“Our city isn’t here.” She smiled. “We’ll take a vehicle across the plains. Won’t be that long. Just sit back and relax.”
“A vehicle?” I repeated, feeling a sense of dread at the word.
I felt a fierce curiosity as the gate by the wall opened. I knew I should be in class, but doubted anyone noticed. We had learned just days ago about the Monospaces and how they transported newborns to other towns.
I’d never seen the gates open. It was a rarity. Only on days the Monospaces entered and left the city was it necessary. I hid alongside an empty house. The family living there was at work, a job assigned by the government. My body stayed pressed tightly to the siding, peeking out every so often to watch with fascination as vehicles rolled in, one after another. I’d never seen cars, trucks, tanks, or any other type of transportation before. I read about a few types of transportation – mostly trains and planes in books – but this was real. I could almost reach out and touch them.
The vehicles came to a halt just inside the town, and my body froze, afraid if I didn’t stay still I’d be seen. The government considered skipping school a misdemeanor the first time and a public felony the second. I’d already been caught once and was forced to do community service at school. The second time would mean I’d be brought before the Governor and he would choose my punishment. I wouldn’t let that happen.
I stood from the sidelines, unable to do anything as a guard walked across the street and pounded on the door of a home. I didn’t know the family. I didn’t have to know them to understand what was happening. The government owned her second child. She was nothing more than a surrogate after her first child was born.
“Please, no! You can’t take my baby!” The mother rushed outside screaming as she chased the guard who held her newborn. Dressed in rags with ratty hair, she looked filthy. I’d never seen anyone dressed so terribly. The government always provided citizens with clothes. Why had they not given her new necessities?
“He’s not your son,” the guard warned her, protecting the child at all costs.
Another guard stepped out from the truck. “Is there a problem?”
The mother’s face reddened with tears. As I stared closer, I could see the apparent bruises on her neck and arms. She pulled the rags, once a robe, tighter around her broken body. “You can’t take my only child!”
I gasped, her only child? The government wasn’t supposed to take a family’s first child, only the second born and any thereafter. I didn’t understand what I was seeing. I didn’t understand what was happening around me.
“Please!” The mother shouted, defying the government and not caring about its repercussions.
The guard carefully positioned the newborn into the back of the truck inside a special seat, before turning around with his gun drawn on the woman. “You’ll go back inside before what happened to your daughter happens to you.”
“You’ll kill me?” She laughed hysterically. “Go ahead!” She stepped one foot in front of the other. Not a hint of fear in her eyes. “My husband would if he could. Why shouldn’t you be the ones to do it? You made me marry him!” I could hear the scuffle of commotion as they fought over the gun. I couldn’t see who had it or who was winning. I doubted there would be any winners today.
The truck blocked my view as a shot rang out. Blood smeared along the car window, and the mother’s body slid down the car and onto the ground into the gutter. I gasped in horror and choked back a sob as I ran further away from the vehicles, the Monospaces and guards. I wanted no part of ever being near a vehicle again.
“You’ve seen a car before, right?” Scarlet asked as though it were no big deal. She hadn’t noticed the fear on my face, and I certainly didn’t expect her to understand the reason. If she was lucky, she’d never lived a day in Genesis. Joshua hadn’t known my fear, either. I never found the courage to tell him what I witnessed. “Get in and buckle up. It’s not a long drive.”
Joshua glanced over the car. “I’ve never seen one,” he confessed to Scarlet. “We never had the need for them back at home.” He turned and stared at me. “You okay?” he asked, looking me over as he helped me into the backseat.
“Fine.” I sighed, buckling myself in. I could hear the latch as Joshua secured his own seatbelt. My body was covered in a sheen of sweat, and I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t know whether to be grateful or offended he sat up front beside her. As we took off in the open-air vehicle, I quickly decided I was grateful. The bumps jolted me around and my stomach was doing somersaults. I just hoped we wouldn’t crash.
From the backseat, I could barely hear what they said, but she sounded flirty and rather pleased with herself. Joshua smiled and I could see her reach out, resting a hand on his forearm. I wanted to slap the smile off her face. I couldn’t move though. It was impossible, considering the fact I was restrained by the safety belt and we were moving across the plains at an astonishing speed. I gripped the backseat, wanting this ride to be over and was hoping we’d arrive soon.
“Are we there yet?” I screamed into the wind as I felt us make a sharp turn, and we headed as what I could only imagine to be west.
“Relax, Olivia. I’ll get you there in one piece.” Her laughter vibrated through the vehicle, and I shuddered at the thought of Joshua smiling and laughing with her. I couldn’t see his face from where I was situated, but didn’t dare move, either. No. I would not be jealous. I had no reason to be.
The ride seemed to last forever. It felt longer than the walk through the tunnel but I knew that was unlikely because the sun hadn’t yet set.
CHAPTER 6
We crested a hill, or what Scarlet explained to us was once called ‘The Bluffs.’ I didn’t ask what that meant – I found myself too tired as my eyes grew heavy. In the distance, I spotted a city. Finally, I could see our destination.
We drove faster – it hardly seemed possible – whizzing past old buildings, structures that hadn’t been tended to in at least five hundred years.
Approaching the town, barbed wire surrounded the community. What were they trying to keep out? We hadn’t seen much on the drive. I saw no signs of civilization during the ride from the underground tunnel. I knew the horrendous stories from school about the Gravelands, but so far, I’d witnessed only miles of nothingness.
We approached the guards standing tall at the entrance. They opened the gate without so much as us slowing down. Clearly, they knew Scarlet and didn’t feel it necessary to wait. I wondered if getting in and out was so easy, or just for her. Who exactly was Scarlet, our escort on the final leg from the tunnel to the rebel alliance? Hastily she made her way through the city. The tallest buildings seemed to reach the sky and tower above the clouds. Eyeing the streets, I couldn’t tell where people lived. Every building looked different. I knew my mouth hung open, but I couldn’t help it. “Why the need for such lavish buildings?” I asked staring up at the skyscrapers, my eyes squinting towards the sun.
“That was built long before Haven was a town,” Scarlet explained, “we just try and make the most of the buildings and resources we have.”
“The government doesn’t interfere?” I couldn’t fathom how they would be left alone. Was it not obvious people were living within the city? Was the barbed wire not evidence enough?
“There’s a mutual understanding between us,” Scarlet answered. “We’re bugs to them and so long as we don’t infect their homes and invade their space, they have no reason to squash us. That’s enough for me.” She didn’t elaborate and I felt as though she was implying I shouldn’t ask questions about it. “I know it’s different, but you’ll get used to it,” she called over her shoulder, the wind whipping through the truck. “The city looks big but there’s only a few thousand people here. Nothing compared to Torv. Have you heard of that city?” She didn’t give either of us time to answer. “I’ve heard your home in Genesis was much smaller, but you’ll find Haven to be home in no time. I’m going to take you to your quarters. You’ll find sleeping arrangements and a place for you both to shower and get cleaned up. After that, the council has plans to meet with you.”