Eden Box Set

by G. C. Julien

  The book then lists all the dangerous side effects. It’s usually something along the lines of upset stomach or heart palpitations, which isn’t all that bad. Especially compared to the words toxic, hallucinations, and delirium.

  I sigh. I’m about ready to give up on the whole thing because I don’t know enough about using herbs as medicine. The twins haven’t taught me much yet, which is frustrating. But then, I see another title at the bottom: Devil’s Breath.

  Some people believe Devil’s Breath, also known as scopolamine, to be the most dangerous drug in the world. Although evidence is limited, victims of Devil’s Breath are coming forward to describe their experiences.

  “I felt like a complete zombie. It’s like I lost all willpower and obeyed any order given to me,” says Matilda Lauren, a victim of the drug, which she states was blown directly in her face.

  I don’t even bother reading the rest because this is it… This is the answer—it has to be. Now it all makes perfect sense. If there’s one thing Eve would want to do to people, it would be to have them obey her. Right? I slam my book closed and slip it under my pillow. I’m about to get up and find Emily, when Nola slips into my room, looking like she usually does when she catches me rushing around: suspicious.

  She narrows her eyes and little wrinkles form at the corners. Mom used to look at me like that, too, only she didn’t have wrinkles. Mom always had such soft-looking skin. It must be where I get it from.

  “Whoa,” she says, sticking out a straight arm to block my path. “Where are you running off to?”

  I stand on my tiptoes and look over her shoulder. “N-nowhere.”

  But she crosses her arm over her belly and leans back into the bars of my room. She’s obviously not buying it. She knows me better than anyone… and sometimes better than I know myself.

  “Spit it out,” she says. “Is this about Zack?”

  “Zack?” What the heck is she talking about? “Who’s Zack?”

  “The boy,” Nola says. “A lot of girls are lining up to meet him.”

  I roll my eyes and laugh. I’m not trying to be rude, but the last thing anyone will find me doing is lining up to see a boy. I have better things to do, like figure out what the heck Eve is up to. And the last thing I want to do is be anywhere near a male. I push my tongue against the inside of my cheek, debating whether I should ask Nola about her adult meetings.

  “Well?” she asks, her eyes shining over her big doughy cheeks.

  She’s almost always smiling, even when she’s upset, so it’s hard to know what she’s thinking.

  If I say something, maybe Nola will tell Eve that I’m questioning her ways. I can’t risk it. Especially if Nola is drinking that stuff, too. Eve probably has her brainwashed like the rest of them.

  “Huh? No,” I say. “It’s not about Zack. I, um…” I scratch the back of my neck, trying to organize my thoughts. “I’m looking for Emily.”

  “Emily?” Nola asks. “That young girl?”

  “She’s fourteen, Nola,” I say, and my eyes go flat. I hate how adults talk about kids. It’s like she thinks that Emily doesn’t have a brain because she isn’t an adult. I’ve been treated that way my whole life, and I won’t let my friend be treated the same way.

  Nola shakes her thick, poufy-haired head and it looks like she’s about the try to apologize for the way she said girl. But then, Emily comes running up to my room and slaps two hands around my iron bars.

  Both sides of her lips are touching a bar on either side. “They’re coming back,” she says.

  “What, who?” I ask.

  “The women,” she says like I’m an idiot. “The ones who left Eden this morning. But I think something’s wrong because Freyda’s rushing over to Eve’s office right now.”

  I blink.

  “Helloooo?” she says, and she makes her jaw move from side to side while she says it. I think she’s trying to be funny, but I’m not in a laughing mood.

  “Let’s go check it out!” she says.

  I scurry past Nola and make a run for it down the corridor with Emily laughing behind me. But as I get to the main hall, I realize we’re not the only ones curious about what’s going on. A bunch of adults stands around in the main hall, waiting for Eve to come back with Freyda and open the front doors.

  I squeeze past a few thick dresses, apologizing every time I bump into someone, and I make my way to the front of the crowd. Everyone’s whispering so loud, it’s as though I’m in a beehive.

  I swing back around to make sure Emily followed me to the front, but as I’m turning, something hits me hard in the face and I fall flat on my butt.

  My forehead’s throbbing, and my vision’s a bit fuzzy, but I feel okay. I rub my head and glare up toward the dark figures standing in front of me. Their shape is outlined only by the light coming from the windows on the ceiling.

  Did I bump into someone?

  A long arm is extended down to me, so I grab it. It’s warm and soft.

  “Sorry about that,” he says with a crooked smile on his lips.

  He doesn’t let go of my arm even after he pulls me up. We stand there like we’re the only two people in the room. I stare into his dark chocolate eyes, then down at the strange fuzz over his thick lips. He has curly brown hair, and his eyelashes are so dark and long that it looks like he’s wearing makeup.

  “I said I’m sorry,” he repeats, and his smile doesn’t fade one bit.

  I’m a bit surprised by how white his teeth are. And they look even whiter, almost like milk, compared to his dark skin. Everyone else’s teeth are either yellow or rotting.

  “Oh,” I say, but I can’t find my words. I haven’t seen a boy in over five years. I almost forgot what they look like.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, and he brushes a warm thumb on my forehead.

  I look at his chin, where a big red blotchy spot is swelling quickly. I must’ve hit my head on his chin. “I-I’m okay,” I say. “What about you?”

  He rubs his jaw with his long fingers, and his smile gets even bigger like he’s about to laugh. “I’ll live.”

  Then the strangest thing happens. I’m standing still with his fingers still wrapped around my forearm, and for a split second, I forget everything I’ve ever been taught about men. I forget that I’ve been taught to hate them for being the worst possible thing to ever walk this Earth. I forget that they’re nothing but animals and worthless vermin.

  For a second, Eve’s opinions aren’t in my head.

  “I’m Zack,” he says, and he slides his grip down to my hand.

  “Lucinda,” I say, “but you can call me Lucy.”

  Lucy – Flashback

  “Mom, stop it!” I say, but she isn’t listening. She’s pulling on my wrist so hard that her knuckles are all white and my skin is burning. It feels like it’s been pinched over and over again.

  I try to pull away, but she’s holding me too tight.

  “How long will their food last?” she asks, but she isn’t talking to me. She’s talking to Bethany Lee, and they’re walking fast down a hallway.

  “A few months,” Bethany says. “Enough for about a hundred boys and girls. We’re giving priority to the children—”

  My mom turns away from me and sticks a shaky finger in Bethany’s face. “I’m doing this for my daughter and for her future. So help me God, if anything happens to her—”

  Bethany Lee lifts two hands like someone does when they don’t want any trouble. “I understand, Ophelia, I do. Trust me, she’ll be safe here.”

  Safe? Here? What are they talking about? Where’s my mom taking me?

  “Mom?”

  She starts walking fast again, and I almost trip.

  “Mom, please,” I say, but she’s ignoring me.

  I look up at her. Her face is all red and shiny, and her dark red hair is tied up into a messy bun that’s wiggling around at the top of her head. I can’t tell if she’s sweating or if she’s crying.

  “Mom?”

 
We reach a big door at the back of the basement hallway, and my mom wraps her arms tight around me. She holds me tighter than she’s ever held me before, kisses me hard on the head, then hugs me again. My forehead slides against her neck because her skin is so slimy.

  “I love you, Lucy. Don’t you forget that.”

  My throat starts to hurt and my eyes fill with tears. Why is she doing this? Why is she talking to me like she’s saying goodbye?

  “Mom, what’s going on?” My voice cracks.

  I’m so scared.

  The big door opens, and a lady in a long blue dress steps out. Kids are talking, crying, and screaming behind her.

  “I love you, baby,” my mom says again, and the lady grabs my hand out of my mom’s.

  I yank my hand away and throw myself at my mom, but Bethany steps in the way.

  “You’ll be safe here, Lucy,” she says.

  “I don’t want to be safe! I want my mom!” I’m crying so hard I’m barely making any sense.

  “Come on, sweetheart,” the lady says, and she pulls at my arm.

  I try to pull away, but she won’t let go this time.

  “No, please!”

  Bethany helps her drag me into the room, and all I can hear is my mom sobbing in the hallway. Why is she doing this? Why won’t she stay with me?

  “Please!”

  The kids around me are all backing away because I’m kicking and screaming.

  “Mom, please! I love you!”

  But she doesn’t come back for me, and the big door slams shut.

  CHAPTER 34 – EVE

  Eve – Present Day

  “Eve, you need to see this,” Freyda says.

  The skin on her face is pulled back, and her typical olive complexion now looks gray—zombielike, even. Something’s wrong. I lunge to my feet and follow her out of my office and down toward the main hall.

  The sound of my heels ticking against the hard floor is masked by what appears to be a crowd of women gathered in the hall. As I approach, several women eye me with curiosity, as if waiting to be debriefed on some important matter.

  What are they all waiting for?

  “Is it true?” an old woman asks, reaching for my arm.

  I look down at her and at her bony, dirt-stained hands around my white sleeve. I curl my lip up. “Is what true?”

  “That some women stepped outside of Eden’s walls,” someone else asks, slithering their way through the crowd and slipping out into the open.

  The voices get louder as women try to talk over one another. It’s unbelievable how fast word spreads in Eden. Someone must have overheard me speaking with Gretchin yesterday or seen them entering the main corridor this morning—the one leading to the front entrance. I gaze into the old woman’s gray eyes and smile. There’s no use lying to these women. They deserve to know the truth.

  “Yes,” I say, and the bickering starts up again.

  “Eve,” Freyda says impatiently, her eyes shifting from me to the main corridor.

  I raise a finger at her, ordering her to keep quiet for a moment, and extend two open hands on either side of my body, symbolizing openness and transparency.

  “Everyone, please.” My voice carries across the room and up the high walls. “There’s no need to be alarmed. I allowed four women to exit Eden’s walls in search of much-needed resources. I know you’re all highly intelligent women and you’re well aware that we can’t possibly survive inside of Eden’s walls forever.”

  A heavy silence fills the room, and everyone’s attention is centered on me.

  “I believe that to survive as a society, stepping outside of Eden’s walls will become crucial as we move forward. If any of you are in need of supplies that cannot be obtained inside these walls, I invite you to come see me”—I pause, gazing at everyone with tender care—“and I’ll do whatever I can to accommodate your needs.”

  The chattering starts up again, but this time, with much enthusiasm and excitement. Anytime someone’s asked me to step outside of the walls, I’ve denied their request. But circumstances are changing, and I know now that we can’t stay here.

  I’m not prepared to tell the women that yet. They’ve built a home for themselves here. But when the time is right, they’ll come to understand.

  “Eve,” Freyda repeats, and I nod briefly at her.

  She leads me to the main door and out toward the main gates.

  “You have to see this for yourself,” she says, walking me across the dry dirt and toward the watchtower.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask. She has me worried. Are my women hurt?

  But she shakes her head and reaches a firm hand on my shoulder. I can’t tell whether she’s trying to prepare me or comfort me. “Go up and look for yourself.”

  I rush my way up the ladder, my heart pounding and my hands becoming clammy. Every step feels like a dozen. Why won’t she simply tell me what’s on the other side? I take my last step and pull myself up against the concrete wall, the upper half of my body bent over the hot stone.

  I blink once, then twice, certain I’m hallucinating.

  Standing at the front of Eden’s gates are Gretchin and the three women she brought along with her, only one of them is lying unconscious in the muscular arms of a man. I slap a hand over my forehead and turn away, my mind racing in every direction imaginable.

  Why are they standing next to a man, and why is he holding one of my women? Is this blackmail? Did he hurt her? Should I have allowed Freyda to train women to fight? If only I’d…

  “Eve!” someone calls out from below.

  I bend over the wall again, and I see Gretchin’s messy orange hair. She’s waving a hand at me, trying to catch my attention.

  “Eve, please let us in!” she says.

  Let them in? With a man? How are they even asking this of me? I pull back out of their sight, and this time, gaze down the ladder at Freyda. Her hands rest on her thick-panted waist, and she’s shaking her head from side to side as if to say, “I have no idea what to think.”

  Jesus Christ, Gretchin. What have you done? How could you possibly betray us by bringing a man into our paradise?

  “Eve!”

  I move back toward the wall, my eyes fixated on the man.

  “Eve, this is Gabriel,” Gretchin shouts. “He saved our lives!”

  “He’s our angel!” the dark-skinned one says.

  I pinch my eyebrow and squeeze my eyes shut.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

  I’m fighting with myself when one of the women below lets out a high-pitched shriek. I nearly throw myself over to see what’s going on. The only plausible assumption is that the man’s gone feral, yet I see him collapse to one knee, dropping the girl in his arms. He clutches at his ribs and lets out a grunt, before swaying from side to side and losing consciousness, his body making a thump against the dirt underneath him.

  “Eve!” Gretchin calls out again. “He needs help!”

  I want to scream—I hate being cornered into making a life-threatening decision. If I don’t let him in, these women will forever blame me for killing their so-called hero.

  “He saved our lives, Eve!”

  I wrap my fingers around the wood of the ladder, bend over to look at Freyda, and impatiently slap the air. “Open the gates!”

  Eve – Flashback

  I glance back at Ophelia, who looks terrified out of her mind, her mouth hanging loose and her hands brushing her greasy hair out of her face every two seconds. I’ve asked her to stay behind—to stay with her daughter and go back to her mom’s place—but she keeps telling me this is something she needs to do to set an example for Lucy.

  I can’t believe it’s happening.

  I’m surrounded by women in heavy artillery gear from gas masks, to machine guns, to rocket launchers, and we’re moving through the dense crowd. The sound of helicopter blades and rapid gunfire fills the air around us, and in the distance, women are screaming at the top of their lungs. I can’t see what’s going on near the
White House because I’m still too far away, but I know that with every step I take, a life is being taken.

  Women of all different ages, sizes, and ethnicity open a path for us as we move, almost the way simpletons would for royalty. They’re smiling from ear to ear, but to my surprise, they aren’t yelling or cheering us on. Everyone is so calm—almost eerily so. It’s like they know that for our attack to succeed, they need to keep us invisible to the US military.

  My legs shake, but there’s no turning back now.

  Vrin, an ex-sergeant of the US military, turns to me for direction. How on Earth am I qualified to lead a group of armed Rebels? I barely know how to shoot a gun. But, ever since I went above Bethany’s head and divulged the information we received about the kill order, the women are treating me like their leader. It doesn’t make any sense to me, but all I can do is play along.

  I’m about to tell her to have her women charge at the barrier because this is where the most women are being killed, but something occurs to me.

  “Vrin?” I ask.

  She nods, her square jaw twitching and her sharp catlike eyes opened wide, almost as if prepared to kill herself if I were to command it.

  “Is there a way inside the White House without going through the front doors?” I ask.

  “Like a back door?” she asks.

  “More like an underground tunnel,” I say, rubbing my chin.

  She smirks at me, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Actually, there is.”

  CHAPTER 35 – GABRIEL

  Gabriel - Present Day

  The air around me is cool and damp, and it smells like mildew. Where am I?

  There’s an excruciating pain in my ribs, and I flinch when a cold hand touches the hot skin of my torso. I’m almost entirely naked, wearing nothing but old briefs.

  “Four broken ribs,” a gentle voice says.

  Something sparks beside me, and the smell of sulfur reaches my nostrils. The woman standing in front of me is holding a small match in between her fingers, and its flame is flicking from side to side. I can see her a bit with the flame’s glow. She looks like a witch just sitting there in the darkness. Her hair is long and black and white, and she’s wearing some weird, green mesh dress. Reaching beside her, she presses her match against the wick of a big wax candle. She then sticks her hand into something that looks like an old gym bag and pulls out two long leaves.