The Forbidden Side

Erin

Erin Brimer had heard the legends.  She didn't believe them, of course; no way could they be true.  But still, she wondered....

            On her island home, Erin was living a perfect life.  She sat on her couch and read a novel about a young boy who had to live in a - what was the word? - city.  Erin didn't understand most of the literature that was shipped in, nor did she know where it came from. 

            Erin's island was a perfect circle, man-made, of course.  Every family had their own piece of land, exactly one acre.  A man and a woman would decide to get married, have the required amount of two kids, and move out of their old homes, so more families could be made.

            She sat in her huge house, ignoring her little brother's wails.  She couldn't imagine living in a world like the one the boy in the story she read.  Where he lived, there were things like pollution, fires, and criminals.  Erin didn't know what they meant, but they sounded bad. 

            Erin put the book down and remembered.  She would graduate One-To-Twelve School in a week.  Erin smiled to herself.  After school, she would be able to request a job position to work for the island.  Erin didn't want a boring job like Teacher (her mother) or Principal (her father).  No.  Erin already had her mind set on a job, the perfect job for her.

            "Mom?"  She called.  "I'm going to Katherine's house!"  She ran upstairs and got dressed.  She pulled on her orange short-sleeve shirt and light blue skirt, the uniform that was always worn by the children ages one to twelve.  She walked out of her home and down the smooth sidewalk.  When she reached house number six, Erin knocked on the pale door three times as they had learned in school.

            "Erin!"  Katherine exclaimed.  "Come on, let's talk in my room."  They walked into a room identical to Erin's:  orange walls, light blue desk, and a queen sized bed.  Erin sat in the desk chair as Katie jumped onto her bed.

            "Really," Katherine started, "what position do you want?"

            Erin sucked her knuckle, a nervous habit.  "Well, you know, don't you?"

            "You're still hung up on that?"

            Erin shrugged.

            "I'm going to ask for Teacher," Katherine said.

            "Cool, maybe you'll end up being taught by my mom!"  They laughed.

            "Have you ever wondered," Erin asked, "what's there?"

            Katherine stopped laughing and widened her brown eyes.

            "Aren't you curious?"           

            "I think you should go," Katherine said quietly.  It was illegal to talk about the Forbidden Side.

            Erin trudged home.  All her life, she felt like such an outsider.  Blue eyes instead of brown, curly hair instead of straight, rebellious instead of obedient.  She thought Katie understood, but she didn't. No one did.

            Now, on her walk back to house number two, Erin wished more than ever that Monday would come.  She wished more than ever for the green and blue clothes of a twelve-year-old.

            Erin bolted upright in bed.  She checked her clock.  It was really Monday.  She tapped her fingers on her night table and squirmed around under her covers, restless.  She walked downstairs and found her nine-year-old brother, Benny, sitting in the kitchen.  The kitchens in every home were the same.  They had a table, a stove, a microwave, and cabinets to store extra food.  Erin sat at the table next to her brother.