by Ruth Silver
We only knew what was in the Gravelands from the stories we'd learned in school and the slideshow projection of rotted corpses in the desert. Every year, they showed us new footage to remind us that we were better off inside Genesis and taken care of, protected. Those few that roamed the Gravelands were outlaws, horrible men who would rape and pillage anyone who crossed their paths. You were lucky to die of dehydration or starvation first.
I knew it was impossible to see beyond the wall. Only Monospaces were granted access with permission to return. I had no chance of being assigned this position – Monospaces were always men.
"What else have you done that you've never told anyone about?"
Joshua laughed. "Well, let's see. Do you remember the cow that had red stripes painted on it?"
My eyes widened, remembering Mr. Mercurial's cow. He was one of the few people who had fresh milk that wasn't brought in from a neighboring town. One night the cow was completely ordinary, the next day it had bright red stripes painted all over it. Thankfully, the paint washed off, but I had always wondered who had pranked Mr. Mercurial. "You did that?" I never knew Joshua had a bad bone in him.
Joshua laughed, seeing my jaw on the floor. "Well, for the record, he deserved it."
I shook my head. "The cow didn't deserve anything. Mr. Mercurial might have, but I can't believe you did that. I also can't believe you didn’t tell me sooner." I nudged him.
Joshua grinned, his eyes shining as he stared at me. I shifted my head slightly as it rested against his shoulder. I could smell him as he sat beside me. He smelled sweetly of almonds and milk, and I wondered if his story made me imagine the scent. "Your turn to tell me a story," he said. I could feel his breath against my skin.
I nodded faintly, but didn't move from his embrace. It was warm and comforting as I closed my eyes. "Let's see." I tried to think of a story that wouldn't break the banter between us. I was enjoying our time together, married. "Okay, how about this." My eyes flashed open glancing at him. "When I was six I went over to your house. I wanted to ask if you would come out and play on the swings. Except after I rang the doorbell I was too nervous. I ran off and hid."
Joshua laughed. "You did that on more than one occasion. I actually remember that. Mom was swearing about some kid playing a prank on us. That was you?" He hugged me tighter. "What were you afraid of?"
"That your dad would answer the door. He scares me. At least he used to," I admitted. "Then I started asking my mom to come with me. She'd knock on your door and then if you were home we'd go to the park together."
Joshua nodded. "I remember that. I can't believe you didn’t tell me sooner."
I laughed. "Yeah, right. So you could tease me?" I sighed softly and did something I'd only read about in forbidden novels. I leant in, brushing my lips against his. The kiss was soft and chaste. It lasted no more than a mere second before I pulled back.
"What was that, Olive?" He gave me a horrified look and all I could feel was my stomach somersault. I knew romance and love weren't ever spoken of in Genesis. There was no need when the government knew who was perfect for one another, and children were won by lottery and conceived in a lab. Intimate acts were considered unnecessary.
"I read about it in a book," I whispered, afraid I'd done it all wrong. "It was a kiss," I breathed, chewing on my bottom lip nervously. I’d never kissed anyone before and worried he thought it was terrible. I’d never seen two people share a kiss, I didn’t quite know what it was supposed to look like, but I thought I’d done it right after reading about it. My hand reached out, grabbing his arm. "Please don't be mad at me." I breathed. "You have to swear you won't tell anyone!" Joshua hesitated for only an instant before he leaned in, taking another taste from my lips trying again. The second kiss was softer and satisfied both of our curiosities. My heart raced and my skin warmed to his touch. "I thought today was going to turn out so much worse," I confessed.
Joshua laughed as he pulled back slightly, staring at me. His eyes had darkened a deeper richer shade of blue. I'd never seen his eyes change colors before. His fingers moved to tickle my stomach with a grin. "Worse? Really? You're not happy you married me? You're just relieved it wasn't someone worse?"
"No!" I shrieked, "That's not what I meant!" I tried to catch my breath, but he hardly gave me a second more than necessary. I pulled from his ticklish grasp, jumped from the couch and ran across the room in a fit of laughter. He quickly followed, jumping over the sofa as he was just inches from me. He was close now, smiling and trailing behind me as I ran toward the bedroom. It was probably the worst place I could go, trapped between Joshua and a mattress. I felt him tackle me down onto the plush bed, his hands skimmed my stomach but he was no longer tickling me. The laughter still hadn't subsided.
"Breathe," Joshua said, staring intently at me.
"Trying," I gasped between fits of laughter. Lying down helped settle the feeling of my racing heart, and after a moment I shifted along the mattress, reaching out to him. "I want to tell you a story," I insisted as my fingers found his cheek. "One I read in a book." I wanted him to learn the things I had about love and romance. I couldn't help but feel my body stir with a strange fire and warmth as he loomed just above me. Staring up at him I froze on the mattress hearing the latch click on the front door. I knew it had been locked.
“Who could that be?” I asked, glancing back as I heard the heavy clatter of boots and saw Governor Craynor stalking into our home with guards standing behind him. They raised their guns and pointed them towards us as they entered our bedroom.
“Arrest this girl!” Governor Craynor pointed at me. Joshua moved off my small frame, standing in front to protect me. I shifted further back on the bed, scooting away from the Governor and his posse, eyeing the window. I doubted I could get it open in time and jump through, but I didn't have too many other options.
"What crime has she committed?" Joshua demanded an answer. I was grateful he was stalling, and I flipped the latch on the window. Trying to pull the glass upwards it didn't budge.
“What did I ever do wrong?” I cried out, eyes wide in horror as I glanced behind me and saw them shove Joshua aside, slamming him forcefully into the wall. “Joshua?” I reached for him, but the guards were quicker and stronger. They pried me from his grasp and pushed me face first into the mattress. My head was turned slightly watching as one guard held a gun to Joshua's head.
"Go ahead and move. I dare you," the guard threatened Joshua. Fear coursed through my veins as another guard pulled my hands tightly behind my back, causing pain to surge in my arms. I screamed in agony as they secured my wrists with iron cuffs digging deep into my flesh. Joshua didn't budge afraid the guard wasn't bluffing.
"Why are you doing this?" I cried into the mattress and felt the Governor pull me up in one swift motion, as I gasped for air. He gripped my arm, clearly satisfied I was of no danger to him as he led me outside of my home.
"Help me!" I screamed. My voice echoed through the streets as neighbors glanced out their windows and stepped outside to see the commotion. "I've done nothing wrong!" I demanded, trying to break free from the guard’s hold, but it was impossible. Any movement further dug iron into skin and I cringed in pain.
From a distance, I could hear footsteps and finally his voice. “What are you charging her with?” Joshua demanded. "You can't arrest her without a warrant."
The Governor laughed but refused to answer. I felt everyone’s eyes on me and my stomach somersaulted. “Joshua?” I called back in horror as they pulled me further down the road to the only place I knew they held the condemned – the worst place they could take me. My feet scraped the dirt pavement, and I knew my white dress was now covered with dirt as the dust kicked up from my fight. There were holding cells beneath our town of Genesis for the criminal and the insane. The guards dragged me down the street towards the prison. I hadn’t done anything wrong. “Please!" I gasped as they pulled me harder, gripping my arms. There would be bruises tomorrow. "This has to be a mistake!"
I screamed, trying to break free, but once again finding it impossible. The prison held men who tried to betray our government and those who acted out of revenge or hatred. I'd done neither.
“I’ll find your mom,” Joshua offered. I could hear his footsteps pounding the dirt as the guards pulled me from the street and toward the prison. One guard unlocked the door before we descended down the dark spiral staircase. I felt my wrists burning as I struggled with the binds. Even if I could manage to break free, how would I escape? These men carried guns and were twice my size. I didn’t stand a chance.
“Please, tell me what I’ve done wrong. What crime have I committed?” I begged for answers, but when I paused at the bottom stair I felt the guard push me with the barrel of his gun hard.
“Walk,” he commanded. I glanced behind me, no longer seeing Governor Craynor. Where had he gone? Was he rounding up other people or just me? What had I done that would elicit such a response? On occasion I had snuck into our old cellar. I'd read a few illegal books that I had assumed were my fathers’. Had they been found? Had I been caught? I couldn’t assume anything without incriminating myself.
The guard unlocked the cell, and I shuddered from the loud creak echoing through the prison. The bars were heavy and thick, cast of the same iron binding my wrists. They screeched as it opened and another man pushed me inside. “Turn around,” he instructed and I did so, feeling the restraints loosen and then release. A moment later the doors swung shut with a heavy clasp as they locked me inside.
“Please, you have to tell me what I’ve done wrong!” My voice wavered with uncertainty. One guard retreated up the stairs while the other watched me cautiously. I recognized him. He was the guard from the marriage ceremony. His daughter had been married today, just as I had. Did he take pity on me? Could I use this to my advantage to break free? "Please," I begged him watching as he stared at me.
“We take orders. We don’t ask questions.” He walked towards the stairs, and I took a final step back, surveying my quarters. This wasn’t the home I expected to find myself in after being married.
CHAPTER 3
I lay awake on the cold cot in the dark damp cell. I lost count how long I’d been down here. Minutes? Hours? It all seemed the same. The sun had set, and I knew curfew must be close. It was all I could see from the small window high above my head against the far wall. I knew I had missed lunch and dinner and felt my stomach grumble in protest. I had tried to climb atop the cot, reaching toward the window. But it was too small to break through, and the iron bars let only my hands grasp at air.
I wondered who would come first – a guard, Governor Craynor or Joshua. I knew Joshua went to find my mother, but I couldn’t fathom how she could be of any help. My options were severely limited.
I heard heavy footsteps and sat up in bed. I recognized the sound of boots against the stairs as the guards descended to the holding cells. Were they coming for me? I didn’t move from the thin mattress and gripped the edge of the metal cot.
“Olivia!” I heard my mother's voice and knew if she was coming with guards this couldn’t be good. As she further descended onto the main floor of the prison, one guard carried a torch and the other escorted her forward through the hall. The faint glow gave enough light to cast her image as she passed by.
“Mom!” I called back with wide eyes rushing towards the cell doors. “Mom, what’s going on?” I reached my arm out through the bars and felt her arm as the guards put her into a cell beside mine. I could no longer see her but could hear the guards as they told her to turn around as they removed her restraints.
"Mom, what did you do?" All I could think was this had been somehow my fault. Maybe she had tried to reason with the Governor or a guard to let me go and they had arrested her for treason.
“Olive, are you okay?” I heard the worry in her voice and nodded, momentarily forgetting she couldn’t see me. My hands rested on the iron bars, and I tried desperately to see her but couldn’t.
“I'm scared.” It was an honest answer. The guards retreated for the stairs, and the torch went with them, bathing the prison in darkness again. “What’s going on, Mom? Why are they doing this?” I didn’t understand.
“I made a mistake,” she breathed anxiously. “I trusted an ally who must have turned on us.” I could hear movement and imagined she was pacing the length of her cell, trying to devise a plan of escape.
I felt a shudder course through my body. “What are you talking about?” I was astounded by the way my mother spoke. “Does this have to do with Joshua?” I remembered what she’d said at the marriage ceremony earlier in the day, telling me we needed to speak later. I could only surmise that it had to do with Joshua but now that seemed less likely.
“What?” She paused for a long moment. “Of course not. He’s fine. You, Olive, though, you’re not.” Her words made my stomach tense.
I wanted to scream at her. To ask her what she’d done so terrible that could have us both locked up. “You really think now’s the time to tell me I’m not fine?” I scoffed angrily. “I don’t even know what I’ve done wrong!”
She sighed. “I’m sorry, Olive, but I never meant for this to happen. This is not what we planned.”
“We?” I asked. She ignored my question. “Mom, this isn’t fair!”
“You were born,” she answered simply. “You’re my daughter and since I conceived you naturally, it’s possible you might be able to have a child of your own,” she answered calmly. “I had planned to sit you and Joshua down and explain, but sometimes things don’t go as planned.”
I wanted to shout at her, but my shoulders slumped forward. “Nothing about my conception was natural,” I muttered finding myself back on the cot with a loud squeak as I sat down.
Children were born in labs. It was the way things were – The Day of the Chosen, a lottery including all women in Genesis who were 18 to 29. Each family had an equal opportunity to conceive – a rare gift in our world where the government had to intervene for women to become pregnant. The lottery was a blessing the first time and a silent curse if your name was called twice. For all families were provided one child if they won the lottery, but all children born thereafter were handed over to the government and taken outside of Genesis, presumably to another family in a neighboring city.
I sighed. “So, why are we arrested?” What had either of us done wrong? Could they really keep us down in these dark cells until they decided otherwise?
“I went to one of the doctors who helped eighteen years ago. I was concerned with the marriage ceremony because I thought you might unintentionally conceive a child.” I didn’t reply. I never imagined such an uncomfortable discussion and was silently grateful I didn’t have to see her through the cell as she spoke. “The doctor betrayed us. She’s the only one I can think who would do this.” My mother's voice rose angrily in her cell. “I never should have trusted her. I should have listened to your father.”
“What about him?” I perked up, standing again as I moved towards the bars. “Mom?” I asked waiting anxiously, but she ignored my question. “We have to get out of here.” I didn’t like the fact she had lied to me, but I knew what she did in her heart was right. Besides, if they were locking us up because of this information, I couldn’t imagine what they’d have done when I was born.
“I know. Joshua came by the house when I was arrested. I told him to go home.” Her voice sounded strange, distant as she held her thoughts from me.
“What?” My eyes widened. “Home?” My bottom lip quivered slightly. “How is that going to help us?” I leant back against the cold cement wall, wanting desperately to be in my warm bed.
“Just trust me.” My mother didn’t further elaborate.
I didn’t answer her. How could I trust her again? She’d lied to me and had been since I was born. I shifted onto the cot, lying back down staring up at the ceiling. I wondered what the Governor would do to me. If being born was a crime then I was guilty of it. I closed my eyes needing to unwind
. I wanted to be any place but here. I imagined a world where children weren’t forced from their home and taken by the government. Our city was cruel to its people, whether they wanted to see it or not.
CHAPTER 4
Morning hadn’t yet arrived as I awoke with a start. I heard a noise, and my eyes flashed open in the bleak darkness of the prison cell. “Olivia,” a harsh whisper echoed and I turned towards the strange light coming from just outside the cell. Joshua was standing with a torch in hand.
“What are you doing here?” I climbed off the cot and headed towards the iron bars seeing his mother, Rebecca, standing beside him. I glanced at her curiously wondering why she'd risk her life for me.
“Helping you escape,” she answered with a faint smile as she retrieved a set of keys. She unlocked my cell, and I didn’t hesitate as I stepped out and wrapped my arms around Joshua.
“Thank you,” I breathed into his ear, grateful he came for me. I glanced back at the cell where my mother was housed.
Rebecca walked over, unlocking her cell next. “Don’t!” My mother shook her head. “You should leave me here.”
“What? Why?” I was astounded by her request.
“Someone has to stand up to the Governor,” she told me plainly. “Besides, I’ll slow you down. You should go, now.” She was adamant.
“Go where?” I asked, glancing from my mother to Joshua and finally to his mother.
“With me,” Rebecca informed us. “We don’t have much time.” She led us toward the stairs where I had come down when I was first escorted by the guards. I was hesitant, unsure we wouldn’t be caught. “Come on,” she insisted. “We have one of our own on watch. We don't have much time."
I gave the briefest of nods before following her with Joshua just a step behind me as we ascended the stairs. Once outside I felt the cool crisp night air and saw the nearly full moon. I knew it must have been well past curfew but didn’t care. There were worse laws I’d broken, like escaping prison. I didn’t ask where we were going – I knew home was no longer an option.