by S. L. Baum
“They are mighty fine choices, girls. What will you do?” the announcer finished with the question.
“Gracious,” one of them sighed into the microphone. I was pretty sure it was Petals.
“We have no idea,” they said in unison.
“Aren’t they adorable? Give them a round of applause, Citizens. We will bring them back up as the Gala starts to wind down and talk with them some more. There will be a little surprise at that time and I’m sure you will all want to be a part of it,” he continued. “Off you go, young ones.”
“Now I would like to introduce somebody that is truly unique, a girl who honors Concord in all that she does, and honors her parents, as all children should. But before we speak to her alone, we’ll meet the whole family. Please welcome Aspen, Jackson, and Bluebell, of Family 1.15.”
As the Citizens clapped their hands, Cimarron guided the three of us to the edge of the curtain. “Go now,” she yelled, in an effort to be heard over the applause, and we walked out from behind the curtain.
When we reached the microphone, the announcer introduced Aspen and Jackson. He remarked that they were “fine Citizens” and “wouldn’t any girl be proud to have them for their parents” before Cimarron appeared again, quickly ushering them to their seats.
Then it was my turn.
The announcer stepped closer to me and reached out to hold my left hand. “Citizens of Concord, it is with great pleasure that I am able to personally introduce Bluebell to you all.” He took my arm and raised it high in the air, exposing my Lush Citizen Brand.
I glanced at the wall screen to the right of me and saw that the video camera operator had zoomed in on my wrist. The applause that began with the raising of my hand died down almost immediately. Everyone focused on the wall screen, trying to get a good look at the flowery brand. The room fell to a whispered hush.
“Isn’t it a wonder?” the announcer boomed. “An extraordinary thing indeed. Lovely, young Bluebell is Lush with life and has been marked with a rare Brand. She is the kind of Citizen that you should all aspire to be, the kind that parents aspire to create: helpful, dutiful, loyal, and kind. She spent the beginning stages of her life following the guidelines set out for her. She and her parents have never wavered from Concord’s plan. And look at the results, Citizens. Bluebell has been rewarded!” he almost shouted into the microphone.
Cimarron was motioning for me to curtsy, so while the announcer still held my left hand I grabbed the side of my skirt with my right hand and bent my knees. I dipped my body into a curtsy and lowered my head.
“Bluebell, are you excited to visit all four of our beautiful Concords? It is not something every Citizen will be able to do in their lifetime. How do you feel about it?” he asked.
I quickly analyzed the question the way Cimarron and I had practiced. Giving an appropriate response was not as easy as it seemed. I must entice the crowd and please The Council with every answer.
“I am very excited. I understand what a privilege it is for someone my age to be able to move about so freely. Although each Concord is its own special community, the same loving Council governs us all. It will be so interesting to interact with the Citizens of Two, Three, and Four,” I answered.
“Some people say the underwater tunnels that connect us all together are dark and feel very closed in. Does that prospect trouble you?”
“Why would that trouble me?” I smiled widely showing no hint of worry. “Our great Architects and Engineers designed the tunnels, our hard working ancestors built them, and our current dedicated Citizens maintain them. I will enjoy the ride.”
“I have heard that the darkness – not being able to see the sun – is daunting to some?” he prepped me for my next response.
This one Cimarron had expressly wished for me to convey…
“Concord is my light in the darkness, it shines as bright as any sun. Concord Reigns,” I answered.
“Concord Reigns!” he shouted.
Everyone at the Gala burst into applause and I curtsied once again.
“Isn’t she lovely, everybody? Enjoy the night, Bluebell. Concur with Concord!”
“Concur with Concord!” was repeated by all.
I entered the crowd and was immediately surrounded by Citizens. My father and Aspen flanked me as we made our way around the room. I shook hands, held out my wrist for up-close inspections, and gracefully accepted the various forms of congratulations for nearly an hour. When I was finally released to find my friends and enjoy the evening on my own, I knew I would always be under the ever-watchful eye of Aspen and Cimarron. It was Lily and Fisher who found me first.
“You look lovely, Blue. You answered his questions so well. You’ll be the perfect ambassador,” she said while squeezing me tightly in a hug. “And is it wrong of me to say out loud that I’m glad you were introduced that way tonight and not at our Gala?” She whispered the question.
“Not wrong at all. I feel bad for squashing in on Petunia and Petals, but I guess they are going to do something special with them at the end of the evening too, so the focus will be drawn away from me. I wouldn’t want anyone to feel overshadowed. Were you two able to talk with either of the sets of brothers? I wonder what The Pets think of them.”
Fisher looked back to the corner of the room where a long couch had been placed. Sitting in the center of it were Petals and Petunia. To the left of them sat one set of brothers. To the right of them sat the other.
“Lily and I went over there a little while ago. Right now I think they are playing the - I’m more interesting than you are - game. I don’t think I’d want to be competing for the chance to live a fairly public life. I mean The Pets are great, but a videoed wedding, videoed birth, videoed family outings, that’s just not for me,” Fisher frowned at the thought.
“Welcome to my life,” I laughed.
“Sorry, Blue. I know. I just don’t think I could do it. I mean, if Concord wanted me to, then I guess I’d have to,” he explained.
“Believe me, I understand. I accept this because I must…”
“And you are just amazing at it,” Lily interrupted. “Seriously, Blue. I know I’m repeating myself, but you really are going to make the perfect ambassador. I’m not just saying that. I really mean it,” Lily smiled at me.
“Thanks, Lily,” I said and squeezed her hand. “Where’s Stone?”
“Believe it or not, he has set his sights on Rosebud. She showed up in a strapless dress, exposing a fair amount of pale freckled skin. He noticed her about an hour ago and told me he was off to connect the dots,” Fisher grinned.
I looked around the room, curious to see if he had been successful. “Are they together somewhere? Where are they?”
Lily giggled. “Yes. Look over there.” She pointed them out to me.
Stone and Rosebud were sitting alone at a table for two. Their chairs were very close together and their heads tilted toward each other. I bent down, pretending to adjust the strap on my shoe and looked under the table. Their feet were touching and their hands were clasped. Stone had found his freckled redhead. Rosebud needed a happy guy like Stone in her life. I hoped that it was the start of something promising. I hoped that they were well suited for each other. I hoped for them what I knew better than to hope for myself.
I pulled at Lily’s hand. “Look at that! Do you see the blush in her cheeks?”
“I know. She is glowing,” Lily smiled.
“Stone is done for, now,” Fisher said.
“What is that supposed to mean,” Lily frowned.
“Once you find that girl that grabs your attention, it is impossible to get her out of your head.”
“I’m in your head, am I?” Lily teased.
Fisher nodded. “All the time.”
Lily threw her arms around Fisher’s neck and he pulled her tight to his body. Their foreheads were pressed against each other, their lips only centimeters apart.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Fisher whispered.
&
nbsp; “That’s my cue to leave,” I said and spun around.
My eyes locked on Thorn. He was on the opposite side of the room, waving at me. I waved back and started toward him. As I was attempting to maneuver my way through the tables, I heard my name. I turned my head to see Aspen and some other man with their heads close in conversation. They were turned away, with their backs to me, but I’d always had pretty sharp hearing. Plus, Aspen seemed to say my name with a particular sort of disdain. That sound had stood out in a sea of voices and it caused me to pause.
“We just need to keep Bluebell busy and always in the public eye,” the man said.
“I want her face unmistakable. Everyone in Concord should be able to point her out in a crowd. I want her whereabouts tracked at all times. My father should have known this was a possibility,” Aspen hissed. Her angry whisper was filled with regret and worry. “She can’t… she just can’t… it would ruin me.”
“This isn’t the place, Aspen. We’ll converse tomorrow,” he responded.
I slowly backed away from them, being careful to remain out of their line of sight, and motioned for Thorn to follow me.
I kept what I had overheard to myself. I wanted time to process it before I tried to reason it out with another person. Plus, I wasn’t sure if Thorn was the person that I wanted to be having that kind of conversation with anyway; I didn’t know that much about it. Why was it so important to shine a spotlight on me and track my every move? What purpose could it serve Aspen? I just didn’t know.
Thorn walked an entire circle around me when he neared, and whistled when he finally stopped. “What did they do to you?”
I laughed loudly. “Let’s see… skin glow treatment, manicure, pedicure, hair, make-up, new shoes, gown, and bag. But it is the jewelry that sets it off. Don’t you agree?” I said, holding out my hand for inspection.
“You wore it,” he smiled.
“Thank you for giving it to me. I have to tell you, Aspen seemed a bit shaken by it. She was asking me all sorts of questions about where it came from. My answers were very unspecific.”
“That’s probably best. My father says that, for some reason, those closest to The Council don’t like to hear about childhood memories. Actually, they don’t want Citizens to hold on to too many personal memories in general. He says that for the kids, it just makes the transition into Training Tech harder, so they are encouraged to forget about their life before schooling… and for adults, dwelling on the past doesn’t let one look to the future. Concord always wants everyone to look ahead and never behind. But my father doesn’t want to relinquish his memories. He doesn’t think anyone should be encouraged to forget anything that happened in the past. That’s why he won’t let me forget about my mother and he talks about her so much. He keeps her memory alive.”
“I can actually see the good in both sides of that argument,” I stated. “While recalling the past is sometimes quite nice, some memories are too painful to relive, especially for a child. There is something to be said for moving on and looking toward the future.”
“I guess in certain cases that could be true. But how is a person, or especially a government, ever supposed to move forward without examining the past, analyzing the good moments and the bad and then proceeding forward? You can’t learn from a mistake unless you acknowledge it. Bad moves will just be repeated if they are not recognized and internalized.”
“There is a lot of truth in that. But we are talking about childhood memories; I doubt anything happened when I was three, four, five, or six that I need to learn from,” I countered.
“We’ll never know, because most people have no real memories of that time.”
I grabbed his hand. “I’ve been trying, you know, to remember more. I can almost picture the whole area we used to play in. The grassy area, the trees, the flowers, and the stream, I can see it all. If I close my eyes it almost feels as if I am standing there too. But the headaches always follow, Thorn.”
“It’s just a headache, I get them too. They’ll lessen in time. The more I press my brain to remember details, the less they bother me. My father says he thinks that over the years our brains have been trained to only retain things that happen when Concord is making a larger impression in our lives. When we are very young, the concept of Concord holds no real meaning. By Year Three though, we fully understand the impact that Concord, The Council, our Guardians, and the trainers have on our lives.”
“Thorn, you do realize that this sounds very suspicious. Almost like you are suspecting someone of something. Couldn’t it just be that little children do not have the capacity to remember specific things? I’m not sure I like the way these conversations about memories are going.”
“It’s just a theory. Anything’s possible,” Thorn shrugged. “For the rest of the evening, there will be no more conversations that require deep thought, I promise. Would you like to meet The Pets’ potential mates? I said my hellos a little while ago.”
“Yes. That would be lovely!”
Thorn walked a half a step behind me with his hand at the small of my back. I wouldn’t admit to myself that I liked the way it felt. It was a doomed thought. Thorn was the son of a selectively single man, who worked in Media Distribution. Somehow I doubted that the Lush Ambassador for Concord would be allowed to entertain the thought of a possible match with someone like him. Aspen was holding out for the son of someone with influence, power, and money. Someone she approved of to occupy the spotlight with me … of that I was well aware.
Chapter Thirteen
Times and Tracking
As Thorn and I approached the couch where Petunia and Petals sat talking to the four chosen young men, I noticed heads turning, eyes following, and fingers pointing. It had officially started. I was being watched. Cimarron had warned me that it would happen. She said that after the video was shown over the national broadcasting system, and after I was introduced at the Gala, my face would be recognizable. I was the face that went with the rumor of a Lush girl. Except it wasn’t a rumor, it was true.
I circled my right hand around my left wrist and wished for some of the bracelets that Aspen wore. Aspen had more bracelets in her jewelry chest than I cared to think about; or so she said – the door to their bedroom was always closed and she’d never invited me in. I should have borrowed some from her. The day my gown arrived, she suggested we find some matching jewelry to cover my Brand. She said I should consider placing a few bracelets in my bag so I could wear them after the big announcement. Many of the women in the room had some sort of covering on their wrists; even The Pets wore matching beaded cuffs, but I’d resisted.
I squared my shoulders, released my wrist, and walked up to the first set of brothers.
“Hello. I’m Bluebell.
The younger looking one spoke first. “Hello, Bluebell. I’m Leaf and this is my brother Blade.”
“Blade,” I said, looking at the older one. “That sounds like a strong and dangerous name.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Actually it is quite the opposite. He is a Leaf, as in from a tree, and I am a Blade, as in a blade of grass. Not as dangerous as it sounds.”
“You could always just pretend it is the dangerous kind,” I winked.
“Actually, he couldn’t,” Leaf smiled. “Our mother tells that story to everyone she knows, so his secret is out. I never stood a chance at subterfuge, there isn’t much chance of coming upon a tough and treacherous leaf.”
“Unless it is the poisonous kind, from a hazardous plant, you know?” Petals suggested. Her voice had a nervous edge to it.
“That is true,” Leaf said. “I never thought of it that way. Now I have a dangerous edge.”
“It was nice to meet you,” I said and then turned toward the other set of brothers. “Now it’s my turn to meet you two,” I smiled.
“Hi, I’m Hunter.”
“And I’m Reed.”
I looked from Hunter to Reed and then back to Hunter again. “It is remarkable how similar you
r features are. If your ages hadn’t been revealed when you were introduced, I’d swear that you were twins as well.”
Hunter nodded his head up and down while Reed shook his back and forth.
“We hear that all the time,” Hunter said.
“Every once in a while we would switch classrooms at Training Tech, before Hunter went through Incorporation of course. Our trainers rarely figured it out,” Reed explained with a proud smile.
“We did that too,” Petunia grinned. “But our trainers never figured it out.”
“It was nice to meet you both,” I said to the second set of brothers. “I probably shouldn’t take any more of your time.” I leaned in to give Petunia and Petals a group hug, and positioned myself directly between their heads. “Crazy hard choice, girls,” I whispered. “They both seem quite nice.”
“We know,” they whispered back.
I stood back up. “Talk to you later. Have fun.”
“We will,” The Pets smiled.
Thorn stayed by my side and we walked toward the refreshments. After talking so much, my whole mouth felt as if cotton balls had swabbed out the inside of it, and a few were still stuffed in the back near my throat. I realized that it had been close to two hours since I’d had something to drink. Cimarron would give me a mini lecture if she found out. She’d reminded me just yesterday that when speaking in public I should make sure to keep myself hydrated.
When we reached the bar, I asked for an enhanced water. It was full of vitamins and all that other stuff they kept telling us was good for our bodies. After quickly downing the first, I asked for a second, and another one for Thorn.
“What should we do now?” Thorn asked.
“Crash Stone and Rosebud?” I suggested.
“I saw them!” Thorn exclaimed. “She’s exactly what he said he was looking for.”
“I know!”
“Bluebell, there you are,” Aspen’s voice smoothed. It came from behind. I turned my head to find her just as she reached a clanky jingly arm out and wrapped it around my shoulders. “I just told your father I’d fetch you. Come, dear, he is waiting.”
