by Lizzie Rose
‘I know her. She worked at the hospital. There was an article in the paper that said she’d gone missing.’
‘You do know that Nicholas owns the hospital, don’t you?’ Jamie asked gently. I looked up into his face. His eyes were wary but he held my gaze. Then he took his earpiece out and covered it with his hand. I mimicked him and buried my own earpiece in my fist.
‘There’s something very strange going on. I know you see it too.’
‘I don’t know what to think any more,’ I whispered.
‘Well, whatever you decide I’ll back you up. I’d follow you to the ends of the earth.’
‘Really?’
He let out a bellow of a laugh.
‘Not like that, I’m married with two kids!’
‘Oh, right.’
‘I just mean that I trust you.’
‘I appreciate that and you’re right, there is something very strange going on. Did you know any of those guards – the group that found Hugo?’
‘Nope, not one of them.’
‘Me neither. I want to go back and speak to him again but we’ll need to sort out this body first.’
‘Just a sec.’ He jogged over to a couple of the remaining guards and spoke quickly to them. ‘Ok, they’re going to sort it out. Come on, let’s head back.’
*
We quite literally bumped into Simeon as we walked through the security room door. He was moving so fast that he rebounded off Jamie and went flying backwards, ending up sprawled on the floor. In the blink of an eye he’d sprung back to his feet and pushed Jamie back against the wall, his hand around Jamie’s throat.
‘Simeon, stop!’ I screamed, watching as the colour of Jamie’s face turned from pink to purple in a matter of seconds. ‘Stop!’ Grabbing hold of the back of Simeon’s jacket I hauled him backwards, breaking the contact between the two men.
Some of the guards sprang to their feet but none of them moved towards us. Simeon leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.
‘What on earth’s going on?’ I fumed, still standing protectively in front of Jamie.
‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me,’ Simeon gasped. ‘It’s been such a tiring day. Please forgive me, Jamie.’
‘No harm done,’ Jamie replied politely.
‘We want to speak to Hugo – the boy from the quarry,’ I informed Simeon.
‘That’s not possible, I’m afraid. He’s gone to the hospital.’
‘When did this happen?’
He looked at his watch. ‘About five minutes ago. He was extremely distressed so I sent him off with one of the patrols. They were under strict instructions to take him straight to the emergency room.’
‘That was not your decision to make. Hugo was my responsibility.’
‘I’m sorry if I made a mistake.’ His eyes bored into mine. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing.’
‘Well I’ll just go and speak to him at the hospital.’ I turned to the door. Simeon cleared his throat nervously and shifted from foot to foot. ‘Actually, they called just a moment ago to say he’s been sedated and they’re letting him sleep it off. He’s under observation though, and they’ll let us know the minute there’s any change.’
‘Maybe I’ll go and sit by his bedside then,’ I replied petulantly, ‘and wait until he’s awake.’
‘Of course you have every right to do so, however I suggest there are better uses of your time. It’s been an eventful evening and I’m sure that you’re feeling exhausted, as am I. Perhaps some rest would do you good?’
‘What about the troops who are patrolling?’
‘Ava, relax. Everything’s under control.’
‘That’s not what Hugo said.’
Simeon shifted his weight and stood up straight, his voice taking on a bored tone. ‘Are you really going to take the word of an emotional adolescent boy over mine? Our guards are doing their best in very difficult circumstances. Has it occurred to you that this may have been a trap? That the boy was sent in to draw you out?’
‘He couldn’t have been. They wouldn’t do that.’
‘Wouldn’t they? Perhaps it would be safer if the guards kept an eye on you. After all, we’d hate for anything to happen.’
There wasn’t really any choice. To argue with him wouldn’t help my situation one bit. And of course he was right – I was tired.
‘Ok.’ I raised my hands in defeat. ‘I’m going back to my pod. Let me know if I’m needed though, won’t you?’
‘Of course.’ Simeon flashed his grin at me and gestured for me to leave the room first. ‘Sleep well.’
*
Despite feeling tired, my mind refused to stop racing. There were so many questions I wanted to ask Hugo. How had he got so far out of town on his own? Why wasn’t anyone looking for him and, if he had been sent in to find me, where were the others now? Pulling on one of my old beige outfits, I decided to go and find Jamie to see what he thought. Three steps out of my doorway I was met by a guard.
‘Can I help you with something, ma’am?’ he asked.
‘No thank you.’ I took a step forwards but he blocked me. ‘What’s the meaning of this?’
‘Our instructions are that no one is to leave their pod until morning. Not even you.’
‘Who gave you these instructions?’
‘They came from Simeon, ma’am.’
‘Well, I outrank Simeon and I want to get past. Move out of my way.’
‘Of course, ma’am. May we escort you to wherever it is you are going?’
‘No, you may not,’ I replied over my shoulder, stalking away into the darkness. He followed anyway. Jamie wasn’t in the control room – the guard on duty told me he had turned in for the night. I stormed back to my pod with my silent escort keeping pace, and slammed the door shut behind me.
*
About ten minutes later there was a frantic hammering at my door and someone came rushing into the bedroom. I barely had time to sit up in bed before a hand clamped over my mouth.
‘Shhhhh! It’s me.’
‘Jeez, Jamie!’
‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered, ‘but I had to talk to you. I’ll make it quick because they’re right outside the door.’
‘Who are?’
‘Guards. The other guards that is, not our lot.’
‘I saw one earlier on. Why are they outside my pod?’
‘I don’t know, but they’re everywhere, not just here. I told the ones outside that I’ve got an urgent update for you.’
‘And have you?’
‘Not an official one.’
‘I’m listening.’
‘Ok, well my wife’s brother lives in the town. He’s a nurse at the hospital. I had her check with him and he said no young boys have been brought in this evening.’
‘What?’
‘Shhhh!’
‘Sorry.’ I lowered my voice. ‘Are you serious? Why would they say he was there?’
‘They lied. That’s the only explanation.’
‘We need to speak to Simeon and find out who Hugo went with.’
‘He’s gone into town. Apparently more fighting broke out a little while ago.’
‘Why didn’t they come for me?’
‘They didn’t come for me either. I’m not sure whether that’s significant or not, but either way, we’re going to have to be very careful how we play this.’
‘What’s going on, Jamie?’
‘I don’t know, but whatever it is, I don’t like it.’
‘Me neither. Will you let me know if there are any further developments before morning?’
‘Sure. If they let us out again before morning, that is.’
*
My feeling of agitation did not diminish overnight. Again I was convinced that there were people talking outside but there was no sign of anyone. For once, I took the long route around the pods, just to get some fresh air. A door opened up ahead and Beth’s parents left their pod and walked swiftly towards the main building.
<
br /> I approached the middle-aged guard standing outside. ‘I’d like to speak to Beth alone. Please ensure we are not disturbed.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he replied, stepping to one side. I knocked briefly on the door and entered. The interior of the pod was identical to mine except that the back section had been divided into two bedrooms, one of which had its door firmly shut.
‘Beth?’
‘Go away!’
‘Beth, it’s me. Can I come in?’
For a moment I thought she was just going to ignore me but then there was a shuffling noise and the door opened. Beth peered out of the crack at me. I was shocked at how she looked. There were deep, dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale. She looked like she’d lost a fair bit of weight too. ‘Are you alone?’
‘Yes, it’s just me.’
The door opened wider and she stepped back, letting me through. She went over to the single bed and sat on it, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
‘How are you?’ I asked.
‘What do you care?’ Her voice was flat and emotionless.
‘Of course I care.’
‘Well, if you must know, I’m contemplating ending it all.’
‘Beth! Don’t even joke about a thing like that!’
‘Who says I’m joking?’
‘Why on earth would you say something like that?’
‘Well, let me see,’ she replied, sarcastically. ‘I’m being held here against my will and kept away from the man I love because you say that I’m not safe near him, despite the fact that before these stupid laws came in, we were all living perfectly happily alongside each other.’
‘It’s for your own good. You have to look at the bigger picture . . .’
‘What bigger picture?’ she interrupted. ‘You don’t have the right to choose what’s for my own good or not. It’s my choice how I live my life, not yours. If I choose to take the risk to be with Noah then it’s none of your damn business.’
‘But I just wanted to help. Paradise is the future, Beth.’
‘Oh, for crying out loud!’ She sprang to her feet, her fists clenched. ‘If you’re just going to stand there and spout the same rubbish they pipe into these horrible houses then you might as well leave. I’m not interested!’
‘Please tell me you’re not going to say you’re hearing voices?’
‘Not voices, no, they’re recorded messages. They play them late at night. I hear them every night because I can’t sleep. It works on some sort of sensor system – the minute you move they turn off. It’s the same stuff over and over again, every night.’
‘I’m sure that whatever it is they send through is just inspirational messages or words of wisdom. If they’re repeating our motto then that’s a good thing. That’s what we believe.’
‘And what makes you think that I have to believe it too?’ she hissed.
‘It’s for your safety – for the Standards, I mean. Surely you can see that segregating the Nexes and Duds makes sense?’
‘All it does is emphasize the differences. All you’ve done is cause panic.’
‘But this is just a temporary measure. The plan is that once we have control then we’ll go back to co-existing.’
‘Who’s plan?’
‘Well, our plan of course. I mean, Nicholas first told me about the changes in law and we came up with the plan together.’
‘And you just decided, like that,’ she snapped her fingers, ‘without bothering to ask anyone if they agreed, right? So, whose idea was it to use brute force to make sure people conform to your plan, whether they agree with it or not?’
My stomach clenched uncomfortably. ‘Had people just done what we asked, then no one would have been hurt.’
‘Well, let me tell you something,’ she hissed, her eyes narrowed, ‘I do not agree with your point of view and I do not want to live in a world where innocent people have their lives torn apart just because you decided that it’s the right thing to do. It’s just an excuse to take over, that’s all it is. And it seems you’ll use any means necessary to do so.’
‘No, you’re wrong! This was never about hurting people. It’s about protecting them.’
‘You could have fooled me.’
I opened my mouth to retaliate but at that moment the alarms sounded. Hesitating, I glanced out of the window and saw guards running past.
‘Just go.’ Her lip curled as she spoke. ‘I really don’t know who you are any more, Ava. I thought you were nice.’
‘I’m the same person. I haven’t changed.’
‘Yes you have. All those powers have gone to your head. You seriously need to wake up and look around you. What you’re doing isn’t right. I hope you realise that before it’s too late.’
Chapter Twenty Two
My heart in my mouth, I ran for the main building. Most people were in the dining room, their half-eaten meals left to go cold as they watched the activity around them. Spotting Simeon I sprinted across the room to him.
‘I need to speak to you.’
‘We’ve got a state of emergency right now, can it wait?’
‘What’s happened?’
‘There’s been an attempted break out at the prison. The governor has asked for assistance. The problem is that just before we got the call we had word that some of the guards have gone rogue in the town and are causing chaos.’
‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Hugo – the boy we found, he never made it to the hospital.’
He stopped short and stared at me, his eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline. ‘How do you know?’
‘Someone who works at the hospital told Jamie. I’m really worried about him, especially after the way he was treated by the guards.’
‘Yes, their behaviour was deplorable. Do you think that the ones who took him have kidnapped him?’
‘All I know is that he’s not at the hospital. This is all wrong, Simeon. I think we’ve made a mistake.’
He placed a hand on my arm and ducked his head down so that I could look him in the eye. ‘Don’t doubt yourself. Paradise is our future and you have made fantastic progress so far. Now, I’m on my way into town right now but we need someone to go to the prison. If that’s going to be too much for you under the circumstances then I can find someone else to assist.’
‘No, I’ll go,’ I replied quickly. ‘Jamie can drive me. You’ll let me know if you hear anything about Hugo though, won’t you?’
‘I give you my word.’ He nodded.
*
A matter of minutes later, Jamie and I were hurtling along the country lanes in one of the 4x4s. Looking out at the scenery around me I sighed deeply.
‘What’s wrong?’ Jamie looked at me in alarm.
‘Nothing. I was just thinking about the day I arrived at Paradise. Joe was driving and Linda sat in the front with him. It seems like a lifetime ago and yet it can only be a matter of months.’
‘I guess so.’
‘It’s like we live in our own little world there.’
‘Yeah, that’s why my wife kept in touch with her brother. They don’t encourage that, you see. If a family member or a friend leaves the commune, they tell us we should cut them off completely. But she couldn’t do it. She said that the commune was stifling and without that outside contact she’d go crazy.
‘What’s your wife’s name?’
‘She’s called Andrea and we have two children: Teddy who’s six and Bertie who’s four.’
‘What made you join Paradise?’
‘Well, we wanted to live in the safest place for our kids. We liked the idea of an enclosed community where they could run around and play to their hearts’ content without us having to worry about them all the time. And the concept of it being non-materialistic appealed too. We didn’t have to worry about keeping up with the Jones’s or having to buy the latest computer games or clothing labels for the boys.’
‘Don’t you feel the same about it now?’
‘No.’
‘Because of the troubles?’
‘No, it’s not that. It’s because it’s not real.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, the thing is that the world is a diverse place. There are people from all kinds of backgrounds, all muddling through together. Some of them are good and some aren’t. The problem with the commune is that it doesn’t teach the children how to deal with other people, it teaches them how to avoid them. And the problem with that is that people become so indoctrinated into the way our community works that they become scared of what’s on the outside. It’s not healthy.’
‘Is that why you haven’t left? Are you scared?’
‘No, we wanted to stay put until we knew what was happening on the outside and we had a definite place to move to. The thing is, our boys won’t be able to see their friends again once we go so we needed to be absolutely sure that the timing was right and we could support them through the changes. But we’ve been gearing up to going for some time now.’
‘I had no idea that things were that bad.’
‘Of course you didn’t. They don’t want you to see any of that – you’re a VIP. Everything has to be all shiny and happy for you.’ He laughed.
‘That’s not funny,’ I reprimanded. ‘It’s exactly what Joe said.’
‘Yeah, I heard what happened. He shouldn’t have attacked you the way he did. I think he was just desperate.’
‘He said I was a weapon.’
‘He did, huh? And what do you think of that?’
‘I don’t want to be. To be honest, I’m not sure how I got sucked into all of this. When I escaped from my stepfather’s house I was just desperate to get away. Brock and the others were kind to me and their way of life seemed to make sense, but then I came to Paradise and things were totally different but still made sense. And now people are getting hurt because of me.’
‘I think that when we’re at our lowest, the promise of happiness at the right time can make a huge amount of difference to the way we perceive a situation.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, you arrived at Paradise broken and hurting. Now I’m not sure what his motive is, but Nicholas has been very keen to get you on board. It could be totally innocent of course, but I just wonder . . .’ He lapsed into silence.