Lush Trilogy

by S. L. Baum

  The man next to her nodded his head. “The Council always makes wise decisions.”

  “I am grateful for the guidance I receive,” said one of the other dinner guests.

  “We are lucky to be taken care of so well and looked after the way we are,” Cimarron added.

  “Right you are,” Boston agreed. “We all know the perils of life before Concord. Our society relies on structure and compliance.”

  I began to get nervous. Many of the dinner guests were staring at me in disbelief. It was as if I was challenging Concord. “All true,” I said, clapping my hands. “How lovely it is to hear Citizens rise up among each other to proclaim how wonderful Concord is to us all,” I continued with a glowing smile. “Concord Reigns,” I finished.

  The words actually stung as they left my mouth.

  A round of applause followed, and I knew that I had managed to redeem myself.

  Salem stood up at his seat and addressed the entire table. “I’ve read the old documents. Life before The Council began enforcing its Mandates was unpleasant at its best, and downright terrifying at its worst. Life in Concord, when Citizens follow the path designed for them, is a smooth, pleasant, and rewarding thing. Concur with Concord.”

  “Concur with Concord,” was repeated by all… except me. For the first time in my life, I mouthed the words without letting a sound escape my lips.

  Bristol began to clap her hands enthusiastically, and many of the dinner guests followed, as Salem sat back down. The waiting staff appeared once again, to remove the cup and replace it with another small plate.

  Bristol stood up and gathered everyone’s attention. “For our seventh course, we are paying homage to our Lush Ambassador. Her favorite treat is a carrot cookie. My chef has prepared this one with a sweet cream frosting. A little indulgence!” She looked at me as she spoke, a smile on her face.

  I took that as my cue to stand up to address my hosts, and all the guests. “I want to thank you for hosting this wonderful dinner. Everything has been a delight for my taste buds. Mother, we will have to have our chef contact their chef for some of these lovely delicacies. Visiting Concord Two has been a very educational and enjoyable experience. Your Citizens are lovely people, who show true dedication to Concord and The Council. And this cookie looks delicious, Bristol, I can’t wait to devour it!”

  I sat back down and Aspen nodded her head at me in approval, a satisfied smile upon her face. “Bluebell, you really are performing nicely.”

  “Thank you, Mother.”

  “Your father, grandfather, and I are so pleased with what you’ve become.”

  The wait staff came around again, with a tray of mugs in hand. They walked around the table and placed a black mug in front of each dinner guest. Steam rose from the mug and the smell of chocolate wafted up to temp me.

  “Warmed Chocolate!” I exclaimed.

  “I know how much you like it,” Aspen said. “I requested it to be at the end of the meal.”

  “Again, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Bluebell.”

  I brought the mug up to my face and drank the warm chocolate. It was a good excuse to stop talking and uttering so many inaccuracies. I didn’t believe most of the words that were coming out of my mouth.

  A few minutes later, Salem and Bristol stood and announced that it was time to go to the other room, for the viewing of Petunia and Petal’s Match-Up. I rose up from my seat and Weaver followed behind. He placed his hand at the small of my back and walked with me. I frowned at the gesture, which had become commonplace for him but still felt entirely too intimate for me.

  “This should be interesting,” he whispered in my ear.

  “Yes. It will be nice to see my friends, even if it isn’t in person.”

  “We could make a nice match-up.”

  “What?”

  “You and me, Bluebell. We would make a perfect pair.”

  “What makes you say so?”

  “You are Lush. I am Fertile. You have strong Council ties. I am the top student in Medical and have a promising career ahead of me. As a team, we would be quite intimidating.”

  I looked into his eyes. He was completely sincere. He wanted a Marriage Contract that would best suit him, no feelings involved. And, in theory, he was correct. We would make an intimidating team, if I were willing to eliminate emotions from the equation. When I was at Training Tech, I thought I would be able to do that. But now, it seemed wrong.

  I looked into Weaver’s eyes and, for the first time, noticed how striking they were. He was a handsome young man. He would make someone a lovely partner. As I stared at his eyes, his face blurred for just a second. I blinked my eyes and then looked forward, and continued to walk, but soon found myself bringing my hands up to the sides of my head, as everything began to fuzz just a little.

  “Isn’t Weaver a lovely young man?” Aspen asked.

  Confusion took hold of me as I looked over to find her walking beside us. “Yes, Mother, he is,” I answered.

  “I’m so glad you two are getting along,” she purred.

  Weaver smiled. Aspen smiled. I smiled too, because it seemed like I should.

  Cimarron appeared beside Aspen. “Two has gone quite well for your daughter, she’s made quite an impression on the Citizens here. Don’t you agree?”

  “We need Three and Four to go just as smoothly,” Aspen said.

  Cimarron nodded. “I assure you, it will.”

  We all sat down on one of the plush couches in the room and watched the wall screen as it flickered to life. The lights dimmed just before pictures of my friends, and the four young men contending for a Concord approved match-up, flashed on the screen, and an announcer’s voice was heard.

  Beautiful twin girls, indistinguishable from each other except for one crucial and tragic factor… one is Fertile and one is not. But Concord is fair and just, and The Council looks out for unique and loyal Citizens.

  Tonight is the Two Week Marker, since these lovely young people were brought together, and it is time for a recap of what has happened during those two weeks.

  Which set of brothers compliment these sisters?

  Who will enter into a Marriage Contract and who will be sent home?

  When will the Marriage be sealed?

  Cast your vote. Record a video message. Make your voice heard. Because this is just the beginning… We will be following the future foursome as they begin their cohabitation and eventually as new Citizens are born, one sister providing a child for the other. You can be a part of it all!

  That message was followed by video clips of Petunia and Petals interacting with Hunter, Reed, Blade, and Leaf in different settings and on different days. Smiles, laughs, and gasps came from the dinner guests as the video clips played out on the wall screen. Statistics flashed across the screen about each set of brothers – what their family numbers were, what Concord they were from, their ages, their favorite pastimes, and their appointed careers. At the end of it all a meter appeared that showed how each set of brothers was faring in the Citizen voting. Then we were encouraged to get out our own tablets and vote. The announcer notified everyone that if we wanted to change a vote already cast we were given only one chance to do so. Vote change wouldn’t be available for another two weeks, until the night before the final decision was revealed.

  I immediately pulled out my tablet. “I should cast my vote!”

  Cimarron gave me a slightly puzzled look. “Didn’t you want to wait until the last possible moment?”

  “Did I?’

  “You just said so in the vehicle on the way here.”

  I tried to remember the ride over, but couldn’t. I shook my head, trying to clear it.

  “A girl can change her mind,” Aspen said with a smile. “Go ahead and vote, dear girl.”

  I placed my tablet back in my clutch. “Actually, I think I should wait.”

  A small scowl appeared on Aspen’s face and she quickly turned her head.

  The lights came bac
k up, and servers with trays of drinks began to circle the room as clusters of guests began to discuss the fate of my friends. Aspen turned and waved to one of the servers. “Relax water, please. I have a long trip to get back to One.”

  “You are going back tonight?” I asked.

  “Yes. I rarely stay in Guest Accommodations. I’ll take some Sleep as soon as I get in the back of my vehicle, and I will be well rested when I arrive home to One.”

  The server arrived with a tray of water.

  “Here,” Aspen said, handing a glass of water to Weaver, and then another to Cimarron. She turned around to grab two more glasses from the tray and then handed one to me. “Have some Relax. I find it is the perfect way to end an evening.”

  Chapter Ten

  To Three

  I woke up and my eyes flitted around the room I was in. It took me a few minutes to realize that I was in the suite in Guest Accommodations, still in Concord Two, which meant that Cimarron was here with me. My gown from the night before was draped over a chair next to the bed, and I was wearing my nightclothes. But I had no memory of leaving the dinner party, the drive back, changing my clothes, placing that gown over the chair, or getting into bed. I looked at the little table next to the bed and saw a half empty bottle of Sleep. I didn’t remember drinking that either.

  My mind fuzzed as I tried to recall anything after watching a broadcast video. It featured somebody I knew… but who? I closed my eyes and concentrated on the video until a vision of Petals and Petunia popped into my head. I tried to remember more of the evening, but suddenly my head began to pound. I pressed my fingers into the sides of my head, making circular motions at my temples. It hurt so much. I just wanted it to stop.

  Flinging back the covers, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and then stood up. I went into the bathroom and dug through my bag of medicines. I found my bottle of Pain Relief and swallowed two of the pills. I pulled off my clothes and stepped into the shower, which I hoped would clear my mind. I tried not to think about anything and waited for the Pain Relief to kick in. As the warm water cascaded down my body, the throbbing in my head finally subsided. A deep sigh escaped my lips as I leaned against the shower wall and let the water flow over me. My whole body relaxed.

  I could fight the blank spot in my brain, and try to remember, or I could accept it and move on. It would be easiest to move on. That’s what I was supposed to do. Wasn’t it?

  Getting out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself and then I went back into the bedroom. I collapsed on the bed, still somewhat tired. I closed my eyes, and wondered if I had a few minutes to fall back asleep, when there was a knock on the door.

  “Yes.”

  “Good morning, Bluebell. You have about forty-five minutes to get yourself ready and pack whatever you want to take with us. The rest will be shipped back to One.”

  Yes. That’s right, I thought. I am travelling to Three today.

  “Alright. Thank you. I’ll be ready,” I called out.

  “Did I just hear the shower?”

  “Yes. I’m actually still in my towel.”

  “Good, then you have already started. Breakfast is being sent up.”

  I put my hands on my stomach. Food did not sound appetizing at all. “I’m not hungry.”

  “I’ll wrap up an oat muffin to bring with us. And there is always the basket of snacks, to tide us over until we arrive.”

  “That will be fine. Thank you.”

  “Well, I’ll finish readying myself, then.”

  “Alright. I’ll be out soon,” I said as I got off the bed.

  After drying and styling my hair, I applied a minimal amount of make-up, and then dressed for my day of travel. I looked around the bedroom and tried to remember what was supposed to stay in the room, to be shipped back to One, and what I was supposed to pack up and bring with me. But just looking at all the clothes confused me. I decided to go back into the bathroom and pack everything in there first.

  I placed all my make-up and hair styling tools into the pink and brown bag that had Make-up printed on one side and Hair on the other side. That was easy. There were labeled slots for everything. I didn’t have to think about where things went. Then I took the bottle of Pain Relief that I’d pulled out of my Medicine Bag when I woke up and put it back in the bag. I stared down into the bag as I dropped the bottle of pills inside. There was a bottle of pale purple pills simply labeled AAP. I was pretty sure that stood for Awake, Aware, and Pain Relief. Then I noticed three unlabeled bottles. One had pink pills, another had white ones, and the last contained yellow pills.

  The fact that they were without labels ignited my curiosity. It would make sense that I knew what they were when I put them in the bag, if it were my doing. I took the bottles out of the bag and placed them on the bathroom counter: pink, white, and yellow all in a row. I stood in front of them and just stared.

  “What do they do?” I asked myself, talking aloud in the bathroom. “Pink, white, yellow. Pink, white, yellow. Three bottles of pills that do what? What do they do?”

  I rubbed at my temples, as a dull pain began to grow there once again. My eyes closed and I continued to think, while I continued to rub. I wanted to know what they were for. I wasn’t going to accept the blank spot and move on.

  “Pink is for… Pink is for preserving. White is for… erasing. Yellow is… Yellow is for gaining lost memories!”

  I immediately opened the bottle of yellow pills, took one out, and placed it in my mouth.

  “Please work,” I whispered to the bottle of pills. I didn’t want to lose any of my memories, and I wanted whatever was gone to come back.

  I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be an immediate thing, like Pain Relief was, although I wished it would be. So I grabbed the three bottles, went back into the bedroom, and dropped them into my travel bag. If I saw the pills, then I would think about them, and if I thought about them, I would take them!

  How fine they were, those threads of memories. How easily it was for a veil to be put around them, hiding them away. I thought about the white pills and wondered if something so small was truly able to erase those threads of memories forever. Or was it that the thin veil became a heavy blanket over time, so heavy that a medicated Citizen found it too difficult to lift up, and no longer desired to uncover their true past?

  I began to sort through my clothing, choosing pieces to pack for Three. At that moment I didn’t care if I was choosing correctly or not, I just chose the pieces that I liked. I picked up a blue lace shirt and remembered wearing it two days before. Because I had previously worn it, it should have stayed in the room and returned to One, but I loved the way it looked on me. I decided to pack it, and then send it out to be washed once we arrived in Three. A smile spread across my face. Such a small thing and such a small decision, but it was entirely made by me, with no outside influence, and it felt incredibly good.

  When I walked out of the bedroom, Cimarron was waiting by the door.

  “Ready for our day of travel?” she asked.

  I nodded my head. “I am.”

  After we got in the vehicle, and through the initial checkpoint to Three, I settled into my seat, knowing it would be hours before we arrived at our next destination. Cimarron opened the small cooler and took out a Vitamin water. “Do you want one?”

  The vehicle jerked slightly and I looked up, catching Gill’s eyes in the mirror. He shook his head.

  “No, thank you. I’m not thirsty.”

  “Not hungry, not thirsty?”

  “I drank an Energy in my room this morning, right after I showered,” I lied.

  “I guess you won’t be sleeping while we are in the tunnel, this time.” Cimarron smiled.

  “I guess not.”

  Cimarron sipped at the small bottle of water as she scrolled through her tablet. After a few minutes, her hand began to slow, and then her head fell back to rest on the seatback behind her. Her eyes closed and her breathing became slow and steady.

 
“Gill?”

  “It wasn’t Vitamin. It was Sleep. I switched it out so we can talk. There is an Energy on your side that is pure. You should drink it.”

  I nodded my head and retrieved the bottle of water. “Will she figure it out?”

  “I highly doubt it. She is a true believer and a true follower. Unless she’s been instructed to be suspicious, she won’t be.”

  I stared at Cimarron; she believed in Concord with all her heart. She was joyful about everything, even if it was forced joy. She accepted the Mandates without question, and strove to be a perfect Citizen. But did that mean she wasn’t suspicious? I waved my hand in front of her face – she didn’t seem to notice. I poked her arm – she didn’t flinch. When I was convinced she was sound asleep, I turned my attention to Gill.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked.

  “Do you remember what I told you about how you look like a girl that I went through Incorporation with?”

  I shook my head. “I think someone gave me the Memory Eraser Drug last night, most likely Aspen. I took a little yellow pill this morning. It’s supposed to counteract it and bring memories back, but I think it works pretty slowly. Things are starting to seem a little more clear than they were when I woke up, but there is still a little bit of a fuzz up here,” I said, pointing to my head.

  Gill frowned. “We were afraid she was doing that. Close your eyes. Concentrate on me, and what you know about me. Try to remember everything that I’ve told you in the last week.”

  I closed my eyes and willed the memories to come back to me.

  “Your real name is Gilbert, but you prefer Gill.”

  “Very good.”

  “You said you were from Three.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Now I remember, there was a girl in your Incorporation Class that looked like me. And you said you liked her, like you like me.”

  Gill smiled and vigorously nodded his head in approval. “Wonderful. Why do you think I told you that?”

  “I’m not sure,” I grimaced.

  “Look down at that ring you are playing with.”