chapter 1

Chapter One

            Times change. Anyone who reads this book has obiously not seen it’s time. This is not only the story of a nation that only allows two children for every house hold. This is a story of a world where rules are very strict. This is the story of the earth divided at the hemisphere, the upper half is considered the controlled group. The controlled group has the very strict rules. The lower half of the devided hemisphere is the free nation. The free nation is more or less like the world we live in. Where we are considered free but in reality we are not. No one is really free anymore anywhere. The definition of freedom is to do at will. We do not have the power to do exactly what we please. We follow rules to keep our world from falling to peises in war or utter catastrofee. The rules in the controlled group are far worse, their definitions of fair or freedom would snap us like a tooth pick. We are week, those in this controlled nation are the strong ones. Their desions are made for them, they have no knowledge to fight back for their freedom as they believe their world is the only such thing. The controlled group has absoluly no knowledge of the free nation and the free nation hs no idea the controlled union even exists.

            In the controlled nation, you pick almost nothing for yourself as it is chosen for you. You do not choose your home, that is given to you at random. You do not pick your job as that is given to you based on your school refrences. You do not pick your husband or wife. Finally you do not pick your death date, although no one chooses their death date, in the controlled nation you are murdered on your eightieth birthday. How is this all chosen for you? You may ask. You make an appointment on your six teenth birthday, you go to the department of homes and partners to begin your life. I would start you now on the front of the story but first we must back track to a young women named Olivia.

            Olivia has just recently finished her school years and is now beginning her training as a birth mother. Birth mothers and birth fathers are special jobs for special people. Two of each are choosen a year. Their jobs are the foundation of the communities. Or the controlled nation. The nation is separated is separated by communities. There are five communities, North, South, East, West and the Elder communities. These are the communities known of. With out birth parents the communities would be impossible. Olivia has brown hair, green eyes that sparkle in the sun, and a very pretty face that can capture anyone’s attention. Her mind is advanced and very full of information of children and how they are conceived. Olivia’s beginning begins at the Northern community, in the centural library. Olivia runs her hand along an old wall where books are stacked high and tall.

            “Where is that book I wonder?” She pondered to herself. Her hand hit against a small circle against the wall. She looks down to it, curious. She extends her right hand from her side and pushes the small circle. After a creek and shuffling inside the walls a circular door breaks apart from the wall. Inside tourches are lit, lighting the way. Tourches indicate to Olivia that people are meant to enter. She steps inside, finding the spiral staircase that begins her journey. Olivia climbs down, and down, and down. Soon she enters a small room. The room is covered in mirrors. In the middle there lays a box, the box is hand carved from an oak tree, it is painted in liquid gold and is most likely worth a fourtune. Olivia strides to the small box. Carved in the front the words say, “you are choosen to behold this box. Take a look inside, unless you want to return to your normal life.” Olivia Cracked open the box to reveal a map, a necklace and a diary. The diary tells the tale of a girl who lived in the free nation. It revealed the true story of the world. Now to the forfront of the story which will be told in first person of Samantha Richards.

            This whole thing started for me on my sixteenth birthday. Today I would leave my home, my parents and everything I knew for the unknown part of my future. Today I would receive my job, my home and my partner in life. Once I received my job I would begin my training for my job. Afterwards I would work for three months and then add my first child to my life. My first thing to do would be to move my small amount of goods to my new home. I was not taking much. I took several of my books, my clothes and finally a bracelet my mother had given me three days before. It’s odd how three days ago things were some what peaceful but now every one is freeking out about my leaving. Everyone but me. My young brother Robby has been my shadow for about two weeks, my father has been showering me with gifts for a week, and my mother actually sat me down and had a real conversation with me. Her words rang in my ears.

            “My mother gave this to me when I left home. She told me when I aquired a daughter I was to give it to her when she left. I hope you will do the same when your daughter leaves.” My mother said this with a wink. She normally was not a very sentimental person. Hardly showing any affection to my brother or myself, I took the affection I could attain.

            “Mom? Why do I not know your mom?” Her eyes popped. I supposed I ruined a moment between my mother and I with my unimportant questions.

            “Mustn’t speak of that.” She said then coughed.

            I looked to my barren room. The pictures of my family and myself had been taken down and moved to the attict. This showed that I was truly leaving this home. All that remained in my room was my bed, my desk and my empty dresser. When Robby moved away also, my mother and father would move to the community of elders. There they would help to make the decisions of the communities. Once my parents did not live here anymore new people would move in here. I was somewhat sad that I would be leaving although it made no sence to be sad. Leaving would soon be in my past, the past is meant to stay behind us. I walked down the carpeted stairs to the tiled kitchen where my parents sat, sipping tea.

            “Should we head over to the department?” I asked both of them. They glansed p as if just realized I had entered the room. My mother looked solemn but not crying. My father had broken into a grin. I guessed they were talking of my ‘surprise party’ that I knew about. I had accidently heard my father on the phone with some one previously.

“I suppose so.” My mother said in her monotone voice. “Your appointment is at three…” She glanced to the clock which read two thirty.

“Let’s get you out of this house!” My father called energetically. My mother handed me my copy of the nations’ handbook, and my life folder that was once white. Now it was yellowing at the corners and seems. This folder held the story of my life. It told which school I had attended, what classes I went to and who with, my grades through out my whole life. This folder was as old as I was, sixteen years old, that is pretty old for a folder. Everyone’s folder looked about the same by now, some made mostly out of tape and glue. Mine was in better shape then others. A wave of home sickness hit me as I realized that this could be the last time I would ever see this old folder.

            We walked down the cracked, brick walkway that led to the shed where we kept our bikes. Father pulled them from the shed and led us to the side walks where we began to ride toward the department where I would have my appointment. I put my folder into the basket which had long ago rusted out the stickers and tastles I had stuck to it. As we drove through the town we passed the older school building. Robby was still in school, but kids in their fourteenth year of school are let out two weeks early to arrange themselves in their new lives. Although I am sixteen we graduate at our fourteenth year. Everyone in the community begins school at two years old so school lasts until you are sixteen there for fourteen years of school.

            Soon we swerved into the department’s parking lot. After chaining up our bikes we started to head inside. Chaining up our bikes is in my opinion pointless as everyone in Northern had a bike. There are rumors that people down in South have large moving machines they can control by turning a wheel. Out in the West they do not have bikes at all. They must walk everywhere. People out in the East are largly overfed and look absolutely discusting. In the West people are thin from lack of food and to much ex they do not have bikes at all. They must walk everywhere. People out in the East are largly overfed and look absolutely discusting. In the West people are thin from lack of food and to much exersize. We are better off in food storage as we now have our weather control under control. It is a very good thing we do or we would be frozen under three thousand feet of ice. Because of our weather control we have four seasons. Our fist snow storm begins on December eleventh, our spring comes on April first, Summer comes on June Second and finally Autumn comes on October twenty second.

            I have never been inside inside the department of life. Children under the age of sixteen are aloud inside. In fact as we stepped inside a guard stopped us and demanded to see the contents of my folder. I guess I did not look sixteen as the group following my family went straight through with out being stopped. Approaching a door I took a deep breath as I entered the main room I took a deep breath of the stale air inside. Inside there were no windows. The room reminded me of my doctor’s office down the street, it was an off whit with brown paint at the edges where wall met another wall or cealing which was brown. My mother checked me in well my father and I sat down, next to one and other.

            “So… This is it. You’re all grown up.”

“It is so weird. I know I have been waiting for this my whole life and yet now I feel so afraid.”

“Baby, you will be alright! I know you will! I can tell by the way you act. You are a very independent person! You handle yourself so well. You can do this.”

“Thanks dad, I hope I can.”

“You can.”

            After this heart to heart with my father I felt full of confidence. I knew if I were to get through this day I was going to have to be confident and brave. According to the nations’ handbook this was to be the most exciting and most stressful day in my life. Our nations’ handbook was given to us on our seventh birthday. The seventh birthday was very important to everyone as we received our copy of the nation’s handbook, it told us of the life in the community we were going to live. It told us the plot line of our lives. Every copy was exactly alike. As the copy sat in my lap I decided to open the book for one last time. I opened the book and saw the names I had already memorized,

            Amanda Perkins. 4/22/69

            Julian Robert 4/22/69

            Elizabeth Burke 4/22/77

            Johnny Talbot 4/22/87

            Samantha Cole 4/22/96

 

            I had already noticed the two names with the same date. No one ever bothered to explain so I never bothered to ask. I had been wondering about those names and dates for a very long time. Flipping to the last page I noticed a message I had never seen before scribbled in blue ink.

            “There’s a better place! Run! Get to the States! Hurry!”

            The writing was big and blocky unlike my own narrow print. The states? I wondered what they were, or where rather. A memory and saying flooded through my mind. My parents had been having a conversation late one night after Robby and I were supposed to be astleep. I was fourteen and felt it nessisary for me to know what they spoke of when I was not around. Did they talk of me? I had crept down the stairs and hid beside the outside wall of the kitchen.

            “She is growing so rapidly! She’s just so different, it feels as though just yesterday I took Sammy to her first day of schooling, she was only two then! Now ook at her! She is almost a full grown women! And Robby! Have you seen him? He eats so much and yet it just seems to make him grow tall and strong! Do you know what he said to me yesterday? He looked up at me and said “’Dad? I’ll get a job soon like Samantha right?”’ and of course I said yes. So he then asked, ‘” Do I have to be a construction worker? That’s what you do but I don’t want to! I want to be an artist.’” Where in the devil did he hear that accursed word?”

“Maybe from one of Sammy’s history books? I’ve caught him reading them countless times.” My mother whistpered. She was clearly tired.

“Possibly. Art though? Art was dropped from us hundreds of years ago, what he means anyway, painting, and clayworks. Preposterious! Simply unused and uneeded tasks.”

“I suppose although that is technically what I do…” My mother is a clothing designer. “Maybe he’ll hear of the states someday and try to flee?”

“Do not ever say that! That is a parent’s worst nightmare!” That is all I remember of their conversation as right after I had crept back up the stairs and into bed. It seem t me for a place that was not ften spoken of it kept coming into my life.

            “Samantha Cole?” a meek, almost mousey voice called my name. I popped up from the chair quickly. My father stood with me. My mother touched his arm. The look ub her eyes told me I would be alone on this one, not that she was ever really there for me in the first place.

            “Dad?” I felt nervous, all I wanted right now was to be followed by my parents. Dad looked from my mother to me and back. He sat back down and my heart sank. My mother gestured me forward and my father nodded in agreement. I swallowed hard and followed the mousey women through a door which lead to a hallway with many other doors. I knew what I had to do but I ignored it. I put one foot in front of the other and felt like a soldier marching solitarily into army. A suicidal mission.

            We walked through a wooden door and into a new room. Inside there were many file cabinets and paperwork was spread all around the room. Everything inside the room had a soft look about it, as if it were maluable at my will.

“First I will show you a picture of your home. You will move away from your parents and you will move in with your partner. Today when you choose your partner he must also choose you. Today you will meet twelve young men who wll speak to you for five minutes. Each of them will have a number based on when they enter the room. You are the forth female they will meet. Who ever you find yourself to have the best connection n with is number one. The second one you choose is second best. Now I will show you a picture of your home and then tell you your job.” She spoke this all in a rush, as if to just get through the speech.

            She went to the file cabinets and found one folder marked with my name. Opening it, she sat back down. She pulled a photograph from the folder. She passed the picture to me and waited for a response. The house was wood toned and had a garden in the back. It was like every other home in the community except one thing made it stick out. The mailbox out front was broken to shambles. The mailbox is the only reason I know where the house is. The rest of the house was of course perfect and chances are, the community construction workers would fix the mailbox before I even got there.

            The mousey women smiled and said, “Would you like to know your job now?” I nodded without changing the expresson on my face. I was to nervous to smaile and yet to nervous to shake. She reopened he folder and retrieved a stack of paperwork. She smiled and sighed.

“You have been given a sweet and humble job. Your salary will be two hundred lire a week. Your home is one thousand lire. Your partner and yourself can save for the house,  paying fiftey lire a week for rent. You can pay that money here to the Department. Now… Your job.” She paused, letting the tension build then, after glancing to the papers once again, she said “School teacher.” A lump formed in my throat. My eyes filled with tears. I had never enjoyed school or even liked it! Now I was being sent back to the school house for a job. Wonderful.

            “You seem upset. Most people react this way, beleave it or not. I am sure once you get used to your job you will learn to love it.” She seemed genuinely concerned about me. I wiped my tears as we left the room and went into a room across the hall way.

            She ushered me into a mirrored room. Every part of it was shiny like a well polished mirror. As I sat down I realized that the room acted as if I was not even there. I picked up a clip board and pencil just to see if I could be initiated into the room. I was more or less rejected. The clip board and pencil jumped from the table but I did not morph in to the room as I had hoped I  would.

“On to choosing your partner! This is the most exciting time of the day.”

“I always thought it would be the most nerve racking.” I said.

“No need to be afraid! I will be right outside the door if you need any help.”

 I sat in bewilderment at the confusing room. You would think the sharp edged chairs would be hard and uncomfortable but instead they were soft and molded to your shape.

            A nock came at the door and a young man entered. After he nocked I scribbled down on the clip board, very polite! My writing was shaky and illedgable. The nob clicked as it turned and in walked the man I had known sense my first year of schooling.

“Hello Samantha!” He called in a happy tone. He had always insisted on calling me by my first name instead of sammy. I remember asking hi why one day, he had told me, “Well, it is your name!” We had been good friends.

“Hey Ant.” I said.

            Our conversation fell easily into place. We talked about our new jobs, he cringed at his job as I cringed at my own. Anthony was to be a builder. Our minutes passed and eventually ended before we wanted them to.

“Time!” called the mouse women, she said this loudly, it was the loudest I had ever heard her speak. She ushered him out, with one last wave and a smile, he was gone. One down and eleven to go.

            Number two walked in, I hadn’t the faintest idea of his name. “Hey there!” He called loudly, even though I was sitting directly in front of him. “Hi.” I sad there with out a word. He kept talking. He talked and talked. Would he ever run out of air? The minutes passed slowly and aqwardly. He was to loud and I was to quiet. We were unfortunetly exact opposites. Numbers three and four were very talkative but only about themselves. They were conceited and had absolutely no interest in who I was as a person. They also refused to let me get a word in, eventually I quit and just sat.

            Number five walked in, he smiled at me warmly. “Hi. My name’s Mark.” He waited for me to speak.

            “My name is Sammy.” I replied. We began talking, first about our jobs. He was to be a school teacher as well. He preferred English over math as I did,  he preferred football to soccer as well. He was nice and considerate.

            We talked until our time was up. “Nice meeting you.” He said as he walked out. He smiled as I blushed.

            Six was cocky and rude. He did not believe women had the rights to work. He believed their only job in life was to care for and wait on their husbands. He was a definite no.  It does not matter about the rest, I will spare you the details.   

            I scribbled on my paper, one and five. Hopefully they would choose me. I stood and walked out of the mirror room. As I walked into the beige hall way, I handed my choices to the mouse women. She smiled and said “Very well. Thank you. If you would, please continue to the waiting room where in half an hour you will be given your results. Paper work eats up a lot of time.” She said all of this like I understood even though I did not. I had thought It would be as simple as grabbing both papers and seeing if there were any matches. I suppose they had their own ways of doing things.

            I walked into the waiting room. My parents had left. I had not expected them to stick around for three hours but It would have been nice if they had told me they were leaving. When I sat where my mother had been sitting, I caught a wave of home sickness. I tried to push it aside but discovered I could not. What was I really so upset about? I would be going back home to collect my things. I thought back to the past, simpler days, times where mud pies and school days were huge parts of my life. Now it was so hard, becoming an adult and getting a job. It was not supposed to be tis frightening, it was supposed to be exciting and fun. I was supposed to love my job, love everything about being an adult. It did not look that way so far.

            “Samantha. Your results are in,” Said a low voice. The voice sounded controlling and very powerful. I stepped up to the front desk and was surprised to see a small Latina women holding a large manilla envelope out to me. This envelope was very big. As I returned to my seat I broke the seal of the envelope, very carefully. With the edge of my thumb nail so not to damage the documents inside. In the beginning it was all conformation of myself, my name, my birth date, my age, gender and medical records. I flipped to the following page where there was a letter from my new partner.