Lush Trilogy

by S. L. Baum

  When we arrived at the private room, Weaver opened the door for me but the video team entered first, so they could scout out the best place in the room to record their footage. Cimarron went in after them, and finally, I followed behind. “You look deep in thought,” Weaver noted as I slowly walked past him.

  I gave him a small smile. “Just missing my friends. Silly, isn’t it? I am only into the second day of this trip.”

  “Just a little bit silly,” Weaver said with a wink. “But understandably so.”

  “I guess I was just imagining being away from them for the entire tour, and this is only the beginning of it. It seems like such a long time,” I explained.

  “Three weeks is not so long, and I can be your friend this week. I’m sure you’ll make another friend next week, and a new one the week after that. You are a very likeable girl.”

  “Thank you. I’d like a friend this week, but Cimarron has my schedule pretty full. And aren’t you terribly busy with your training here at the CEC?”

  “I’m always busy. And lucky for both of us, I was just informed that The Council approved my request to shadow you this week.”

  “Shadow me? And why would you request to do that?”

  Weaver let the door close behind us. “Because you are such an interesting anomaly and I’d like to observe you, ask you question after question, and learn everything I can about you. Call it extended research, if you like.”

  “So, I’ve been reduced to a research project; an interesting anomaly, an irregular Brand, an object of curiosity.”

  “Not reduced, elevated. You are all of those things, but I bet you are so much more. And… that was just my excuse to The Council.” A wide smile spread across his face. “A week off would be nice, and it’s always good to make a new friend.”

  “It is always good to make a new friend,” I agreed.

  “Bluebell, come here, please. I’d like a word with you before the others arrive,” Cimarron called over to me. She was sitting at a table that was positioned front and center in the room, it was adorned with three evenly spaced, glass bowls, that each containing a colorful bouquet, all set atop a crisp white tablecloth. Several other chairs were placed around the table, to seat the students that would be joining me for lunch.

  I looked back at Weaver. “I think I’m just your excuse for a week off.”

  Weaver winked. “Excuse. Reason. Whatever fits,” he said as I turned to walk toward Cimarron.

  “How many students will we be dining with?” I asked, pointing to all the chairs.

  She turned on her tablet and scrolled through it. “It looks like there will be six young Citizens. Another from Medical, one from Peace Keeping, one from Armory, a News and Information, a Chef in Training, and a Trainer to be. All Fertile, of course, they are our target audience. Hmmm. Why would there be a Fertile Trainer? That is almost unheard of. Let me see.”

  Cimarron searched for information and I patiently waited.

  “Ah, not Fertile, she was invited to become inspired and tell her future students what they can hope to achieve. That makes mores sense.” She placed her tablet on the table. “Bluebell, remember to keep the conversation light, smile excessively, and wave your left hand around. You need to make your Brand visible. The video team tells me that it is hard for them to capture a good shot of it, and that you keep it hidden, covering it up with your right hand too often.”

  I gave her a guilty smile.

  “The Citizens want to see the Lush Brand, Bluebell. All they get to see in their daily lives are Fertile and Infertile. From time to time, you need to let them have a glimpse of what makes you special. The people are intrigued. You should be proud enough of your Citizen Brand to want to show it off.”

  “I am proud of it,” I lied.

  “But not enough to openly display it. I understand that your mother is of the opinion that Citizens should notice you and not your Brand. But this is not the time to cover it up, not while you are being so active in your role as Lush Ambassador. In a few months, when every Citizen knows your face, and has watched you on their tablets and screens, when they are comfortable with you, like you are one of their friends, then you can wear all the bangles and bracelets you want, and draw the attention away from your arm.”

  “I understand, Cimarron. Really, I do.” I understood, but that didn’t mean that I agreed.

  Cimarron gave me one of her ready smiles. “I knew you would. As I always say, that is one of your best qualities. You know what has to be done and are ready and willing to do it.”

  I was getting tired of those exact same words. She repeated them so often, with the same smile on her face. I used to admire those smiles. She always seemed to be happy. But now I knew that her smile was just part of her uniform, something she put on every day like a fine suit of clothing, or a suit of armor.

  The six students came in and I turned toward them, I attempted to give them a genuine smile, unlike Cimarron’s, and I raised my left hand to give them a big, long, lingering wave. I gave everyone in the room ample time to spot the Lush Brand and take a good look at it. As I shook each of their hands, I made sure to grasp each and every one with both of mine, giving every student a close up look at the five overlapping circles that made up my Lush Brand.

  “Wow! It is so pretty,” said a girl with a row of sparkly bracelets covering both of her wrists.

  I smiled at her. “Thank you so much.”

  “It is so good to meet you,” said a young man with a shock of bright red hair and a nose full of freckles. He reminded me of Rosebud.

  “Likewise. I love your freckles, by the way.”

  The next girl looked down at my hands as I clasped hers. “Your hands are really soft.”

  “You’ve got to moisturize,” I told her.

  A curt, “Hello,” was uttered by the next student.

  I offered a simple, “Hello,” in return.

  A tall, muscular boy thrust his hand out toward me. “Hi. I’m Lake.”

  “I’m Bluebell,” I said, shaking his hand. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

  The last student smiled widely at me. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with us.”

  “Thank you, for showing up.” I smiled back.

  I greeted each one personally, with Cimarron watching the exchanges, the video team recording each one, while Weaver observed quietly from the end of the table. It was a relief when the caterer arrived with our meal and I was able to sit down. Following Cimarron’s explicit instructions, I kept my conversation light and made sure that they all were able to catch several glimpses of my Lush Brand.

  Soon after lunch was over, and our empty plates were removed, two-dozen more CEC students arrived for the Question and Answer session. Cimarron and I stayed seated behind the table, while the rest of the Citizens moved back to the rows of chairs that had been set up. Each student was allowed only one question. Some of the questions were quite easy for me to answer, while others required a bit more thought. But before I gave an answer I was always thinking, How would The Council respond to this question?

  One by one they stood up and asked their questions and I dug into the pool of information that Cimarron had been filling me up with since the day that we started working together at the Career Education Center.

  The first to stand was a shorter boy. He held his tablet in the crook of his arm. “Do you prefer to watch a video or read a story?” He shifted his weight back and forth on his legs as he asked the question, clearly nervous.

  “I love to read stories,” I answered with a smile. “The Writing Department and Creative Storytelling has some extremely talented writers. Don’t you think?”

  His face brightened at my answer and his stance relaxed. “They do,” he agreed. “I love to read.”

  “Then we have something in common.”

  A stunningly beautiful girl with long, sleek, black hair that fell past her waist burst up from her seat, clearly desperate to ask her question. “I watched your Gala during the
Video Stream. You looked so beautiful. Can I get a gown like yours?”

  “Thank you so much. I fell in love with that gown too. I do believe that copies of the gown are being produced, so you are in luck.”

  “Oh! That’s wonderful,” she said with a sigh of relief.

  “I think it would look quite beautiful on you.”

  She blinked her eyes at me and smiled widely. “Thank you!”

  Another boy stood up. He pushed his hair away from his eyes, straightened his shirt, and then loudly cleared his throat. “What career were you hoping for while you were going through Incorporation?”

  “My friends said that I’d be good at Creative Storytelling, but I wasn’t so sure. I just knew that whatever was chosen for me, I would excel for the glory of Concord.” It was amazing to look back on that time, which wasn’t very long ago, and remember my feelings. I’d had a blind trust in Concord then, rarely questioning a thing… but that had soon changed.

  “We are placed where we would do best,” he said.

  I thought I saw a hint of doubt in his eyes, and I wanted to ask him if he liked his chosen career, if there was something else he thought he could do well, and if he agreed with Concord’s path for his life. But I just smiled at him and nodded my head.

  A girl stood, and I suspected the question order had been assigned to alternate sexes. Behind her was a boy, nearly lifting himself from his seat, impatiently waiting for his turn, which confirmed my suspicions. “Did you have a feeling that you were Lush?” the girl quietly asked.

  “I’m not sure it’s possible to get a feeling about your Brand,” I told her. “As young students, all we can do is follow the rules and guidelines as told to us by our Trainers and Guardians.”

  She nodded her head and lowered herself back into her chair.

  The boy launched himself up, as soon as the girl was sitting. He shoved his hands in his front pockets and leaned back as he spoke. “I heard that your parents gave you special supplements when you were a baby. Is that true?

  “Not at all.” I shook my head in denial. I couldn’t allow Citizens to think that I’d had an unfair advantage. “Again… rules and guidelines. The Council has set mandates for Early Child Development and my parents made sure to follow them explicitly. I received my immunizations on the exact day that I was due for them, they were very strict with my diet, made sure that I had routine exercise, and they employed an excellent Caregiver for the first four years of my life. It is a formula that every parent can and should follow.”

  The pit of my stomach dropped as I mentioned the last part. The person the community had accepted as my Caregiver, the person that Aspen and my father had lied to their friends and neighbors about, the woman who’d been brought into a home as a second wife and then convinced to keep her mouth shut about who she really was… that woman was my mother. My real mother. What did everyone think happened to her when she disappeared? But then, no one actually kept track of Caregivers, as they were usually Infertile Citizens or Fertile Citizens, of a much lower social level, who were awaiting the chance to enter into their own Marriage Contract.

  Banishment crossed my mind. That was the only explanation I could think of for my mother. My father had discovered her, taken me away from her, and after that she must have been Banished. I wanted to know where she was.

  If someone was cast out, where was he or she sent? I had no idea. I couldn’t search for much; I didn’t have access to any data banks. I couldn’t ask my father, or Aspen, or Cimarron, or anyone for that matter, about the other Lush girl named Hope… my real mother and Caregiver. Hope had been erased. But I would be safe to request information from Cimarron about the perils of being Banished and cast out, if only as a warning to other Citizens.

  “Bluebell, did you understand the question?” Cimarron asked.

  I shook my head and looked at her. I’d been lost in my own thoughts and hadn’t even heard the last question. I looked at the female student that was standing in the audience, patiently waiting for my response. “I’m so sorry, could you please repeat your question for me?”

  She stood a little taller and smiled. “I asked if you had a favorite treat… a favorite sweet or savory food.”

  I nodded my head, still deep in thought.

  Underneath the table, Cimarron prodded my leg with her hand. “And what is it?”

  I smiled at the student, bringing my mind back to the current activity. “I love a good carrot spice cookie. My friend’s mother makes delicious carrot cookies with a sweet lemon glaze on top. They are simply divine and I could probably eat an entire batch of them. But I must stop myself after just a few, because I know that it isn’t wise to be overindulgent.”

  The girl nodded her head in agreement. “Carrot cookies are lovely, but my favorite is an oat muffin.”

  My eyes brightened and I pulled myself back to the task at hand. “I love those too.”

  And so it went with twenty-four other students, asking twenty-four more questions, and I patiently gave twenty-four appropriate answers. But just when I thought I was finished, one more Citizen stood up.

  “What does a Lush Ambassador look for in a potential Marriage Contract?”

  Weaver was standing in the back of the room, staring right at me. The sharp intake of my breath let Cimarron know that I wasn’t sure how to answer that question, especially not with a video team recording the whole thing. We hadn’t discussed what I would say if someone inquired about Marriage Contracts. I had no idea what The Council would consider an appropriate answer. The only thing I knew was that my father and Aspen had entertained the idea already, but hadn’t shared anything more with me.

  Cimarron stood up. “Bluebell’s parents, her grandfather, and The Council will guide her in the right direction when that time comes. Thank you all so much for coming and for participating in this event with us. We hope that you have a better idea of who Bluebell is, how her dutiful choices have been rewarded with the Lush Brand, and what a fine young Citizen she is. Concur with Concord!”

  I braced my hands on the table and pushed myself up to stand next to her. “Concur with Concord.”

  The students in the room all rose to their feet. “Concur with Concord!”

  Weaver continued to stare at me, a satisfied smile set on his face.

  As Gill drove the two of us back to Guest Accommodations, I rested my head against the back of the seat. The day was already wearing on me, and it wasn’t even over, and the worst part was, it was the first of many. A countdown had started in my head, ticking off the days that remained.

  “Thank you for coming to my rescue on that question from Weaver. I had no idea how to answer that.”

  “I didn’t think anyone would ask such a thing, otherwise I would have discussed possible answers with you. But I spoke the truth. You have extremely capable family members who are looking out for your best interests, and they will guide you to the right choice.”

  “I have no doubt.” Whether it was the right choice for them or the right choice for me was another matter entirely. “Cimarron, there is something else I’ve been wondering about. And you said that I could ask you anything, in private.”

  “Yes. What is it?”

  “I got to thinking about being cast out. I know that it’s something that comes from continued bad choices. And I was wondering what would cause a Citizen to be Banished?”

  “You aren’t going to start behaving all scallywag on me, are you, Bluebell?”

  “Of course not. I would never. It is just a concern of mine, for other people I mean. And I thought that if I knew, then I could warn people against the possibility. No one wants to be cast out and become Banished, so Citizens should work to prevent that dire situation from ever coming to be.”

  “That is quite true. Many years ago, there was an area of each Concord set aside for those who refused to live within the guidelines set forth by the founding Council. Those people soon discovered that it was entirely too difficult to make it on their own, some
repented and begged for reentry into Concord society, some perished from malnutrition, some disappeared and it was assumed that they had succumbed to some other hardship.”

  I thought of my mother and wondered if she could have survived for over a decade. If she had truly been Banished, I hoped she had found a way to carry on. “That’s terrible. But what about recent cast outs?”

  “There have been very few of them, too few to count. Discovering a wayward Citizen is quite rare now and if one is discovered, he or she is given a choice: Banishment or Erasure. Erasure being a total memory wipe, which brings with it a chance to start again as someone else, in addition to a transfer to one of the other Concords. I believe almost everyone has chosen Erasure. I can’t recall seeing a single Banishment in the records, and I’ve checked back over twenty years.”

  “But there could be ex-Citizens, still out there somewhere?” I said in a whisper. Or had she been erased? I wondered. And if so, which Concord is she in now?

  “It is highly unlikely, The Council has assured Concord’s loyal Citizens that we have no outside concerns. And it is definitely not something you should be worried about,” Cimarron said with a dismissive wave. It was a move I was used to seeing Aspen perform, it was one of her standard hand motions, but it was a first for Cimarron.

  I wasn’t ready to be so easily dismissed. “If there are no outside concerns for the Citizens, then why is it that Armory has become such an important department? What is the point of Armory Development?”

  The vehicle had slowed and was about to stop at the entrance to Guest Accommodations. Cimarron placed a hand on my leg and looked at me. “We have just enough time for dinner and a change of clothes before we need to go back to the CEC. We are on a tight schedule today. Is this round of questioning out of your system?” Her voice was stern and her face was void of emotion.