Utopia

by L. J. Higgins

  A tear slid over my cheek, and I snuggled into my pillow as Fletcher arrived in the doorway, his dark hair slicked back and wet.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  I didn't know how to answer. I didn't know how I felt. Numb? Instead of answering, I gave him a half-hearted shrug. He asked Domino to slide the door closed, thanking her again before she left us in the dim light of the single bulb swinging from the ceiling.

  “Top to toe?” asked Fletcher.

  “I don't care. I still feel tired, but I'm not sure my brain will let me sleep,” I replied.

  He crawled into the bed and lay on his side, his brown eyes staring into mine. “I know what you mean. This is all pretty crazy.”

  “Every time I try to wrap my head around it all, a new revelation comes flying at me. Where am I going to go?”

  “You'll be fine. I'll be with you.”

  “I can't ask you to do that. I'm going to have to disappear, and I can't ask you to give up your amazing life for me.”

  “I know you wouldn't ask. But I'd do it for you.”

  “And give up your video games? Your delicious canapes and fancy parties?”

  “Yup, one-player games aren't nearly as fun as multiplayer games.”

  “Fletch.” I lowered my eyes at him.

  “Okay, I'm not sure either. Not because of all of those things but I keep thinking about my mum and dad. They'll already be worried sick about me, I'm not sure I could do it to them.”

  Fletcher was his mother's pride and joy. Her only child. She would be devastated if anything happened to him.

  “I know you want to help rescue Maya but these people are her family. They'll get her out, and I'm sure they'll look after me.”

  “What on Utopia would I do without you, Rora?” he asked.

  I laughed. “You'd have a lot more girls chasing you, for one, without me there to scare them off.”

  “Now, that sounds like fun.”

  “You would have to fight off Sasha on your own, though.”

  “Didn't think of that. And who'd kick my butt in races?”

  “I think you'll survive.”

  “I'm not so sure about that. We've been friends for so long.”

  “I know.”

  Neither of us wanted to say what was on our minds. We were going to miss each other like crazy. Who else would put up with me?

  “I'm feeling tired all of a sudden,” said Fletcher, tears sparkling in his eyes. “Night, Aurora.”

  “Night, Fletch.”

  “This is the part where I would usually say some kind of joke about sharing a bed with you. But I don't suppose you're in the mood.” He tilted his head and shot me a crooked grin.

  I raised my eyebrows at him.

  “Oh my Elite, I can't stop myself.”

  He was always able to put a smile on my face, even if it was only a small one.

  Fletcher reached his hand to mine and gave it a squeeze before rolling away from me onto his other side.

  I was lucky to have him as a friend, despite the fact he'd been keeping secrets from me. He'd risked his life as an Elite to protect his sister and me. But now we were going to have to part ways, and I had the feeling I wouldn't see him ever again.

  Chapter Six

  I must've fallen into a deep sleep, because I was surprised to be awakened by the sound of the sliding bookshelf. As I blinked my eyes open, Fletcher stared at me from the doorway dressed in long camo pants and a green singlet clinging tightly to his chest. The attire of the Utopian Guard.

  “Fletch,” I said, sitting up on the mattress stretching my neck from side to side.

  “Morning, Aurora. You need to get dressed. Everyone's here for the meeting.” He shot me a smile before sliding the door halfway and leaving me to get ready.

  I climbed from the bed and walked over to the tall metal cupboard in the corner of the room. Inside, I found camo-coloured cargo pants and a dark green singlet like Fletcher's. When I pulled the singlet over my head, it clung to my body like wet fabric. I'd never worn clothes so tight before. I'd much rather have worn Fletcher's oversized singlet again, but it was filthy from our run through the orchard, so I pulled a camo jacket from its hanger and slid it over the top.

  “So how are we going to get her out?” I heard Fletcher ask as I rounded the corner into the living room.

  He stood near the bookshelf room's doorway, and Domino and Lark stood on the other side of the living room. Three others occupied the couch. The first man had shaggy, mousey blonde hair, and his black rimmed glasses rested on the end of his little nose. Next to him sat a guy built bigger than Lark, his arms bulging at his sides and his hair cut into the familiar crew cut of the Utopian Guard. To his right sat a short, toned lady with bright red hair, much brighter than my own. Her blue eye makeup was a bright contrast against her fair skin. It was rare for average Utopians to have their hair dyed and wear makeup. Why they'd go to such lengths to find those things was beyond me. I'd heard people use to dye their hair and wear makeup on Earth to look 'pretty'. I thought she looked ridiculous.

  “Aurora, nice of you to join us. This is the rest of our team,” said Lark, everyone turning around to face me.

  “These are Alber, Braven and Vega. They make up the rest of the main group of the rebels.” Each of them gave me a nod. Alber's eyes creased in the corners as he grinned and waved.

  This was it? This was their rebel force?

  “As you all know, yesterday Maya was captured by Officer Banks' men and taken to the cells for questioning. She'll never give away our whereabouts, but we all know what he and his men are capable of. We've lost too many of our members to them. We can't lose Maya too,” advised Lark.

  “Well let's go get her,” argued Fletcher.

  I stepped forward to stand beside him.

  “It's not that simple. The last thing she needs is for any of us to be caught and put in the cell with her. Our main focus is to protect Aurora. We need a plan, one where we all get out alive,” replied Domino.

  “Why am I the main focus? Why would I be more important to you than Maya? Isn't she your friend?” I questioned, crossing my arms across my chest.

  Fletcher gave a curt nod beside me.

  “Apart from the fact that you're Benjamin's daughter and it's what he would've wanted us to do, I'm starting to think there's more to why they want you,” said Lark. “I'm sure they could've let you go if the only issue was you were an earthling who they didn't think belonged here. But they are hunting you so relentlessly, there has to be more to it. Maybe something to do with your father. We don't know what it is yet.”

  “So you're holding me until you decide if I'm valuable or not?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “No, we are going to keep you safe and out of the wrong hands,” replied Domino.

  “Okay, we get it. The girl's important. But we still need to get Maya back.” Vega rose from her chair, flipping her bright hair over her shoulder. Its vibrant colour put my red hair to shame. Next to her, I could pass for a brunette.

  “I have an idea, but I'm not sure you're going to like it,” Alber's small squeaky voice wasn't what I'd expected.

  “And what is your idea exactly?” Braven turned to face him. Alber shrunk into his chair a little.

  “Lark can get Braven, Domino and Vega into the prison. While you're sneaking in, myself and Domino will commandeer an airship. We'll grab Maya then we'll leave Utopia.” He gave a small proud smile as he finished but it faded straight away.

  “As in, leave the floating city?” I asked.

  “Precisely,” he answered.

  “What about our families? Our friends?” asked Fletcher.

  “It was only an idea. But if we want to stop the Elite, we need to do more than sit around collecting pointless data and hoping they don't capture, torture and kill us,” replied Alber in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “My dad wouldn't…” started Fletcher.

  “You have no idea what your father is capable of,” snapped V
ega.

  Fletcher's fists clenched and he narrowed his eyes at her, stepping forward. Braven stood between them, keeping them apart with his massive arms.

  “Despite what we may believe about the Elites” - Lark stood, attempting to calm the situation - “we need to proceed with the belief Mr. Saxby may not know what has been going on. He is Maya and Fletcher's father, and although Maya has washed her hands of him, Fletcher still has ties. Ties that may help us in the future.”

  Fletcher didn't let his guard down until Vega plonked herself back onto the couch. I wasn't sure if he'd understood Lark's words. He hadn't implied Mr. Saxby was innocent, he'd hoped he could change Fletcher's beliefs and he could use his relationship with his father to help the cause. But I decided to bite my tongue for the moment. Rescuing Maya was more important.

  “Where will we go if we flee Utopia? Would we go to one of the other floating cities? Eden's the closest, but the Abell family has close connections with the Saxby's. Maybe Elysium or Arcadia? I've never learned a lot about them…“ I began.

  “Earth,” Alber's word cut me off and took a moment to sink in. Earth. He wanted to go to Earth?

  “Umm, did you say Earth?” Fletcher was on the same page as me.

  Was this guy nuts?

  “Yes, I'm working on a theory it's not as uninhabitable as we've been led to believe,” he said.

  “And what makes you believe we could survive on Earth?” asked Vega.

  “There've been sightings. Those few people who are brave enough to glance over the edge have seen animal life forms. If an animal can survive the weather and climate down there, there's no reason we can't too. And there are rumors of survivors. Pockets of people who already live on Earth,” he said.

  “And if you're wrong?” asked Vega.

  “We will encounter some natural disaster that will kill us within moments of arriving. That is, if the extreme climate doesn't kill us first.” Alber's nonchalant tone sent chills racing down my spine.

  “Sounds like fun,” said Vega, rolling her eyes.

  Lark took a deep breath in and exhaled loudly. “I'm sorry, Alber, but going to Earth because you have a hunch is too risky. For now the plan will be to flee to Eden. We have rebels there who will be able to assist us until we can come up with a better plan.” He rubbed his chin with his thumb. “Braven, you and I will have to sit down and work out how to break into the cells.”

  Alber sank into the lounge, defeated. He'd believed Earth was the best escape plan. My heart went out to the guy, but I had to agree with Lark. I for one didn't want to take the risk. I was trying not to die, not finding other ways to be killed.

  “I can help,” suggested Fletcher.

  “You can help by going home and pretending you have no idea where Aurora is,” replied Lark.

  “No.” I said. Everyone looked at me, startled by my sudden outburst. “Fletch and I are a part of this too. It's Fletcher's sister we're rescuing. If you expect me to escape and leave the only life I've ever known, I get a say too.” I narrowed my eyes and placed my hands on my hips.

  Fletcher gave another sharp nod of agreement.

  “Well. It looks like we have two new rebel recruits, Lark,” Domino grinned at him.

  “Looks that way,” Lark replied.

  * * *

  “So, we're rebels now?” I asked Fletcher.

  The rest of the rebels had moved to the dining table and were deep in conversation trying to come up with a rescue and escape plan. I'd taken the opportunity to pull Fletcher into our new room. I needed to know what his thoughts were on the whole situation.

  “Apparently, thanks for asking by the way,” he replied.

  “What? You don't want to save your sister?”

  “Of course I do. It's just … You don't know what these people believe, Rora. Not about the end of the Earth, but about my dad.”

  So he had picked up on Lark's plan to use Fletcher's relationship with his father. Of course he had. Fletcher wasn't an idiot, he was one of the smartest kids at school.

  “I know you love your dad, Fletch, but he controls the Utopian Guard, and they are the ones who murdered my mum, want me dead and have incarcerated your sister.” I wanted to be on his side, but the evidence was building up against him.

  “So what? You spend one night with the rebels and you're on their side? We've been friends for eleven years. You know me better than you know them,” he argued.

  “Do I?”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He let out a loud sigh. “Is this about the whole secret sister?”

  “Of course it is. You kept secrets from me. About Maya and about my dad.”

  “I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Maya. I knew you'd want to meet her, and she'd bring up all of this stuff about the rebels, her conspiracy theories, and your dad. I don't want you to go through all the heartache again.”

  “You didn't think I deserved to know why my dad died. The truth?” My voice wobbled as I spoke.

  “I don't know if it is the truth. It's their theory. Nothing more. You're my best friend, I wouldn't be here risking my life if you weren't. But I'm not going to believe my dad is the horrible person they say he is. I can't.”

  There was a desperation in his voice. I couldn't imagine discovering my father had been a bad person. It would've broken my heart and taken away a small piece of who I thought I was.

  “I'm sorry. This is all happening so fast, and I guess I'm grabbing onto the first thing that makes the smallest amount of sense. I trust you. If you don't want to be a rebel, I won't be one either.”

  “Unfortunately, I think being a rebel is the only way to keep you safe. First, I want to rescue my sister. Then I want to get you somewhere safe. Then I want to find out the truth about the Elites and Earth once and for all.” He paused for a moment. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you about all of this, Rora.”

  “I know.”

  * * *

  It'd been three days since Fletcher and I had found ourselves at knife point at the top of the Undercity tunnel, and after days of being stuck in a house with three other people, two of whom I barely knew, Lark had called another meeting.

  We were all settling into the living room when a bell chimed through the house, and the whir of the projector screen rolling out caught our attention. Fletcher and I had sat next to each other on the rug while the others took their seats on the couches and wooden chairs from the dining table.

  “Good evening, citizens of Utopia. I apologise for this impromptu broadcast but I have some important news to impart.” Mr. Saxby's face showed on the screen. He sat in his office, bookshelves lining the wall behind him, at his large mahogany desk. He sat in the same place for every broadcast.

  I looked over to Fletcher to gauge his reaction, but he was staring blankly at the screen.

  “As you may have noticed, the Utopian Guard have been on high alert after discovering the body of Jennifer Adams in her home four nights ago. Since the grim discovery, the guard have been searching for her daughter Aurora Adams and have yet to locate her. If you see her, do not approach her, as she may be dangerous. You are to keep your distance and contact the Utopian Guard if you have any information of her whereabouts.” Mr. Saxby's face was replaced with a photo of my own.

  “Also of grave concern, and closer to home, is the disappearance of my son Fletcher Saxby, who went missing the same night Jennifer Adams was found deceased.” Mr. Saxby's eyes watered at the mention of his son. “His mother and I hope he is found safe and sound as soon as possible, and ask anyone to share any information they may have of his whereabouts. I am sorry to be coming to you this evening with such solemn news, but I am sure both Aurora and Fletcher will be found soon. The Utopian Guard will commence dwelling searches this evening in an effort to locate both Aurora and Fletcher, and I appreciate your assistance. Anyone who can give us information leading to discovery of either of them will earn themselves extra rations for the rest
of the year. Wishing you all a lovely Utopian evening. You're Elite leader, David Saxby.” He gave the screen a solemn glance before the broadcast ended with a photo of Fletcher and disappeared. The whirring of the projector sounded again as it rolled itself up, and I turned to look at Fletcher.

  Fletcher's face had turned ashen, and he stared with a blank expression at the now vacant wall. I reached out to touch his arm, unsure what to say or do. Mr. Saxby had implied I'd played a part in my mother's death. Did he believe the girl he'd known since she was born was capable of hurting someone? Did he not know his own guard were the culprits? Or was he helping them cover up what they'd done? I wanted to voice my thoughts, but Fletcher still stared in shock, and I didn't want to upset him any further.

  “Well, that was interesting,” said Vega, breaking the silence.

  “Sure was. They actually think Aurora would murder her own mother?” asked Domino, her mouth agape.

  “With a gun, none the less. How on Utopia would she get her hands on a weapon only select members of the Utopian Guard are allowed to possess?” asked Lark.

  “They didn't mention she was shot. They only said she was killed. Convenient, right?” added Braven.

  “I think you're all missing the point. Mr. Saxby is desperate to find his son. He's got the Utopian Guard searching everyone's homes, and it won't be long until he searches yours,” said Vega. “I told you, keeping an Elite's son here was a bad idea. Trouble, that's all he is.”

  Fletcher squared his jaw, and I shot her a glare for good measure.

  “Fletcher made his choice. And he will be an asset to the rebels. We will have to lay low for a few days while the search continues,” Lark assured her.

  “Or he can go home and say he was looking for his best friend?” Alber piped up from the corner of the room.

  “Sure, he can walk back into his old life. Hey dad, sorry I disappeared for a few days, but I'm back now.” Vega rolled her eyes.

  “I think it's a great idea,” said Fletcher, deciding to speak.

  My eyes widened. “Fletch, what are you doing?”

  “Alber's right. If I go home, it'll take the heat off you guys and you can rescue Maya sooner. She's been there for three days. Who on Utopia knows what's happening to her?”