The Perfect World (The Perfect World Series Book 1) (33 page)

“Lucky? How can anything about that possibly be considered lucky?” Cyrus demanded.

“These people were at least allowed to live for that long.”

“What do you—” the young man began, but his teacher interrupted him.

“When there is no use found for a certain person or they have been found to have too many instances of rebellion, they are disposed of. At age twenty-five, they are hauled away in black vans and placed into chains. Then, they are taken to one of the Disposal Zones and strapped to a machine that kills them in a timely fashion.” Mr. Schumacher looked at Cyrus with a grim expression. “That is their destiny.”

The world starting spinning at the revelation. He placed a hand over his stomach and was thankful that he was sitting down. All those years in that system, he had felt a sense of dread, yet he had never known why. Now, he knew. He put his head in his hand, his mind reeling.

He thought of the other students he had shared his floor with. There had been others there besides him who had been willing to break the rules. Will came to mind, the boy who wasn’t allowed to run any faster than anyone else because of the rules of the world.

Then, a flash of red went across his vision, blocking out everything else. It was long, thick red hair. Melody’s hair. He heard   her voice as she rattled off her countless ideas. He felt the warmth of her lips pressed against his. He remembered the day when she disappeared because they had to be separated by gender. He also remembered how often she had defied authority. How often she had been declared sick …

Cyrus stood up abruptly and grabbed his bag. He had to do something to prevent this. Anything. He was about to go out the door when Mr. Schumacher got up from his chair. He crossed the room in a few big strides and slapped a hand on Cyrus’s shoulder.

“Mr. Wright, where do you think you’re going?” he demanded, firmly keeping his hand on Cyrus’s shoulder.

“I can’t stay here!” he snapped angrily, trying to push the hand off of him. “They’re going to kill her!”

“Now, calm down a minute, Mr. Wright and think.
What
can you do for her? What will storming out of here accomplish?”

Cyrus opened his mouth but found he had no answer. All he knew was that he wanted to do something to stop it.

“I understand how you feel Cyrus,” Mr. Schumacher said in a calm voice. “But running out of here with no plan won’t solve anything. Action with no planning will only serve to get you killed too. Do you understand?”

Cyrus hung his head, the madness leaving him. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Mr. Schumacher removed his hand from Cyrus’s shoulder and looked at the clock. “Well, I’d say it’s time we moved on to English class. We’re behind schedule as it is.”

Mr. Schumacher moved to sit back in his seat. Cyrus watched him go, then looked back at the door to the classroom.

“Cyrus,” Mr. Schumacher called, his tone clear that he wanted Cyrus to hurry up.

Cyrus finally turned away and sat back in his chair. He worked on his English lesson and answered the question when prompted, but his mind was far away. Images of Melody continued to play in his mind, and his shoulder burned with the memory of his wound. Would that be what they used to dispatch her? No, Mr. Schumacher said they’d use a machine, but what difference did that make? She’d still be dead. The thought burned in him, making him feel like there was a ticking clock hanging over his head.

Cyrus found no peace by the end of the lesson. He collected his bag and said little, only to be stopped by Mr. Schumacher again.

“Cyrus, wait a moment.” Cyrus obeyed, though reluctantly. He turned back to the disheveled looking man who was so smart in spite of his messy lifestyle. His face was sympathetic, but his words were firm.

“I know that you knew people in that world. I know you want to stop what might happen to them. However, there is nothing you can do by yourself. Throwing yourself against a system that has been put in place for decades with thousands of armed guards behind it will only guarantee your death.”

“So, we should just sit back and do nothing?” he muttered rebelliously.

“We are not doing nothing,” Mr. Schumacher’s reply was kind, but still firm. “It’s just that many others have felt the way you do. All over the world, they’ve wanted to do something. Some of them acted out on their own, and they died for their efforts, often taking countless others with them. So, I beg of you to think on these words and not act rashly. It will not help those you care about who have been left behind.”

“Okay,” Cyrus whispered contritely, a bit of his anger leaving him at the clear concern for his wellbeing.

“I know it’s hard to bear. Trust me I know, but you must hold out hope that one day we will beat them. Whatever else you do, you must not lose hope.”

Cyrus stared at his teacher for this earnest statement. His emotions were still very mixed, so all he could manage to say was, “I won’t.”

“Good.” Mr. Schumacher nodded. “Then, I’ll see you for tomorrow’s lessons. Don’t forget to do your homework.”

“Alright,” he answered with a wave. “See you tomorrow.”

Cyrus exited the room quickly, not really aware of where he put his feet. All he could see was Melody, all he could feel was the fire in his shoulder and all he could sense was the clock above his head ticking away the time.

Cyrus sat at the dinner table that evening, trying to get his homework done. No matter how many times he stared at it, he couldn’t focus. He would pick up his electronic notebook, type a few words and then put it down again. He repeated this pattern a few times before he finally folded his arms on the table and laid his head down on them.

“Rough day?”

Cyrus turned his head on his arms to see Scott leaning against the doorway in the kitchen. He had his arms folded over his stomach and his black eyes were studying Cyrus with a look of concern. Closing his eyes and turning his head away, Cyrus said, “You could say that.”

Scott walked over to where Cyrus was sitting. He pulled up a chair, sat next to Cyrus and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You want to tell me what happened?” Scott asked in a curious voice.

Cyrus thought of all the emotions that were running through his head. He thought of a million and one things that he wanted to say and yet he couldn’t find the words to form them. So all he said was, “I learned about what destiny meant in the perfect world.”

He felt Scott’s hand stiffen on his shoulder and pull away. It occurred to Cyrus that Scott would have known all along about this. Angry at the thought, Cyrus raised his head, stared Scott in the eyes  and said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Scott stiffened at the accusatory tone, frowning. He raised his hands in front of him defensively and said, “Hey, don’t get like that with me! I always meant to tell you. It’s just, I never found the right time to do it.”

“Great excuse,” Cyrus muttered irritably. “It’s not like it was important or anything.”

“Look, Cyrus,” Scott said evenly, “there was a lot more to tell you when you first arrived here. You were still adjusting to your new life. Things were hard enough for you without telling you about what destiny really meant.”

Cyrus thought about saying something, but closed his mouth and turned away. He didn’t want to argue with Scott over it. It wouldn’t help anything.

“Why do you think I kept asking about you to our military personnel and our security team?” Scott asked him after a long moment of silence. “I knew they’d kill you, Cyrus, just like they tried to kill me. You’d been declared sick too many times. You caused a lot of trouble. I knew if I didn’t get you out of there, then your destiny would be to die. If you lasted that long.”

A moment of silence passed between them before Cyrus spoke again. “Then maybe you’ll understand how I feel. Melody is still there. So are all the others we grew up with. I was there a lot longer than you, you know.”

“I know,” Scott answered quietly.

“Is there any hope for them?” Cyrus questioned softly.

“I won’t lie to you Cyrus, I don’t know,” his friend answered, pushing some of his bangs from his eyes. “Our military will sometimes perform raids to try and save some of the children from the perfect world, but they haven’t done that in a long time.”

The statement piqued Cyrus’s interest. “Why is that?”

Scott shrugged. “I’m not sure. You’d have to ask John Eldrick if you ever run into him by chance.”

“Is that likely?”

Scott snorted. “About as likely as learning to fly. Eldrick’s a busy man. After all, he’s the leader of the American domes and the leader of the North American domes overall. The good thing about him is that he hasn’t let it get to his head. The bad thing about it is that it’s difficult to ever see him. He’s so busy.”

“I can imagine.” Cyrus closed his eyes and said, “We should try to do something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Something.”

Scott tilted his head and said, “Well if you want to do something, we could go to Xavier’s party.”

Cyrus frowned at his friend. “That’s not the something that I was referring to.”

Scott smiled weakly. “I know, but we really can’t just do something about a problem this complex. We would need a plan first  and an elaborate one at that.” Cyrus started to say something, but Scott waved him off. “I think it’s best if we did something to take your mind off of it for now. Worrying about it won’t do any good.”

Cyrus wanted to argue, but decided he couldn’t. Scott was right. Without a plan or more information, he wasn’t going to get anywhere. He put his head back on his arms, feeling sullen and unsatisfied.

“When’s this party of Xavier’s?” Cyrus asked with little interest.

“Tomorrow evening, if you’re up for it.” Scott patted him on the back. “Come on, Cyrus. It’ll be fun and there’ll be lots of people. Plus, you like Xavier, right? I’m sure he will want you to be there.”

“Okay, I’ll go,” Cyrus said with little enthusiasm.

“Well, don’t get too excited,” Scott remarked with an eye roll. “Wouldn’t want you to have a heart attack or anything.”

In spite of himself, Cyrus smiled. “Don’t worry, I think I’ll be in a better mood by tomorrow.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Come on, lay off,” Cyrus said as he hit Scott on the arm.

“Okay, okay,” Scott said, rubbing his arm. “You eaten anything yet?”

“No, I haven’t been feeling that hungry today.”

“Figures.” Scott sighed. “Ms. Linda won’t get back till late today, so she left us some money to get whatever food we need for dinner. Why don’t we go out to eat tonight? I know a nice pizza place that’s close by.”

“Sure, why not?” Cyrus mumbled, getting up from his chair. He stretched as Scott left to go grab the money and soon enough they were out the door.

Going out for pizza was a helpful distraction for Cyrus, but the next day found him mulling over what he’d learned about destiny again. He was a bit more subdued during his classes that day, still preoccupied with what he had learned about destiny. Mr. Schumacher seemed to sense this, but he didn’t comment on it. Cyrus was glad for that.

As the afternoon rolled into the evening, it was time for Xavier’s party. Scott and Cyrus left their house together and made the walk in the cool fall weather. It would be winter soon, and the air around them seemed to carry a faint chill as if to recognize this fact. The walk didn’t take long as Xavier only lived about twenty minutes away from them. They arrived at his house, which was a large brown two-story house with plenty of rooms and a large backyard.

Xavier was a very friendly, outgoing person and it showed in the number of friends he had. It also helped that Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez seemed to be busy people who didn’t mind if Xavier had his friends over while they were away. Although, Scott mentioned that Xavier would be in heaps of trouble if they came back and the house was trashed.

In spite of the size of the house, it seemed to be pretty  crowded no matter where they went. He and Scott made their way up the crowded stairwell, apologizing to those they bumped into and made their way to the living room. There they spotted Xavier, talking to a few of his friends. His black eyes moved over to them, and he waved them over.

“Scott. Cyrus,” he called as they got closer. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“No problem,” Scott replied, clapping Xavier on the shoulder. “I always look forward to one of your parties.”

“Well, the refreshments are on the table over there.” He pointed to a large spread with several beverages and snacks. “Be sure to help yourselves. I don’t want to try to have to eat all this on my own.” He patted his belly. “I like to maintain a good figure.”

Scott smiled. “Don’t worry, I think I can help with that.”

“That’s true. You’re one of those people who can eat anything and everything without gaining weight.” Scott grinned widely, admitting it was true. Xavier turned to Cyrus and said, “Everyone’s pretty cool here, so don’t be afraid to talk to people. I’m sure you’ll find yourself well-liked.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Cyrus replied without energy.

Xavier chuckled at the response. “Come on, lighten up. This is a party, not a funeral. Just try to relax and have some fun, okay?”

“Okay.” Cyrus shrugged and pointed to the snack table. “I’m going to get some food.”

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll talk to you later,” Xavier told him as he greeted some of his other guests. Cyrus and Scott headed for the snack table. Not really hungry, Cyrus picked a few things here and there for his plate. Scott, on the other hand, loaded up with as much as he could. He had just stuffed a crunchy potato chip in his mouth, when he noticed Sahane nearby. She waved at him, and Scott swallowed his potato chip noisily.

“Listen, Cyrus, I’m going to talk with Sahane for a while,” Scott told him in a tone that said he’d like to be alone. “You think you’ll be okay on your own?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Great. Well, see you later,” he said as he hurried over to Sahane’s side. Cyrus thought he looked overly happy to see her. She seemed just as drawn to him if the way her face lit up at the sight of him was any indication. The way they greeted one another, and the way they interacted as if the entire world consisted of only the two of them, reminded him of the way he and Melody used to act. Feeling a pain in his chest, he turned away and started wandering around the house.

Along the way, he talked with a few of the other house guests, but his heart really wasn’t in it. He wasn’t unfriendly, but he  wasn’t that talkative either. Eventually, he began to feel hot in the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing with so many bodies in the house and decided to take refuge on the balcony.

The cool air felt nice to him as he escaped the noisy and  crowded house. He stood on the balcony and leaned against the railing, watching the sun set. The sky was turning a nice pinkish color while the colors from the sides of the domes were nice yellow and red. The entire thing was rather beautiful. 

Reflecting on his life since his desperate run from the perfect world, he realized that he was quite content. He was living in a place where he had access to knowledge he never knew existed. He had reunited with old friends and made new ones. He had a chance to develop a career and build his future with his own hands.

Yet, something still felt amiss to him. He could have put it off as his worry for Melody, but he knew it was something deeper than that. As he stared at the walls of the dome, glowing in the fading light of the sun, he thought he almost had the answer. Then, an earthy voice interrupted him.

“What are you looking at?”

Cyrus started and turned to find Priscilla standing beside him. Her long brown hair was loose today and it fell in waves down her back. She was wearing a pair of black pants with a floral design running down the sides and a tight fitting green dress shirt that emphasized her curves. She was carrying a small plate of food with her, and she looked at Cyrus expectantly.

“Nothing. Just admiring the sunset is all.”

Priscilla snorted. “Must have been some nothing. I’ve been standing here for a couple minutes now, and you haven’t noticed me. You looked like you were in a trance.”

“I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About,” Cyrus paused, not wanting to reveal what he was really thinking about, “the way things are,” he ended, thinking that was true enough.

“It’s really different here, isn’t it?” Priscilla’s voice was surprisingly somber, and Cyrus turned to look at her. She met his eyes and there was understanding in them. She walked over to the railing so that they were standing side by side and said, “I’m from there too, you know.”

Cyrus blinked, honestly surprised. “Nope, I didn’t know that.”

Priscilla was quiet, and Cyrus didn’t know what to say. Finally, he just said the first thing that came to his mind. “You fit in so well here. I never would have guessed you lived in the perfect world.”

Priscilla laughed at that, a merry little chuckle. “Well, I’ve had plenty of practice. I was taken here when I was eight.”

“How did you get out, if you don’t mind me asking?

“I’m sure this will come as a shock to you, but I was kind of a troublemaker. I kept being declared as ‘sick.’ Finally, the staff there grew tired of me and decided to be rid of me. One night, those black armored guards entered my room and grabbed me. They dragged me from my bed and took me out into the night, along with some other children. I was screaming and crying, trying to get free. I remember  thinking that if I didn’t get free, then something awful was going to happen to me. It was the scariest night of my life.”

She swallowed hard and then continued, “We were all being carried away to some other location, to a nearby Disposal Zone. That’s when a raiding party from the Pittsburgh Dome found us. They took the black guards unawares and managed to free us from their grasp without much trouble. Once we were free, the raiders started firing on the guards. I just remember the sound of the bullets being so loud. Everybody around me was screaming. There were flashes of light all around me. I felt someone pick me up and carry me away. Then, everything went black. I must have fainted. When I woke up again, I was here.”

Cyrus studied her as she told him this story, her eyes unfocused as if she was watching some unpleasant movie that only she could see. Gingerly, he reached out a hand to touch her shoulder and said, “I can’t imagine going through something like that. You must be very brave to have come through that and still be okay.”