Fine. When Filiz was a child, she loved the heavy, soothing feel of her mothers gaze upon her skin. By the time the womans eyes left Filizs body, her every scratch was healed. It was her mothers quirk, the unique gift of magic every human being was born with. Growing up, Filiz had heard stories about people outside their community who lost their quirks as they matured. She hadnt believed the stories until last summer, when she got a job in Kusadasi as a cruise-ship tour guide. The pale tourists she guided were often friendly but always vacant, little more than polite zombies who saw the world through camera lenses. Their quirks were so long forgotten that Filiz took to imagining what their gifts had beenmaybe this banker used to travel back in time, or that real estate agent could communicate with horses. Only the tourists childrens fading quirks were recognizable. It depressed Filiz to watch them being raised to lose them, too.
For the Celans, the quirk was the last thing to go, after the heart stopped beating. The elderly could lose every other facultyhearing, sight, memorybut their quirks would stay with them until just after their dying breaths. Filiz would never lose her quirk. If her fingers were unable to make fire, she would no longer be Filiz.
She slid away from her mothers gaze, which felt babying and oppressive. Sometimes it was nice to leave a minor scratch alone. None of her deep wounds were on the surface anyway. She put her heavy bag down, not ready to address what it contained. She planned to play Glle Oyunu, the game of marbles her father had taught her.
But she couldnt take her eyes off the bag on the floor, the way the firelight played over it. Shed wolfed down a third of its contents before she got home. She wanted to offer her mother and grandmother the rest, but she was afraid of what it would unleash among her people, who had long looked upon Filiz with distrust. Of course, the Poet would be feeding his own family in his own cave, so there really wasnt any avoiding the inevitable.
Her mother was watching her, full of questions. Lately there had been whispers about a visitor Solon would receive in the cave that all the Celans knew existed but none of them could see. Filiz knew her mother wanted to ask about it.
She is here. Filiz avoided the wild look in her mothers eyes. She took off her sweatshirt and straightened her tight blue T-shirt. The fashions she had stolen in Kusadasi earned strange looks from the community, but Filiz hated the rough woven cloaks that were their style. Kusadasi had shown her how rural her home was. Now Kusadasis cutting-edge shops and sparkly hotels lay a mile underwater.
Filizs people had lived in these caves for thousands of years, since before Atlantis sank. Every generation prayed that Atlantis would not rise in their lifetime or in their childrens childrens. Now the girl who would bring it back was a hundred yards away.
Eat. Her mother put a kettle on the fire. Eat, then speak. The Assembly is beginning next door.
It should have been easy to present her starving mother with the stolen food, but her familys hunger was so great Filiz feared a limited amountof food would only make them more miserable.
She eyed the kettle. What is it?
Soup, her mother said. Grandma made it.
Youre lying, Filiz said. Its boiled water from the sky.
I didnt say what kind of soup it is. It tastes good. Salty, like a broth.
You ate this already? She stared at her mother, noticing her sunken eyes. You cant eat this!
We have to eat something.
Filiz grabbed the kettle handle, which burned her in a way the fires she ignited never did. She cursed and dropped the kettle, spilling its contents on the floor.
Her mother fell on her knees, scooped water in her hand, brought it to her lips.
Stop it! Filiz fell on her mother, wrenching her hands from her mouth. She grabbed her bag and produced a wedge of baklava, a greasy veal cutlet. She pressed the food into her mothers hands. Her mother gaped at the food as if her hands were on fire. Then she started eating.
Filiz watched her mother scarf half of the cutlet down. Is there more? she whispered.
Filiz shook her head.
We are dying.
The Assembly took place in Filizs great-uncle Yusufs cave. After Solons cave, which none of the others had ever been allowed to see, let alone enter, Yusufs cave had the largest room for gathering. The fire was dwindling, Filizs pet peeve. A large painted evil eye watched them from the back wall. Filiz wondered if the eye was blind; it hadnt protected her people in a long time.
She had not been to an Assembly in years, since before her father died. She went tonight because she knew the Poet was going to rat out Solon and his food. She wanted to do what she could to temper the Celans reactions.
It is happening. Yusuf furrowed his wiry white eyebrows as Filiz entered the room. His skin reminded Filiz of a pan-fried quail, brown and tight and cracking from sun. The animals we have long hunted now hunt us. Our home has become treacherous as everything around us starves.
The group was small that night, less than twenty of her neighbors. They looked haggard and feral. She knew that these were the healthiest of them, that everybody absent lay in a nearby cave, too malnourished to move.
The Poet was there, sitting between two other boys his age. The boys dark skin had a strange white tint. It took Filiz a moment to realize that their skin was caked with salt. They must have been out in the rain all day building the arks. It was an old project of the Celans, in preparation for the flood that generations of them had feared. There were many ancient stories of heroes riding out past floods in sturdy arks. Few took their construction seriously, even stealing the food the ark builders had begun to stockpile when the famine hit last year. But everything was different now that the tear rain fell from the sky. Filiz didnt know where the Celans thought theyd sail to, or how they would survive at sea, but many were convinced the arks would be their salvation.
For the Celans, the quirk was the last thing to go, after the heart stopped beating. The elderly could lose every other facultyhearing, sight, memorybut their quirks would stay with them until just after their dying breaths. Filiz would never lose her quirk. If her fingers were unable to make fire, she would no longer be Filiz.
She slid away from her mothers gaze, which felt babying and oppressive. Sometimes it was nice to leave a minor scratch alone. None of her deep wounds were on the surface anyway. She put her heavy bag down, not ready to address what it contained. She planned to play Glle Oyunu, the game of marbles her father had taught her.
But she couldnt take her eyes off the bag on the floor, the way the firelight played over it. Shed wolfed down a third of its contents before she got home. She wanted to offer her mother and grandmother the rest, but she was afraid of what it would unleash among her people, who had long looked upon Filiz with distrust. Of course, the Poet would be feeding his own family in his own cave, so there really wasnt any avoiding the inevitable.
Her mother was watching her, full of questions. Lately there had been whispers about a visitor Solon would receive in the cave that all the Celans knew existed but none of them could see. Filiz knew her mother wanted to ask about it.
She is here. Filiz avoided the wild look in her mothers eyes. She took off her sweatshirt and straightened her tight blue T-shirt. The fashions she had stolen in Kusadasi earned strange looks from the community, but Filiz hated the rough woven cloaks that were their style. Kusadasi had shown her how rural her home was. Now Kusadasis cutting-edge shops and sparkly hotels lay a mile underwater.
Filizs people had lived in these caves for thousands of years, since before Atlantis sank. Every generation prayed that Atlantis would not rise in their lifetime or in their childrens childrens. Now the girl who would bring it back was a hundred yards away.
Eat. Her mother put a kettle on the fire. Eat, then speak. The Assembly is beginning next door.
It should have been easy to present her starving mother with the stolen food, but her familys hunger was so great Filiz feared a limited amountof food would only make them more miserable.
She eyed the kettle. What is it?
Soup, her mother said. Grandma made it.
Youre lying, Filiz said. Its boiled water from the sky.
I didnt say what kind of soup it is. It tastes good. Salty, like a broth.
You ate this already? She stared at her mother, noticing her sunken eyes. You cant eat this!
We have to eat something.
Filiz grabbed the kettle handle, which burned her in a way the fires she ignited never did. She cursed and dropped the kettle, spilling its contents on the floor.
Her mother fell on her knees, scooped water in her hand, brought it to her lips.
Stop it! Filiz fell on her mother, wrenching her hands from her mouth. She grabbed her bag and produced a wedge of baklava, a greasy veal cutlet. She pressed the food into her mothers hands. Her mother gaped at the food as if her hands were on fire. Then she started eating.
Filiz watched her mother scarf half of the cutlet down. Is there more? she whispered.
Filiz shook her head.
We are dying.
The Assembly took place in Filizs great-uncle Yusufs cave. After Solons cave, which none of the others had ever been allowed to see, let alone enter, Yusufs cave had the largest room for gathering. The fire was dwindling, Filizs pet peeve. A large painted evil eye watched them from the back wall. Filiz wondered if the eye was blind; it hadnt protected her people in a long time.
She had not been to an Assembly in years, since before her father died. She went tonight because she knew the Poet was going to rat out Solon and his food. She wanted to do what she could to temper the Celans reactions.
It is happening. Yusuf furrowed his wiry white eyebrows as Filiz entered the room. His skin reminded Filiz of a pan-fried quail, brown and tight and cracking from sun. The animals we have long hunted now hunt us. Our home has become treacherous as everything around us starves.
The group was small that night, less than twenty of her neighbors. They looked haggard and feral. She knew that these were the healthiest of them, that everybody absent lay in a nearby cave, too malnourished to move.
The Poet was there, sitting between two other boys his age. The boys dark skin had a strange white tint. It took Filiz a moment to realize that their skin was caked with salt. They must have been out in the rain all day building the arks. It was an old project of the Celans, in preparation for the flood that generations of them had feared. There were many ancient stories of heroes riding out past floods in sturdy arks. Few took their construction seriously, even stealing the food the ark builders had begun to stockpile when the famine hit last year. But everything was different now that the tear rain fell from the sky. Filiz didnt know where the Celans thought theyd sail to, or how they would survive at sea, but many were convinced the arks would be their salvation.
