The Understood and Understated

1 Part 2

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*Kacy POV*

Honestly. Mom has to go on a work trip AGAIN, and I'm stuck here all alone. Maria's on another one of her mobile teaching jobs, so she's in the Understood half of the city. It's bad enough that mom's always gone, now Maria is too. I'm used to at least a little company when mom is gone.

I can spend a few hours after school working, but then I have to come home. Today the students worked on their projects, so the classroom floor is littered with paper scraps and pencil shavings. The janitors will take care of that, they're such good guys, but I still have to clean the desks. They have glue and pencil all over them, they're seventh graders but they can be careless and messy.

After cleaning all of the desks and transferring the projects to the right shelf, I grab my things and go. As much as I love spending time in the classroom, there is nothing left to do. As I start my walk home, I can see the big half of the city ahead. There is so much light, the sky looks almost light blue. Sometimes I wish I could be in the hustle and bustle of the city. It would be amazing. But I know I can't, my family history is so dark, it would be considered criminal in the Understood.

My great grandparents were alive when the Victarious Speech gave the new regulations. My great grandmother had broken her leg playing gymnastics as a girl, and had epilepsy. My great grandfather had been given a traffic ticket before, and he was sick with cancer. They were banished, and then my grandmother came with. My grandmother got married, and then had my mother and uncle. Unfortunately, both of them got emphysema because of the smoking where they both worked. My uncle spoke against the Victarious Act and the Vaspernen Christening. He's in the government jail. My mom was looking for an out, but then all hope was lost. She had twins.

Maria and I are not twins. Maria is eighteen, and I'm fourteen. We both have teaching jobs. I was smart enough to take college courses early, like Maria, and now I'm student teaching. Maria often goes across the city to teach, the inter city teaching board considers her good enough to teach in many different locations and environments. And she is. She has taught in many different areas successfully. I want to be like her. Right now, I teach at Robertson Middle School. Maria teaches at a high society high school in Understood.

I am not a twin-Maria is. Maria and Marissa. My father took Marissa into the Understood. He snuck in through the gates. Sixteen years ago, my mother and Maria received notice of their deaths. My mom wasn't too disappointed about my dad's death, but she was heartbroken over my sister's. She just wanted her children. Everyone who has been banished knows that it's most likely better off anyways.

My family and I live in the Understated part of Vaspernen. Our half is divided into five separate suburbs with their own leaders. They are Robertson, Annalin, Marcrox, Grenadine, and Yellowtail. My family and I live in Robertson-the suburb closest to Understood.

Each suburb is unique with its own attractions and attributes, but there are things they all have in common. Each has its own five schools, an Elementary, Middle, High, College, and a higher University. Colleges are just colleges, and the University is unique to the suburbs assets. Robertson has a medical school, and another has a law school, and so on. There has to be a minimum of five different parks in each suburb. Usually many different types count, like memorials, playgrounds, and regular parks. Each suburb has at least three places of employment, and a lot of people commute to other suburbs.

Everyone lives in one or two story houses, some in smaller town homes. There is large yards, and everything is exceptionally safe. We have police forces, but since this is the banished section, most people behave themselves. That's why its easy for me to walk down the palm tree lined streets of my neighborhood. I don't have to worry about some guy jumping out at me with a chainsaw or anything like that.