by S. L. Baum
Dew came back a completely different girl. She was nice to everyone, and compliant of all requests from Guardians and Trainers. Her grades only marginally improved, but she was so sweet to her father he no longer seemed disappointed in her. At the time, I was relieved. Praise be to Concord, I silently sang, so pleased that a Behavior Monitor was able to make such vast improvements in Dew’s behavior. There didn’t seem to be any of the rebellious troublemaker left inside of her.
But as I stood there in front of Cimarron, and reflected back on that year, I suddenly realized that there wasn’t any Dew left in her either. Her personality was gone. She didn’t laugh at the same jokes, she didn’t smile every single time she saw a butterfly, as she had before. She didn’t even like oatcakes for breakfast afterward, and they had been her favorite. I remember thinking it was strange, but I brushed it off. And when Dew’s father was transferred to another Concord a few years later, I was happy to see her go.
Whatever the Behavior Monitor had done, it had essentially erased Dew. She was still there, a walking and talking student, but at the same time, she was not there anymore. I did not want to be erased.
“I apologize, Cimarron.” I gave her a small smile. “You are right, I have not been myself since the moment we saw the news about the attack on Three. It has shaken me up, more than I think I realized. But now that you have pointed it out to me, I will make every effort to deal with it in a way that is pleasing to Concord and The Council. I would never want to disappoint.”
“That is so good to hear. I knew you’d do what’s expected of you. You always do. I’ll see you in the morning, Bluebell.” She smiled in return.
“Yes. With a positive attitude and ready to do my duty for Concord,” I assured her.
Her smile widened. “Excellent. I’m looking forward to it.”
We parted ways, went into our separate bedrooms, and I scolded myself for being so careless. I should have known better. My emotions, my misgivings, and my opinions were never something I could share with Cimarron. As Gill had pointed out to me, Cimarron was a true believer and a true follower. She truly was joyful about everything, even if it was forced joy. She accepted the Mandates without question, and strove to be a perfect Citizen… and she expected the same of me. I was the Lush Ambassador, and I would need to act the part.
I changed into my nightclothes, slid into the bed, and fell asleep.
“Time to wake up, Bluebell.” Cimarron was softly rapping on the bedroom door. My eyes fluttered open as soon as my brain recognized the noise.
“What time is it?” I croaked. “Ugh. My arm is numb.” I rolled over onto my back and moved my left arm with my right hand, because it wouldn’t move on its own. I massaged it, and then raised and lowered it at the elbow, trying to rid my arm of the prickling sensation that was dancing across my skin.
The door cracked open and Cimarron poked her head into the room. “I tried to wake you up about an hour ago, but you didn’t make a sound. Even after I opened the door and peeked in to make sure that you were actually in the room, you didn’t budge. So I let you sleep. It is around nine-thirty… and we really should be on our way.”
“You should have poked me with a stick, or something. I could have slept in the tunnel.”
“Oh, no, that wouldn’t do. You must be fully awake and alert. Get dressed and fix yourself up a little. Weaver will be coming with us.”
I sat up in the bed, instantaneously fully awake and alert. “What? Weaver?” My face scrunched up as I said his name.
“The Council wants him in One, and with the travel restrictions that are now in place, they decided it would be simplest if he travelled with us. There is room in the back with us. Is there a problem?”
“Of course not. I was just a bit shocked by the unexpected news. But The Council is correct, it would be most efficient for Weaver to return to One with us. It is a good thing I am rested. I wouldn’t want to fall asleep and snore, or drool, or something else equally morbid, right in front of him.” I feigned self-consciousness to cover my dissatisfaction with Weaver’s presence.
Cimarron’s eyes sparkled. “And that is precisely why I allowed you to sleep for an extra hour.”
“Then I should thank you for that.” I stood up from the bed and stretched my arms over my head and then bent down to touch my toes. “I guess I should take a shower.”
“Excellent idea,” Cimarron said with a wink. “We are to retrieve Weaver from the Career Education Center at eleven o’clock. He was informed of The Council’s plan this morning and is completing his Exit Documents at the CEC as we speak. I hope they remembered to tell him that he is limited to a small travel bag.”
“I’m sure they did. The Council thinks of everything.”
“They do,” Cimarron brightened. “I think our little chat last night, and then a sound sleep, has done absolute wonders for you.”
“Oh, it has,” I assured her. “Well, I’d better hurry.”
“Yes. You’d better.” Cimarron beamed as she closed the door.
Chapter Three
Home Sweet Home
“I’ve never been in an official vehicle before. When I was transferred to the CEC in Two, I rode in a medical delivery truck that was heading back after unloading supplies. This is nice. Even nicer than the vehicle that my parents use for public functions, and that is pretty nice.”
Weaver sat in one of the side seats, inspecting everything within his reach.
“You have a cooler, a snack drawer, crystal glasses, and what’s this?” He pulled on a handle and a side pocket opened up in one of the wall panels. “Ah, medicines.” He touched the top of each little bottle and box that was inside. “Something for headaches, stomach pains, sneeze relief, a little of this, and some of that. Nice supply. Oh, and this,” he said and held up the package of red dissolvable paper strips. “I should take one. Do either of you need it?”
Cimarron looked embarrassed by the question. Obviously she did not think bodily functions should be discussed, or even hinted at, with someone of the opposite sex. “No. Thank you. We already took ours.” She turned her head away, but not before I saw the look that crossed her face.
I tried to stifle a giggle. “Strange little things, aren’t they?”
“But necessary.”
“Unless they decide to install a restroom or two inside the tunnel,” I smiled.
Cimarron shook her head. “That would incur unneeded costs and adversely affect time efficiency during travel.”
Weaver looked over at her with a patronizing smile. “I think she said that in jest.” He placed the red strip of paper on his tongue and closed his mouth. “I forgot how strange that tasted as it dissolved. It’s been a few years, but it’s still the same. I should see who is in charge of that. It could be improved upon.”
“Years? It’s been a few years? Haven’t you been able to go back home for a visit?”
“No. Why would I have?”
“I don’t know. I just figured that you’d be able to travel back and forth. You’re the only person I know of who transferred to another CEC.”
“All travel has to be approved, and is only granted for a specific reason. Visiting home is not a pressing reason. A transferred Citizen can always view both family and friends on a video chat,” Cimarron explained. “It’s not necessary to be physically present.”
“Of course, it is not necessary. But it would be nice.” I looked up, hoping to catch Gill’s eyes in the mirror. I knew he would agree with me – if he could see me – but I’d forgotten that he had closed the partition just before Weaver got in the back with us, after he asked Cimarron if she would like the privacy. Cimarron thought it was a perfect idea, so she could give Weaver her full attention.
I sighed.
“I suppose it might be,” Cimarron said. “But I’d feel guilty about wasting resources for a personal visit. If it could somehow be tied in with business, then it might be permissible.”
Weaver sat back in the seat and stretche
d his legs out in front of him, which really wasn’t all that much, within the confinements of the vehicle. “That will be one very positive aspect of my goal, to be a top man in the medical field. Travel will be granted for various reasons. I’ve always known I wouldn’t enjoy being in a low level position, where I was restricted to one area of Concord for my whole life.” He reached both arms behind him and rested the back of his head in his hands. “But then, all those Citizens are necessary to keep Concord running as smoothly as it does. And restricted travel is necessary to keep every Citizen safe. The Council knows best.”
“What Medical specialty have you been assigned to?” I asked.
“You know, I am not sure. I was just informed of the transfer, but hadn’t exactly completed every aspect of my training yet. So I expect that I will be briefed upon my return to One. I’m crossing my fingers that it isn’t General Medicine, or worse, that I’ve been assigned as an assistant over at Training Tech.”
I wondered what would be so tragic about working at Training Tech. “Why is that? You wouldn’t want to work with the youth?”
“No. I would rather work with a somewhat older clientele. I just think it would suit me better.”
Cimarron cleared her throat. “That’s a lot of questions, Bluebell.”
“It’s fine,” Weaver smiled. “I don’t mind.”
“You two should play a game on your tablets,” she suggested. “Chess would be nice, or a word puzzle, don’t you think?”
I picked up my travel bag and fished around, looking for my personal tablet. “I think you just want less talking and more quiet,” I told her.
“You might be right,” Cimarron admitted.
Weaver reached into his pocket and extracted his mini. “I’ll play a game with you, Blue. How about we play Cross Word Tiles?”
I pulled my tablet out of my bag and turned it on. “One of my favorites.”
Cimarron clapped her hands. “Excellent.”
“We will still talk,” I warned her.
“I expect as much,” she said with a wink. “But it will be less.”
Cross Word Tiles was one of the few multi-player games that could connect to another tablet through close proximity, and not have to go through the main system. The ability for tablet-to-tablet connection was probably due to the fact that there was no “player-chat” option on the game. Each player was simply making words with letter tiles. Since all chats were monitored by Concord, and most games had a chat option, almost all of the other games in the Games Folder on my tablet were greyed out; I was unable to click on any of them. But once I clicked on the Cross Word Tiles icon on my tablet, I was able to connect with Weaver.
The game started with the word CONCORD written horizontally in the middle of the board, as all new games did. Weaver was up first. I watched him as he moved his index finger across the screen, dragging his letter tiles to make a word of his own. As soon as he smiled, and then looked up at me, I knew it was my turn. I looked down at my screen. Weaver had made the word CITIZEN – working off the C in Concord.
My seven tiles were arranged alphabetically on the bottom of my screen – B, D, E, K, N, O, R. Working off the D in Concord, I dragged my E up and placed it above D. Then I placed my index finger on the R and dragged it up, releasing my finger when it was above the E. Next an O and then the B. I watched my screen as the game replaced the four tiles I’d used with new ones, and then I looked up.
Weaver raised his eyebrows. “Bored?”
“What?”
“Bored?” he repeated.
“It was the best word I could make with my tiles. It’s not a reflection of my state of being.”
Weaver smirked and then looked back down at his mini. A few seconds later, his word showed up on my screen. He had worked off the O in bored and made the word HONOR.
I scanned my tiles again. For this round I was working with – D, E, E, K, N, O, R. My eyes zoned out as I stared at the screen and tried to decide on my next word.
“Any time now,” Weaver whispered.
“Shhh. I’m thinking.”
“Don’t strain yourself,” he said with a laugh.
I scowled at him and then looked back at the screen. Red, Reed, Rode, Teen, Tone, Tend, Zone, Zonk… I smiled at the screen, looked up and smiled at him, and then put my finger on a tile and began to drag them into place.
“What?”
“You’ll see,” I answered, without looking up at him. My finger kept dragging tiles until I had used all seven of them.
Weaver frowned when my word appeared on his screen. “That’s not even a word.”
“Of course it is, or the game wouldn’t display it. It would never have made it to your screen if it wasn’t an acceptable word.”
“It’s slang,” he argued.
I raised my chin in defiance. “Maybe when you were at Training Tech, but now that a couple of years have passed, it is widely used. Which makes it an acceptable word. Anyway, it is there. It is scored. And… I get double points for using all my tiles!”
“Zonkered!”
“Jealous?”
Weaver shook his head. “Not at all. I’ll still beat you,” he mumbled as his finger dragged tiles across his screen. “I’m beginning to wonder if you’d rather be doing something else. Bored – zonkered - I’m sensing a pattern in your words.”
Weaver’s new word showed up on my screen. DUTY. I’m sensing a pattern in yours, as well, I thought to myself.
We played a total of three games. I won the first one, and Weaver the second. He started the third game with a smug smile and some taunting words, but when I ended up with almost double his score, he stated that he had some work to do and wanted to go over a few medical files on his tablet. I almost laughed out loud when I saw the shock on his face, but I kept myself calm. Jealousy was not a very good look for him.
“Are you angry with me?” I asked him.
His face froze for a moment. “Of course not,” he said. “Why would I be? You played well. I just have… well, things to do.” He said the words that were expected, but I could tell immediately that it was all a lie.
Poor sportsmanship was something Concord frowned upon, but when it came down to it, everybody would rather be on the winning team than the losing one. Even though I thought it was silly to be upset over losing a word game, I decided not to hold it against him.
With Weaver and Cimarron supposedly working, I decided to keep out my tablet and play another game, mostly because I couldn’t do much else with both of them in the vehicle with me. I couldn’t talk to Gill, I couldn’t contact any of my friends, and I couldn’t search Concord’s different Information Systems, because I didn’t trust the security of my tablet, so I stuck with another word game. I kicked off my shoes and curled my legs up, bringing my feet up to the seat, and then I opened up a word puzzle and tried to beat my last high score.
It was hours before Gill drove through the metal doors that would place us in the lift. My heartbeat quickened as I felt the vehicle being lifted up toward the surface level of Concord One. My friends, my father, Thorn… they were all within my grasp, and I was elated at just the thought of them all. Even though I hadn’t been gone that long, even though I’d prepared to spend about two more weeks away from home, I longed to be with them. I wanted to feel the comfort of home, even if that meant being close to Aspen again. I’d have to deal with her deceptions and counter them with some of my own, all in the hope of discovering the truth.
Cimarron stared at me with a smile on her face.
“What?”
A short laugh escaped her mouth. “Look at you, on the edge of your seat. You’d think we’d been gone for months instead of just over a week.”
I shrugged. “I’m anxious, I guess.”
A look of guilt crossed Weaver’s face. “I’m not even that excited, and it has been years.”
Cimarron reached over and gave a reassuring pat to his knee. “You were serving Concord as you should. Such a dutiful young man… to
accept what is expected of you. I respect that attitude.”
“Thank you. That is exactly how I felt about the distance.” Weaver sighed in relief.
I sat up a little straighter in my seat. “I’ll perform my duty like a Lush Ambassador should, but that doesn’t mean I have to stop missing the ones I love.” I made sure there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in my voice; I spoke with sincerity.
Cimarron looked through her travel bag, and rearranged its already orderly contents. “You are a tad emotional about certain things. But that suits the Lush persona. The Citizens see that emotion and equate it to Concord. It comes through in your speeches. I’ve seen it on their faces.” Cimarron closed her bag and looked directly at me. “Don’t lose your passion and their devotion.”
It wasn’t so much a threat as it was a warning. She wanted to make sure I understood exactly where my loyalties should lie. Concord first, and then family – that was the order that was expected of every Citizen. “I won’t. Concord Reigns.”
Cimarron smiled and Weaver sat up a little straighter. “Concord Reigns,” they repeated.
The privacy partition lowered, and I felt the lift come to a stop. Gill had twisted his body so he could face us. “Since we are entering One, security mandates that each of us submit to a five finger scan. I am to stop at the checkpoint, and everyone is to exit the vehicle to verify their identity.”
Cimarron’s head bobbed in a curt nod. “Thank you, Gilbert.”
My forehead scrunched in disbelief. “We went through two tunnels without being checked, but now they want a scan.”
“I suppose there was a chance a switch could have taken place, or an extra person added to the vehicle,” Weaver offered an explanation.
Gilbert turned back around to face forward again while he guided the vehicle out of the lift. “Not on my watch, young man. Not in my vehicle.”
