Utopia

by L. J. Higgins

  Utopia

  Secrets of Aurora Book 1

  L.J. Higgins

  Copyright (C) 2017 L.J. Higgins

  Layout design and Copyright (C) 2017 by Creativia

  Published 2017 by Creativia

  Cover art by Cover Mint

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

  http://www.ljhiggins.com/

  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 Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  The screen of the computer tablet resting in front of me switched from a picture of the Earth to blue before a white message appeared across it. 'History of Earth Lesson complete. Enjoy your evening Utopian.'

  Rubbing my eyes, I blinked a few times before looking around the school hall. All five hundred students who'd been sitting inside the massive room stretched and moaned as the silence turned into a loud murmur of voices and shuffling feet. The sounds echoed off the hall's metal walls and high ceilings lined with metal beams and florescent lights.

  After rising from my ergo seat on the floor I slid my tablet into my sling bag. Picking up my seat and tablet table, I added them to the growing pile at the side of the building with the rest of the students. Pain shot through my shoulder as Jessica, a younger student with long brown hair, was pushed into my side.

  “Sorry,” she said, shrinking away from me.

  “It's fine,” I replied, watching as she added her own chair to the pile.

  The pain throbbed in my shoulder for a moment, then died away. I'd been given a shot and had blood tests taken earlier in the day, and I was surprised to find it still ached. The Elite told us the tests were to ensure we were fit and healthy, and the needle I received ensured I couldn't get pregnant. Not that there was any chance of that happening. I was far from popular, but that was partly my own fault. I was awkward and preferred to spend my time on my own since I lost my dad. Most kids tried to avoid me, and the only kids that did talk to me only wanted to find out more about my best friend Fletcher.

  Fletcher was what my peers would call 'admired' or 'favoured'. People liked him. But it could've also had a lot to do with his father being the Utopian Elite Leader, David Saxby.

  Mr. Saxby had been a good friend of my father's before my dad died in a tragic work accident when I was twelve. It meant Fletcher and me pretty much grew up together. Lucky for us the Elite had the forethought to build the floating cities when the Earth's elements began going nuts. Dad used to tell me stories about the fires that ravaged bushland and homes, while earthquakes tore the lands apart. He'd said cyclones and torrential rain followed, flooding the remaining earthling's towns and homes. The Elite were made up of four Australian families led by the highest grossing businessmen in the country. They ran corporations in the fields of engineering, agriculture, mining, and science, and that's how my dad met Mr. Saxby. On Earth, my dad was a scientist for the army.

  Dad had said when natural disasters began plaguing the world, his team had proposed the government build floating cities for the earthlings to retreat to, up in the sky and out of reach of the chaos. The governments of the world laughed at them, believing the feat impossible. Despite the government's doubts, the four Elite families came together to construct the four floating cities; Utopia, Eden, Arcadia and Elysium. If it wasn't for them, the human race would've gone extinct.

  Folding my right arm over my left, I stood to the side to watch the other students finish packing up their tablets and making their way outside. Each of us wore the same uniform: a white button up blouse and grey long pants or pleated skirt. The Elite said we all wore the same clothing to show unity and to eliminate judgement. My dad always taught me the Elite regulated history of the Earth, but he would also tell me what it was like growing up down there. The weightlessness of swimming in water, the array of animals, bird and insects, and the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the rain. I'd hung on his every word as a child and could still remember every story at sixteen.

  Straightening my skirt, I bent my neck from side to side trying to wake myself up. The ergo seats ensured our butts didn't go numb while we stared at our tablet screens attempting to absorb our lessons, but they didn't help the way my body hated staying in one position for hours at a time. Drawing in a deep breath, I headed towards the large doors which formed the exit. Halfway across the hall I caught sight of Fletcher who poked his tongue out at me before making his way over.

  Fletcher's school shirt was crooked and half untucked after spending the afternoon hunched over his tablet. His dark hair stuck up at odd angles, a big change from the combed style he'd walked into the hall with earlier in the day. He was a good head taller than me and almost as slim as I was.

  “Bet school made your birthday extra special,” he said.

  “Sure did, nothing like a 'History of the Earth' lesson to get your juices flowing.”

  “If I'd known all it would take was a history lesson, I would've spent our days playing video games teaching you about Earth instead.”

  “Gross,” I said, punching him hard in the arm.

  He tried not to wince, but he rolled his shoulder to shake it off. “I can see why you love it. It's so exciting. Mother nature going crazy, people scrambling to get onto the floating cities.”

  “Yeah, maybe the first time we heard it. Maybe the second. Do they think we don't get the picture? We're the lucky, chosen ones. I get it. Instead of reminding me of the catastrophic events ending Earth as they knew it, how about telling us more about what it was like down there?”

  “At least school's finished now.” Fletcher changed the subject. He hated it when I went on about what Earth would've been like. I wasn't sure if it was because he knew we shouldn't talk about it or because he found it boring.

  “Sure, now I can go home and spend the rest of my sixteenth birthday with my ever-loving mother,” I replied in a sarcastic tone.

  “She's not that bad.” He screwed his face up into a cringe.

  I raised my eyebrows at him.

  “Okay, your mum's a little different. But it's your birthday. Who knows? You might get a cake this year.”

  “And people will move back to Earth and live happily ever after.”

  “Wow, you didn't understand your history of Earth lesson, did you? Maybe you should sit through it one more time. Especially if it gets your juices flowing.” His lopsided grin earned him a glare.

  “Okay, let it go. It's not funny.”

  Fletcher began to argue, probably with another sad attempt at an innuendo. It was his favourite type of humor; I think he loved the way it made the other girls blush
. I'd been friends with him for too long to entertain him and ignored them most of the time. I think he saw it as a challenge.

  “Bye, Fletch,” Sasha Crawford distracted us from our conversation. She batted her long eyelashes in Fletcher's direction and twirled her blond ponytail between her fingers.

  “See ya, Sasha.” He gave her a smirk while running his hand over his crazy hair.

  “If you two need a moment, I can walk home by myself,” I said.

  “No way, you can't leave me with her. She'd eat me alive. Did you hear what happened between her and Dex?”

  “No, and I have a feeling I don't want to know.” The girls our age turned giggly around Fletcher. I didn't get it. You'd think his humor would disgust them, not draw them in. They hadn't heard the comments he made about them and the way he laughed about his farts. “Come on. Let's get out of here.”

  Fletcher slung his bag over his shoulder, and he waved at a few more people as we left the ruckus of the hall.

  “What you up to for the weekend?” I asked Fletcher.

  “You know, the usual. Dad is hosting a dinner for the Elite leaders tonight at our place, so I am to be on my very best behaviour.” He stood tall and held his hands behind his back to puff out his chest.

  Fletcher was always whining how much he hated all the official parties and having to dress up in smart suits. I thought it'd be a nice change from the monotony of our daily lives. Wake, breakfast, school, physical education, lunch, school, walk home, dinner, bed. We did get one day a week of 'free time', but living on a floating city didn't give you much to do. Sometimes I'd spend the day playing video games with Fletcher in his parents' mansion on the outskirts of the city, other days we would count how long it would take us to walk from one side of the floating city to the other (our record was three hours), and when we weren't doing either of those I spent my time in my bedroom reading books on my tablet. I loved reading about how people's lives had been on Earth. Not the stuff they crammed down our necks about why we had to leave and how they saved our lives; the stuff about everyday life. I was a baby when my parents were evacuated to Utopia. But dad's tales of growing up on Earth always made me wish I'd been able to see it for myself.

  “Sounds more exciting than what I'll be doing. Will Angel be attending?” I smirked.

  He narrowed his eyes and I swear I heard a growl leave his lips. “Yes. Won't seeing her again be interesting?”

  “I'm sure she's over the fact you decided not to be her boyfriend after you kissed her by now.”

  “You haven't met her. She's like the elephants you were telling me they had on Earth. She never forgets.”

  Learning about the animals from Earth was one of the parts of learning about its history I enjoyed. It also made me feel sad they didn't exist anymore. Pets weren't allowed to be evacuated to Utopia. That meant the only animals we had now were cows, chickens and pigs. And they were all kept in the farms on another floating city called Elysium, so I'd never seen one in real life. If you don't count their meat served in a mushed-up rissole on a plate for dinner.

  Like Elysium's farms, each floating city offered their own product. Utopia harvested fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices for the four cities. Eden were to blame for our boring attire, our school uniform, our 'free time' clothing, and the uniform of the Elite Guard. Only Elites and their guests were invited to wear different clothing such as suits and pretty gowns. Arcadia offered the cities their inventions, our school tablets and the projectors in each home were two of many, they were also responsible for maintaining each city's solar power and water plants. Each city provided the rest with a necessity, so one couldn't survive without the other. The Elite claimed it helped unite us.

  “Lucky I'm not an Elite. I don't intend on ever meeting her. She sounds scary, and not like any girl I'd hang out with,” I said.

  “You don't hang out with any girls. Or anyone for that matter.”

  I poked my tongue out at him. “I hang out with you. You run like a girl.”

  A gleam appeared in his eyes before he took off running down the narrow pathways of Utopia towards my dwelling. He may've had a head start, but I caught up with a few long strides of my lean legs.

  “Told you so,” I yelled at him as I turned the next corner.

  My feet carried me down the narrow pathway between the rows of square white dwellings. Two more turns, and I arrived at the front of my place. Dwelling number 224. I leant against the rendered white wall beside the front door. Hunched over onto my knees, I drew in deep breaths while attempting to slow my heart rate.

  “You suck,” panted Fletcher as he arrived beside me, leaning against the wall as I did.

  The paths all linked together so we could walk between each set of buildings. I'd learnt Earth had been full of wide roads vehicles would drive on. But there wasn't enough room or fuel to have them on Utopia, so instead we walked, or ran, everywhere. It was also supposed to keep us healthy. The only form of transport were the airships which took the Elite and their invited guests to the other floating cities. Fletcher had visited them all except for Elysium, being the son of an Elite leader. I'd never stepped foot on an airship or even seen one. My dad had spent lots of time travelling between the cities when he was alive, and he'd always bring me back a small souvenir from his travels.

  “Well, I better get home for this dinner. Happy birthday, Rora.” He pulled me in and gave me a tight squeeze.

  My arms hung at my sides for a moment before I reached up and gave him a soft pat on the back. “Thanks, Fletch, good luck with Angel.”

  “Thanks, I'll need it.” He spun on his heel and continued walking down the path towards his mansion.

  Pushing through the front door, I made my way to our small kitchen and swung my bag from my shoulder onto the bench. Unzipping it, I was unpacking my tablet when Mum's voice sang out from the living room in an unusually happy tone.

  “Aurora, you're home.” Mum shot me a tight grin as she walked into the dining room and slid into a wooden chair at the table. She'd placed a glass vase with yellow silk roses in the middle as a centerpiece. She hadn't put those out since we lost Dad.

  I looked at her, confused. “Yup, same time I get home from school every other day.” Most days I was lucky to see her before dinner time. Even then, it was rare for her to speak more than a few words to me.

  “But today is your birthday, so I thought we could sit together and have afternoon tea.” Her hands fidgeted in her lap.

  I shrugged, still thrown by her new-found interest in me. “Sixteen, yay for me.”

  “Don't be so negative. Come on, I made you a cake.” She rose from her chair and walked towards the kitchen.

  A cake? Since when did Mum bake? Fletcher was never going to believe he was right.

  I slid out a chair and sat as Mum placed a small chocolate cake in front of me, her hands shaking as she lowered it, making the icing dribble down the side onto the plate. “Thanks. It's, ummm, beautiful.”

  “Okay, so the cake's terrible.” She sat back in her chair and looked me over, as though taking me in for the first time in years. “You've grown up so much. So tall and lean, nothing at all like your father and me. And that red hair. Your dad always loved your red hair. He said it matched your fiery personality.”

  I pulled my plait over my shoulder. I'd always wondered where my red hair came from, as both my parents had brown hair. “I'm sure you didn't bake me a cake to tell me dad liked my hair.”

  “Right, I made the cake because it's your birthday. But I do need to talk to you about your father.” Her serious tone stopped me from arguing. I let her cut me a slice of cake before starting. “It's about the collapse of the Earth. As you know, when the world was dying, the four Elite families constructed the floating cities…” her voice wobbled as she began.

  “I know, Mum. We learn this stuff in history. The Earth went nuts and the Elite saved us all. We will obey them and thank them for the rest of time.”

  “Okay, so you know the story
. But what you don't know is your father's role in the creation of the cities and how you came to be here with us…” she began, before a loud rapping came from the door, making her jump in fright.

  “Mrs. Adams, it's Officer Banks, you need to let us in,” a deep voice commanded.

  Mum's eyes widened, her hand over her heart as she looked towards me. “I'm too late. I'm so sorry Aurora, I should've told you sooner, I was just so scared. You shouldn't be here.”

  “What?” I shook my head, looking between my mum and the front door.

  “Go to the bathroom. It's the only window without a screen. You need to climb out of the window, get out of this house,” she instructed.

  I stood from my chair but stayed in place, my mouth agape.

  “Now!”

  “Mum, what's going on?” I questioned.

  “For Elite's sake. Listen to me, Aurora. If it's the last thing you ever do for me, go to the bathroom and get out of here.” Her eyes moistened as she fought back tears.

  The sadness and desperation in her voice forced me towards the bathroom. I glanced back to find her standing at the front door, motioning for me to move faster. Before I closed the door behind me, there was another loud round of knocking and she mouthed, 'I love you. I'm sorry.' She hadn't told me she loved me in years, since my father died, and it made the dread sink heavier into my stomach.

  As the door to the bathroom clicked closed, Officer Banks' voice sounded again. “Mrs. Adams, if you don't open up we will force entry.”

  I walked backwards, away from the closed door, until I bumped into the vanity. I gripped onto it tight, listening to what was happening on the other side of the door.

  “Coming,” she called in a singsong voice to our uninvited visitor.

  Mum had been acting so weird. Her shaking hands and nervous voice made me think she knew we'd be getting a visit from the Utopian Guard. If only she'd had the chance to tell me why.

  The sound of crashing timber rattled the house and I ducked into a squat on the white tiled floor.

  “Where is she, Jennifer?” Officer Banks asked Mum.