Born and Raised

by R A Doty

  Manolin stared up at her.

  “Can you speak, too?”

  A puzzled smile crossed Manolin’s face.

  Calla sat on the mattress. “You don’t have to hide it from me,” she said—not entirely sure he could speak. “I’m not the one you have to worry about.”

  Manolin sat up and scooted next to her. “What’s become of April?”

  Calla wasn’t surprised to hear his voice, she assumed he, too, would have taught himself with the tablet—as did April, but she was surprised to hear how beautiful the tone of it was. Not to deep, but yet not at all feminine—a boy on the brink of manhood. “She’s living with me, now,” she answered. “But that may change soon.”

  “Will she be safe?”

  Calla smiled with a slight shake of her head. “I wish I could answer that, Mano. I tried to keep her safe, but I may have actually put her in danger.” She glanced at the clock. “I have to go. Can you help me put the others back in their pens?”

  Manolin nodded and joined Calla in leading the other nutrimen back to their pens. When the last door was closed he stood just inside his pen, waiting for Calla to lock him in. “Thank you, Calla.”

  “For what?”

  “For being kind and showing us what’s out there. I know I’ll never experience it as April has, but at least I know now.”

  Calla gave him a hug. She tried to hold back her tears, but it was impossible. How could she have been so blind her entire life? How could we all have been so blind? She released him and caressed his face. Unable to speak, she nodded and quickly closed and locked the door.

  WITH HER SHIFT NOW over, Calla immediately went to Bill Weston’s office, but he wasn’t there. She searched for her tablet, but it was nowhere to be found. She then went to the main office to ask one of the women if they had seen Mr. Weston, and they said he left hours ago.

  “Are you okay?” the woman asked, noticing Calla’s demeanor.

  Calla leaned against the desk to balance herself.

  “You should sit down,” the woman said. “Would you like a glass of water?”

  Calla slowly shook her head, turning toward the woman. “No. I have to go.” She wavered slightly with the first few steps, and then rushed down the hall to the exit. She didn’t notice the ocean crashing to the beach as she ran down the sidewalk, or the gulls flying overhead, or the tall buildings of Ancada towering in the distance like giant robots looking down on her. All she noticed was the sound of her shoes slapping the concrete and the salty air pulled into her lungs, one deep breath after another. After methodically entering the code without paying much attention, the great door in the wall swung open and she was soon climbing the stairs. Her pace slowed when she noticed the door to her house was opened wide. When she went inside, the kitchen was brightly lit and the television was on. “Mother?” she yelled. She rushed down the hall to her bedroom. “April? Is anyone home?” She turned quickly at the sound of the entrance door back in the kitchen, closing. “Is that you, Mother?”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  A SLIGHT BREEZE WAFTED through the window of the Steinberg’s master bedroom, pushing the curtains ever so gently. A large crow cawed repeatedly from a branch just outside the window and quickly took to flight when Dan slammed the wooden screen door as he left the house on his way to the barn.

  Monica opened her eyes. She stared blankly around the room, wondering where she was. For a few glorious seconds she thought it was just another day. A day when she would go downstairs to find her son and husband sitting at the kitchen table. Josh would be drinking a glass of milk, and Tom would be sipping a cup of coffee; he always sipped his coffee to make it last longer. They would look at her when she entered the room, and they would all exchange a “good morning.” She would then walk over to her son and kiss him on the forehead.

  Her eyes filled with tears when the fantasy ended, and she realized it wasn’t just another day. Josh was gone. After wiping her eyes, she tried to sit-up, but a piercing pain stabbed her stomach, forcing her to shriek.

  Thomas Steinberg had just put his robe on after taking the first of three showers he took each day. After being freed from David Crullen, he didn’t feel as though he could get clean enough. He could still smell the stench of his own body on his arms, regardless of how many times he bathed. He rushed to the bedroom when he heard his wife shriek. “Are you okay?”

  Monica nodded, her head back down on the pillow. “I’m fine. How long was I sleeping?”

  “About a week, or so. How are you feeling?”

  “I feel fine except for this hole in my stomach.” She touched the bandage wrapped around her abdomen. “I wonder where that came from?”

  “I’m really sorry, dear. I thought you were one of those savages from the church.”

  “What church?”

  “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you when you’re feeling better.” Thomas sat on the bed, next to his wife. He brushed a few strands of her hair to the side of her forehead.”

  “I’m hungry,” Monica said.

  Thomas smiled. “I bet you are. I’ll tell Luke to make you some breakfast. I’m amazed at how well he can cook.”

  “I know. So was I.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Thomas stood and headed for the door.

  “Wait, Tom.”

  He walked back to the bed. “What is it?”

  Monica reached for her husband’s arm. “Help me sit up.” After sitting up with her back propped against the headboard, she continued. “Josh is alive. Have you met, Colton, yet?”

  “I have. He’s the one who saved your life.”

  “He said he saw, Josh.”

  “I know. He told me. He said he’d try to find him as soon as you got better.”

  “Can you please ask him if he can go now? I want my Joshie back as soon as possible.”

  Thomas nodded. “I’ll go ask him.”

  BY MID-MORNING, COLTON had packed enough supplies in his rucksack to last about a week—mostly food. It wasn’t really necessary to bring so much to eat, but why shouldn’t he if there’s plenty to go around. It definitely beat hunting for rats. Luke, Monica, Thomas, and Janette sat at the kitchen table as he buckled the sack closed.

  “I can’t thank you enough for doing this, Colton,” Monica said. “I can’t wait to see my Josh again.”

  Colton nodded with a smile. “You should still be in bed ma’am. You need all the rest you can get.”

  “I know, but I’m so excited to get him back.”

  “Yes,” Thomas agreed. “Thank you, Colton. When you return we’ll go over my lab notes in detail. In the meantime I’ll try to contact Ancada again.”

  Colton turned to him. “Please don’t do that. That place isn’t what you think.”

  “I know exactly what it is,” Thomas said. “They sent me pictures and told me everything about their city, in detail.”

  Colton lowered the rucksack to the floor. “You don’t have any idea what that place is like. You see pictures of a beautiful city that manages to thrive while the rest of the world suffers, but just remember—pictures can be deceiving.”

  “What could possibly be deceiving about paradise?” Thomas argued. “They have modern amenities, comfortable dwellings, entertainment, technology.” Thomas smiled excitedly. “What more can anyone ask for?”

  Colton breathed deep and pulled out a chair. He sat facing Thomas. “I once lived there, in the beginning. Ancada, and many other cities just like it all around the globe, was the realization of the greatest accomplishment mankind had to offer. The greatest minds on earth designed it and the wealthiest people paid for it. It was to be the savior of the human race.”

  “So why’d ya leave?” Luke asked.

  Everyone studied Colton, waiting for his answer. None of them could possibly comprehend why anyone would leave such a place.

  “I was a geneticist, and we were working on creating what they said would be the perfect human being. We discovered how to isolate genes that were prone
to disease, and the ones that weren’t we were able to strengthen to the point where they had become indestructible.” A slight smile formed in the corner of Colton’s mouth as he remembered how exciting it was embarking on undiscovered territories of science. He raised his head and glanced at each person at the table as he continued. “We actually managed to eliminate the threat of all disease on the human body.”

  “And how could that possibly be a bad thing?” Thomas said. “To become an invulnerable human in a perfect world.”

  “That isn’t a bad thing,” Colton said. “But that wasn’t what the leaders wanted, or The Power Elite, as they were referred to. They wanted to use this discovery for other reasons that fit a different agenda.” Colton turned specifically to Thomas. “You see, Thomas, they weren’t looking for a stronger race. That in and of itself would have been fine, but it wouldn’t have solved the world’s hunger problems. In fact, it would have added to them. The average life expectancy of humans would have naturally increased, and this would have just added to the shortage of food the world was facing. What the Power Elite wanted was a perfect source of nutrition that was free of disease and biological defects.” The words had been implanted so deep into Colton’s memory, as well as every citizen of Ancada, that they just rolled off his tongue as if he were listening to one of the many speeches by the Power Elite, themselves.

  “I don’t understand,” Monica said, confusion covering her face. “Where does the food part come in? Were they going to use it on cows and chickens instead of humans?”

  Colton shook his head. “No. And that’s why I left.”

  Monica smiled, partly because what she thought Colton was suggesting sounded ridiculous, and partly because it terrified her. “So if I’m not mistaken, you’re saying that they used the technology that you and your colleagues discovered to create a disease-free species of human so they could eat them?”

  “Precisely.”

  Monica held her hand to her mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” She glared at her husband. She had always trusted him to decide what was best for her and Josh, and now she realized she shouldn’t have followed so blindly, having lost her son and come so close to joining this frightening society.

  “I didn’t know,” Thomas said, his arms outstretched.

  Monica turned away.

  Janette avoided the conversation, the taste of human flesh still fresh on her tongue. But what else could a small girl have done when she first joined the church. Starve to death? At first she didn’t realize what meat the adults were feeding her, and when it became apparent, she had already grown accustomed to the taste. Eat or be eaten, she remembered thinking, convincing herself there was nothing wrong with it.

  Colton stood and pushed in his chair. “So do me a favor, Thomas. Do not contact Ancada for any reason whatsoever.” He grabbed his rucksack and flung it over his shoulder.

  “Be safe,” Janette said, as Colton headed toward the door.

  “I will, thanks.”

  Just before Colton opened the door, Dan rushed into the kitchen. “Wait, Cole! I’m coming with you. I just wanted to put together some stuff to take with us.”

  “What’s in the backpack?” Luke asked his brother.

  “Just a few things.”

  “What kinda things?”

  Dan shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. A machete, a frying pan, binoculars, some salt and pepper, a fire starter, a pot for boiling water, some hunting magazines, a little food.” Dan thought for a second. “Oh yeah. And a magnifying glass.”

  “What are ya gonna do with a magnifying glass?” Luke said with a laugh.

  “Use it to start a fire if we lose the fire starter.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to just bring some wooden matches, little brother?”

  “That’s the problem with you, Luke. You’re too dependent on society.” Dan walked toward the door. “C’mon, Cole. Let’s go.”

  “Dan,” Janette yelled, causing him to stop. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him, her head resting on his chest. “Be careful.”

  Dan’s entire body trembled with delight. His mother was the only woman that had ever hugged him affectionately. He cautiously hugged her back, as if his hands would burn if he touched her. When Janette pulled away he smiled at her. “I will.” He headed backward to the door, nearly tripping over his feet.

  Janette stood in the doorway as Dan and Colton walked toward the fence. She waved when Dan glanced back, as if she would never see him again.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  AFTER HEARING THE DOOR close, Calla rushed back to the kitchen expecting to see her mother. Deep down inside she knew that probably wasn’t going to be the case, but she had to have hope. What else was there now? She stopped when she entered the dining room.

  “Hello, Calla,” Bill Weston said. Behind him stood two policemen standing perfectly erect with their hands crossed in front of their waist.

  Calla stood silently. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the men’s red uniforms. Crime was virtually nonexistent in Ancada, so seeing a policeman was always somewhat of a shock. Her thoughts immediately went to the day she first wrote about April in her journal. It was such a pleasant day. The grass was so green and the sky so blue. Wonderful scents filled the air: the ocean, the grass, some nearby flowers. And then there was this young female nutrimen staring at her through the fence—so naïve and innocent. She asked herself the same question she asked so many times since that day. Was it wrong?

  “I guess it would be pointless to ask why you did it,” Weston said. “That question has been answered, in detail, in your journal.” He walked toward her. “But I would like to know how you did it. You’ve only been in the kennels for a very short time, and it’s remarkable how well the female speaks already. Or should I call her, April, as you so boldly took it upon yourself to name her?”

  “Where are they?” Calla said.

  Weston circled her. “You know, The Power Elite has carefully thought out and implemented those rules for a reason.” He stopped in front of her. “What would become of us if the nutrimen banned together and decided they no longer wanted to be nutrimen? What if they collectively decided they no longer wanted to exist inside their caged world and they would rather live amongst us? You’re a bright girl, Calla. Do you really think that would be possible?” He motioned toward the couch. “Sit.”

  “No thank you.”

  Weston nodded and the policemen walked forward, stopping beside Calla. “I insist.”

  Calla sat, and Weston sat beside her.

  “If I may put it bluntly,” Weston continued, “what you’ve done was rather cruel. To enlighten this poor creature to a world she will never be able to live in is rather sad, don’t you think?”

  Calla sat motionless, gazing at the floor, her hands clenched so hard her knuckles turned white.

  “And what is totally incomprehensible to me is the fact that Don and Jillian went along with it.”

  Calla quickly raised her head. “My parents didn’t know anything about it! I swear!”

  “How could they not know? Even I noticed the tracer chip embedded in her wrist, and I wasn’t living with her as your parents were.”

  “They didn’t live with her. I just brought her home yesterday. I told them she was a friend of mine that needed a place to stay. I swear, Mr. Weston, they didn’t know anything about it!”

  Weston stood and nodded to the policemen. They raised Calla off the couch by her arms. “That may be so,” said Weston, “but the fact remains that they, and you, communicated with a nutrimen, and that’s an indisputable offense.”

  “But they didn’t know she was a nutrimen.”

  The men led Calla toward the front door, with Weston following behind.

  Calla glanced back at him. “What will become of April?”

  “I have great plans for April. She will be the first of an entirely new species of nutrimen; a species that will ultimately contribute to our society in a way that no
others have done before.” Weston stood in the entrance doorway off the living room as the two men led Calla toward the street, where a red patrol car was waiting. He locked eyes with her as the car drove away, all the while considering a question that popped into his head. How did she remove the female nutrimen from the database? This question he whispered to himself again and again. She knew nothing about the mainframe and didn’t have access to the main office. He closed the door and headed toward his house. A warm breeze rustled his hair, and he took a deep breath, completely satisfied with the day’s progress. The Power Elite finally made the right decision by replacing Don with him. He wouldn’t let them down, as Donald Wilkinson had, and his first duty was to restore Ancada’s diminishing food supply by whatever means necessary. He stared across the ocean at the mainland.

  BILL WESTON SAT AT the dining room table completely comfortable with his newly arranged position in life. It was all he had ever hoped for, and he would no longer have to answer to anyone except the Power Elite themselves. What greater honor could possibly have been bestowed upon a man? He was now the most powerful citizen in Ancada, and he would use his new position to lead the human race in a direction that would most certainly become historic. He was quite proud of himself, to say the least, and smiled inconspicuously while his wife and daughter enjoyed their dinner. He didn’t tell them the good news yet, partly because he didn’t have an opportunity up until now, and partly because he didn’t feel the need for their approval or recognition. They were beneath him, as was every citizen in Ancada.