The Institution: A Young Adult Dystopian Series (Sacrisvita Book 1)

by Dylan Steel

  He turned his attention back to the students. “What a fine group we have here! Who’s graduating soon?” Half of the older kids raised their hands. “Wonderful, wonderful. Well, you may call me Mr. Gerald. I will be around if you have any questions today.

  “For the older students, you can find your assignments at the front desk; just find the datasheet with your name on it. You’ve been paired with someone from one of your potential professions. Some residents will be in their rooms, others in the main lounge—I’m sure you can manage to navigate with the map on your datasheet.” He waved his hand towards a desk in the back of the room that had small metal cards piled on it in neat rows.

  “And as for you youngsters,” he paused and smiled at Sage, “you won’t have specific residents to speak with, so just interview whoever’s free in the lounge. I believe Ms. Pembergast will provide you with further instructions,” he said, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

  Ms. Pembergast nodded.

  “Alright,” Mr. Gerald said. “Enjoy getting to know some wonderful people. You’re dismissed.” He motioned the older students toward the back of the room and then ambled through the doorway behind it.

  Ms. Pembergast turned her attention to her troupe as the others rushed to the front of the room. “Ok, class. The purpose of today is really to inspire you towards great things. So in that vein, today’s assignment is simply to converse with those who have served Eprah well.

  “Ask them questions. Where did they serve; how long they were in their positions? Ask them what they might have done differently in their service. Ask what they would advise you to do now and upon graduation. Just pick their brains as much as you can, and try to speak to at least three different people.”

  She led them through the door that Mr. Gerald had disappeared through minutes earlier.

  “This is an opportunity most students your age don’t get. Don’t squander it,” she warned. She swept her arm across the new, large room they’d entered. It was filled with the men and women who had given years of service to Eprah. “Go on now.”

  The students stepped timidly into the room. Their older classmates had already settled into discussions with the majority of the crowd. Sage scanned the couches and tables for anyone available who looked like they could still make use of a mirror. She settled on a woman with thinning hair as bright as a sunset.

  “Can I sit with you?” Sage asked.

  “Why, yes, of course, dear,” the woman said kindly, gnarled hands patting the seat next to her as she leaned forward. “And what’s your name?”

  “Sage Indarra.” She took a seat and looked around uncomfortably. An old man with white tufts sticking out over his ears was staring at her. “What’s yours?”

  “Mellany, dear.” The smell of eggs wafted over to Sage as the woman leaned in even closer. “Did you have something you wanted to talk about?”

  “Um… yeah…” Sage tried to remember what Ms. Pembergast had told them to ask. It was hard to concentrate with all the students talking. And with that strange smell. “Um, I’m supposed to ask… what did you do for Eprah?”

  Mellany beamed. “Ah, yes. I was in the government, you see. Worked in the Office of City Beautification.”

  Sage thought for a moment. “But what did you do?” she asked.

  Mellany’s smile faded slightly. “I was a supervisor in later years. When I started, I was a Disposer.”

  “What’s a Disp—”

  “I was top of the class in my day,” she interrupted. “You should study everything they teach you. They won’t steer you wrong.”

  “Yes, ma’am. But—”

  “Yes, study hard. Very hard. And then you work hard in your service to Eprah, and if you’re lucky, you’ll be promoted.” She winked at her. “And then you get more Chances.”

  Sage nodded and started to open her mouth but was cut off again before she could form another question.

  “Yes, yes, and then once you’ve served Eprah faithfully, you get to come here and enjoy life without worrying about anyone stripping your Chances. But,” she said, poking Sage repeatedly in the knee, “you still get to strip Chances from young hooligans. Remember that, dear.”

  Mellany’s eyes lit up. “Do you want to hear a funny story?”

  Sage forced a smile as her new friend launched into a story about her and her fellow Disposers who played a trick on her old supervisor. They had him absolutely convinced that they had incinerated the wrong body. He had been so red in the face, and it cost them three Chances each, but it was worth it, she said. Besides, she was due to get another fifty Chances the next day because it was her birthday, so really, it wasn’t much of a bother.

  Mellany’s stories seemed to all run together in one giant sentence, and she didn’t seem to notice whether or not Sage was even listening. It wasn’t long before Sage could see that she wasn’t actually going to get to ask any questions.

  She scanned the room to see who she should talk to next, maybe someone with fewer stories. Marnie and Everett looked trapped by their new mentors, and Carnabel seemed to be getting along almost too well with hers. She couldn’t see her other classmates’ faces, but no one appeared wholly engaged in their own conversations.

  The man that had been staring at her earlier was now deeply engrossed in a conversation with Kai. She watched as the two of them got up and walked out the door, talking all the while. Their conversation seemed to be less of a monologue.

  “—and that’s how I got my promotion to supervisor. Hard work, yes, but that man was such a horrible person, it really was just a matter of time.”

  Mellany thought for a moment. “You know what, my dear Sage? I think I should show you my medals. The Quorum of Five bestowed them upon me for years of faithful service to Eprah. They’re in my room. Come on now.”

  Sage hesitated, unsure if she should leave the main lobby. “I’m not sure if Ms. Pembergast wants us—”

  “Her?” Mellany pointed at Ms. Pembergast and snorted. “Oh, she may be in charge of you, dear, but she’s not in charge of me.”

  She stood with a slow determination. “Come with me now, Sage. Give me your arm. There, that’s right.”

  Sage thought it best not to argue. Mellany guided Sage out of the lobby and turned down a series of hallways, leaning equal parts on her small charge and a metal cane and relaying more nuggets of wisdom as they walked.

  They arrived at a small room with scant furnishings. Mellany motioned to the wall above the couch.

  “Get that down for me, would you, dear?”

  Sage pulled down three small coins, each affixed to a delicate ribbon. She had to squint to make out the words.

  “This Badge Signifies the Holder to be the Honorable Supervisor of the Office of City Beautification,” Sage read.

  “Yes, yes!” cried Mellany, grasping at all three medals. “Oh, that was such an honor. I received this at the first People’s Ceremony after my promotion. Shook the Venerable Rufius’ hand!”

  She pulled Sage onto the couch with her and began chattering excitedly about the other two medals and what she had done to merit the great favor of the Quorum of Five. Her most recent medal was given as a tribute to reaching the Age of Worthiness, and the other medal—she had discovered and turned in two Lawless children.

  “Quite the stroke of luck, that one was. I never would have seen them if I hadn’t gone by Razz that day.”

  Sage cocked her head but didn’t even have a chance to open her mouth.

  “There you are!” Ms. Pembergast’s voice rang out, interrupting Mellany’s story.

  A mixture of relief and fear washed over Sage as she felt herself being yanked to her feet.

  “You were supposed to stay in the main lounge.” Ms. Pembergast narrowed her eyes at her.

  “Sorry,” Sage mumbled.

  “Now, see here, Miss Pennergash,” Mellany started.

  Ms. Pembergast stiffened. “It’s Ms. Pembergast,” she said coolly. She eyed Mellany’s bracelet cautiously
. “And I really must insist that my student accompany me back to the main lounge.”

  She didn’t give Mellany a chance to object. She pulled Sage into the hallway and leaned over to scold her as soon as they were out of sight.

  “Why did you leave the lounge?” It was more of an accusation than a question.

  “I—I wasn’t sure we couldn’t. And she said you weren’t the boss of her and that I should come anyways,” Sage tried to explain. “She made me!” she insisted.

  “I see.” Ms. Pembergast lifted an eyebrow. Her tone softened unexpectedly. “Sage, it’s important that you don’t leave my sight when we leave the grounds of the Institution.”

  Sage nodded.

  Ms. Pembergast stared at her for a moment and then motioned for her to follow. They began making their way back to the main lounge.

  As they continued down the hall, it became clear that they were approaching a heated argument in one of the other resident’s rooms.

  “You can’t do that!”

  “Of course, I can! Do you really think you can stop me?”

  “Don’t push your luck, old man. I’m not going to tell you again. You’d better keep your mouth shut.”

  Kai nearly knocked them over as he stormed out of the room.

  “Oh, uh, sorry,” he muttered. The man with white tufts over his ears was staring out at all of them, eyes wide. The man glanced from Kai to Sage and began to open his mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it when he noticed Ms. Pembergast’s shocked expression.

  “Crazy old man thinks he’s going to embarrass me in front of my girlfriend,” Kai laughed nervously, staring quite deliberately at the floor. The old man pursed his lips.

  “Come on,” Ms. Pembergast said, ignoring him as she steered Sage around Kai. “We need to get back to the others.”

  Sage glanced back at the old man once more as they walked away. He was staring at her intently. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw him moving his lips just as she walked out of sight.

  It didn’t take long for them to reach the main lounge. Kai walked up to Mr. Kurtz to ask for a different assignment, and Ms. Pembergast left Sage to find a new mentor.

  Sage lingered at the doorway for a moment, trying to spot someone a little less chatty. She was contemplating just joining Marnie when a strong hand clamped down on her arm and spun her around. The old man who had been arguing with Kai stood there, staring at her. She was too surprised to pull away.

  “Sage?” he asked.

  Her eyes grew wide. How did he know her name?

  His eyes darted around the room wildly. “I knew your parents,” he whispered.

  “What? How?” She barely managed to get the words out.

  “They were good people,” he said.

  “No,” Sage said, squirming uncomfortably. “They died. They lost all their Chances and died. That doesn’t happen to good people.”

  He stared at her in disbelief. “Of course it does.”

  Her eyes grew wide.

  He paused, eyes still searching the room in near-panic. “Don’t believe everything they tell you.”

  He lowered his voice even more and pulled her closer. “Your parents didn’t die because they lost Chances—they couldn’t have.”

  “What do you—”

  “You need to be careful. You need to—”

  “Sage!” Ms. Pembergast’s shrill cry rang out. The old man dropped his hand and shuffled back down the hallway.

  Sage stared after him for a moment before turning and rushing toward her instructor.

  “I warned you not to leave the main lounge,” Ms. Pembergast flared her nostrils.

  “I wasn’t, I swear!” Sage protested. “Kai was right—that man’s crazy! He grabbed me and started talking to me, and—and I didn’t want to leave, I promise!”

  Ms. Pembergast narrowed her eyes at Sage, clearly trying to decide whether or not to believe her.

  “Well, alright then,” she said. “You need to go find a new mentor now though.”

  Sage let out a sigh of relief and made a motion to leave.

  “—And Sage,” Ms. Pembergast added quickly, “I’m seriously concerned about your focus today. Don’t waste this opportunity.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She picked her way across the room to Marnie and a woman with smooth gray hair. “Is it ok if I join you?” she asked. They smiled and bobbed their heads, so she sank down into the couch beside them.

  They exchanged introductions and pleasantries, and the gray-haired woman continued her story about the time a dozen horses had mysteriously gotten loose inside the Cabinet of the People.

  Sage tried to pay attention, but she couldn’t put the old man’s words out of her mind. The Institution had taught her about the System of Worth. Her parents had to have lost all their Chances because they did something bad. That was the only possible explanation.

  But they didn’t seem like bad people.

  10. VANDALIZED

  The classroom door swung open. In the doorway stood a nervous-looking boy with wild hair who appeared to be the same age as Sage. He glanced first at the students and then at their instructor, wrinkling his brow in confusion.

  “Come in, come in, Rit. Don’t be shy!” Ms. Pembergast motioned toward the boy.

  He stepped cautiously into the room.

  “Go on and take a seat in the second row next to Marnie,” she continued, flicking her finger up and down as she pointed to an empty chair. “As you know, I’m Ms. Pembergast, and this is the rest of your class. We’re so glad you were finally able to join us.”

  Rit shuffled quickly into his seat. Sage turned her head slightly to shoot him a reassuring look, but his eyes were locked unwaveringly on the back of Everett’s shirt.

  “Alright, class, you’ll all have a chance to properly welcome Rit later. For now, I’d like to recap what you’ll be tested on next month and give each of you individual assignments for independent study based on your mid-year exam and recent class responses.”

  Ms. Pembergast sighed deeply. “I would highly recommend you all forgo your evening social hours in favor of studying.” She raised an eyebrow at the students in the back row.

  She paused for a moment and stared at the datasheet in front of her, flinging her finger across the screen.

  “Hmm… Finkel, let’s start with you. Come here, please.”

  Finkel hopped up, took two steps towards her, and froze.

  Headmaster Alexander had suddenly appeared in the doorway. He cleared his throat. Ms. Pembergast looked up from her notes, startled. She furrowed her brow.

  “Sit back down, Finkel. Start reading through your databooks in the next unit,” she ordered the class. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

  The students looked at each other curiously. Pippa raised an eyebrow at Sage, but she just shrugged.

  They watched as their instructor stepped into the hallway. The headmaster waggled his finger first at her and then at the class. He pounded his hand into his fist repeatedly as Ms. Pembergast stared at him with her jaw hanging open.

  Headmaster Alexander’s face was getting brighter and brighter as he whispered forcefully at their shocked instructor. The longer he spoke, the more her eyes narrowed.

  “What do you think’s going on?” Marnie leaned forward and whispered.

  “No idea,” Sage whispered back. “But they don’t look happy.”

  Ms. Pembergast huffed back into the room. The headmaster disappeared back into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him.

  “Class, stop reading your databooks now!” she commanded.

  Sage blinked. No one was reading databooks, but their instructor hadn’t seemed to notice.

  Silence covered the room as Ms. Pembergast stared down each of her students with a wild, angry look.

  “Who did it?” she demanded. Her eyes bulged as they darted from one student to the next.

  “Who did it!” she shrieked.

  Sage tried to s
top herself from breathing too loudly in the silence that followed.

  “Did what?” Rit looked terrified.

  Ms. Pembergast’s face contorted into a mix of annoyance and rage.

  “The Institution’s monitoring system was offline briefly last night for maintenance,” she paused and flared her nostrils. “And someone used that time to vandalize the school.”

  Finkel broke the silence. “Why do you think it was one of us?”

  She took another step forward and practically growled. “The rest of the students here have either been raised in the Institution or have passed their Transitional Class work. Only someone in this room would have done it. So I ask again—who did it?”

  Ms. Pembergast eyed each student in an attempt to force a confession. Sage dropped her eyes and could hear Everett squirming beside her as their instructor paced back and forth.

  “Will no one step forward?” Ms. Pembergast frowned and let the room drown in silence.

  “Very well then. If no one will confess, then the entire class will have to pay the price.” She made a motion toward the door. “Everyone, leave your things here and follow me.”

  The students stood up and slowly trailed behind Ms. Pembergast. As she led them through the halls to their unknown destination, Sage gaped at the walls. They were covered in writing that hadn’t been there the day before.

  Splotches of bright red paint, now dry, had dribbled down the edges of the hastily-scrawled lettering. Even the least. We all matter. Eprah’s leaders lie. The Institution can’t protect you.

  Sage looked at the others as they walked by the constant stream of graffiti. All the color had drained from Pippa’s face. Everett and Aura looked like they might be sick at any moment. And the newest boy, Rit, was woefully unsuccessful at hiding the fear in his eyes.

  Ms. Pembergast led them through the front door and into the yard and stopped abruptly. Sage accidentally bumped into Carnabel and grimaced. Carnabel turned around and narrowed her eyes at Sage, but even she knew better than to say anything while Ms. Pembergast was in such a severe mood.