by Anthony Wade
I walked up to the counter where the receptionists sat focused upon their transparent computer screens. None of them looked up. It appeared one of the ladies was playing some sort of war game.
I took a deep breath, hoping they would hear it.
Didn’t work.
There was only one thing I could do: Quit being shy. “I uh. . . need to see President Cornelius.”
Finally, the woman and the other looked at me with extremely bored facial expressions.
“What?” she asked, squinting her eyes. I guess I did look pretty suspicious, asking for the president so late.
“President Cornelius . . . I need to see him.” I told her.
She started laughing immediately. The man joined her.
“You can’t just ask to see the president,” the guy said. “Who do you think you are?”
“Like President Cornelius would see him,” the woman said, slapping her hand onto the desk. They continued laughing, ignoring me.
I remembered how everybody in the city was obsessed with the story Cornelius told about me. Everybody probably knew about it. I used that to my advantage. “I’m Carsyn,” I told them.
Let me tell you, I had never seen anything like it. Their expression became serious in less than a second. Their eyes stared at me in wonder. It was really awkward. I turned away a few times just so I didn’t have to look them in the eye.
Finally, the woman spoke. “Carsyn?”
“As in the orphan?” the other asked, trying to clarify.
“Yeah,” I told them.
“That’s impossible,” the man said. “He’s been kidnapped.”
“I got away,” I said. “He said to find him. Here I am. I need to see him.”
They exchanged nervous glances. They were definitely unsure.
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” the woman asked.
“You don’t,” I told her. “But I am. Do you want to risk Cornelius getting angry with you because you didn’t let me in?”
Yeah, I took a chance. I figured getting me was a top priority for Cornelius.
They were silent at first, glancing between one another. “Hold on,” the woman said. She hit a button and another screen shined up into the air in front of her. I watched her fingers click a few numbers.
“Yes,” a female’s voice said, coming from the screen.
“I’m sending somebody claiming to be the orphan President Cornelius is looking for.”
“Are you sure it’s him?” the voice from the computer quickly asked.
“We don’t know. But we can’t risk it.”
She was silent at first before forcing out an “Okay.”
She didn’t like the idea, but I had no doubt that she knew how important I was to Cornelius. She wouldn’t dare risk it.
“Send him up, and I’ll contact the president.”
The voice went away, and the woman hit the same button. The screen disappeared. “Follow me,” she said, standing up slowly and walked toward a long row of elevators. Her shoes echoed with each step as they clicked against the marble.
Inside the elevator, we didn’t talk to each other. I avoided looking anywhere close in her direction. I watched as the numbers above the door increased pretty rapidly. I caught a glimpse of the back glass wall, giving me a view of pretty much nothing. It was just a boring gray wall. But just as I was about to turn to face the door again, the scenery changed, and I couldn’t help it. I turned completely around and stood so close to the glass my nose pressed against it.
Replacing the gray wall was a view of the entire city. And, of course, it looked absolutely remarkable.
As the elevator went up, the pedestrians and cars on the streets became smaller and smaller. The city lights became dimmer and dimmer. Soon, the elevator soared far above any other skyscrapers. Many were lit with purple and green and blue lights. The green infinity symbol shined brighter than anything else. From high up, the symbols were huge! Literally, I didn’t see one skyscraper without it.
In the distance, I could see the huge gray wall. It didn’t look as big as usual because I was high above it. The familiar forest lied beyond the wall. To my left and way past the wall was a large lake going as far as the eye could see. It was almost like an ocean. But I knew we didn’t live on the coast. They at least taught us that at the orphanage.
I could’ve stayed in the elevator for hours, just staring. But I couldn’t do that. The elevator reminded me of that as it slowed to a halt. I turned back around, this time catching the woman giving me an odd look. I guess amazement toward the city wasn’t seen very often. People there were used to it.
The doors opened with a ding. I almost expected to see Cornelius standing there, but he wasn’t. That was probably for the best. I didn’t feel prepared.
I found myself in a small room with the same shiny white marble. There were two halls, one on the left and the other on the right. Across the room was a small black desk. Behind it was another woman. This one wore a black skirt and a white button-down shirt. Two officers dressed in black stood on each side of the desk, each carrying a very large gun. My heart beat quickly at the site of them. I wondered if they were always there.
The woman looked at me. I was about to tell her who I was when she pointed to the hall to her right. “First door on the right. He’s waiting.” She examined my whole body. I assumed she, just like the others, was wondering if I really was Carsyn.
The elevator dinged again. I barely caught a glimpse of my escort as the doors shut. She was probably in a hurry to get back to her computer.
I walked to the hall, the officers watching me closely. One of them even gripped his gun tighter. I made sure to not make any sudden movements.
I entered the hall. Just a few yards ahead was the first door on the right. I slowed down. I don’t know why. I think I was just trying to put my little meeting off. Thoughts of everything that could go wrong flashed in my head. There was a lot. What if Cornelius did want me killed? How would I get away? What if he was lying? But then I thought of the good things that could happen. What if he was telling the truth?
I approached the door. Slowly, I grasped the cold door handle. After a deep breath, I opened it, not knowing what I’d find inside.
The room reminded me of the office where I first met Cornelius. This one was bigger though. The room had bright white carpet. I didn’t see one stain. On the walls, pictures hung. Most of them were of the city and of people I didn’t recognize. Shelves packed with books and pictures were against the wall. In one corner of the room, there were two black, leather sofas facing each other, a coffee table separating them. A screen was projected onto the wall next to the sofas, playing the news. The headline read: PRESIDENT CORNELIUS PROPOSES CURFEW LAW.
I hadn’t heard of the new law. I wondered if everybody under the mountain had.
In the middle of the room was a huge dark wooden desk. On it were small stacks of papers, a computer, a couple of plants, and a lamp. I wanted to grin when I saw the lamp, but didn’t. In front of the desk were two chairs, just as Cornelius’s last desk. Sitting in the dark red office chair behind the desk was the president himself.
The Grand Imperial.
He gave me that familiar crooked leer, his brown eyes staring deep into mine. I didn’t look away.
He wasn’t wearing a suit, which made sense because it was so late. Instead, he wore a long, thick purple robe. I imagined it would be soft to the touch, definitely unlike anything I had ever seen before.
“Had to get out of bed,” he said, turning down the volume on the television. “I was angry at first. After all, I don’t get much sleep. Being president is a lot of work.”
I said nothing.
“But when I heard you were here . . .well . . . I was wide awake.”
I still said nothing. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t know what to say or I was just scared.
“Please,” he said, pointing at a seat.
I walked toward his desk, keeping my eye on him. He watched me closely, smiling. I looked at his bald head, almost able to see my own reflection.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” he asked.
I shook my head as I sat down. It was so cushiony. At least I was going to be a little comfortable while talking to him. Just a little.
“Well,” he said. “I think I’ll have something.” He walked over to one of the tables against the wall. On it sat a few glasses next to a pitcher. He took the pitcher and poured a golden brown liquid into one of the glasses.
I finally gained the courage to speak. “Did you know I’d come?”
He returned to his seat before answering. “I thought you might. Of course I didn’t think it would be this soon.” He swished his drink around before taking a swig. “Are you sure you don’t want something?”
“I’m sure,” I said.
He sat his glass down. “I guess you want to get down to business, don’t you,” he said.
“”I want to know the truth,” I said.
“Doesn’t everybody?” he asked. “But did you know that it is sometimes best to not know the truth.”
“I don’t care,” I snapped. “I still want to know,” I argued.
Cornelius watched me. He took another sip of his drink. “I suppose you mean the truth about your parents,” he said.
He was probably enjoying himself.
“Yeah,” I replied.
“You see, Carsyn.” He stood up and walked over toward the screen against the wall. The reporters were still talking about some curfew law. Cornelius turned to face me again. “I figured a boy who grew up with no parents, knowing nothing about his parents, would easily succumb to curiosity.”
He was right. “What made you think I knew nothing about my parents?” I asked.
“I just knew,” was his simple answer. He looked away for a second, as if thinking back to something. “And I knew you just wouldn’t be able to resist coming here.”
That was definitely the thing I didn’t want to hear. I was really hoping I hadn’t made a mistake by going to him.
“I bet your mind has been swarming with the possibilities this past week.”
He was right. As I had mentioned earlier, I was going to go crazy under that mountain.
“Curiosity. Confusion. Probably some anger too.” He snickered.
Now, I was starting to get annoyed. “Is it true?” I finally came out and asked.
He didn’t say anything at first. He took another swig of whatever it was he was drinking.
“I know the truth, of course,” he said. “But like I said, sometimes it’s best to not know.”
“I’m here,” I said, my anger starting to grow. “This is what you wanted. The best you can do is tell me if it’s true. I want to know!”
Cornelius cocked his head sideways, watching me curiously. His smile completely faded, but only for a second before returning. “I know you do.” He took another swig of his drink. “This was all a part of my plan.”
“What plan?” I asked.
“You’re not a bright one, are you?” he asked.
“What plan?” I asked, raising my voice.
His stupid smirk returned. He walked back to his desk. This time, sitting on the edge.
“You’ve already been told that I need you for something,” he said. “That’s obviously why these rebellious people took you. What do they call themselves anyways?” he asked.
“Why do you need me?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“You don’t know?” he asked. “I’m guessing that means they don’t know.”
“I was told nothing,” I answered.
He left his desk and walked until he was standing directly beside me. He grabbed ahold of my chin, yanking my head, forcing me to look straight into his ugly eyes. “Your parents gave you such a beautiful pair of eyes.” Then, for the first time, Cornelius was gentle as he released me and took a step back.
The first thing I did was purposely look in the opposite direction.
“The eye is such an amazing organ, wouldn’t you agree?”
I didn’t answer.
“Did you know that your pupils dilate during strong emotions? Fear . . . anger . . . for some reason, it has an effect on the pupil.
Of course I didn’t know any of that. There was no way somebody would’ve been able to teach us that outside of the wall. Something like that would’ve been too advanced for us outsiders.
“Why are you talking about eyes? I asked. “Is that why you wanted me here?”
“Yes, actually.”
I couldn’t help it. I turned to face Cornelius.
“I’ve got a problem, Carsyn. And I need you.”
“Me help you?” I asked, smirking.
Cornelius ignored me. “I’ve inherited something. Something important.”
“Like what?” I asked with little interest.
“A safe… and I can’t even open it.”
“You know a lot of people. Can’t you blow it up or something?”
He chuckled. “That won’t work,” he said. “I don’t want to ruin what’s inside.”
Ok-ay. “What do I have to do with any of this . . . and my eyes?”
He pointed at my face. “Your eyes . . . they can solve my whole problem.
What was this guy talking about? I think he knew I was confused, so he kept talking.
“Your pupils can apparently open up this safe.”
I was stumped. Was that even possible? I supposed I didn’t know a lot about the technology that existed so anything was probably possible. What was in the safe? And more importantly, if it was true, how did somebody even get access to my eyes?
“How is that possible?” I asked.
Cornelius chuckled again.
I was starting to despise that sound.
“Sometimes I forget you’re from outside the wall. No technology there.”
“Which is your fault,” I remarked.
“Not my fault,” he said. “Don’t forget that the separation between the poor and the elite started long before I had any power. With that said, I do agree with it. It’s the greatest step this nation has ever taken.”
“That’s so stupid,” I said. “You know, people are eventually going to realize the walls are wrong.”
“Keep dreaming, boy,” Cornelius said.
There was no use in trying to argue about the wall with Cornelius. He was close-minded. He would never agree. “Never mind that,” I said. “What’s in the safe? How can I even open it for you? I don’t know you. ”
“No, you don’t know me. But let’s just say we’ve come across the same person in our pasts.”
I thought of anybody I had met. There was nobody other than the houseladies. I really doubt they could’ve known Cornelius long ago. They would have bragged about it if so, as if that made them more important.
Cornelius seemed to read my mind. “Y were too young to remember.”
I looked him straight in the eyes. “What are you going to do? Gouge my eyes out?”
“I wish,” he said. “I need your pupils to dilate. I need you alive. I’m gonna have the safe transported here to the capitol. Should take about a week.”
“Just blow it up,” I said.
Cornelius reclaimed his chair, shaking his head furiously. “I’ve tried everything, but the material is too tough to break through. Blowing it up could damage whatever is inside.”
“Let me go,” I demanded.
Another laugh.
“Surely you’re not that naïve,” he said. “Of course I’m not letting you go. I need you.”
We had suspected it. I knew it was very possible. But he just said he couldn’t kill me. He needed me alive for my eyes to open his stupid safe. That meant I had time to think. I was confident I’d find a way out before this safe Cornelius talked about reached New Dawn. I wasn’t sure how yet, but I’d find a way. Aft
er I found out about my parents. I couldn’t allow the trip to be completely wasted.
“Are you going to tell me about my dad?” I asked. “Benjamin, Jaclyn . . . your friends?”
“Ah yes,” Cornelius said, as if just remembering them. “You want to know the truth.”
“If you’re keeping me here, you have to at least tell me,” I demanded.
Cornelius was amused. “As I said earlier, I know the truth. But I want to talk about something else,”
I wanted to hit him with a lamp again. “No,” I said, raising my voice again. “Tell me the truth now.”
Again, Cornelius was amused. “You really think you can order me around.” He chuckled. “Carsyn, my boy, you got another thing coming. Now you will sit there and we will talk about this group you’ve been with.” He sat in his chair, clasping his hands together and throwing his feet onto his desk. He was wearing white slippers that looked just as soft and comfortable as his robe. “Who are they?”
“People who can take you down,” I told him. Of course I didn’t know if that was true. But he didn’t need to know that.
“Okay,” he said. “Maybe you are more naïve than what I thought. But I suppose you can’t help your ignorance. Where are they?”
“Don’t be so dumb,” I told him. “You know I won’t tell you that.”
He stayed silent, his nostrils flaring, his eye twitching. He definitely didn’t like being called dumb. Oh well, I didn’t really care.
“Listen, bastard,” he said, slamming his feet down on the ground and leaning forward, toward me. He pointed at me. “You think your little group can destroy me? You have another thing coming.”
“We have Sub X,” I told him. “You can’t use it anymore.”
“I don’t give a damn about X,” he barked. “I have you now. My inheritance will be more powerful than that substance, and once you open it, I won’t need you again.”
“So what is your inheritance?” I asked.
Cornelius didn’t say anything. He was actually taken aback. He didn’t even tell me it was none of my business.
I laughed, trying to play everything cool. But inside, my heart was about to pound out of my chest. “You don’t even know, do you?” I asked him.
“It was passed down secretly from the original Grand Imperial,” he said through closed teeth. “Whatever it is, it was said to be their biggest creation. Releasing Sub X will be nothing compared to what’s inside the safe.”
I thought about the original Grand Imperial. I wished I had learned more about him. What could possibly be in that safe? Whatever it was, it obviously made Sub X look like nothing. At least Cornelius didn’t know what it was either.
“What can Sub X do exactly?” I asked.
“You don’t know?” he asked. “You guys haven’t examined it? Or do your people not have the education to do so?”
“It’s been locked away,” I replied. “You’ll never find it. Now what can it do?”
He leaned back into his chair. “Make a lot of people sick,” he said. “All with a few drops in the water supply or perhaps releasing it into the air as a vapor. Hiding it in today’s medicines was the ideal plan.”
“Why would you want to do that?” I asked him, getting aggravated.
“It’s easier to control vulnerable people. Wouldn’t you say ill people are quite vulnerable?”
I glared at him. “You’re an evil man.”
“Ha! Is that supposed to bother me?”
Of course it wasn’t supposed to bother him. He was proud of himself. I couldn’t say anything that would hurt him. But I knew I could get on his nerves and make him a little angry again. Shoot, I might as well if he was going to be keeping me there.
“You don’t even know what’s in the safe and you’re assuming it’s going to be better than X? “ I asked, chuckling. “It’s going to be funny if it’s not. I can’t believe you don’t even know what’s in it. I must have hit you in the head harder than what I thought.”
Cornelius jumped out of his seat, his fists clenched. I was freaking out, but I had to appear calm. “Boy, you’re about to push it too far. I can easily have you killed right now.”
“But you won’t,” I said, risking it.
“I could,” he growled. “But do believe me when I say you don’t have long. Now tell me where your people are hiding and I might let you live.”
“I won’t say anything,” I said, my arms crossed against my chest.
Cornelius kicked his chair back. It rolled into the wall, knocking over a painting of two old men shaking hands.
“I don’t have time for this,” he said. “And you don’t either. I may not kill you, but I can torture you.”
“I’m not saying anything,” I repeated.
He stayed silent, his nostrils still flared. “Have it your way,” he said. He hit a button on his desk.
“Yes, Grand Imperial,” a woman said. I knew it was the same one just outside the office.
“Send them in,” he told her.
“Yes, Grand Imperial,” the woman replied. Seconds later, the door behind me opened slowly. I turned around, wondering what was being sent in.
“I’ll get it out of somebody,” he said. Two officers entered, each holding somebody by the arm. My heart stopped. Now, I was more nervous than ever. Things had turned sour quick.
Ashton and Marley.
Ashton had an angry look on his face as he glared at Cornelius. Marley’s hair was all knotted up. Her face was red from crying.
“You hurt them then I swear I’ll . . .”
“What!” Cornelius screamed. “What is somebody like you going to do to somebody like me?” He held his arms out.
I didn’t answer. He was right.
“That’s what I thought,” he said. He tapped his fingers on the desk. “It’s late, and I’m tired. Take all three of them to the cells.” Cornelius chugged the rest of his drink as a third officer came in and grabbed me by the arm.
“I’ll not tell you,” I said as the officer dragged me toward the door “And you’ll have to force me to open up your safe.”
“I’m not afraid to use force,” Cornelius called back to me.
The officer dragged all three of us out of the room. Cornelius slammed the door shut. The woman behind the desk looked at the computer screen floating in front of her, ignoring us as we were drug past her desk. The officers took us down the other hall, stopping at a door toward the end. They opened it and dragged us into the dark. A few seconds later, the lights came on, revealing four metal jail cells, all empty. One by one, we were thrown in separate cells. The officer was sure to throw me even harder. My back slammed onto the cold floor. My eyes watered as a jolt of pain shot up my spine.
“The Grand Imperial will be here to get the information from you later,” one of the officers told us before leaving. He shut off the light, leaving us in complete darkness.
“I knew this was a bad idea,” Marley said in tears.
“Are you guys okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Ashton breathed.
“Okay?” she asked, then shouted, “No, we’re not okay. What are we supposed to do? They’ll come asking us questions soon. They’ll torture us. They’ll kill me and Ashton.”
“No they won’t,” Ashton assured her, though he wasn’t sure. There was a good chance that if they didn’t give Cornelius answers, he would kill them. He didn’t need them as he did me.
“This is why I didn’t want you guys to come,” I said as I scooted on the floor until I reached a wall to lean on.
“None of us should have come!” Marley shouted.
“I had to,” I said, starting to raise my voice. “I was going to lose it if I didn’t.”
“And now look what happened,” Marley argued.
“Well, it wouldn’t have happened if you would’ve stayed behind!”
“Let’s just calm down,” Ashton yelled.
Marley and I went silent
.
“There’s no point it arguing,” Ashton said. “What’s done is done. We just need a plan.”
“Really, Ashton,” Marley said. “I can’t see anything. We’re behind bars. There is no possible plan.”
He didn’t say anything, knowing she was right. Marley was actually right about another thing; I shouldn’t have come in the first place. This was my entire fault. Belladonna and Edgar had warned me not to do anything stupid, and that’s exactly what I did. I shouldn’t have let curiosity get the best of me. But I was so desperate about finding out about my parents that I hadn’t cared about the dangers. I still didn’t even know if it was the truth or not. Within a week, Cornelius would have me open whatever his inheritance was. I didn’t know what was inside, but I knew it was bad news. If it belonged to the original Grand Imperial, there was nothing good about it.
Ashton was right, we needed a plan. But Marley was right, too. There was no plan that could get us out from behind those bars.
“We’ll figure it out in the morning,” Ashton said. “Let’s get some rest to calm us down. We’ll figure it out later.”
Chapter Ten