Two Symbols--Part 3

Even though I have edited this part I have yet to take Grace up on her very good suggestion of giving Irena a back story. That would involve reworking all the rest of the story---aka much more time. ;)    

       Irena

Irena knew that something had happened up at the GOV’s headquarters because the headmistress was a bundle of firecrackers. No one knew when or where she would explode next. Finally the story began to leak.

A bread train, probably carrying some bread Irena herself had made, had been hijacked by a group of masked people. The one marking they wore was a necklace with a gold pendant. One witness said it looked like it might be a bird.

The bread had been removed from its cars and to the engineers surprise they had each been “forced” to eat one loaf. Then the robbers had vanished.

Posters were soon pasted all over town calling on the people of Gable City to turn in any suspects. The people who would commit such a cruel act like stealing bread from a half starved town deserved death. Irena tried not to noticed they did not mention the train was taking bread from the local bakeries to the capitol. No doubt, she argued to herself, the capitol is passing it on to some other more hungry place. Thanks to being part of the Y.U.S. she was not hungry herself. Much.

Irena put the raids in the back of her mind and tried to focus on her ultimate goal, the bronze eagle pin. To her surprise, she was not as pleased as she had expected to be when she did finally earn the bird. Her best friend was not there to share in her joy.

Then, the masked necklace-wearers struck again. This time they were closer to town. Another happened soon after but this time one of the raiders was caught. Her mask had been removed and the law enforcement had gotten one good look at her face before, with a sudden twist she had broken free and vanished.

Just like she had predicted, her face was plastered all over town. It was Stefania.

                                                            Stefania

She loved her gold phoenix. It was strange to her that she had always loved this mythical creature and here she had fallen in with a group who used it as their symbol. Sometimes at night she will feel afraid of being caught and reaching up with her sensitive but callused fingers she would trace the cold metal. The bird would always rise from the ashes.

When she had been at camp Phoenix for about a month she was woken by Beppo noisily calling her name outside Zeppelin’s tent where she was now a permanent resident. Tossing off her light blanket and grabbing her moccasins she hurried out into the dim morning.

He was leaning against a nearby tree and pulling on his curly black beard. “Your friend is sick.”

“Irena?”

“Yes. The Y.U.S. girl.”

“How badly.” She stood barefoot in the dew her forgotten shoes still dangling in one hand.

“Badly.”

Behind her she heard the soft sound of Zeppelin lifting the heavy tent flap. “I heard what Beppo said, daughter. I used to be a doctor. Tell me Beppo, what are her symptoms.”

Beppo glanced at Stefania and pulled his beard even harder. “Coughing.” He looked down at the ground and then avoiding Stefania’s eye looked straight at the old lady. “Coughing blood.”

Stefania flinched. Surely not, tuberculosis was an age old disease that had nearly been gotten rid of. She had never heard of someone having it within the past 200 years.

Zeppelin sighed. “Is that all? Not much for me to diagnose with.”

Beppo shrugged. “I simply heard it through the grapevine.”  

The lady’s wrinkled hand patted Stefania on the shoulder comfortingly. “I have something for your friend.” She lifted the tent flap again and stepped back inside the dark interior.  She returned with a bottle, “Tell her to take it twice a day with food. It’s not much but maybe it can help some.”

Stefania reached out a hand in which she was unable to conceal the tremble.  “Thank you Ma’m. But how will I get it to her? My face is all over town and she lives in the Y.U.S. dorm!”

Just then Cleon came around the corner of the tent.

“Ah, perfect timing.” Beppo held out his hand for the bundle he was carrying. “I have a disguise in here for you, Stefania.”

Cleon turned his blonde head towards her and his brown eyes twinkled. “What do you think of white leather?”

                                                            Irena

Irena’s fever raged high and in her delirious mind she thought she saw someone bending over her and calling her name. The voice was Stefania’s but she was wearing a white Y.U.S. jacket.

“Drink this.” The voice commanded and she felt a glass pushed against her lips. Obediently she tipped her head back and swallowed. The liquid made her feel a little better.

“Stefania?”

The girl smiled. “Let’s hope you’re the only one who knows me in this disguise!”

Irena struggled to sit up and clear her brain.  Was this a dream?  “Why are you here? You have to go; they will find you and kill you.”

Stefania smiled a bitter smile and putting her hands on Irena’s shoulders tried to gently push her back down, “Last time we spoke you said they would be kind to me. Perhaps being sick has made you think a little differently?”

Irena groaned softly and let herself fall back. “Things have changed. I still don’t see things the way you do but… You have to go!”

 “Irena, if they find me and kill me, that will not be the end.” She paused looking deep into the other’s brown eyes. “I am like the phoenix, even if I burn, and new bird will rise from my ashes. Someone will catch my fire and take my place. I am part of a movement fueled by love.” She paused, and biting her lip looked very hard out the window toward the empty sky. “It cannot be stopped.”

Irena noticed in that look the same contradictory hardening of the jaw and sadness in the droopy blue eyes that Stefania had had since childhood. It was a look the her friend never liked to see because she couldn’t explain it. When it came a sudden chasm seemed to widen between the two, as if those ocean-colored eyes had seen her future and were preparing for it; leaving Irena to guess and worry.

She spoke quickly hoping to break the spell. “A phoenix? That is a good symbol for you. I guess mine is the eagle.”

Stefania looked back and reaching out her finger touched the pin on her best friend’s shirt. “The eagle is a symbol of cruelty. It prey’s on those who are weaker than it’s self. That is not you Irena.”

“Well, at least we are both birds.” Irena sighed, “Why are you here?”

“I brought you medicine. You need to take it twice a day with your food and it will help you to get better.” Stefania put the small bottle under her pillow. “Keep it hidden there.”

“Thank you Stef.” Irena took her hand.

“Of course. You are my friend.”

There was a pause as each girl seemed to be morning the way she found the other.

 “Will you sing to me?” Irena finally broke it.

“Sing! I don’t sing! You’re the singer!”

“Please. I want to hear somebody sing.”

“What if someone hears us?”

“They will think I am delirious.”

Stefania looked hurriedly toward the door. “What do you want me to sing?”

“Anything.”

Irena closed her eyes and waited. Then she heard a voice, it cracked and creaked with nervousness at first but eventually it grew steady.  The notes were certainly not all hit correctly but the melody was soothing and Irena felt a smile coming to her mouth.

“You’re laughing. I told you I couldn’t sing.” Stefania finished.

“You can. Just maybe you could use a little training. When this nasty mess is all over, I’ll show you.”

Stefania smiled and then stood up. “In other words you think I sounded bad too? But I really need to go. You get better quickly now.”

“I will.” Irena opened her eyes and watched the slender figure pad in her black moccasins to the window and swing a long leg over the concrete sill. “Stefania?”

“Yes?”

“You look nice in white.”

                                                            Stefania

Stefania shoved her hand in her jean pockets. “Irena. Why would they target her?” Yes she was worried about her friend but she could hardly believe Ron’s story.

“She knows you.” He pulled on his curly black mustache with an brown hand.

“Not really any more. I haven’t seen her to their knowledge in months!”

“Well, I can’t tell you exactly why they is follow’n her, honey, but I can tell you that they is. She’s tracked everywhere she goes, they read every thing she reads, nothing she does goes unnoticed.”

“And you’re sure that isn’t just because they think I might try to contact her?” She spread her hands, palm up.

“Oh honey. Do the GOV’s store poison pills by her plate for noth’n?” He caught her hands and held them tightly. “Girl, you have to go get her out of this mess! She ain’t gonna make it on her own.”

 “Can’t you come? You’ve done lots of similar things and I never have.”

“Honey.” He patted the hands he still held. “You know I can’t.”

She put his hands away from her, “Alright, I’ll go.”

Going to Kat and Cleon’s tent she peaked in. Kat was inside, laying on a small blanket her eyes closed and her waving red hair streaming all over the pillow.

Several small loaves of fire baked break sat on an oaken stump near by. Stefania new she would be hungry before she arrived in town and she was sure Kat wouldn’t mind her taking some food. She reached out a long arm and picked up a loaf.

 “Why did you take that bread?” Castus’ little voice startled her so that she nearly dropped her prize.

“Because I’m going to town Castus.” She put her finger to her lips and answered in a whisper. “Will you take care of your parents while I am gone?”

Castus looked at her, rebuke in his round face. “I don’t take care of my parents, they take care of me.”

Stefania chuckled. There was no pulling the wool over this four-year-olds’ eyes. “Well, be good while I’m gone then. Maybe when I come back I’ll have a new playmate for you.”

When her feet hit the side walk of Main Street she could feel a change in the town. There was a hush of fear, suspicious looks, and she, in no uniform was avoided by a ten foot pole.

Foolish of her to have not brought even a simple disguise she thought. In less than ten minutes she would be turned over to the GOV’s. Well, that was ten minutes to use for her errand.

At the Y.U.S. building every nerve screamed that something was wrong. She couldn’t say what except that things were too quiet. Irena’s room, as well as the rest of the dorm was empty and the three of her ten minutes were gone.

She was not at the bakery either. Six minutes gone. Stefania began to panic. Was she too late? An idea struck her and she began running towards the GOV headquarters. As she neared she could see through and open window Irena. She was talking to two men dressed in black uniforms. 


Questions:
1. (my biggest) Are my characters consistent? Do you feel like they are realistic in personality/actions?
2. (always! ;) ) More?
3.  Does the scene where Stefania is visiting a sick Irena make sense? It was the hardest one for me because I needed to pack so many things in and still make it move quickly.
4. Stefania has a lot of people she interacts with and that the reader kind-of gets to know. Irena doesn't.Her one friend is Stefania. Should she have some other acquaintances? 

At this point you are probably wondering where all the unusual names are from. When (if you keep telling me you want more) I finish posting the story I'll give an explanation for each name.