Anomalies

by Sadie Turner

  What he also couldn’t comprehend was that as she grew weaker, he felt stronger.

  Calix hated that feeling, as if somehow he was drawing strength from Sarayu’s pain. He tried to ignore this new primal need and simply succumb to the torture, but he could not. And with his intended partner’s every tremble, every shake, and every quiver, he felt more alive. It was as if he was breathing in her essence. He could smell her. And it wasn’t the usual scent of gardenia and oranges which Sarayu emitted … it was something else. An unseen static electricity which seemed to be charging him. He was somehow drawing out an invisible power from her and using it to charge himself. He tried to stop.

  But Sobek’s nonstop chatter made it worse. So much worse.

  As Calix and his partner were suspended, choked, and drowned, Sobek stood nearby narrating the experience. “I’ve created abuse to force you to dissociate from reality,” Sobek whispered in his ear. “Look, Sarayu’s already dissociating. It’s a natural response when people are faced with unbearable pain. People react two ways to the torture. It’s how we identify, at a very young age, who the Protectors are. So you have two options: You can dissociate or you can feed. What will you do, Son?”

  Calix tried to ignore his father, but as he felt himself getting stronger, he knew which path he would invariably take.

  I am thrilled.

  I didn’t realize how much I had missed Kai until he is grabbing my hand and pulling me up. But there is no time for a reunion as his eyes dart around to make sure that no one is watching us before he maneuvers me to walk to a specific area at the side of the fountain.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, not letting go of his hand.

  “I’ll explain everything once we get there.”

  “Where?” I demand, but he has already disappeared. I do a double take, realizing that he has slipped behind what appears to be the actual fountain, but is really a holo of a shooting fountain. I follow him through the mirage. Now we can see the tourists milling about, but they cannot see us.

  “This is amazing. How many people know about this?”

  “Only a handful. Most everyone down here was initially drugged to get here, so they wouldn’t know the coordinates of the actual location.”

  “Down here? Down where?” “I ask as Kai inches around the side of the fountain to the indented rock and pushes it open. It shifts to the side, allowing us to enter a wide tunnel. I look around. There are candles dripping on the dirt wall. Otherwise, there are no discernible landmarks. We could be anywhere in the world.

  Kai talks as he leads me deeper into the mouth of the tunnel. “The Underground. Taj built this place before the Great Technology War. She knew exactly what Sobek was planning. She’s a genius.”

  “She is, huh?” My words are tinged with jealousy. “Are you and this Taj … close?”

  “As close as she is with anyone,” Kai says, as he leads me down a complex web of passageways. I have no idea where we are going, just that we are going down. “Luckily, she had one of her operatives intercept me on my way home. I took the motorglide to camp because I only lived an hour away. Next thing I knew there were two cyclists speeding alongside me, trying to veer me off of the road. It was Taj’s extraction team. They liberated me just before I made it home.” Kai stops at a large metal door with timepieces all moving in a counterclockwise direction. He pushes a button and the wheels stop and change direction.

  The big doors open and Kai ushers me into the machine. “Going down.”

  “Wait. Why did they extract you?” I can’t keep up with his story, and I’ve lost all sense of direction following Kai through the mazes and into this elevator contraption. I’m starting to feel dizzy. We are suddenly plummeting downwards, and I hold onto Kai so I don’t fall. It is hard to hear him above the whirring and clicking of the elevator, which is making me nauseous.

  “Because the Underground finds you before you find the Underground. Taj’s people identified me as a revolutionary and recruited me before I could become one of Sobek’s Protectors. One of his Spy Corps. The best of the best. The captains of his Protectors. That’s what Sobek does with Anomalies. He trains us in order to turn us against our communities, our families, our friends. And it started at Monarch Camp. We were being prepped to be Sobek’s spies, nothing more. What kind of life is that?” Kai stops and looks at me. “I can’t tell you how worried I was about you. But Taj said you’d be safe.”

  “This Taj certainly knows a lot about me.”

  “You’d be surprised,” Kai smiles and gives me a quick hug. “I’ve really missed you, Keeva.”

  “You did?” I say shyly, new emotions continuing to bloom.

  “Absolutely.” His answer is more polite than emotional.

  When the elevator finally stops and the mechanical doors open, Kai gives me his arm and escorts me onto the ground floor of the enormous Underground City. “Welcome to the decentralized global network. Welcome to our self-sustaining community.

  “Welcome to the Labyrinth.”

  CALIX ENDURED HIS FATHER’S TORTURES for the entire week.

  Sobek did not see his methodology as evil. To him it was merely a way to educate his son. So that he knew, from the inside out, how a population could be manipulated.

  With each night, the programming got worse. It lasted longer. As Calix suffered the programmers’ abuses, his focus was threefold:

  Stay alive. Protect Sarayu. Kill his father.

  The only trouble was the hundreds of stupid butterflies that kept flying around him, distracting his focus.

  “Butterflies begin their lives as worms,” Sobek said as he stood beneath his spinning son. He made it a point to stand within earshot of Calix during his training, knowing that it would be nearly impossible for his son to tune him out. “After a period of cocooning, which you are now doing, they are reborn as beautiful butterflies.”

  Calix wished his father would shut up. He could see the energy draining from Sarayu as she went deeper and deeper into herself. Her subconscious was slowly releasing her life force. Letting go of the energy needed to keep her alive and sustain her. What he couldn’t understand was why he continued to grow stronger as she grew weaker.

  “I named Monarch Camp after the butterfly because it’s one of the few creatures capable of passing knowledge through its genetics onto its offspring.” Sobek held out his hand and a half dozen colorful butterflies rested on it. “One day, there will be no more need for Camp because this conditioning will have been through enough generations that it will be permanently etched in the citizens’ psyches. They will be born completely pliable and compliant.”

  “Stay strong, Sarayu,” Calix whispered as he tried to ignore his father’s lesson.

  “She feels lightheaded right now. Like she’s fluttering. Like a butterfly. Don’t worry, she won’t remember this. She’s dissociating from reality and going deep into a fantasy world in her head and will create a barrier of amnesia to protect herself. It’s what they all do. Except the rare few, like you, Son.”

  Calix looked in Sarayu’s eyes, but there was no one inside. Indeed, she had retreated deep inside her mind so that she could escape the pain. Calix wanted to scream at his father, to flail out and hit him; but his arms were pinned to his body as he and Sarayu continued to hang upside down, spinning.

  “You can’t help her, Son. Her alternate personality has been created. She will now be an obedient citizen who should not,” Sobek corrected himself, “who will not get out of line.”

  “Why are you doing this to her? I love her,” Calix screamed.

  “You love the idea of her. She is disposable. There are plenty more Sarayu’s out there. Prettier, smarter, better equipped to be your Queen.” Sobek smiled, “Your training is almost over, Son.” He began to walk away but stopped when Calix finally asked what Sobek was waiting to hear.

  “How am I able to tolerate this torture?”

  “Because you, my son, are not human.”

  I am overwhelmed.


  The first thing I see is an enormous airship.

  I’ve read about them in history books, but I have never seen one before and it is awe-inspiring. The enormous craft is directly above my head, floating above the Underground City. The dirigible’s metallic exterior shines off of the field of reverse solar panels high above. The experience is dizzying as I look up and try to gauge my whereabouts. The elevator must have dropped several miles underground, because not only is the airship floating high above us, there are several birdlike vehicles darting around it in the makeshift sky. I tilt my head back, dizzied by all the movement above me.

  I’m brought back to reality when I almost get run over by a cyclist.

  “Look out,” a man on a three-wheeled cycle whirls past, almost clipping me in his wake.

  I quickly jump back, realizing that I am standing in the middle of a small roadway where people are whizzing by on their wheelers. Safe on the curb, I watch as a pack of riders streams by, most of them on prewar cycles ranging from one to six wheels. They look so strange. Other than a few people dressed in the requisite community colors, everyone else is decked out in weird vintage styles. Women wear corsets and big skirts with tough-looking boots. Men wear waistcoats and hats. Many people wear goggles. It is as if I have stepped into a dream—someone else’s dream.

  “Kai, what’s going on? Who are these people?”

  “This is the Underground, Keeva. The place Inelia talked about.”

  “But … I didn’t think it was real.”

  “Oh, it’s very real. It’s where the entire resistance is based. You’re safe now.”

  With the cyclers now ahead of us, Kai guides me down the road that leads to the center of the Labyrinth. There are colorful tents everywhere, and everyone we pass smiles and welcomes me. But their salutations are cursory as they all seem intent on their tasks at hand. Everyone seems to have a purpose. Individuals with purpose. I shudder. Was it only a few weeks ago that I was questioning how docile everyone at camp had become? Here, everyone is so fired up, so passionate. I can feel their infectious energy.

  Suddenly, the blond girl appears, and she’s no longer wearing black. Now she is dressed like an old-fashioned princess. She wears a teal taffeta-and-lace dress, fuchsia boots that lace up to her knobby knees, and she carries a bright orange parasol. There is not one requisite color in her wardrobe. I’m stunned and feel weirdly inadequate in my solid colors. I’ve spent a lifetime relegated to the color blue which never bothered me until … until, suddenly I see the possibilities of so many colors together. Although it’s a shock to my system and hard for me to visually comprehend, I have to admit it is unbelievably beautiful.

  And, remembering how much Blue and I had laughed when we illegally painted our nails, I want to celebrate the uniqueness. I cannot understand why people should be defined by one color when there is a rainbow of possibilities.

  The little girl interrupts my thoughts as she wraps her arms around me. “I’m so glad you found us.”

  I’m taken aback. I’m not used to so much affection. Especially from a stranger.

  “I’m Zilli,” she says, hugging me even tighter. “I’m so glad you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting forever.”

  “Nice to meet you.” I can’t help but laugh. The little girl won’t stop hugging me.

  “You’re going to save humanity. They said you’d come.” Her little face is so earnest. Her big brown eyes are so innocent.

  “I think you have me confused with someone else,” I say gently, slowly prying her away from me.

  She just smiles and slips her hand in mine.

  “Zilli, are you supposed to be somewhere?” Kai asks.

  “No. I did my job. I watched her and brought her here. I deserve a rest.”

  “Whoa.” I look at Kai. “I was being watched?”

  “Taj will explain everything, soon,” Kai says.

  “Why don’t you explain everything to me now?” I demand.

  “Keeva. You haven’t been safe since you left Monarch Camp. Taj has kept an eye on you, the same way she’s kept an eye on all the Anomalies. She has agents in every community assigned to watch us until we can be liberated. Zilli was your agent.”

  “She’s, like, eight years old?” I say.

  “I’m older. I’m just small for my age,” Zilli says emphatically.

  I’m too tired to argue, so I walk between Kai and Zilli, taking in the surroundings. To our right is a large open area with several tables on which people are busy crafting objects, fashioning various devices out of both recognizable and strange materials. There is an entire armory: bows and arrows, body armor, and old-fashioned pistols. A blacksmith uses a fire machine to craft swords and rapiers and scimitars and sabers.

  “This is amazing,” I finally say and Zilli squeezes my hand. “Who are these weapons for?”

  “Everyone,” Zilli says, “look.” She opens her parasol, and it is decorated with three small shuriken, tiny throwing stars. “My aim is really good,” she boasts.

  “Do you have a weapon?” I confront Kai.

  He lifts up his shirt and pulls out a dagger. “We all have one.”

  “And I’m supposed to feel safe here?” I roll my eyes.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet. Look.” Kai points just to our left, where a garden sits on endless acres of ground.

  “Is this—” I can’t even finish my sentence. I didn’t think it was possible.

  “An underground garden? Yes,” Kai says proudly as we stop in front of a row of bright red tomatoes that look so ripe I can feel my mouth salivate.

  “Can I?”

  Kai looks at the nearby gardener who wears black boots, gray slacks, and a long burgundy overcoat. Attached to one of the pockets is a long chain holding a dangling timepiece. “Can she, Lachlan?”

  “Sure, it’s hers for the tasting.” The blondhaired man chivalrously tips his bowler hat and smiles. Other than his strange outfit, he looks a lot like my father, and it makes me homesick.

  “Do you know everyone here?”

  “Practically. Taj has made us a family. There are about two hundred of us.”

  “Is everyone an Anomaly?”

  “Some of us are. Some of us are simply committed to the revolution.”

  “She’s not even old enough to go to Monarch Camp yet.” I nod to Zilli, who is on her knees with Lachlan chasing a ladybug.

  “Zilli is special,” Kai says, leaving it at that. “There are some regular citizens here, too, ones who have discovered the truth. There are those who have been enlightened. We are the unofficial seventh community … only in our community no one has to wear the same color and be confined to the same job. We don’t have to be blindly committed to our intended partner and live the life Sobek picked for us. We can choose the life we want to lead. We have autonomy.”

  I join Zilli in the garden so Kai doesn’t see my face. He has no clue how much I feel his words have stabbed me. First I lost the blue-eyed boy, and now the person who I feel most connected to wants nothing to do with me? I can’t even begin to think about what is going to happen to me. I will be all alone. Annika and Rane will be living perfect lives with their intended partners and I will be an Anomaly forever.

  “Where’s Genesis?” I ask as I pluck a tomato off of the vine.

  “Here. We’re all here, except for Burton and Blue,” Kai says. “No one knows where Burton is, and Blue’s been hard to extract since she’s in the palace. Taj thinks she’s safe there, but I’d feel more comfortable if she were extracted.”

  I shrug. It’s not that I’m unhappy to see Genesis; he’s a great guy, but I’m immediately annoyed that Kai seems so worried about Blue. I pop the tomato into my mouth. My anger quickly melts away as the sticky wetness leaks down my cheek. It is sensational. I can taste the nuances in the fruit, its micronutrients, the sweetness of the seed, the texture of the ripe skin. I thought the steak I devoured earlier was good, but it has nothing on this tomato, which is absolutely delicious. One row ove
r are mounds of multicolored firm peppers, which a girl in a tall hat and wide leg trousers with a topcoat is delicately cutting from their stems. “How does this work? It hardly seems possible.”

  Kai smiles, “Everything is possible down here. We’re able to be self-sustaining. The food in this garden feeds the entire underground. Think about it. Above ground, even after the war, the ecosystem is being pounded day and night by pollution and resource depletion. Here, we have two hundred acres of fertile garden growing without soil.”

  “But how? I mean, don’t you need sun and water?”

  “Taj set up a system of recycling water.”

  “Seems like Taj can do everything,” I say, no longer bothering to swallow my jealousy. I resent this woman whom I’ve never met. Resent the fact that Kai has so quickly become a committed member of her world and has left mine.

  “She can,” Kai smiles, oblivious to my distress. “And Taj’s water is clean water. So we have a forever food source. Of course, we supplement it with foodstuffs from above land, but this stuff is uncontaminated … unlike everything above ground.”

  “Hold on.” I’m getting a little irritated at Kai’s blind obedience. “I’ve been eating food every day of my life. Fresh fish which I’ve caught with my own hands from the ocean, meat which is raised on local farms, organic vegetables grown locally in the Ocean Community. My food is not contaminated.” How dare he, and Taj, say that everything I’ve ever known is toxic.

  “You’re right, the food definitely isn’t contaminated. I’ll give the Global Governance that. They successfully figured out a way to get rid of the prewar pesticides, insecticides, and chemicals. The food definitely isn’t tainted.” Kai pauses.

  “So what are you talking about?” I demand. “What’s tainted?”

  “The water. Sobek’s contaminating it with chemicals which alter our personalities, making us docile and compliant so he can take over our race.”