The War Outside Read online

  “The Southern Intelligence Committee, with the help of Seekers and more advanced drones, have deemed the greater parts of the city—which we believed to be the most dangerous—as safe. Whether or not you will encounter resistance on the outskirts I cannot guarantee. However, it has been confirmed that the farmlands are not normally host to illegal activities. As such, it should be safe to relocate you to the Cross family residence.”

  Daniel says, “Thank the Great God.”

  I can only watch as Mother Terra continues to examine us. I am unsure how I am supposed to feel, or if I am supposed to feel anything. All I can summon at this moment is relief, but somehow, I feel that this move isn’t going to be as joyous as Daniel seems to believe.

  “What will happen next?” I ask, rather morosely.

  “Your Designated Purpose will undergo review by the Countess, the Commandant, then a judge of the Glittering City. Only then can we determine how you will proceed with it.”

  “I wasn’t talking about my purpose,” I reply. “I was referring to… well…”

  Mother Terra’s eyes brighten. “Ah. I see.”

  Daniel turns his head to look at me. “What’re you talking about?” he asks.

  “I’m… referring to our family,” I say.

  “Oh,” Daniel says. “That.”

  Mother Terra nods. “Yes. That.” She steps forward; and though rarely graced by her touch, the Gentlewoman sets a hand on my shoulder and says, “You will continue to try, regardless of the political climate at hand.”

  “What if I’m meant to move?” I ask, then correct myself by saying, “If my Purpose forces me to leave our home?”

  “You mean if you become pregnant.” She pauses. “Rest assured that you will be taken care of regardless of what happens.”

  “Thank you,” I say.

  Mother Terra takes a few steps back, then turns and makes her way to the threshold. “You will be relocated within the hour. I will return after arrangements have been made to transfer you.”

  She leaves without waiting for either of us to say thank you.

  Standing, I cross my arms over my chest and make my way toward the washroom.

  “Kel?” Daniel asks. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I say, then pass into the bathroom.

  I close the door before Daniel can slip in alongside me, and lock the door shortly thereafter.

  Safely inside my only place of solace, I turn, only to find my reflection staring back at me.

  This is what you wanted, it seems to say, judging me from the depths of my eyes, the curves of my lips, the rigidness of my jaw. This is what your life’s ambition has been.

  No, I think. This… this existence… was not what I wanted. I never wanted to be held captive within a single room—made to play housewife within a sturdy home—and yet, I wonder: what did I want? An escape? A fantasy? A life away from the hellish plane I had once lived within?

  Now, as I consider everything that I’d wanted in my past, I look at my present like a glass prison, within which I stand looking out at all that is good and great within the world.

  Is it just because I am trapped within the Spire, I wonder? Or will it be the same once I am within the Cross residence on the outskirts of town?

  Truth of the matter is: I don’t know, and I won’t find out until I reach the farmlands.

  With that in mind, I swallow the lump in my throat, take a deep breath, then reach up to run my hands through my hair.

  I know that my life, as complicated as it might seem, will play out as it is meant to.

  In the end, this is what I wanted.

  There is nothing I can do now but wait.

  While Daniel showers, I pack a small bag that I have been instructed to place all my personal belongings in. Though clothes fill most of it, the two items I hold dearest are buried at the bottom: my family locket, which Mother Terra has in the past deemed ‘too ugly’ for me to wear, and the diary that saved Ceyonne’s life.

  Ceyonne, I think.

  I struggle to piece together what I could say to her now that I am leaving. Though I am not accustomed to how things within the Glittering City work, I imagine that our time as friends is coming to a close, as to one place I will go and she, eventually, another.

  Sighing, I lift my head to view the front door—and wonder, for one brief moment, if I would even be allowed to see my friend.

  The SADs are standing guard right outside my residence. If I even step foot outside, they’ll surely stop me.

  Right?

  You won’t know until you try.

  With that in mind, I step toward the door.

  They are speaking before I can even fully turn the doorknob.

  “Beauty or Grace,” the Dame says. “You have been instructed to remain inside until—”

  “I know,” I reply, cutting the SAD off before she can continue. “But I want to see my friend.”

  “Your friend?”

  “Ceyonne Marsden. The girl in the room next to me.”

  The Dame doesn’t respond.

  Frowning, I pull the door back, only to see that both women are looking at me with indecision behind their tempered glass tactical masks.

  “Well?” I ask, looking from one, to the other, then back again. “Can I see her?”

  “We’ve been instructed—”

  “I know. I just… don’t know when or if I’ll see her again. I just want to say goodbye.”

  The Dames look at one another.

  I sigh.

  They frown.

  “Three minutes,” one says.

  “Three minutes… what?” I ask.

  “Two-minutes fifty-nine seconds,” the Dame states.

  I bolt out of the room and make my way to my friend’s doorstep. “Ceyonne!” I call as I knock on the door. “Ceyonne! It’s me, Kel! Please, open up! I only have a little bit of time before—”

  The door opens.

  I am just about to open my mouth before Ceyonne pulls me in.

  She shuts the door, spins to face me, and says, “What’re you doing here?”

  “I—” I start, then stop as I look at her face. “I just…”

  She taps her foot while waiting.

  “I wanted to say goodbye,” I finally say.

  “Wait,” the girl says. “You’re leaving?”

  I nod. “Daniel requested that we be moved to his family’s home in the farmlands. I… don’t know when or if I’ll ever see you again, so I just… I wanted…”

  That’s all it takes for a tear to slide down my face.

  “Kel?” Ceyonne manages. “Why’re you—”

  “I’m sorry I did what I did,” I say, knowing that the Dames outside might be listening, “and I’m sorry for breaking your trust like that. I just… I wanted to be your friend, and do the best I could by you.”

  “I’m sorry I upset you,” Ceyonne replies, stepping forward. “I… I was just mad, Kel. I didn’t know what to think, especially after… well… you know.”

  “I know.”

  “But knowing that you’re going to leave, and that we might not see each other again…” She reaches out, takes hold of, then pulls me into a hug. “It makes everything seem unimportant.”

  I try my hardest not to cry, especially since my makeup is at risk of running, but a few more tears slide down my face in the process. I tighten my hold on her shirt, which smells of sickly-sweet perfume, and hold on as the waves of emotions assault me.

  We’d gone through so much together. To think that this might be the last time I will see her scares the hell out of me.

  A hard knock comes at the door. “Mrs. Cross!” the Dame calls. “Your time is up!”

  “I have to go,” I say, drawing back to look her straight in the eyes. “But I promise I’ll do everything in my power to keep in contact with you.”

  “Maybe I can come and visit,” Ceyonne says, forcing a smile despite the uncomfortable situation. “That’d be okay with him, right?”


  “I think so,” I say. “I—”

  The pounding knock comes at the door again.

  “I guess this is goodbye for now,” I say. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “You saved my life, Kelendra Elizabeth Cross. I won’t forget that.”

  I smile one last time before opening the door.

  The SADs are upon me instantly, taking hold of my arms and dragging me back toward my door.

  “Okay! Okay!” I cry. “I’m going!”

  I push my way back into my apartment, only for the door to be slammed on me a second later.

  Daniel exits the washroom, a frown on his face. “Kel?” he asks. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” I reply. “I just went to see Ceyonne.”

  “Your friend next door?”

  I nod.

  “They let you?”

  I nod again.

  Daniel offers little more than a nod of his own before he says, “Mother Terra should be here soon. Is your bag packed?”

  “I assume they’ll send me anything they think I’ll need,” I reply. “But yeah. My bag is packed.”

  “Good. I’m ready to get out of here.”

  Though I want to agree, I can’t.

  Something tells me that the more time goes on, the more I’ll lose everything I’ve ever loved.

  That alone inspires dread within my heart.

  A knock at the door is all it takes to strike fear within me.

  “Well,” Daniel says before the door can open. “Here we go.”

  Mother Terra enters a short moment later. “Mister and Missus Cross,” she says, looking at Daniel, then me. “Are you ready to depart?”

  “We are,” I say.

  “Good.” Mother Terra steps forward and extends her hands to reveal a pair of darkly-tinted glasses. “Please, put these on.”

  “Why?”

  “They’ll help hide your identities.”

  I accept the glasses she offers and turn them in my grasp, noting the large circular lenses that are both outrageous and stylish at the same time. Daniel’s, in comparison, are far more conservative, and shaped like the squarish glasses I’ve seen other men in the city wear.

  “You’re sure these’ll help?” I ask.

  “All the Beautiful and Handsome Ones wear them while they’re in the metropolitan. Now—let’s not dawdle.”

  I consider my surroundings with faithful hesitation as Daniel takes my bag, slings it over his shoulder, and follows Mother Terra into the hallway. His haste to abandon this places leaves me at a bit of a disadvantage, because no matter how much a part of me wants to leave, another has grown familiar with the creature comforts this apartment offers.

  You’re leaving to start your new life, my conscience offers. Shouldn’t you be happy?

  Should I be? Should I be fearless in my pursuit toward my destiny? It seems odd to be afraid, especially considering the fact that I am like a girl who with her long hair down has wanted to escape this vicious place. At the same time, though, I realize that this apartment has been sanctuary from everything, including the city and even my loathsome thoughts.

  “Kelendra?” Mother Terra asks. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, Revered Mother,” I say. “Nothing’s wrong.”

  “Then please, come.”

  I slide the glasses over my face and take note of the yellow tint they give my surroundings before following the two into the hallway.

  Outside, I consider the panoramic view, but only for a moment.

  Soon, we are walking down the hall, and leaving everything I know behind.

  As we reach the elevator, and as Mother Terra hails it to allow us passage, I turn to look back down the hall—and long to see Ceyonne one last time.

  While I know I said my goodbyes, the fact that I am leaving the friend who has helped me survive thus far is like a having a knife shoved into my gut.

  Thankfully, the feeling lasts only for a moment.

  The elevator opens.

  We step in, accompanied by two SADs.

  Then we descend.

  “Where will we exit?” Daniel asks.

  “We will exit out the back,” Mother Terra explains. “The area has been cordoned off to prevent the public from seeing what vehicle will leave the immediate area. You will reach the Ceres Farmlands within a half-hour.”

  I nod, mostly for myself than anyone else, and lace my hands together to keep them from trembling.

  Daniel, meanwhile, grins ear-to-ear. “My mother will be so pleased,” he says, pressing a hand between my shoulder blades.

  “I hope she likes me,” I reply.

  “Like?” Daniel laughs. “She’ll love you.”

  Though I want to ask how he knows, the elevator opens before I can.

  Mother Terra steps out.

  We follow, the SADs close behind.

  At the back door that leads out to the red carpet there is a single car awaiting, its white facade speckled with dirt and old chipped paint.

  “I expected something… more,” I offer.

  “Can’t have the public thinking we’re esteemed or anything,” Daniel replies with a laugh.

  I can only nod as the SADs step forward to open the doors.

  “This is where I leave you for now,” Mother Terra says, turning to face both Daniel and myself.

  “You’re not coming?” I ask, my gut churning as I realize that her guidance—and through it, suggestion—will no longer be offered on this trip.

  “The SADs will accompany you as far as the Ceres Farmlands. Then you will act of your own volition.”

  “But, Mother Terra, I—”

  She shakes her head. “Silence, child. You are making a bigger deal of this than it is.”

  “But—”

  She presses a painted red nail to my lips. “Trust yourself, but most importantly: trust your husband. You will be fine.”

  “Don’t worry, Kel,” Daniel says. “I’ve got your back.”

  “All right,” I say, then sigh. I draw in a struggled breath before lifting my eyes to face the Gentlewoman. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

  “I will keep you abreast of your Purpose as it goes through the legal system. Now, go. Your life awaits you.”

  I want to say more, do more, act like I appreciate everything she’s done even though she has been both cruel and kind, but find myself unable to do anything.

  With a press of a hand against my back, Daniel leads me out the door.

  The SADs step out, open the vehicle’s rear door, then wait for Daniel and I to step inside.

  Once we are settled within the vehicle, they round its surface and enter through the front of it, wherein three seats line the row beside the driver’s rather than just two.

  “Well,” Daniel says as we begin to drive away. “This is it. The start of everything.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “It is.”

  I crane my head to look back at the Spire as we drive off; and though I cannot possibly see what transpires on the twelfth floor, I imagine Ceyonne is there, watching us go and wondering just what will occur come time her husband is selected for her.

  With a sigh, I lean back and close my eyes.

  “Everything’ll be fine,” Daniel says, taking hold of my hand. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

  I can only hope.

  We leave the city behind in a matter of minutes. During this time, at which I feel lost and nervous beyond compare, I look to the distance and consider everything there is to see.

  “It’s beautiful,” Daniel says, “isn’t it?”

  Beautiful couldn’t describe the lands we are traveling through. Lush with greenery, and fletched with bright blue flowers, the hills roll and the land stretches ever so vastly before us. Old buildings dot its surface, though whether or not they are inhabited I cannot be sure. Most seem to be falling apart.

  “There’s so much land here,” I say. “Why aren’t they putting it to use?”
r />   “This is considered the ‘scenic’ part of the Glittering City,” Daniel explains. “Farming is almost impossible here due to the hills, and leveling them to place foundations for homes would be incredibly costly. Hence why this place holds barren architecture.”

  “And the farmlands are further out because…”

  “The land evens out,” Daniel finishes. “Plus, the soil has been genetically modified to produce super crops.”

  “Genetically modified?” I frown. “What does that mean?”

  “It mean scientists have altered the fruits and vegetables in labs to grow larger, quicker, and ward off bugs and other animals.”

  “You mean… so they aren’t eaten?”

  “Exactly.”

  “How?”

  “I’m not privy to all the details, but from what I understand, they modify scorpion genetics and integrate them into our foods.”

  “Genetics being what makes us up,” I say. “Like… our insides.”

  “Yeah.”

  “But aren’t scorpions poisonous?”

  “Venomous, actually. Venom is injected, poison ingested.”

  “Oh,” I say. “I… see.”

  Daniel smiles. “It’s a very complicated process that is done within labs. They don’t really teach it in primary schools. You have to go to an advanced school that specifically teaches those things to learn them.”

  “Okay. I think I understand.”

  Truth is: the whole idea of the Glittering City, and its farming practices, are overwhelming. While I imagine it takes effort to create the crops that are grown in the walls, a part of me wonders why, if the fruits and vegetables are able to be altered here, they cannot be shipped to settlements elsewhere. The risk of famine is always present in places like the Sandstone Hills, or Gladberry, or Thomasburg. To know that the Glittering City doesn’t face this problem is nearly unfathomable.

  I shake my head to ward off the thoughts and try my hardest to focus on other things, but deep down, my anger is stewing, boiling to the surface as I consider the people in some settlements who have starved to death due to dry yields.

  “You okay?” Daniel asks.

  “Fine,” I lie, lifting my eyes to view the SADs and our driver in the front seat. “Don’t worry about me.”

  Daniel doesn’t say anything. He merely points and says, “There’s the Ceres Farmlands.”