“All patients are supposed to be in their rooms by this time.”
For, a moment after she said this, I just stared at her. She acted so normal. But she worked for such an awful organization. And besides stealing sixteen years of a countless number of peoples live, they’d also left, I don’t even know how many people, behind on the island to die. And they’d left them there because they didn’t want to ‘waste’ money on medicine. The way they saw it, those kids’ deaths had simply been an accident. They’d gotten the disease and it wasn’t The Island Program's responsibility to help them. The way I saw it, since they’d put us on the island, if we died there it was their fault. In my eyes they’d murdered those kids.
So that’s what I was thinking as I stared at the nurse. But all the same, I found my way back to my dull hospital room and got in bed. I didn’t know or care what time it was. Because I knew for a fact that, as far as sleep goes, I wouldn’t be getting much of it. So I just lay in bed and thought about everything again as the hours ticked away. Every once in a while I would slip into a half-sleep only to awaken once more from a terrifying dream.
Eventually, morning came and a nurse came in to take my bracelet and tell me I was free to leave the hospital. She showed me through hallways, down an elevator and finally to my old room. But, when I entered it all I could think of was that someone was watching me at this very moment. And it didn’t matter where I went, as long as was in this building I couldn’t escape their gaze.
Since I still had half an hour until breakfast I decided I might as well find something to do. And then I remembered my diary and suddenly wondered whether or not it was still in my hiding place. I reached into the slot in the mattress, and was surprised to find both it and my knife was still in place. But if they had cameras watching wouldn’t they have known about everything I was writing and where I hid it? Then I realized there could be only one reason for letting me keep the diary. They wanted to see what I would write. They wanted to know my plans. And as for the knife, could it be possible they didn’t know I had it?
If they wanted to see what I’d write down, then it could be a huge possibility for me. All I had to do was write exactly the opposite of what I was really thinking. So I spent the next half hour writing. I gave a brief description of the test and then wrote a bunch of fake ‘opinions’ I had on it. I made sure to highlight that I trusted Island Program and how I knew we’d only be hear a little while longer and then would finally get to see the outside world. And before I knew it, it was time to go down to breakfast. So I slipped the diary back into its hiding place. (There wasn’t any reason to hide it anymore), but if I ever wanted to take my knife out secretly I could pretend to simply be getting the diary.
Down at breakfast, I found Priscila, Kendall, and Vanissa already seated and enjoying a delicious meal—biscuits, bacon, ham and an icy smoothie. I sat down and began to eat, avoiding their expectant gazes. I didn’t want them to ask what had happened last night. Because they didn’t know I couldn’t talk about it. I took a sip of my smoothie and then without looking up said:
“So, how did you all sleep last night?”
“Umm…fine,” Vanissa said slowly, obviously wondering why I wasn’t bringing up what was on all our minds.
Priscila just shrugged, but Kendall was staring at me intently. I guess since he didn’t know about how we’d gone into the secret section, he was trying to figure out what was going on. He’d probably already figured out it had to do with my hospital stay. But since he didn’t have any idea of what had happened, he’d probably ask me. And then what would I say? Priscila and Vanissa might at least be able to guess it was something I couldn’t talk about. I looked up and met his gaze for just a moment. And I don’t know how the one short look told him anything, but his expression changed as if he’d realized something. Then he seemed to have a moment of indecision, as if trying to decide whether or not to say something. And he apparently decided not to, because he looked away from me, turning his eyes towards the opposite side of the cafeteria.
Then I saw where he was looking. His gaze was directly pointed at Challan, who was making her way to the front of the room. Was he trying to ask me something? Could he be asking me if the way I was acting had to do with her? When he saw I noticed where he was looking, he turned back to me.
“Britta,” he said casually. “Could you hand me a napkin? The bacon's really greasy.”
I thought for a moment, before realizing what his question really meant. He wanted a yes or no. Did it have to do with Challan, or something else? So I handed him a napkin and said distinctly:
“Oh…yes. You’re right, it is.”
13
It made me wonder—had Kendall had an odd experience with Challan? Or had he simply taken a guess? Of course, he’d taken the test too. It wouldn’t take any more than that to see there was something not right going on. But I didn’t have much time think about it though, because Challan began to speak from the platform.
“Good morning everyone,” she said; only it wasn’t cheerfully that she said it. She said it like it was a death sentence. “Hopefully you’ve all had enough time to rest. Today we’ll be going to the last place you’ll need to go before you leave.
“Those of you that got a one on the test will be going for the first time to a public place with many people around; people from all around the country. You won’t have to do much, just follow the instructions you’re given. You’ll be leaving just after breakfast.
“Those of you who got a two will be leaving around 2:30 and won’t be going to a place with as many people. So you’ll be free to do what you want for the morning as long as you’re back at the cafeteria by 2:15.
“Some of you may have noticed that all the children seven and under are gone, but don't worry—I assure you that they're safe."
What? I looked around the room, and—everyone under the age of seven really was gone. And not only them, but I saw that others, of an assortment of different ages were also missing. I hadn't noticed until then, but now that I did, I felt an unexplained chill creep down my spine. Where had they gone?
"Now," said Challan, "when I call your name, go to your group."
It only took me a split second to make up my mind. I was going with the first group. I needed to see the outside world. Hopefully I’d be back in time to go with the second group. So I quickly finished my breakfast and worked out in my head exactly what I was going to do. Challan had told me that I had to do exactly what I was supposed to. But still, I needed to figure out the reason we were here and my best chance of that was to go to a public place. Besides, if I got caught I could just claim to have been confused as far as where to go. I tried not to let myself consider the possibility of them not believing me, if I was caught. Would Challan actually go through with her threat? If she did, I’d never forgive myself. The whole thing was just too awful to think about.
Names were called and kids were distributed into seven groups. When the groups were getting full and everyone seemed to be growing restless, I saw my chance. (Most people were no longer seated which made it easier to blend.) I casually got up and walked past a particularly large group, as if passing them to exit the room. Then, at the last minute, I turned sharply and walked straight to the center of the group. Relieved that no one had noticed, I moved about restlessly like everyone else so I’d look normal. I only hoped whoever was watching us on camera would simply think I really did belong there. I also hoped Vanissa would figure out that the reason I’d gone without her was because one extra person might go unnoticed, but two going unnoticed was highly unlikely.
Finally all the kids who’d scored a one had been divided into groups. An attendant led us through halls, up an elevator, through more halls and then down some stairs. All the way I kept thinking that maybe I’d made the wrong decision. I hadn’t really been thinking much about the big picture when I’d made it. I hadn’t had enough time to think about much of anything. What if it really was a bad decision? But, I guess i
t didn’t really matter. If these people were total liars and I didn’t trust them about, why should I do what they wanted me to? Their promise to let us go; it meant nothing to me.
We entered a large garage where busses awaited us. Since they were big we didn’t have to enter them one at a time, but all the same, as everyone filed into them, I made sure to keep my head low. Then I walked down the aisle and found a seat near the back. Not quite the back row, but a little further up. That would help me blend better.
Back on the island, I’d read about motorized vehicles. I’d always thought it would be thrilling to ride in something that could go so fast, but I’d never dreamed I’d be sneaking on one.
Fifteen minutes later, the bus pulled out of the garage the other busses, close behind. When we first emerged into the sunlight, it took my eyes a moment to adjust from the change in light. But once I could see clearly, I immediately moved close to the window, trying to take everything in. We’d just exited a garage located at the back of the building and were in a sort of alley way. We drove down the alley and rounded the corner, turning onto a much busier street with a perfect view of the front of the building and the surrounding area.
We were in a city, with huge buildings looming over us in all directions, their beautiful glass windows reflecting the blue sky above.
As we drove around towards the front of the building we’d been in, I got a much better view of it. It was huge, not just tall, but also wide. It had a small property in front with a perfectly cut lawn and picture-perfect hedges lining its walls. I guess at least part of the building must have been open to the public because there was an area out front to park cars and a big sign that read: ‘The Island Program’ in silver and blue lettering. The attractive way it looked from the outside, directly opposed the things that went on inside. So, people actually knew about The Island Program and were okay with it? It just didn’t make sense. Also, every single window that was above the public part of the building was tinted and impossible to see through. How could people not find that at all strange?
As we drove, I felt like I was beginning to learn, at least a little, about the country.
The pictures in our books back on the island though, had depicted a much different city; more run-down and boring looking. But I guess, it was a long time ago that the pictures had been taken.
I noticed that the most frequently used color for buildings was white. Many buildings gave the appearance of being made of a smooth white stone with multi-colored marble steps. But I didn’t see how that would be possible. After all wouldn’t they have much more durable and easy to build with materials? Possibly it was some kind of steel or metal simply made to look like stone. But whatever material it was made out of, all the white certainly was beautiful.
Another frequently used material was glass. Some buildings had huge walls made entirely of crystal-clear glass and those that didn’t had thousands of tiny windows, sparkling in the sunlight.
By the looks of things they were financially well off. At least I didn’t see any homeless people or junky run-down neighborhoods. At first everything seemed absolutely perfect. There were pretty little shops and picturesque parks with flower gardens and ponds, mixed with the tall office buildings. We passed an art museum where the entire building was one big mural. Even the pavement in front was painted. I was amazed at how realistic everything looked. Fields of pink and yellow flowers, so real, I was sure if I opened the window I’d inhale their wonderful scent. Mountains, the sun rising behind them, streaked the painted sky in orange, peach, pink, and gold. I promised myself that, when I was free, I’d go there and see all of it up close.
But after a while I found that not quite everything was perfect. At random points there were sections of city that didn’t at all match their surroundings. The first place I saw like this was right in the middle of some tall office buildings. In fact, it looked as if similar buildings had been there once. Only something terrible must have happened because, in their place there was just heaps of rubble, dust and debris. It didn’t look like a fire had done it though. It looked like something much different. There were shards and fragments of shattered glass all around, a silvery substance that looked like metal that had melted and then hardened again in a different shape covered the ground and everything was coated in a layer of fine white dust. That must be what Challan had been talking about when she’d said that sometimes the creatures outside the wall got in. What could have possibly caused so much damage to such precise areas and somehow leave everything surrounding the area completely untouched? We passed three different areas nearly exactly like the first one, but, try as I might, I couldn’t come to any conclusions about the cause.
The ride was only about half an hour, but it seemed to take only minutes because I took in every detail. The people eating outside an ice cream shop. They looked so happy, sitting at their table, shaded by a pink umbrella. I saw some girls about my age, talking and laughing carelessly outside their school. That could have been my life. I could have been just like that—happy, with hardly a care in the world.
I felt the bus come to a stop as we had arrived. Once outside, I looked around in amazement at the place just a couple hundred feet away, where we appeared to be headed. There was a large open area almost completely encircled by immense buildings. And leading up to it, was a sort of huge pathway, lined by sparkling silver buildings that seemed to touch the sky. The buildings on the sides had silver and blue posters attached to the rails of balconies that lined them all the way to their roofs. And on the far end of the area, the place where all the buildings seemed to lead up to was the most impressive building of all. It had huge windows, ornate architectural design, gigantic banners hanging from its sides and pillars supporting the roof of a terrace.
But all that wasn’t what amazed me. What amazed me was how many people there were. It was probably over a hundred times as many people as I’d ever seen at once. They were overflowing from far outside the area, where they flooded the streets, all the way to where a small barrier prevented them from coming any further. They crowded balconies from the lowest ones to the roofs where more people were packed.
When our groups began to enter the gated off area which lead straight through the middle of the pathway to the front, the crowd began to go insane. Cheering, even screaming, they waved posters, jumping up and down and leaning over railings to get a better view. At first I thought they were cheering for Challan and the small group that accompanied her in the front. After all, we were just a patch of grey in all that color and excitement. But, as we went on, it became clear they weren’t only cheering for Challan but for us as well. Everywhere, people were taking pictures and shoving each other to get a better view. They jumped up and down even waving posters with our faces plastered all over them.
For some reason, I felt a smile forming on my face. Maybe Challan was telling the truth. Maybe we’d be free after this. As bizarre as it was that I'd ever let myself even consider that we really were safe and I could trust these people, and even though I knew it was crazy for me to be feeling this way, I actually began to feel happy, glad that these people were cheering for us. I guess I was drawn into the excitement—after all, I’d never seen anything that compared to all of it. So I kept smiling, feeling a sort of happy feeling of excitement that everyone here loved us.
But, then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something and the smile faded from my face—a girl, maybe close to my age, standing in the front against the barrier. She wasn’t cheering or waving a poster; only standing there and staring straight at me. It was the same way you can easily notice motion in a very still place. Only, I noticed her because she wasn’t moving. Why was she staring at me? Or, could it be she was simply staring at our group? I brushed it off and kept walking. But I no longer smiled and waved at the crowd. Something about that girl bothered me. She had been looking at us with an expression I couldn't quite make sense of. It had been something between sadness and horror—maybe both? But then, what
was sad or horrifying about us?
When we reached a space in front of the steps of the main building, we stopped and an attendant explained that all we’d have to do is come to the front when our name was called. Then we’d have to stand there and look towards the crowd, since cameras would be videoing us from all sides.
After that, she showed us where our chairs were. The way it was arranged, there were two groups of chairs. One on the left side of the area and the other on the right; both parallel to the main building. So, since the chairs faced each other, I assumed that by ‘front’ the attendant meant the center.
We all walked over and found seats and I made sure to find one in the middle next to a few kids I’d known fairly well back on the island. I at least knew they wouldn’t try to cause trouble by bringing attention to the fact that I wasn’t supposed to be there. I felt nervously impatient as I sat there. I felt that, if we didn’t start whatever we were going to do soon, than I wouldn’t get back in time. I was so worried; I hardly noticed when the seats across from us began to fill up.
Half an hour later, I saw Challan ascending the steps to the terrace. When she reached the top where a microphone awaited, her usual stony expression had morphed into a pleasant, almost happy, look. Somehow, her multiple personalities irritated me. One minute she was threatening to kill Priscila, and the next, preparing to give a friendly speech to a cheering crowd.
“Welcome,” she said. And, as if she’d said something amazing, everyone cheered louder than ever. “As your president and head of The Island Program I’d like to thank you. Without your generous support we would never have made it this far.”
For a moment I was somewhat shocked. Challan was the president? And everyone here supported her? This was crazy. But, oh well, my whole life had been crazy. I was used to it.
“These children,” continued Challan. “—have had a tremendous advantage, because they grew up on the island. And, as you all know, when we gave them the choice they all said yes. So I’d also like to thank them for being so incredibly generous.”
The Other Side (The Other Side Trilogy Book 1) Page 9