by J. M. Clark
Trevor heard the prayer, but it sounded as though it were being said backwards, like those devil songs from different bands he and his buddies listened to in the Old World. Judas Priest had a song that seemed to tell fans to shoot themselves if you played the record backwards. Sirus sounded that way to him. Trevor didn’t care about the Order, Sirus, the teachers, or the other ninety-nine point nine percent of the people in the Palace. His anger, hurt, and confusion were crippling.
He was in a shock, frozen in the moment by those six words: “…the passing of your wife, Amy.” Trevor sat there all night, reliving that moment over and over in a nightmarish loop. The only other thought that came to his mind throughout the night: I should have listened to her.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Sirus
“We have always been a wasteful species, you know. Since the recording of history, it’s kind of been our thing, and it eventually became worse. For every wonder created, every technological advance achieved, you will find waste in the background.” Sirus stood with his back to the office door, speaking to the back of the gentleman’s head. The man sitting at the desk was apparently too afraid and out of his element to turn around and look at Sirus, so he stared straight ahead at the seat Sirus had vacated.
Throughout his experience as Palace Program director, Sirus had developed a way of setting the mood, of saying the right things and creating an ambiance that suited the tone he wished to display. He placed his hand in the pocket of his black jacket as he puffed away on a cigar, allowing the smoke to create a fog-like haze in the office. Light filtered through the slightly opened curtains, the beams shining against the curling smoke.
“Do you know why we don’t allow food or drink to be thrown away in the pods? In all my years here, I’m surprised that no one has asked me this question. So, I’ll explain.
“The nutrition dispensary sends the uneaten food and drinks down to the basement level of our facility. This area houses the massive kitchen and other sectors that allow this beautiful building to provide all the things we need for survival, including the quarantine radius. Uneaten materials are saved and repurposed for other meals. The consistency stays the same, and it still makes a scrumptious meal for another Palace member.”
The man’s head dipped down, nodding slightly to show he was listening.
“I’m sure you remember that trash cans, dumpsters, and landfills were just a regular part of society back then. Throwing uneaten food and used materials in the trash was the norm. Mankind has always had this odd idea that things lose their value because YOU, as an individual, no longer have a need for it.”
Sirus let out a hearty laugh that made his shoulders bounce up and down as he looked up at the ceiling. “Do you remember, Kyle? We would buy furniture or some other stupid object, get tired of it, and go waste money on newer objects. Then we’d just throw the old stuff away. We’d set it on the curb near the driveway, where it would get picked up by the trash trucks and just disappear! Right? Is that how it went? No, of course not. We had landfills to house all of our wasteful ways.”
Kyle Hoffman sat with his back straight as a board in the chair, not daring to turn around and make eye contact while Sirus laughed like a maniac. Once Sirus got his laughing fit under control, he took a few steps toward Kyle’s chair, kicking his feet out on each step like a nutcracker toy. He moved with the grace of a dancer. Not too shabby for a man of his age. “Not a talkative one, are you, Kyle? That’s okay, because I like hearing myself speak, and I think you will get a kick out of where this is going.”
Sirus slapped Kyle’s right arm in an “ol’ pal” gesture and laughed some more. He walked around the desk and ashed the cigar in a dark brown marble ashtray, then leaned against the desk and proceeded to finish his thought.
“You see, the majority of us thought there was a magical place where all of our trash would go to live happily ever after. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ was the normal thought process back then. So, while the people of the Old World were out spending ungodly amounts of money on amusement parks, sporting events, and cheap little devices, all their trash was piling up and effecting the planet as a whole. Remember the landfills, Kyle?”
Sirus paused to allow Kyle to respond, but the man remained nervously tight-lipped.
“You may be a bit young to remember them, so I’ll give you a spot of background on the topic. Landfills are places where waste material is stored, in most cases buried in the ground. A child could even figure out that it was a bad idea, but for thousands of years, this method of getting rid of waste remained.” Sirus flicked more ash from the cigar into the ashtray as he sat on the side of the desk, crossing his legs in a relaxed, casual fashion.
“We all knew for years that it was a bad idea. We knew it, we just didn’t care. In the Old World, problems were not problems until they were standing at your front door with a gun to the peephole, if you know what I mean, Kyle. Do you know what I mean, sir?” He squinted an eye at Kyle, moving a bit closer to him.
“Yes sir, I know what you are saying.” Kyle moved around in his seat, the look on his face screaming his unease.
“I hope that you do, Kyle.” Sirus got up from the desk and sat in his chair, putting the cigar out in the ashtray as he continued.
“Mankind has dumped millions of pounds of plastic into the oceans, lakes, and rivers. How counterproductive is that to sustaining life on your planet? Why would an intelligent species do a thing like that? They wouldn’t.” Sirus pounded his hand on the large desk, shaking a mug sitting on his right. The ring he wore with a golden emblem of the letter T made a clinking sound on the finished wood. Kyle jumped a little in his seat.
“I’m sorry, my friend, I did not mean to spook you. I tend to get a bit fired up when discussing the crimes of the planet perpetrated by my own era of humanity.” He straightened out the folders and papers on his desk and sent a warm smile in Kyle’s direction.
“My point is that an intelligent people would not do this, but in the Old World, this was commonplace, as you know. I’m aware that you were in junior high when things…got flipped around. That had to be hard to deal with for a child your age. I did get a chance to look into your file before you got here.” Sirus grabbed the top folder in the bunch and lifted it up over his head. “You were a middle child, correct? Middle children are always a bit more headstrong than the other two, right?”
“Yes, I’m a middle child. I had two brothers. Robert and Christen.” Kyle nervously tapped the arm of his chair, looking like he wanted to run from the room. A bead of sweat slid down the man’s temple.
Sirus plopped the folder on the desk, sat back in his chair, and put his feet up. His shiny black dress shoes were as pristine as the Palace he lorded over. Implementing procedures and enforcing the rules took structure and care, as did his neat appearance.
“Please sir, I mean no offense, but I’d like permission to ask a question.” Kyle leaned toward the desk as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Sirus removed his feet from the surface and leaned toward the desk as well. He lifted his eyebrows in intrigue, as though he couldn’t wait for Kyle to spill a secret. “You can speak freely here, I’m an open book.” He winked at Kyle and sat back in his seat, kicking up his feet once more on the desk.
“What does me being a middle child have to do with anything? I was following what you were saying, up until that question.” Kyle’s eyes narrowed on Sirus.
“Of course, but I’ll get to that point later. I did get a little ahead of myself, Mr. Hoffman. Would you allow me to digress and continue with my initial point?”
“Yes sir, Sirus, continue.” Kyle kept his same posture, attempting to stick a pleasant look on his face and failing.
“I’m going to come at this a bit differently, but I can appreciate your to-the-point disposition. That’s a great quality in a person,” Sirus said, grinning. “One thing that people from the Old World wasted the most was right under their noses, and many never realized it. H
uman potential. For most people, this potential was never realized, the surface unscratched, and this was never viewed as a crime. My sensibilities would never be okay with such a thing, for potential is the bud of the most beautiful flower.” Sirus stood up from his chair and stretched, reaching his long arms toward the sky. “Would you like a drink, sir?” he asked Kyle.
“No sir. We aren’t allowed to drink in the Palace, sir. No one is.” Sirus walked over to a small table near the grandfather clock. There were assorted bottles of liquor and two glasses. He shrugged his shoulders, pouring himself a glass. Sirus drank it all in one gulp, slamming the glass back on the table. He pointed to the side of his neck, grimacing. “It gets ya right there, ya know? Of course not, but maybe you will someday.
“You likely don’t remember, but there were millions of unemployed people in the Old World, not working, not becoming more educated, nothing at all. The education systems that were set up were more or less in place to rob the masses of their currency, and in return, they got a poor education, and one they would end up working a lifetime to pay off the debt for. That debt was almost always necessary to even graduate from the institutions. It was wild, Mr. Hoffman. To live a lifetime in the Old World would have been a cumbersome thing for a man of your intelligence.”
Sirus sat on the corner of the desk nearest Kyle. He smiled and cracked the knuckles on his aging but strong hands. “Which brings me to the reason why you are in my office today, sir.”
Kyle crossed his legs, pretending to look unbothered by what was being said. Sirus saw right through it. The man looked guilty. He looked ready to explode with panic.
“It’s been brought to my attention that for the last year you have managed to only show up for fifty percent of your morning enrichment classes and sixty percent of your lectures. And I’m being told that you have sent away multiple women for relations exercises without teacher approval. Now why would this be the case? Do you feel that you have reached your cap on knowledge and no longer need enlightening on the Old World or the New World to come?” Sirus felt his smile melt into a slight sneer. The mood in the room turned cold, which was his intention.
“No sir, I don’t think that at all. I was not aware that I’d missed so many essential things this year. I’ve been suffering from small sicknesses, colds, sinus infections, things like that. So some mornings I’m not up to do things, and the last thing I’d want to do is get someone sick. I’m sorry,” he said, giving the saddest face his features could muster.
Sirus glared at Kyle, unblinking. He cocked his head to the side, observing the body language of the man in front of him. “We did not think it proper to bring this issue to your attention right away. A pattern must be met before a problem can be identified. We are now in problem territory, thus your presence here today. All of your time in the Palace is to be spent making yourself a better person so that when it is time to move on to the next level, you will be ready. Not taking advantage of your time here is not recommended and works against your primary goal.” Sirus wondered if the imbecile had any clue yet as to why he was here. They rarely ever did.
“Furthermore,” he went on, “this behavior has the ability to rub off on other Palace members. No member has a working job, sir, but you do in fact have a job to do, and that’s to follow your schedule and ascend to the next level, which is the Greater Understanding Program.” Sirus got up from the desk corner and ambled back to his seat.
“I can and will fix this issue,” Kyle said. “I appreciate everything you and the Order have done for me, sir. I’ve been feeling much better as of late, and I will not miss anything else on my schedule.” Kyle spoke with uncharacteristic confidence and offered a smile.
Sirus smiled back, holding it for a few seconds. “Well of course we expect you to miss things every now and then. You are human, aren’t you? Though I don’t believe all of the absences are due to your health, as bad health has not been recorded by the infirmary or the teacher monitoring your floor. You can speak freely with me about anything you may be experiencing here. I like to know how Palace members are feeling.” Sirus’s mouth shifted from friendly smile to stern frown. He saw the panic return to Kyle’s eyes before the man looked away.
“You really mean that I can say how I feel?” Kyle spoke in a low voice as he stared down at the desk.
“Yes, there is no reason to fear me. We are talking about an issue, we are conversing about an issue, nothing more.” A glimmer of a smile appeared once again on Sirus’s face. He bared his beautiful white teeth one instant, then tight lips the next.
“Okay…okay. I’ve been here for twenty years, sir, since I was twelve years old. I’ve heard every morning enrichment in every conceivable way it could be explained. I’ve sat in every lecture from every teacher time and time again. I’ve learned about the earth, new and old. I’ve learned about the faults of man.
“It’s all very pertinent information as far as ascending to the next level, but it has become repetitive to me and others from the Old World. A lot of us feel like it benefits the Palace-born individuals more. It’s hard to get up to go learn things that you could probably teach yourself at this point. Again, I’m not meaning to be disrespectful at all, I’m just being honest here.”
Sirus nodded in agreement. “I see, I see. You say that others feel the same way? That is understandable. Yes, this was meant to be a temporary program, but things on the outside have not been as easy to fix as our scientists once thought. The particular bacteria that killed off much of the human life on our planet has proven to be a tricky bugger.” Sirus snickered to himself and opened Kyle’s file, staring inside for a few seconds before closing it.
“I’ll answer your question from earlier, about you being a middle child, then I’ll link that with my idea for you and the issue we have. As a middle child, you are naturally a seeker of new things. You are independent and always seeking to stand out in your own way. Middle child syndrome, my wife would say. I’m also the monkey in the middle, so I know this to be true. With an older sibling, you have to do more to get your parents’ attention. And having a younger brother means you have to also lead and become independent. I get it.
“This very easily explains where you are in your maturation at the Palace. You have outgrown what we do here, in your own words as well as in my own observation. Which is why I wanted to pick your brain. I believe it is time you move on to the next level of your journey, Kyle Hoffman. The Greater Understanding Program.”
Kyle jumped out of his seat so fast and with such excitement that he knocked the chair over. Fumbling to pick it up, he tried to speak but couldn’t get the words out.
“Calm down sir, speak.”
“I don’t know what to say. I didn’t think this day would ever come. At least not for me. I gave up hope long ago.” Kyle pushed his chair into the desk and stood there with both hands on his head.
Sirus walked around the desk and dropped a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s time, Kyle, it’s time. You have earned it. There is nothing more we can do for you here in the Palace. You have met the limit of what can be learned here, and now it’s time for the next challenge.” He embraced Kyle, feeling the man’s body shaking from elation.
“I’ll get down to my pod and get my things together. Oh gosh, wait till I tell—” Kyle cut himself off, but Sirus didn’t miss a beat.
“Wait until you tell who?” Sirus moved back and smiled.
“Uh, a few of my friends. They will be really happy for me. Forgive me, my mind is ice-cream right now.” He laughed, unsure of how Sirus would take the lie, and extended his hand.
“I know you are excited at the moment, but you cannot return to your floor, Mr. Hoffman. Your things have already been retrieved and are waiting for you outside the room. Teacher Simon is waiting for you outside as well. He will be taking you to your next destination. For reasons that are obvious, we cannot allow you around the other Palace members right before you move on. You know that, sir.”
&nb
sp; Sirus shrugged his shoulders and put both hands in the air. “As you said, you were losing hope. You can imagine how it would feel for them to see that you are moving on and they still have work to do here. We will tell your friends about your departure via television announcement, as the ritual has always been. Do not worry about that.” Sirus shook Kyle’s hand and walked him to the door.
“Okay…okay…I understand. Well again, thank you, sir. I’ll do all that I can with the Greater Understanding Program to make sure things become safe enough to release everyone in every Palace in the world.” Kyle moved to open the door.
“Hold on, Mr. Hoffman. I have a question for you before you go.” Sirus’s lips parted, and the corners of his mouth turned upward, creating a smile so big that a shark would be jealous. In the dim lighting of the office, he felt like a wolf, all teeth in the dark. “Why did you think I wanted to speak to you?” He felt his smile widen even more in anticipation.
Kyle seemed to be caught off guard. He responded with stuttering, messing with the doorknob while trying to find the correct words
“I, ummm, I had no idea. I…I honestly didn’t know what this meeting would be about. I’m happy it happened though. Thank you, sir.” He turned to the door, afraid to look at Sirus now.
“Teacher Luke happened to find a letter written by you. I’ve been shown said letter, and I must admit that you are quite the poet. We were impressed. I’m quite sure the young…man the letter was written for would have loved the sentiment.”
Kyle didn’t turn to look at Sirus. He continued to grip the knob of the door, not twisting it to open the door, but just to have something to do with his nervous energy.
“Seems that a lot of the time spent missing scheduled activities, you were spending with…what is his name again? Mason? Mason from the sixth floor, correct? But you know what? I think that deep inside, you remembered the rules of the Palace, and the very important rule about being honest and always being true to yourself, whoever you may be. I think that a part of you lost this letter purposely to be found by a teacher and brought to me. Sometimes the heart tattles on itself, ya know. The heart wants to come bursting out of the closet…if you know what I mean.”
