"Timo," he said in a quiet voice. "Goodbye."
Then he stepped through the gate to another world.
Beyond the gate, a carnival was in full swing. Red and white tents were scattered around the clearing. Music carried across the field. There were jugglers and acrobats. Barkers called others to their games. It was such a festive place, a stark contrast to what he'd just been through.
"Ah, another survivor!" said a man in a large, velvety red top hat. "Gentlemen, please give this one his due!"
A band struck up a song and the entire carnival stopped what they were doing and applauded Eron. Horns and drums and stringed instruments filled the air with a triumphant sound. The crowd cheered and whistled and patted him on the back, which hurt immensely.
The man with the top hat noticed his grimace and called for a medic. Soon a small medical team of all men dressed in white overalls hurried to Eron. They looked obscenely out of place in the middle of the carnival.
"Here, sit down," one of the medics said. Another medic unfolded a small canvas chair and pushed it towards him. Eron sat while the team looked him over from head to toe. They removed his shirt and bandaged his wounds. The lead medic cleaned his face and stared at the crooked nose. "This is gonna hurt. Hold on," he said. Taking Eron's nose in both hands, he set it back in place with a nasty pop. A sharp, blinding pain radiated from his nose. Eron screamed.
"You'll feel that for a little while, but it's fine. It might be a little crooked, but not too bad. I've seen worse come through here," he said to Eron. After the medical team cleaned and attended his major wounds, they scattered like insects in the light.
The man in the top hat cheered him on. "Huzzah! Great show! Now to find your mate! I mean, that is why you endured all this right?"
"Who are you?" Eron asked.
"Why, I'm the Ringleader! I run this at the request of Her Majesty! Now I get to lead you to your ring. Well, to your lady waiting for a ring. Anyway, come this way, young man."
Eron hesitated. None of this made sense. Her Majesty? What was this guy talking about? There was no royalty in the colony. They were led by an elected council. Nobody ruled as a monarch. Those things were abolished on Earth and never carried to the colonies.
"Come on, Eron; this way, please. The ladies are waiting. We hoped for more of you, but it seems the Selection was extraordinarily difficult this go around. You're the last to arrive."
Eron couldn't help but notice the number of adult males in the celebration. He'd never seen so many older men in his life.
Maybe his father was here.
"Wait, how did you know my name? I never told you."
The man in the top hat grinned. It was an eerie look on the skinny man's face. "I'm the Ringleader. It's my job to know. Queen Anastasia the Greater, fifth of her name and ruler of this planet would not have it otherwise. Come now, don't be late." He giggled as he led Eron through the maze of tents and chaos.
"What queen? Anastasia? Isn't that our planet's name?" he said. A growing disorientation emerged inside. The Selection was difficult enough, but this was something completely new. And worrying. The Ringleader led him to a large gold and red tent in the center of the carnival. Armed male guards stood around it, their weapons in their arms.
"In here," the Ringleader said as he held open one of the flaps.
Stepping inside, perfume and soft music overwhelmed him. It was a jarring contrast to the sounds and sights outside. In the center of the tent stood a riser with two rows of empty chairs. Soldiers removed all but three.
"One of those is for you," the Ringleader said. He escorted Eron to the side of the riser where two other boys stood waiting. One was blue-skinned like Phelan. At first, Eron thought it was his old friend and a mix of relief and anger flashed through him, but when he moved closer, he could see it was clearly not Phelan. The boys looked at him with beaming smiles.
"All right!" the blue boy said. "Now we get to start. Soon we'll get our brides and be off to a new life! I can't wait!"
Eron had no words for him.
The Ringleader left the three of them and stood against the far wall, watching the proceedings.
CHAPTER 44
Eron couldn't grasp what was happening. A few hours ago, he was having a conversation with what he thought was his dead brother. After being attacked by his one-time friend Phelan. After enduring a horrific, deadly journey through the forest, all for the sake of tradition.
Now, he stood inside a circus tent with two other boys that weren't trying to kill him and surrounded by mostly females of all ages and colors. If only Mina were here so he could start his new life with her, then all of this would be worth it.
The seated crowd hushed when a woman who looked to be a few years older than Eron stepped inside the tent, escorted by six armed soldiers. Behind her were three young women. He couldn't tell if one of them was Mina, but the last one in line resembled her.
The woman in the lead walked directly towards the boys and stopped in front of them.
"Congratulations, men, you made it through the Selection. Many enter and very few ever make it out alive. You are the last of this group. The rest were not as fortunate. The Selection is brutal, but it forces us to carry only the best to the next and future generations."
Eron stared at the woman. Her eyes were gold like Mina's. Her hair was straight and hung down to the middle of her back. She wore a crown of bright blue metal with a red stone in the center of her forehead.
"I salute you gentlemen for your accomplishment. Now please take a seat. You're almost done."
The boys sat in the chairs on the riser, Eron in the middle.
The woman stood in front of them and faced the crowd. Eron tried to see if any of the three girls that walked in with her was Mina. The guards stood in his way.
"I present to you the winners of the Selection!" she said, waving her hand to acknowledge the boys. The crowd erupted in applause. She held up her hand, silencing them. "These three are the champions of this Selection. They are the strongest, bravest, and smartest of them all. And now they get to be Chosen, as is the custom on our world. Ladies," she said to the three girls.
The soldiers parted and the three girls approached her. "Your Majesty," they said together, bowing.
"You have been selected to pair with the boys to continue humanity on Anastasia. Do you know your Chosen ones?"
"Yes, Queen Anastasia," they said in unison.
Queen? Queen Anastasia? What were they talking about? Eron thought.
There were two brown-haired girls and one reddish-haired girl. With curls. Eron strained to look, and there she was.
Mina!
She didn't look his way, but kept her attention on the queen. Then the girls turned to face the boys. Eron's heart leapt at seeing Mina. Finally, after everything he'd endured, after all the physical and mental pain he went through, he was about to start his new life. The promise of the Selection had forced him to take on so much pain, and now, the payoff.
Mina!
The girl he'd been dreaming about since his time in the colony. The face that drove him forward when he wanted to give up. Soon, he would be free of the Selection and free to begin his life with her. He could barely contain his joy. A smile broke out on his cracked lips.
The girls approached the riser. Eron fidgeted in his seat. Mina looked at him and smiled. But there was something missing in her smile. It was...distant. Cold, even. Eron winced. What was wrong with her? Why did she act this way after all he went through to be here? Didn't she know how badly he wanted to be with her?
"Ladies, you may take your Chosen," the queen said. Eron started to stand and take Mina's hand, but she went to the blue boy instead.
"What?" Eron said.
One of the brown-haired girls approached Eron and grabbed his hand. "My Chosen, thank you for making it through the Selection. We will live a long life together," she said. She was beautiful, but Eron had no idea who she was.<
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"But Mina!" he said. "Why? I did all of this for you! I lived for you!"
"Silence!" the queen said. "You are paired according to biological compatibility. Before the Selection, you were paired with a certain young lady; surely you know this. You were selected for a specific purpose."
Selected? Predestined pairings? Yes! Yes, I do remember! It's not right. It's never been right.
Eron shuffled his feet.
Timo's voice rose in his head, reminding him he was the one to change it all. He had to do something about them, whoever they were. Eron thought he understood now. The queen. Her policies. The Selection.
It was all to cull unwanted genetics and pass on desirable traits, whatever those were. He understood how the humans on Anastasia were in danger. Selected genetics, irrespective of human desire. They were forced into the illusion of a decision. They were forced to fight and kill each other. But only the boys. Something was wrong. The Selection was wrong.
If he was going to change it, he'd need to be calm. His brother said he was the one.
Right now, he believed him.
He looked to Mina, at the lovely face that encouraged him in the darkest moments. He knew now she'd never be his. She was never to be his in the first place. The pit inside him was gaping now, threatening to consume him.
Then a tug on his hand and he faced the young brown-haired girl in front of him. "I'm Sarai. Nice to meet you, Eron. We have a lot to talk about."
Eron looked past her at Mina. She walked out of the tent holding a blue hand in hers.
"Eron?" Sarai asked.
"Sorry, I was daydreaming. Hello, Sarai, let's get out of here." He held her hands in his and escorted her out of the tent as the gathered crowd parted ways and cheered.
Inside, Eron felt empty. Everything was wrong. He'd need to stay strong if he was going to make it right. Sarai would never know how he felt about Mina. Whatever this really was, he'd not give them the satisfaction of bringing him down with it.
Change wouldn't come easy. Patience in the face of absurdity would serve him well. "Sarai, let's get out of here. We've got much to discuss."
She smiled.
Inside himself, a deep hollow space as black as the night sky was illuminated by the tiniest light. He focused on the light, allowing it to glow and grow bigger. Anger turned to determination. Timo's words of encouragement comforted him, replacing the screams that once haunted him.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you so much for making it this far! It’s been an amazing opportunity to share my world with you.
I’d like to thank my family for allowing me the time to pursue this dream. To my wife Jenny and son Jackson…thank you! It means everything to have you believe in me.
To my readers Aaron Hamilton and Johanna Haas, thank you for your kind suggestions and input. I hope the final version does your time justice.
To Kassidy Phoenix, thanks for your encouragement and investment in what I do. You rock!
To Sam Bell, thanks for your encouragement over the years. It’s meant so much.
To my editor Jodi McDermott and cover artist Dan Brown, thanks a bunch for making me look better than what I am.
My fellow writers who’ve encouraged me and offered sage advice, I thank you: Aaron Hamilton, Thomas Gunther, Brent Harris, Stephen Hunt, Maria Haskins, John Smith, Ray Wenck, and many many more. You guys are the best!
And finally dear reader, thank you for allowing me to entertain you. I hope that you’ll take a moment and leave a review on Amazon or GoodReads. Your voice helps others discover my work. Without you, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to share my stories. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Originally from Cleveland, OH, Jason now lives in beautiful Southern Illinois with his wife and son and small zoo of cats and dogs.
He’s the author of two collections of dark fiction short stories: "(Almost) Average Anthology" and "Moments of Darkness," both available as ebooks on the Kindle or as paperback copies from Amazon.
Jason has written for Sum'n Unique Magazine and game missions for an independently produced video game titled "Status Quo."
He can be found at jasonjnugent.com and blogs regularly at almostaverageblog.wordpress.com. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
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