Once we reached the Presidential Tower, I followed Cornelius inside the building and to the elevator. In the elevator, I watched again as I towered above the people, and eventually the buildings. The elevator stopped. I knew where I was. We rounded the corner to where my suite was. There, waiting at the door, were two officers. It wasn’t they who caught my attention. It was the two standing behind them.
Ashton and Marley.
Marley ran, throwing her arms around me. “You’re okay!”
Ashton joined us. “We were worried,” he said, patting my shoulder, giving Cornelius a dirty look.
“You’re going to look at me like that?” Cornelius said. “After I let you out of your cells, gave you each a nice room to stay in.” He motioned to the two doors next to mine.
“What’s going on?” Ashton asked. “What did you do with Carsyn? Where did you take him?”
“Get inside,” Cornelius said, motioning us inside my room. “Now.”
“It’s okay,” I assured them. “I’ve been safe.”
We gathered around the sofa in my room. Cornelius slammed the door shut. “You can thank Carsyn for getting you out,” he said. “Foolish.”
“What happened?” Marley asked me.
“I’ll tell you later.”
“You still think it’s funny,” Cornelius said. “Wait after a week. I’ll get what’s in that safe, get the location of these people you’re with, and then you’ll be dead. All three of you.”
I said nothing. With luck, we’d find a way to escape. Ugh, I hated relying on luck.
“You three will be attending the fundraiser, unfortunately. Any smart moves there will lead to a painful death, only after a series of painful torture schemes.”
Ashton and Marley glanced at each other, probably wondering why they were going to a fundraiser.
“While you’re here, don’t mention Grandfather,” Cornelius said, walking closer to us. “You dare tell somebody here about me, your limbs will be torn off one by one.”
Whoa, Cornelius was losing it. This guy wasn’t playing around.
Did that also mean that not everybody in the building knew about Grandfather? Were all of his councilmen and councilwomen aware?
“Are. We. Clear?”
We nodded quickly. Cornelius was serious. We’d have to be careful.
“Enjoy it while you can,” he told Ashton and Marley. “As I told Carsyn, you’re one of us for now. But you won’t have this for much longer.”
“I’ll never be one of you,” Ashton shouted. “Never.”
Cornelius grinned. “Unfortunately, if you want to survive, you’re going to have to be one of us these next few days. You will act like one of us at the fundraiser.”
Ashton’s face was covered with anger as Cornelius left the room. Once the door was completely shut, he kicked the sofa as hard as he could. It scooted a few inches. “Why doesn’t he just kill us now?” he shouted. “We might as well tell everybody about him. I mean, we’re going to die either way.”
I explained to him how we’d have to find some way to escape.
“But they’re probably spying on us now,” he said.
I nodded. “I’m sure of it,” I whispered. “We’ll figure it out later.”
Marley placed a hand on my cheek. Her skin was cold to the touch. “It’s red,” she said, indicating the spot where Cornelius had slapped me. “What happened?”
We sat down on the sofa, and I told them everything that’d happened once I was taken away. They were surprised that I was on TV and also wondered if everybody in the dining hall listened.
They agreed that everybody would have known I was faking everything. As I talked about all of the nice things I had been around, they looked at the room with amazement.
“I can’t believe you mentioned the separation,” Ashton said with a grin. “Brilliant.”
“You think they’ll do anything?” Marley asked, also excited.
“Don’t know,” I told them. “I was only thinking of making Cornelius angry.”
“And you just know they broadcasted it nationwide,” Ashton added. “This is great.”
I told them more about the interview and how everybody treated me like I was a hero. I also showed them around the place, showing them how to use the TV and the remote. Just as I was, they were amazed by the technology. Never had they seen anything like it outside the wall. I turned the channel to another news station. They were discussing the interview and replaying mine and Cornelius’s entrance.
“Wow,” Marley said in awe. “You’re famous.”
After looking at everything suspiciously, Ashton said, “I don’t like this.”
“What do you mean?” Marley asked. “This is incredible!”
“It may be, but it’s not right.”
I understood him immediately. “The only problem is that it makes me feel like I’m one of them. Especially when I’m all over the TV and people are cheering for me. Look at me.” I pointed at the suit and my perfect hair.
“It’s ridiculous,” Ashton said. “I don’t even want to be close to one of them. He walked to the glass wall overlooking the city. Marley and I followed him.
The tall wall in the distance grabbed my attention again. I imagined what the city would be like if it didn’t exist. I imagined what it would be like if every wall in the nation never existed. Those outside a city wall would have a chance. They would be able to get the knowledge, education, and technology the rich have.
I never really thought about it until I saw what was inside.
Marley walked to the TV and turned the volume up just in time. We all turned our attention to the TV. They were replaying the segment when I was asked what I wanted to do in the future. I watched again as everybody stood up, applauding me.
“Wow,” Marley whispered.
The screen switched to a reporter who was interviewing a man outside of the Presidential Tower. His gray, slicked back hair matched his suit. He didn’t look old in the face at all.
“He seems to be a great boy,” the man was saying to the reporter. “He’s got dreams; he’s got the power to do anything he wants. I feel like he will be able to do great things with the president’s help. And he’s from the other side! It makes me wonder if there are others like him who could really do something with our help, and –”
The screen went blank before the man could continue. We all glanced at each other.
“What happened?” Marley asked.
The screen immediately came back alive, only this time it displayed the weather.
We all glanced at each other. “They’re afraid,” I said. “Cornelius is scared.”
“Wow,” Ashton said with a huge smile. “If we can get people from within the wall to believe the separation isn’t right, we can really destroy Grandfather. Think about it! We could do a lot more than destroy Grandfather.”
“We can tear down city walls,” Marley finished for Ashton, her eyes glistening. “I wish Momma could’ve heard that.”
The man hadn’t said much. But we hoped it was enough to put the idea into people’s head. That would be enough.
They liked me. I mean, the people within the wall actually liked me! I wasn’t even thinking about that during the interview. I was focused on keeping Marley and Ashton safe. And Cornelius from getting angry, of course.
Was it possible that I, without knowing, was changing things?
Now all we had to do was get people to believe Cornelius was the Grand Imperial. Then things could really turn around.
Having nothing else to do, we sat on the couch and watched the TV. We didn’t care too much for it because we couldn’t get it out of our mind that we were doing the same thing the rich people did.
Finally, Ashton was the one to say something, making sure he whispered. “What are we going to do . . . about getting out?”
We didn’t say anything at first. Then, Marley answered. “They can probably still hear us,
”
She was probably right. A whisper wasn’t enough to keep them from hearing us. If only we were able to read each other’s’ minds. But that was obviously impossible. No kind of technology could accomplish mind-reading.
We agreed to keep thinking of any plan as they left to go to their own rooms. Then, when one of us had an idea, we would find a way to tell the other two. I knew we couldn’t just walk out of the Presidential Tower. I mean, Cornelius wasn’t that stupid. He would have guards standing nearby, expecting us to do that if able. Needless to say, I had nothing. And I assumed neither Ashton nor Marley had anything because they said nothing for the rest of the next day.
We all ate our meals together. They, too, were surprised by how much food was served to us. And as I was, they were angry that people inside of the wall were eating like kings when many people outside the wall were starving.
I told them that Cornelius was doing it on purpose, to make us feel like one of them. They agreed that it was working.
The NWI prepared a bright and sunny day. I sat on the balcony for a few hours just to enjoy it. Or at least I tried enjoying it. I couldn’t relax, knowing we needed to find a way out if we wanted to survive.
I often wondered what Edgar and Belladonna were doing. How mad were they? And were they doing anything to try and save us? A part of me hoped so, but I knew it would be dumb for them to do so. They wouldn’t make it inside the building. Cornelius would catch them and torture them until they revealed our hiding spot. And then Cornelius would kill them. That would leave us hopeless with no way to fight against Grandfather.
The day passed by quickly and, unfortunately, I had to say I was getting a bit hooked on a television show about detectives fighting crime. Marley and Ashton liked it too, but we would force ourselves to quit after a few episodes. We were just so paranoid that we were going to become one of the rich.
The day of the fundraiser came. After lunch was brought to us, Helly brought me a full white suit with a white dress shirt and a turquoise bow tie. Great. I was going to stand out with such bright colors. I wondered if Ashton and Marley got the same colors.
They didn’t.
By the time 5:00 rolled around, Helly had us completely dressed and our hair fixed perfectly. We met outside the doors. Ashton wore a dark blue suit with a yellow bow tie. His hair was fixed similar to mine.
Marley wore a short red dress with an oversized black belt around her waist. Her brunette hair was put up in a bun with a black bow in it. She was absolutely beautiful. As she caught my gaze, I turned away quickly. While Helly made sure our bow ties were straight and Marley’s hair was perfect, Cornelius joined us. I wanted to throw up.
He was wearing a suit exactly like mine. Even the tie was exactly the same.
“Matching suits,” Helly said, clapping her hands together. “So cute.”
The last person I wanted to match with was Cornelius. He was trying to draw attention to the both of us in order to make him look like a better man. He was known as my hero to everybody. The people loved him for it.
“Did you watch the news?” Ashton asked him, smiling.
Cornelius didn’t answer.
“Looks like some people are thinking those outside of the wall aren’t animals.”
Cornelius flung his hand back, ready to slap Ashton.
Helly squealed, covering her mouth.
Ashton didn’t turn away or even throw his hands up. He was going to let it happen. But just as Cornelius was about to actually slap Ashton, he forced his hand down, taking a deep breath and letting it out.
“You guys keep a smile on your face,” he said as if nothing had happened. “You make it seem as if this is the best thing to have happened to you. Remember the note cards I gave you.” He pointed at Ashton and Marley. They seemed to understand. Cornelius turned to face me. “You already know the rules.”
“We could expose you so easy,” Ashton said while Helly reached over and moved my hair around. I didn’t resist.
“You could,” Cornelius agreed. “You do that. Their blood will be on your hands.” He pointed at me and Marley. “If you say anything, then you’ll see Carsyn and Marley tortured.” Cornelius then pointed at me. “If Carsyn says anything, he’ll see you and Marley tortured. The same goes for Marley. Understood?”
I glanced at Marley who was just terrified. I think we all were, so I didn’t blame her. Ashton just looked angry. We weren’t in the position to let anything about Cornelius and Grandfather slip. We all nodded slowly.
“Good,” Cornelius said. “You guys will be watched. So don’t get any ideas. Now let’s go.” He turned around and started walking toward the elevator. Helly signaled for us to follow, and we did so until we were in the familiar long white vehicle. Helly didn’t ride with us. I don’t even think she was invited to the fundraiser.
“Enough has been said about outside the wall,” Cornelius said, glaring at me once the vehicle was moving. “Don’t mention it like you did last time.”
“No promises,” I said. Of course I was joking because I knew Marley and Ashton would be in danger if I did. I just wanted to tease Cornelius, who didn’t take it so well. He grabbed my arm and squeezed tightly. I felt my arm grow numb as the blood flow was cut off. “I mean it,” he hissed. “I’ll not have you out here causing riots in my country.”
“Carsyn won’t say anything,” Marley told Cornelius, her eyes staring deep into mine. Cornelius let go of my arm.
“Good,” he said.
“It’s okay,” Ashton said, “I don’t think we need to say anything. Something’s going to happen soon. And you guys are just going to collapse.”
Cornelius chuckled. “We’re too powerful for that to happen,” he said.
“All power comes to an end,” Ashton argued back.
“Not this time,” Cornelius said. “Not this time, my boy.”
“I’m not your boy.”
“A shame,” he said. “I’d love to have a boy with such energy as you.”
“Nobody deserves to have an evil man like you as a father.”
Cornelius smirked at him and looked out of the window. “Where are your parents, Ashton?” he asked. “Hiding with the others?”
“What’s it matter to you?” Marley asked when Ashton didn’t answer right away.
Cornelius said nothing but chuckled again. He kept his gaze out of the window.
I hated his chuckle. Just the sound of it ran shivers down my spine and sparked my hatred for him.
“You don’t know where they are, do you?” he asked. He looked at Ashton, who had his fists clenched up, ready to dive at Cornelius. Cornelius was loving it. “That’s what I thought,” he said. “You say that nobody deserves to have me as a father. Well, Ashton, it seems as if your parents didn’t think you deserved them.”
Ashton jumped out of his seat but moved too quickly. His head thumped against the ceiling. Marley grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. Ashton held his throbbing head.
Cornelius couldn’t help but laugh loudly. “You know, Ashton, you’re making it harder on yourself believing something that can never happen.”
“You’ll meet the same fate as the last Grand Imperial,” Ashton said, crossing his arms. “And I’ll be here to see it.”
Cornelius shook his head. “I’m much more advanced than Grand Imperial Doyle. We’ve had a lot more time than him. Cornelius played with the black ring on his finger.
That was the first time I heard the original Grand Imperial’s name, and it was a really ugly one. But I was actually curious. “What do you mean?”
Cornelius had this expression, as if contemplating whether or not to tell me. I guess he didn’t think it would hurt. “The government believed that every single Grandfather supporter was tracked down and put on trial. But that wasn’t the case. You see, the only way to absolutely destroy a huge movement is to absolutely destroy its leader.”
“He killed himself,” Ashton smeared. br />
“Exactly,” Cornelius said. “But you don’t know the entire story.”
All we were told was that the leader had killed himself. I didn’t even know there was more to the story. A quick glance at Ashton and Marley told me they didn’t know either.
Cornelius continued.
“After months of searching, the military and police had Grand Imperial Doyle trapped. The only thing keeping him alive was the fact that he took several hostages.”
“Hostages,” I said, shaking my head “He sounds like a true role model.”
“He was,” Cornelius snapped. “He showed his remaining followers that he believed in the cause so much that he would rather commit suicide than be tortured for information; tortured for what was in the safe.”
“And what cause was that?” Ashton asked, chuckling. “Ruining people’s lives?”
“You would believe such a thing,” Cornelius said.
Marley said, “Well, it’s true. They tried controlling peoples’ lives.”
“To make those lives better,” Cornelius argued. “His idea was that society could develop and prosper at a faster rate. Just imagine if peoples’ ambitions were the same: Their ideas . . . their goals. It’s easier when most of the people are working toward the same goal. People wanting different goals leads to opposition, which leads to arguing. Ultimately, if things do get done, it happens at a slower rate. It’s true, wouldn’t you say?”
“No,” was my simple answer.
Ashton raised his voice. “You can’t just –”
“The Grand Imperial believed there was too much arguing and hatred about differing opinions,” Cornelius interrupted as if Ashton wasn’t even there. “You probably don’t know, but way back when, we used to have different political parties. These elections were nothing but arguing and name-calling. Nobody could agree. Real life problems were ignored as people worried about who was going to get elected.”
I had no idea what Cornelius meant by different political parties. I doubted Ashton and Marley did either.
“Everybody wants something different. They have their own opinions, which would be okay if they weren’t so closed-minded toward other opinions. Conflict does nothing but pause progression. Sometimes conflict can even cause us to regress.”
Cornelius quit playing with his ring and looked out the window, his eyes sparkling. He was enjoying the story.
“So he wanted to speed up progression?” Marley asked. “By forcing people to have the same opinion and same goal?”
“Grand Imperial Doyle wanted everybody to realize how their petty arguments and closed-minded thinking would get them nowhere.”
“So he wanted to force people to share his goals and opinions?” Ashton asked, perplexed. “Who’s to say his opinions were right?”
“Everybody wants progression and succession,” Cornelius said. “He was just going to help people understand the best way to do that.”
“And the best way to do that was to rise to power and control everybody?” I asked.
“It’s unfortunate,” Cornelius said. “But it’s the only way. If it wasn’t for the wars and arguing over things that don’t truly matter, who knows what this society could be today. I can’t even imagine the possibilities. If one person was in control, moving everybody in a society in the same direction, things would be so much easier.”
I just shook my head. I couldn’t believe how anybody could see controlling everybody was for the best. “Why are you telling us this? Are you stealing Doyle’s cause?”
Cornelius chuckled, spreading his arms out. “This is the same Grandfather.”
Man, always being surprised and confused was getting to be exhausting.
“Remember how I said that the only way to kill an idea or movement is to kill the leader.”
“And he was killed,” I said. “But here you are, copying him.”
Cornelius just laughed again, placing his hands on his lap. “You’re not getting it. Open your eyes. He killed himself! Don’t get me wrong, it’s very sad. But when the remaining followers saw that he killed himself because he believed in the cause so strongly, they believed even more. They wanted to continue his legacy. And all they needed was a new leader.”
I thought for a second. I was beginning to understand everything. “You?” I said slowly.
“People think we died, but we never did. Twenty years ago, the leader killed himself. Twenty years ago, the remaining members started rebuilding, secretly recruiting, secretly planning, secretly working our way to the top, secretly making our move so that we can truly guide our society in the right direction with no set-backs. No pauses.”
The protestor by the orphanage preached that Grandfather had returned. He felt strongly about it, but he was wrong. From what Cornelius was saying, they weren’t returning . . . because they never left. They never died.
“So why were you chosen as the next leader?” Ashton asked.
“Cornelius looked at his ring again and twisted it around. “I’m Grand Imperial Doyle’s grandson.”
Wait, what?
“Wait a minute,” Marley said, surprised. “You’re related to him?”
Cornelius nodded. “My parents were killed during the search. So were my uncles and aunts. I was the only living one who shared his blood. It only seemed fitting that his followers should follow me . . . the blood of the founding father.”
We were so shocked that nobody said a word. Cornelius kept his eyes out the window, his mind elsewhere, as if replaying some memory.
I now knew why Cornelius was doing what he was doing. He was trying to follow in his grandfather’s place. It explained where his evil was coming from.
“It’s not going to work,” Ashton said. “People will see what you’re doing, and that’ll be the end of you.”
Cornelius turned his attention back to us.
I glanced out the window to see we had left the city center. How far was this place?
“There will always be people like you,” Cornelius said. “We’re too powerful. We’ve been growing; our idea of society is growing stronger by the day. It’s already too late for somebody to interfere. And those who attempt will find themselves begging for mercy.”
“All it takes is another powerful force,” I said. “And you’ll be gone.”
Cornelius chuckled.
It seemed like we were always amusing him.
“There’s somebody out there who can destroy your plan,” Marley said.
I knew who she was talking about. But honestly, I was starting to think Cornelius was right. Nobody under that mountain seemed like fighters. And it was starting to seem pretty impossible to get proof that could expose them.
“If you’re thinking of your people, save your breath,” Cornelius said. Then, he frowned. “The only person who ever had a chance to stop me is long gone.”
“And who was that?” Ashton asked.
“An old colleague. We had the same idea. At least at first. As soon as he headed down a different path, I was forced to eliminate the opposition.
I didn’t know what else to say. I was truly losing hope. If Grandfather had been growing for such a long time – before I was even born—maybe they were too powerful.
When I glanced out the window, I saw that we were approaching a huge and gorgeous house. No. it was a mansion. The white, four-story house stood firm, surrounded by gardens full of flowers in many colors and different sizes. Among the flowers and decorative bushes were small fountains and large fountains, each spewing out its own colored water. I saw green, yellow, blue, purple, orange, and even white.
It was absolutely breathtaking. And it was away from the skyscrapers, probably about a half mile away from the wall. It wasn’t as crowded and fast-paced as the city center. I could see why whoever lived their chose the location.
“Here,” Cornelius said, throwing me the familiar necklace. “Put it on and act like it’s the best thing you’ve ever received in your lousy life
.”
I quickly did so, not saying another word, still wondering if it actually belonged to my mother. I was starting to believe it didn’t, but Cornelius knew the truth. If he was the only one, was it worth sticking around? Was it worth me getting involved just to learn of my parents?
The vehicle pulled up until it stopped at a familiar sight. Yeah, it was a different location, but there was a similar crowd waiting for us, surrounding a red pathway that ran through the gardens and fountains and ended at the front doors of the mansion. The muffled noise of their cheering barely made it inside the vehicle.
The crowd was larger this time. It was probably because of my interview. Or maybe it was because they had discovered that there were two more: Ashton and Marley.
“Remember the rules,” Cornelius said, fidgeting in his seat.
We agreed just as a man in a black uniform who had been standing on the red carpet rushed to open the door. Cornelius stepped out and the crowd applauded and cheered. I noticed cameras nearby. Unlike last time, they didn’t swarm him. They were probably warned. I stepped out next, putting my fake smile on beforehand. I was immediately swarmed by cameras and flashing lights and bombarded with questions. The cheering grew louder, and I even heard a few screams.
“Do you like it better inside the wall than outside?” one woman shouted. Before I could answer and before any more questions were thrown at me, Cornelius stepped in.
“Let’s give him some space, folks,” he said.
I turned back to see Marley and Ashton about to step out. They were a nervous wreck. I pointed at my lips. They noticed and forced a happy look. Ashton was the worse at faking it. I was sure people would see right through him. They stepped out of the vehicle and the cameras moved from me to them.
“Has the kidnapping brought you three together?” somebody asked.
“Uh . . . yeah,” Marley answered, not knowing what else to do.
I expected Cornelius to get them away before they gave anything up. Instead, he motioned for a few officers to intervene. They walked over to Marley and Ashton and pushed the cameras away from them.
They stayed with us as we walked slowly down the path. Ashton, Marley, and I forced ourselves to keep smiling. Cornelius threw his hand up, waving at the people. They seemed to love it. I knew he was loving it.
It was difficult to hear because everybody was screaming out something different. But there was one person who could be heard perfectly.
“Tell us about the other side!” A man’s voice to my right shouted “Are there others like you?” I glanced into the crowd, unable to find who was speaking. Cornelius looked back at the officers. For once, he broke his own rule, his face drowning in concern.
I wasn’t the only one who had heard it. Uh oh.
“To our right,” one of the officers said through a small white device.
Another voice to my left joined. This time, it was a woman. “What do you think of the wall?”
“And the left,” the officer added. “Be sure it’s unnoticed.”
My eyes met Cornelius’s. What was he doing? I glanced around for the woman just as a man in a black jacket with short black hair, wearing black sunglasses, approached her and whispered into her ear.
“What!” she shouted.
“Let’s go,” Cornelius said, picking up his speed. We stayed with him, turning in every direction, looking for the officers. We approached the door. I looked back toward the woman once more, just in time to see her being escorted away. The people around didn’t pay any attention to her. It was how Cornelius wanted it.
“Did you hear that?” Ashton whispered in my ear.
I nodded. Yeah, it was a good thing, but it was kind of scary. I mean, what was Cornelius going to have done to those people. Would they be thrown in jail for bringing up the separation? Or worse, would they be killed?
I tried not thinking about it, which was going to be difficult. I had to play Cornelius’s game.
As we entered the mansion, a fat man with a gray beard greeted us. This guy looked different. Every time I saw somebody with gray or white hair, they never looked old in the face. Whoever this guy was, he looked his age, maybe in his mid-fifties. He shook his hand. “So glad you could attend,” he said. His gaze shifted to me. “Here he is,” he marveled.
“Here he is,” Cornelius agreed with a jolly tone. His nostrils flared up as he looked back through the door toward the crowd. The man and woman who brought up the wall and the outside scared him. Good.
“Pleasure to meet you,” the man said. “I’m Richie Harrison the third, or Mr. Harrison as most call me.”
I nodded. His eyes met my necklace. He picked up the pendant with his fingers. “Extraordinary,” he whispered. “Such an amazing gift for you. Such a tragedy.”
He released the pendant.
“You’ve been the big talk. Such a remarkable story you have.” He looked at Cornelius. “You’re a good man, President Cornelius. If not for you, who knows where these three would be?”
“Thank you, Richie,” Cornelius said. “We’re glad we could make it,”
Before Cornelius could say anything else to Mr. Harrison, a woman standing a few feet away called for him. Cornelius walked over and greeted her with a peck on each cheek.
Mr. Harrison kept his attention on us, his eyes flickering from Ashton to Marley. “And these are the two that were captured with you.”
I nodded.
“Now I know everything is moving fast right now, but you’ll get used to it. Everybody’s trying to get to you all at the same time. Sometimes you just got to ignore them.”
Neither one of us said anything, not knowing what to say. But we were sure to keep smiling.
Mr. Harrison shook his head, as if disappointed. “Now surely you can do better than that,” he said. He bent over to us and whispered. “I know a fake smile when I see one. Gonna have to do a helluva lot better than that if you don’t want to get into trouble.”
We all glanced at each other in surprise.
Mr. Harrison snickered and, playing with his beard, walked away before we could say anything else to him.
“Think he knows?” Ashton whispered to me.
“Don’t know,” I said.
“Has to,” Marley said. “He knows we’re faking.”
I observed the room, hoping to see Mr. Harrison. I wanted to find out more, but he was out of sight. Instead, I caught Cornelius’s eyes wandering deep into mine as if hoping to hear what we were whispering about. I nudged Ashton and Marley who were still whispering about Mr. Harrison and whether or not he knew that we were faking everything. They looked up and stayed silent when they saw Cornelius watching us.
Before we had a chance to speak or even move an inch, a woman dressed in a long pink gown approached us with a tender smile upon bright pink lips. She took out her phone that looked like a piece of glass as Cornelius’s did. “You must be the three from the outside,” she said, pointing the phone at us and snapping a quick picture. “Oh, everybody has just been gossiping about you three. I just can’t wait to brag to my friends that I actually met you!” She put her phone away. “You’re one of us now. It’s time to enjoy the beautiful life we have here in the city.”
Not what I wanted to hear. But I kept telling myself that it was only for show. It was fake.
She walked away, rushing deeper into the house.
Cornelius motioned for us to follow him. We did so, being led into a large ballroom filled with more people dressed in extravagant gowns and tuxedos. Many were dancing in the center of the floor while others stood or sat at round tables surrounding the dance floor. They all looked so happy, laughing loudly over a glass of what I assumed was wine or champagne. In one corner of the room, a string quartet played a slow composition. In another corner, several tables were set up, bearing all types of foods. I had never seen so much food all in one place. What caught my attention the most was the large fountain at the end of the food table. W
ater didn’t flow out of this. It appeared to be chocolate.
“Good to see you, Mr. President,” a younger woman said as she passed us.
“Mr. President,” an older man said with a nod. He looked at me, Ashton, and Marley from head to toe. “Extraordinary story. Glad you can be here.”
“Some fruit?” somebody behind us asked.
We turned around at the same time to see a man dressed in bright blue carrying a tray loaded with fruit surrounding some sort of dip.
“N-no thank you,” Marley said.
The man walked away, saying nothing.
We turned back around, just in time to see a woman, also dressed in blue and carrying a tray approaching us. “Champagne,” she offered, holding the tray at our eye level. Once again, we rejected the offer. She offered Cornelius some. He accepted.
“There’s so much going on,” Marley whispered. “Everybody is moving so fast.”
Ashton and I agreed. One person right after another wanted to speak to us or offer us some sort of snack or drink. My nerves were going crazy.
“Mr. President,” a woman in a long black gown, wearing tons of jewelry, greeted. She extended a delicate hand. I noticed her fingers. She was wearing sparkling gold and silver rings on almost all of them.
Cornelius gently took and kissed it.
“How do you do, Mrs. Harrison?” he asked.
“Well,” she said, taking a glass of champagne from a tray as a woman passed by her. “I just can’t express how thrilled my husband and I are to have you this fine evening.”
“Ah yes,” Cornelius said. “It’s a very beautiful mansion.”
“We had people working for hours and hours to make it presentable for you and your new friends.” Her attention turned to us. “My dears, just make yourselves at home.”
I nodded.
“Such a beautiful dress,” she exclaimed, walking closer to Marley. “My, my, my.”
“Thank you,” Marley said. “I have President Cornelius to thank.”
Mrs. Harrison seemed to ignore Marley’s last comment. She turned her attention back to Cornelius. “The boy has become quite the popular one, hasn’t he?”
“He has.”
I just knew Cornelius hated every moment of it.
“The people here just love a miraculous story,” she continued. “And you certainly have one, don’t you?” She took a drink of her champagne. Cornelius did the same. “And from what I’ve heard, other cities are just devouring him too.”
“So it seems,” Cornelius said, wiping his mouth.
“And, I don’t know if Olivia Fabray talked to you yet, but she wants to write a biography about Carsyn’s life in the orphanage. Such a wonderful idea. I can’t express how much I’d love to learn more about Carsyn. And I think I speak for everybody.”
Cornelius’s eyes narrowed. “Ah, well,” he said slowly, then glancing at me. “Miss Fabray may have to wait. I don’t think he’s up for that just yet.”
I nodded my head slowly when Mrs. Harrison glanced at me, wanting to hear from me.
“But many people are curious about your story,” she said. “Surely you want to share it with everybody here.”
“Carsyn, here, just doesn’t want to share,” Cornelius said plainly. “At least not yet.”
I nodded my head again. “I don’t want to,” I said.
Mrs. Harrison’s eyes, filled with curiosity, examined my face.
I tried not staring at her.
“Very well,” she said. “I suppose it does make a bit of sense.” She turned her attention back to Cornelius. “Now, I must find that husband of mine. I do believe he owes me a dance.”
Cornelius bowed his head. “Mrs. Harrison,” he said. “Thank you again.”
She left, glancing all around the room in search of Mr. Harrison.
Cornelius looked at me. “My guess is that Miss Fabray will find you later.” He walked closer to me, leaned his head next to mine, and whispered in my ear for nobody else to hear. “You’ll say no and that it’s too difficult to talk about. If she presses on, tell her maybe in the future.”
“Okay,” I said.
“The same goes for you two,” he added. “Get some food and blend in.”
I felt relieved when Cornelius actually left us. I thought he would’ve been glued to us, listening to every conversation we had. “Might as well eat,” I told Ashton and Marley. They agreed.
We filled up a small plate with fancy rolled up hors d’ oeuvre, a roll, and some fruit and found a vacant table. The food was pretty good, but not something I would’ve considered a full meal. But it was better than the orphanage food and better than the food served under the mountain.
As we ate, people stopped by to meet us. It was kind of annoying, especially when they asked me questions as I had food in my mouth. They all wanted to know basically the same things: how I was enjoying the city, how I loved being with Cornelius, and how bad it was to be kidnapped. I lied and made everything sound great. Marley and Ashton did the same thing. Ashton wasn’t too good at lying though. It was probably eating him inside that he couldn’t yell out the truth to everybody.
I found it fascinating to watch how the rich interacted. They all laughed loudly together, telling stories and jokes about I-don’t-know-what. Nobody looked as if they were having a terrible time. Nobody seemed to have any worries. More importantly, nobody had to fake having a good time.
Cornelius was stopped by so many people to talk. Every once in a while, he would glance around the room, as if looking for somebody. Eventually, he found me, and his facial expression became all the more satisfied.
Mrs. Harrison had finally found her husband, and they danced in the middle of the floor, smiling and laughing together. A man walked around, taking pictures of people. Nobody resisted. In fact, everybody seemed to love getting their picture taken; I even saw a few people urging the cameramen to take one. At one point, he came to us, asking if he could take ours.
I glanced at Marley and Ashton, not knowing what to say.
“It’ll be quick,” he added. “It’s going to be on our blog.”
I shrugged my shoulders, seeing no reason to reject. After all, we were supposed to blend in, and everybody else was doing it. I agreed.
“Just stand here next to each other,” he said, pointing to the floor beside the table. We lined up and smiled big. The camera clicked. “Thanks,” he said. “Would you mind if I also got a line from you.” He looked directly at me. “Just tell me what you think of the fundraiser.”
“Oh,” I said. “Sure. It’s . . . it’s really nice and the people are treating us well.”
“That’ll do,” he quickly said. He looked off into the distance. I turned around to see an older man with neatly combed over white hair and a gray suit join the party. “I must get a picture of our vice president,” the cameraman said, rushing toward him. I noticed Cornelius also making his way to meet the man.
We sat down and finished our food as quickly as possible: before anybody else could interrupt us. As nobody was near, Ashton leaned in and whispered, “You think we can sneak out of here?”
I looked at the door where people just flowed in. There was no way we’d be able to escape. Even if we got outside, there were tons of people and officers who would’ve probably catch us.
“I really doubt it,” Marley said.
Ashton wanted to say more, but was unable to as a younger woman approached us. She was probably in her mid-twenties. Her black hair was put up in a bun as Marley’s. Just like every other woman in the room, she had all sorts of jewelry on that matched her short pink dress perfectly. I took a second to admire her beauty.
“The survivors,” she said, staring at us with a look of amazement. “I’m Olivia Fabray. “I’m a writer here in New Dawn.”
We each shook her hand. Ashton stared at her, probably admiring her beauty as well. I remembered what Mrs. Harrison had said and the rules Cornelius had
given us.
“Nice to meet you,” Marley said. “You look very beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Miss Fabray said in a jolly tone. “As do you, Marley.”
At first I was surprised she knew Marley’s name. But then, I felt stupid because we were all over the news. Of course she knew who we were by name. Everybody did.
“I was thrilled when Mrs. Harrison asked me to come. She’s a huge fan of my work. Thankfully, she and I have become good friends.”
“Yeah,” Ashton said slowly, “She told us about you.”
“Good things I hope,” Miss Fabray said. “I must ask the very question you’ve probably had to answer many times today. How do you like your new life?”
“It’s . . . it’s good,” Ashton said.
Miss Fabray seemed pleased. “It must be so odd for you guys to be the big juicy news. I imagine you’ve never gotten this much attention before, have you?”
“We haven’t,” Marley answered. “It’s all so overwhelming.”
“Kind of hectic?” Miss Fabray asked.
“Very hectic,” I said.
She nodded, as if understanding. “We can be a bunch of overwhelming people here. When you have a large group of similar people all in one place . . . well, interesting things can happen. Or maybe not so interesting.” She chuckled.
I wondered if she saw herself as similar to everybody else or different. She seemed a little bit different. But what did I know? Everybody within the wall was a completely different breed of people. I was still learning their ways, even if I didn’t choose to.
“You know, everybody is fascinated with your story. And I don’t mean the story of you being kidnapped, though we’re all interested in that as well. I mean your story living in the orphanage.” She paused and then whispered, “Your life outside of the wall.”
Cornelius was preoccupied with the vice president, getting his picture taken with him. They laughed with each other and those around them. I wondered if he was also a part of Grandfather.
“One thing us writers love to do is write something different from anything out there. Originality is hard to come by these days, wouldn’t you agree?”
I turned my attention back to Miss Fabray. “It is,” I agreed, having no idea if it was or not.
“Well, you see, nobody around here ever talks about those outside city walls.
That was actually one thing I could agree on. But I was shocked she was actually bringing it up. It seemed as if everybody just wanted to ignore life outside the walls. Except for the few who were curious after my interview.
“Now, there is somebody who has made it from outside to the inside. Very rare. What a spectacular story that would be. The idea certainly has some originality to it.”
Of course I would’ve loved to have told her everything. There was a really good chance that everybody reading my story would help our cause. But I knew it wasn’t possible. Even if I could agree, I wouldn’t, because she didn’t realize how much trouble she could get into. Cornelius would no doubt have her killed if a riot or rebellion was to start because of her work.
“I’d just love to turn your transformation into a story everybody would read and learn from. How ‘bout it?”
I didn’t want to say no to her, but I had to. “I don’t know,” I said. “I-it’s been hard.”
“Which is an even better reason to turn it into a story,” she added. Then, she looked as if she had just realized something. “Has somebody already told you of my interest?”
“Mrs. Harrison has,” Ashton answered.
“He’s just not ready yet,” Marley answered quickly.
Miss Fabray eyed each of us. “One thing I’ve learned while living here is that people are afraid of the truth.”
We said nothing.
“I’ve become rich off of my writing, just like my parents. Bitcoin is one thing everybody here has in common.” She glanced around nervously before leaning toward us and whispering, “But unlike most of these people, I realize the separation is holding our society back. We’re supposed to live together.”
We were all caught off guard by her comment. Ashton grinned, this one real. “I agree,” he said.
Nobody was near us. Cornelius was still busy talking with the vice president.
“I want to be known for writing about the controversial topics. That is something that will make me different from all the other writers out there. And the separation is one.” Miss Fabray stared deep into my eyes. “Now since you’ve gotten here, others have realized that maybe there’s something more to people outside these walls. Do you understand this?”
I nodded my head. “I saw it on TV,” I said.
“Now, I’m not pointing fingers, but there are people out there who don’t want to hear this. If I can write your story, I’ll complete my dream of going over the limits of society, and I’ll help others realize that this separation might not be such a good thing after all. Be honest with me, Carsyn, what do you think of the separation?”
I glanced around quickly, not knowing what to say.
“Don’t worry about others here,” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. “You are one of the few who has lived on both sides of the wall. What do you think?”
“I . . . it’s different,” I said carefully.
“You don’t like it. I know you don’t. Help me show others.”
Man, she was trying really hard. I bet people weren’t able to tell her no very often. Ashton looked as if he hoped I’d say yes, even though he knew I couldn’t.
“Miss Fabray,” I said.
“Call me Olivia,” she insisted.
“Olivia,” I started again. “Why do you have to write about my story? Why not come up with your own about the outside?”
“Two reasons, Carsyn,” she said. “For one, if I write your story, it’s true. It’s a testimony, and so it’s more believable. You’re famous around here, so people will read it and many will believe it.” She paused.
“The second?” I asked.
“Writing about you might save my job and even keep me alive,” she said.
That threw me off.
“If I make up my own story, I have no doubt that something would happen to me quickly. I’d probably be killed. But if I write about you, everybody will read it, as I said before. And do you know what that means?”
We all shook our heads.
“That means that if something happens to me, more people will think it’s too big of a coincident. It’s too risky for somebody to have me killed. It’ll be obvious that people are trying to hide the truth. Remember how I said people are afraid of the truth.”
She wanted to use me to secure her safety. But from what it sounded like, she didn’t know much about Grandfather. Actually, I don’t think she knew anything about it. I was sure she’d be killed, even if she wrote my story. I remembered what Cornelius said to do if she continued to press on. I turned around. This time, he and the vice president were watching us. I faced Olivia Fabray.
“I need time to get things worked out in my head,” I told her. “I mean, I just got here. I want to settle down.”
She frowned. But after a few seconds, she turned back to her happy self and nodded. “I understand,” she said. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed. But I suppose we all have to live with rejection at some point in our lives.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Maybe in the future I can help you.”
She still didn’t seem too satisfied. “Well, when you feel like the time is right, let me know. Use the internet, and you’ll be able to find me.” She shook each of our hands. “It was very nice to meet you,” she said. “And once again, Marley, you look absolutely beautiful.”
Olivia had an upbeat walk as she strolled to the chocolate fountain. There, she placed a hand on another woman’s shoulder who just exulted over Olivia’s arrival.
“Could you imagine,” Marley said.
“Imagine how much of a differen
ce that could’ve made,” Ashton interrupted.
“But it would’ve been too risky,” I said. “Trust me, I wanted to. But you guys know I couldn’t.”
They understood. Deciding that we didn’t want to sit in the same spot, especially with Cornelius constantly watching us, we moved around the room. Of course we would have still been watched, but it would have made it more difficult for Cornelius to find us in a different place each time he scanned the room for us.
I took the time to listen in on some of the conversations. I heard a lot of compliments on how people were dressed, and many went on to tell where they had bought their clothes. Some even bragged about how much they spent. Some talked about how beautiful the house was, how nice the string quartet was and, of course, how delicious the food was. I heard my name a couple of times, and I even heard a woman talking about people outside city walls. “They need to stay as far away as possible,” she was saying. “Just think what would happen to our precious city if they were allowed to enter.”
My blood boiled. Ashton looked just as angry. Marley nudged my shoulder, trying to get me to leave.
“I don’t understand why people would even wonder about the lowlifes outside,” the woman was saying.
I wanted to say something, but that obviously would’ve had a bad outcome. Marley basically had to drag me and Ashton out of there. We didn’t stop until we were close to the quartet, unable to hear the lady speaking. “You have to remember where we are,” Marley told each of us. “We’re going to hear some pretty harsh things.”
She was right. I did expect it. But that still didn’t prepare me.
“I’d love for somebody to throw her over the wall,” Ashton said.
I agreed, glancing at the quartet players. They were all dressed in a red suit, white button down shirt, and a red bowtie. They played the music, not paying attention to anybody in the room. It was as if nobody existed to them. I supposed that was their job.
“The best thing we can do right now is ignore what everybody says,” Marley said.
“And be happy,” somebody said from behind.
I jumped, nearly falling over. I turned around to find Cornelius and the vice president looking down at us. “Remember the rules.”
“I don’t care anymore,” Ashton shouted.
Cornelius looked around, making sure nobody heard him. The quartet helped with that. Cornelius turned back to us and whispered, “Then I don’t care what happens to Marley here. Now pretend to be happy, or I’ll just hurt her when we get back.”
Ashton rolled his eyes and obeyed.
“Very good,” Cornelius said.
“You got your hands full,” the vice president said, laughing.
“But not for much longer,” Cornelius said. “The safe should be here in three days.”
The vice president looked at each of us. “I’m Vice President Luther McCall. I’m helping our Grand Imperial out.” He whispered the last part.
“Great,” Ashton said.
“I bet you’re really proud, aren’t you?” I told Luther, obviously being sarcastic.
“Oh, I am,” Luther said. “I’ve been given a great privilege.”
Privilege? Yeah right. I let out a quick laugh. Luther seemed annoyed, but he let it pass.
“Your presence here in the city has caused a lot of trouble,” he said. “Apparently, there are some people who are starting to wonder about those outside: which, in context, questions the wall.”
“Maybe that’s for the best,” I replied.
Luther glared at me. “Perhaps for you, but you do not matter.”
“Some would say the opposite,” I said.
A woman walked by with a tray. “Lobster tail,” she said.
We all rejected it.
“Mr. President,” a younger man said, approaching us. “Mr. Bachner is looking for you.”
Cornelius held up a finger at him “Let’s forget about this,” he told us. “And let’s not lose character.” The string quartet grew louder as Cornelius and Luther left to meet whoever Mr. Bachner was. We walked to the opposite side of the room to get away from the loud quartet.
More and more people entered. And more people introduced themselves to us, going on about what a privilege it was to meet us. It was starting to get annoying, so we tried dodging the people. We passed up Olivia walking with Mrs. Harrison. They waved at us.
We reached a corner free of people, which didn’t last long. Mr. Harrison was nearby, chewing on some food. As soon as his eyes met mine, he squeezed in between chairs and tables until he reached us. “Still pretending to be happy,” he said. “Got to do better than that.”
“We are happy,” Marley said, hoping to still fool him.
“Ah,” he said. “I’m good at detecting lies as well.” He patted his belly and looked around, as if to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“My boy, I’ve been around a long time. I’m a businessman. I’ve faked smiles and lied many times in order to make a business deal.”
“So you know what’s going on?” Ashton asked.
“Not entirely,” Mr. Harrison said. “But I know something is going on. I’ve detected many lies, and not from just you three.” He tilted his head toward the crowd. I turned just in time to see Cornelius squeezing out from the crowd to talk with an older couple motioning for him.
“Cornelius,” I said.
Mr. Harrison nodded.
“Most people think they’re sneaky when, in fact, they’re obvious as night and day.”
He may have known that we were faking everything, but I was still worried. I didn’t trust anybody within the wall. Not even Mr. Harrison.
“Care to take a tour of the place?” He didn’t give us time to answer. He turned around and made his way through a pair of double doors.
We exchanged uncertain looks, but then felt we had nothing to lose. And besides, I was curious to see what Mr. Harrison had to say. We followed Mr. Harrison into a nearby door that led to a large hall with elegant red carpet and maroon walls. He shut the door behind us, and everything became silent. You could barely hear the people laughing and talking, and you could barely here the band playing.
“Yes, President Cornelius,” Mr. Harrison said. “As I said before, I can detect a lie, and he’s told many.”
He began to walk slowly down the hall. We all walked beside him. “You don’t like him,” I confirmed. “Why did you invite him to this fundraiser?”
“I’ve got to stay on his good side,” he answered. “Being on his good side will prove helpful if things get bad. And I suspect they will soon.”
“What do you mean bad?” Ashton asked.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “Something that I don’t know about is going on. Heck, even the theories they have outside of the wall are getting to me. Grandfather.”
We were silent at first. Then, Ashton responded, “It’s true.”
“Perhaps,” Mr. Harrison said. “But you’re the real question,” he said, looking at me. “Something seems off. Cornelius has you here, but I don’t’ think it’s because of the reason everybody else thinks.”
He didn’t realize how right he was. I considered telling Mr. Harrison about why Cornelius needed me. But while Mr. Harrison seemed like a nice guy and was talking against Cornelius, I still wasn’t sure if I trusted him. I lied. “I don’t know what he wants.”
Mr. Harrison chuckled. “I know when somebody lies to me,” he said again. “But it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me the truth. You don’t know me.”
We reached the end of the hall where two flights of stairs on each side led down to a large room with several sofas and tables. He stopped and leaned on the railing, looking down at the room.
“Something is definitely coming,” he said. “And it’s not going to be good.”
Ashton agreed. “It’s Grandfather. These new laws are giving them more control over us.
”
Mr. Harrison grinned. “It’s very possible,” he said. “I’m the kind of man who likes to see what’s going on with his own eyes. I don’t just take anybody’s word.”
Both Ashton and Marley glanced at me. Yeah, yeah, he was starting to sound like me. But still, I wasn’t trusting him.
“We understand,” Marley said. “Just be careful.”
He chuckled, playing with his beard. “Being careful is what I’m good at,” he said. “Trust me, I have my safety secured. Now, you guys probably need to get out, am I right? You need to get away from all of this, right?”
“We do,” I said. “Really, really bad.”
Our eyes followed the direction of Mr. Harrison’s finger, extending down the stairs and toward a door. The windows next to the door told me it led directly outside. There was nobody nearby.
Wait, what? Could it be that easy?
“You’re letting us go?” Marley asked, headed for the stairs with no hesitation.
“I am,” he said.
“What about you?” I asked.
“I’m on Cornelius’s good side. Nobody saw us leave together.”
“What about when things get bad?” Ashton asked. “You won’t be safe then.”
“I’m working on an operation,” he said. “I’ll have a plan, and I’ll be safe. Remember, I have my safety secured. Now go on. I already have a ride waiting for you.”
Marley ran to him and hugged him quickly. She didn’t have a clue who he was, but it didn’t matter. He was saving us. He looked surprised, but then hugged back, smiling.
“Thank you so much,” she said.
We rushed down the stairs. All we had to do was get through the door. It could’ve been a trap. Cornelius could’ve been waiting for us outside. We reached the door and opened it, exiting from the side of the house. Nobody was outside. Just flower gardens and water fountains. Ahead was a fenced door leading to the street. I looked back upstairs, ready to thank Mr. Harrison once more before shutting the door and making a run for it.
He was gone.
“Let’s go,” I said, running out into the dusky night, my heart beating rapidly, my blood pumping.
Chapter Thirteen