by Ruth Silver
“Please!” Joshua groaned, teasing me.
Chloe turned around, raising an eye and watching us curiously. “So are you two…?” Her words trailed off.
Elsa glanced at Chloe. “They're engaged. Two of the biggest kids imaginable, but they are sweet together, and no,” she glanced at Joshua in the rearview mirror. “You're sitting back there with your fiancée.”
I laughed, slugging his shoulder. “See! You get to sit with me for the entire trip.”
Joshua groaned. “It's torture back here.”
I patted his thigh and felt his fingers lace with mine. At least it helped pass some of the time.
As night began to fall, we stopped the car and ate a quick dinner that we'd packed before switching seats in the vehicle. Joshua drove and I sat in the front seat with him as Elsa and Chloe slept in the back.
“You know where we're going?” I knew we were to head east, but I didn't want us getting lost on the way.
“I got us to Shadow,” Joshua reminded me with a smug grin. “I think I can handle the map, considering I drew it.”
“Okay. Okay.” I held up my hands in mock surrender. “You win.” We continued to head east as we drove further into the desert. I was grateful it was late March and the weather hadn't warmed up enough to make this trip unbearable. “Let me know when you get tired,” I offered.
“Why, so you can tease me some more?” Joshua glanced at me. “I'm okay for a while. It's dark, you should try and get a few hours of sleep.” I felt his hand on my arm and knew he wasn't joking.
I nodded weakly. “Thanks.” I tried to get comfortable in my seat before I shut my eyes. It wasn't long until I drifted to sleep.
CHAPTER 16
We drove nonstop, except for the occasional bathroom break and to switch drivers. Solar energy powered the vehicle throughout the night. I read about it once in a textbook back in Genesis. Fossil fuels had grown near extinct and with wars breaking out over the last remaining oil wells, the government demanded production of energy-efficient, solar and wind powered vehicles. I remembered the solar symbol and saw it etched on the dashboard.
I was sore beyond belief, cramped up in the car for nearly thirty hours. It felt like thirty years. As we drew closer to Torv, I could see the city stretch out in front of us. The air here had grown warmer, humid. I peered out the side, taking in the sight of the town.
We drove through the main city iron gates: they stood two stories tall and surrounded the entire town. “So this is Torv?” I mused. It reminded me of Haven, which had been situated a few hours north.
Chloe beamed proudly. “Home sweet home.”
We drove through the tall gates and further into the cobblestone-paved streets. My eyes moved over the buildings. The town looked lavish in comparison to everything else I'd seen. The buildings looked well-kept and lights shown through their windows as they used electricity to light their town.
It wasn't that Shadow didn't use electricity, but it was used sparingly. Generators ran the older parts of town and the newer homes in Shadow operated using solar technology with blackout capabilities for the windows. The city center never had been upgraded. Seeing Torv, it reminded me of Haven and I felt my stomach somersault. My fingers gripped Joshua's arm, digging into his flesh, unable to stop myself.
“This is…” My mouth was agape as we turned the corner and the buildings grew taller. Neon lights flashed and pulsed for the local theater. “Wow.” I didn't know what else to say. I'd never seen an actual theater with movies or actors. I'd read about it in a fantasy novel but I'd never experienced it. Torv was lavish, even more so than Haven had been. “How many people live here?”
Chloe thought about it for a moment. “Not sure. We're not a particularly small town,” she confessed, “but we always have enough for everyone.”
We pulled to the corner of the street, parked the car, and piled out. I couldn't believe how humid and warm it was outside. Joshua pulled open the trunk and we grabbed our bags. Chloe grabbed her testing kits as we followed her inside, and I was thankful for air conditioning. I couldn't imagine how the weather was in the summer here if it was warm already! We walked down the corridor as I slowed to take it all in. The carpet was plush and pale. The walls were freshly painted in a light blue with white trim boards that stretched from ceiling to floor. My feet sunk into the cushioned carpeting; I was surprised by luxury wasted on the ground. I stood with my bag in hand as we approached the elevator. I'd never been in one but remembered them from Haven. “How many floors are there?” I asked as Chloe pushed the arrow to head up.
“Eighty-seven,” she boasted proudly, as if she had anything to do with its construction. I stifled a laugh.
“How do you run this place with electricity? Our generators would never keep up.” The doors slowly creaked open and Chloe stepped in first, followed by Elsa and then Joshua and myself. The elevator looked well-kept and I grabbed the railing inside as the doors closed. Chloe pressed the button for floor forty-seven. My ears popped as I felt us being catapulted faster and higher, watching the numbers rushing past, until we slowed to a stop at our floor.
Chloe gave me a funny look as if I was an idiot for not knowing the answer. “The entire building runs on solar energy. There are panels on the roof. Much like your homes back in Shadow.” Chloe was either observant or someone had explained to her how we'd run our town. Either way I wasn't impressed by her knowledge. Instead, it made my stomach somersault, wondering what else she'd figured out about us.
Chloe and Elsa stepped out onto the forty-seventh floor and Joshua followed behind her. I took a minute to glance around before I heard a sudden ding and jumped out past the closing doors. I didn't want to be left behind.
“Where are we going?” I questioned, walking cautiously down the long corridor. I had no idea what awaited us in Torv.
Chloe didn't so much as glance back at me. “Just follow me.” She knew where she was heading and kept the pace as we walked past closed doors. My eyes scanned over the plaques on the doors. They looked new considering the age of the building. I wondered who these people were, and why there was a room with their names attached. Was it a hospital of some kind? I was aware Chloe would take us by to see the pregnant women, but I had hoped for a quick shower and change of clothes first.
We rounded a corner—I could only presume we had been in the other side of the building—as a huge window to my left overlooked the city of Torv. “Wow,” I gasped. It was beautiful here. Past the city walls I couldn't see another town in sight. I wondered how they kept the government from interfering in their way of life.
“Quite the view?” Chloe smiled. “We're almost there.” She pushed open a door on the right side of the hallway. “My lab is in here,” she explained, leaving the door open. I hesitated for only a moment before stepping inside the white, sterile room. One long metal table was situated in the center. White cabinets covered the walls.
“What's all that?” I couldn't help but feel curious. The only lab I'd been in was Elsa's back in Shadow. Machines and electronic devices I didn't recognize littered the metal counter. Slowly I approached, my fingers grazing over one such device with a slight hole at the top.
“That's a microscope.” Chloe laughed softly. “It helps you examine incredibly small things by making it so you can see them.”
Elsa came up beside me, resting a hand on my shoulder. “We have one of those, it just isn't in my lab.”
“We do?” I glanced from Elsa to Chloe, giving a faint smile. “Of course we do.” I shouldn't expect any less of our town. Even though it's not nearly as fancy, Shadow is technologically superior to most cities. Was Torv more advanced than Shadow? I couldn't know for certain but the fact they were becoming somewhat successful in impregnating women made me think it was possible. “So what else do you do in here?” I smiled weakly at Chloe as I decided it was best to keep my hands off the equipment. She hadn't scolded me yet but I didn't like feeling talked down to either. It wasn't my fault I didn't know
what a microscope was!
Chloe offered a warm smile. “Well, in here I do the lab tests and analyze samples but our scientists can determine the genetics that make up a person.”
I nodded, pretending I knew what Chloe was talking about.
“The building blocks of humans,” Chloe elaborated, glancing at Elsa. “Remember how I told you I used to work in Genesis Beta?”
Elsa's faint smile disappeared at the mention of Genesis. “Yes, I remember.”
Chloe continued, “I'm not on the genetics team but our research has indicated that scientists in Genesis are choosing genes for a child. It's how they're eradicating diseases and keeping the majority healthy.”
“Is it safe?” I didn't fully understand what Chloe said.
Chloe sighed, thinking it over. “Messing with natural selection probably isn't safe but what exactly is natural when children are created in a lab?”
I didn't answer her. I had no idea what she was talking about! Joshua stepped into the room and I glanced at him, hoping he'd offer some insight or something to keep Chloe from asking me twenty questions. I hated school, was glad to be done with it, and right now I felt like she was the professor and I was supposed to know the right answer. Well, I didn't.
Joshua cleared his throat. “What about other genetic factors? Things like hair color and eye color?” I turned towards Joshua, wondering what he was thinking.
Chloe gestured for us to follow her as she closed and locked the lab. “It's not unreasonable to think they could choose any genetic traits they wanted. We have to agree that the government determines the sex of newborns. It's the only way the marriage ceremonies work perfectly. To be quite honest, I suspect the arrangement in the marriage ceremonies and the lottery itself are rigged. It's the only explanation on how they can ensure one hundred percent accuracy in impregnating women and having a zero percent mortality rate.”
I just stared at Chloe, confused.
Elsa chimed in. “If you're right, Chloe, and you could find proof, that type of knowledge could bring the entire system down. More women would know the risks before they married and whether or not their partner was a good match.”
I shuddered at the thought that matches would be determined based on whether a child could be born. Although according to Chloe that might have already been the case. I chewed my bottom lip. “Suppose you're both right,” I countered. “Then why do scientists need to intervene at all?”
Chloe smiled weakly. “Because right now, as far as we can tell, women can't conceive naturally and the human race would become extinct without intervention. Our hope is that one day, scientists won't have to get involved.”
I nodded faintly, turning towards the panel window and examining the city below. The view was breathtaking. I'd never seen anything quite so beautiful in my life.
“Impressive,” Joshua murmured and I turned seeing his gaze on me.
“That's an understatement.” I nodded. In the short time we'd stayed in Haven, I never ventured this high up in any of the buildings. The view was spectacular.
“Will we have time to shower?” I didn't know where we would be expected next but I knew from the open vehicle and the thirty-hour drive I stunk.
Chloe nodded, shoving the key into her pocket as she led us back around the way we came and to the elevator again. “Yes. Right now I'm going to take you to your rooms on the twenty-eighth floor. You'll each be provided a key for your sleeping quarters. You'll have your own bathroom and shower.” As we approached the elevator I noticed not one but two buttons now and pushed the bottom one, assuming it was to go down. A few moments later, the elevator dinged and we stepped inside. This time I pressed the button for floor twenty-eight and held on as the elevator descended. It felt less intense than it had rushing up forty-seven floors. Stepping off the elevator, the floor looked entirely different. Instead of a narrow hallway there was a giant room with several sofas and tables. “What's this place?” I asked.
“The recreation room. It's where we have games and books for everyone to gather in the evening and relax.” Chloe gestured for us to follow, and we walked through the space and down to the left. Chloe was leading us through a hallway once again. “Every bedroom here has a window,” she explained. “The rooms on the left will be where your sleeping quarters are. Across the hall are the bathrooms and showers. Your bedroom key will give you access to your private bathroom and shower. Although they're not attached, they are exclusively for you while you're in Torv.”
She handed Joshua a key first and then one to me before giving Elsa the final key. She showed us to our rooms, one next to the other. “Thank you.” I took the key from her and went for the door, sliding the key in before turning the lock.
I hadn't gotten the door open before I heard his familiar voice. “You guys are here!” Jaxon's voice echoed in the hall. I turned around, throwing my arms around him in greeting.
“We are.” I smiled through tired eyes. Staring at him, I could see the worn expression and knew why he hadn't returned home. “How are you holding up?” I asked, taking a step back as Joshua came out of his room.
“Taking it all in.” Jaxon caught sight of Joshua and chuckled. “Did the whole town decide to come for a visit?” He gave Josh a quick hug and then Elsa when she popped out of her room last.
“Something like that,” Elsa chimed, squeezing Jaxon tight. “We missed you back at home.”
Jaxon nodded, unable to voice anything for the moment.
Chloe smiled weakly at Jaxon, clearly recognizing him. “We should probably let them shower and get cleaned up. I need to let the council know we're here and then I have a little work to do in the lab.”
“I'll see you in a bit?” I asked Jaxon, hoping he wouldn't be a stranger. I didn't know what he'd been up to in Torv. Elsa and I were here to help the pregnant women and Joshua was along for moral support. The fact Jaxon had stayed in Torv—I questioned whether he'd ever return home.
“Yeah, get showered, you guys stink,” he joked trying to make light of the situation. “I'll catch up with you at dinner.”
“Okay.” I pushed open my door and stepped into my room. I was astounded once again by the view. Situated a few levels lower, our rooms faced a different side of the building but the sight was still just as beautiful as before. I dropped my bag on the floor, slipped out of my shoes, and stood mesmerized by the fact I could see for miles from a building. It was surreal.
After a few minutes, I pulled my bag from the floor and dug out a fresh change of clothes: black cotton pants and a dark blue shirt, both handmade in Shadow. Tossing my open pack onto the floor, I made sure I held the key before leaving my room behind. I locked the door, taking my clothes with me across the hall to the bathroom.
Stepping into the bathroom, the light flipped on automatically. I turned in a circle, wondering how it knew someone had entered. I locked the door behind me, hung my clean pants and shirt on a hook, and walked towards the shower. I started the spray, turned it on, and waited for the water to heat up. I could hear the shower running on both sides of the walls and knew Joshua and Elsa were getting cleaned up too.
I stripped down and jumped under the hot spray, washing the grime from my skin. My muscles were tired and sore. A yawn escaped past my lips as I lathered my hair with shampoo and scrubbed the grime and filth from my skin. I smelled of sweat and the outdoors. It wasn't a pleasant aroma and certainly not a great way to make a first impression on the people of Torv.
Finishing my shower, I found a soft, oversized towel and dried off before slipping into the clothes I'd brought along. I brushed my hair and opened the bathroom door to see Joshua's bedroom door open. “Josh?” I called, knowing he must have been done.
He poked his head out of his bedroom, smiling when he saw me. “Wow. You look…” he didn't finish his sentence.
“What?” I asked, shaking my head, a smile edging at the corner of my lips. I raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.
His cheeks reddened
slightly, and he stepped out from the small bedroom. “You smell amazing,” he breathed, wrapping his arms around my waist.
I laughed, burying my face in his neck. “So do you.” My hands roamed the length of his back as I felt my body relaxing into his. “I'm beat.” I didn't want to move, too tired and feeling as though if I did move I'd fall on my face from exhaustion.
“Let's try and nap for a while. At least until someone wakes us up.” He suggested. He led me towards his room and I didn't object. It was exactly the same except that his bag was on his floor instead of my pack. Joshua pulled back the covers of the twin-size mattress. “It'll be cozy,” he teased as I slipped in and rested on my side. Joshua curled in behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist. I was relieved the bed was pushed against a wall so I knew I wouldn't fall out. If anyone fell out of bed, it'd be Joshua. It was probably why he held me so tight. My eyes closed when my head hit the pillow.
“Thanks,” I whispered, feeling the world swaying around me behind closed lids.
He didn't answer me, not in words. I felt a soft warm kiss to my neck and a moment later drifted to sleep in his arms.
CHAPTER 17
I awoke with a start, hearing a loud banging against the door. I groaned in protest and felt Joshua's hold loosen as he stood up from the bed and went to the door.
“I can't find Olivia!” Chloe was in a panic. “She's not answering her door.”
“I'm right here,” I yawned, as Joshua pulled the door back further so she could see me.
“Oh,” Chloe's cheeks reddened from the implication of what she thought we'd been doing.
I shook my head, rubbed my eyes, and smiled. “It's okay. I was just getting some sleep. What do you need?”
Chloe nodded, trying to regain her thoughts and remember why she had come looking for me in the first place. “Oh right. The high council is waiting to meet you. After, we'll go down and have dinner.”
“Right.” I smiled weakly, trying to pretend that I was excited and interested, but all I could think about was the comfortable mattress with Joshua's warm arms around me as I slept. “Can you give us a few minutes, and we'll be right there?”
