by Dylan Steel
His eyes widened. He turned around and snapped his fingers at another officer. “Derek! Get Beautification on the line. NOW.” He turned back to Sage and repeated his question. “What are their names?”
“Ethan and Isabelle.”
“Last name?”
“Indarra.”
“Ty,” Derek interrupted. “I’ve got Beautification. Line 4.”
Ty picked up his phone and mashed a couple buttons. “Hey, yeah. This is Ty at the Peace. Do you have a couple new bodies for the incinerator? A man and woman, mid-forties? The guy had a few shiners.” He paused. “What do you mean they were transferred? Who ordered that? Well, did you see who picked them up? What about where they were transferred to?” His face grew red. “What do you mean ‘above my clearance level’?” His nostrils flared. “Well, I’ve got this kid here who says those are her parents, and she’s wearing a counterfeit… Yeah. A throppin good one. The thing literally fell apart in my hands… Yeah, well, sorry doesn’t help me do my job or catch the Lawless. How ‘bout you call me when you can tell me something.” He slammed the phone down and sat seething for a minute before turning back to Sage.
She was frozen in her seat. Tears had turned into terror and confusion as she watched the officer. “Bodies?” she whispered.
“Yeah, kid. They didn’t make it.” The officer gritted his teeth. “At least you’ll fit in better now.” He continued gruffly as if she hadn’t just been dealt a life-changing blow. “Put your hand here.” He held out a thin metal tablet. Sage couldn’t move. She felt her wrist being jerked from her body. “Right here,” he said as he pressed her palm onto the screen. She was only vaguely aware that the screen lit up with a picture of her hand.
He pulled the tablet back and examined the screen for a moment. No Match Found. “Kid, you are something,” he muttered under his breath.
“What’s your name?” he asked, poised to commit an entry to the handprint.
“Sage.”
“Full name. Spell ‘em.”
“S-A-G-E Isabelle Indarra. I-S-A-B-E-L-L-E I-N-D-A-R-R-A.” An empty expression spread over her face while she answered robotically.
He grabbed her hand again and shoved the side of the tablet against the tip of her finger. She tried to pull away in pain, but her body wasn’t listening, and his grip was too strong. When he released her hand, she looked down and noticed a small drop of blood where her finger had touched the tablet. The officer tapped on the screen a few more times and set the tablet down.
“Wait here.” He must have sensed she wouldn’t fight or run anymore because he didn’t bother to follow up with a threat.
Sage watched as the officer walked to the end of the room, tilted out a drawer from the wall, and pulled out a new bracelet and syringe. When he returned, he picked up the tool he had used earlier and placed its prongs on either side of the new bracelet and pressed the button again. The bracelet popped open. He positioned it over the newly empty spot on her wrist and snapped it closed.
“There,” he said. “Now that’s what that’s supposed to look like. See?” He stretched out his arm and showed her an identical bracelet hiding under his sleeve. “Almost done.” He stood up and walked around behind Sage. Before she knew what was happening, she felt one hand steadying her shoulder and the other shoving the back of her head forward. “Now, don’t move, or this’ll really hurt,” he ordered.
She yelped as she felt a large needle enter the base of her neck. Her whole body tingled. As soon as he withdrew it, she bent forward and rubbed her neck.
“What was that for?”
“Your parents really didn’t do you any favors, kid. Most people don’t remember their injection.” He sat down and leaned back. “Someone will be here in a few minutes to pick you up and take you home.”
Sage felt a mixture of relief and fear. She couldn’t wait to leave this horrible place, but what would she do without her parents? How would she find her way back to the forest? How would she take care of herself? Would she have to live off of berries forever? Her life was very different from earlier that morning.
“Well, hello. You must be Sage.”
She jumped at the sickeningly sweet voice. She had been so consumed with her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed the woman who had walked up and stopped beside her. Tall and slender with stick-straight blonde hair, she stood with a posture that matched her crisply pressed gray suit.
The woman smiled and continued, “I’m Ms. Higgs. I’m here to take you home.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course, dear.” She held out a hand, and Sage noticed the glint from a bracelet peeking out under the edge of her sleeve.
Sage eyed her hand suspiciously before sliding out of her chair. “Ok.”
Ms. Higgs grabbed Sage’s hand firmly and turned to the officer. “Thank you so much for finding her and keeping her safe until I was able to get here. Your service is admirable,” she crooned. He nodded and waved dismissively, glad to be rid of his small nuisance. She turned back to Sage. “Alright, Miss Sage, let’s go home.” She strode purposefully out the door, through the lobby and past the main desk, through the revolving doors and back out onto the sidewalk while Sage stepped quickly to keep up.
When Ms. Higgs turned to the left and began walking toward the center of town, Sage stopped abruptly.
“Come on, dear, keep up,” Ms. Higgs snapped.
Sage wrested her hand free and shook her head violently. “This is the wrong way.”
“No, dear,” Ms. Higgs said, snatching her hand back up with a vice grip that seemed impossible for her thin frame. “This is the way to your new home. You’ll see.”
They pressed farther in to the center of town. Sage felt her stomach drop with each step away from where home really was. She noticed the buildings now, but they were just buildings. They no longer looked extravagant.
“It’s really quite lovely, isn’t it?” Ms. Higgs began. “This is a wonderful city. A wonderful place to call home. I think you’ll really like it if you give it a chance.”
Ms. Higgs rambled on about the architecture and the history and the sheer beauty of the city. Sage said nothing but continued walking briskly to keep up. Her hand was numb.
“Ah, here we are!” They rounded the corner, and Sage took in what she saw in front of her. An iron fence about three times her height and sprawling the width of the block surrounded a giant open yard and one quite large utilitarian building in the center with words etched in stone over the doors. On the left side of the yard, hundreds of younger children were running and playing chaotically, scrambling over and ducking under enormous wooden beams stacked everywhere as three bored adults stood watching nearby. Their squeals and shouts drowned out the silence coming from the other side of the yard. On the right, dozens of teenagers stood at least twenty rows deep, unmoving, listening to the instructions of the adult in front of them.
“Home sweet home!” Ms. Higgs pushed open the gate, pulling Sage in behind her. As soon as the gate was latched again, she released Sage’s hand. Sage stretched her fingers and massaged her hand, grateful for the tingling sensation she was now experiencing.
“Come on, now, Sage. Keep up.” She made her way briskly down the path straight to the doors in the center of the building. Sage trailed behind her. They pushed their way inside and immediately climbed a staircase, turned down a hallway, and entered a reception area.
“Sit down and don’t fidget. I’ll be right back.” Ms. Higgs pointed to a chair and ducked inside an office.
Sage quietly complied. Rows of older men and women hung in gilded frames around the room. She wondered who they were. One of the men in the portraits had sparse tufts of white hair over just his ears and deep-set wrinkles across his brow. His nose flared out into a wide, flat spear, and his teeth were crowded into a forced smile for the picture. She shuddered.
The door opened again, and Ms. Higgs motioned toward Sage. “Come in, come in, come in, come in.”
Forcing hersel
f to stand, Sage shuffled inside the office. She heard the door close behind her.
The man from the portrait was standing in front of her, staring right at her.
“I hear you’re our newest student, Sage,” he boomed, leaning closer. Sage wiped the spray from her cheek and took a step backwards.
“My name is Headmaster Alexander,” the man continued. “I’m sure you’ll love it here. We’re so glad to have you.” He bobbed his head as if he were in agreement with himself. “Ms. Higgs will show you to your room. You’ll have orientation tomorrow.” He motioned toward the door and walked back around his desk.
“Oh, and—” he added as he sat down, “welcome to the Institution.”
2. ORIENTATION
Sage blinked in the darkness. A faint humming began above her head as the room started to fill with a dim light. Sleep had eluded her. The previous day’s events hardly seemed possible, but she couldn’t deny that she was no longer in the forest.
Her cheeks were clammy, and her eyes were puffed up, but she was numb now. She faced too much uncertainty to put energy into being sad or worrying.
As the lights brightened, she rolled over and examined the small space she had been assigned. Crisp white tiles lined the floor and walls with only a drain in the center of the room interrupting the stoic pattern of the windowless cube. In the corner across from the bed, a nondescript toilet and sink crowded next to each other with some sort of pipe suspended from the ceiling beside them. The room had everything she needed and nothing she wanted.
“Good morning, Sage!” A woman’s voice rang out.
Confused, Sage looked around the room. She was alone. Who was talking to her?
“Time to get up, Sleepyhead!” The voice continued.
Without thinking, Sage stretched her legs over the side of the bed. She paused for a moment when she realized her feet weren’t touching the floor, and her eyes widened. She scrambled backwards and pressed herself against the wall before she remembered that she’d had to climb a small ladder to get into bed the night before.
Still unsure of where the voice was coming from, she eased herself down the ladder. Her feet hit the floor with a dull thud, and she glanced around the room looking for the voice.
“Excellent job, Sage! That was quite prompt!”
Sage whirled around. Under her bed stood a woman about five feet tall, hands clasped in front of her, with gray and brown strands of hair falling neatly around her shoulders. Slightly plump, she wore a fitted navy blazer over a white floor-length dress. She smiled warmly but seemed to look straight through Sage.
“Who are you?” Sage eyed the woman warily.
“I’m Ms. Pembergast. I’ll be your instructor for the next little while. I look forward to getting to know you, Sage.”
Sage raised an eyebrow and stepped to the side. Ms. Pembergast turned to face her but still seemed unwilling to make direct eye contact. Sage crossed the room and eyed her instructor as she continued facing her without taking any steps.
Ms. Pembergast let out a chuckle. “You’ve caught me already, I see. I’m not actually here, no. This is just a recorded projection of me. We’ll meet in person soon, though.”
Sage’s mouth dropped. She raised a finger and poked Ms. Pembergast’s arm, but instead of feeling the fabric from her blazer, she felt nothing but air as she watched the top of Ms. Pembergast’s arm disappear.
“Don’t worry,” Ms. Pembergast continued without any concern for her missing appendage, “this image of me is prepared to respond to most typical questions, so feel free to ask me anything.” She put her hand up as Sage opened her mouth. “But first, it’s time to get ready for the day!”
Sage started as her bed began to fold itself back against the wall.
“I’ll leave you in just a moment. This is your chance to shower and get dressed. Clothes are in that bin over there,” she motioned towards a tip-out tray in the wall beside the door. “And breakfast will be dropped off shortly. Don’t dawdle. I’ll be back soon!” And with that, Ms. Pembergast vanished.
Sage let out her breath. She glanced around the room one more time and went to the door. She tried to turn the handle, but it was stuck. No turning, no pulling, no opening. She was locked in.
She turned toward the bin and peeked at its contents. A plain black tank top and gray pants were folded neatly beneath a pair of plain black tennis shoes. She tugged the towel out from the bottom of the pile, and as she freed it, she heard a whooshing sound behind her.
The pipe on the ceiling was apparently a shower, and it had turned itself on automatically. She hurriedly stripped down and stood under it, letting the lukewarm water flow over her, trying to wash away the nightmare. When the water began to sputter, she took that as a warning that it would turn off just as suddenly as it turned on, so she hastily finished rinsing. And she was correct. The water turned off abruptly, and she grabbed the edge of the towel.
A small piece of paper with ragged edges fluttered wildly to the ground. She bent over to see it, dripping water and smudging the words so that they were hardly legible.
Play along, but trust no one.
Destroy this IMMEDIATELY.
Panic gripped her, and she clutched the note and sprinted the short distance to the toilet, dropping it in the bowl and mashing the lever with one swift motion. Her heart pounded as she watched the ambiguous warning disappear, and she hurried to get dressed.
As she tugged on her shoes, she heard Ms. Pembergast’s voice again.
“Excellent job, Sage! You’re already the model pupil.” Ms. Pembergast beamed at her. “Now, if you open the bin, you’ll see it’s time for breakfast. That’s right, dear.”
Sage opened the bin again and saw a platter with a couple piles of monochromatic slop topped with dull red and blue pellets.
“Ah, yes, oatmeal and eggs!” Ms. Pembergast sounded genuinely excited. “Such a generous and healthful breakfast. Perfect for fueling your day! You should be glad you’ve gotten such a wonderful meal.”
Sage took the fork and poked at what she thought was the eggs. They caved at the pressure while a gelatinous liquid slowly rushed to fill the space she had just cleared. She tipped the plate, and one of the red pellets tumbled into the thick liquid lake she had just created. She peered closer and realized the pellet looked familiar.
“Is that a… strawberry?” she asked, looking up at her companion.
“Yes, it is, Sage!” Ms. Pembergast smiled widely. “Can you believe it? Freshly rehydrated berries too? The generosity of Eprah astounds me even after all this time!”
“Who’s Eprah?”
Ms. Pembergast appeared shocked. “Who’s Eprah?” she repeated. “Why, Eprah’s here. It’s not a who, it’s a what, and you live here. In Eprah, the greatest country that ever existed, and the only country left in existence today.” She continued, “In fact, I think it would be good to thank Eprah for the provision of such a wonderful meal, don’t you?”
“I guess...” Sage trailed off and stared down at the gloopy mess in front of her. It didn’t really resemble food, let alone a meal, but her stomach suddenly reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before, so she forced herself to choke down a few bites.
“Sage!” Ms. Pembergast said sharply.
She looked up and swallowed a large sticky lump. Ms. Pembergast had an angry look on her face. “Yeah?”
“Didn’t you hear me say that it would be good to thank Eprah?”
Sage started to say something sarcastic but remembered the warning in the note and thought better of it. “Um… yeah?”
“So why haven’t you?” Ms. Pembergast asked sternly.
“Um… Thank you, Eprah?”
“That’s better.” Ms. Pembergast softened her tone. “You should say it with more conviction, of course, but lunch will be another opportunity. For now, hurry and finish your breakfast so we can get started on a lovely day of learning!”
Sage continued choking down the mess on her plate. The st
rawberries tasted nothing like those she’d eaten yesterday, and the blueberry pellets were hard enough that she decided just to swallow them rather than break a tooth trying to chew them. If she hadn’t been so hungry, the plate would have been left untouched.
She’d been so busy filling her rumbling belly that she didn’t notice Ms. Pembergast didn’t disappear during breakfast. She jumped when she heard her voice as soon as she set her fork down.
“My, my, you must have been famished!” Ms. Pembergast said. “Put your plate and your old clothes in the bin and then come stand over here by me, dear.”
Sage obeyed mechanically.
“Very good, Sage! You’re going to be my star pupil, I can tell.”
Under normal circumstances, Sage would have been delighted to receive such praise, but this situation was far from normal. Still, she was mindful of the warning, so she forced a smile. “Thank you.”
“And so polite, too. Oh, dear. I can tell you’re going to make it difficult for me not to play favorites,” Ms. Pembergast clucked. “Now then, we’re going to start off with a very important first lesson. Hand over your heart, Sage. Like this. Yes, good. Now, repeat after me:
“I pledge my allegiance to the great land of Eprah
and to her wise leaders.
I swear to highly regard and keep safe
the institutions of this land
no matter the personal cost
for the benefit of all.
My loyalty will abound forever,
and I will protect the ideals of Eprah
to my last breath.
So let it be.”
“So let it be,” Sage finished, unsure of what she had just committed herself to.
“Very good!” Ms. Pembergast could hardly contain her excitement. “I’m sure this is all so overwhelming for you right now, but don’t worry. It’ll all make sense soon! You’ll have this memorized in short order too, and you’ll even look forward to saying it every morning with me.”
Sage smiled, cringing inwardly. The pledge unsettled her, but she kept her expression even. She wanted nothing more than to run out of this room and go back to the forest and play with rocks under the bridge and see her parents. That clearly wasn’t going to happen.