Bedlam

Chapter 1

I stood before a tall, stern man who was otherwise known as my father. But, he wasn't my father today. He was wearing one of those suits that an Axim Leader wore with dignity. His slanted, gray eyes were a proof of his Utopian blood- the exact same eyes that I wasn't too lucky to inherit. His cowlick hair made him look a little bit younger than his real age.

My father's stare bore through me. It told me that I couldn't hide anything from him, that everything was out in the open. I gulped.

"Astrid," he started to speak. "Recite the Axim Oath."

I took a deep breath. The Axim Oath was our mission statement. It was the oath that established our existence as Axims.

"We are the Axims, citizens sworn to justice and mercy.

We are soldiers, protectors of Utopium, our home.

We sacrifice our lives for the sake of Utopian humanity.

If forced upon us, killing shall be done only to defend innocence

And let shame reign upon us if our hands be stained by Utopian blood."

I could see pride in his eyes for a moment. But, that expression was cleared after a few seconds. "Excellent memory, Astrid." He pushed his spectacles upward. "But, I still cannot comprehend why you avoid killing so much. According to today's data, you are once again the last in rank."

"I..." My mouth started to mutter something, but automatically stopped. If I told him I couldn't even comprehend why, would he understand?

No. Absolutely not. He would find the reason utterly ridiculous.

I shut my mouth, and bowed my head. It was a sign of resignation to the Utopians. I was trying to make him understand that I can't tell him anything, that I was just surrendering to any kind of punishment he was about to give me.

His brows furrowed. "You know very well that everything is just a simulation. Everything was an illusion," he almost hissed. "How can you be afraid of that?"

I bit my lips harder. I told myself not to look at Dad. I knew that he was mad beyond words because the daughter he trained so well wasn't doing her best. I was a big disappointment to him.

"Axims are trained to be brave when in fear. I can't understand why you can't do that," he sighed angrily. "This will be the last time that I will hear of this. If this goes on any further, I will remove you of your identity as an Axim. Do you understand?"

I cringed at his words. Remove me from the Axims? That would be scary. My whole life was spent in training to be an Axim. Being an Axim was my structure; it was my bones. Removing me from service would be like removing a bourgeoisie from his current state of life and throwing him in the slums. I was trained to live as an Axim.

My father was the one who trained me to be this way. However, I couldn't bring myself to hate him. Dad taught me how to survive. He gave me everything I had to know.

Before I sensed it, my father had left the room. I gulped down the stuck breaths I had earlier, and stepped out of the room.

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I was inside a house.

The house gave off a warm vibe. The walls were stained a nice shade of burgundy. The side table was filled with picture frames and paper cranes. There was a brown couch at the center of the room, and a television set a few inches away from it. It was a nice, little home for a family.