IN MY DREAM, HAYLEY and I were playing in an open meadow miles from home. She was giggling, more exuberant than I'd ever seen her before, her blonde hair a gleaming reflection of the bright sunshine. She darted in, tagging me before I even had a chance to run. Laughing, I followed her through the field, my hands outstretched, but every time I got close enough to touch her, she just slipped away...
I wake to a bloodcurdling scream—a little girl's shriek of terror. I bolt upright in bed, feeling a cold trickle of sweat making its way down my spine. I scramble out of bed as fast as I can, sprint down the hall to Hayley's room, and fling the door open. Liana is hard on my heels.
Hayley is lying on the floor, having fallen out of bed. The blankets are in a tangle around her, and her eyes are alight with fresh fear. She lets out more and more screams, each one louder and more terrifying than the last.
"Hayley. Hayley!" I cry, dashing to her side and gathering her up in my arms.
Liana falls to her knees beside me. "Hayley, what's wrong? What's wrong?"
"No..." Hayley moans, tears of distress running down her face. She squeezes her eyes shut. "Don't let them...don't let them take me!"
"Hayley, shh...it was a dream. Just a bad dream." I pull Hayley to me in a hug, stroking her hair.
"Stella's right," Liana murmurs, laying a hand on Hayley's arm. "Everything's okay now."
Hayley doesn't respond for a few seconds. Her eyes are still closed, as if she's afraid that opening them will again unveil the nightmarish display she's just escaped from.
"No," she says finally. "It was real."
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"Nightmares," Liana says, throwing her hands up in the air. She paces the kitchen floor. "Stella, they're not supposed to have nightmares. It's not normal."
"Hush, you'll wake Hayley," I say. "She just fell asleep again."
"Stella, they could take her for this! They'll find out, and you know what they'll do to her."
"I know." I sit down heavily on a chair. "But there's nothing we can do about it. Maybe it's just the anxiety."
Liana sits down across from me and picks up the blue pamphlet lying on the table. She flips through it hastily, her tired eyes scanning each page. "Nightmares, also known as nocturnis somniatis disorder, were obliterated forty-seven years ago by a Federation scientific discovery," she reads. "Federation Nurseries perform a simple surgery on each child on his or her first birthday as a prevention measure for this disorder. However, medical research has seen some abnormal cases when the procedure is performed incorrectly, or when the child is resistant to the surgical modification for unknown reasons. If your Assigned child shows any symptoms of nocturnis somniatis disorder, such as sweating, tossing and turning, or talking in their sleep, notify your region's bureaucrat. Screaming or calling out in sleep is a sign of serious NS disorder. Should you notice this severe indication, call your state's emergency number immediately."
I stare at her in disbelief. "Liana, you know what the feds will do if we call that number. We can't just let them...let them do that to her."
"Stella." Liana reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. "I love her, too. And if we love her, we have to do what's best for her. That might mean calling the bureaucrats."
"And then what?" I shoot back, pulling my hand away. "Just let them take her? Let them experiment on her like some lab rat? Liana, she had a dream about somebody taking her away. Calling them...calling them would mean making her nightmare real. She would never forgive us.
"She doesn't have to." Liana's voice breaks. "She won't even remember us."
I turn away from her, feeling my eyes sting with tears. I push them back, willing myself not to cry. "Please, Liana—we can keep it undercover, I know we can. It's only a few months until our Cleansing procedures, and after that—"
"After that, we start new lives. I know." Liana pauses, rubbing her forehead tiredly. Finally, she says, "We'll have to be careful, Stella. Maybe with time, the nightmares will stop, but until then..."
"Is that a yes?" I ask hopefully.
Liana doesn't answer my question. "We can't keep her safe forever. She'll be moved to a new homestead soon, and they'll be sure to turn her in if she starts having bad dreams again while she's there."
I nod slowly. "All we can do is buy her some time."
"We can probably help her to train herself not to scream," Liana says. "Then maybe it won't be a problem when she moves homesteads." She sighs, shaking her head. "Well, right now, we should probably be looking through this pamphlet." She starts skimming the little booklet, turning a few pages. "Oh, here. Clothing—it says that...oh, Stella, we really should've looked through this earlier. It says that our city bureaucrat and an escort of officials pay each homestead a visit after an Assignment to give them more information. Stella, they're coming here, and this place is a mess."
"Guess we'll just have to get up early tomorrow," I yawn. "I'd rather not try to clean up now and wake Hayley."
"You're right." Liana stands up, and I follow her as we cross the kitchen towards our bedrooms. Liana shuts the door, and we each get into our own bed.
We sit facing each other for a moment, the dim candlelight allowing me to just see the outline of Liana's face.
"Stella, I promise, we'll do everything we can to protect her," Liana says. "But it might mean risking our own safety. You know that, right?"
"I do." I flop down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "But I don't care."
Liana pauses for a moment. Then she says, "Neither do I."
I smile and shut my eyes. "Good night, Liana," I whisper, pulling the covers up to my chin.
"Good night, Stella."
And the candle goes out in a puff of scented smoke.
YOU ARE READING
Forgotten
Science FictionMemories are dangerous. Memories are weapons. Seventeen-year-old Stella Parlett has believed that for her entire life. In the Federation of Equal Opportunity, formerly known as the United States, the freedom to remember is a small price to pay for t...
