Planned future

Chapter 1: Planned future

 

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

 

Audrey read the sentence again before slowly closing the book. She brushed her fingers over the blue cover, carefully tracing the eyes peering into her soul. Her fingertips could feel every blemish, even if it was expertly concealed. It was the third time she’d read it and it probably wouldn’t be the last. She rose from her seat on the windowsill overlooking the gardens and walked over to the old bookshelf. She placed the book back on its designated space, paying close attention to not damage it further. Her eyes scanned the shelves for something else to read, or rather reread, her finger tracing the spines. It stopped over a book she had read dozens of times, but never seemed to get bored of. She took it from the shelf and opened it on the first page. Reading the first sentence always felt a little like coming home.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

It was an all-time favorite. An added bonus was the fact that once she started, she wouldn’t have to wonder what book to start next for at least a couple of days. Having a lot of time on your hands did wonders for your reading skills, it seemed. She settled on her windowsill once more and started reading. Before long, however, the adventures of Harry Potter were interrupted by a knock on her door.  

“Audrey, dear, your father would like you to wear this dress to dinner tonight, there are some people that want to meet you.” The woman standing in the hallway handed her wrapped piece of fabric. Eveline was her name. She had been with Audrey for as long as she could remember, responsible for feeding, dressing, teaching and caring for her. Her father was too busy to be bothered with child care. 

“Alright,” Audrey answered. She took the dress from Eveline and closed her door. She hated the dinners her father organized. He was always parading her around for his so-called friends. She made her way over to her bathroom to get ready. After a nice long shower, she started working on her hair. She carefully braided her white hair into a long fishtail braid that reached down half her back. A couple of strands were as stubborn as their owner and refused to stay in their rightful place. She unwrapped the dress and looked at it. She had to admit it was rather pretty. The dress was made of a light, flowy type of pink chiffon. Audrey stepped into it and pulled the straps over her shoulders. The dress reached down  to the floor and had a deep neck plunge. Even though it showed quite a bit of skin, it still seemed rather innocent. Like all her dresses, she thought. If one were to paint het closet, they would need a lot of white paint and only a little color.  She didn’t put on a lot of makeup, mostly because she didn’t have much. It was hard to come by since the Great War. A little mascara usually did the trick. It made her bright blue eyes stand out against her pale skin. 

The Great War, she thought, it must have been terrible. She knew only what Eveline had taught her. In the year 2017, the world leaders decided to release the nuclear bombs they had at their disposal. It had been looming over the world for a while, the conflict between China, Russia and North Korea versus the rest of the world. Everyone had believed it would be over pretty soon, seeing as how the Americans had more weapons than the others. Sadly, they had been mistaken. The war lasted for over a year and only ended because there was nothing left to fight over. The world was destroyed.  Cities were ruined, people were killed. Only a few survived by hiding in shelters. Now, all the remaining people lived in this city. Utopia, they called it. There were walls all around it, keeping any outside threat away.  The city was in trouble, however. Even though there is enough food and clean water, there is another danger threatening the extinction of mankind. The fallout from the bombs had left nearly everyone infertile. A trait that was passed on through generations. It was soon discovered that only girls with blue eyes could have healthy children. All other girls had miscarriages or never even managed to conceive at all. Audrey was one of these blue eyes girls, a trait that made her special in this society. On her 18^th birthday, which was next week, she would be married to someone with an ideal set of genes to ensure the perfect offspring.

There was a firm knock on her door and Audrey made her way over to open it. Her father was standing just outside. 

“Are you ready, my love?” he asked her, holding out his hand. She nodded and placed her hand in his. Her father, Leopold, was in his 50’s. His skin was a little darker than hers and his hair had been grey for as long as she could remember. On the rare occasion he smiled, tiny wrinkles framed his face. 

“You look beautiful tonight, my dear,” he commented, “I’m sure our guests will be very pleased to meet you.” Audrey smiled at little uncomfortably. She hated meeting these friends of her father. Her father guided her to the fancy dining room that was built specially for her father to receive guests. The room was rather large, it was one of the biggest rooms in the entire castle. The walls were made of wood, with elaborate designs worked into them. From the ceiling hung large glass chandeliers that held dozens of candles, carefully lit by one of the servants. In the middle of the room stood a long table, dressed in a black tablecloth. The table was set with the finest silverware and china available in the city. When Audrey entered, all the other guests stood from their seat. 

“May I present you, my daughter, Aubrey” her father spoke. Audrey minded her manners and took a courteous bow. An older man approached them, a younger boy following suit. 

“She is indeed exquisite, you didn’t exaggerate, my old friend,” he spoke to her father, “they will make for one perfect match.” Audrey looked at the boy standing next to the old, fat man. He had blonde hair, slightly curled and slicked back. He smiled at her, baring his pearly white teeth. 

“Audrey, I would like you to meet John Davenport,” her father gestured towards the old man, “and his son, Beau.” He looked like the kind of boy that would yell ‘my father will hear about this’. He was handsome, she couldn’t deny that. His eyes were blue with a speck of brown in them and his skin was like alabaster. The boy raised her hand to his lips and pressed a careful kiss on it, his eyes never leaving hers. She offered him a kind smile but remained silent for the rest of the conversation. So this was the boy she would marry soon enough. Eveline had told her she would meet him sooner rather than later, but now the moment had arrived and Audrey couldn’t decide how she felt about all of it.

After a couple more drinks and some chatting old men, Audrey’s father guided her towards her seat at the table. He pulled the chair from under the table and tucked it back under her when she took her place. Beau sat down next to her,  smiling at her again. The first course was served, a red soup with some vegetables still floating in it. 

“Do you know how to cook?” he asked her. 

“I’ve read a lot about it,” she started, “but I can’t say that I have a lot of experience.” She wondered if her honesty would get her in trouble. 

“No matter,” he smiled sweetly, “we’ll have servants for that kind of stuff.” He resumed his attention towards his plate. 

“Do you enjoy reading?” she finally asked, after mustering all her courage. He looked at her as if she were insane. 

“Reading? What a useless way to spend time.” Audrey averted her eyes. “I spend my time learning how to watch over my father’s business.” Reverting back to silence, Beau and Audrey ate the rest of their dinner. The other guests didn’t seem to mind, seeing how they were busy discussing the city and its inner workings.

After dessert, there was usually wine and cigars, but Audrey was never allowed to stay for that part. Her father handed her over to Eveline while he retreated into a cloud of smoke. 

“So,” Eveline started while walking to Audrey’s room, “did you like him?” Audrey hesitated to answer.

 “I’m not sure,” she finally said, “he seems spoiled.” Eveline laughed. 

“Well of course he is, as are you, my dear.” She had to admit that she had never wanted for anything. Her father gave her everything she wanted, every book, every dress. “

That doesn’t mean he won’t make for a good husband. Besides, he has blue eyes too, didn’t you notice?” her maid asked. Audrey nodded. Of course she had noticed, as rare of an occurrence that was. 

“I’m just not sure,” she admitted. 

“That’s okay, dear,” her maid opened the door to her room, “just give it some time, you two just have to get to know each other better.” Audrey nodded softly. 

“Good night, Eveline,” she whispered. 

“Good night, my dear.” The woman smiled at her before closing the door again. Audrey leaned against it for a second, tugging at her hair until it was free again. It was overwhelming. She had never really stopped to think that she would in fact be married in just a couple days time. She would have to leave here and move in with that boy. Worst of all, she would have to start producing children, and a lot of them. Looking into the mirror on her bedside table, she sighed. The pale moonlight made her blue eyes stand out and she couldn’t do anything but hate them. Why did they have to be blue? They could have just as easily been brown or green. Just one small chromosome was responsible for the course of her entire life. If she had had green eyes, no one would arrange her marriage. No one would bug her about getting pregnant and producing more babies with blue eyes. She could find someone herself, a boy she would fall madly in love with, just like in those stories she loved. A falling star caught her attention as she looked at the night sky.

  I want a love like in my stories, an epic love, she wished. She was ripped from her thoughts when she heard a faint noise behind her. Jumping up from the bed and grabbing the poking iron from the fireplace, she yelled out. 

“Who is there?” There was no answer. “I know there is someone, so come out or I’ll yell for the guards.” After a couple of seconds, the door to her closet opened, filling the room with a soft creaking noise. A boy stepped from the shadows into the pale moonlight. “Who are you and what are you doing in my room?” She raised the fire poker in the air as if she was going to attack at any second. The boy raised both his hands and took another step. 

“Easy there, little girl” he smirked, “you might hurt yourself.” Audrey took a step back. 

“Don’t come any closer,” she hissed. The boy stopped walking. “I’m not going to ask again, who are you and why are you creepily hiding in my closet?” The boy smiled again. 

“I wasn’t hiding, I was waiting,” he started, “and to answer your other question, my name is Fox.” Audrey furrowed her brows. 

“That’s not a name,” she lectured, “that’s an animal.” The boy rolled his eyes, his hand raking though his jet black hair. 

“It’s a name, it’s my name,” he argued. 

“Well, it’s a stupid name,” Audrey commented. 

“Nevermind my name,” the boy lowered his hands, “let’s talk about why I’m here.” Audrey mimicked his movements and lowered the fire poker, still clutching it tightly. 

“Yes, let’s.” The boy smiled and Audrey couldn’t help but notice that he was rather stunning. His hair was jet black and slicked back. The sides of his head were shaved, but the hair on top was long and some strands tended to land in his eyes, causing him to rake his hands through them. He was covered in tattoos, from neck to toe it seemed, though she couldn’t be sure a he was wearing a pair of black jeans and a black shirt with a leather jacket. The tattoos on his neck, however, were clearly visible. 

“Are you here to rape me?” she asked, bluntly. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, princess,” he laughed, “I’m here to bring you home.” He explained. 

“What? I am home? Are you on drugs?” she asked. He laughed again. 

“You’re not. I’m here to take you to your real parents. They paid me to bring you back,” Fox continued to explain, “the man holding you captive isn’t your father, he’s been telling you lies all your life.” Audrey frowned again. 

“What are you talking about?” He never got a chance to answer. The door burst open and guards came running in. 

“Grab him!” they yelled and the men started running towards Fox. He reacted quickly and tried to make a run for the window, but he wasn’t fast enough. The men grabbed him and dragged a struggling Fox out of Audrey’s room. Her father rushed in and ran towards her. He grabbed the fire poker from her hand and threw it to the floor. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, worriedly checking her for injuries. “Did he hurt you?” Audrey shook her head. 

“No, he didn’t do anything” she answered, looking slightly dazed. 

“Oh thank god,” her father sighed, “I was afraid he would have…. And that would jeopardize the arrangement with Beau.” Her father called for Eveline. 

“Make sure she’s okay and put her to bed,” he ordered. Eveline nodded and wrapped her arms around Audrey. Her father left with the guards.

Eveline helped Audrey get ready for bed. Dressing her in pajamas and lighting the fire. 

“That must have been really scary,” the woman started, poking the fire, “having a boy attack you in your own room.” 

“He didn’t.” Audrey answered. The maid looked up and walked over to the bed, where Audrey was sitting. 

“What?” she asked, sitting down next to her. 

“He didn’t attack me,” Audrey explained, “so it wasn’t all that scary.” The maid sighed. 

“But he did break into your room and try to steal you away.” Audrey nodded carefully, there was no arguing there. Eveline started brushing her hair. 

“What will happen to him?” Audrey asked, a little afraid of the answer. 

“I’m not sure,” the woman started, “but it’s rather likely that he will be sentenced to death.” Audrey gasped. 

“What? That’s absurd, he didn’t even do anything!” She jumped from her bed. 

“Sit down” her maid ordered. Audrey didn’t listen. 

“They can’t just kill him.” She was talking more to herself than to anyone else. 

“Young lady, sit down, now” she maid sounded firm and a little angry. She finally complied and Eveline continued brushing her hair with renewed vigor. Audrey was sure she had lost a couple of hairs. 

“This boy broke into your room and attacked you, he tried to kidnap you. Don’t be naïve,” the maid stood from the bed and walked over to the door, “now, go to bed and I don’t want to hear another word about this.” She slammed the door, leaving Audrey in the dark. 

She wrapped herself in the covers and stared into the fire. 

What a weird night, she thought. She had never had a boy break in to her room before. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what he looked like exactly. He was like the opposite of Beau. He looked like he could hold his own whereas Beau looked like the kid who would be stuffed into a garbage can. There was something about his eyes as well. She couldn’t quite remember what color they were. Maybe green, although she was sure she saw some brown in there as well. Then there was is name, Fox, what kind of name what that? What kind of parents would name their child Fox? He was cocky too, and he didn’t even seem nervous. There was definitely something fishy going on. Then there was everything he told her. About her parents not being her parents and her father lying to her. Of course, he would have been telling her lies, he could have just been trying to get her to come with him. A small part of her mind, however, wanted to believe every word he said. It would mean that something exciting was happening, it would mean that maybe there were people out there who cared for her and didn’t want her to get married to some weird snotty boy named Beau. She drifted to sleep with Fox in her mind.

The next morning, Audrey woke determined to get to the bottom of everything. She threw on her baby blue button up dress and some white heels. She tied her hair into a high ponytail and exited her room. She walked straight to her father’s office and knocked on the door. She heard him murmur something from behind the doors and entered. 

“Ah, Audrey, I was just going to send Eveline to get you,” her father smiled at her, “Beau here thinks it might be a good idea for the both of you to spend time together and I agree.” Beau stood next to her father, wearing another suit, be it one that was a little less formal. 

“It would be my honor to spend the day with you,” he stated. Audrey faked a smile. 

“That sounds lovely,” she turned to her father, “but first, I’d like to talk to you alone.” Her father frowned but finally agreed, telling Beau to wait outside. As soon as the door closed she started talking. 

“What’s going to happen to that boy?” she asked. Her father sighed. 

“You shouldn’t be bothering yourself with that low-life, Audrey,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, “but if you really want to know, he’ll likely be executed tomorrow morning.” Audrey felt the rage rise up. 

“But he didn’t do anything wrong!” she yelled. 

“Audrey! Mind whom you’re speaking to and lower your voice. This doesn’t concern you,” her father yelled, “now, go join Beau and spend time with him.” She knew the conversation was done and strutted out of the room, finding Beau waiting for her. She took a couple of deep breaths before weaving her arm thought Beau’s. 

“So, I thought we could take a stroll through the gardens,” he guided her down the hall, “and after I could show you the house we’ll be living in.” Audrey nodded carefully. 

“Sounds perfectly lovely,” she answered, smiling at Beau. She owed it to herself to at least try to get to know him, seeing as how nothing was going to prevent her from marrying this guy. He escorted her down to the gardens. They were the only gardens in the entire city, encased in glass. Her father had told her that the rest of the world was reduces to a barren wasteland and that all the seeds that were saved were planted right here. She had always felt lucky to reside in a room with a view over the gardens.  

“We’ll have our wedding here,” Beau stated, “your father told me that you like the gardens, so it seems only fitting.” Audrey smiled again, she wondered how often she would have to fake those smiles today. 

“I do like the gardens,” she offered. He pointed to a large mansion on the other side of the gardens. 

“That’ll be our house,” he explained, “your father offered it to us.” The house was rather beautiful. It was once part of the estate where she and her father lived now. The other buildings had been destroyed, but this house and the one where she currently lived in seemed to be safeguarded from the blasts of the war.  

“I’ve spent buckets of money on it,” he smugly explained, “spared no expense to ensure our home wil be a happy one.” Audrey smirked. 

“There is no road to wealth so easy and respectable as that of matrimony ,” she told him. He frowned at her. 

“What’s that?” he asked. 

“Nevermind, it’s lovely,” she whispered. 

“Do you want to go check it out?” he asked, pulling her towards the house. She complied and followed him.

The house was completely furnished with the finest materials still available in today’s world. 

“It’s huge,” he walked ahead of her, “so we’ll have plenty of space for all our children.” Audrey shuddered at the mention of children. They walked up the stairs. He showed her one of the bedrooms. 

“This will be our room.” He sat down on the bed and patted the covers next to him. She obeyed and sat down. “Do you like it?” he asked. She nodded. 

“They’ll expect us to get pregnant almost immediately.” He looked at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“I don’t expect any problems,” he came closer, “seeing as you are absolutely beautiful.” He pressed his lips against hers and placed his hand on the small of her back, pushing her body closer. Audrey closer her eyes and endured the kiss. Endures was the right word, because nothing really was happening. She didn’t feel the butterflies all the books mentioned, nor did time stop. If she were to write a book at some point, this kiss wasn’t something she would mention. She noticed Beau smelled citrusy, a smell she didn’t really appreciate. He broke away from her. 

“I’d better bring you back to your father,” he sighed, “there will be plenty more time to do those things after we’re married.” He stood and pulled her to her feet, wrapping her in his arms. 

“I, for one, can’t wait,” he whispered in her ear. She shuddered once more.

Beau had delivered her to her room; he had taken the liberty to reward her with another kiss before parting and leaving her to her thoughts. Audrey shook her head and pushed her thoughts to the back of her head before grabbing Harry Potter from her nightstand and resuming her reading. She tried to get focus on the words in the book, but she drifted constantly. Looking out the window, towards the big walls, she let her mind wonder. She wondered what was actually behind those big walls. Was there really nothing but wasteland and danger there? Were there really no other people living in the world, besides the ones in this city? If Fox hadn’t been lying ,where was she from then, if not from this city? There was a ruckus down in the gardens and Audrey’s attention shifted. There were guards running towards a group of men standing at the entrance to the dungeons. They were yelling at each other and dragging a guy over the gravel. The prisoner had a hood over his head, but seemed to be in good physical condition. He was certainly giving the guards a run for their money. His hood fell off and Audrey recognized the boy that broke into her room the previous night. Kicking and screaming, he was dragged into the dungeons. So that’s where they’re keeping him, she thought. She tried to resume reading. But even Diagon alley couldn’t peak her interest right now. Letting things go had never been one of her strong suits and she hated not knowing things. I could just go and talk to him, she told herself, but father would be so angry when he found out. The last time she made him mad, got her a week of solitary. She was locked in her room, with no one to talk to. Her food would be placed outside the door and she would be allowed to come and get it at certain times, but she wouldn’t see anyone. Remembering that she got that bad a punishment for only talking back to him, once, the punishment for visiting a criminal would be way worse.  Alright, so I won’t go, she decided. As if it were a done deal, she started reading the book in her lap again. But there is the secret tunnel, her brain carefully reminded her. Having spent all her childhood by herself, she knew the castle well. It was built in the turbulent middle ages, where princes and princesses needed an easy escape should enemies come knocking. She spent many a day hiding from her nanny or teachers down those passageways. One of them brought her straight to the dungeons. The entrance wasn’t even that far from here. She bit her lip, trying to come up with an argument not to go. “oh f**k this” she hissed before standing, dropping the book to the floor.

Fox was sitting in the cell at the end of the damp hallway. It was here they usually kept their most dangerous prisoners. The ones people believed were a danger to the city. Audrey thought it overkill, seeing the boy only broke into her room. She wrapped the black cape a little tighter around her body and drew the hood up. She peaked through the bars on his cell. He was sitting on the bed, his back turned to her. She clicked her tongue to indicate her arrival. He didn’t move, so she whistled. 

“I’m not a dog,” he finally answered. 

“Are you always this difficult?” she asked. Upon hearing her voice, he turned his head. 

“Oh, it’s you,” he got up and walked over to the bars, “what are you doing here?” Audrey took a deep breath. 

“I want you to tell me the truth,” she stated. 

“I’ve already told you the truth,” he insisted, before turning and walking off. Audrey reached through the bars and grabbed his hand. 

“Wait,” she hissed, “just tell me again then.” He looked at her for a second and sighed. 

“Fine, but what good will it do me?” he asked. 

“I can get you out,” she bravely stated. He frowned for a second. 

“Alright, you’ve got yourself a deal,” he answered. Audrey smiled a little. 

“It’s pretty simple really,” he started, “your father isn’t really your father, he kidnapped you when you were three and brought you here.” Well, she already knew that. 

“Yes, yes, you already said that,” he interrupted him, “but why me?” she asked. 

  “Because you’re unique,” he simply stated. Audrey laughed. 

“I am unique?” she mockingly repeated. She started laughing even louder. He placed his hand over her mouth. 

“Shut up,” he hissed, “or do you want all the guards in your castle to hear you?” She bit his hand. 

“Don’t touch me,” she insisted, “and instead of flirting, tell me why they took me.” Fox rolled his eyes. 

“I wasn’t flirting, don’t flatter yourself,” he answered, “and I already told you, you’re unique.” 

“Alright, so what makes me unique then?” she asked. Now, it was his turn to laugh. 

“You really don’t know, do you?” he asked. She shook her head. He grabbed her face with one hand and forced her to look at him. 

“Your eyes,” he finally said, “your eyes are what makes you unique.” Audrey blinked a couple of times before answering. 

“Yes, I know that, I have blue eyes so  I can have babies, and only a few people can” she dryly responded. 

“No,” he contradicted her, “your eyes are perfect, there isn’t a hint of another color in them. Therefore, all children you bear will have blue eyes.” Audrey raised her eyebrows. 

“So I’m special because I’m a human incubator?” she asked. He smiled and nodded. 

“That’s why he stole you, because your parents didn’t want to force you into anything and he did,” he explained. Audrey remained silent. 

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” she finally asked. 

“You don’t, you’ll just have to trust me.” Audrey walked away from Fox. He reached out to her and missed her by a hair. 

“You promised to get me out of here!” he yelled, seemingly no longer caring if anyone heard him. 

“You promised to tell me the truth,” she yelled back. 

“B***h!” he answered before she got out of earshot.

Audrey returned to her room and sat down on her bed. She grabbed her diary and wrote down everything Fox told her. After having gathered all the information, she started working on it. Putting together a list of things pro and contra. 

“Is he trustworthy?” she asked herself. After trying to reach a conclusion for a couple of hours, she decided it was futile. Her dinner was brought to her room as per her request and she bore down on steak and fries. Darkness had fallen over the grounds and she was slowly running out of time. Come morning, at first light, Fox would lose his head. So if she was planning on saving his life, she would have to do it sooner rather than later. It was a conundrum. Doing nothing would make her responsible for a person’s death. She wasn’t sure she could live with that. She started pacing her room. 

“He is incredibly annoying,” she was talking to herself, “and a criminal, there is that.” She stopped pacing. 

“But he might be telling the truth,” she told herself. And he is rather handsome, her brain interjected. She rolled her eyes. 

“Urgh, f*****g hell” she hissed before walking out of her room. 

She walked down to the tunnel connecting all the parts of the castle. The entrance was found behind a huge painting in her bedroom. 

“All these annoying boys,” she whispered, “always in need of something.” She carefully made her way over to her dad’s office. He, too, had a painting connecting him to the tunnels. She listened behind it for a couple of minutes before deciding the coast was clear. He was probably out smoking cigars with the other rich people. She searched all his drawers before finding his spare keychain. 

“Alright, at least one of these keys should unlock the cells in the dungeon,” she whispered before retreating to the tunnels. It took her a couple of minutes to make her way over to the dungeon. She heard voices behind the wall. 

“Here you have it, scum,” she heard one of the guards say, “your last meal.” The sound of a place being thrown into a cell filled the hallway. She heard Fox curse something under his breath. She waited until she was certain all the guards had left and then carefully crawled from behind the wall. Fox hadn’t noticed her and he waited a second before making her presence known. He was leaning against the wall, his forehead pressed against the stones. She gasped when he started yelling and grabbed the plate before smashing it against the wall. 

“Missed me?” she asked him smugly after a couple seconds. He turned to look at her. 

“Came to gloat, you f*****g b***h,” he hissed. She laughed before taking her hand from behind her back, the keychain dangling from her middle finger. Fox’s eyes grew big.

 “I’ll ask you again,” she continued, “missed me?” He laughed. 

“I could kiss you,” he whispered before reaching for the keys. She pulled her hand back. 

“One second,” she started, “there is one condition.” Fox let out a frustrated sigh. 

“Alright, let’s hear it princess,” he stated. 

“I want you to take me to my so called parents.”