CONFINEMENT

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

   After talking for hours, Castania had finally fallen asleep in Harrison's arms, feeling like she actually knew him now. He had told her about his parents, his grandfather, and how their death had affected him. How the public had doomed him, as he had said. How his family name had been tainted. He had talked with such anger in his voice, and even though Castania didn't really understand what he had gone through, she recognized the feeling of betrayal. She too felt like she had been betrayed by her parents; the disappointed look on their faces when her name had been shown on the big screen on Salvation Day, their unwillingness to fight for her or even talk to her before she got locked away in the wagon. They hadn't even come to say goodbye, and she just knew that they were acting like they didn't know her back home right now. Back home. Like there was anything home about the Zones now, they had shunned her like she was a piece of garbage, all on false accusations, without even attempting to hear her out. They didn't care if it wasn't her in the videos played, they were just happy that it wasn't their own child.

   But that wasn't really the problem, since she didn't give two shits about Zone 24 anymore, the problem was that the Center wasn't her home either. She was nothing here, literally viewed as a slave to the Council and everyone under their spell. So that was her predicament now; rootlessness. No home, no safe place, unwelcome wherever she went.

   She had woken up before Harrison had, her thoughts keeping her awake even though her body felt so tired and her muscles ached. She had gone out to make tea for the pair of them, and when she had dropped a spoon on the floor, he had stormed out of his room in a search for her, afraid that she had left or something. Happy to see her, he had kissed her forehead because it felt right to do, but they hadn't talked much. It was okay, she thought. At least he wasn't ignoring her, and he really seemed to try his best to leave his prejudices behind. Then he had told her to get ready for the zoo, and her stomach had dropped. "It's the law, Castania." He had told her without even looking at her. "And you have already missed so many days, I'm going to get fined if you don't show up." What a load of crap, she had thought, but had complied either way and gotten up and got ready, trying her hardest to keep the peace. She had judged herself so much on the car ride to the zoo, wondering when she had turned into such a pushover. Why did she comply so easily, when she hated the zoo so much? Had she lost her power? She knew it would make her day easier if she avoided the arguments but was she starting to get weak? Had her fire gone out?

   As they entered the zoo, a group of Officials grabbed her arm and yanked away from Harrison. He was told to stand back, as they dragged her through the zoo, taking a different path than what she was used to. She only caught a glimpse of Harrison's bewildered eyes before they turned a corner and he was out of sight. Dragged by the Officials, she watched the path they walked on get wider and wider, and as she looked up, she saw that they were headed towards the center of the zoo, where a big old carousel was standing. Tall and magnificent, looking like a circus tent that matched the Savings-tent with its red, white and gold colors, and with twinkling lights all around, but it had been changed, and it wasn't the usual children's carousel anymore; the plastic animal seats were still there, but instead of being open for the public to walk on to, there was now thick metal bars surrounding the outside of the carousel. It had been turned into another cage, and inside it stood multiple other Savings, some she knew, some she didn't, but instead of being contained in separate cages like they usually were, they were now allowed to roam freely among each other inside the carousel. Onlookers were already forming around the slow-spinning carousel, children were standing on the platform before the bars, poking their tiny hands through the bars and screaming to get the Savings attention. They really were seen as animals, only here to please and entertain the public of the Center, like they weren't made of the same skin and bones.