Revolution in the Underground

by Michaels, S. J.

  As Ember crawled onto the branch, Maggie scooted down to its distal portions. The branched bowed downward slightly as Ember joined her at the end. Each of them put an arm around each other, as was traditional in Erosa, to provide extra stabilization. Though a fall from this height would mean certain death, neither of them was afraid. Just overhead there was a small hole in the canopy—just large enough to catch the face of the rising sun.

  “So…” she began.

  “So…” he parroted.

  “Shall we talk about it?” she said with a smile.

  “What’s there to talk about?” Maggie frowned again. Ember always had a way of getting under her skin. She knew that his understated, apathetic responses were just his way of spoiling her bubbly excitement, yet she couldn’t help but get annoyed each and every time.

  “Come on, don’t do that!”

  “Do what?”

  “Act like it’s not a big deal. Come on, today’s your Evaluation!” Ember smiled lightly. Maggie instantly grinned from ear-to-ear in response. Though these were the sorts of games they played very often, it always made Maggie feel better when he broke. It reminded her that all was not miserable in Ember’s life—that although he might not be the happiest guy in Erosa, he at least had some inkling of contentedness. “They’re going to suggest you for Protégé.”

  “I know,” he whispered with the same sense of understated acceptance he knew would bother her.

  Protégé was the highest, most ambitious position an Erosan his age could be awarded. The first few years of the job consisted essentially of accelerated apprenticeships. The Protégé would be trained in everything from engineering to cooking and agriculture, resource management to administrative planning. After several years of acquiring knowledge in all the major trades, Protégés would resign themselves to theoretical work and assist with city planning, after which they were assigned the title “Arbiter of Truth.” Arbiters were generally bookish creatures that seldom left their studies except to advise others. In order to be a good Arbiter, one needed a powerful clarity of mind, a strong sense of inventiveness and intuition, and, most of all, a desire to learn. After a few decades, Arbiters usually develop along one of three paths: exploration, theoretical application, or shadowing. Ember and Maggie’s parents were both explorers. The most gifted of the Arbiters would become Magistrates. Their sole job was to observe and listen to the Council of Elders until one of them needed to be replaced. Ember was a particularly precocious child, and there was never really any doubt that he would one day become an Arbiter, the only question was whether he would follow his grandfather into the Council of Elders or go down his parent’s path.

  “Are you going to accept?” she asked seriously.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m just saying… It’s a very different, dare I say ‘difficult,’ lifestyle. Don’t you think you might be happier living a more… well… relaxed life?” A sparse fuzz of light danced around the parting clouds and onto Ember and Maggie’s faces. She put her hand up and slanted her fingers to protect her eyes. The topaz hue of the rising sun was rapidly giving way to bluer shades.

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ll become what they want me to. What is the will of an individual in the face of the well being of the many?” he asked semi-rhetorically.

  “Ember?!” she snapped.

  “What?” he said, alarmed.

  “Cut it out. We talked about this! It’s your life, do with it as you please.” She pulled her arm away from him and extended her two index fingers.

  “No, come on, don’t!” A huge smile swept across the face—the type of smile that comes naturally when one is about to be tickled against his or her will. “Not here!”

  “Smile more often and I won’t have to!” She inched her index fingers closer to his face. Ember took his arm off her to aid with his defense. He batted her fingers away playfully.

  “Come on, get out of here! Can’t you let me have my pity party in peace?” he exclaimed, trying really hard not to smile. “This is dangerous.”

  “I’m going to do it eventually, might as well get it over with!” She plunged her two fingers towards his mouth. He batted her left finger away with his right hand, but lost his balance in the process. His eyes opened wide and his mouth ceased to smile as his weight shifted unevenly. Maggie caught Ember by his shirt, and used her other hand to slowly help him re-balance. The two of them breathed heavily and looked at each other for a few seconds. She interpreted his eye contact as a dare and stuck out her index fingers again.

  “Really?” he said with a flattened mouth and squinting eyes, simultaneously conveying a sense of annoyance and acceptance.

  “Yep.”

  “Get it over with,” he said with a face of a person that has gone through such a trial many times before.

  She put her two fingers in the corner of his mouth and raised them to make a smile. In a silly, slow, mocking voice, presumably meant to imitate Ember’s own, she said, “My name’s Ember and I like to mope around. My life is sooooo difficult. Woe is me.” He stared at her with the same annoyed, but accepting eyes. “My sister is sooo nice. If only I can learn to live like her,” she continued mockingly.

  “Ok, cut it out,” he mumbled with her fingers still in his mouth. “You done?”

  “Yep!” she said, pulling her fingers from his mouth and wiping his saliva on his shirt. “You better get going.” He nodded. “Oh, by the way, Grandpa told me to warn you.”

  “Warn me about what?”

  “I don’t know, it was kind of cryptic. I guess, just be careful.”

  The two of them sat silently, appreciating the last few moments of the sunrise. Finally Ember said, “Thanks,” and climbed down the tree.

  ***

  Ember slowly climbed the tall wooden ladder to the Council’s Court—only once looking down to see how small the villagers appeared below. The Council’s Court was an impressive structure, built just above the canopy of the highest trees, and soaring above all other town buildings.

  The Court was so high that it required a special lift to accommodate the Elders. Utilizing an elaborate series of pulleys and rope, a passenger could maneuver his way to the top and then stabilize the platform with a mechanically connected lever. These particular pulleys were constructed in such a way that even the oldest of the elders could manage his own lift—though a few had taken to asking for assistance in recent years. Lifts were a major part of Erosan life, and nearly everyone had experience in operating them for water, furniture items and general transport. Out of respect, however, this particular lift was reserved exclusively for the Elders.

  The Court was large, flat, and minimalistic. Besides for the Elder’s seven chairs, there were three symmetrically situated birdbaths, and a small pool of water within a man-made cavity. Though the base of the platform was made of wood, and though the structure itself was supported by wooden beams, the top was layered with white rock tiles—one of the few places in Erosa with non-wood building materials.

  Ember arrived at the top and calmly walked over to the white-robed men and women. He looked momentarily at his grandfather, who donned a plain blue robe, and then sat down with his legs crossed, and his hands perched patiently on his knees.

  Maggie, of course, had secretly followed Ember and was carefully hiding behind the leaves of the tallest nearby tree. Though she could only barely see Ember and the Elders, she was close enough that she could hear everything. She hugged a tall thin branch, wedged her feet in a groove between two parting boughs, and carefully hid her face within the leaves. She had surveyed the area many times before, and only recently came to the conclusion that this was the best spot for observation. This was the same spot that she used during Rouge’s Evaluation a few days prior.

  All was quiet. The Council stared at Ember coldly. He did not flinch. At first Maggie thought the Council was taking a few moments to come up with questions, but after five minutes she knew that something was awry. She had secretly observed ma
ny Evaluations before but never did she see something like this.

  A pair of birds perched on Maggie’s branch and began chirping. Not wanting them to interfere with her hearing, she shooed them away. What are they doing? Maggie thought to herself? What type of test is this? If they think they can out-wait my brother, then they have another thing coming. They don’t know Ember. He’s far more stubborn than they are patient… Especially when he’s in one of these moods. The only question is if he is more stubborn and if they are more patient than I am curious.

  She wondered what was going through his mind. Was he frustrated or bored? Accepting or ready to burst? Wide awake or nearly sleeping? Maggie so loved and respected her brother. Although the Elders had clearly laid a trap for Ember, she was certain that he could maneuver his way to the solution. She wondered what type of subtext she was missing that Ember was perceiving. Maggie admired her brother so greatly that she more or less constantly believed that he was capable of comprehending subtleties so infinitely intricate and diminutive that she could hardly notice their existence. Whether or not this was true was beside the point. This was one of the moments when Maggie assumed there was something she was missing. She imagined all the subtle movements and tactical mind games that were buzzing around their heads—and of course she imagined her brother winning. Soon the static scene became a dramatic, tense battlefield in Maggie’s mind. She found herself rooting for Ember more and more with each passing second. Don’t give in! You can beat them! I believe in you!”

  She had worked herself up to imagining telepathic quarrels when the pair of birds returned. They squawked angrily and pecked at her fingers—evidently upset that she had infringed on their usual space. She put her index finger to her lips and whispered “shhh.” She gave the birds a look as if they should know better. Surprisingly this seemed to temporarily placate the birds. When, after a while, they continued to squawk, she wafted at them gently with her hands until they again flew away.

  Over time Ember’s still body became an inanimate object to Maggie. Ember, with his hands still fixed on his knees, appeared no more alive than the marble birdbaths. At least the trees move in the wind! she thought. The Elders sat in their chairs like pensive statues. The platform seemed empty. Dead. Nothing about the scene interested Maggie anymore. She had stopped fighting the birds, which had been returning periodically throughout the ordeal, and had accepted, even appreciated, their chirps as a way to fill the void. She un-did her fabric belt and fastened it around her waist and the branch to prevent from loosing her balance while she napped. She closed her eyes and felt the breeze against her skin.

  ***

  Maggie was half asleep when she heard someone speak. She was not sure who broke first but when she opened her eyes, it was an Elder woman who was speaking: “What is… What is the meaning of life?” Maggie bit her lip and covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

  Ember looked up to the corner of his eyes as if the answer might be lodged somewhere deep within his brain. Other than his eye movements he remained fixed. The silence cut through the air like a knife. Even the birds were quiet.

  Finally he rose to his feet and casually meandered to the edge of the platform. He turned his back to the Elders and scanned the dark green carpet before him. The tension was palpable. Maggie’s confidence in her brother did not waiver.

  “I was called here before you,” Ember began slowly and somewhat ceremoniously, still facing the forest, “to complete my Generalized Evaluation.” A few of the Elders seemed to nod. “Together we have sat. Together we have stared. Together we have thought. With the sun beating down our backs, we thought.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. She knew that Ember was preparing himself for a long and dramatic monologue. Though she trusted his judgment she feared that he might lose control. Maggie had seen Ember act this way many times before. Usually he followed a predictable path: he would start with an air of conceit, then summarize self-evident truths or give several anecdotes, and finish with an emotional appeal. Depending on her mood, Maggie found this side of Ember either fascinating or annoying. Sometimes he would culminate with powerful calls to action, but other times his passion would give way to anger or despair. During these moments, Maggie always felt that Ember was talking more to himself than anyone else.

  “At first,” he continued, with slow, rolling words, as he turned back to face the Elders, “I thought about you. I thought about the questions you might ask me. I thought about what point you were trying to make by being silent. And then, after the first hour, I stopped thinking about you. I was all alone, with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. I thought about who I am. How I got here. Why I was here. Where I wanted to go. And how I would get there.”

  Maggie cringed. She could tell by Ember’s sentence structure and increasing tempo of delivery that things weren’t going to end well.

  “And you know what?” he asked rhetorically and almost condescendingly as he walked closer to the Elders, “I thought about it.”

  “Thought about what, child?” one of the Elder’s interrupted for clarification.

  “Your question. I thought about your question. How could I not?” Ember laughed out loud. “I had so much time on my hands, how could I not think about why I am here? What the purpose was? What the meaning was? I considered the usual subjects: happiness and truth. I considered the possibility that there was no reason at all. That maybe things just are and life just is. I concluded that I simply don’t know.”

  The Elder that asked the question nodded satisfactorily but before she could ask another question, Ember continued. “And I realized that I would probably never know. The sad part is, before coming here today I actually thought… I actually believed, that somehow you could tell me… that somehow you would know… but now… I see that you are no more found than I am. You are lost just like I. You pretend… sitting there with your robes—”

  “That’s quite alright, child,” one of the Elders said.

  “You have answered the question my child, you do not need to continue” another added.

  “I’m not your child!” Ember retorted, seemingly enraged. Maggie cringed again. “My name is Ember Oaks and until today I thought I wanted to be just like you! It wasn’t until now, sitting here above all the trees, beneath the blue sky, that I realized that I don’t want to be here!” With these words came the audible gasp of at least four of the Elders. “This is not my paradise!!”

  “Ember!” Azure exclaimed as if to cut short his tirade.

  “It’s not my paradise!” he repeated.

  “Ember, stop!”

  “No, you stop! What are you hiding?! You might fool everyone else down there but you aren’t fooling me!”

  “Ember!”

  “What are you hiding?! Tell me! There are signs, I have seen them.”

  “Ember, stop it!”

  “What happened during the Troubles? What aren’t you telling us? Where is everyone else? What is outside Erosa! There is more to this planet. Where do the creatures come from? Where do the creatures go? Where does the river come from? Where does the river go?!” he paused for dramatic effect. “There are more like us out there. I know it! Where are they?” Water started to pool in his eyes.

  “Ember… The Troubles…”

  “The Troubles what?! You mention it, but you never really talk about it! Do you think I’ll forget?!” His face was red with rage.

  “Ember, let me talk. I’m telling you,” Azure explained calmly.

  “Then tell me!” he retorted, desperately trying to maintain the offensive.

  “The Troubles were far before our time—far before my grandfather’s time even. There was… There was a great conflict. Many people died. Many, many people died. Erosa was built as a relic of the past. It is, as far as we know, the only of its kind.”

  “You’re lying!” he shouted, on the verge of all out tears.

  “Ember? Look at us. Look at me. You said it yourself. We’re no different than you. Ther
e are no bad guys among us. No one here is out to deceive. We are as isolated as you are. Why can’t you be like the other kids? We have provided you an Eden.”

  Azure stood up and motioned to his grandson with his long slender fingers. He walked Ember to the edge of the platform and started whispering in his ears. In her excitement, Maggie sprang her back backwards, not realizing that her belt still fashioned her to the branch. She quickly and clumsily untied the belt, which promptly fell to the forest floor. She leaped from branch to branch, desperately searching for a way to access another, closer tree. After a few moments she finally found a branch close enough to the branches of an adjacent tree. She crawled to the end and carefully jumped onto the other tree. In this fashion she hopped from tree to tree until she eventually got close enough to hear Ember and Azure speak.

  “…there has been a disquietude in the forest… all is not… don’t know… start up…”

  “Why? …what… mean? …where… if…”

  “More than… eye… back… again…out there.”

  Maggie was frustrated. She leaned up against the tree’s hard bark, but wasn’t able to make out any more words. There was something about strained hearing that always gave her the worst headaches. Before she knew it, Ember was climbing down the ladder. She hung her head down in defeat and then followed him down to the bottom.

  Chapter 3: Revelation at the Landfill

  “How did it go?” Maggie asked, feigning ignorance, as Ember stepped down from the final rung of the ladder. Ember mumbled incoherently and looked down dejectedly as he turned to face his sister. Maggie caught sight of the tears he tried to conceal. The crystal droplets seemed to twinkle like incandescent gems. Her heart melted. She had seen Ember vulnerable before, but never did he look this defeated. “It’s okay,” she said, trying to provide solace, “no one has to hear about this.”