***
Orange lights stream across the sky, sending sparks to the ground below. I watch as someone who thinks they're better than the curfew combusts at the slightest touch of the lights.
"Got it yet?"
My sister, Neptune, readjusts the solar panel sticking out of the window. "Almost. Don't get your pants in a twist, Russ."
I glance anxiously at the bedroom door, expecting our father to burst in. If he catches us trying to generate electricity for our room again, he’ll be angry.
"Are you just gonna stand there, Shy?"
"Sorry," I mumble, leaning out the window with Neptune to look up at the sky.
The flare is above our house now, the lights looking like tentacles as they are drawn to the solar panels on the roof.
"A little higher," I tell her.
She grumbles under her breath and stretches her arm even more. I breathe a sigh of relief as a tentacle of light brushes against our tiny panel. The four of us squeal as the light bulb above flickers on and the heater whirs to life.
Neptune waves her arms around wildly. "Shh, he'll hear!"
"What's going on in there?"
One sister rushes to turn the light off and another covers the heater with a blanket. Neptune throws me the mini panel and I shove it into our closet, still warm from the flare. By the time our father enters the room, it's like we haven't been doing anything.
He peers at us over his glasses, his eyes narrowed. "What's going on in here?"
"We saw someone get zapped, daddy," Tiki replies innocently. "He was out past curfew."
He strides past us to glare out the window. His combover flutters slightly in the warm breeze, showing off his almost white scalp. With a snort he slams the window shut. "This stays closed. I'm not made of money."
"Yes, daddy," the four of us say in unison.
He goes to leave before suddenly whirling around. "Dinner will be ready soon," he grunts, pointing a pale finger at all of us.
The four of us look at each other as the door shuts, not daring to speak. Finally, his lumbering footsteps drift away to an electrified part of the house.
"Thank Gaia for that," Russia mutters, whipping the blanket off the heater.
There's now a hole burned into the thin fabric, but none of us are bothered; we can always sew it back up.
Neptune shimmies forward so she's directly in front of it. "To the winner go the spoils," she says with a grin.
Russia tries to push her out of the way. "No fair!"
"Yes fair."
"No fair! We all helped."
"But who dangled out of the window, dear sister?" Neptune mocks. "Was it you, Russia? Darling Tiki? Or Short-Fuse Cheyenne?"
"Stop teasing her, Neppy," Tiki mutters, crossing her legs to the side of the heater. "Let's just enjoy this before the flare is used up."
"It only touched it for a second," Neptune sighs. "We've probably got ten minutes, max."
Just as the sensation is coming back to my fingers the heater gives one last puff before powering down. "Or ten seconds," I mumble.
Neptune groans. "I can try again."
"The flare is gone now," Tiki mutters. "You know that as well as I do."
We know the flare has passed. The warm feeling in our stomachs left as soon as father opened the door. My stomach is as cold as it once was.
"Your spidey-senses could be wrong," Russia grunts, looking out the window. "Or not."
"Children of Gaia are never wrong, sister," Neptune replies with her arms crossed.
"Well, Mother Gaia didn't bless me. I don't have your weird senses. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes. It’s a hell of a lot of pressure. This cycle’s Gaia-1 is already causing a load of issues. I don’t want that on my plate. You can keep your blessing, I’m fine as I am.”
I stare down at the orange tattoo on my wrist, a large seven. You find out if you've been blessed by Mother Gaia at birth, by a 'flare' in your eyes. Even now I can feel the warm light flowing through my irises. Out of us five sisters, three have been blessed. It makes father happy as we get extra money from the government, which makes us useful to him. The government gives out grants to those who give birth to Gaia children. They get a free house in our town and a salary. The one thing that you’re not allowed to do is remove a Gaia child from the town. This used to be punished by death when the cult of Mother Earth was prominent, but over the years people became a lot less religious. I believe it to an extent, as do my sisters. But we don’t pray routinely or offer sacrifices to the Earth. My Mother used to sacrifice small animals such as rats and birds, but she doesn’t practice anymore.
"Dinner time!" a muffled sing-song voice calls out.
The four of us abandon our hopes for a warm sleep and exit the cold room. A yellow light glows at the end of the hallway and the smell of cooked potatoes hits my nostrils. My mouth is watering by the time we've entered the lit room. Father only electrifies rooms he deems necessary; basically, any room him or Mother use. Thanks to Tiki turning thirteen, legally he doesn't have to keep us warm and with light. It’s a stupid rule that the government imposes to make sure that electricity isn’t wasted.
We take our usual places at the table, with Father at the head. His and Mother's plates are considerably fuller than ours and they have even given themselves some meat.
Mother claps. "Dig in!"
I half-heartedly stuff the few potatoes on my plate into my mouth, thanking Mother Gaia for her sacrifice. We're all supposed to say it when we eat, but Father never does. His attitude towards a female God is about five centuries old. Everyone thanks Gaia for saving us, but not him.
"Who got zapped?" Father asks with his mouth full.
"I think it was one of the neighbours," Tiki replies.
"Probably one of the Hennersons. They never could follow instructions," he grunts.
Mother notices the empty spot at the table. "Where's Medusa?"
Neptune shrugs. "She hasn't come home yet."
"Probably staying with that boy," Father grumbles. "If she wants to be stupid, let her."
"She's twenty-one, sweetheart," Mother presses. "As an adult she can do whatever-"
"She's also a naive fool."
I want to say something to defend my sister, but Tiki and Russia give me a warning glare. Starting a fight now could make him search our room again. We don't have enough parts to make another mini panel. Instead, I shove another potato in my mouth. It's dry and flavourless, like all of Mother's cooking, because Father won't let her use spices in our food.
"That reminds me." Father puts down his cutlery and looks at Neptune. "Any luck getting your sister a job?"
"Still trying," Neptune huffs. "I told you, they're not keen on sixteen-year-old recruits."
He slams his hand on the table. "Tiki needs a job."
Tiki gently raises her hand. "I'm Tiki. You're talking about Cheyenne, daddy."
Father looks at me, his brow furling. "God help us."
I bite my tongue to prevent a retort. My dinner is finished now so there are no more potatoes I can shovel in to prevent myself from speaking out. Father looks at me and snorts, as if he's disappointed I didn't try to sass him. My sisters are all done eating long before our parents, who are too busy stuffing themselves to notice the fact that we're drooling over their food. I can't remember the last time I ate meat. Before I turned twelve, for sure, and they legally had to feed me what they ate.
"I'll try hard, I promise," Neptune says as Father is still staring at her. "I just need a bit more time."
"You've already had time."
"There's been uproar thanks to Gaia-1. It's put everyone behind."
Father grumbles, pushing what's left of his dinner around his plate. "If only one of you were Gaia-1, then I'd get a baby grant."
Due to overpopulation, parents are limited to a certain number of children, unless they pay the government a hefty sum to have more. Even if you have a Gaia child, it doesn’t cover the initial cost of buying the rights to have a child. My oldest sisters, Medusa and Neptune, were the free ones. The rest of us had to be bought to be born.
"We'll have a son one day," Mother says, clasping her hand over his. "Just have faith."
Father grunts. "Faith has nothing to do with it. If they let us see the sex of the baby before birth, we wouldn't have this issue."
I narrow my eyes, unable to hold myself back. "They don't let you know the gender because of people like you."
Russia sinks her head into her palms, while my other sisters roll their eyes at what's about to happen.
Father stiffens. "Excuse me?"
"You would have had all of us aborted."
His fists clench, as do mine. The flare in my eyes burns as it swims through my corneas. If only I could use the power of the sun against him, then he wouldn't mess with any of us anymore. But the Gaia gene is aesthetic, having no real power behind it – unless you’re in the Machine.
"I've had enough of your disrespect."
"Treat me like an equal then."
His hand slams against the table. "Men are superior! I should never have let your Mother follow that religious shit. Maybe then I wouldn’t have such a disrespectful daughter. Your goddess will not help you. You are nothing. Just as she is nothing.”
"The goddesses keep us alive. They also keep you from having the son you desire so much."
"Here we go," Neptune mumbles under her breath.
Father springs to his feet, as do I. Our chairs crash against the ground, the plastic splintering against the wooden floor. My father rips the white tablecloth off the table, sending dishes and cutlery flying. He wraps it around one of his fists before stalking towards me. I stand my ground, not wanting my sisters to be scared as he beats me.
"Oh. Did I miss another dysfunctional dinner?"
Everyone stops as Medusa enters the room, her long black hair draped over most of her face. She's still in her black shop uniform, though her name badge is gone. She plonks her purple handbag on the floor and takes her place at the table.
Tiki sees her looking at the empty table and points to the floor. "Down here, Meddie."
Medusa rolls her eyes. "Seriously? I thought I’d make it home before it ended up on the floor."
All of us look alike, though I resemble Medusa the most with my skinny frame and wide shoulders. Neptune looks like Father, having inherited his shorter stature and frizzy brown hair. Tiki and Russia could almost pass for twins, despite being two years apart. All of us have dark skin, slightly paler than Mother’s.
Medusa snatches a now cold potato and starts eating it with her hands, making Mother wrinkle her nose. Father has lost interest in being mad at me now and instead directs his anger at my oldest sister.
"Where have you been?"
She points to her shirt. "At work. They made me do overtime again."
"During curfew?" Mother asks.
"They don't care. As long as they make money."
"You could have gotten zapped!" Tiki shivers.
"I was inside the entire time. No way were the flares getting me."
Mother gets up from her chair and starts picking up shards of plate from the red carpet. "Dinner is over. Go back to your room."
***
That’s it for this week! Make sure you keep an eye out for the Years pre-order! See you next week.
PS; looking for some new books to read this month? Check out the ones in these bundles below:
