Rising Up: A YA Dystopian Sci-Fi Series (Tranquility Series Book 1) by Tanya Ross

Author:Tanya Ross [Ross, Tanya]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-24T05:00:00+00:00

24

Xander’s Leadership

Xander wasted no time getting back to Camp with his followers. The next challenge was to get his fellow REMs outfitted to represent a united force. It was the spine of a plan he had been dreaming up; his crew had to feel they were winners.

He wanted them to have long capes—easy to make and symbolic of greatness. Getting cloaks sewn for his crew would require his teaching the REMs how to make something that looked not only decent, but impressive. He would have to train them in yet another skill. He silently thanked his seamstress mother for her insistence that he learn the basics of sewing when he was a young teen. What began as an interest in fashion helped motivate him to create pieces he wore in the city, and he got good at it.

But first they needed scissors. Knives would not do what they would need done. Convinced that the tool shop was the place to begin, Xander identified the best tool workers in the building. He found a couple of REMs willing to take on the project. Rebar, skeleton pieces of the crumbling buildings, lay everywhere in the camp. These could be melted, then flattened and shaped into blades on an anvil. With some heat in the center, a spring could be formed. Once cooled and fired to make them flexible, the new scissors would be functional.

Using thorns of the hawthorn bushes that dotted the landscape, they made needles for sewing. Dead and dried, the thorns had sharp points. The group whittled sticks as well, each REM trying to best the other on how sharp and fine their needles could be. Nettles were stripped for their fibers to use as thread.

Each member of Xander’s crew now had the simple tools to make the crimson mantles that would set them apart.

Without any fanfare, Xander worked feverishly to create his own cape, knowing he was always the inspiration to his pack of outcasts. Well, they won’t look better than me, but they’ll have some pride.

Eager to copy Xander’s example, the REMs could hardly wait to sew up their own. And, just like that, in less than a week, Xander’s gang was looking transformed. He was ready for the next step. It was time to share his vision.

REMs gathered for their Rock Masters game in the courtyard as if it was any other day, joking and threatening each other’s upcoming losses. This day, every REM sported a new cape that billowed in the dry, cold wind. Like superheroes of lore, the glorified clothing seemed to empower them, each one becoming a cock-fighting rooster strutting about the court.

Xander’s stepped up onto the top of a broken wall, his face infused with a glow rivaling a full moon on a dark night. “Fellow REMs, you’re looking royal and like…warriors,” Xander shouted.

A cheer rippled through the crowd.

“I want you to know, you don’t just look good—you’re destined for tremendous things. Thank the stars you have me to lead you.”

The REMs shuffled about, some sharing some confused looks, others whistling or clapping.

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