by Dawn Norwell
This was a dangerous game I was playing. I had skated by for years undetected, but it wouldn’t take long before the Syndicate caught on. If I kept this up, it would only be a matter of time before I ended up like my dear friend Leilani.
**********
“I’ll see you later, Cora,” I said after class ended, causing her eyebrows to furrow in confusion. Before she could interrogate me, I cut her off. “I have a lunch date this afternoon.”
Her face lit up. Cora was a hopeless romantic, the kind of girl who loved sappy movies and the concept of a Prince Charming. I knew that making up some handsome mystery man would get her to leave me alone.
“I want to hear all about it as soon as you get home!” she squealed.
I assured her that I would give her the details later, and she skipped down the street toward our apartments. The moment she was out of sight, I turned in the opposite direction, reeling with guilt. I didn’t necessarily lie. No, I didn’t have a date with a man, but I did have a date to go see Leilani’s mother, even if she didn’t know it yet.
Sienna owned the flower shop in town, where Cora was a frequent customer. I didn’t have much interest in flowers myself, but each week Cora would convince me to go in to see what new buds the shop had gotten. I would usually loiter at the counter, talking to Sienna as Cora gushed over the vibrant colors and delightful aromas. Though I was often annoyed by Cora’s frequent pit stop, today, I was grateful. If the Syndicate was watching, they wouldn’t think anything was abnormal about my detour.
As I opened the glass door of the flower shop, the bell above me alerted Sienna to my presence. She was with another customer, but the moment she noticed me, she gave them a polite nod and walked toward the entrance to greet me.
Sienna and Leilani had always been close, closer than ordinary mother and daughter. I knew the ceremony would have been arduous for Sienna. I could see it in her red-rimmed eyes, the hard set of her lips, the hollowness in her cheeks that told me she hadn’t eaten for a few days. Sienna couldn’t show these emotions, of course, but I could only guess the turmoil she was enduring at losing her only child.
It broke my heart to see her this way. I wanted to hold her, to reminisce on all of the good times, to remember the happiness Lei had brought us while she was here. But I held firm, biting back tears as I pretended that her death did not affect me.
It seemed like a tremendous betrayal to suppress my memories of Lei this way, to renounce her as if she’d meant nothing to me. But it would be foolish to act otherwise under the Syndicate’s prying eyes. If Sienna could hide the dreadful emotions she was enduring at losing her child, I could compose myself for a few minutes.
“Kai, it’s good to see you,” she said with a forced smile.
“Sienna, how are you?” I asked as we embraced. “I’m so sorry about Leilani,” I whispered in her ear so that only she can hear. She pulled away with a look of panic, worried we might be overheard.
“Oh, I’m fine. It’s a relief, honestly. I’m just glad that the Syndicate caught Leilani before she had the chance to hurt someone.” Pain flashed in her eyes as she spoke ill of her beloved daughter. “Of course, look what a mess she’s made for the rest of us. Now I’m being investigated, which is bad for business. But I told the Syndicate they do not need to worry. What Leilani did was a disgrace to our family, and we’re glad to be rid of her,” Sienna said.
Though I knew it was for show, it startled me at how convincingly she uttered the words. I also sensed an implication in her words, a warning that we needed to be particularly vigilant of what we said right now. “What brings you in today, my dear?” she asked.
“It’s Cora’s birthday tomorrow, and I wanted to surprise her with flowers,” I fibbed, impressed by my perfectly credible excuse. Yes, it was Cora’s birthday, but I couldn’t care less about getting her a gift. It just happened to be the perfect alibi to see Sienna.
“Let me show you our lilies. I know they’re Cora’s favorite, and we’ve got quite a variety right now.” Sienna led me to the back corner of the shop where several large-petaled flowers had been grouped into bouquets. “Go ahead and give them a whiff.”
I leaned into the mass of floral arrangements and pretended to smell them enthusiastically, using the large buds to hide my lips. “What happened?” I mumbled so quietly I wondered if Sienna might not have heard.
“You’re right. They are gorgeous. The bunch came in bigger than we expected,” she replied with a passionate grin. “I think you should take the Tiger Lilies. In many old cultures, these flowers symbolized friendship and peace.” She eyed the orange flowers earnestly, gathered them in a bunch, and wrapped them in tissue paper before I could respond. I analyzed her face, knowing she was trying to communicate something deeper, but uncertain what the hidden code might be.
“Great idea,” I muttered, racking my brain for any hidden innuendoes.
We walked to the front of the shop, and she began typing numbers on the cash register, her eyes skimming the room nervously. I placed my barcode under the scanner to pay, as she handed me the large bouquet.
“I hope Cora enjoys her flowers. You’re a good friend, Kai,” Sienna said, reaching around the counter to hold my hand.
I was startled to feel something slip from her palm and into mine, the small item hidden by the massive lilies. I gripped the bouquet tightly to help conceal the bulky object and worked to maintain my composure. I gave her a tight smile before leaving the shop.
It took all of my willpower not to run back to my house. I was eager to see what was hidden in my hand, what had been so important that Sienna had to give it to me in secret. But I fought the urge, knowing that I had to be discreet. Whatever the object was, she didn’t want the Syndicate to see it. I couldn’t risk putting Sienna in more danger than she was already in just because I was impatient.
When I reached my apartment, I went straight to the bathroom, where I knew I wouldn’t be seen. Instead of opening the object, I used the privacy of the bathroom to slip the package into the pocket of my blue jeans, then busied myself with filling a glass vase with water.
After placing the lilies in the vase, I went about my business like any other day, trying not to arouse suspicion. I cooked dinner but was too distracted to taste it. I read through my medical chapters, but my mind was too preoccupied to absorb any of the information. I turned on the evening news, but the words went in one ear and out the other. All I could focus on was the small box that was burning a hole in my pocket.
By eight o’clock, it was finally an acceptable time to wind down for bed. I shut the bathroom door, taking the time to brush my teeth for good measure in case anyone had been paying attention. Turning the shower on full blast, I squatted down beside the tub and reached anxiously into my pant pocket with shaking hands. I pulled out a small, hinged container, approximately the size of a jewelry box, wrapped with some sort of paper. I bit back tears as I realized that it was a note, written in Lei’s neat manuscript. My heart sank as I unfolded the letter:
“Kai,
If you are reading this, then the Syndicate finally caught me. Guess you were right when you used to tell me that my pretentiousness would be the death of me... Too soon?”
I smiled a bittersweet smile. Leave it to Leilani to try and crack jokes, even in a situation as morbid as this one.
“You probably heard some pretty horrendous things about me during the ceremony. I need you to know directly from me that, no matter how farfetched they may seem, the rumors are all true. Yes, I was a traitor. Yes, I was planning a rebellion against the Syndicate. Yes, I had top-secret information that could lead to our society’s downfall.”
I gasped, nearly dropping the letter. It was one thing to suspect Lei was a traitor, but it was another thing altogether to see it confirmed in her own writing. With a deep breath, I continued reading:
“When I started my internship with the Syndicate headquarters last year, I quickly learned that I couldn’t continue on the path that was expected of me. So m
uch goes on behind the government’s closed doors that our people know nothing about. It made me question our entire lifestyle. Some of the things I witnessed were so traumatizing I had nightmares for weeks on end. Many deaths occurred right in front of me, without a proper trial or citizens to bear witness to their alleged crimes. I’m saddened to say that I even signed off on a few of these executions myself as part of my training; it’s something that will always haunt me.
“People needed to know just how dark the Syndicate really was, but I knew they wouldn’t believe me without proof. So I started researching behind the Syndicate’s back to find evidence that might help bring them down. But what I found in the process was completely unexpected.
“I came across proof that there is an entire world beyond the dome. For years the Syndicate has lied to us, leading us to believe that we were the only survivors left from the previous world, when all along, they’ve known that there were others outside of Concord.
“I’m not sure where this new world is, but I know that the Syndicate doesn’t approve of them. So much, in fact, that they want rid of them for good. During my investigation, I found out that there are plans to annihilate this community with nuclear warfare- the very thing they preach to us the horrors of.”
My hand went to my mouth in shock. Was there really another civilization out there, one that our government feared? Would the Syndicate be willing to wage another nuclear war, just to keep us from knowing about this other country? The idea seemed far-fetched, but I kept reading:
“Learning about their plans disturbed me. I couldn’t live with any more blood on my hands, so my priority became protecting this other community. But if you are reading this, then things didn’t go according to plan.
“Now, I must ask a lot of you, more than I have any right to ask. I may be gone now, but this outside community is still in danger. You are the only person that I know I can trust, Kai, so I’m afraid that this treacherous task must fall to you.
“I’m sure you have doubts, but the fact of the matter is that you have to do something to stop this attack, and you have to do it soon, or a lot of people will die. You know me better than anyone else; you know that I wouldn’t lie to you, especially about something this precarious. I hope that you’ll believe me, for their sake, as well as your own.
“In case of my capture, I have included pivotal information in this box to help with the mission. If used correctly, it will be essential in bringing down the Syndicate. You must hurry, because time is of the essence.
“The last thing I wanted to do was to get you wrapped up in all of this, Kai, and for that, I am so sorry. You were my best friend, the sister I never had. I would never do anything to put you in danger if I could help it. Now, I fear that I have no other choice but to recruit your help.
“Be wary and trust no one; there are Syndicate eyes everywhere. Remember that the outcome of the revolution and the fate of the new world falls on your shoulders. No pressure, right?
“Oh, and I’ll be watching you from the afterlife, so don’t fuck this up, alright? Just kidding… sort of.”
Love you always.
Lei
CHAPTER FIVE:
IGNORANCE & INSIGHT
I laid on the bathroom floor, holding Leilani’s letter against my heart as I tried to decipher her words. Trying to revolt against the government- what was she thinking? She knew how dangerous it was to go against the Syndicate. What had happened to my friend since we last spoke that made her so reckless?
You know me better than anyone else; you know that I wouldn’t lie to you.
I questioned the truth in this statement. I never suspected Lei could be capable of conspiring against our government; I must not have known her as well as either of us thought I did.
I shook my head. This wasn’t the Leilani I had grown up with. Why would she believe there was any validity to the notion that others existed outside of Concord, when we knew there was nothing beyond the dome but unsalvageable wastelands?
I glanced down at the small case she’d included with her letter. It was a small box made of rosewood, with the image of a blossom emblazoned into the dark brown wood. I recognized it as a Tiger Lily, the same type of flower that I bought from Sienna’s shop just a few hours before. Around the flower, encompassing it on all sides, were the words “only the brave are truly free” in curved calligraphy. My forehead creased as I contemplated the meaning behind the words.
Although I didn’t want to delve any further into this perverse sedition of Lei’s, I needed to understand what my friend had believed in so wholeheartedly that she was willing to die for it.
I opened the small package, my stomach doing nervous somersaults. Inside the box, I found a document folded into a tiny square. The material was cream-colored and thick, the kind of paper used for important correspondences.
I skimmed through the decree with tight eyes, trying to interpret the words. It appeared to be a government edict written on official Syndicate letterhead, authorizing the deployment of radioactive weapons to the land east of the dome.
One sentence, in particular, stood out above the others:
Mission: Annihilation of adversary via military-grade artillery, with the explicit objective being desecration and extermination of the unsuit community by any means necessary.
I dropped the decree and covered my mouth, stifling a gasp. Leilani had been right- there really was another community out there besides our own, and the Syndicate knew about it. Not only that, but they were ready to destroy them the same way the radical countries obliterated one another during the Dominate War.
We had always been told that the dome was for our protection, that we didn’t understand what terrors lay on the other side of the barrier. But after reading Leilani’s letter, I was starting to wonder if the true horrors weren’t inside our own walls. Why else would the Syndicate go to such depths to keep us locked inside if the only thing beyond the dome was the wastelands?
At the same time, I didn’t know anything about this other country. They could be savages, outcasts that had been driven mad by the elements. Shouldn’t I have a little faith in the government who had kept me safe my entire life? There had to be something about this other community that made the Syndicate feel the need to attack them. And if they were that dangerous, it would be a suicide mission to try to seek them out. The idea made me shudder.
I ran my index finger along the cursive manuscript of Leilani’s letter, a tear falling down my cheek. How I wished she was here now to give me more information about this conspiracy, to help ease my doubts and trepidations. She had always been my rock, my confidant, the one person who could help me see things clearly. And now she was gone.
My mind flashed back to four years ago, to a memory so abysmal it had been pushed aside in my subconscious until this moment. It was a warm August afternoon, one of the last days of freedom before the school year started. Lei had convinced me to bike to the synthetic park in town to some of our limited time before the summer ended. It was here, whispering to one another under the shade of the tall buildings that Leilani first brought up her plan of running away.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, alarmed by her precarious proposition.
“Haven’t you ever wondered what lies beyond the wastelands, Kai? What life could be like without the Syndicate always watching us all the time?”
I remembered laughing, thinking it was some outlandish prank to see how much of a coward I was. “And go where, exactly? There’s nothing outside of the dome. It was all destroyed during the war. You know that.”
“How do we know?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.
I sighed. “We just do. Open any textbook, and it will tell you the same.”
“Of course, it will. Because that’s what the Syndicate wants us to think. But have you ever noticed that there aren’t any pictures to go along with the text? How do we know that the government is telling us the truth, that the only thing outside of Conco
rd is a toxic desert?”
I gaped at her in disbelief. Was she suggesting that the Syndicate might be lying to us? If this was a joke, it encroaching upon dangerous territory. “We just do, Lei. Why would the government make that up?”
I remembered the frustration that I felt, trying to prove something that, to me, was a moot point. It had long ago been ingrained in us that we were the sole survivors of the Dominate War and that the only thing beyond the dome’s walls were death and depredation. Why was Leilani questioning this now?
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” she muttered. “I swear to you, Kai, I’m leaving this place one day. I just can’t live here anymore. I’d rather take my chances on the outside than continue with this mundane and oppressive life,” she said earnestly. She turned to gaze at me with pleading green eyes. “I want you to come with me.”
My eyes widened with fright. “No,” I said, the word barely audible.
“Why not?” she asked, taking my hand in hers. “There’s nothing left for you here, Kai. Your parents are gone, Thane pretends you don’t exist. Any connection you’ve ever had in Concord has been severed. This is your chance to move on, to make a fresh start and live life the way you want, rather than the one that was predetermined for you.”
“This isn’t funny anymore,” I said, looking away, apprehensive of the urgency in her voice. It was one thing to fantasize about running away, but the idea of actually going through with it terrified me. Even if we made it past the Syndicate and through the dome, we didn’t know what life was like beyond the safety of these walls; I, personally, did not want to find out.
“I’m serious. I can’t continue doing the same thing day in and day out, marrying some guy who the Syndicate deems to be a good mate for me, raising some genmod babies who will be stuck in the same cycle that I’m in. I don’t want that! I want to make my own decisions, free of all of the restrictions and consequences.”