by Melissa Faye
I stayed after Vonna and Ben left to help clean up. There was tension in the air between Breck and Etta, and I hoped to sneak out quickly. Etta went to straighten up the dining room, and I found myself alone in the kitchen with Breck. My large bun was loosening so I pulled it back tightly again. Those black curls were always threatening to escape.
“I know what happened with your mentor,” he said cautiously. “Etta told me she disappeared one day with no explanation.”
I didn’t speak.
“Etta doesn’t like it, and I don’t know if you will either, but I’ve started to be more active in...a sort of group in the community.” I continued washing plates and listened cautiously. “They call themselves the Underground. Did you mentor ever mention them?” I shook my head and pretended to be scraping a tough stain off a platter.
“I see how you shut down when any anti-community talk comes up,” Breck continued. He put his dishrag down and leaned over me, speaking in a whisper. “Etta said you used to talk about this stuff sometimes too. But you stopped after...”
“I’m staying out of it, Breck,” I said through clenched teeth.
“You should come to one of our meetings,” said Breck. He was turning on his charm. “It’s interesting to see what people think, you know? You don’t have to get involved. I think with what happened...you might have extra interest.”
I shoved the platter into Breck’s hands for him to dry, perhaps a little too hard.
“I may know some people who can help you find out what happened to her.”
I had given up on finding Alexis years ago. I pushed it to the back of my mind every day. I kept busy, studied medical texts on my TekCast, worked hard to advance at my job, and stayed away from most people.
“I don’t want to know what happened,” I said. “I’m past that. Now I’m only focused on being a good doctor. And keeping people safe.” My body tightened and I was raising my voice. I couldn’t stop myself. “That includes Vonna! You have no business talking to her about this...Underground stuff. Stay away from her. She’s still a kid.”
Breck maintained that calm, casual tone, ignoring my demeanor. “She’s only a few years younger than us, Yami...”
“Well I don’t like you getting involved either, but I don’t have much say in that, do I?”
“No. But maybe if you came, you’d feel better to know that –“
“No.” I put the dish I was cleaning back down in the sink. Without looking at Breck, I stormed out of the kitchen and out of their apartment. I went back to my place, stabbing the elevator button and slamming my apartment door a little too hard before throwing myself onto my bed.
I wouldn’t let what happened to Alexis happen to anyone else I cared about. That meant keeping Vonna out of it. I wished I could keep Breck out of it, at least for Etta’s sake. The best I could do for now, though, was to forbid Vonna from getting involved and avoid these conversations as much as I could. I turned over onto my stomach and pushed my face into the pillow.
Chapter Three
Vonna and I took a quick walk together before the Career Assignment Ceremony. She was biting her nails furiously now, even when I teasingly pushed her hands away from her face. “Not much you can do about your assignment now,” I said. “It’s all set. Whatever happens, you’ll be ok.”
“Easy for you to say,” said Vonna. She gazed longingly at my Gold accessories. “You’re in a Gold career path. You know I won’t end up with you.”
“Stop it!” I said. I wasn’t great at talking about feelings with people, and was particularly bad at making Vonna feel better about this topic. “You don’t know that. Why not wait and see before you worry?”
“I keep thinking about what Breck said,” Vonna explained. We passed by the Chancellor’s Mansion’s front lawn, where hundreds of chairs were assembled for the event. It was always held in mid- to late-November, rain or shine, and we were lucky it was so sunny out that day. Everyone in the community would be there.
“Mhmm.” I had hoped to avoid this conversation.
“Well, it’s not fair! If I’m not Gold, I lose out on money, on a nice house, on doing important work...”
“That’s not true,” I said. Vonna shot me a cold look. Maybe I was rubbing off on her. “Lots of Silver career assignments are meaningful. All your teachers are Silver. Everyone who manages money. All the technicians. The money isn’t that big of a deal...”
“Of course you would say that!” Vonna exclaimed. She stomped away. It did make me smile. She used to stomp away from me when she was in middle class. She had only mostly grown out of it.
THE CHANCELLOR’S LAWN was the peak of beauty within our community. The mansion itself was a monolith of steel, glass, and brick. Dozens of windows lined the front of the building, along with a set of steps leading up to a broad, semi-circular porch. The porch was lined with ornate columns, each featuring a carving of the country’s seal. Above the porch was a carving of the United Communities of America motto: What’s Best for the Community is Best for All. It stood out in broad, tall letters.
Citizens organized themselves by color at the start of the ceremony. I found a seat near Etta and a woman who worked at the F-Lab. When students received their assignments and colors, they’d be able to sit with their own kind. I was a realist; I knew it was highly unlikely that Vonna would end up sitting in my section.
Chancellor Lorenzo started the event with the generic speech he used at most big community events.
“Fellow community members,” he began, sweeping his arms in front of himself in what would have been a welcoming gesture if he wasn’t so overbearing. He was a tall man in his sixties with high cheekbones that made him look a bit like a cat. He had black hair with some gray along his temples, and black eyes. Between his height and his chiseled features, he was a looming presence. He work a fake smile on his face at all times, along with a pristine black suit. “Welcome to Young Woods’ annual Career Assignment Ceremony. Our first year high class students will receive their career assignments today and be welcomed into young adulthood, where they will study hard in their major and progress to successful careers.”
There was an uncomfortable disconnect between the cheerful words the Chancellor spoke and his unpleasant smile. I squirmed in my seat. Let’s get this over with, I thought. But of course, he had more to say.
“In the twenty-second century, our ancestors knew that the only way to continue as a species given the growing fertility crisis was to use cloning technology to propagate our race. Since then, we have restructured the way children are raised and communities survive. Now, in the year 2420, our communities and citizens thrive more than ever. Our communities are our families. Our teachers provide the socializing and personal development that parents used to provide. And mentors are the older siblings we all seek to emulate.
“Young Woods is a particularly strong model of all the good that can come out of a community, given the success rate of our cloning lab and the advances our F-Labs have made. Our current group of high classers will only improve this model in years to come. I wish them all the best, and welcome them to the next step in their development!” He pointed up to the motto on the mansion, and we said the last line of his speech together. “What’s Best for the Community is Best for All.”
The Career Assignment Ceremony didn’t take long. Students’ names were read aloud, followed by their color (Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Gray) and their career assignment. Everyone clapped for each student, no matter where they ended up.
Vonna’s class had around fifty students. Their assignments were read alphabetically, so I had to watch poor Vonna pick at her cuticles as she waited at the end of the line. I saw some of her friends end up in Gold; each time, her face fell. It was rare for meaningful friendships to exist outside of one’s own color. When the first student was assigned to Gray, I saw his nervous face turn into a grimace. Gray careers were unanimously looked down upon. They were janitors and factory workers. Though they studied and worked
as hard as anyone else, their gray uniforms and dull insignia reflected the lack of respect they received from others. A placement in Gray was a promise of a lonely life trying to make ends meet.
Two more students came to Gold, then one was assigned Bronze, then three Silver. Vonna was visibly shaking as she neared the Chancellor, who was shaking students’ hands and passing them along to a council member. The council member handed the student their insignia and the metal ring they would wear on their TekCasts. That ring contained all the resources citizens needed for their particular career assignments as well as the financial data students would need to start managing.
One more student in front of Vonna. She was assigned to retail, Bronze, and walked over to her group with a blank face. Vonna was last.
The Chancellor called her name. “Vonna. Silver. Education.”
I leaned my head back and looked up at the cloudy skies above. My shoulders sagged. Silver was a great group to join, and Education was a respected field. But it wasn’t what Vonna wanted. It meant less money than Gold careers, and it would make it difficult for us to socialize. Once assigned a career group, community members lived in the same dorms, communes, and neighborhoods. There wasn’t much cross-group socializing.
As everyone walked away from the ceremony, leaving the chairs and trash to be picked up by a group of Grays, there was more disappointment in the air than celebration. The Gold students were thrilled and proudly showed off their insignia and TekCasts to one another, sometimes lauding them over their Silver or Bronze friends. The Grays walked by themselves off to the sides. Some of the Gray adults tried to make conversation to the newly-assigned, but it was a quiet group.
I searched for Vonna in the crowd, which was never easy because she was so short. I finally picked her out, standing by herself on the far side of the lawn. She stood near some Silvers, but a few feet aside. I hustled over to her.
“Education is an important career,” I said. I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it, but that part was definitely true. “Your teachers work very hard and are paid well.”
“Not as well as –“
“I know, I know,” I said. I slung an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her towards me as we walked towards her high class dorm. “I can’t make you any happier with this. But I can still remind you that Silver is a great group, and you are going to end up very happy in education. I know every teacher here loves their job.”
Vonna looked down at the ground as we walked. I didn’t know what to say. We walked silently for a while until we crossed paths with one of my former classmates, Gerardo, who was also in education. He wore a Silver insignia like Vonna’s, and came right over to us.
“Hi!” he said to Vonna. He nodded politely to me. We hadn’t spoken since high class graduation – partly because I rarely worked with Silvers, and partly because I rarely talked to anyone. “Vonna, right?”
Vonna nodded and whispered “Hi.”
“I’m an education intern right now. I’m going to be a Lower Class teacher next year.” He looked at Vonna, who was still looking at the ground and a bit shakey. He looked up at me. I frowned – he probably knew how she was feeling. I had taken some science classes with Gerardo in middle class and remembered how much he liked them.
“Look,” he said to Vonna. “I know everyone wants Gold, but not everyone can have one of those jobs.” Vonna didn’t look up. I let go of her shoulder so Gerardo could take custody of her feelings for a few minutes. “Come with me. I’m going to meet some friends and we’re hoping to talk to some fresh Silvers. We’re going out to eat. I’m buying. Are you in?”
I nudged Vonna. She was fourteen, and upset, but she would need to get past this sooner rather than later.
“Yeah, ok,” she said. She finally looked up at Gerardo and smiled. “I think I’ve seen you around! Were you shadowing Miss Nancy’s class last year?”
They walked away, chatting about Gerardo’s work. As I had hoped, Vonna was a little bit peppier talking to someone who had felt the way she had, and was about to meet up with some of her Silver classmates. And now I hoped that would be enough to put her mind at ease.
Chapter Four
I tried to keep my distance from Etta and Breck for a few days, unwilling to talk to Breck or receive any more unwanted invites. I gave Vonna a few days to let her career assignment sink in, though I may have been a little nervous about trying to make her feel better, too. I knew I’d see her again soon. I eventually agreed to meet up with Etta to check in.
We met at a park near her work. It was almost December, and with winter approaching we wouldn’t be able to spend as much time outside as either of us would have liked. Etta liked that park because it was big and had few trees; it was the best place in Young Woods for stargazing. It wasn’t late when we met, but Etta was planning on coming back with Breck later to look at the stars. I liked the park because it smelled somehow like childhood, and the air felt more crisp than in other parts of the community.
“Breck is messing with stuff he shouldn’t be involved with,” Etta said. We walked at a leisurely pace through the crunchy autumn leaves and grass. Little kids were hopping around a playground nearby; they probably wanted to enjoy being outside before the winter as well. When I was their age, I was friends with everyone. Etta often teased me about old Yami. My hair was just as out of control, I was still very tough, but I had softer edges, she would say.
“Yeah,” I said. “I don’t want him talking to Vonna anymore.” I kicked up a rock with the toe of my shoes and played with it under my foot. “Breck could get into trouble with all of that.”
“Did he tell you about the Underground? A few months ago, he met one of their members at work. Can you believe that? He’s in Fertility. His coworkers should be thrilled to be part of finding a solution. What do they have to complain about? Why are they messing around with big picture stuff that they shouldn’t worry about? That’s for Leadership and Records to work on.”
“He told me,” I said. “I don’t like it. At best, it’s getting people like Vonna to think things they shouldn’t thinking. At worst, he could...”
“Disappear? That’s all I think about. Like with Alexis.”
I didn’t respond. I preferred not talking about it, and Etta knew.
Etta led us to a bench by a nearby elm tree sitting by itself whose branches reached high up and out into the air and lent us little spots of shade with its empty branches. I focused on the solitary orange and red leaves rustling above our heads and tried to think of other things.
“Ok, I actually wanted to meet to talk about something else,” Etta said. “It’s a medical question.”
“What do you want to know?” I asked. Etta’s work in cloning aligned with my work in medicine. She made the clones; we took care of them. We worked together on occasion.
“It’s not that I need information. It’s about some symptoms I’m having.”
I turned to look at Etta’s face. She was smaller than me, with long blond hair and gray eyes. She reminded me of a small bird, chirping happily away but ultimately very fragile. Her Gold insignia shined off her; it fit her much more than anyone else’s I knew.
This was concerning. It wasn’t normal for someone our age to have health issues, particularly since the community was so focused on health and wellness. It was even stranger for a Gold. We had more money to buy healthier food and pay for nutrition services if needed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Etta said with a smile. “It’s different, and I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything.”
“Tell me.”
“Ok, there are a few things.” I raised my eyebrows. Of course it was a few things. Etta wouldn’t come to me unless she was sure something was wrong. Then again, what could actually be wrong with a twenty-year-old?
“It’s little things. But since they keep happening, Breck said I should talk to you.” She paused. I could tell she was nervous by the way she slightly pursed her lips. �
�Well, last month I started throwing up sometimes. And I never throw up. Not even that time we accidentally undercooked those chicken breasts and you and Breck got sick! I threw up a bunch of times last month, and a few times more recently. It comes on suddenly and then I feel better.”
“That’s a little strange,” I said. “But I’m sure we can figure out why that’s happening. Plus, if it’s stopped by now –“
“No, there are other things.” Etta wrung her hands in her lap. “I stopped liking bananas.”
I laughed loudly, drawing the attention of an older woman walking past. “Not liking bananas? That’s not a medical symptom,” I said with a smirk. “That’s good taste. I hate bananas.”
Etta gave me an irritated glare. “It’s the strangest thing though! You know I used to love them. But for the last week, even the thought of them disgusts me. Breck bought some for me the other day, and the smell made me feel nauseas. And I know the bananas were fine. Breck swore he got them at the good market and said they smelled normal. He ate a few and didn’t feel sick.”
“I suppose that’s a little strange since you’re also throwing up,” I said. I pulled my TekCast off the clip on my insignia and pulled up the diagnosis program we used at the Med. I entered “Vomiting” and “Food aversion” into the system. “Ok, what else?”
“This is a little embarrassing...” Etta hesitated. “Ok, I’ve gained a few pounds.”
I couldn’t help it laughing again. Etta was always thin, and could put on a few pounds with no risk to her health. In fact, it would probably be good for her.