Princess of Ayden

Chapter 1

Meyer

The television lit up. The Hamiltons were lounging around before they needed to go to work or school. Not anymore. Red alert; mandatory viewing. Meyer's eyes flickered towards the screen. On the monitor was a reporter. Her bottle-blonde hair was stiff with product. She wore a thick layer of make-up to compensate for her lack of facial symmetry.

"Good evening, people of Ayden." The anchor announces. "Today we regret to report a most unfortunate event. It appears that one of the most trusted and valued families in our beloved country has attempted to defect. The Livingstons, who were traveling, unauthorised, to the United States, have been intercepted and await punishment."

The scene switched from the news anchor to a room that was instantly recognisable to Meyer. Ayden citizens, for the past couple of generations, had become used to seeing this type of thing. Ever since it became illegal to emigrate, people had tried (and mostly failed) to leave the country one way or another. Much more often than not, it ended the same way as it would with the Livingstons. In this chamber.

Meyer watched in silence- partly brought on by interest, but majorly brought on by horror. The Livingstons were led into the room. One by one, the guards undid their handcuffs. They were forced to sit in metal chairs. Their arms and legs were strapped down so that they couldn't move. Meyer shivered to think about how cold those chairs must feel. Then again, the Livingstons probably weren't focused so much on that, all things considered.

There were, at this point, guards standing next to each member of the family. The youngest caught Meyer's eye. He couldn't be much older than eight. His arms barely reached the straps. The other child, a girl, who looked to be about Meyer's age, was a picture of peace. Almost as if she knew this would be how it would end. A nurse, or at least someone resembling one, walked into the room holding a tray with syringes on. The guards each took one. They all stood ready until some go-ahead was given off camera.

The mother said something to her son. Probably words of comfort. There were no sound recording devices in the execution room. The world would never hear her final words. Meyer looked away at the last moment. She never could stomach this type of thing. By the time Meyer opened her eyes, the screen was black again.

The one thing she didn't understand was; "why?" Why do people disobey a country they knew would punish them terribly if caught? Why does a country, that prides itself in providing a good life for its citizens, turn around and kill them? Most importantly; why was this execution mandatory viewing? Executions were usually televised, but rarely compulsory to view, unless the perpetrators are important members of the community.
This third question was the one Meyer posed to her mother.

"Isn't it obvious? Today being the day that it is, when better to show what happens when the country's laws are not obeyed? What happens today will sculpt the lives of nearly a million Ayden citizens. The royal family wouldn't want to miss out on an opportunity to show the full extent of their power over us. You, for one, will be allocated your place today. This display is for you. Step out of line and you will suffer the consequences."

Meyer merely nodded in response. That day, she, like her peers of the same year group in school, would be graduating in a televised ceremony. Not only would they be graduating, but they would be receiving their Social Scores. These were scores out of a hundred that were comprised of intelligence tests, genetics tests, family history, facial symmetry and education.

The Social Scores were used to categorise who could marry who (no more than ten points above or below your own score). Further, they determined what jobs you were allowed to have. They also dictated how many children you could have (if any) and where you were allowed to live and, in turn, raise your children to receive their very own Social Scores.