Born and Raised

by R A Doty

  “But I thought you said your research was complete?” Check. Luke had him right where he wanted him. He enjoyed seeing this once powerful man shatter into pieces from one single question. He took pleasure in watching Steinberg squirm, while carefully thinking of a response to his question. A response that both men new would be a spoonful of bullshit that neither would be able to swallow. He let him off the hook—for now. “What’s the name of this place?”

  You could hear Steinberg’s tension escape when he exhaled. He quickly answered without much thought. “It’s a place called Ancada, an island not far from here.”

  “Why an island? Do you know something we don’t know?”

  The second question. All the color left Steinberg’s face. Yes, he did know something that Luke and his brother weren’t smart enough to figure out. As a population geneticist, he knew the survival rate for all humans living on the mainland was diminishing at an astounding level with each passing day.

  The question was a kill-shot and Luke knew it. Check mate. It all became clear now. The only way Steinberg would willingly give up all that he’d created was if it no longer had any value in this world. It was now just a piece of meat dangling in front of a cage filled with starving lions. Steinberg wanted to get himself and his family away before the lions came. The game had ended but Luke had one more question—a cat toying with a mouse. “Can Dan and I come?”

  Steinberg started walking back and Luke quickly followed, waiting for an answer. “It’s out of my hands, Luke. If I had my way I’d bring everyone.” He quickened his pace, as did Luke.

  “You must have some kind of pull, a great man of your stature. Why, I bet those people at this Ancada will listen to whatever you had to say. Five years of loyalty from me and Dan must be worth at least a try.”

  Steinberg kept walking and Luke stopped, a smile crossing his face.

  “I told you, Luke, it’s out of my hands.”

  Dan was right. You are a jerk.

  THAT EVENING, AT EIGHT p.m., Thomas Steinberg stood in the main foyer, glancing at his watch. He had plenty of time to get to the north pier. Even if he avoided the city and stayed on the outskirts of town like he planned, he could still make it with at least fifteen minutes to spare. Better to arrive early than late never seemed more important than now. He glanced at his watch again, walking toward the staircase. “Monica,” he yelled from the first step. His voice echoed all the way to the second floor. “We’re going to be late if you don’t come on.”

  “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Monica appeared from the master bedroom with two suitcases, one in each hand. “Josh, honey, we have to go are you ready?”

  Josh ran from his bedroom carrying a smaller suitcase. He passed his mother going down the stairs.

  “Isn’t this exciting, honey?” Monica said to her husband, placing the suitcases on the floor when she stepped off the last stair tread.

  Thomas grabbed them. “Yes, dear. Very exciting. Now let’s go.”

  They rushed from the house and Monica stopped at the start of the bluestone walkway. “I forgot to lock the door. I’ll be right back.”

  Thomas continued walking. “Honey, it doesn’t matter anymore, now come on.”

  “Are you sure? What if somebody breaks in?”

  “They can take whatever they want, who cares. If we don’t hurry we’ll be late and they already informed me they’re not waiting. Besides, Luke and Dan will still be here to watch over things.”

  Monica caught up to her husband. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  “I am.”

  They rushed to the four-bay garage where Thomas dropped the bags and opened the side entrance door. Before he could enter, Luke stepped out and blocked his path. With a rifle in his hands, Dan stepped out behind his brother.

  “You’re not planning on taking the car, are you?” Luke said. “If you are, the batteries are dead.”

  “Then we’ll take the all-terrain.” Thomas nudged past Luke. “Now get out of my way.”

  Luke pushed back, and Steinberg fell to the ground.

  “Stop it, Luke,” Monica yelled, rushing to her husband. “What’s got into you?”

  “I guess my feelings are a little hurt, Monica. I can’t believe you’re just going to leave us here to die while you important people go to live on that fancy island in the middle of the ocean.” Luke squatted in front of Thomas, who was still on the ground. “Now, I guess I can’t stop you from going, but I would like to be able to leave in case of an emergency, and that means the all-terrain stays here with us.”

  Steinberg stood with some help from his wife. “So what are we supposed to do, walk?”

  “I guess you don’t have a choice unless you wanna take the tractor. Now, the muffler on the old girl is pretty loud so I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be caught riding her through the city at night.” Luke started to walk toward the fence. “You coming?”

  “This is murder, Luke, and you know it. There’s no way we’ll survive without transportation, and we’ll never make it on time.” Steinberg looked at his watch—8:15. “We have to be there in forty-five minutes.”

  “Well then, you best come on.”

  Dan poked the rifle into Steinberg’s back and everyone walked toward the fence.

  “But what about our luggage?” Monica said.

  “Forget it, Monica,” Thomas yelled on his way to the fence. “It’ll only slow us down.”

  When they arrived at the gate, Luke unlatched and pushed it open. Thomas walked through and Luke tried to close it quick, but Josh slipped past. He tried to grab the boy, but Thomas pulled him away. Dan grabbed Monica, while Luke slammed the gate and locked it.

  “What are you doing?” Monica said.

  Dan held her tight from behind, his arms wrapped just under her chest. “It ain’t safe out there.” He took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of her hair.

  “You let her go!” Thomas yelled.

  “Mom!” Josh screamed.

  “Josh can come back inside,” Luke said. “This is a mistake, Tom, and you know it. Like Dan said, it isn’t safe out there. You’ll never make it through the city. If these people want you so bad, they’ll come for you. And if they do, I’ll be happy to let all of you leave if you still want to go. If you don’t want to do it my way then you’re on your own, but I won’t stand here and watch you set your family up to be murdered. Now, I suggest you let Josh back inside the gate.”

  Thomas grabbed his son’s hand and pulled him off the fence. “He comes with me. You won’t get away with this, Luke. I’ll be back with help.”

  “Suit yourself,” Luke said. “But just remember, I warned you.”

  “I’ll come back for you, Monica, as soon as we reach the boat.”

  “Tom, you can’t just leave me! Do something!” She broke free from Dan and ran to the fence as her husband walked away. “Tom!” she screamed.

  Josh struggled to pull away from his father. “Mom!”

  Thomas held him firm, pulling him in the direction of the city.

  “Mom!”

  Monica watched her husband and son disappear over a hill. When she could no longer hear Josh yelling for her, she turned toward Luke and Dan. “What the hell are you guys doing?” She slowly backed up as Dan approached.

  “He didn’t put up much of a fight for you, did he?” Dan said. “Don’t worry though. We’ll take good care of you.” He took Monica’s hand and led her toward the house.

  “Please don’t hurt me, guys.”

  Dan smiled. “Now, why would we do that, Monica?”

  Chapter Eleven

  A WEEK FILLED WITH silence passed, as Calla performed her kennel tasks without saying so much as a single word to herself or any of the nutrimen. She did notice a change in April, and as much as she wanted to talk to her, she wouldn’t allow herself to become attached again. She had to be strong.

  She did wonder, however, why April no longer greeted her when she arrived each day. Or why she didn’t follo
w her around, watching her every move. Whatever the reason for April’s change of personality, Calla had no business trying to figure it out. Her job was to feed the nutrimen and clean out their pens, and that’s all she planned on doing from now on. She placed her bag on the utility room counter and began her daily routine.

  She removed a metal tray from one of the overhead cabinets and placed it on the counter. Two stainless steel bins were removed from the cooling unit and placed next to the tray. One bin contained kelp and the other held a mixture of fish and a white condiment. Four plates were then placed onto the tray, and each was filled with a generous amount of the kelp and fish. A bag of seaweed biscuits was removed from another cabinet, and two biscuits were placed onto each plate. Calla grabbed the tray to bring to the first nutrimen.

  “Why are you allowed outside of the fence, Calla, and not us?” a voice said from behind.

  Calla dropped the tray. When she turned around, April was standing in front of her.

  “Don’t be frightened,” April said, noticing Calla’s trembling hands.

  Before Calla could respond, Sarah rushed through the door.

  “Is everything okay? I heard a loud noise.” Sarah noticed the tray and plates, lying on the floor at Calla’s feet. And then she noticed April, who seemed unusually close.

  “Everything’s fine,” Calla said. “I’m just being clumsy as usual; you know me.”

  “Your face is flushed. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Sarah and April met eyes briefly. “I can take over your shift for the rest of the day if you’d like. I’m right down the hall, so it’s no problem.”

  “That’s nice of you to offer, Sarah, but I’m feeling fine, really. I guess I’d better get this mess cleaned up.” Calla bent down and began placing the plates on the tray.

  Sarah glanced at April and headed to the door. “Well just let me know if you need anything.”

  “I will, Sarah. Thanks.”

  When Sarah left, Calla continued to clean up the floor. With her hands still shaking, the plates rattled slightly on the tray as she carried it to the utility room. Part of her wanted to drop the tray and talk to April, but another part wanted to deny what she had heard. It wasn’t possible. Couldn’t happen. Forbidden. She started to doubt her sanity. The nutrimen couldn’t speak; they were created that way. But she was sure of what she heard. She grabbed a sponge and a bucket of water and walked back to the spill. April was gone. While crouching down, cleaning up the food, she turned her head slowly, searching for April. When she was nowhere to be found, she really began to question her sanity. Maybe a visit to the staff psychiatrist would help, she thought. She was feeling a little strange ever since the tall girl with long brown hair had left with the orderlies.

  She started to feel somewhat better, having convinced herself it was all in her mind. She finished cleaning up the mess and continued with her feeding duties. After the other nutrimen had been fed, she made up a plate for April. Instead of sliding the plate through the slot, she delivered it personally to April’s pen.

  April was sitting cross-legged on the center of her bunk when Calla walked through the door. She watched Calla’s every move, the way she placed the plate on the floor, the tight little fist she formed after letting go of the plate, and she also noticed that Calla was avoiding eye contact with her. She climbed off the bunk and stood in the center of the pen. “What are some of the things you like, Calla?”

  Calla placed her hands on the sides of her head and closed her eyes. A headache was forming behind her forehead, and she could hear the beat of her heart surging through her ears. “You can’t talk, April. It isn’t possible.” She opened her eyes and turned around.

  “Why do you deny what your senses are telling you?” April said.

  “Because you’re not capable of talking. You can’t. That’s just the way it is and always has been. The nutrimen can’t talk.”

  “Is that what we’re called? Nutrimen?” April held Calla’s hands. “Why won’t you answer my questions?”

  “Okay, I guess we’re doing this. Some things I like are walking on the beach at night and the feeling of the sand against my feet, listening to old novels in bed, and, oh yeah, cupcakes.” Calla pulled her hands away from April’s and held them on her hips. “And what about you, April? What do you like to do when you’re not in the kennel?”

  April said nothing. A closed smile formed on her face. Her eyes began to tear, but she didn’t know why. It was a feeling she never experienced.

  “I’m so sorry, April. For a moment I thought you were a real girl. I mean, a human.” Calla bit her lower lip and her eyes, too, began to tear. She grabbed April and hugged her tight. “For how long?” she asked, before releasing her.

  “Just a few months,” April said. “I wouldn’t have learned without your help.”

  “Can any of the others?”

  April shook her head. “No. I’m the only one.”

  Calla suddenly became very excited and wanted now more than ever to teach April about the outside world. Things would be much easier now that they could communicate, and she would look forward to coming to the kennels each day. But then she thought what would happen if anyone found out. “You have to promise me you won’t ever talk to anyone other than me.”

  “I’m not familiar with the word, promise.”

  Calla stared blankly at the wall, trying to figure a way to reword it. “You have to agree that you will never communicate with anyone but me.”

  April smiled. “I will agree. What is your favorite flavor of cupcake?”

  Calla laughed and grabbed April’s hand and led her to the bunk, where they sat side by side. “Vanilla’s my favorite, but sometimes I like chocolate when I’m feeling deviant. Do you know what chocolate is?”

  “Chocolate can be in the form of a liquid, paste, or a block and it is derived from the cacao tree. The seeds of the tree are roasted and ground and then fermented to develop the flavor. The earliest evidence of chocolate dates back to 1900 BC.”

  “Wow, I didn’t even know that. What else do you know?”

  “I know that the earth is one of nine planets in our solar system that revolves around the sun, and it is also the only one that has an atmosphere suitable to sustain life. If the human race continues to consume the earth’s edible resources as they have previously, it is predicted that the entire race will become extinct in two to three decades, and insects will become the dominant species.”

  “That’s kind of depressing. Where did you learn all of that, anyway?”

  April smiled, and then shrugged her shoulders.

  “You have a pretty voice,” Calla said. “I’m glad you can talk. It’d be a shame to keep it silenced.” Calla assumed April was part of some scientific experiment before she began working in the kennels. How else could she possibly have learned so much?

  “Why can’t I go outside of the fence, Calla?”

  Calla took a deep breath. “It’s really complicated, April. I don’t have the authority to tell you that. In fact, I’m not even supposed to be talking to you. We would both get into a lot of trouble if anyone ever found out, and that’s why you must never talk to anyone else.”

  “Will I ever be allowed outside? I too, would like to walk on the beach and feel the sand against my feet.”

  Calla couldn’t answer April’s question honestly. No was such a small word, but it carried enough power to destroy dreams, and she wouldn’t do that. If ever a lie was acceptable, it had to be now. She cradled April’s hand between hers. “You will someday, I promise.” A deep sadness hid behind her forced smile. How cruel it would be to never allow this girl to see all the beauty the world had to offer. What harm would come of it? She began to wonder if perhaps it was possible, if she did indeed tell April the truth. She jumped to her feet and pulled April up with her. Her voice was loud and filled with excitement. “What’s the first thing you would do if you got out? Go to the beach? Go downtown to see the tall buildings? Oh, they’re beautiful, Ap
ril.”

  April smiled as Calla grabbed her hands and pulled her around in a circle. The walls were passing too fast to focus on, and she began to feel dizzy. Such a feeling of joy came over her that a strange sound emerged from deep inside, a sound she never made before. It was laughter and it felt wonderful. Calla, too, began to laugh and the two danced faster and laughed louder.

  And then the kennel door opened.

  SARAH RUSHED INTO THE room and saw Calla and April laughing and spinning in a circle. After a few seconds of standing silently in awe with her mouth open, she quickly closed the door behind her. The girls stopped, and April lowered her head.

  “This is totally unacceptable, Calla,” Sarah whispered as loud as she could. “You know the rules.”

  Calla released April’s hands, and April scurried back to her pen like a mouse fleeing for safety.

  Sarah continued. “I really put my reputation on the line for you, Calla. If my father ever found out about this we’d both be relieved of our duties immediately.” She glanced toward April’s pen. “And was she laughing?”

  “I know, Sarah, and I’m sorry. But I need to talk to you. It’s important.” Calla led Sarah to the utility room and closed the door. “I don’t know how it happened, but I want to tell you something, and you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone else, especially your father.”

  “What’s going on, Calla?”

  “I can’t tell you. Not until you promise.”

  After a few moments of studying Calla’s face, Sarah finally gave in. “All right, I promise. Now what’s going on?”

  “Well, ever since I started taking care of the nutrimen I’ve always noticed how different April seemed.”

  “April? You named them?”

  “Not all of them. Just April. She’s really intelligent, Sarah. I don’t know how, but she knows how to speak.”

  “That’s impossible. The nutrimen can’t talk. How would they learn if nobody ever spoke to them?” Sarah waited for an answer from Calla, but the expression on her face revealed more than words could say. “Please tell me you didn’t speak to them, Calla. Do you have any idea what would become of you if this was ever revealed to the Power Elite?”