Blood - Chapter 4

Andia spends all her time in the room. The Ultras come in and look at her and go. They never rush. She never hears them say anything but they look like they are talking to each other. They make gestures, their faces change.

Where Andia lives with her people everyone is clever with knowing how the others are feeling. They are aware of eyes and faces, hands and bodies. Andia knows that was people say isn't always what they mean. But how can you tell with the Ultras? They don't say anything, or at least not anything she can hear. Andia's brother told her dogs can hear things that people can't. That cats can see things – spirits and meanings that people can't see. Andia knows there is more in the world than you can see or know.

One Ultra looks after her. Andia has decided this one is younger and is female. She doesn't know why she has decided that because Ultras look all the same. The only difference is in the size of them. Some look taller, heavier. All of them have pale, perfect faces – they always look happy. They are like statues that her people carve. They are solid and unchanging as stone. The only thing she's noticed about her Ultra is the dot. The one who looks after her has a dot between her eyes but slightly higher. The dot and the two perfect circles of the Ultras pupils make a triangle.

Andia calls the Ultra, Dot because it is right to name things. The people and the animals and the sun that rises every morning like magic and the moon and stars. Dot, she calls the Ultra, to make her more human. Dot was the one who cleaned her when she was brought here. She wanted to fight but she knew she mustn't. She let Dot wash her.

She should never have been caught. It was stupid. Sej called her to say there were Ultras. She should have stayed – she should have planted the seeds like she was meant to but Sej's voice was full of excitement.
"Come on!" he shouted, slithering and half falling down the tree beside her. Sej was best at climbing. Nobody beat him. "Andia come and see the Ultras! They are out!"

Everyone knew about the Ultras and where they lived inside the big walls. You had to keep away from those walls. It was important to know that. Inside there was a great, huge village which had a way of being light in the darkness which wasn't fire or lamps made from meat fat. They had a lot of power inside there, everyone said and their heat and light didn't come from tree wood like Andia's home fire. Everyone said that in there they burnt bodies!

Andia's room has a window. Through it she can see the Ultra buildings and streets. The huge village. She is high up – looking down. She sits by the window and shudders even though it is as warm as a Summer day. She looks down and wonders where is is they burn the bodies for heat and light.

If only she'd done as she was told. She was standing with a handful of seeds when Sej scrambled and thumped down beside her, rubbing his hands on his clothes.

"Come on Andia! Come and see!" She had looked round to see if her mother or anyone was watching. Nobody was. She looked at the seeds in her hand. Precious things taken from her mother's bag to plant in the sunny spots between the trees,

"Come on!" Sej urged and she decided she would go.

She'd heard about the Ultras so often but never seen them. Heard they came out of the walls and traveled in strange machines. They stopped and looked at everything and collected little pieces of things: the earth and bark from trees, the grasses. She wanted to see them. She dodged behind a tree with Sej before someone saw. She tucked the seeds inside her waistband, in the folds of the material. She had to keep them safe.
She followed Sej. He darted from tree to tree, nimble as a little woodland creature with a reason to be scared.

"There are 8 of them," Sej whispered showing a finger for each one. "Over here." They were soon at the edges of where they were allowed to go. Where the trees became more sparse and there was not so much cover. They weren't allowed here.

Andia felt her body stopping as if it was scared. She leant against the trunk of a tree, flattening herself. Sej was still leaping from tree to shadow to tree as if he was hunting. Hunting Ultras! Andia covered her mouth with her hand, afraid she would laugh out loud with the fear and the excitement. Suddenly she felt something touch her arm. She jumped, almost screamed – but is was Sej's hand on her, his face peering round the tree. Andia doubled over with relief, holding her shaking sides.

"What's up?" Sej said, looking at her with his kind monkey eyes. Andia could see in him only good things – she could trust Sej.
"Are you scared, Andia?" And even though she was and she knew he could tell, she straightened up and said - "No!" - a lie. Flashing her eyes at him. She is as brave as a boy!

They crept more slowly through the brush Sej using the hunting signs that everyone knew. Come. Stop. Get down. Be quiet. Go that way. She followed, putting her feet down cleverly like she'd been shown, testing the place before setting down her weight so she didn't make noise snapping sticks.

Eventually Sej made the sign to drop and crawl. She went after him, low as a snake, making her way through the undergrowth. Concentrating. Being so careful she didn't make noise that she almost forgot what they were doing. Sej gestured her to come up beside him and she wriggled there.

"You're good and quiet!" Sej whispered and Andia felt pride blush up into her face. Then – "Look!" He said and Andia followed the direction of his pointing finger and she felt her heart would stop.

There in a clearing, the strangest but most amazing things she had ever seen. Four of them. Looking the same. Looking like she imagined when she heard stories of angels. Pale and tall and wearing strange clothes that flowed from their bodies. Andia was holding her breath.