The Society

The Society Chapter 4

Chapter 4   
         "Chantelle, chill. It's just me," I heard a voice say. I got spun around to face the person.
        "Harlen! What the hell! You scared me!" I shouted to the tall boy looking down at me.
        "I'm sorry. We're late though, come on," he gently said.
        "Where are we going?"
        "To meet with the other Elite. Now let's go," he said impatiently. I didn't protest. I didn't know why. I think it was because I was too terrified by the fact that Harlen had been walking behind me for the longest time and I had no idea. I shivered. I was surprised when Harlen handed me his jacket. He didn't say a word. I decided to take it.
        "Thanks," I said. Harlen just nodded. We finally reached the tower of solstice. I looked at the scanner. I had never been there. Mainly because it was very high tech and needed voice activation to unlock. I didn't even know why it was there. Harlen pushed the blue button.
        "State your name," a voice said through the speaker.
        "Harlen Zachary Shade," Harlen said. I looked at him like he was crazy. There was no way he was going to get into this place.
        "State your name," the voice said again. Harlen turned to me.
        "Chantelle," I muttered.
        "State your name," the voice said again. I rolled my eyes and turned to leave. Harlen bumped me.
        "Full name, Chanty," he said. It was odd hearing him call my Chanty. He hadn't in ages. He looked me in the eye. His eyes were pleading. I sighed.
        "Chantelle Paige Markel," I said with annoyance.
        "Access granted," the voice said. I heard a beep and the door slid open.  It revealed a long spiral staircase. I raised my eyebrows at Harlen. He gestured for me to climb the stairs.
        "Ladies first," he said in a mocking tone. I gave him a look and began my way up the long staircase.
When I reached the top I was shocked by what I saw. It was a huge room filled with people in chairs. They all wore long white cloaks with the hood up. It looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. I spun on my heels.
            "Oh heck no. I am not about to get murdered," I said and began to go back down the stairs. Harlen stopped me. He grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes.
             "Just hear them out, Chanty. Please. Do it for your mom," he said. It was enough to stop me dead in my tracks. He turned me around. Everyone took their hoods down. Some of the people looked like they were my age. Others looked older than my gram.
               "Welcome, Chantelle. My name is Abrielle. I was a friend of your mother's. Harlen tells me you have had some memories stolen," a woman said. She was smiling at me. Her hair was strawberry blonde. It had streaks of gray in it. She had wrinkles. The bags under her eyes were drooping low. I knew one thing for sure. That woman looked way older than she was.
            "I think you're mistaken. I haven't had any memories stolen," I began. "I mean, that's not even possible."
            "Oh I can assure you young lady, it is very possible," a man said as he stood up. "Chandler. My name. In case you were wondering." Abrielle put a hand on the man, Chandler's, shoulder.
             "I'm sure that you're very confused, Chantelle. Allow me to explain. You believe that we live in a perfect world, correct?" Abrielle asked.
           "That's because we do live in a perfect world," I said, stating the obvious.
            "Well you see Chantelle, this world, your world, is based on lies. The Society that you look up to and put on a pedestal is really full of traitors," Abrielle said narrowing her eyes.
           "Excuse me? My sister is training to be a member of the Society thank you very much," I said crossing my arms.
            "Your sister is about to be as corrupted and brainwashed as the rest," she spat. "The Society is running a nation their way. They will kill anyone who gets in their way. Actually, they'll send the Roanoke to do it for them. The truth is that the Society knows things. They have moles all around, cameras everywhere. They run everything. We know that they're hiding something. They-" she began and I cut her off.
                "You're crazy," I mumbled.
           "Chantelle they're telling the truth. For once in your life just shut up and listen," Harlen said.
          "Yes. I know this because I used to be a member of the Society. I was on the inner circle. I had one of the higher positions. The people see things. The ones who truly open their eyes see the flaws in the system. They see the imperfections. They see what the Society wants no one to see. When the Society realizes this they steal their memory. They use a high tech machine to suck them out and they put them in these jar like cases. They do this all the time. I used to do it all the time. Did you know there are other survivors? The disease hasn't killed them. The Society refuses to let them come through our walls. They have the Roanoke murder them. I believe it's because those on the outside know something. Something big. As the Elite it's our job to bring the Society down. If you join us we will give you access to fire power, combat training, and all the computer hacking technology we have. We are going to bring down the Society once and for all. Bring back freedom to the world. Are you with us?" Abrielle said.
            "I'm sorry. This is crazy. I can't do this. Why me? Why would you want me?" I asked.
              "You're a legacy," Chandler said. "Your mother was one of us."
            "Even if I believed you, which I don't," I began. "Why didn't you recruit my sister Shay?'
             "Because your mother never wanted your sister involved. She knew Shay didn't have what it takes. She always said you did. She said that you would be the one to bring the Society down. She said you would be their downfall," Abrielle said. I saw the passion in her eyes.
             "Besides, we're only telling you what you already know," Harlen interrupted. "Your mother already told you. Like my mother told me. The only difference is that the Society suspected that you knew, so they took the memory from you. My mother wasn't insane, Chantelle. She was telling the truth."
          "I don't think my mom would want this. If she was alive she wouldn't want me to be a part of this. After the accident-" I started,
         "The accident? Oh the Society did quite a number on you, didn't they? Your mother's death was no accident. Your mother died at the hands of the Roanoke the Society hired to kill her," Abrielle interjected.
        "What?" I squeaked. My breathing was picking up. I started falling backwards. Harlen put a hand on my back to steady me. I immediately felt the warmth.
         "I'm sorry, Chantelle. Are you with us?" Chandler said. I looked around the room. Everyone was staring at me. All the people whose names I didn't even know.
        "I need time," I said.
         "We understand, Chantelle. We only pray that you'll join us at our meeting next week," Abrielle nodded. She gave me a hug. I turned to walk back down the stairs. Harlen followed behind me and I heard Chandler's voice echo through the tower.
           "Tell no one. Be smart. Learn to fight and learn to fight well. Otherwise you'll end up just like your mother."