The sound of somebody unlocking the door woke me up. Complete darkness and no windows made it difficult to tell what time of day it was. The door opened and the lights flicked on. I squinted my eyes. When they adjusted, I saw three officers, each with a gun strapped over a shoulder, carrying a tray with a glass of water and a sandwich on it.
One came to my cell while the other two went to Marley’s and Ashton’s. They sat the food down beside the metal bars. I didn’t move at first. “Probably be one of your last meals,” one of the officers said. “Better eat it.”
He was probably right.
They left, leaving us in darkness again. I crawled on the floor until I reached the bars. I stuck my arms out between the gaps and felt for my sandwich. I could hear Ashton and Marley do the same. We ate in silence.
“He thinks this food is a punishment,” I said after the sandwich and water was gone. “Little does he know that this is what we’re used to eating.”
Joke was on him, right? Ha, yeah right. We were still prisoners.
“Yeah,” Ashton said. “I’m still hungry, though,”
I didn’t count on Cornelius having more food brought to us. I thought about going back to sleep, but I knew there would be no way I could fall asleep again. So, I wondered when Cornelius would come and ask me more questions. It had to be soon. Unless he wanted to make me wait, build up my anxiety.
It was working.
I thought of Ashton and Marley. I really hoped he wouldn’t touch them. He would demand Belladonna’s and Edgar’s location soon. Would I give them away to protect Ashton and Marley? I honestly didn’t know the answer to that. If I didn’t tell Cornelius, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to harm them. If I did tell him, he would probably kill everybody under the mountain and all hope in exposing Grandfather would be gone. Sure, I could give him a false location, but he would find out eventually that it was a lie. He would come back and probably have Ashton and Marley killed. There was no win in this situation.
“He’s going to ask you guys where we’ve been hiding,” I said.
“I’d let them kill me before I told them,” Ashton said with confidence. “Because that’s our only hope to take Grandfather down.”
“Yeah,” Marley agreed. “I’m not going to let them hurt Momma or any of them.”
Marley, however, didn’t seem too confident. That just made me even more scared.
“He may be listening right now,” I told Ashton and Marley. “Like he did with me and Ashton. Don’t let anything slip.”
They agreed.
The fact that Cornelius was probably spying on us made it difficult to come up with a plan aloud. But we tried anyways. It was no use. We thought about doing something that would force the officers to let at least one of us out, but we had nothing to defend ourselves with. They had guns. It wasn’t worth the risk. We soon gave up on it and just lied there. I drifted off to sleep a couple of times but had no way to tell how long I was out. None of us had a clue what time of day it was.
My stomach started growling, echoing in the tiny cell. Sometimes, I could hear Ashton’s and Marley’s doing the same. Good never came. At least not for a while. We had completely lost track of time, so I don’t know when it was. But just as I was beginning to feel sick, three different officers brought us another sandwich with water. We ate it quickly.
“They would have found out we’re gone by now,” Marley said. “Momma’s probably angry.”
I hadn’t even thought about that. I tried imagining what Edgar and Belladonna were doing. It was easy to picture Edgar angry. Belladonna would be more upset than anything. She’d be scared. Would they come looking for us? They would know where I went as soon as I showed up missing. And Ashton and Marley? Well, they would know they went with me. But they probably weren’t looking for us. Yeah, they would want to. But it would be impossible for them to break in and rescue us. They’d be caught in no time. Cornelius would have them killed. There would be nobody to lead the people underground. Everybody would just have to be patient. It wouldn’t be so easy for them.
I thought of Mae. That part hurt to think about. Marley was her family, and she was in trouble because of me.
“I just want to get out of here,” Marley said.
“We will,” Ashton promised. “Patience.”
Patience was something that kept coming up. I didn’t have that virtue. That combined with my curiosity seemed to get me in trouble. I think my situation behind those bars was proof.
We actually didn’t have to wait much longer before something new happened. The door opened, the lights came on, and a man in a perfect black suit walked in.
Yeah, it was Cornelius.
Already, his nostrils flared and his eye twitched. I hadn’t even said anything to him yet.
An officer followed Cornelius inside.
“Let him out,” Cornelius demanded. The officer quickly opened my cell.
“I’m not going,” I told him, staying against the wall.
Cornelius was not having it. “Grab him!” he ordered, clenching his fist. “But don’t put any marks on him. I need him to look unharmed.”
The guard went to grab my arm. I didn’t resist, even though I wanted to. Ashton and Marley stood against the bars with worried looks.
“Where you taking him?” Ashton demanded to know.
Cornelius ignored him as he walked toward the door.
“Don’t tell them anything,” Ashton said before I left the room. The officer turned the lights off and locked the door.
It was time. Cornelius was ready to ask me questions, and I wasn’t prepared. Would I keep our hiding spot a secret even if it meant putting Marley’s and Ashton’s safety in jeopardy?
I just didn’t think I could do it.
I said nothing while Cornelius led me to the front desk where the same lady sat. Another woman stood nearby, waiting. “This is him?” she asked Cornelius when she saw us.
Who was this woman? She wore tons of makeup. And I mean way too much. Her face was way too pink and blue. She wore a light blue dress. All her jewelry was the same color as the dress and sparkled in the light.
“Yeah,” Cornelius growled.
Man, he was not happy.
“Let me talk to him first.”
She nodded.
He led me back into his office. Everything was the same. Except the TV wasn’t on. “Sit,” he demanded, pointing at a chair.
I did so, glancing out the window. It was twilight. We had been in the cell for nearly a day. I think. Maybe it was two days. I don’t know.
He walked next to his chair and kicked it over. What was it with him and kicking things? “It seems as if plans have changed,” he said. “Word got out that you came to me, and now everybody wants to see the poor kidnapped boy. Had to be the receptionists downstairs.” He shook his head fiercely before slamming a hand against his desk. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted them!”
I didn’t say anything.
“People are dying to see and hear from you. I’ve had no choice.” He looked at the ceiling before his eyes met mine. “You’ll be interviewed on live television.”
“Um, what?” I asked, wondering if I had heard right.
I could hear Cornelius grinding his teeth. “I couldn’t say no. You’re going to be interviewed.”
“To say what!” I yelled.
“To say exactly what I tell you to say,” Cornelius snapped. “I’ll have all the guidelines written up and delivered to you . . . and you will follow them!”
Cornelius had no intention on getting our secret location out of me. Plans had definitely changed. And I didn’t think I could do it. Live TV? In front of the entire nation?
Then, a thought hit me. The entire nation would be watching. People would be listening. I knew Edgar and Belladonna would have everybody gather in the dining hall to listen to it.
Cornelius walked up behind me. His hands squeezed my shoulders so hard that pain shot down both my ar
ms. “I know what you’re thinking,” said. “And if you reveal anything about me and Grandfather, your friends will be tortured and killed. So don’t get any ideas. The only opportunity this is for you is to keep alive a bit longer.”
Great. There goes that prospect. I was trapped . . . again.
“I won’t,” I said.
He let go of my shoulders. “Good,” he said. “The interview is tomorrow.”
What!? Did he expect me to prepare in a day?
He walked to the door and opened it. “Take him to one of the suites,”
The woman with too much makeup appeared in the doorway, smiling. She gestured for me to follow.
“Where am I going?” I asked, standing up slowly.
Cornelius grabbed my shoulder and shoved me toward the door. “Enjoy being one of us while you can,” he told me. “You won’t get to live in this kind of luxury for very long.”
“I’ll never be one of you,” I said as Cornelius let go of my shoulder.
He ignored me and slammed the door shut. I heard a loud bang come from inside the office.
“Let’s go,” the woman demanded, ignoring whatever it was Cornelius was doing inside. Probably throwing everything.
She led me to the elevator where she hit the down button. “The Grand Imperial wants me to make sure you’re cleaned up and ready for tomorrow. He’ll be by later to go over more details.” The elevator door opened. We stepped in.
I admired the city again through the elevator glass wall. The sunset in the distance reflected off the other skyscrapers. The elevator stopped just one floor below.
I guess people didn’t really use stairs.
We stepped out. Not saying a word, the woman led me down a hall until we reached two double doors at the end.
“Like the Grand Imperial said,” she said. “Enjoy it while you can.” She opened the doors, allowing me to go in first. “You won’t be here for very long.”
She took the door handles and swung both doors open.
I don’t know who is reading my story, but I realize I seem like I’m amazed by everything. And you’re right. I was seeing things I thought I’d never see in a million years. This time was no different.
I found myself in a large living area. I mean it was huge. The floor was made out of a dark and shiny hardwood. There were tables and shelves against the wall. Tons of pictures covered the maroon colored walls. Again, most of them depicted people I had never seen before.
Directly in the middle of the room, sitting on a fluffy white rug was a large black leather couch that sat in an ‘n’ shape. Or maybe it was a ‘u’ and I was looking at it backwards. A glass coffee table sat in the space the sofa created. On the table was a small black box. It was just a few inches on each side.
On one end of the room, there was a long white dining table, abled to seat up to eight. It held a few plants and unlit candles. The light coming from the chandeliers reflected off the surface. I wondered if somebody cleaned the room every day, even if somebody wasn’t staying in it. It sure did look like it.
Two doors were on the other end of the room. The woman told me that one was the bathroom and the other was the bedroom.
What caught my attention the most was the entire back wall. It was pure glass, revealing half the city, the tall wall, and the lake resting beyond it. Two glass sliding doors led to a large balcony outside. On the balcony was a small tub filled with water. I had never seen one before, but I knew it was too small to be a pool. Chairs and tables with umbrellas covering them sat directly in the middle.
“The Grand Imperial has requested you be comfortable until tomorrow,” the woman said. “My name is Helly.”
Everything in front of me was truly amazing. I didn’t care that Cornelius wanted to keep me comfortable to do his stupid interview. I was worried about something else. “What will he do with Ashton and Marley?” I asked.
Helly didn’t say anything.
“I want them here,” I demanded.
“Can’t do that,” Helly said.
“You’re supposed to keep me comfortable,” I said. “I won’t be comfortable without them.”
“Nice try,” Helly said, looking closely at her blue nails. “They’re staying in their cells. Dinner will be brought to you later.” Her smile was killing me. She was so clueless as to what was going on.
“How can you be with Grandfather?” I asked her. “What’s in it for you?”
Helly turned around and headed back to the double doors. “Everything’s in it for me,” she said, leaving me alone.
Examining everything again, the room overwhelmed me. Everything there probably cost more than the whole orphanage. A lot more. People were living large within the wall. We outsiders couldn’t even dream of a room like this. Yet, there I stood, not dreaming.
I walked toward the sofas. My eyes caught the black box on the table. On top of it was a tiny hole with a green button beside it.
Curiosity.
I pressed it.
Immediately, a bluish light sprung out of the small hole, revealing a large transparent TV screen floating in the air above the entire coffee table. It reminded me of a ghost. I backed away, my legs hitting the couch. I couldn’t stop myself from falling. It was as if the couch was sucking me in. It was so comfortable. Definitely the most comfortable thing I had ever sat on.
The screen displayed a young woman in pink clothing speaking, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. I searched the area for a way to turn the volume up. I didn’t see anything at first, but after a few minutes, I discovered a thin piece of glass sitting on the couch. It looked a lot like the cell phones I had seen. Maybe that’s what it was.
It practically weighed nothing and felt nothing like glass. It was smooth. The edges were rounded. As I had seen Cornelius’s phone do, the piece of glass lit up, revealing a keypad along with other buttons. I knew it had to control the TV. I hit the up button labeled ‘VOL’. The woman’s voice became louder. I looked at her more closely to see she had pink eyes to match her clothing. Was that natural?
“Exciting indeed,” she was saying. “And the big question we all want to know is how he’s adapting to life here.”
“That’s right,” a man who didn’t appear on the screen said. “People are also dying to know what he looks like.”
The headline HUNT FOR BOY ENDS appeared on the screen.
“Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out,” the man’s voice said.
A picture of the Presidential Tower was displayed beside the reporters head. “Can you believe tickets have already been sold out?” the woman asked.
“Tickets were gone after only five minutes,” the man told her. “Nothing has sold out as quickly as this event. People are drawn to this boy. It’s absolutely miraculous.”
“They sure are,” the woman said. “I know I’ll be watching the interview tomorrow.”
“Oh definitely,” the man said. “This will be bigger than the last Olympics.”
They were definitely talking about me. The reporter said a few more things before the screen changed to an advertisement for the latest phone. It looked much like the controller for the TV. It was a transparent piece of glass that lit up when touched. I grabbed the TV controller and hit the button to change the channel. Another news station came on.
“We imagine he’s being treated very well as we speak,” an older man was saying. The headline read: CARSYN TO SIT WITH MEEKO AND CLEO. I changed the channel again, only to come across another news station guessing what I was doing and what I looked like. They showed a large crowd standing outside of the Presidential Tower taking pictures and trying to get in. A line of officers monitored the area. These people were obsessed with me. Out of all things to talk about, it was me. There were plenty of others things going on, such as the starving outside of the wall. But no, it was all about me.
What was going on?
In anger, I flipped through the
channels rapidly until I came across some sort of program unrelated to me. I ended up spending the next hour watching a story about a boy who grew up to be an officer at the wall, making sure outsiders didn’t try to walk in. Toward the end, he ended up shooting a poor woman wanting to get in. “We must protect ourselves,” the main character said. I had to change the channel at that point. Ridiculous.
Next, I came across a channel talking about the weather. A gray-headed man who didn’t look old in the face pointed at a map of what I guessed to be New Dawn. “It’s getting rather dry again, so tomorrow, the National Weather Institution will create moisturized clouds around the area to bring us some precipitation.”
“But it’s a different story in the southern region,” a woman took over. The screen switched to her. “A mistake made by the NWI led to a series of tornados this morning – first tornadoes in two decades.”
“That’s right, Dyna,” the man said. “We’ll have more after this break and what the NWI has to say about their unintentional mistake. I imagine somebody’ll be losing their job after that little incident.”
Outside the glass wall, it had grown completely dark. I could barely see the wall in the distance.
I thought about Ashton and Marley. They were still stuck in the cold cells, probably starving. There I was, sitting in a huge luxurious room watching the TV. It wasn’t fair. Perhaps I could try to get them. I thought about going to find them, but that wouldn’t work. I didn’t have a key to get in and I knew I didn’t have a chance at picking the lock. And besides, there was a good chance Cornelius was having me watched. In fact, there were probably cameras and recorders in the room.
A knock came at my door. Another transparent screen appeared next to the door, revealing a man outside of my door.
Surreal.
It was Cornelius. The words ‘Deny’ and ‘Allow’ appeared beside his face. I looked at the TV controller in my hand. The numbers were now gone, also revealing an image of Cornelius’s standing outside of the door. Before I could hit the deny button, the option faded away. The knob wiggled and the door opened. The screen revealing his face faded away. The buttons on the remote returned.
His anger was gone, but I knew it was still there somewhere. And nobody knew when it would jump out. He took a seat on the other end of the couch, across from me. He crossed his legs. Glancing at the TV screen in front of me, he spoke, “Bet you never saw anything like this outside of the wall.”
“Maybe there would be stuff like this if you guys didn’t separate yourselves from everybody else.”
Cornelius didn’t get angry. He rubbed his hand across the leather. “It’s for the best,” he said. “Limiting the number of people who can have these nice things makes this a lot better.”
“It’s not right,” I said.
“I don’t care,” he said. “I have it, and that’s all that matters.”
“You know,” I started, feeling my face turn red. “If the people outside every city wall in the entire nation got together, they could easily take you down.”
“But it’ll never happen,” Cornelius said.
“And why is that?” I asked.
“It just won’t,” he said.
I said nothing. The thing was, he was right. It would be way too difficult to get everybody together.
“They don’t care anymore,” he said. “They’ve adapted.”
He was wrong. They did care. People just didn’t think they had a chance. I didn’t blame them. That’s exactly how I felt before Edgar found me.
“Maybe people inside a city wall will realize what’s going on,” I said.
Cornelius laughed. “My boy, that would never happen. Look around you.” He motioned around the room. “They don’t want to lose everything. This life isn’t so easy to leave behind.”
“I won’t have a problem doing so,” I told him. I had to admit that everything was nice and comfortable. But the longer I stayed in the room, the closer it made me to everybody else in the city, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be one of them.
“Let’s get to the point,” Cornelius said. “You have to be prepared for the interview tomorrow evening.”
“Yay,” I said sarcastically.
Cornelius ignored me. “You will act like you are happy to be here. You will say that you are treated well here. You will not say anything about Grandfather. You will appear so thankful that you’re with me and will act as if everything is just so perfect.”
“And what if I don’t?”
“As I’ve said before,” Cornelius began. “I have two prisoners just taking up space.”
I didn’t have to think long. “I’m only doing it to keep Ashton and Marley safe.”
“I don’t care why you’re doing it,” Cornelius said coldly. “Just do it.
“And what will you have me say about being kidnapped?”
“You’ll tell them that you were kidnapped outside of the orphanage at midnight.”
“Why midnight?” I asked.
“I need some support for the new curfew law I’m working on,” he answered. “You’ll give that to me.”
I didn’t want to do that. But there was nothing I could do. Perhaps the reason Cornelius wasn’t so angry was because he found a way to turn the situation in his favor.
“You will tell the people that they were from a different region…that way everybody will be more thrilled about the Bill of Border Control that just went into effect. If they ask why they did it, you will tell them they hated me for the bill and learned that I was searching for you. They got to you before I could.”
“Anything else?” I asked.
“You’ll tell them that I’ve been waiting for you to settle down before talking about your parents . . . my friends.
That made me angry, mainly because I still didn’t know if he was lying about my parents or not. He said he knew the truth. I just didn’t know if that was it.
Cornelius took out a piece of paper and handed it to me. I skimmed through it. It was basically everything he had just told me. “Memorize it,” he said. “Your mistakes will be on Ashton and Marley.” He stood up and walked to the door just as another knock sounded. We both watched the screen pull up, revealing a man in a white suit pushing a cart.
“Dinner,” Cornelius said, opening the door and greeting the man. The server pushed the cart to the dining table. “Enjoy your stay,” Cornelius said. “Be ready for the interview tomorrow.”
I stayed seated while the man laid out my dinner on the long table. I thanked him before leaving. I don’t know why I did that, especially if he was a part of Grandfather. Maybe he wasn’t. I don’t know.
I walked to the table to see what was there. I lost my breath. One empty plate sat in front of the chair at the end of the table. Surrounding the empty plate were three different types of meats, a basket of bread, a bowl of salad, some sort of rolls stuffed with some kind of meat and vegetables, four different sides that I had never seen before, and a large plate with every fruit you could think of.
It was so unfair. There was more than enough food for me. I didn’t eat this much food two weeks in the orphanage. I thought of what Marley and Ashton would be eating. It would be another average sandwich and a glass of water. I couldn’t eat all of that good food knowing they were hardly getting anything. I reclaimed my seat on the couch, ignoring the dinner until I couldn’t anymore. My stomach growled and I felt lightheaded. I was going to have to eat something. I slowly sat down in front of the empty plate and shoved a fork into a piece of meat. It seemed to melt in my mouth. I closed my eyes. “Wow,” I whispered to myself. I couldn’t control myself. I filled my plate up with a little bit of everything. I could’ve refilled my plate, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It just wasn’t right. I leaned back in my chair, glaring at the food, feeling guilty instantly. I didn’t deserve to eat like that. And something told me Cornelius was indulging me with nice things on purpose. He wanted me to feel like o
ne of them. He succeeded, and I didn’t like it. I lied down on the couch, thinking of Ashton and Marley, thinking of everybody under the mountain, thinking of my interview. Anything I said wrong would come back on Marley and Ashton. My safety was secured for the time being. Surely there was something I could do to assure Marley and Ashton’s safety.
The next morning, the leftover food from dinner was taken away and replaced with vast amounts of breakfast foods. This time, I forced myself to eat as little as possible. I didn’t want to go the entire day feeling guilty. But even after eating small amounts, I hated myself. I think I hated myself more for liking the food rather than eating it.
Afterwards, Helly stopped by and demanded that I take a bath.
In the bathroom, the dark green tile floors were warm to my feet. I wondered what made them so. The bathtub was so large that a dozen people could’ve squeezed in. I turned the handle, and hot water filled the tub. It changed colors as it poured out of the faucet.
For the rest of the day, I tried keeping myself from overusing anything that would make me just like somebody from the city, but I didn’t have many options. I ended up staying on the couch watching the TV. The news continued talking about me, the tracking law, and the new curfew law.
The weather channel was right, too. The National Weather Institution created rain clouds, allowing it to rain. But it was said they’d quit before the interview so that people could travel in good weather. I guess people seeing me on TV was such a big deal that even the weather had to be perfect.
As evening approached, Helly brought me another black suit much nicer and slimmer than the one Edgar got me. “Hurry up,” she said. “We need to go.”
I went to the bathroom and put it on quickly. When I came back, there were two other ladies with Helly. “Sit down,” Helly demanded, snapping a finger toward a chair next to a table. I did so, but I was sure to take my time, just to make her mad. I could hear her huffing and puffing. Good.
The women dug into two black bags and brought out a bunch of makeup, which they proceeded to put on me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, trying to resist.
“Don’t worry,” Helly said. “We’re just touching you up for the camera.”
I turned my head as she tried brushing something on my cheek. It was very uncomfortable.
“Quit,” Helly said, squeezing my forehead, forcing my head to stay still. “You won’t be able to see or feel it,” she said. “It’s just for the camera. Hiding every wrinkle, scar, or blemish you have is important.”
I didn’t like the idea. They were changing my appearance. But I forced myself to relax and let them do it. Once they had finished, one of the ladies pulled out a black tube, squeezed a clear paste into her hands, and put it in my hair. Again, I didn’t resist. There was no point.
“We have ten minutes,” Helly told the ladies. “We must hurry.”
The two women finished up. Helly rushed me to the door. I opened it to find Cornelius waiting for me. “Ah,” he said with a sneer. “Now you really look like one of us.”
“I’m not one of you,” I snapped.
“Come. Our ride is waiting outside.”
I followed him down the elevator and through the front doors. Helly was sure to stay by my side, urging me to be quicker. Outside of the Presidential Tower, there was a huge crowd leading up to a long, white vehicle waiting for us. Security surrounded us, rushing us to the vehicle. A man opened the back door, allowing me, Cornelius, and Helly to jump in.
The vehicle was much nicer than the cab we had taken. It was also a lot roomier. There was even a bar against one entire side of the vehicle. Helly took a champagne bottle and poured Cornelius a glass. He took it with satisfaction and took a sip.
Two white vehicles led us through traffic while two others followed us. I watched the people on the sidewalk. Many ignored us while others stopped to look. I wondered if they knew I was in there. After all, I was the big news.
“Remember what we discussed,” Cornelius said. “And remember . . . what you say can come back on your friends.”
I nodded, feeling of my hair. It was soft and smooth, sticking up in a specific way.
“Don’t mess with it,” Helly yelled, slapping my arm.
Cornelius continued going over the rules, which, I had memorized in order to keep Ashton and Marley safe. I basically had to pretend everything was perfect and act like I was kidnapped by people from another region after midnight.
“And don’t forget to smile,” Helly said.
“Yes,” Cornelius said. “Show everybody that you’re the happiest little boy here.”
Oh yeah, I forgot about that little rule. That was going to have to be the hardest for me.
“Let’s see it,” Cornelius said.
I looked at him, not smiling at first. Then, I forced one.
Cornelius shook his head in disappointed. “If you want to keep your friends safe, you’ll have to do a lot better than that.”
Helly didn’t look too happy with it either. I took a deep breath and stretched my lips as much as I could, giving Cornelius the best smile possible.
He nodded with satisfaction. “There it is,” he said.
Soon, the vehicle slowed down. The crowd outside grew denser. This time, they all stood still, watching us as we approached them. The vehicle came to a stop in front of a red pathway surrounded by hundreds of people shouting and cheering. A black rope separated the people from the red pathway. The red carpet led to a set of double doors of another skyscraper.
The driver jumped out and walked around the vehicle until he reached our door. Several men and women standing just a few feet away pointed cameras at us, waiting for the door to open. The driver opened the door. Helly stepped out first. Next was Cornelius. As he exited the car, the crowd erupted with excitement. The reporters rushed to him with cameras in his face, asking him tons of questions. He ignored them and looked back at me, smiling.
He gestured for me to get out of the vehicle. I wanted to stay in there forever. But I knew that just wasn’t possible. I took a deep breath and gave the best smile possible, hoping it was good enough. This was it. I had to be careful. I had to keep Ashton and Marley safe.
I stepped out of the car.
Chapter Eleven