The Unknown

Chapter 1 

Beau smiles and nods in response to her neighbors’ greetings. She is already running a little late to the clinic. She woke up late today, feeling groggy and sore. She found it odd, considering that she hadn’t done any real strenuous work the day before. No matter, Beau thought, Shay will understand. It is, after all, her first time being late. Ever. And he knows that.

  Beau has always had high moral standards for herself. She is what some would call an overachiever. Always the first to class. Always staying up to the wee hours of the night studying. Always planning ahead. Always ready, prepared . . . for school, for work, for life in general. Even the Rex himself has heard word of Beau’s impeccable character, or so she hears.

 Beau thinks about all this as she quickens her step. If she starts to jog, maybe she won’t be as late. Beau takes deep breathes as she keeps an even pace to her trot. She can almost see the sky-high building’s gates.

  As she gets closer and closer, she slows down so that she can take out her identification from her pouch, but the gate attendant just waves her through. What a relief that Jeremy is on duty today; otherwise she would have to stand there for even longer to get felt up, checked up, and filed through as safe. She’s been volunteering at the clinic since seventh grade; you’d think they would know her well enough to stop with the security check-ups.

  As soon as she makes it through to the front desk, Lena gives her a glare. “Shay has been looking for you,” she says as a greeting. “I tried to cover for you. I told him you were in the bathroom, not feeling well.”

  Beau smiles in gratitude. “Thank you, Lena. If it makes you feel any better you didn’t really lie to him.” She sighs as she rubs her aching forehead. “I’m actually not feeling very well.”

Lena’s glare turns to a look of concern. “Are you okay, honey?” 

Lena is Beau’s great best friend from birth. Everyone in the Vicus knows each other, and everyone in the Vicus has a path set out for them from birth. Before one is even born, their amicae (friends) are chosen, their conjux (spouse) is chosen,their familia (family) is chosen, and their future is chosen. So, basically, Lena and Beau were friends before they even knew they existed.

“Yeah, don’t worry, Nena.” She calls her best friend by her pet name. When Beau and Lena were toddlers, Beau couldn’t pronounce Lena. It would always come out as “Nena.” The adults found it adorable  and stuck with it.

“Are you sure, honey?” Beau nods with a reassuring smile. “Okay, then get to cracking before Shay comes back and sees you standing there.” We both chuckle, knowing that Shay wouldn’t really punish me for being late.

 Beau heads for her post in the senior citizens ward, stopping first to get her equipment at the supplies room. Beau opens the door, and sees Shay standing there. With his arms crossed.

  They stand for a few seconds acknowledging each other with their eyes. Shay is dressed in his normal attire.  He’s wearing his black and white scrubs, signifying that today would be a day to put this round of seniors to rest. The black was for their death, the white for hope that there would be a better afterlife. His clean shaven face and angel-like features never fail to take Beau’s breath away. Yes, their marriage was arranged, but Beau doesn’t mind. She couldn’t have chosen better herself.

  As if in response to her thoughts, Shay takes four long strides towards her and wraps her in his embrace. Beau rests her ear next to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “You had me worried, Beau,” Shay breathes.

  “I know.” Beau feels Shay draw small circles around the small of her back with his index finger. “I’m sorry.” Beau takes a deep breath and draws away from Shay enough for her to look at his sky-blue eyes. “Can’t we wait any longer?”

  Shay immediately knows what Beau is talking about. His face turns to one of resignation. He smooths her hair back as he says, “You know we can’t.” He leans forward to put a gentle kiss against her lips. “We all have to go at some point,” he says sadly.

These days are always the busiest. After injecting the senior citizens with clausula, everyone is moving to and fro arranging for the next batch of seniors to come in. The clausula always takes a few hours to kick in, plenty of time for the elderly to say their goodbyes, or so Medici says. Medici is the only doctor in the Vicus (besides Shay, his apprentice). He also happens to be the oldest person in the Vicus who hasn't been put into the senior ward.

While the elderly are saying their goodbyes to their families in the gardens, Beau is putting fresh new sheets on the mattresses. Sometimes she even has to change the mattresses themselves for new ones. Beau doesn't mind seeing the stains, she is used to them by now. What she can't get used to is the clausula. Nobody should be forced into death. Everyone should have a choice to live past sixty, or seventy for the lucky ones. 

"Hey, Beau," says Jeremy, popping his head into the room. "Shay says to meet him in his office."

"What, why? He knows I have to have these rooms prepared for the next seniors." If Beau cannot do anything about the clausula, then the least she could do is make the seniors feel at home and comfortable.

"I'm just relaying the message. He said it'd be quick...something about your parents arranging something for this Friday..." he trails off as he sees the expression on Beau's face.

Beau stares at Jeremy intenetly. "Oh my god..." Beau says quietly. "I've been waiting for this my whole life."

She looks out the window at the senior citizens currently traipsing around with poison in their blood. It has just now occurred to Beau that if she marries Shay, this will be the rest of her life. Her whole life she'll have to deal with injecting the causula to senior after senior after senior. An endless cycle until she herself is a senior. Until one day she is the one that will be injected with the poison, left with only hours to say goodbye to the world, and then taken into the Morgue where she will have her last breath. Does she really want that life?

Of course she does. If it were anyone other than Shay, she would decline this morose job and just sign up for another trade. Shay is her life, they are soul mates. Chosen from birth.

"Tell him I'll be there in five minutes. I'll just finish this room swiftly before I go," says Beau. "Enjoy the rest of the day off." Beau smiles reassuringly. Jeremy nods and turns away to go.

Jeremy suddenly turns back and says, "Oh, and you might want to attain a better poker face. You don't want Shay to know you're having doubts."

Was she that obvious?