsaken place.

"Stop staring at me like that. You're creeping me out," Stella stated with a disgusted look on her face.

Lilia smirked. "Ahh, you're so cute," and she smothered her in a hug, maybe a little too tightly.

"Stop that!" Stella begged, struggling to escape. Lilia held her for a few more seconds before putting her out of her misery and letting go.

Stella gasped, out of breath. Glaring at her more-than-satisfied-looking sister, she said, hands on her h.i.p.s, "I know what you're doing, trying to distract me,"

'She knows me too well.' A smirk formed. Maybe this will work. "Oh, look, your fatigues are messed up. "

Her sister, forever the honour student, gasp at how messy her military fatigues were. Cough, a wriggled-up sleeve and a button undone, cough. After getting herself fixed up, she zeroed in on Lilia, who was always unkempt. Lilia closed her eyes, waiting for the lecture.

But she only heard Stella whispered, "Just like Mom." That statement brought back memories, good ones this time. Her mom, coming out from the bas.e.m.e.nt, her clothes rumbled, and her hair flopping in her eyes. She even had a coffee stain on her blue lab coat. It looked like she slept down there. Seeing her like that was a common occurrence.

"Yeah, just like mom." Lilia had to admit that her personality was very much like their mothers'.

There was a moment of silence before Stella had that determined look back in her eyes. "I repeat. Why aren't you in class? It's music. You like music… well, you used to."

'Music. Ouch right to the heart.'

Lilia stiffened at the word. Yes, once upon a time, she used to love music. Every waking hour was committed to creating new kinds of unique sounds. She was kind of obsessed with it. She smiled at the thought. Maybe she still was.

She used to play her piano on the big stage. Hearing the clapping and cheering audience was a common occurrence to her. That was before her breakdown.

'That was before a lot of things.' Her cyan eyes darkened with regret.

Lilia brushed her fingers against her flute case, feeling the content's outline. The case and the flute never left her side because It was a gift from her mom. It gave her comfort, but at the same time, it was a reminder. A reminder that things were different now. That even music, something that she used to enjoy, could be used as a weapon.

Stella, seeing the hurt look crossing her big sister's face, said in a concerned voice, "Lillie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"It's fine," she lied.

Stella, not looking entirely convinced, continued, "Still, that's no excuse to cut class, and music isn't the only class you're not going to." She dug into her bag and dragged out a whole bunch of schoolwork. Lilia winced, knowing where this was heading. "This is your homework that the teachers pushed on me today. I feel like your servant, and I am no one's servant." She angrily waved the pages in front of Lilia's face.

"Class bore me. Besides, Stella, isn't it better this way? It gives smart people like you a chance to have some one-on-one time with the teachers." Lilia settled back down beneath the tree and tried to relax. Her hand was still on the flute case. Ahh. One of her favourite sleeping spots.

Stella was smart. Genius-level smart. Like mother, like daughter. Though their mother's study of choice was biology, Stella's was computers and information gathering. She pretty much built a functioning system out of thrown-away computer parts. She even patched into an untraceable internet connection.

Headmistress Weatherly, the leader of Compound 8, was still beaming over that one. In the Wastelands having a reliable communication source was a matter of life and death.

To be honest, she was a proud big sister.

Stella dumped the homework into Lilia's l.a.p. "Don't give me that excuse. You may not be as smart as me, but this sort of work should be child's play, even for you." She gave Lilia a sideways look, folding her arms in front of her. Huffing underneath her breath, she added, "And please! Like I need one-on-one with a teacher."

Lilia didn't respond, only rolled her eyes at the 'even for you' comment. She absentmindedly stuffed the papers inside the bag, resting beside the tree.

Stella sighed, and Lilia could tell what she was thinking. She had seen that look so many times before. Who was supposed to take care of whom? She knelt and turned Lilia's head toward her with her fingers so that their eyes met. "Lillie, I know it's hard for you. I just want you to try. That's all I am asking. Okay?"

Lilia simply nodded. She could never say no to Stella. She would try… at least for a short while. Although she knew that it wouldn't take long for her to go back to her old ways.

Stella still wasn't convinced, but the bell had rung. Lilia smiled. Stella was such a stickler for rules. "I have to get to class, so I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay."

Lilia watched Stella limp away. No, it wasn't when Lilia tossed Stella. Stella was injured on that day when the Ripples fell. In fact, Stella almost died. Her leg was crushed, and it had to be reconstructed. She still had a limp as a reminder.

'Stella and metal detectors are not friends.' Lilia smiled at her lame joke, but the smile soon disappeared.

The limp was not the only thing Stella took with her from that disaster. Stella developed an obsession to find their mother's whereabouts, even going to Headmistress Weatherly for help. That woman always came with strings.

Lilia was worried, hoping that Stella wasn't in over her head.