Beyond the clouds

       PROLOGUE

Many years ago, planet earth was inhabited with living things.trees of different shapes and sizes, grass rich in green, flowers of all vibrant colors, beautiful looking creatures of different kind and humans, Earth was simply beautiful. That was until some kind of toxic gas polluted the water, the air and the land. No one knew where it came from or why it came, but one thing the people were certain of is to leave earth as fast as they could. The toxic gas was dangerous, it killed, the water became radioactive the soil became infertile. Once you breathe the toxic, you die within the next 48h. The people became desperate, they covered their mouth and nose with cloth, carried the little water and food they had and went in search for a place to stay. They traveled for days, overcame obstacle, many lives were lost before they reach the top of a Mountain, the highest on earth, so high half of it is in the clouds. Lucky them the toxic didn't reach the mountains and there they settle in a new life and named the mountain Sa’a which means luck.

Day and month and years went by before they notice a thick green fog making its way to Mount Sa’a.

The peaceful life was over, people became frantic, once again there was chaos. Their leader couldn’t stand to see his people like that so he decided to take a journey to the clouds to see if it was suitable for life. He took what he needed and started climbing the mountain. When the people thought the wait will kill them, the leadercame back with the good news. The clouds is suitable for life, they packed their belongings and made the journey to the clouds.

 Ever since then that’s where they lived. Generation passed by of ancestors telling their children and grand children of what Earth became, that scared them enough to not want to move, well except for one, who thinks there is more to earth than just toxic gas, radioactive water and infertile land, that somewhere on earth must be safe, beside decade went by, whatever it is that wrecked earth must have been gone by now.

                        CHAPTER ONE

-Alexander

Mom was baking chocolate chip cookies when I sneaked in and took one from the trays she let cool down by the window, I grabbed one and it burned my hand.

“ OUCH OW!” I yelped. Mom came rushing in.

“what's wrong sweetie” but stopped short when she saw the scene and started laughing

Her laughter was rich in warmth as it snakes it's way through the house. I was still clutching my hand when she knelt down in front of me

“here let me see the hand” I gave her my pinkie which was turning pink. She kissed it and said “there now it's going to be alright after we put some cream on it”

“I’m sorry I try to take the cookie, but they are so pretty and smell yummy”

smiling , she stood up went to the cookie and gave me the cooled one

“apology accepted. Next time don’t do it again sweetie”

As I finished the cookie in my hand I asked “mom can I go out and play”

“of course you can but don’t go far and be home by three”

I jumped and hug her then ran outside. its still two so I have plenty of time. I was curious about the story grandma told me about earth the way she described seem so beautiful.

“but nana, why don’t we go back to earth, it seems like a nice place”

“I wish we could, but that’s a huge risk we’ll be taking. We don’t know if its still there”

“but you miss earth”

“yes I do, I miss it very much”

Once I reached the Edge I tried taking a peak at what’s beyond the clouds but I couldn’t while standing so I went down on four, crawled closer to the Edge and there! I could see the mountain I moved loser wanting to see more, not paying attention.

"Alex get away from there"

I stood up quickly to tell her what I discovered, tripped and fell

“mom!”

“ Alexxx!!!”

I woke up with a start in the middle of the night its been 12 years since that happened and I keep on having nightmares about it. Sofie, thinking about her is painful. I wonder how she is doing and mom too. I’ve tried so many times to climb up the mountain and all my vain went to no avail. I have to found a way, I have to get stronger wiser where I should place my foot and where I shouldn’t, but in the mean time I’ve got a hare that needs to be skinned.

It gets really lonely here nobody to talk to. Well, except for Miko a wolf I found wounded and took care of him. Since then it's only the two of us. I cant go back to sleep so I lie down and look at the bright twinkling stars.

                               CHAPTER TWO

-Sofiyah

I have to leave before i get caught again but how? I don’t have time for question and answer, as I made my way out of the shop I keep on thinking damn am good at this, that’s when the alarm set off I could hear a man shouting, but by then I round the corner and disappeared feeling smug. As I entered The Hood which is my neighborhood I hold on tightly to the plastic bag in my hand. Aaliyah needed this food and medicine and there is no way am letting anybody take it away from me. Two more blocks and I’ll be there, with Aaliyah I can’t let her die she’s the only person I had, why did she even follow me that night I had it all under control, this group of guys the call themselves the XIX , I don’t even know what that means. They were celebrating because they broke into the bank and stole money, that night I was hidden by the darkness of the night and “overhead” them. I slipped in the bar and put a sleeping drug in their drinks and waited for them to sleep, once they all drank laughed, talked gibberish, they fell asleep. I silently crawled to where the money bag was, excitement pounding through my veins, all the money imagine what I could do with, my hand reaching for the bag when a dog barked. Shit I forgot about that dog, I quickly grabbed the bag when a giant hand clammed down my wrist, the man twisted it and I chocked down a scream I was looking for anything to hit him with it when I saw the bottle, when she came out shaking “leave her alone” she pointed a gun at him, the man slowly let me go, everything happened so fast another man hit the gun from her hand I hit the bottle on my captors head rushed and grabbed her I had to let the money bag go and we started running when the gunshot rang shattering the silence of the night. We reached behind a dumpster and stopped catch our breath , I rounded on her to give her a piece of my mind and noticed her on the floor clutching her stomach. “Allie are you okay what’s wrong” she is breathing heavily, panic rising in my throat I sunk down, move her hand and saw the blood.

“Hey yo little lady! what you got for us in that bag” someone said pulling me out of that horrible memory. “ A big fat mind your own business, come any closer I will shove my hands down your throat rip out your ashy colored black blued heart and make you eat it” I said as I kept on walking. The kid is annoying he got nothing to do than look for trouble. “ooh I see someone woke up at the wrong side of the bed” I ignored him and the laughter and kept on walking at least he didn’t come any closer.

I arrived at the place I call home, the house burned down and has been abandoned for as long as I can remember, and that’s the only place we’ve got. I ducked through the door and made my way to Allie where she’s sound asleep on the mattress made out of our clothes. I went to the kitchen get her some water. “hey sleepy head wake up, see what I brought you” I took out the loaf of bread and chips.

 “Sofie, it hurts so bad”

“shhh its everything gonna be alright, here take this, it will ease off the pain” gently lifting her head up I give it to her to swallow

“where did you get all this”

 “I bought it” I said not looking at anywhere but at her

“yeah right, with which money did you buy it”

Sighing I said “okay I didn’t buy it I nicked it what other choice did I have its not like I can just walk right in say morning, take what I want and be like sorry i don’t have money but I will just take this and go can I, I can’t just sit there and watch you die slowly its killing me to see you suffer like this I can’t lose you I don’t care what you say I’d do it again if I have to. Sorry but I can't” I stood up and left. This is all because of me if I just sat me here and mind my own business none of this will have happened. I took off running. I ran till I had to stop and catch my breath. And resume running, this is the only way I could clear my mind. People will normally call me a coward, always running away from my problems but that’s not why. I slowed down as I reached the Edge. I don’t know why every time I try to get away, my feet always brings me here. The ending of the Clouds, I look down but all I see is white fog, how i wish to go down there to explore all earth’s beauty, I could just get Aaliyah and we’ll live down there I know it’s a stupid thought even i can’t risk her life like that, speaking of Aaliyah I should probably go back home and apologize, but I couldn’t move rooted in the spot I sat down and replayed our entire conversation in my mind, that’s the first time I said it out loud she’s dying. Its been two days since she has been shot, no one can survive a hit in the stomach like that especially since you don’t go to the hospital, I run my hand through my tangled mess of hair suddenly frustrated, I will make sure the XIX pay for what they did, I will make them suffer in the worse way but in the meantime id just head home.

                  When I arrived it was late night, Allie is fast asleep so I curl up next to her listening to her snoring softly then fell asleep.       

Next morning I woke up, alllie is still sound asleep, I go to the bathroom to rinse my face and caught my own reflection in the broken mirror I found in the dumpster. My hair is a mess and I’ve got dark circle under my eyes, I used the bathroom rinsed my face and mouth then went out, she is still sleeping so I wake her up.

“allie wake up its 10 already, you’ve been sleeping for 40h” she doesn’t move

“ Allie, wake up, Aaliyah am not kidding wake up.”I start to shake her

“Sofie stop shaking me”

“sorry I tried to wake you up but you didn’t move”

“I suppose am not in heaven” this med must have hit her hard in the head

“what are you talking about of course you are not in heaven. How many of this pills did you take” my question was met by silence

“listen am sorry about the way I shouted at you yesterday I was just stressed up and am sorry ok I won’t do that again”

“ I know am sorry too I hope you forgive me”

“ what should I forgive you for, you haven’t done any wrong to me” I move closer and cradle her against me

“they have come to take me. Mom, dad and my brother”

“what do mean your family is gone a long time”

“yes but they came back. Dad_”

“ Aaliyah stop this nonsense talk, you are scaring me”

“ sorry but I have to go, I love you Sofiya always have always will you are like the sister I never had”

“don’t you there leave me” am sobbing shaking her rocking her

“ please don’t. stay with me. Stay with me, stay with me, stay with me _”

I rock her gently and watch as the light slowly fades from her eyes, from the room, from me. slowly darkness enveloping stroking my hair while I hold on to her and cry.

Three days since her dead, two days since I burned her body, one day since I burned out the hideout of the XIX with them in it, now am here at the edge thinking of what am going to miss here. The colorless ground, the fake rooster alarm, the people, no am not going to miss any of this, the police looking for me no, the empty house waiting for me no, the darkness evading me no. my mind is already made up and there’s no going back. I close my eyes let out a sob and jump.     

                                              CHAPTER THREE

I must have passed out from my jump, trying to move my headache intensified, and my throat so dry I had to get water as I sat up and blink trying to clear my blurry vision and that’s when it hit me. Am on earth, I made it, I checked for any missing body parts none, no green fog making its way to me. I burst out in a fits of giggle, I laughed till my stomach hurt before reality came crashing in. allie is dead, am on my own, I need to move on and water, sure finding water won’t be hard since most of the population of earth is made up of water, unless the water is different.

                         Gosh! The sky is so blue from here and even more beautiful than it is up there. Are those trees, based on the story description it must be it. Its so big and tall never seen a place so green in my life, flowers fruits out of nowhere a brightly colored bird swoops down and pick something and flew to a tree I followed it , and the bird took off. I ran after the bird. I ran till I cant no more when it finally landed on a land near something from far its blue and sparkling as I approach I realized its water clear fresh water I didn’t hesitate and dove right in startling other birds. I held at the bottom and drank in the sight all around, strange looking creatures with tales swimming deep within. I wonder how they survive that long under water with no air I think I’ll name them fish. I sprang back up for air and realize I’ve never felt so at ease, so free to do what I want. I noticed an animal swinging from tree to tree plug a fruit out bite it and move on. I went the tree plug out a fruit inspect it and bite into it. My oh my the flavor that burst on my tongue what sweetness. Suddenly I feel exhausted and it seems like its going to rain I pick more of the fruit and look for a cave . I found one and crawled in it thinking if only you were here

-ALEXANDER

 Miko is acting weird jumping all over the places, barking, scaring off my prey

“okay miko stop, I said stop” he stopped and looked at me

“am trying to get us food, but if you keep playing around you won’t get any and next time I will tie you to a tree and leave you there” his ears drooped which seemed like he understood me

“now that’s better” but the hare was gone

“why don’t go we go to the river maybe we’ll find something there” as we made our way there I noticed some broken branches may be a bear came passing by.

Miko was acting totally crazy by then sniffing here and there barking, I guess it must be a sign of some bad omen I quickly hunted our food and we made our way home but stopped short at a roar of a bear and someone screaming.

-SOFIYAH

 I woke up to some huge shadow hovering me, a big brown animal stood before me. It roared, I was paralized by fear and screamed, it moved its paw toward me and suddenly someone is there.

“shh don’t move, lie down and stay still” I did as the stranger asked

The thing stopped stare at us for along time then took off

 I sat there trembling. I couldn’t move when suddenly am lifted off the ground

“Who are you, I thought I am the only one here”

“I thought I was the only one here to” wait that voice sounded familiar.

He set me down and i got a good look at his face. I gasped

“Alex is that you”

I stopped and saw her clearly

“Sofiyah”

The person I mourned his dead, the person I had my first kiss with my best friend is here and whole standing in front of me.

I rushed and gathered her in my arm, I felt her hand snaking around my waist. She was sobbing “ I thought you was dead”

“ no am here and alive. What brought you here” I launched in to the details of all that happened to me. We were silent when he asked about his mom

“am sorry Alex she’s gone”   

“Its okay”

“do you think we should go back and inform them about earth”

“yes we should, but we wont force it on anyone once, we tell them we come back here” I like the way he said we.

“but for now its just us, you and me no one else”