The Neutral Zone by Courtney Wyant
of Sarah Beth. The war that began on the day of my birth. A war for nothing
except an acre of land which has been handed down for generations in my family, for we are
Peacekeepers. We kept Botlan and Metban from war for hundreds of years , until the day they
both decided they wanted the land for themselves. The day of my birth.
Now this one acre of land is called the Neutral Zone because its is neutral meaning we
are not Botlan or Metban. The countries kept fighting and fighting until there was nothing
except bloodshed. While the countries fought I made best friends with the two opposites. One
from Botlan and one from Metban.
Joseph is from Botlan. He is one most handsome boys from either side of the Neutral
Zone. He has beautiful brown hair, tan complexion from always staying outside, tall and
muscular from always working from always working in the fields, and his eyes are his best
feature for they are so blue that they look purer than the sea.
Joseph always talks about joining the Botlan army like his deceased father. Joseph has
been the bravest of our trio, he's the one who would do almost anything. Tim is as different
from Joseph as two can be for he is more of a dreamer. He does not believe in monarchy and
thinks that the people should have a choice.
Tim is also different from Joseph in looks as well. He is handsome is his own way. He
has blonde hair that is always sticking up, medium- height and is rather skinny for his age of
16. His eyes, like Joseph's, are his best feature. They are gray but not an ordinary gray. They
look like the sea after a storm and always seem to stare into your very soul.
I, unlike my best friends, am quite ugly. I have frizzy red hair that seems to get more and
more frizzy with every day. I have brown eyes and I am rater short and pudgy. I am a book
worm because before I met Joseph and Tim my best friends were books. Tim and Joseph
always make fun of my constant reading.
The war made our friendship rather hard. More times than not we go to the Neutral
Zone, which is the only place we can meet. It was okay until the day the boys brought up the
subject of joining the army for each of their kingdoms...
The Beginning
“You two are not really thinking about joining your kingdoms' armies. If you do, you
would be fighting against each other and there I would be with two, dead best friends,” I say in
a serious tone that I hope they will listen to. Yet I know that they will not for they never do.
You can not find any three people that are as different.
“Aww , Sarah, we were just talking, although joining the army would not be all that
bad,” says Joseph in is deepened voice. He has always been the one I keep falling in love over
and over again ,but sadly e will never even love me more than a sister. He just has a charm
that has a charm that makes every girl in Botlan and Metban fall in love with him.
“I think I will join the Metban army just to get away from Joseph,” Tim said sarcastically.
I play hit on the arm. We always do that and chase each other around like we are 5 but we are
15, 16, and 17. For once I am not in the middle for I am the youngest.
A Botlan, Metban, and Peacemaker right in the middle of a Neutral Zone. The two of
them were sworn enemies yet they end up best friends trough me. In this relationship it is
true about opposites attract.
I hit Tim and Joseph on the arm softly like we always do. Wishing the world could just
always stay in this very moment. Joseph looks at me with those perfect eyes and says,” You do
know that they are about to establish a law that makes every man or boy in this case 16 or
older to fight at least a year on either side.”
I look at him like he is joking. I can see in those eyes he is not. His eyes have a vague
look to them. They are misty. It looks like the sea is about to cry which makes my eyes want to
shed tears themselves.
“You are not joking ,are you, Joseph?”
“No ,Sarah, I am not. Three weeks from today they will force Tim and I to go fight in the
war.”
“Then what about me?” I say. My voice is shaking and tears have not ceased yet. This is
my worst nightmare.
“Since we both have to go fight I came to say goodbye to both of you.” I look at Tim. I
see that he looks very guilty. He knew about it too, and did not tell me. How many secrets do
they keep from me? Anger hits me.
“You knew about this too didn't you?” I shouted at him. They threw away our
friendship like garbage.
He finally talks but quietly, “Well Sarah, it has been what everyone in both kingdoms
are talking about and I did not know they were going to enforce it.”
Then everything started to fade. Blackness was starting to take me to the pit of despair.
A place I hate more than the war itself. The last thing I see is Tim and Joseph staring down at
me in a loving way and their mouths are saying something I can not hear or make out.......
******
When I awake, I find I am in my cottage. I see Tim and Joseph hovering over me in a
brotherly way. While my head is throbbing it is nice to see them worrying about me. Tim is
the first to speak for once in his life.
“Oh my goodness, Sarah you had us worried almost to
death.” I could tell he meant it for both his beautiful eyes were misty and tears left a trail
down his face. But even then their faces hold smiles. I could tell they really do care about me.
“Aww, I am alright but still the thought of you two fighting each other to the death is a
thought I will never be able to erase from my head. What if you both die? It will be sorrow
just like Mother's death except you would not be here to comfort me. Then it came to me.
I remember her death like it was yesterday. Another thing gone wrong on my birthday.
As all bad things happen on the anniversary of my birth. Why can't I be like the other girls
who love the day of their birth?
************
It was the tenth anniversary of my birth. My mother went to buy me a new book from
Botlan, which is the book capital of the world. She was going to walk on the path, which is
considered the shortest way but the most dangerous.
While I begged her to allow me to go she would not allow me. She said it was
dangerous and she was right. I being a stubborn child walked fifteen yards behind her. While I
walked I was afraid of being found out for my mother loved me but she would give me a
thrashing for disobeying her.
As she walked she would turn around and look for someone following her for it was
known that the kingdom was plagued with spies. When mother was half way through I saw
something of a shadow behind me.
I started , like mother, turning around every so often for I kept hearing the rustle
of the leaves from not me but from someone or something else. I have ever since have been a
paranoid child. This event is the cause.
mother. While even if it meant death for me; my Mothers life is more important to me than
my own. I screamed in the most bloodcurdling voice I had in me,” Mother, behind you!”
She heard me and turned but not in time to get away from the shadow. Soon the
shadow turned into a tall, muscular, full grown man. He grabbed her and forced her to her
knees. He then said to her in a harsh voice,” Peacemaker, give your land to Matban or lose
your life in exchange.”
Mothers eye caught mine and I could tell they told me to run but my legs would not
move. Mother would not give up our land, so she lost her life hanging from a noose in a tree.
Her eyes full of fear while her body twitched a horrible dance. That is the last thing I saw
before I blacked out.
When I woke up I was still on the ground in the woods. I still remember the terror. That
was the worst day of my life. Or it was.
Ever since then I liked Botlan better, but I would not give my land given to me go to
either kingdoms. Now Joseph's, Tim's ,and my own life depends on me. Since that dark
birthday I have not stepped one foot out of the Neutral Zone. My mother laid down her life
just for this land.
The only times I get out of my sorrow is when I am with the boys or reading my books.
Tim and Joseph are the only people I know and they love me but, Joseph only loves me like a
sister like Tim but I prefer Joseph to Tim. Books have always been my passion, but I can only
read when my hair is down. Tim and Joseph still think that I am a book worm.
Now I am recovered with the boys gone back to their own kingdoms, but only
reluctantly. I thought about it again. The boys would undoubtedly die just for this stupid piece
of land. I can not lose the only things I live for just like that. I can not lose them like I lost Mother.
I know what I will do. It may seem foolish, but if this is the only way to save the boys'
lives I