Pax Pacis: A Dystopian Shortstory

Desumo

Ch. 6

I roll out of bed and shy away from the mirror on the wall. I know that my appearance will not be a pretty one until I shower and brush my hair. I had Presdilla blood on my hands from last night and my hair is greasy with sweat. I walk into the main dining area of my cabin to grab a glass of water before I head to the shower. My father is seated at the table, tired looking with bags under his eyes. He barely moves when I enter the room.

"Today is the day."

"Yep." I turn on the facet and fill my glass have full.

"On my choosing day, I picked your mother. I ruined her life that day. We were both miserable. I thought that because she, like you, was beautiful, that she would make a good wife. But the outer division was not good to her. She was unhappy and cruel most of the time. We never agreed on anything. Listen, Ethne, I know that you have no say in what happens today, but please, remember that I love you, and remember what I always taught you. Make the most of every situation. Always." I am speechless. For weeks my father and I have skirted around the topic of my mother. Each time I bring her up, he shies away. But today, he instigated the conversation.

"I love you too," I tell him and then I set my glass in the sink and go to take a shower seeking solace in the warm water that awaits me. 

***

Side by side, every girl over the age of seventeen stands in line circling the floor of the Gathering Chamber in the Edifium. We stand in alphabetic order by first name, separated by division. Eavan is beside me and I am thankful that we will be together for part of this day. 

I thought a lot last night about my decision. And now, standing in this room, my insides are churning. I barely slept knowing that after today life as we know it would cease to exist. If the Insurgo manage to take over somehow, things will be different. They will change all protocol and I imagine Mundus will be in some sort of chaos for a while. With the advanced weaponry that the Tech Division has been creating recently, and the varying opinions on this protocol or that protocol, there will be an outbreak of civil war, like the one that ravaged our country many many centuries ago. When this land was known as something else and the government was completely different. Sometimes I wished that I lived in those times.

If the Insurgo lose and Pax Pacis continues to reign supreme, they will strengthen their hold on this city and everything will become worse. I will die, and so will Payce, Terrance, and Eavan. I wanted to talk to him. I needed to see him again. The thought that after today Payce very well could be dead makes me want to scream and cry at the same time. I know it is silly, I barely know him, but I am drawn by his secrets and I yern to know more. At this point, I could care less about Zane, if I hadn't known him my entire life.

So many choices are ahead of me and I still do not know what I am going to choose. All I know is that I am willing to die today, but only if it means freedom.

Slowly the audience begins to trickle in. Out of the glass dome on the roof I can see various hover crafts landing and dropping people off; important people. Each division has a designated Gate Keeper that is supposed to oversee the daily proceedings. Kevan Lesterium is unable to do it all by himself. He must have faithful minions to do his bidding. 

The hover crafts are each painted differently. The Technology Division is a soft lavender color. A color I associate with Payce's piercing eyes. The Agriculture Division, the one that I have faithfully worked in, is a soft orange that reminds me of the sunset. The Contego, or Protection Division, is a deep red color, the color of blood. The Outer Division, my home, is a forest green to match the leaves of the forest that surrounds it. One by one the Gate Keepers arrive and enter the gathering room of the Edificium.