Espial (2 page)

     “Hey Sol! I
saved you a seat!” Luke shouted from my right.

     I ducked
down, avoiding people’s stares as I headed over to his row. Mom gave me a quick
pat on the head and floated over to the parent section of the auditorium.

     “Louder so
more people can stare at me next time, okay?” I grunted at him.

     “Sorry
sorry,” he grimaced. “I’m just excited and a little anxious, that’s all.”

     “Anxious?
Really? But you’re always the calm one, ready for anything.”

     “Maybe,” he
said, shifting a little in his seat. “But this is serious. Something could
actually go wrong. And it could end my life permanently.”

     His eyes
shone and I knew how serious he was. And I realized that he was also
acknowledging my own unspoken fears.

     As the
remainder of all newly-turned 15 year-olds filed into the designated Oculation
Inductee section, I looked around for what felt like an ill-omened moment. The
marble flooring seemed to have been given an extra polish for the occasion. The
stained-glass windows depicted images of war and battle from the Great World
War. Each window formed a winding circle in the cylindrical auditorium. Chronologically,
they showed the launching of the nuclear reactor by the entrance doors, then
wound all the way to the edge of the ceiling depicting the election of
Excellency Warren Sato as our leader. I looked down at my legs and noticed that
the sunlight piercing through the windows projected the image of a white,
winged being. As I tried to make out its face, a microphone dropped at the
front of the stage, its high-pitched scream causing everyone to yell and cover
their ears.

     “Oh I do
apologize,” said our principal, Sir Rider. At 30 years of age, he was the
youngest principal to have led our school. He was admired by all, for in his
six years at the helm, not a single student failed any of their examinations.
With any score above eighty considered a passing one, every student had averaged
eighty-five points per year since the school was established in 2062, just five
years after the GWW. But his push for academic excellence was well appreciated
by all parents and, of course, His Excellency Warren Sato.

     “Welcome to
the 40
^th
anniversary of Oculation. For those of you who may need
reminding, Oculation is the great occasion on which those who have turned 15
within the last 12 months undergo the lens removal procedure after which this
day is named. Once their lenses are extracted, they will sit through four
different eye examinations. These exams help us determine whether or not their
sight can withstand the bright sunlit environment we inhabit. Once they pass
the exams, they will then select which field of study they are best suited for
to contribute to the growth of our economy.”

     “Oh joy!”
shouted a voice from the Inductee section. I turned to see who it was and noticed
that it was Jeze DeMonica, the most beautiful and most popular girl at school.
She smiled sweetly and her surrounding friends beamed at her. She supposedly
had her eyes set on Luke. I felt the chunks rise from my stomach.

     “Exciting
isn’t it?” continued Rider. “After their field of study is finalized, he or she
will emerge and meet with their correlating life mentor for a family advisement
session. Tomorrow, all Inductees will board the Inductee Airbus and arrive at
their respective boarding schools, where they will reside for three years. At
the conclusion of the three-year training, they will return as productive
members of society.”

     Everyone in
the auditorium began a round of applause. I scanned the parent section and
locked eyes with my mother. Her shining cheeks told me she had begun crying
tears of happiness for me already. Luke nudged me slightly with his elbow and
gave a quirky wink. His apprehensions seemed to have disappeared.

     “Guess
what?” he whispered.

     “What?”

     “Your last
name is Arch.”

     “Yes. I am
aware of this fact,” I said, unsure of what he was getting at.

     “You do
know what that means, right?” he smirked.

     “Um…no.
What?” I replied, truly confused.

     “It means
that they’re going to call you up first,” he taunted with another wink.

     I sat,
mouth agape, astonished at the realization.
Why had I not thought of this
common order of events before? Because I would probably hyperventilate.
And
I did at that very moment.

     “Sol? Are
you OK?” Luke’s face was twisted and I wasn’t sure if he was concerned or
embarrassed by my sudden panic attack. Probably the latter.

     “Uh huh,” I
mumbled, face in my lap. “Just give me a second.”

     “Sorry.  I
thought you figured that one out already and that was why you kept biting your
lip.”

     I sat there
quietly trying to catch my breath as Sir Rider continued addressing the parents
about something that he referred to as empty nesting.

     “And now,
without further ado, I’d like to welcome to the stage His Excellency, Warren
Sato!”

     Everyone in
the entire room rose to their feet, loudly cheering the arrival of His
Excellency. I hadn’t noticed Sato before the ceremony began. He simply appeared
at the front of the stage, a cloud of smoke dissipating from around him.

     “How’d he
do that?” I whispered.

     “I don’t
know,” replied Luke. “Maybe he was there all along and we just didn’t notice.”

     “Mhmm,” I
mumbled, the ominous feeling creeping back again.

     Warren Sato
was a man of legend. There were various accounts of how he single-handedly won
numerous battles for our side of the world. Yet few people knew exactly how he
accomplished such feats. Even less information was known about his background. Sato
had only two advisors who worked alongside him, each appearing to be about
forty years old. Both were strikingly tall women with straight red hair and stern
faces. His residence in Terredome’s Capitol Excellency Building housed the
three of them, along with various offices that ran all aspects of the city. No
one was seen entering or leaving, yet everything functioned efficiently so his
work was never questioned. The only change that had occurred was that a factory
vent began emitting dark fumes from behind the building after the previous
year’s Oculation. However, nothing else had changed so it had gone mostly overlooked.

     “Thank you,
Sir Rider,” said Sato. His voice was eerily soothing.  I immediately felt
myself ease into my seat and relax entirely. The buzz generated from the
applause abruptly died down and everyone seemed to float down into their seats,
the look of tranquility upon everyone’s face. He gently raised his right hand
to push a stubborn lock of his red hair into place. In doing so, all of the
gemstone-faceted gold rings on each of his fingers reflected the light pouring in
from the stained glass windows. The bedazzling affect created a rainbow that
was cast upon the faces of my fellow Inductees. I had only seen pictures of
such opulence on kings.

     “I am truly
honored to be here again. The Oculation ceremony is quite dear to my heart and
is the foundation of the success of this city.” As if on cue, everyone broke
into a round of head nods, myself included. “As you all know, nothing owns my
heart more than this precious city. Thank you, parents, for raising such
remarkable children who can now contribute to perpetuating the excellence we
have all come to depend on.”

     The
curtains behind him slowly began to open, revealing four black stone thresholds
lining center stage. A black velvet cloth hung in each archway, obscuring the
view of what lay behind.

     “Each
Inductee will be called up in groups of four. You will proceed through the threshold
and into a laboratory. A team of four scientists will begin the Oculation
procedure of removing your lenses and administering the eye examinations. Once
complete, you will be directed to the wings to meet your life mentor.”

     Again, as
if on cue, everyone gave a quick applause as he gently bowed and exited the
stage. He proceeded to depart the building entirely, followed closely by his
two advisors. As the door shut behind them, the air became heavy and everyone
blinked in a slight state of disorientation.

     “Perfect!”
exclaimed Sir Rider. “Let us begin. Soleil Arch, Levi Boz, Angelica Chere and
Luke Duto, please come up to the stage.”

     I slowly
rose from my seat, nervousness causing my entire body to tremble. I bit my
bottom lip hoping that the sensation would calm me down. Although my body
wouldn’t follow suit, my lips stopped twitching.

     I could
feel all eyes on us as we left our section and walked toward the staircase
flanking the stage. As I reached for the rail, my foot missed the first step
and I stumbled forward. Just as I thought my face would turn into a stair
pancake, I felt an arm reach around my waist, stopping me in time.

     “Whoa
there,” said Luke. “I don’t think this is the kind of mark you want to leave on
the world.”

     “Yeah
thanks,” I mumbled, terribly embarrassed. Why was I the one who these things
always happened to?

     “Just take
a deep breath and you’ll be fine.”

     “I hope
so.”

     We reached
the apron of the stage and faced the stone thresholds. Rider came up and
positioned us in front of each one. I was on the far left, with Luke at the
opposite end. Like always, he gave me a wink and turned to face the black
velvet cloth. Levi Boz leaned over in an attempt to peek through his curtain.
He was one of the few classmates who ever spoke to me, albeit only for the
occasional ‘hi’ in the school hallways. The previous autumn, Jeze DeMonica was
running to a class when she noticed me in the hall. She stopped short and came
over to me. She grabbed a fistful of my hair in her hand and inspected it
closely, shaking her head in disapproval. I slapped her hand away. She laughed
and continued running down the hall, giving me one last nasty look. She was
unusually mean to only me. Levi, who had been jogging behind her, called after
her, saying that what she did wasn’t right. He didn’t say anything to me, but I
found him pleasant. Levi was considered one of the more popular boys at school
and I had heard that he was interested in courting Jeze DeMonica after boarding
school. I wished that someone was interested in me enough to court me.

     Angelica
Chere smiled at me, giving me a quick wave. She then made a silly face,
indicating how scary the thresholds appeared. I smiled back and turned to face
mine. I had never interacted with her before, so I assumed she only smiled at
me because she was nervous. I noticed it was blowing, ever so slightly from
whatever lay beyond.
Strange
, I thought. From the stage, we could see
nothing on the other side of the thresholds.
Must be some kind of optical
illusion
. As soon as this occurred to me, Rider began speaking to the
parents seated in the auditorium. The four of us on stage turned to face the
audience.

     “Each
Inductee will now enter the threshold to begin the Oculation procedure. I ask
at this time that you please remain quiet and seated. You will be notified by
an usher once your child is available for the life mentor session.”

     He turned
toward us; however he now appeared less cheery and lighthearted than earlier.

     “Once you
step through the threshold, you will be transported to your individual
laboratories. The entryway will disappear, as there is no turning back from
this procedure. Once all of your examinations are complete, your memory of this
conversation and the entire procedure will be wiped. This is to protect the
integrity of our state of the art methods. I, along with three independent
associates, will be monitoring the entire ordeal via our screening room
backstage. In the event of a true emergency, the procedure will be terminated.
Or you will be exterminated. Do not fear. It has been several years since
anyone has been exterminated. Once my associate gives the cue, step through.”

     He turned
back toward our parents for his final words.

     “Thank you
for your patience. Oculation has commenced!” And with that he bowed gracefully.
A woman dressed in all blue, with short spiky black hair entered from the wings
and approached him at the microphone.

     “You may
venture forward.” she said, a low, sultry voice reverberating throughout the
room.

     I gulped so
loudly that the other Inductees onstage all turned and looked at me. I shyly turned
away and took one last look at the black curtain. With a deep breath I stepped
through and plummeted down a shaft, falling while surrounded by utter darkness.

     I was in
free fall for what felt like three solid minutes. Eyes squeezed shut, I told
myself repeatedly that it would all be over with soon. I soon began losing
sensation, first in my fingers and toes. As the descent continued, my entire
limbs became numb. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, the falling
sensation disappeared. I slowly opened my eyes and realized that I was now
standing in a bright white room. In the middle of the room stood a white surgical
bed. Next to it rested a table with various foreign instruments and an attached
lamp. On the opposite side was another table on which sat a clear glass bowl,
filled halfway with a clear, bubbling liquid. The ceiling seemed
extraordinarily high, surpassing ten feet. Several recessed fixtures provided
light in the room. The walls were a sterile white, matching the floor and
providing no way to tell where the wall ended and the floor began. The wall
behind the surgical bed wobbled momentarily before disappearing altogether. Four
laboratory technicians walked forward and took a position surrounding the bed.
The wall wobbled back into place as soon as they turned to look at me.

     “Hello,”
they all said in unison. “Please sit.”

     I followed
their order and approached the bed. As I climbed onto it, I realized that the
lab technicians were quadruplets. Each stood at about five feet tall, bald, and
wearing white lab coats. Every move they made, every word they uttered was in
complete unison. I settled into the bed and took a deep breath.

     “This
injection will sedate you, but not fully,” they again said in unison. “You will
be conscious; however you will not feel any pain and your muscles will be
completely relaxed. This injection will also release a chemical within you to
begin the process of the memory wipe within three minutes of the procedure. The
entire process will last exactly two minutes and fifty-four seconds. You will
regain you senses and motor skills at two minutes and fifty-five seconds
exactly. Once fully functional, you will then proceed to the Ocular
Examinations.”

     Overwhelmed
and trembling, I simply nodded in response.

     “Finally,
this procedure is performed in the dark using only a black light. This will
ensure that once your lenses are removed, the recessed lighting will not harm
your retinas.”

     At this they
all turned and began pulling a few of the instruments from the side table. I
closed my eyes and briefly pictured my mother, seated in the auditorium. I then
imagined what my father must have encountered when attempting to subdue the
patient who took his life. My eyes immediately flashed open when a throat-clearing
sound pierced my thoughts.

     “Try to
count how many tiles are in the room,” said the technicians simultaneously.

     “But there
are no…” My voice faded out as the serum injected into my arm by one of the
technicians quickly took over my awareness. While I could no longer speak or
blink, my eyes remained open and I could still see and hear. I could not turn
my eyes to see peripherally; they only focused directly ahead. The recessed
lights in the ceiling slowly dimmed out to complete darkness. The technician to
my left then turned on the black light lamp attached to the table.

     The
technician to my right leaned over my face, with white metallic over-sized
tweezers in hand. He brought the tweezers to my right eye and began slowly peeling
back the edge of the implanted lens. I could feel the film lifting off of my cornea,
however there was no pain. The sensation simply alerted my brain to the fact
that something was being removed from my eyeball.

     “Right
cornea clear,” announced all of the technicians.

            Something
above my head flew across the ceiling. There and gone in an instant, I wanted
to say something, but could not speak. Maybe it was my imagination. I heard the
technician drop the lens into the bowl with the bubbling liquid.

            The
technicians rotated clockwise around me. The one with the tweezers was now on
my left. Again, he came close to my face and began peeling off the left lens.
Almost
done
, I thought to myself.
Hang in there, Sol
.

     “Left
cornea clear,” they all announced. “We are now at two minutes and fifty-five
seconds.” I immediately blinked and could feel sensation return to my face,
arms and legs. I heard the lens begin to sizzle in the bubbling liquid. The
black light was flicked off and we were momentarily in the dark. I heard another
whoosh above my head. Then the lights turned on. I screamed and broke every
glass object in the room.