The State Series Box Set

by M. J. Kaestli

  Freya again watched from a safe distance. Colin put the plates back in the slot in the wall, then paused in front of the camera for just a moment. He held both of his hands up, waved his middle fingers around, then grabbed two glasses of water and headed back to the bedroom.

  “I think it’s time we get ready for bed,” Freya said with a sigh.

  “Ooh, I like the sound of that,” Colin retorted with a smirk.

  Freya shot a very cold scowl at him.

  “I’m kidding, Freya! Only kidding. Look, I’m sorry to have to inform you of this, but part of your ‘prison sentence,’” he said with air quotations, “involves putting up with your cellmate’s bad jokes.”

  “Yeah, you’re telling me,” she said with a touch of irritation. “I need to change. Can you leave for a moment?”

  Colin turned and walked into the bathroom without a word of complaint.

  Freya quickly changed into her sleepwear. It sounded as though he was brushing his teeth, so she sat on the bed and waited. When he softly knocked on the door, she opened it and slipped past him, into the bathroom. She tried to keep her mind on brushing her teeth, but her stomach was twisting in knots. She was going to have to share a bed with him, and that unnerved her. She knew it would not be fair of her to ask Colin to sleep on the cold, hard floor, and she didn’t want to sleep there herself, and they’d already established that neither of them could sleep on the sofa. Resigned to the fact she was going to have a bed buddy for the first time in her life, Freya looked in the mirror, took a deep breath, and headed back to the bedroom.

  Colin was already lying in bed, looking at a tablet.

  Freya nervously walked over to the other side, lifted the covers, and climbed in. She lay stiff as a board, staring at the ceiling, clutching the covers around her like a cocoon.

  “Relax, Freya. I’m not going to try anything,” Colin said, not looking up from his tablet. A moment later, he put it down and turned to her. “As a matter of fact, I’ve already drawn an imaginary line in the bed.” He put his hand between them. “This is my side, and that is yours. I won’t try to cross, and I’m sure you won’t either.”

  “I can’t help but notice that your side is larger than mine,” she said, looking from his hand to his face. “I thought the State gave this apartment to both of us, to share equally.”

  “Yeah, well I’m bigger than you are, so things will just have to be 60/40,” he said, while picking his tablet back up. He couldn’t hide his grin as he stared down at his tablet. Finally, he turned back to her. “You know you have one of these, right?”

  Freya looked at him and shook her head.

  “Check the top drawer of the nightstand,” Colin advised, then turned his attention back to his own device.

  Freya opened the nightstand and was surprised to see not only a tablet but a few other items as well. There was some sort of mask, as well as some earplugs. She held them up to Colin, looking at him for an explanation.

  “Some couples work different shifts,” he explained. “The mask is to help you sleep even when the lights are on. I have one too.”

  “Are the earplugs to block out your excessive babbling then?”

  “Oh, Freya, you’re hilarious.”

  “Really? So I don’t have the personality of a wet mop?” she said as she turned back to the nightstand, happy to have an excuse to hide her smile. She had never talked to anyone for this length of time before. She’d also never had a relationship where she could poke fun at the person; in fact, she’d never known anyone who was so easy to tease. She hated to admit it, but a small part of her was starting to enjoy their banter.

  She picked up the tablet and scrolled through the options. It was quite similar to the one she had at school. The only difference she could find was that it offered a vast selection of reading material. The only reading material on the school tablets had to do with what they were learning, but this one seemed to offer reading on an unlimited number of topics. The puzzles were similar, and to her surprise, the tablet even contained a history of her games, transferred over from her files.

  “Just what do poster children do on their tablets? No, wait! Let me guess. You did puzzles, most of them plant related,” he said, looking at her coyly out of the corner of his eye.

  Freya was a little irritated he could read her so well. That must be part of the reason he was selected for Security, she thought. He’s quite perceptive. She stared at him and said, “Why are you asking me, Colin? You said I’m not a poster child anymore, you heard my posters being torn up.”

  “Oh they were, torn up and burned, but before that, before I broke you, I bet you only played plant games,” he said, abandoning his tablet completely and giving her his undivided attention.

  “So you’re taking credit for my treason, are you? That’s good to know, in case I ever get taken in for questioning.”

  “Careful now! Be nice to me, or I’ll have to report you.”

  “That won’t reflect well on you, now that we’re coupled. If I go down, you’ll go down with me,” she warned, unable to hide the look of victory on her face.

  “Hmm. I guess you’re right. I guess I better not report you then.”

  “I think not, Colin.”

  “Hey, you wanna do a puzzle with me?”

  “How? They are all set up for a single player,” she replied.

  “Well, we can both pick the same puzzle, and whoever finishes it first will be the winner.”

  Freya narrowed her eyes. She thought it was a stupid idea, but she wasn’t sure how to tell him that without being rude.

  “I’ll even let you choose the first puzzle. I’m generous like that.”

  “Generous, huh, Mr. 60/40?” She arched her eyebrow at him. She thought a puzzle race was a silly idea, but she couldn’t think of anything better to do, and she was not yet ready to sleep. She picked out a crossword puzzle and showed it to him.

  Colin grinned and loaded the same puzzle on his tablet. “’Kay. Ready?”

  “If you are,” she said, not nearly as excited as he seemed to be.

  “I’m totally going to beat you.”

  “I find that highly unlikely,” Freya said.

  They both began to work on their puzzles, concentrating on their tablets.

  After they worked quietly for a time, he blurted, “Ha-ha! Got one! P-H-O-T-O-S-Y-N-T-H-E-S-S-E-S. Nailed it!” He paused, looked at his puzzle, and wrinkled his brow in confusion. “Wait. That doesn’t fit. Ugh…”

  She grabbed his tablet from him.

  “Hey! You can’t do that, Freya. You’re cheating.” He laughed and playfully pushed her shoulder. “Freya’s a cheater, a cheater,” he sing-songed. “Freya is a cheater. Yes, she is! I’ve been coupled with a cheater.”

  “You just spelled it wrong.” She rolled her eyes. “At least you had the right word.” She handed the tablet back to him, then continued with her own puzzle and finished a few minutes later. “Done! What about you, Colin? Are you even on your second word yet?”

  “Whose idea was this again? Oh, right. It was mine. It was totally my idea.” He nodded.

  “Not your best one, I guess,” she said, with a laugh.

  “Don’t gloat, Freya. I let you win.”

  “Really?” she said, arching her eyebrow again at him. “Then why don’t you tell me how to spell photosynthesis…without looking?”

  “Um… Fine. You got me,” he said. “Okay, so you’re smarter than me, I can take it. Of course, I’m sure you already knew that, didn’t you, Miss Smarty Pants?”

  “Yep.” She knew she didn’t need to say more, but she couldn’t help herself. “I figured it out, not long after you walked in the door, actually.”

  He sneered at her, then put his tablet away.

  “What? No rematch?” she asked, trying to look innocent.

  “Not tonight. I’m afraid all the fun will have to wait till tomorrow. I get to pick next time. We’ll see if you’re so brilliant on security-themed puzzles.” He pulled o
ut his sleeping mask and slid it down over his eyes. “’Night, Freya.”

  She didn’t say anything, just stared at the time display on the tablet. The hour for sleeping had arrived, but Freya didn’t feel like it was even a possibility for her. She knew she needed to try, though, so she got up, turned off the lights, and slipped back into bed. She lay awake, rigid and unable to relax her body or her mind. Next to her, Colin was asleep already, his rhythmic breathing deepening into a light snore. Great, she thought, but at least now she knew what the earplugs were for.

  Chapter 6

  The alarm sounded throughout the apartment. Freya had barely slept but jumped up quickly, as she wanted to get in and out of the shower before there was any chance of awkwardness with Colin. She returned to the bedroom in her sleeping attire and found him still fast asleep. Even so, she didn’t want to dress with him there, as she didn’t trust he was really sleeping.

  Suddenly, to Freya’s surprise, the alarm sounded again.

  “Alright, alright! I’m up!” he yelled, then turned and looked at her. “They always set two alarms for me. I have a history of sleeping in and being late. Of course, you’re already up and showered,” he said, muttering something under his breath that sounded remotely like “poster child” and “compliance.”

  Only when Freya heard the shower water running in the bathroom did she feel secure enough to change into the new work uniform. She waited until he was finished washing, then searched the bathroom for a brush and elastics to secure her hair in a high bun.

  “So that’s your thing, hey? You wear your hair tied back every day, keeping every little hair in place?”

  She turned and sneered at him. “Do you have a problem with the way I wear my hair?” It didn’t help their situation that a lack of sleep had left her in poor humor—she had little patience for his sarcasm.

  “I wouldn’t say it’s a problem. No, that wouldn’t be my word of choice. It’s more of a…preference. I like it when females wear their hair down or in a high ponytail, so it’s all flippy when they walk.”

  “Well, thank you for sharing your preferences with me, Colin. Perhaps you’d like to hear mine; A braid or a bun, a tight one, with every hair precisely in place.” She turned on the ball of her foot and stomped off to the kitchen.

  “Wow. So chipper—I take it you slept well.”

  She turned and glared at him, ready to bite his head off, but she was so angry she couldn’t think of anything to say. She then looked up at the camera and chose to say nothing. She turned back around and grabbed two breakfast bars from the cupboard.

  Suddenly, it was as if Colin had thought the wiser of his jabs at her; perhaps he became aware of the cameras also, because he asked, in a somewhat polite tone, “Are you ready to go?”

  She simply nodded, and they headed out the door, both knowing they had a long way to go with that peace treaty of theirs.

  They walked in silence, as Freya feared his so-called friends were watching and listening. She figured he felt the same way, as he didn’t speak either. They walked along the underground path until they reached an elevator that carried them back up to the large, glass-covered atrium.

  Freya stopped walking and looked up, finding the dome even more fascinating than she had upon arrival. She wondered how they built it and why, as it was an unfathomable amount of glass. Colin tugged on her hand to pull her along, and then slid his hand down a little, trying to interlock their fingers. She abruptly jerked her hand away, more reflexively than anything. He shook his head without looking at her and just kept walking without her, so she had to quicken her pace to catch up with him.

  Freya worried the cameras had picked that little incident up, and she knew she needed to be more careful. It made her angry he would put them at risk by being pushy. Why would he try that in public? she silently fumed as a slight feeling of embarrassment set in. It really was just a reflex, a reaction to the surprise of him grabbing her had caused her to pull away from him. She knew it was probably a good idea for the two of them, now a State-coupled pair, to be seen out and about holding hands. Not only that, but if the State were to view the videos of their apartment, they would see they spent most of her time in the bedroom, the absolute illusion of compliance. Freya was surprised by her own thought. Never in her life had she thought she would be plotting ways to disguise her noncompliance.

  Keeping his hands in his pockets, Colin led her to the front of a large building and gestured to the scanner. “Here is where I have to leave you. Have a good day,” he said politely, with no emotion or real sentiment whatsoever. He turned and walked off before she could say anything in return.

  Freya palmed the scanner, and the door opened. To her surprise, it was not an elevator. Instead, it was another corridor, with red lights illuminating a path for her to follow. There were many doors, each equipped with a scanner, and it looked quite like an apartment building, but she had a feeling it was not. She continued walking down the very long hallway, until the lights ended at another scanner. She placed her hand in and walked through another door.

  When she had entered the first door, she was close to what she thought was the center of the dome. She figured she had to be on the other side of it now or at least getting close to the edge after such a long walk. She continued down the hallway, until it came to an end. There was no scanner at the door, and she wondered for a moment if she had somehow taken a wrong turn. Then she heard a mechanical noise and realized a camera was moving, looking up and down her body.

  “Freya 117, verified,” a Security officer said, and the door opened.

  Freya cautiously walked in, feeling strange about the body scan. It was so odd there was no scanner for the door, and she didn’t understand why Security had to personally verify her identity. She seemed to be in yet another corridor, though it wasn’t as enclosed as those she was used to, and she was not sure which way to go. There were no floor lights, and she could not see anyone around. She also noticed something was different about the air. The air in the atrium was a little strange to her as well, but the sensation was stronger here. It was something like being in a very large greenhouse, only cleaner and fresher somehow.

  Freya walked down the hall, hoping to find her way. Eventually, the hallway spilled into an enormous room, so large that she gasped as she took in her massive surroundings. Very lavish, huge sofas and chairs furnished the room, but what really caught her attention was that one entire wall was made of glass, with large openings to the outside, where there was a lush forest. Freya walked through the room, over to the glass doors, and could not help but step outside. She stood on the balcony that overlooked the grounds, aghast at what she saw below.

  “But h-how?” she stuttered. “How is this possible?” She stared at the trees in awe. “People can’t live outside…can they?” She then tilted her head up and realized she was not outside at all; the whole place was encased in the glass dome. She looked around at the plush carpet of green grass that surrounded the building, taking in the many colors of the most beautiful plants she’d ever seen. She had learned about flowers in her agricultural studies, but she’d never seen any real ones before.

  She turned around and looked back at the building, trying to gain an understanding of the place. It was a tall apartment building, protruding partially above the dome. It seemed to be built onto the back of the apartment building. It was just one story but very long, as it spanned the entire length of the structure. The room she had just walked through was larger than the apartment she currently shared with Colin. Stunned, she walked to the edge of the deck, staring down into the canopy of trees that comprised a real forest. She marveled at its beauty, it was something out of her wildest dreams.

  “Quite magnificent, isn’t it?” asked a deep male voice behind her.

  Freya jumped, startled, and turned around to see who had spoken to her. This man looked to be in his mid-forties, soft lines around his eyes with creases between his brows, along with grey hair contrasting his dark and wav
y hair. He softly smiled revealing large and bright teeth. When she realized who he was, her entire body froze in cold fear. She knew she should formally address the head of State, or at least stop staring at him, but she simply could not move.

  He chuckled softly. “No need to be frightened, my dear. In fact, I would prefer it if you weren’t. We are going to be seeing a lot of each other after all.”

  Freya tried to pull herself together, as she certainly didn’t want to make a fool of herself. “I-I’m sorry, Mr. Statesman. I, uh… You startled me, and I…” she stuttered, bowing her head.

  “It’s really quite alright, Freya.”

  She flinched, amazed he knew her name.