Antithest

Chapter Three

"Please, have a seat." The Governor gestured to the faux leather chairs in front of his desk. I didn't look up, but I saw him pour more liquor into the glass. The bottle was made of a textured glass that probably cost more than my life. I sat down and clasped my hands in my lap, waiting for his next words.

"How are you, Indiana? Is your caretaker treating you well?"

His voice was thick and husky. Intimidating. He made me nervous and I wasn't even looking at him. I nodded shyly and glanced up for just a moment, instantly regretting it. His eyes were burrowing into mine, reading me like a book, exposing every dirty secret I held in. My eyes shot down instantly.

"Don't be scared. You aren't in trouble. I just need to ask you a few questions... about your parents." He spoke his words slowly.

"You don't have to speak to me like I'm a child. I'm just as good as you, even if I'm an Antithest." I looked up this time. His furry brow rose and then dropped. He took another swig of liquor and placed the glass back on his desk.

"Were you ever informed as to why your parents were taken away?" He asked, his voice stern. No. No one ever told me why. Wouldn't he know this? Or wasn't I supposed to know?

"No. Your..." I held back a curse word, "henchmen only told me that they had been taken away. For good." I looked up, not at him, but at his wrinkled forehead. Many years of stress and work imbedded those lines in his skin.

"Have you ever wondered why they left? Or were, shall I say, removed?" He cocked his head slyly and I shook my head.

"Your parents worked in a laboratory for Antithest research, Indiana. They were some of the greatest on my team. But they did something. They betrayed me." His eyes never left mine. I shivered. What did they do? Weren't they smart enough to know better than to try and backstab the governor?

He didn't give me time to answer. "Your parents held top secret information, only meant for the eyes and ears of my officials. But they used me. They got what they wanted and they left.

"Did they, by any chance, mention anything to you about what happens to the Antithests? The evolution of the brain of an Antithest?"

"No, they liked to keep they're work in the work place. Not home." I remember mom explaining to me that they did important things for our society, and it amazed me. It still does, because they really did.

"You don't have to lie, darling. I know you have information that you aren't supposed to." He gulped the glass down and intertwined his fingers on the wooden desk. He was trying not to say anything in case I really didn't have any information.

"They never told me anything. I was just a child when they were taken away." I held emphasis on the last part of my statement, hoping to maybe strike some sort of emotion from his stone heart. It didn't work. His face still held a cold expression.

"When a child experiences a horrific event, they are entered into the Antithest program. Once they reach a certain age, all traces of the memory is wiped. They remember none of what made them the grief-stricken person that they previously were. Your parents aided in the invention of the memory antiserum. They were taken away because they had informed you of our plans for the previous Antithetic generation." He had a grim look on his face as he told me of this enlightenment, like he knew had just made a mistake.

My eyes widened. I didn't think of my past as restricting or scarring at all. I didn't know anything different. I knew there were children other than the Antithests that grew up in a normal family with siblings and two parents, but I had been accustomed to being alone.

"We do it for the benefit of the person, Indiana. So they can live a normal life and as a normal citizen in our city, not restricted by their past. I hope you agree."

Even if I didn't, there isn't much I can do about it.

So they did tell me. There's a real reason why they were taken away from me. I remember the day they told me, a week before they had been ripped from my life and never seen again. They came home from work in the lab early. I was sat behind an easel, attempting to paint the apple tree outside our window. I heard them yelling from the door way.

"We have to tell her. She has to know."

"She'll end up like the rest of them! They'll take us away!"

I walked towards the hallway hesitantly, not wanting them to know I was eavesdropping. Dad had his hands tangled in his hair and Mom's arms were crossed over her chest.

"They would never suspect it. We made an oath of silence. She deserves to know, just like everyone else does." Mom said.

"She's just a child, Anna. She's too young. She'll tell everyone. She can't know."

"I don't care how old she is. She needs to know what's happening to all of those poor children."

There was a note on my bedside table the next morning, explaining the intentions of the government and what would happen to the Antithests. I tried to ask my mother what she meant, what exactly that note was, but she acted as if nothing had happened. They were taken away three days after I received the note.

"Do you realize how much of an impact this information would make if you were to tell anyone, absolutely anyone?" Rexford looked at me coldly. I nodded.

"When I ask you this question, Indiana, I need you to tell me honestly. Have you told anyone this information?"

I shook my head.

"Citizens that are aware of our government's future plans for our community will be severely punished, so I am completely assured you will keep your knowledge in your mind and not in your mouth," Rexford spoke in a calm yet threatening tone that sent chills down my spine. The only possible way you could witness how truly angered he was, was to look into his sharp brown eyes. They burrowed holes into the deepest pits of my mind that I didn't even know existed.

I gulped, a nasty habit I made habit of as a child, and choked out the standard agreement for any order an official gave you. "Affirmative."

The Governor let out a sigh, leaning back in his cushioned chair. I truly had never told anyone about the memory swipe. I assumed it was one of those things that everyone knew but never talked about. It was taboo and wrong, but it wasn't something we could change.

"To be on the safe side, we are going to remove you from the community and isolate you until you're of age for your memory swipe. Until then, you won't have any opportunity to ruin our plans. It's for your own good, darling." His eyes held the slightest bit of sympathy for half of a millisecond before they flashed back to their normal narrowed, harsh brown.

"But I won't tell anyone. I promise. I would never tell anyone. You can't do this." I cried. They can't take me from everyone. This is wrong. People would notice my absence. This is inhumane.

"It's only for a few years, until you're 18 and are capable of keeping a job and living by yourself. It's for your own good."

I started to say something, scream, tell him to go fuck himself. But it would've been for nothing. There was nothing I could do but take what was coming for me.

"There's a car waiting outside for you. You're dismissed."

Author's Note-

This is my first story, so I'm still getting used to writing stories. I've changed some names and information and I'll probably always keep doing it until I feel like it's reached it's full potential. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed :)