by Kim McMahill
“Don’t ever say that, Mother. The authorities don’t know what’s best for us. Maybe all the laws and rules have solved some of society’s problems, but the trade-off isn’t worth it.”
“Five minutes,” came the voice behind the glass.
Nyla was certain the monitor wasn’t paying attention or she would have already been thrown out for discussing inappropriate material. Visits were too few and too short for people to discuss much, so conversations were only randomly monitored. The Facility didn’t bother using hi-tech listening technology their perceived invincibility gave them an arrogant confidence.
“Okay,” Nyla replied.
The woman nodded and then resumed playing her game.
Nyla grasped her mother’s small, shriveled hand and looked deep into her eyes. She inched closer and lowered her voice. “Mother, tell me about the village where they live.”
Rachel felt confused by the desperation she detected in her daughter’s voice. They had talked about Daniel, Carlos and Mexico before, but only briefly. Rachel hadn’t thought her daughter was even interested in that portion of her life, but had only listened to be polite.
“I don’t even know if they’re still there, but when Carlos took me to his home to have Daniel, so the baby wouldn’t be taken from me, it was a peaceful place. The village was small and isolated and everyone was family whether they were related or not. Mexico City was the hub of government activity, so the rural towns were very much in charge of themselves. In the evenings, we would sit on top of the high cliffs and look out over the Rio Bravo below to America on the far side of the river. The scene was so incredibly beautiful. I still think about sitting there with Carlos while holding Daniel in my arms. It reminded me of when I was a little girl and lived with my mom and dad. I wanted that feeling of family for both of my children.”
“Tell me more,” Nyla demanded.
Rachel was afraid of what this conversation could do to both of them, but couldn’t deny her daughter’s plea.
“There were no computers or robots. I would sweep the house with a broom Carlos had made of grass and we hung our laundry on the line to dry in the wind. His mother sewed all of our clothes by hand with threads so brightly colored that it made me smile just to look at the garments. The house always held the pleasant aroma of tortillas, frijoles and empanadas cooking on the wood stove. Everything was simple and my short village stay still seems like it was a wonderful dream. I wanted that life for you more than anyone can possibly understand.”
“I can’t believe so much has changed during your lifetime. It had to be difficult to live in the generation which encouraged family in the beginning, to only have it outlawed in the traditional sense so few years later.”
Rachel nodded as she tried to suppress the tears welling in her eyes. The thought of having her children and Carlos with her was such a glorious vision, but also painful. She knew she would never leave the Facility so the dream was simply a fantasy. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath and tried to focus on another topic.
“You know, I’m the envy of all the other prisoners. I get far more visitors than anyone else. You and your grandmother have been so faithful over the years. I hope you realize how much I appreciate you spending time with me in this wretched place.”
Nyla found it depressing that she was the only person visiting a prisoner, as usual. The Facility was full of women like Rachel. The families of these women had dissolved and most of Nyla’s generation had embraced or at least accepted the new family ordera woman and one child of an unknown father. There was no need for marriage or divorce and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases had been eliminated. There were no unwanted babies or domestic violence, and little emotion could be detected in the zombie-filled streets of America.
“Here.” Nyla handed her mother a tissue.
She sat silently, giving her mother time to contain her sadness. Nyla wanted to know more, but she hated seeing the pain and guilt in her mother’s tired eyes. As she waited, her thoughts drifted to Ethan. Women had become so used to not needing or wanting a man and living separate gender-dictated lives, that no one seemed to notice how odd life was or how scarce or perfect the few remaining males had become. Nyla had seen photos of men in history books and pictures of her grandfather and his brothers. Many of those men were short, heavy, bald, frail, or had poor complexions, but not anymore. Something had happened to those men and all that remained were young men like Ethan and Jared.
Nyla glanced at the clock. They were almost out of time and she yearned to hear more of her mother’s stories. “Please continue. We only have a few minutes left and I want to know everything. I know it’s impossible, but anything you can tell me will be treasured.”
Again, the desperation in her daughter’s voice stunned her. Rachel was confused by the sudden change in Nyla, but the desire to share her memories with her daughter was overwhelming. The risk of talking about her crime was great and she didn’t want Nyla punished, but there was nothing else left the authorities could take from her.
“I left Mexico when Daniel was only a month old, because when I looked across the river all I could see was you. Carlos was a student on a temporary Visa at the college studying American government and politics when I met him, so he knew about you. He wanted to raise you like his own, so you could experience the love of a father. He promised me it would happen. I don’t blame him though, he tried. He wanted to come for you, but I wouldn’t let him. If I got caught I knew I would be sent here, but if a foreign man was caught abducting a female American child, he would have been executed.”
The buzzer sounded, signaling their time was up. Nyla would have to wait another week to see her mother again. Usually the realization pained her, but this time it also made her anxious. She needed to hear more and the thought of waiting another week made her want to scream. The injustice only made Nyla more determined to change the course of her future.
“I’m so sorry you didn’t stay, it sounds like El Paraíso,” Nyla whispered into her mother’s ear as she hugged her tight.
Rachel was unable to respond. She had never heard anyone say the name of Carlos’ village before and she couldn’t remember ever telling Nyla its name. Maybe she had. In the Facility the days ran together and conversations and dreams melded into one mind-numbing vision, always making it difficult for her to separate reality from fantasy.
“What is this place doing to me? I must be losing my mind,” Rachel muttered as she watched Nyla walk out the door.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Nyla left the Facility in a different mood than usual. Visits with her mother usually depressed and angered her. She always saw a somber place sucking the life out of her mother, but this time she saw the woman, the woman who had dreams strong enough to endure the forced psychological treatments, drugs and solitude of the Facility.
“Door unlock. No window tint. Ignition on. Air conditioning, high,” Nyla demanded as she approached her car.
She slid into the vehicle and drove from the parking lot as her mind wandered back to her conversation with her mother. Nyla hoped she hadn’t gotten her into trouble by talking about a prohibited subject, but it felt so good to discuss something real for a change.
As she approached Claire’s house she spied her friend waiting on the front steps, smiling and waving enthusiastically. Nyla stopped the car, but didn’t turn off the motor. There was no point in getting out since she was not welcome in the Riley home and had no desire to risk a run-in with Katherine.
Claire darted out and jumped into the passenger seat. Nyla quickly pulled away before they could be stopped. She glanced into her rearview digital monitor and saw Katherine open the front door, but pretended she hadn’t noticed and kept driving.
“How’s your mom?”
“Small and weak, but still holding on to her happy memories.”
“I’m sorry you have to go through that alone.”
“You tried to come with me as long as you could and I appreciat
e that.”
Claire nodded and fell silent as they drove through the empty streets. Few people had cars, so they shared the roads with mostly drones, monitors in solar-powered carts and the occasional official government vehicle. The unfriendly traffic and prying eyes always made Nyla uncomfortable and relief swept over her as she left them behind.
Just outside of town, not far from the farm, Nyla drove up a small hill to the public overlook that provided a sweeping panorama of town. The view from the hill always inspired Nyla. There was still a wild element left in the Southwest making it easy to slip into a fantasy world devoid of microchips, lasers, computers, robotics, satellites, tracking devices and monotony. At the overlook, it was possible to hear birds, smell wild flowers, feel the breeze tickle the skin and listen to the hum of insects. There were no scanners, no street monitors and only one surveillance camera, that was easy enough to avoid, which made Nyla feel more at ease here than anywhere else in town.
“We’d better get going,” Nyla stated as she turned away from the view.
“Let’s hurry, I don’t want to worry Jared. He seems so tense lately. I hope nothing is wrong.”
“Ethan thinks he’s getting confused about what we’re being taught and what we’ve always believed.”
“It’s tough trying to form your own opinions and hold onto your beliefs when doctrine is being force fed to you at every turn, but he’ll make the right choices and be true to his heart.”
Nyla could hear the confidence and pride in Claire’s voice as they jogged down the path leading away from the overlook. The trail wound its way along the hillside, providing frequent solar-powered computerized talking wayside exhibits discussing the native plants and the surrounding geology. The area was used occasionally by students on mandatory field trips, but since school was out, Claire and Nyla had the place to themselves.
They made sure no one was in the area before veering off the path. Dropping over a small rocky outcrop, they picked their way down the slope, watching for snakes, trying to avoid stepping on cactus with their inappropriate footwear. The custom formed soles of their shoes eliminated back pain for most people, but the soft synthetic material designed for a fabricated environment could not defend itself from the sturdy spines of a cactus.
When they reached their destination, they could tell Ethan and Jared had already arrived. The brush hiding the composite sheeting Ethan had cut and wedged into the cavern opening to conceal it and keep animals out had been moved. It was difficult to obscure the opening from the inside and they knew their secret was most vulnerable while they were within the cavern.
Nyla carefully moved the brush and pulled out the sheeting. Claire scrambled through the small opening and turned to hold the cover while Nyla crawled through. Once both were inside they pulled the brush up to the hole before jimmying the sheeting back into place.
“You okay?” Nyla asked.
“Yep. I get so paranoid every time we come here that I unintentionally hold my breath until I about pass out, then I remember to breathe.”
Nyla giggled, grabbed Claire’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She could understand Claire’s fear, but to Nyla the cavern was a little bit of paradise. The guys had discovered it several years ago while hiking the hills above the farm, which they did whenever they needed to think or talk. Over the next couple of years they had used the cave sparingly, afraid too frequent of visits would increase the chances of it being discovered.
The cavern wasn’t very deep and Nyla could see a faint light up ahead. They waited a few moments for their eyes to adjust to the darkness and then followed the glow. Nyla looked around at each of her friends and knew they were as anxious as she to get started. She hesitated, hoping Ethan would take the lead as usual, but she knew it was ultimately her responsibility. She was scared, yet excited, and didn’t know where to begin.
Ethan walked up behind Nyla, wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on the top of her head. They were so comfortable with each other since they had been friends almost all their lives that Nyla didn’t realize how it looked to others until she noticed Jared and Claire staring at them with puzzled expressions on their faces. Ethan straightened and ruffled her hair as he casually walked around her and began talking to Jared about a problem on the farm.
Claire quickly bored of the farm conversation and rushed to Nyla’s side. “So what’s with you and Ethan now days?” she whispered.
“What do you mean?”
Nyla knew exactly what her friend meant and she wanted to ask Ethan the same question. They had always been close, but their friendship was changing. Ethan wasn’t about to talk to her about his feelings and she wasn’t sure of her own, so she’d just have to figure it out by herself.
“So what’s this secret meeting about anyway?” Jared asked, rescuing Nyla from having to find an answer to Claire’s question.
Nyla slipped around Claire and joined Ethan and Jared, who stood around a flickering candle flame. She looked at each friend and thought about how much each meant to her and a twinge of fear entered her mind. What if she was pushing them in the wrong direction? She hoped she was truly looking out for their future and not merely pursuing a selfish dream.
“Ethan is almost done with the career prep program. When he’s finished, his life will change drastically and he will be sent away. I’ve never seen a man return and I can’t help but fear they are probably exterminated once their usefulness is gone. I, for one, can’t let that happen to Ethan.”
“I’ve thought a lot about why the men who leave for the cities are never heard from again and none of the reasons are good, but what I really fear is losing my friends. If it weren’t for you three, I would have tried to escape the farm a long time ago. I have no loyalty to the woman who supposedly gave me life or the causes she embraces, but I would do anything for you all,” Ethan added.
Nyla stared at Ethan for a moment. It nearly brought tears to her eyes to hear such tender words from such a tough guy. Forcing herself to look away, she continued. “Throughout school we’ve been allowed to hang out together, but if we continue to see each other once Ethan’s finished with his education, we’ll draw too much attention.”
“I’m surprised we haven’t been separated by now, though I have no doubt my mother has tried,” Claire added. “I’m sure we can’t go on like this for much longer and the thought of being torn apart terrifies me.”
Nyla had often mulled over the situation and figured their lifelong friendships and individual situations had spared them. They had been friends since early childhood, so there would be no reason to think their relationships had changed and they had never caused any problems. Even if they were too close, the authorities had chosen to look the other way.
“Anyway,” Nyla continued. “Ethan will be expected to conform to the standard behavior of adulthood. He will continue to work on the farm until he receives his donation draft notice, and then shortly thereafter he will be called back East. That seems to be the order of events. He’ll still have Jared for a while, but his time with Claire and I will be over.”
“I assume there’s a point to all of this other than trying to scare us?” Jared asked.
“Yes, there is. The politicians, the Central Tracking Authority, SLIC and whoever else is out there trying to control our lives, can take away most peoples’ individuality, but they can’t have Ethan or me. What about you two? Are you with us?”
As Nyla looked at Claire she was certain she knew exactly what was going through her best friend’s mind. Nyla watched Claire’s gaze bounce from her to Jared and could see the panic welling up in the young woman’s eyes. Jared was only a year younger than Ethan, so once they lost Ethan, Jared wouldn’t be far behind.
Claire faced Jared and held his hands in hers while looking into his eyes. “I want in, but I won’t leave you behind. The decision is yours.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore. I know I’ve gone a little soft lately, even without Ethan constantly remi
nding me. I’m becoming more afraid of authority and breaking the rules, but I don’t want to lose any of you.” Jared looked down into Claire’s eyes and his heart melted. He saw tears welling in them, pleading with him for an answer. He couldn’t let her down and he couldn’t give her up any more than he could give up his best friend without a fight. He pulled Claire close and stroked her hair while brushing a tear from her cheek with his thumb and he knew life wouldn’t be worth living without her. “We’ll stay together, all of us, forever.”
Nyla was relieved. There was no turning back now. They would have to iron out the details of the plan, time it to perfection and execute it without a flaw. She had some doubts about whether or not they could pull it off, but she had done her homework and with the four of them working together she believed they had a good chance for success.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Nyla approached the row of identical gray houses with little enthusiasm. After her mother’s incarceration, the family no longer had income, so she and Grandmother Ruby were forced into government housing. There was no stigmatism associated with government provided essentials since it provided most services to the majority of the public, but accepting anything from the authorities made Nyla feel shackled.
“Ignition off,” Nyla muttered, her body slumped in the seat, hesitant to leave the car.
She stared out over the landscape, her eyes focusing on nothing in particular as she thought about her heritage. When her grandmother and mother first arrived in New Mexico, people still chose their own jobs, homes, friends and leisure activities, and people still greeted each other with handshakes, smiles and warm conversation. Surveillance cameras were absent and street monitors were unheard of. They were proud and independent. Few relied on the government and none wanted the control dependency inevitably created. She wondered why everyone had given in so easily.