by P. L. Camery
Grant considered this for a moment then asked, “And what do you propose we do with this- situation?”
“To be frank sir, I don’t think there’s anything we can do. I’ll make a speech and present it. There is no way to make use of this without blowing my cover, and I assume the council does not want that.”
The council leader nodded, “A sensible decision, are there any who object?”
For once no one responds, Lawrence mused smugly to himself, such pacifists, afraid to take any real risks.
“Then it is decided,” Grant said, “You may go now Special Agent Richardson, this council thanks you for your services.”
After a curt bow, Lawrence exited thinking the whole lot of them can jump in a ditch. But he allowed the conversation with the Guardian, and the possibility of the invitation being a trap, to shift through his thoughts as he took brisk strides towards the lab.
When Lawrence walked through the door Mavis immediately knew something was wrong. His gaze was fixed, though on nothing in particular, and his eyes were dark, contemplating. Oh no, what has he done this time?
Cal lifted his head from his laptop screen then tilted it, “Hey buddy, something wrong?”
“Hmm?” Lawrence responded, barely looking up, “Oh, um it’s nothing. I’m just thinking.”
“And what are you thinking about?” Mavis asked, her tone weary.
“It’s nothing, really, I…”
“It’s not nothing,” the girl asserted firmly.
“You don’t get that look for nothing,” Cal agreed with a nod.
“And we aren’t going to let it go until you tell us what’s wrong,” Mavis concluded, “so no use in resisting.”
Lawrence rolled his eyes, “You two are infuriating, but since I have both of you here, I might as well tell you. I had a meeting with the Guardian today.”
Immediately Mavis felt her heart lodge in her throat, “What did she want?”
“She just asked me some questions,” Lawrence said, “a little cross examination on my loyalty I suppose, then she asked me if I’d like to be a speaker at the Quintessential.”
“You?” Cal asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, “No offense but why exactly would she want you to do it.”
Lawrence shrugged, “She wants a heartwarming redemption speech I suppose about the little boy that rose above the shame of his rebel parents.”
Cal made a sound between a cough and a laugh, “Sorry, but you’re about the last person who’s fit to give that speech.”
Lawrence grinned, “But it would be hilariously ironic don’t you think?”
“Absolutely not!” Mavis said, not bothering to hide her horror. When both boys only stared at her she shook her head, “Lawrence you can’t possibly be considering doing this. It’s too dangerous, you say something wrong and you’ll be arrested, say something a little worse you’ll be shot. And you don’t even know what her real intentions are; for all we know it’s a ploy to make a public example out of you.”
When she saw the slight flinch, she knew she had hit home with the last statement. But then Lawrence regained his composure, “But baby…”
“Don’t!” Mavis snapped, holding up her as if it could stop him, “You know I’m right!”
“But when the Guardian tells you to do something you can’t just turn her down.”
“Sure, you can,” the girl protested, “Call in sick, bad stomach flu, can’t have you throwing up on the podium now can we.”
“But I can’t just do that I…” Lawrence shot Cal a pleading glance.
“Don’t look at me,” the older boy said, “I’m with Mavis on this one.”
“But, but…” Lawrence stuttered, “but I have to do it. Plus, don’t you guys see what a great opportunity this would be?”
“Opportunity for what?” Mavis asked, her tone an icy cold.
The boy looked at her then shifted his gaze to his feet, “Nothing.”
“Tell me,” she demanded. When he said nothing, she closed the gap between them, “Tell me Lawrence, because I swear, if I find out later what you’re up to and you tried to hide it from me I will be so, so angry.”
“I- well…” Lawrence took a breath, “you remember my idea that we be our own nation?”
The girl had to struggle to retain her composure, “Go on.”
“Well, I was just thinking,” as he spoke the words came out in a rush, “I could propose it at the rally. If I present it as having a place to banish all the rebels to where they are forced to live on their own without our guidance and if I work it right and get the crowd going, it could work. I already have a rough constitution saved on my computer outlining the details and everything.”
“A rough constitution, shit Lawrence are you insane?” Mavis demanded, “At best they’ll only shoot you once! You can’t, you can’t possibly even remotely actually consider it.”
“Why not?” Lawrence retorted, defiance darkening his gaze.
“Because this is your life we’re talking about Lawrence,” Cal retorted, “and we aren’t going to let you gamble with it.”
For a moment the boy faltered. Then he responded, “It’s not as impossible as you think.”
“Nor is it as easy as you make it seem!” Mavis rebuked.
Lawrence took a breath, considering, then finally he said, “Alright, you’re right… I won’t give the speech.”
Mavis felt her heart sink at his tone; this wasn’t over, not by a long shot.
*****
Mavis kept her pace at a steady jog as she completed her second lap around Democris’ underground park. It was a little after five in the morning, and she knew it was often dangerous to be out of her apartment this early but today she needed it. When she heard someone running up behind her, she glanced over her shoulder.
“Mind if I join you?” Cal asked as he came up next to her.
Mavis shrugged, she was not surprised to see Cal there. Upper cast had no restrictions on when they could be out, and Cal often took a morning run. “Go for it! Lawrence hates running, so I’m always alone when I go for a jog.”
“I know.”
The girl shifted her gaze slightly to appraise him, “Something bothering you?”
“No, no I’m fine.” But when Mavis raised her eyebrows he sighed, “Well yes a little. It’s what Lawrence said yesterday… I know he’s not done with his speech idea.”
“No, no he isn’t,” Mavis agreed, “When he gets an idea lodged in his head it’s hard to get it back out again.”
Cal smiled, “You’ve noticed that too huh.”
“I’m sure everyone who remotely knows him have noticed,” Mavis said with a small laugh. “But we need to convince him to abandon this one; I just have a really bad feeling something is going to happen.”
The boy nodded, “I feel it too, but I don’t know what to do about it. He can’t not give the speech at all, you don’t turn down an invitation from Guardian herself, but if he gets up there, I know he’ll do something stupid…”
“He wouldn’t be able to retain his crown as idiot of the century if he didn’t.”
Noting the bitter bite in her tone, Cal took her by the arm and slowed them to a stop, “Hey, we’ll figure it out okay?” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed, “We’ll figure out some way to keep him from getting up there. He’ll be okay Mavis, nothing will happen to him.”
The girl squeezed him back, “It’s just, I can’t help but feel this sense of dread, like something bad is just around the corner you know? And with how his parents died and all…”
“Wait,” Cal took a step back and tilted his head, “what do you mean by that?”
Mavis mentally chastised herself for letting that slip. “He told me about how his parents died,” she began, “and something about the story didn’t seem right… I- I think they were set up, I’m just not sure by who or how.”
The boy’s expression turned gr
ave, “That’s a serious suspicion Mavis, have you told Lawrence yet?”
The girl shook her head, “I thought it would be too hard for him to hear, and I know if I did, he would obsess over avenging them when he needs to focus on the here and now.”
“But here and now we also know there could be a traitor among us,” Cal pointed out.
Mavis nodded, “And we need to do something about that. I think we need to do some investigating… But I don’t currently have any leads, and I’m not very good with computers…”
“I can do that,” Cal affirmed, “I’ll look around, hack into a few data bases and see what I can find. And if there’s something we could look into I’ll report it back to you.”
The girl smiled, “Thank you Caleb, I know I can count on you. In the meantime, I’d better go back topside and get ready for school.”
Cal smirked, “Not going to ditch today?”
Mavis could only laugh, “I can’t, we have a school assembly and its mandatory, a come or we shoot you kind of deal.”
*****
The assembly was the first order of business when Mavis arrived at school. The entirety of the student body of 50,000 was arranged in alphabetical order with a segregation of the upper and middle casts; a drool process that even with the omnipresent Imperial Police hustling the crowd took half an hour. The upper cast students were ushered first into the University Auditorium, a massive building whose exterior was designed as a spiral which widened at the top. On the interior cushioned navy-blue seats formed a semicircle which also widened at the top, signifying the greater magnitude of middle cast individuals compared to the more selective upper cast program. Because her last name was Cruz, Mavis ended up in the third row of the middle cast section, giving her a clear view of the stage rows below. The lights dimmed, and spotlights illuminated the stage.
Mavis stiffened when she saw Kara, beyond overly made up with hair in tight curls wearing the most fake smile imaginable, bounding forward. Behind her, Roland and another soldier flanked a figure dressed in a dirty janitor’s uniform and wearing a black sack over its head. After making a show of fixing a tiny microphone attached to her ridiculous dress, Kara gave a wave. “Hello everybody! And good morning! So, as you all know there is a school assembly today…”
No duh.
“As a courtesy I would like each of you to power down all electronics, I promise there will be a professional recording available for download later today. Now without further ado, I would like to introduce to you the man of the hour,” She indicated the figure and Roland removed the sack. Immediately Mavis felt her heart constrict for the trembling boy; he can’t be more than twelve!
Kara circled behind the boy to ruffle his hair, “Simon Canot here is lower cast, but he hasn’t been a good little boy have you Simon?” When the boy didn’t respond Kara completed her circle and continued, “No, Simon has committed a horrendous crime. While doing his job, he tried to hack into the University computers.”
“I- I was just trying to download books onto my tablet…” Though his voice trembled, his icy blue eyes were glaring at Kara.
“Excuse me,” the girl turned to face him, “what did you say? I don’t think the nice ladies and gentlemen could hear you.”
“I was trying to download books,” Simon projected. Then he dropped his gaze, “I like to read, stories, fiction, that sort of thing.”
“Oh?” Kara exclaimed in feigned astonishment, “A lower cast boy who likes to read,” she turned back to the crowd, “Now what do we think of that?” The question ignited an eruption of jeers and boos, making the boy close his eyes, trying to shut it out. Kara shook her head, “I just don’t understand it Simon, we give you everything you need, provide good food, shelter, a tablet with plenty of games to play, plenty of funny shows to watch, and yet you still choose to do something you’re not supposed to.”
“I like to read,” Simon repeated.
Kyla grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back, so they were eye to eye, “Don’t you understand boy! It’s not about what you like! It’s about where you belong and what you’re supposed to do! You weren’t supposed to be reading books, much less fiction that is off limits even to most of the upper cast, and you certainly weren’t supposed to be hacking into university computers.”
“I wasn’t hacking,” Simon protested, “they are easy to use, I was using it.”
Kara shoved his head back then turned to the crowd with an apologetic shrug, “He just won’t learn.” This earned her a wave of chuckles and she went to Roland who handed her a metal wand Mavis hadn’t noticed before. She flipped a switch, causing a faint buzzing sound, “What do you think folks? Shocks or no shocks?”
“Shock! Shock! Shock! Shock!” the eruption was immediate and so immense Mavis thought she could feel the pressure of it as a tidal wave crashing down in her.
Kara shrugged, “If you insist.” Then she took the wand and pressed it against his rib cage. Simon howled in pain, and the crowd erupted in cheers and foot stomping. As the shocks continued again and again, the boy began to cry. Mavis bit her lip, struggling not to punch out the nearest cheering idiots as she watched him. After several minutes Kara paused, “Now, I want you to kneel before me lower cast scum.” The boy did nothing. “Did you hear me?” She leaned in close, her tone stone cold, “I said to kneel.”
“N-no,” Simon stuttered, “y-y-you’re mean! And I don’t listen to mean people!”
Very good Simon! Very good! Mavis cheered in her mind.
Scowling, Kara pressed her wand to the back of his legs, forcing him to scream as he fell to his knees. Mavis flinched as the want pressed to the back of his neck and he began to convulse as he screamed.
Just survive this Simon! Mavis continued to watch as more shocks came, willing him to look up and understand, Just survive Simon, survive and I promise I’ll take you away, I’ll rescue you and take you someplace safe. Somewhere where you can read all the books you want. I just need you to survive. Please Simon please.
Then for a moment he lifted his head. His tear stained blue eyes met hers and she saw him straighten, as if understanding and encouraged by her message. Then there was a bang, and her jerked once.
The boy fell, and behind him stood Kara, gun still raised, “There is no space in our great nation for people who don’t know where they belong.”
*****
Try as she might, Mavis could not put Simon out of her mind. She kept seeing his expression, that moment of courage, of hope, then… She shuttered. She turned into her apartment and after shutting the door behind her, went straight for the room and threw herself face down into bed to scream into her pillow. As she lay there, she felt her phone vibrate. She tried to ignore it, but the little device buzzed again, “Damn it! Who could be texting me right now?” Then she smiled when she saw the name, Lawrence. Mavis took a deep breath then opened the messages.
Lawrence: Hey baby, I miss you. Love? Will I get to see you today? Cal and I will be playing pool if you want to join in.
The girl hesitated before responding.
Mavis: No, I can’t come today, have a lot of homework.
She tossed the phone aside, but within seconds it went off again and she scrambled to get it.
Lawrence: Oh no problem, how about you work in the lab and we can be there with you. I have a lot of work too I should be doing…
Mavis: No, no, I think I’ll stay in the apartment today.
Lawrence: Um alright… Is something bothering you? You seem down.
Mavis: I’m fine, just have a lot on my mind.
Lawrence: A lot? How about you tell me the top three, so we can talk about them???
For a moment Mavis stared at her phone, debating on what to do. Finally, she replied.
Mavis: A boy was shot today…. At the school assembly… It was a demonstration to keep people in line… And the way they all cheered when he was in pain, when he… It just really hit me hard.
&nb
sp; Lawrence: *huuuuuuuuug* Shit, I’m so sorry… That’s rough… Did you know him?
Mavis: No… But that didn’t matter, he was just so brave. Like if you had been born lower cast that could have been you Lawrence! It could still be you…
His reply took several minutes before it came.
Lawrence: But that’s not going to be me Mavis, I promise I’m not going to be shot and left for dead somewhere. I will always come back to you.
Mavis: I know you say that but what if you don’t… What if you don’t have a chance to survive no matter how hard you try?
Lawrence: Mavis I will come back to you… I know you’re in a lot of pain right now, I know this hit you hard and that’s okay, you’re human and I’d be surprised if it didn’t… But baby, you can’t take what happened to this boy and automatically assume it will happen to me… And also, if we live in fear of what might happen, we won’t be effective air confident in our missions, and then bad things will happen. I’m not saying don’t feel sad for the boy, I’m just saying don’t take it as a bad omen for what might happen to me.
Frustrated, the girl shoved her phone under the pillow and crossed her arms. He doesn’t understand! She threw her head onto the pillow and closed her eyes. Stupid boy. I love him, I worry, why is that so hard to get! How can I not think of Simon and worry about him? How can I not?
Sighing, Mavis shook her head. I need to stop thinking about Simon. Lawrence is not Simon. And I can’t let this get in the way of everyday life, otherwise that’s just a victory for them… Life moves on Mavis, life moves on…
In a hurry she picked up her phone.
Mavis: Do you know what I need??? I need a date night, I have the perfect idea!
*****
That Sunday Mavis found herself staring out at the ocean of her childhood memories from the small hometown in Gildon County. It had been a struggle, but here, in this place which ignited so many happy memories, she had managed for a moment to let the stress melt away. Smiling to herself she closed her eyes and leaned back into the warm sand, deeply inhaling and exhaling the faint salty scent, imagining for a moment that there was nothing else in the world and that she could be safe.