by S. L. Baum
My eyes flew open and immediately focused in on the wall clock near the bed. It was three in the morning. Depressing. I was exhausted, I could barely lift a limb to adjust my body and find a comfortable position. I wanted to curl myself up in a ball… I wanted to stay asleep for days.
But as tired as I was, I suddenly sat up in the bed, stunned. I hadn’t dreamt of my mother for days and days. Of course, up until the night before my Gala, I hadn’t known what the dreams were about. They’d haunted me for years, but until I read the story sent to my tablet, read the files that were on the secret one, and observed Aspen’s Infertile Brand after overhearing her admit the truth about my birth, I never knew what the dreams were trying to tell me.
When I was in Training Tech I was conditioned to believe that Concord, and The Council, was always looking out for us. I was to Concur with Concord and happily state that Concord Reigns. I was taught that if I followed the Mandates and did my duty for Concord, that life would be a pleasant experience. I believed that everybody in Concord believed the same thing, and acted in harmony with one another. I would never have entertained the idea of going against Concord. Every one of my good deeds, dutiful thoughts, and future plans, was born out of obligation. Even after I was given the Lush Brand, the same was true; I acted out of obligation to Concord. I wanted to be a model Citizen.
But after having my eyes opened, I knew that not everybody believed in The Council’s Mandates, not everybody thought that Concord was acting in their best interests, and not every loyal Citizen was rewarded with a long happy life. I suspected that Citizens were placed in situations that would result in death; to suit a need, to cover-up an illness, and perpetuate the lie that Concord Medical had cured all health related issues. I believed that children were punished for their parents’ beliefs or actions, or lack of actions… secretly made Infertile, because the parents had in some way angered The Council. I no longer believed in Concord.
I wasn’t Bluebell 1.15. I had no claim to that family number. Every time I stood up in front of a camera and proudly proclaimed how dutiful and honorable Aspen and Jackson had been as my parents, I was lying. They may have been dutiful and followed all Concord’s Mandates, but they were not honorable, and Aspen was not my mother. She was just a woman that had fooled everybody into thinking she was Fertile, fooled my mother into thinking she would have a safe home to live in, as a second wife, fooled my father into thinking she would make him a good wife, and fooled me about everything, all my life.
If I allowed it to happen, she would orchestrate the remainder of my life… use me to keep her false family strong… make me forget who I was, who I am, and who I want to be, so I could be all that she wanted me to be. Aspen wanted me to align myself with Weaver, for some reason. I decided that her intent with the Memory drugs was to make me forget my friends and Thorn, so she could insert Weaver, and whomever else she decided was worth keeping company with, in their place.
I had realized all those things, but I didn’t have any idea where my true mother was or if she was even alive. I needed to find out what had happened to Hope. No matter what I found, whether she was alive or dead, I wanted to know the truth. And I had a feeling that being back in One would be the best way to get that information.
I got out of the bed and went to the small kitchen to search for some Awake. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, so I decided that I might as well stay up. I also knew that to safely get back to One, I would have to continue to keep my mouth closed, do my duty for Concord, and continue to be a mouthpiece for The Council. And since I had to give Gill the unauthorized tablet once the morning came, I also knew I needed to read another file while I was still able to.
After drinking the Awake, I went back to bed with the tablet in my hands and propped up the pillows so I could comfortably sit and read. I turned the tablet on, placed my finger in the center of the screen and waited for it to scan. A solid green line swiped across the screen.
Scan accepted.
I pressed down on the screen and selected the file labeled: Fourth.
Have you ever thought about how small our communities are? We are Concord; which consists of One, Two, Three, and Four. That’s it. Our history doesn’t explain what happened to change what used to be. Think of your parents’ names. They are from the Fallen Cities Name Guide. That guide had one thousand names in it, granted they were not all used before The Council switched to the Natural Name Guide, but we can safely assume that there were hundreds and hundreds of cities before Concord came to be. Is it reasonable that they no longer exist? Did civilization somehow shrink from thousands of cities all the way down to only four? If so, what happened to all those cities?
Why does Concord not want us to know? What tragic event occurred in history to cause such a dramatic shift? We do not know because it is never spoken of, never taught, no records were kept… or so we’ve been told. We do know that Concord and The Council gained power in some way, and took over to make things better. They cured disease, obesity, made sure every child was given the same education, and they administrated almost every aspect of a Citizen’s life. It was done to keep us safe, healthy, and on a potentially level field. We know this, because that is what The Council has told us, and a good Citizen does not question The Council.
What else do we know about Concord? We know that each Concord is surrounded by water, because we travel through underwater tunnels to get from one Concord to another. But why do we not travel on the water? Why are the only boats small recreational ones, only big enough for a couple of people? We definitely have the know how to make a larger, sturdier, more useful vessel. And when Citizens are on a recreational boat ride, why are they not allowed be very far from shore?
The real question is: is the electronic barrier in place to keep the bad things out of Concord or is it to keep the people of Concord in?
Chapter Thirteen
Duty Bound
After reading the file, I was never able to get back to sleep. So, after a very late breakfast, I drank another Awake with hopes that it would successfully keep my eyes alert and open. It worked.
Cimarron had given me permission to read off my official Lush Ambassador tablet, for the video broadcast. That was a weight lifted for me, because I didn’t think I could remember a single word of a new speech if I tried. I rehearsed the prepared words in front of a wall of mirrors in the Guest Accommodations suite, but found myself yawning while I tried to speak. Yawning was not good, and Cimarron looked at me with a slight frown. Then the dull headache started to grow.
I remembered the pills that Weaver had shown to me in Two, and the bottles that Payson had sent over to the suite. It was the little pale purple ones – Awake, Aware, and Pain Relief – that had me thinking. If I took one of those, it would be a perfect solution to my problems. I went into my room and found the bag of medicines, but my hand paused on the zipper. I had no idea why, after going so long without pills, and avoiding Medicines for everyday use, I was ready and willing to take them. Part of me wanted to pop one of those pale purple things in my mouth, but another part of me was wary of it. My reliance on drinks and pills to get from one moment to the next worried me. I did not unzip the bag.
“Get a drink of plain water with a lemon wedge in it, shake off that headache, practice the speech, and smile,” I said out loud. “You can do this.”
I had to stop relying on all the things that Medical came up with.
“Bluebell, did you say something?” Cimarron peeked her head around the corner. “Do you need help with anything?”
“No. I’m fine. I was just checking something in my room,” I answered.
“Everything good?”
“Everything’s good.”
Cimarron pointed to the outfit that was hanging from the closet door. “Time to get dressed. I will be assisting you with your hair and make-up, today. No one has been approved to travel outside, as of yet. As soon as we are ready, we will head over to the Training Tech and you will give the s
peech in front of the building. Sound good?”
I nodded my head.
“Excellent. Gill will be ready for us in one hour.” Cimarron closed the door, giving me some privacy. “I’ll be back in twenty,” she called from the other side of the door.
After dressing, I insisted on doing my own minimal make-up. So I quickly applied a light coat of everything, just before Cimarron came in to twist my hair into a large round bun at the back of my head.
I grabbed the bag that held all my tablets, and while Cimarron ran back to her room, to spray her hair one last time, I snuck into her bag and removed her mini tablet. I set it in the kitchen, on the counter by the back wall, just out of plain view.
“Are we ready?” I called out.
“Coming now!”
We exited the room and got on the elevator. When the doors opened to let us out at the bottom floor, I turned to Cimarron. “What is the time?” I asked.
She reached into her bag to grab her mini and her face froze. “Where is it?”
“Where is what?” I asked.
“My mini. It’s not in here.”
“Did you leave it in the kitchen when we were in there this morning?”
“I could have sworn I had it in here,” she said, pointing to her bag. She closed her eyes, trying to remember. “I must have left it. I need to run back up and get it.”
“Alright. I’ll be waiting in the vehicle,” I told her as I started walking toward the exit of Guest Accommodations.
She nodded her head in approval. “That’s fine. I see Gilbert, right outside the door. I’ll be quick. You will be safe.”
“I’m not worried,” I told her as the doors to the elevator closed, taking her back up to the suite level.
The first thing I did when I sat down inside the vehicle was to take out my unauthorized tablet and hand it to Gill. He was standing on the pavement, resting one hand on the top of the vehicle, and checking the door for Cimarron’s return.
“I was told to give you this.”
He nodded and quickly took the table from me. Without a word, he opened the front of the vehicle and slid the tablet under the seat. Then he stood back up.
“Bluebell, I need to tell you something.”
My eyes widened. “What is it?”
“You need to know that we did not cause this explosion. You also need to know that Citizens have successfully escaped from Concord. There is something outside the barrier, but we don’t know exactly what it is. We just believe that there is something else, some kind of society that exists outside of Concord. I wanted to help your mother, Hope. I tried to help her get out of Concord. I tried to give her a real chance to see what is beyond the electronic barrier. We just weren’t successful. That pains me. And, well, I just wanted you to know.”
“Thanks for telling me. I’ve got to believe that she is out there somewhere. She just can’t have perished out in the wilds. Not like that.” I shook my head. “Why are you still here, Gill?”
“After my wife died, I vowed to help anybody I could… anybody who wanted out… anybody who needed it. I also vowed to expose The Council, no matter how long it took.”
Cimarron emerged from the building and was nearing the vehicle.
“It’s taken you a very long time,” I pointed out.
Gill nodded his head. “But I think my wait is almost over.”
Cimarron took Gills hand and slid into the back with me. “Are we ready?” she asked.
I looked up at Gill and smiled. “Yes. I am ready.”
The End…
CRUSH
(a LUSH novel)
by
S.L. Baum
Book Description
During Bluebell's Lush Ambassador tour of the Concords, Three was attacked. The Council imposed a mandatory curfew, suspended nonessential travel, and ordered her back home to One. Before leaving for home she receives a cryptic message telling her, "Make your father remember. It's the only way." Will Bluebell be able to find the truth before someone discovers she knows more about Concord than any Citizen should?
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright 2014 by S. Baum
All rights reserved.
Cover Image from Phatpuppyart.
To David…
Around the world and back again!
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter One
Get Up, Bluebell
I ran my hands along the leather seat of the official Concord vehicle I was sitting in, as I waited for Cimarron to emerge from Guest Accommodations, and I told myself to be calm. She was retrieving the mini tablet from our room. A tablet that I’d intentionally removed from her bag. It was the only way I could think of to get a moment alone. She was always hovering, always listening, and I needed to have a word with our chauffeur, Gill, in private. I breathed out a long slow breath of air; it was my attempt to expel the nerves that were threatening to overtake what little calm I had managed to hold on to. It was important for me to keep it together. It was important for me to figure out what was really happening inside Concord.
Gill stood near me, just outside the vehicle. He was glancing back and forth between the building and myself. Like me, he was waiting for Cimarron to appear. Gill’s eyes told me he was nervous; it was a look I had yet to see from him.
“Bluebell, I need to tell you something.”
My eyes widened. “What is it?”
“You need to know that we did not cause this explosion. You also need to know that Citizens have successfully escaped from Concord. There is something outside the barrier, but we don’t know exactly what it is anymore. We just believe that there is something else, some kind of society that exists outside of Concord. I wanted to help your mother, Hope. I tried to help her get out of Concord. I tried to give her a real chance to see what is beyond the electronic barrier. We just weren’t successful. That pains me. And, well, I just wanted you to know.”
“Thanks for telling me. I’ve got to believe that she is out there, somewhere. She just can’t have perished out in the wilds. Not like that.” I shook my head. “Why are you still here, Gill?”
“After my wife died, I vowed to help anybody I could… anybody who wanted out… anybody who needed it. I also vowed to expose The Council, no matter how long it took.”
I noticed Cimarron emerge from the building, tablet in hand. She was quickly nearing the vehicle. I turned back to Gill. “It’s taken you a very long time,” I pointed out.
He nodded his head. “But I think my wait is almost over,” Gill said before he turned from me to help Cimarron.
She took his hand and slid into the back of the vehicle with me. “Are we ready?” she asked.
I looked up at Gill and smiled. “Yes. I am ready.”
Gill returned my smile as he shut the door.
I clasped my hands together in my lap as I watched him round the vehicle and then open the driver’s door. Cimarron sighed and leaned back in her seat as she tucked her tablet back into her bag. My hands moved to the edge of my skirt and I nervously played with the hem.
“Stop fiddling,” Cimarron lightly scolded. “If you are worried about your speech, please try to calm yourself. You will do just fine. Remember to speak with confidence as you perform your duty, and we will soon be on our way, back to familiar ground. That will be nice for us both.”
After the apparent “attack” by the Banished, which had occurred on Concord ground the night before, just after our arrival in Concord T
hree, my tour of all four Concords had been cancelled. All nonessential travel had been suspended, and a nightly curfew immediately activated. Luckily, Cimarron and I had been granted permission to travel and we were instructed to return to One.
But before we could enter the tunnels to journey back home, it was my duty, as Lush Ambassador to Concord, to make one more public appearance in Three. I had been instructed to deliver a speech that would be broadcast on all tablets and wall screens throughout Concord. I was supposed to assure the Citizens that The Council was hard at work, securing all protective barriers, implementing new safety standards, and heightening security to keep us safe from any further attacks. I thought the message would be better if my grandfather delivered it, especially since Aspen always professed that he was the most influential man on The Council. I had no idea how the words of a girl, barely out of Training Tech, were supposed to make anyone feel safe and secure.
“What if my delivery is weak? I tried to practice the speech this morning, but there’s no way I can remember it all with such short notice. If I stumble and forget…”
Cimarron raised her eyebrows and grabbed my still fidgeting hands. “Your delivery will be spot on, as always. I told you that you will be able to read the speech directly from your tablet, so there is no need for you to attempt to remember it all. You’ve had enough practice with impromptu speeches; I am not worried, so you shouldn’t be either.”
“What if there is another attack?”
She shook her head at me. “With the amount of Peace Keepers I’ve been assured will be surrounding the city today, we will be perfectly safe. Those criminals will be flushed out and dealt with severely, I am quite sure of it. The Council would never put you out in a public area if they feared the Banished would cause you harm.”
