Shattered Control

chapter one

 Dedicated to my dear friend, Danielle M.

Happy Birthday Dani

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My alarm clock went off early in the morning at 0700. It was the 1st of Monomonth in the year 105 A.W.(after the fourth world war). Like us, old calendars had 365 days a year, the differences are the fact that back in the day, they had twelve months while we have ten. They had seven days a week while we have ten. They followed the stars, therefore causing a leap year, while for us, stars can't even be seen due to the pollution from the past. That is what our leader is trying to fix, the problems that our ancestors left behind.

My alarm goes off again so I decide to get ready for the day. After bathing, brushing my teeth and combing my hair, I go downstairs to sign in. I stop in front of the small scanner that hangs right outside the kitchen, open my eyes and look into the hole for the machine to scan me. a beep goes off and the number 0723 appears in my vision, then quickly goes away. A small slip of paper is printed by the machine and lands on a tray that is attached to the scanner. I picked up the slip and check my schedule for the day.

0725-0745:have morning food

0750:leave Living Building

0755:arrive at Learning Building

0800-1155: attend learning rooms

1200-1300:eat midday food

1305:leave Learning Building

1310:arrive at Living Building

1310-1400:prepare for Aging Day

1405:leave Living Building

1415:arrive at Town Square

1415-1930:celebrate Aging Day

1935:leave Town Square

1945:arrive at Living Building

I sit at the table and wait for it to provide me with my morning food. The familiar whirring comes to life and the middle of the table opens up, revealing a rising surface full of food. Since today is a special day, the Leader allowed us a special breakfast. On a normal day, breakfast is toast and scrambled eggs, but on Aging Day, we get a small portion of butter.

I was about to start eating when I heard my brother running from down the hall. I look over to find him pulling up his pants while staring into the scanner. The little beep went off and then his schedule was printed out for him. He came in the kitchen and sat in the seat across from me.

"You're late" I told him.

"I know," he answered, his voice worried but his expression angry. We both knew that when he got home he would have three lashes on his back. It was the consequence that we pay for being late, a whip on the back per minute late. It was painful, but no one had a choice.

After the third world war, no one wanted a leader in fear that things would get bad again. Many years past and the world got even more polluted, everyone became careless and did whatever they wanted. Many cities disappeared because of scientific experiments gone wrong; many countries wiped out from bombs; and many continents washed away from global warming. At some point there was a fourth world war because people became restless for survival. More than half of the earth's population died off. All that was left were the people who now live in what history calls Ontario, and what we call Zenith.

Like its people, Zenith grew, and so did its government. Now we have a Leader, someone to guide us, to make sure that what happened in the past doesn't happen again. Rules were set to ensure our safety and long life. Calendars were changed, towns were rebuilt, and dates were rearranged so that it all happens once a year. The first day of every year was a huge celebration we call Aging Day. It's the day the Earth and its people grow one year older, it's the day that we celebrate everything our ancestors have celebrated. For the past few days, preparations have been made for this day, and now that the day arrived, everyone was jittery about it.

"Happy Aging Day," I said to my brother Jem to start a conversation.

"What's so great about it? It's the same every year. We get butter; we do our daily chores; we celebrate; then we go home and start a normal day. All we ever do in life is follow rules, and if we don't, we face the Leader." He complained.

I was shocked, no one ever, and I mean never criticized the Leader, or questioned the rules. I frantically looked around to make sure no one would break in and take my brother away for the crazy things he just said.

"Don't worry, they wont come and get me," he said reading my mind, "They'll just give me extra strikes tonight after the ceremony,"

"I have to leave at oh seven four five, what about you?" I asked him, looking at my watch, which read 0743.

He looked down at his schedule, "Me too. I'll walk with you."

We finished our breakfast then stood at the front door waiting for it to open for us at 0745. Right before it was scheduled to open Jem turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Happy Aging Day Liza." And then we left to go to the Learning Building.