When Stars Go Out

by Grey, Ransom;

  “I have, Your Honor.” His voice was clear, carrying through the entire room. “Your Honor is mistaken. These charges are completely erroneous, having no basis in fact and making them unsuitable for further deliberation in this court.”

  Good grief, thought Reed, he’s making legal baloney out of the judge’s little speech.

  “Secondly, Your Honor, I would like to inquire as to the nature of these charges; namely, what insurrection have I had any role in plotting and what civil disturbances have I led?”

  The Chairman had apparently not expected such an answer. He glared at Elijah in silence for a moment before replying. “Do you deny, then, that you do not support the nation, the government, and its provisions made for the betterment of its citizens?”

  “Sir, no one is more loyal to the United States of America than I am. I completely support any steps that better its people. But, sir, when it comes down to measures taken to seduce and cripple Americans, especially young Americans who don’t know any better, by an oversized and tyrannical governing body, then I do not support such movements. But since when, Your Honor, is peaceable disagreement worthy of the title ‘insurrection?’”

  There was a stir, ever so slight, in the crowd. “Geez,” whispered a boy next to Reed, “did this kid go to law school or what?”

  The Chairman waited until the stir subsided. “You have just confessed with your own mouth that you disagree strongly with the government’s policies.” He sounded exultant. “Such an admission is highly questionable when put in consideration with your behavior. You cannot deny that you left the government-provided accommodations known as the Dorms with little explanation and that, prior to your move, your presence caused unrest in the remaining residents. With your opinions, it is obvious that you were endeavoring to stir up discontent against the Council and incite rebellion.”

  “I’m afraid Your Honor is mistaken again,” said Elijah. Reed wished he wouldn’t be so polite. “The people of the Dorms are certainly unhappy and dissatisfied, but it’s not because of anything I have done. They’re restless because what they find in this contrived bubble you’ve set up isn’t enough. They want stability and reality, but they can’t find it. They are left precariously balanced. As a fair warning to you, sir, the government has underestimated this generation; you are playing with fire. You’ve tried to be something to them that you cannot be and, if you fail them, they will make you feel their anger.”

  The Chairman stared down at him coldly. “We are not here for a philosophical discussion. You may try to deny these other charges, but you cannot deny that, in direct violation of the law laid out by our sovereign body, you took part in and hosted illegal religious activities. What do you say to that?”

  “I do not deny it, Your Honor.” A low murmur filled the room, but a bang from the Chairman’s gavel silenced it.

  Elijah hadn’t finished. “I did take part in those activities; it was against the Council’s rules. The question is, sir, which is more illegal?”

  Stunned silence.

  “The Constitution of the United States explicitly allows for the complete freedom of religion; your law goes directly against that and is clearly not within the government’s legal power. It is plainly an attempt to set the government up as a god which, sir, is more unlawful than anything I have done.”

  The Chairman slammed his hand on the stand like a thunderclap and leaned forward. “We are the absolute authority here,” he snarled, “and we hold your life in our hands. We have declared this to be law, and there is no other!”

  “The government is not the absolute authority, Your Honor. There is One higher.”

  “Will you or will you not obey it?” the Chairman bellowed, disregarding this last comment.

  Elijah looked him straight in the eye. “I must obey God rather than men.”

  The Chairman remained leaning forward, staring at him for a moment. Reed was staring, too. He was stunned, awed. The Chairman, in his wrath, had overshadowed the entire room, huge and black like a dragon spreading its wings against the sky. Everyone shrank back, terrified—everyone, that is, but one. Elijah remained unmoved and calm in the center of the floor. He was so steady, Reed thought, even with the Hill’s greatest fear looming over him. He was almost like… a star, shining clear and strong beneath a bank of roiling, black clouds.

  The Chairman seemed disinclined to say anything for a moment. In the hanging silence, Elijah spoke again. “Your Honor, we both know why I’m really here. If you want me to answer for that charge, I will. If it is a crime to live a peaceful, productive, happy life of freedom, I admit to my crime. If it is wrong to find a deeper meaning to existence and bring comfort to others in a dying world, then I am guilty. And, if you bring the charge against me of being a Christian, then so be it, for that I am, and that I will stay.”

  The Chairman leaned back, keeping his eyes fixed on the young man. “Very well,” he said slowly. There was an odd tone in his voice that sent shivers through Reed. “So you choose. Before the court issues a verdict, there is one final question. Keep in mind that your cooperation might influence the decision. Who are the others in your little faction?”

  Oh, brother, thought Reed. They always want to know that.

  Elijah never hesitated. “You’ll have to find that out on your own, Mr. Chairman. I don’t betray my friends.”

  “Indeed,” said the Chairman. A leer crept over his face, visible even from the balcony. “It’s too bad they’re not so loyal to you. It might interest you to know we didn’t find you on our own. We had a little help from someone the night before last, one of your precious ‘friends.’ I think you know who I mean.”

  Whispers began in the crowd. Reed’s mouth went dry. Night before last? But that was the night he and Elijah had… No. No! It couldn’t have been… him! They would’ve had to follow him. That was the only way, and even he hadn’t known where he was going when he left the Dorms. Even as he fought the idea, it sank slowly into his mind and left him feeling sick. The Chairman had said it himself. How else would they have known?

  The Chairman went on, gloating. “Yes, you know him. He came to us that night not long after he saw you and told us everything on condition of his own safety. We know it all.”

  Reed snapped his head up. He hadn’t done that; he never would have done that. Could it be… the Chairman was bluffing? Of course! He wanted to make Elijah feel betrayed so he would turn on the others.

  “Mr. Chairman.” Elijah’s voice was completely calm, “even if one of my friends did come to you, it would make no difference. I still wouldn’t turn him or the others in for the world. I love them all too much, even if they don’t care for me the same way.”

  Reed felt like someone had stabbed him through the chest. He knew his innocence; Elijah did not, and he was still saying this about Reed.

  “But,” Elijah went on, “that is only if. I have to doubt your story, sir. If what you say is true and he did tell you everything, why do you need me to tell you anything?”

  There was a moment of silence. Then, from the far gallery, there was a snicker—single, loud, and pointed.

  The Chairman stiffened at the sound, glaring at the crowd. Reed could see the muscles in his jaw knotting as he searched the sea of faces. Leaning over to Vonhauser, the Chairman snapped coldly, “Hit him.”

  The faint titter stopped immediately. The officer stepped toward Elijah and pulled back the heavy, black police club in his hand. Reed couldn’t watch. He jerked his head away and closed his eyes, but the thud that followed sickened him. When he dared to look back, Vonhauser had returned to his place. Elijah remained standing, but there was a trickle of fresh blood down his temple. The Chairman’s face was like granite.

  “The decision of the court will be announced at a later time,” he clipped. “Until then, remove the prisoner. This court is adjourned.”

  Slam! The sound of the gavel echoed in Reed’s ears even after he left the building and downtown far behind him. That gavel would fall
again and decide Elijah’s fate, whatever that might be. In his head, the sound changed to the heavy thud of a blow, and he cringed. He was right. Changing sides would hurt. Was it really worth it?

  Chapter 34

  The rest of the day passed uneventfully, like most Saturdays on the Hill. The report of what happened at the trial trickled through the Dorms. No one knew if there was a future date for the conclusion of the affair. The Council issued no announcements.

  Reed made a point to personally tell Lucy about the hearing. He was forced at her insistence to reveal how Elijah appeared to have been treated during his imprisonment, and the horror in her eyes made him want to punch somebody. He did not tell her how the Chairman had ended the interview.

  Even though the case hung open-ended, Dorm life went on. The initial reaction after the arrest subsided once it was clear nothing more would happen in the near future. It was as though the Hill had paused, shrugged sympathetically, and gone back to its wild business. Reed couldn’t bring himself to go on like everything was normal.

  That evening, he sat alone in his room, listening to the sounds of carousing coming from the hall and up through his open window. It was Saturday night and spirits were high, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t—join in.

  He hadn’t been by himself very long when the door opened and Reagan breezed in. He stopped when he saw Reed sitting on the nightstand, staring out the window. “Yo, dude, what are you doing? Everybody’s looking for you. Come on!”

  “Don’t wanna,” Reed replied gloomily without turning his head.

  Reagan was shocked into momentary silence. He came around the desks and stood in front of Reed, incredulous. “What did you say?”

  “I said I don’t wanna,” repeated Reed, still not moving.

  “You don’t wanna? Why, are you in mourning? Come on, it’s Saturday night! The pool’s hopping. Don’t you want to have some fun?”

  Reed turned from the window abruptly. “Fun? Your kind of fun? How could you? I saw you the other day, Reagan. That was gross, dude, really gross.”

  Reagan blinked. “What?”

  “You and Taylor at the pool day before yesterday—I saw it. Why would you do that?”

  Reagan, actually serious for once, furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? Do you mean when we… but I’ve always done stuff like that. You’ve seen it before, and you thought it was great.” He searched Reed’s face. “What’s wrong with you, Reed? This is the way I’ve always been. I haven’t changed, but you… you have. What happened?”

  Reed looked back out the window. He couldn’t deny something had changed, but he wouldn’t admit it, either. He pulled at his ear. “I just don’t think it’s… I mean, you shouldn’t… Don’t you even care that your roommate’s in jail?”

  Understanding swept Reagan’s face. “So that’s it.” He pulled up a chair and plunked down directly in front of Reed. “Do I care? Well, I guess I do, sorta. But I don’t see what that’s got to do with us. Elijah made a choice that got him where he is now, and that’s his problem. Why should it affect me? Life’s good right now; why not enjoy it? I chose to be where I am, too. I’m getting what I want, and he… well, he thinks he will later on. We all have a choice, Reed.”

  “But what if…” Reed’s voice almost dropped to a whisper, “what if he’s right?” He swung around and stared at Reagan. “What then?”

  Reagan leaned back in his chair slowly. “Careful, Reed. That’s the kind of thinking that got Elijah where he is now. It could change your whole life forever. Think about that. Is it worth it?”

  “Believe me, I am thinking about it.” Reed turned back to the window. “I’m thinking, but… I don’t know what to think.”

  “Yeah,” Reagan agreed, rubbing his chin. “It did that to me, too, after he talked to me about it the first time. I didn’t know what to think, but… I got over it. You will, too.” He stood up and stretched. “But right now, I’m going swimming. The girls await.”

  He moved over to his shelves, whistling as he kicked off his clothes and tossed them into a pile on his bed. Once he was ready, he moved over to the door, towel around his neck, and opened it. “Come down whenever you’re ready,” he said. “There’s plenty to go around.”

  The door slammed, but Reed remained staring out the window at the darkening sky. His mind was too full to answer.

  By the next morning, he still hadn’t gotten anywhere. Though nothing else filled his mind for hours on end, it was no use. Processing it all on his own was like trying to put together a puzzle with a missing piece. The sensation left him feeling restless and moody until he was knocked breathless by an event that set the whole Hill buzzing.

  It first struck him when he was on his way to a late breakfast at the Mushroom. The air was electric, tingling around his ears as he walked along the sidewalk. Something had happened; he could feel it. The sensation grew stronger and stronger until he thought he couldn’t stand it another minute. He was just about to ask the next random person what was going on when he met Lucy at the bottom of the North Stairs. She grabbed him by the elbow without so much as a “good morning.”

  “Did you hear what happened last night?”

  “No, I haven’t heard a thing. What?”

  She looked around and lowered her voice. “Early this morning, Director Connors got a call from the Council. They are furious! Nothing like this has ever happened before, and they don’t even know how it happened.”

  “What?”

  She took a breath and pronounced each word impressively. “Reed, sometime last night, nobody knows when, Elijah escaped from prison.”

  “What?” Reed grabbed her arm. “How?”

  “Nobody knows! They didn’t even realize he was gone till they went to get him out of his cell this morning.”

  “But…” Reed stuttered, “how? I mean, now what? Won’t they have every cop out looking for him?”

  “I’m sure they will, but I bet they’ll be quiet about it.” Lucy tossed her hair. “This doesn’t make them look good. Besides, if God got him out of jail, He can keep him that way. Isn’t it wonderful?”

  “Do you know where he is? Have you seen him?”

  “Shh! No,” she whispered, looking around again. “I haven’t, and I don’t think I will. He probably won’t contact us for our own safety, even if he’s still around here. They are going to be watching us closer than ever. We’ll have to be extra careful now.”

  Reed hadn’t thought of that. However the Council managed to track down Elijah could work just as well for the rest of them.

  He lived the next several days in extreme caution. By mutual consent, none of the group saw each other except on chance encounters around the Dorms. Reed didn’t venture near the apartments and did his best to blend in with the crowd.

  The search for the escapee was, as Lucy predicted, kept low key. Not a word came from the Council or Director Connors concerning it. Still, news of the escape had already swept through the Dorms, and everyone knew a search was in progress. But Elijah had disappeared. As time passed and no new leads surfaced, the people of the Dorms began to whisper that he had escaped completely, perhaps even leaving the country. The excitement lapsed as the hours turned to days and, gradually, it subsided and was forgotten.

  Reed couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Elijah. He doubted he would ever see him again. It was unlikely, even impossible. Even if he never did, he wouldn’t forget him. Reed was stirred in a way that could not be undone, and his searching hunger had redoubled to a yearning that cried for fulfillment. He could only hope that things would be made clear to him like Elijah had said.

  Even after the excitement ebbed on the Hill, Reed remained wary. The Council’s silence worried him. What were they up to? He guessed their next move would be quick and relentless, like a lightning bolt, and no one would see it coming.

  One warm evening nearly a week after the escape, Reed was on his way down to the city. He’d gotten a message from a few of his friends earlier, asking
him to come down to the Boulevard to “hang out.” Having nothing else to do, he agreed and started out not long after supper. It had been a long day; he was ready to relax.

  The sun had already set as he made his way along the now-familiar route. Dusk was gathering in little pools between the buildings and trickling into street corners. Sparrows flitted across the glowing sky like late children hurrying home for dinner. The streetlights had not yet turned on. It made Reed nervous to be out alone this time of day, but he couldn’t spend his life locked in his room. Besides, he could look out for himself.

  As he turned down a cut-through to the next street, an odd feeling leapt into the pit of his stomach. It was something he had experienced months ago on the night when the boy from the Dorms was beaten in this same area. It was an uneasy, almost sick sensation. All his senses snapped on alert, but it was too late.

  A figure appeared right in front of him, blocking the narrow alley. Reed nearly jumped out of his skin and took a step back. It was an older boy, much larger than Reed, with a dirty white tank top, scruffy face, and bulging, brawny arms. Reed eyed him, fighting panic, and wondered how fast he could run.

  The boy spoke. “Goin’ somewhere?”

  Reed forced himself to sound calmer than he felt. “Yeah, back that way, actually. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll be leaving.”

  “Suppose I do?” The voice was behind him. Reed spun around and saw another hulk blocking the alley in that direction. Trapped.

  “What do you want?” he demanded, doing his best to keep an eye on both at the same time.

  “Us?” said the first boy. “Nothin’. But somebody else wants you.”

  “Me? Well, tell ’em I’m flattered but no thanks. I’ve got friends waiting for me.”

  “Do ya?” said the second boy, moving a step closer. “Funny, I don’t think so. Ya know, we sent that message. Your little friends aren’t waiting for you. They have no idea where you are. Somebody else wants you, and they don’t take no for an answer. You’re coming with us.”