Aberrant

by Ruth Silver

  "Where are we going?" I asked as we walked outside. I knew I'd made a mistake and been caught. I was grateful they hadn’t escorted Joshua out of his room, but I wasn't crazy about it happening to me. I knew Landon wouldn't hurt me. He couldn't. I meant too much to their cause. I'd gathered that much already in the past week.

  "Someplace safe," he informed, leading me across the street. He pulled out his key card as I realized we were walking into the elusive tech center.

  I felt my heart quicken. "Safe?" I repeated uncertain I understood what was happening. "I swear to you nothing happened." I felt overwhelmed as the door slammed shut behind us, and I glanced back seeing a keypad to exit the building. Why was I here? "We were best friends in Genesis. That doesn't go away just because you tell me I can't be with him."

  Landon snorted in disapproval. "I'm sorry you're having trouble adjusting, Olivia, but you're too important for us to let your childish mistakes ruin your future and the future of Cabal." He grabbed my elbow forcefully as he led me up the stairs.

  "Let go of me!" I demanded. "Where are you taking me?" I tried to break free from his grasp, but his fingers dug into my skin. I grimaced in pain as he escorted me down a stark white hallway. Stopping, he opened a door, the key already inside the lock before we arrived. Landon pushed me inside and quickly shut it behind me. "Landon!" I screamed banging on the window watching as he retrieved the key and shoved it into his pocket. The window – shatterproof and plastic – barely waivered as my hands pounded repeatedly and I begged to be released. "Please let me out of here!" He stared at me through the window. I tried the door but it was locked, not that I expected it to open. "Landon!"

  "Again, I'm sorry you're having trouble following the rules. Until you can behave yourself, consider this a timeout."

  "What?" My eyes widened, appalled by the suggestion. I wasn't a child. This was absurd! "Landon!" I screamed banging again on the window and frowning when he turned and walked away. "Bastard," I muttered beneath my breath, secretly hoping he heard me. I was angry and growing bitter with my treatment in Haven. They expected me to marry when I was already in love. They demanded I have a child with someone other than the only person I could imagine having a family with. Joshua and I were hardly ready for children – I wasn't sure I even wanted kids – but I knew I didn't want a child with anyone else. This was worse than anything I could have imagined.

  The lights flickered and dimmed. I groaned as I moved towards the lone cot. It reminded me too much of the prison in Genesis. I could no more control who I loved than how I came into this world.

  I moved to sit down on the bed. It squeaked with my weight, and I pulled my knees to my chest. I wanted to go home. Although Genesis hardly felt like home after what Governor Craynor had done to me, this was becoming a far worse fate. I needed to leave. If Haven expected me to live locked in a windowless room for the next three years, they had a huge surprise coming. Tomorrow I would meet with the council and demand better treatment. This was not how you treated someone crucial to your cause! I hated the government of Cabal yet quickly growing to despise the rebel alliance in Haven, too.

  CHAPTER 10

  I didn't know when morning came. The room remained bathed in darkness. I hadn't slept, not really. I may have dozed off for a few minutes sitting up, but it hadn't lasted long.

  Landon came to the door, flipping the lights on. My eyes burned as I squinted and heard the latch as he unlocked it, pulling the door open.

  "The council is waiting for your presence," Landon informed me.

  "What time is it?" I asked, having lost complete track of the hour while locked in the dark. I begrudgingly pushed myself out of bed.

  Landon gazed down at his watch. "It's just after eight." I stood up moving off the cot. "We have a special guest at our meeting this morning."

  "Special guest?" I asked, following Landon out of the prison and down the stairs. I took the time to glance around the tech center now that I felt calmer. I didn't see much. Most of the rooms were closed off, and the noise and commotion I could hear was far enough away that I couldn’t see anything. Besides I couldn't have been higher than the second floor. I'd barely seen anything of the tech center. It had to be at least a hundred stories tall. Landon carefully covered the keypad as he typed in the exit code. The doors unlocked, and he pushed it open and let me step outside first.

  "Rebecca is back from Genesis for the meeting. She requested a seat at the decision-making table." I wasn't sure whether to be grateful or not. I couldn't read Rebecca – whose side was she on? We walked along the street. The dull gray sky filled with low-hanging clouds looked like rain.

  "How does she get between the cities?" I asked, certain Landon must know something. He gestured for me to follow him as we turned the corner. I'd been here a little over a week and was still terrible with directions.

  "Inside Council Hall there's a teleportation device. It appears in Genesis as a window inside the Warren's home, the perfect hiding place," Landon admitted. "I thought it up. Wasn't easy getting it assembled without anyone noticing, but you could walk right up to it and stare outside. You'd never know what you're looking at."

  "Isn't it dangerous?" I asked. "You could lead the enemy right to Haven." It seemed incredibly risky.

  "All great technological advances come with some risk," Landon beamed. "It's a shame we only have one window. Our scientists were working to develop additional devices, but they take time, and our resources have been better spent focusing on reproductive issues the last few years."

  I nodded, surprised he shared this information with me. Perhaps, he believed he could trust me. We rounded the corner and my eyes caught sight of a line of young men stretching around council hall, extending for blocks. "What's going on over there?" I asked.

  Landon's face perked up, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, "they're here for you, Olivia."

  "Me?" I felt nervous and swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

  Landon patted my back, as if he had the ability to reassure me. His touch was repulsive. I pulled away slightly from his grasp, my gaze still attached to the hundreds of young men lining up along the edge of the building and pushed back down into the street. "They're submitting their applications to date you."

  "You're joking?" My eyes wide and mouth agape, I couldn't believe this was happening. "This is because of Joshua yesterday, isn't it?" It had to be the reason they found it necessary to punish me.

  Landon sighed. He seemed agitated with me, short-tempered. "We've told you, Olivia, you can't be with Joshua."

  I rolled my eyes, "yes and you've also told me I have three years to decide. What's all this!" I gestured towards the young men as I pushed them aside to walk through the main entrance, they were in my way.

  "Hey! No cutting in line," one of the young men yelled before his voice faltered off realizing I wasn't there to apply. "Are you Olivia?" His voice echoed against the building as he took another step, further inching towards the foyer.

  "It's none of your damned business!" I shouted back, my eyes glaring as I knocked Landon hard with my elbow. I knew it wouldn't win me any brownie points but I didn't care. I was beyond pissed. My feet clanked over the marble flooring. In the center of the room a table had been set up where the young men were fast approaching, one after another. "You're wasting your time," I called back to the woman hosting the event as she recorded their information in an oversized book.

  "This way," Landon escorted me away from the line of bachelors towards the open door.

  "Please, come in," the older wiry-haired woman gestured us inside and shut the door promptly behind us. All the noise and commotion from the main foyer disappeared inside the room. "The council has discussed in great length this morning about your insubordination and your punishment. Do either of you have anything to add to the discussion?"

  Landon took a seat at the head of the table, and I remained standing and glanced around the room. I was surprised to see Joshua, arms folded across his chest waiti
ng for a verdict. I wondered if he'd spoken to the council without me.

  "Yes," I spoke up, glancing at Rebecca. "This is ridiculous!" My hands flailed violently gesturing towards the door, "there's a line of men out there, longer than the Mississippi looking to date me!"

  Rebecca nodded, her lips tight not giving any indication of how she felt on the matter. "We've already told you that we'd like you to meet people in Haven. This shouldn't come as a surprise to you, Olivia."

  I huffed, growing frustrated with standing still. "I'd like to tell you my side of what happened." I took a firm stem forward, eyes narrowing on Rebecca and then Landon.

  "Proceed," Landon nodded curtly. I wanted to jump across the room and strangle him. This was all his fault!

  I took a deep breath and tried to speak rationally. "Yesterday evening, Joshua and I decided to study together. We'd been reading for days on our own, and it's a lot to absorb as an adult," I emphasized. "We were going over the books. Sharing what we learned and coming up with questions for the council," I explained. "At no time did we engage in anything beyond studying. Yes, we're friends. But we accepted the rules and have abided by them. Rebecca had explained to us that sleepovers were forbidden, and neither of us did anything of the sort, sleeping or otherwise. If anything, Joshua had a girl in his room who wasn’t me! Clearly he wouldn't have done that if we were still interested in one another. We're best friends," I affirmed. "You can't expect us to forget each other." Maybe I’d gone too far, but though I trusted Joshua and the fact he'd spent time the previous week with Rane, it was still worth noting to the council. Maybe they would be more lenient on me.

  Landon glared at Joshua. "Do you have anything to add?"

  Joshua stepped beside me. He didn't look happy about the situation. How could I have expected him to? "Only that if we did break your rules, it was because we didn't understand the reasons behind them." I still didn't understand, but kept my mouth shut. Joshua stepped forward. "We promise you, nothing happened. However, if you must punish us, I ask that you punish me. Olivia is too important to sacrifice by forcing her to leave. Banish me."

  "No!" I screamed, my eyes wide, staring at Joshua. He couldn't be serious.

  "Settle down," Rebecca ordered. "No one is being banished, at least not right now. I do, however, recommend moving you both to different floors. I think it would be in everyone's best interest if Joshua was required to room on the boys’ floor and Olivia spend some additional time in the tech center. Olivia, you will also be involved in interviewing potential bachelors to date. We're compiling a list and will narrow the selection down for you, but we expect you will work with us in this matter."

  I had no choice but to offer a faint nod in understanding.

  "If you should both choose to visit one another, it must be in a public setting. If you truly are studying, visit the library. If you want to share a meal, go to the dining hall. We have rules for a purpose, to instill order and prevent anyone from being taken advantage of."

  It was in that instant I finally understood everything. "No one is taking advantage of me!" I exclaimed. "Just because I'm capable of getting pregnant doesn't mean I will." Did they not trust me? Did they think of me as a child, a little girl? "You can't send me to the tech center! I don't deserve to be locked up like an animal! I'm an adult!" I demanded. "I should be treated like one."

  Rebecca’s eyes pierced into me. "We do trust you," she answered, "we're not requiring you have a chaperone at all times but you're young, Olivia. Too young to understand the ramifications of what you're doing or saying. It's more than raising a child, you will be the future of the rebellion if you get pregnant, and the father will be your husband. This not a choice you will make lightly." Rebecca sounded quite forceful. "The responsibility of being a parent isn't all we expect of you. You are the only one, the last woman alive who can conceive. This doesn't weigh lightly on any of us. With time, word will reach not only Genesis, but all the cities. The government will come for you, Olivia, and we will do everything in our power to protect you. We can only work with you if you're willing to work with us. Whatever road you choose, the man who father’s your child must be strong and willing to remain alongside of you." She informed me.

  "What else is in the technology center?" I blurted. I tried not to look at Joshua, but I could feel he shared my curiosity. I knew I shouldn't have asked, but I couldn't stop myself.

  "We really hoped to have this discussion after you'd settled in and were comfortable with Haven as your new home," Rebecca informed me. I waited anxiously, still wondering what the tech center was. Finally she continued with an answer, one I wasn't sure I'd like. "It's one of our few research centers in the community. The government has an entire town of scientists. Although our resources are quite small, we are doing everything in our power to understand what the vaccine did to the human body, so we can try to reverse the damage."

  Joshua finally spoke, asking a question that had been on both of our minds. "Are you going to want to study Olivia?"

  Alexia replied, "‘Study’ is such an oppressive word." She smiled faintly and I almost wondered if it was an apologetic look, considering what we were talking about. "She is not a lab rat, if that's what you're insinuating."

  "What if I don't conceive a child?" I asked. "What if I'm no different than anyone else in this room?" It was possible they were making me into something I wasn't.

  "We don't believe that to be the case. Your mother was special, and we are confident you are, as well. We promise that the news of your pregnancy will be uplifting. You may be uncertain now, Olivia, but this is what you were made for. We will protect you and your child."

  I didn't believe her. The smile on her face led me to believe she was trying to tell herself she wouldn't hurt me. I wanted to reach out for Joshua's hand, but I didn’t think the council would approve.

  "Our punishment for defying the laws is separated living quarters?" I repeated, hoping that was it. I could live with that. I would be miserable locked in the tech center for a while. If I could regain their trust, perhaps they'd let me stay in a room on a different floor in the dormitory. I would certainly miss having Joshua across the hall, but it didn't mean I couldn't ever see him.

  Landon's eyes narrowed. "I'd like to put trackers on Olivia and Joshua to ensure they don't break the law again. Do I hear any objections?" He asked the council.

  No one defied him, though, Rebecca spoke up. "If we are putting trackers on them, then I don't see the need to have Olivia locked up. I recommend we put her on Jacqueline's floor. She'll still spend her afternoons in the tech center, but she can be provided more comfortable sleeping arrangements. She's not a prisoner here, Landon." She shot him a disapproving look, then sent me an apologetic one.

  Landon grumbled, "I can agree to that."

  I felt slightly better that they wouldn’t lock me in the tech center all the time. I didn't feel confident about being tracked by Haven, but I didn't see another choice. We could leave now, head for the unknown and take our chances in the Gravelands. But we didn't have any food or water, and we didn't have a vehicle to get us anywhere. We'd likely die on our way to the next town.

  Rebecca stared at me gravely. "I expect you both will abide by our laws from here on out or you will both be exiled," Joshua and I nodded. "Jacqueline will let you gather a few things from your room and then she'll take you both to the tech center to get your trackers implanted. Dismissed!" She announced.

  Joshua and I both headed out of the council hall with Jacqueline leading the way. The line of young men had barely dwindled. I avoided their stare, their curiosity as they slowly proceeded forward, giving the attendant their name. I wondered how they knew about me and more importantly what they knew. Jacqueline walked a few feet ahead of us, giving us privacy to talk. I silently thanked her for still respecting us and our wishes. She was probably the only one in Haven who liked us. I didn’t know if I should be relieved or angered by the recent news. I could feel the whispers, like tingles against b
are skin as we walked further from council hall and rounded the corner. I was grateful to be out of sight from all those curious stares. "I guess we should consider ourselves lucky," I remarked. I didn't feel lucky. I tried to sound upbeat, but everything was quickly falling apart around us.

  Joshua scoffed at the idea. "Lucky? I wouldn't go that far," he emphasized. "This is how it starts. Eventually, they'll make it a crime for us to see one another." He sounded disgusted.

  "They sort of already are," I remarked, trying to understand the council's decision. "I think they just want to make sure I'm protected." Though I didn't quite understand how setting me up to meet multiple bachelors was any form of protection. It seemed as if they only wanted to keep Joshua away from me. The one person I could trust, implicitly. I knew the rules were different because I was different. They didn’t seem particularly bothered by Joshua having a girl in his room. It didn’t seem fair.

  "Seems like they don't really care what we think at all," Joshua retorted as we headed into our building. "Were you okay last night? I worried when Landon escorted you out of the dormitory."

  I walked slowly up the stairs, Jacqueline just a few feet ahead of us. "Aside from being locked in a room with no windows." I sighed. "At least they're giving me freedom from the tech center and a real bed. I should be grateful," I mocked. I didn't feel grateful, but I knew his mother at least tried to make it easier for me. As soon as we crested the top stair, I froze in place. The building shook with an alarming intensity as the first drone flew low overhead. The downstairs chandelier swayed and I held onto Joshua's arm and my eyes widened in terror. "What do you think is going on?" I asked watching the movement grow stronger as vibrations echoed through the dormitory. A nearby painting affixed to the wall crashed to the floor, the glass breaking. I could feel the ground quake beneath my feet as Joshua grabbed my hand, refusing to let go.