LARKS PT. 1: INTRODUCTION

Goodness, I'm back with not just asterisks but lines. God help me :0)

Davinah lost her staring contest with her Dad's headphone jack.

"We're doing what?"

"Moving. Judging by your tone you weren't listening? Oba, you lost your hearing for the five minutes I talked to you about it on Friday.

"Where?"

"To a nice apartment in Cyceé"

"Cyceé?! So we have to move schools too?!"

"Obvi."

Davinah grimaced, "Dad please don't-"

But her Dad had already moved on.

Change. She hated change. New adjustments New--- New bullies New cliques Did her Dad not know what the history between Cyceé and Darman had? One thing. One small thing. RACISM. In races. Not that she knew a whole lot about it, she'd lived in Darman all her life. But she knew enough to see that Mordovia wasn't one. There were light, there were darks, and there were larks. Larks were treated the worst. She was one of them.

-----

2 MONTHS LATER...

Jeremiah sat on his window seat admiring the sunrise. Around him people were carrying jerricans to the well. Water had gone last night as a reminder for people to fill them. He watched with interest as a car with a foreign numberplate pulled in: DMN. DARMAN. That was new. Everybody knew the history between the two parts . It's a big step to move counterparts perhaps they are--- a lark? A girl stepped out of the car surveying the place her shirt Darma-YEON. He chuckled

Darma- meant left

Yeon- meant color

She appeared to be puzzled as she put her box down, staring at the women with jerricans and they were staring back.

-----

The tension had already built having been in Cyceé for no less than 20 minutes and with no less than five feet between them, their energy was ALREADY clashing. Davinah turned away gathering the box she'd dropped and following her Dad onto the stairs. Singing his universal rule in her kampano.

"HAS TO BE THE STAIRS. ALWAYS TAKE THE STAIRS."

She squinted as she entered the house immediately gliding through the corridor, counting the rooms.

"1, 2, 3, 4."

"Yes!" She had been struggling to share a room with the twins.

She sat on the empty bedswan. Truth was, genes don't replicate identically otherwise she would have 2 more Davinah faces as siblings and the HARD truth was that she was the only lark in her family. Naturally, her Dad was a light. No Dad in Mordovia was ever a lark. Evan and Eshille were twins, but Eshille was light and Evan, dark.

But as CaCa always says we're almost all alone in this world best to realize it now.

------

Having stolen the keys to the neighbouring house to the new family. Jeremiah opened his mouth but no words came out. Instead a melody. At the top of his voice.

"You have no i-idea of what you're made of!"

Taken aback he clapped a hand over his mouth.

 "You have no i-idea of what you're worth." He heard from the next house.

"I see you about to throw the towel another comparison left you discouraged."

He paused expectantly, but heard nothing back. Disappointed, he locked the house and headed for his run.

She closed her eyes as she ran her last lap; colliding with a hard surface she grimaced, as her arm folded around the person and then in quick realization, she brought her arms back to her sides. Slowly, she lifted her head to see a beautiful light standing before her. Deja Vu. Where had she seen this man?

"Um. L-Lo siento

uh desolee

uh sorry."

She said using all the wrong tenses. She ran past him and straight home--- eyes open this time.

Within a few hours, she had cured her embarrassment with an unhealthy amount of memes and SHEISKINGS blasting her eardrums. Switching to lofi, she grabbed her kindle to the hammock outside and watched day zoom by. Tiptoeing into each of her family members rooms to check if they were asleep, she walked back to the living room smiling.

------

Jeremiah stood on the balcony as the girl danced in her living room. They had no nets yet so everything was transparent. But it was well over midnight he doubted anyone was watching. Her hips swayed back and front as her mouth curled. Ronaldo-ing into a squat her body jerked where her arms led. She disappeared, possibly doing floorwork, then letting her hair go front and back for the finale. She collapsed on the couch switching the TV; flipping channels. So much for discovering talent.

The next day…..

She woke up with a splitting headache. That’s what you get for dancing till midnight and binging Drake and Josh till 4.

That light. He had been in her dreams. Was she hallucinating or did she actually see him smile in her dream last night. And severqa nights before for that matter?!

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

She jerked, frightened. “Dad, you’re here. Why are you here?”

“We’re visiting your Grandmother today.”

“But CaCa---”

“Not CaCa your Naiami.”

“What?”

“O come on, honey, I expected you to be more excited than that.”

He hands her glass of a liquid that she is sure is NOT water swallowing it down in one gulp.

“You haven’t seen your Naiami in about 7 years so I’m hoping she can tell you some fun stories about your La’s childhood.”

Before she can say anything her Dad helps her up: “Go on, get dressed we’re picking up our nets on the way.”

------

Naiami stares at her weirdly.

Dad is babbling on and on: “So Laiami, how have you been?”

“I’ve had better days.”

 She says, still staring.

“We’re sorry we haven’t been so active as of recent.”

“That’s alright, I’m fiina anyway.”

The twins bounce uncomfortably around Davinah. She sends them a glare saying ‘Don’t make this harder than it already is.’

To her surprise Dad stands up: “Well, I’ll see you later guys .” And he’s out the door.

 Naiami motions for them to come. Leading them into a big library the shelves repeating in circles till the ceiling.

“WOW.”

“WOAH.”

“The gampi.” Davinah mutters.

Naiami nods. “This is the gampi. The one and only remaining seeing as the other two perished when the MTORS took over.”

 Naiami walks toward a small desk to the last drawer. Digging through frustratedly, she finally finds what she’s looking for. Davinah eyes her as Naiami hands the photo to her. She observes a man his eyes shining even though the picture is black and white, he looks at a woman to his left.

“I-I don’t understand.”

Naiami nods vigorously.

“She’s me?!”

----

IN CASE ANYBODY WAS WONDERING HERE IS A MORDOVIAN LANGUAGE KEY FOR THE STORY:

Kampano: Head

Naiami: Grandmother (from mother's side)

La: Traditional way to say Mom

Laiami: What a husband calls his wife's mom (MOM IN LAW)

Oba: (cannot be directly translated) A phrase to mean Or Maybe (smthing like that) e.g. oba you din't care etc. etc.

Jerricans: (cannot be directly translated either) These are plastic containers that fit about 6-7 litres of water? Used by locals to reserve water in case of shortages.