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| The Future |
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| The year is 2055. The Robertson’s family was very well known. They were the nicest family in the neighborhood at the time. They were just the perfect little family with their perfect little lives. The parents, Joan and Bill, were both very successful lawyers. They had their own company. They had two children, a boy named Nathan and a girl named Livia. Nathan was the captain of the football team, and Livia was the head cheerleader. They even had a little dog named Truffles. You would think they had it all, but this society was different. Nobody cared about your job, the football team, or the cheerleaders. They really didn’t care about anything. Livia was on her way to school one day when she halted to the sound of a cry for help. She ran to the alley-way behind the dumpster. There she saw a group of 5 kids, girls none-the-less, beating this poor little girl that had just moved into town with a stick. They were all laughing so hard they couldn’t even move. They had no feelings what-so-ever for this poor, defenseless girl. Livia screamed, “Leave her alone. She is new here and doesn’t know what places are off limits. I promise I will teach her. It won’t happen again. Just let her go, and we will leave this instant.” “Alright you have a deal Miss Livia. You can do what you want with her just get her out of my sight. Now come get her or beat it,” replied Rica, the leader of their mob. As Livia carefully stepped forward to lend a hand to the new girl, she was shoved on the ground. Before she could stand again or even say a word, they were beating her as well. The only thing she could do was try to stiffen her body so the stick didn’t seem to strike her as hard. While her heart was racing she thought about her parents. “Why would my parents teach me to be so nice? What did I do to them? Nobody is nice. Nobody cares about anyone else. Wouldn’t my parents know that by now? I can’t believe after all the times Nathan and me came home basically crying blood they still just don’t get it. I guess this is just my punishment for loving my parents and actually listening and obeying them,” she thought in her blood rushed head. The mob of heartless girls tired down and finally gave up. They looked at the two girls laying there on the ground in a pool full of blood and heartache. They walked off laughing. Rica sighed, “I guess that will have to do for today. She is new I think it’s good we gave her a break. But we are not going to be so nice next time girls. We need to toughen up and get our act together. There is no excuse for getting so tired after just that little incident. You all better shape up for the next one.” Livia lied there on the pavement, unable to move. She turned and smiled at the new girl and said, “What is your name?” The girl looked at her with dreadful terror in her eyes and cried, “Well my name is Bita, but please don’t tell them that. My parents made me move here, they said it would be different than our old town, but it’s just the same. It might even be worse.” “I know exactly what you mean,” said Livia. “Follow me and we’ll go back to my house. I just live down the street. My parents will fix us all up and take you home. Ok?” “Alright that sounds great. I know it doesn’t mean much now, but thank you for trying to help me. You really are a pal.” The two girls pried themselves off the pavement and limped home. As they were walking they found out a lot they had in common. They both loved going to school. They were both considered stupid for loving and obeying their parents. They both had even been through the same ordeals with other kids making fun of them and picking on them. It was then they realized they would have to stick together to get anywhere in this world. As they arrived at Livia’s house, her mom ran out the door. “Did those mean girls do this to you again? And this little girl, what did she even do? I think we need to have a talk with their parents. This is the third time this week. I am not going to let this happen again. I promise the both of you.” Livia knew inside her head what was going to happen. Her mother was going to talk to Rica’s mom and tell her everything. Then her mom would talk to Rica. It won’t stop anything though. It will just give her more reason to beat Livia the next time she saw her. There was no stopping Rica, or any child for that matter. Kids did whatever they felt like doing. So did the adults for the most part. Some of them knew someone who had lived before this “wonder maker” machine was invented. They knew people used to have to expect to die everyday of their life to not be afraid of death. But now that is not even talked about. Everyone knows when they are going to die so it doesn’t matter. They can live any type of lifestyle they choose. There is no reason to fear drowning, choking, or even driving accidents. They know what is or what isn’t going to kill them. Livia and her whole family knew about this. They knew about how life used to be. They weren’t allowed to say anything though. If too many people found out they would take the machine away. It was a privilege to the people. They would do anything to keep the machines. The schools were completely torn apart. There was no education to speak of. People only cared about themselves. All they wanted to do was fulfill all their dreams before their date, their last day, arrived. Livia, her family, and Bita went on with their normal lives. They continued to get beat up almost everyday, not always by the same people but for the same reason. Just because they were different, they were smart and enjoyed being at school, they were ridiculed and tortured. Eventually Livia’s brother, Nathan, died. They spent his last day playing family knowledge games. Games they had made up themselves, because the stores only sold weapons and dangerous toys for children. It was the best day of his life. He loved things like that. Once he was gone Livia really started to think about life. She knew there had to be a reason they were put on Earth, well other than to hurt one another. She couldn’t think of anything though. She knew they were all living pointless lives that one day would end. That’s all she could come up with. As the years passed Livia and Bita continued to stay together, protecting each other from harm. They stopped talking about how things used to be different once Bita’s parents died. They became just another waste of space on the Earth, not thinking about anything or anyone, not feeling anything, and not caring about anything. The world finally became a huge dumpster. The whole place was trashed. The people had torn up everything there was. The nature was gone. There were no people intelligent enough to invent new things or really even continue making the old. They became nothing. Their lives consisted of waiting until their day to die. Life became nothing but death. |
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| Added On: Wed Oct 15 2003 | Hits: 1 |
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| The Entangled Love Story |
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| The Entangled Love Story “Do you know what I hate the most? I hate people talking behind my back. Admit it Julius, you did say those horrible things about me.” Julie was so mad at Julius and a few seconds later, she slapped him. “So, is this how it ends? How can you accuse me without proof? Fine then, have a happy life and next time you slap someone, make sure you have proof. I regret being nice to you after all this time.” Julius was filled with rage. He had tried being friends with Julie and he knew he had to make a decision. “That’s it. I’ve tried being a friend. Someday, you will regret.” Julius went out of the cafeteria and slammed the door. Julius was an ordinary guy who went to Cherrygrove High. He’s tall, average looking and has a nice personality. He’s also quiet shy and humble. He was famous because he wrote love stories and poems for the school paper. He was proud of being the editor of Cherrygrove News. A lot of people admired his ability to write love stories and poems. He won a lot of competitions too. Julius was a kind-hearted person and everyone knew that. Even the teachers praised his behaviour. His best friend is Dexter. Dexter also has a brother named Charlie. Dexter and Julius were friends since they were kids. His other loyal friends are Charlie, Ian and Gary. Dexter was disappointed in Julie. He couldn’t believe he slapped Julius in the cafeteria. Julius was staring at the ceiling thinking about Julie. The slap had been the biggest insult he had ever received. Had he deserved to be slapped? Julius would never say anything horrible about Julie. How could he? He had been trying to make Julie know the real side of him. He loved Julie. He wondered who told Julie. Julius decided to investigate and find the person that made Julie hate him forever. All he wanted was Julie to love and care for him whenever he needed her. Despite the fact that Julie hated him, he would still accept her if she was willing to compromise. Julie was the cutest girl in Cherrygrove High. Everyone liked her because she was the head cheerleader. She was the most popular girl in Cherrygrove High. She was kind to everyone and loved making friends. She has a sister named Hillary. She already had a boyfriend named David. David played football and is the playmaker and captain of the team. Julie loved him because he was handsome, tall and had a macho body. Julie was thinking about what she did to Julius. Was it true that Julius was innocent? She felt a chill running through her body. She thought about Julius’s last words. ‘Someday you will regret’. What did that meant? She knows that Julius was the editor of the Cherrygrove News. He might be writing an article about her right now. Julie kept on thinking. She didn’t know what as going to happen next. Dexter was at Julius’s house playing computer games. Julius was at his best. It was because he was angry and was killing so many soldiers. He felt relieved at killing them. Dexter pause the game. “Hey man, are you still thinking about Julie? Forget about her. She’s not worth it.” Dexter said with full determination. “Yeah man. I never thought it turned out like this.” Julius was still mad. “There’s plenty of fish in the sea you know. Don’t think about Julie no more.” Dexter always made Julius giggle when he was down. Julius forced a giggle. Julie was watching David playing football. Her best friend Reina was watching her boyfriend Frank too. Julie looked worried. Reina was curious why Julie looked worried. “Are you okay?” Reina asked. “No, I think Julius was innocent.” Julie answered. Reina knew she was going to say that. “He did say it. He told me right in my face. Do you trust him or me?” Reina said. “Of course I trust you.” Julie said, unconvincingly. David was happy that Julie was not on talking terms with Julius. He was always envy of Julius. He was very close with Julie. He had to do something to prevent Julius and Julie from being a couple. He knew Julie was falling for Julius. So, David made a plan. He asked his best friend Frank to help him. Frank agreed. Frank asked Reina to tell Julie that Julius was saying horrible things about Julie. David was mastermind behind this horrible plan. He was proud it worked and was happy Julius was slapped. He played football at his best in practise because he felt so happy. He finally had Julie and didn’t need to compete with Julius anymore. Julius needed to write a poem for next weeks Cherrygrove News. His crew had already backed him up in the ‘latest gossip’ section. The hot news was about Julie slapping Julius. He was proud of his crew. The crew knew Julius was innocent. Julius start writing his poem, titled innocent. Open your eyes so you could see, How innocent I was, I’m just a fool who needs to be loved, In the sweetest way, Love requires trust, Without trust, Love will definitely lost its way, I will sacrifice anything for you, I’ll climb the highest mountain for you, I’ll swim the deepest sea for you, I’ll do anything, As long as you’re in my arms again, Right where you belong….. Written by Julius Julius had finished writing his poem. He was satisfied. He wanted the whole school know that he was innocent. He also wanted Julie to know that he still had feelings for her. He felt that his efforts to become friends with Julie had gone down the rain. He still felt mistreated. All he wants is an apology from Julie to soothe his puzzled mind. Dexter had already covered the ‘latest gossip’ columnn. He backed up Julius one hundred percent. He was also curious. The same question kept on popping in his head. Who told Julie? Then, he thought about David. Could it be David? David was always envy of Julius. Reina could also be the culprit. Dexter knows that Reina doesn’t like Julius. She hated him because Julius always won the writing competition. She was always runner-up. On the other hand, Dexter had a crush on Reina. Only Julius knew this. Dexter always gave up hope but he remembered what Julius said. “Without hope and bravery, there is no love.” Dexter was going to ask Reina tomorrow about the incident. He was going to make her talk. Later that morning, Julie read the poem Julius wrote. The poem was worth a thousand words. Are the rumours true? Does Julius really have feelings for Julie? Suddenly, she felt a tear running through her face. The poem proved that Julius has a nice heart. Julius was praised from the students of Cherrygrove High for this weeks News. It was a bizarre issue. Julius wanted to know Julie’s reaction towards his poem. All he wanted to know was Julie’s reaction. Did she felt mad? Did she cry? Julius walked along the corridor feeling proud until Reina approached him and pushed him. ”Are you happy you made Julie cry now?” Reina said in a loud,angry voice. “She finally gets it now. I told you. I’m INNOCENT!!” Julius answered back. Julie had appeared out of no where. She pulled Reina while saying, “C’mon Reina, It’s not worth it.” She stared at Julius and went to the class with Reina. Julius was happy. He had finally got his revenge. He didn’t believe Julie cried. He didn’t expect the poem to be effective. Julie was sitting alone at the lake. She was staring at the water. She was thinking seriously. Suddenly she heard a voice from behind. “Julie, is that you?” Julius asked with confidence. Julie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She had missed spending time with Julius. Without hesitation, Julie hugged Julius with all her might. Julius was surprised at Julie’s reaction. He’s happiness couldn’t be described by words. It was a special feeling. A few seconds later, Julie ran away from Julius and ran away. Julius was left confused. Julius and Dexter were watching a movie at Dexter’s house. He was confident that Julie was giving signs of forgiveness. Dexter felt happy for his friend and knew that Julius as always innocent. Dexter still had a crush on Reina who today wore a pretty red shirt and a short skirt and smiled at him. Dexter knew Reina was out of his league but there was something special about her that caught his attention. Reina was reading the Cherrygrove News in the cafeteria. She was reading Dexter’s column. It was an interesting title. Reina loved to read Dexter’s column. She had never missed reading them. His articles were knowledgeable and interesting. She thought Dexter as a cute and lovable person. She wished to go to the prom with Dexter not Frank. She adored Frank only because of his popularity. She wanted to share that but the person who she really fancied was Dexter. Julie was eating lunch with Reina. “I’ve decided to break up with Frank.” Reina said confidently. Julie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Have you thought about it thoroughly?” said Julie. “Yes, I don’t think we’re meant to be together.” Reina answered. She was serious and there was no turning back. After school, Julie decided to drink her favourite milkshake with David. They were planning a special valentine date at a romantic restaurant. Julie loved David because he was such a romantic person. Some people said that David was seeing another girl. Julie didn’t believe it because she knew David was loyal to her. Suddenly Julius and Dexter entered the shop. They ordered a banana split which was their favourite ice-cream. Julius was staring at Julie and was envy that she was getting along with David. There were days when Julius wished he’d be David. They ate their banana split and went off. Julius was lying down on his bed after an exhausting day at school. They were a lot of things to do at school today and he was so tired. He felt relieved because Cherrygrove News had been doing so well in the recent weeks. Julius decided to take a nice long bath to take things off his mind. He needed to talk to Julie to tell her how he felt for her. He closed his eyes and relaxed in the hot bath tub. Julius was thinking about Julie. Why didn’t he have the courage to tell her how he loved her when Julie was hugging him? Did that hug meant anything to her? He didn’t know what to do. He was confused. All he wanted was to spend some time with Julie. David was just pondering as he watched Julie in her regular cheerleading practises. He wondered why Julie felt a little neglected from her friends recently. Julie was only happy during the cheerleading practises. She didn’t go out with her friends to the mall either. David was determined and curious to find out what was going on in Julie’s life. Is it because of the poem Julius wrote? David suddenly felt angry and needed to find a way to retaliate to Julius’s poem. He needed to submit a poem so Julie will become happy again. A smirk suddenly appeared on David’s face as he thought about ideas for his poem. He was going to call it beloved. Reina was seating beside Frank in front of the lake. She still didn’t have the courage to tell Frank that she didn’t have any feelings for him. Frank had bought Reina nice flowers because it was their anniversary as a couple (one year). Reina had to open the topic but she didn’t do it because it would hurt Frank too much on their anniversary. Later, Reina thought. She didn’t want to make Frank think that she was using her to get popular. Dexter and Julius were at the Cyber Café playing the latest computer game, Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour. They were unbeatable. They practise their skills at home and finally battle at the Cyber Café to test their skills. All gamers gathered every Saturday to battle. It was Dexter’s and Julius’s favourite day of the week. After they drank their milkshake’s at the café, they decide to go to the city and hang around with the guy’s. They both hope they’d bumped into Julie and Reina. When Julius and Dexter arrived at the city, they went to Pizza Hut to have lunch. The other guys have been waiting for them. Some of them brought their girlfriends. Dexter and Julius had already stuffing pizzas in their mouths. They were starving after playing at the Cyber Café for 4 hours. They didn’t even have breakfast. After finishing their deserts Dexter and Julius decided to go to the arcade to play some games. Saturday was the fun day for Dexter and Julius. Dexter and Julius were playing the ultimate racing game. Julius looked around after beating Dexter. He saw Julie and David kissing at the corner. Julius felt sick. After they had kissed, they went out laughing at each other. Dexter and Julius decided to leave the arcade centre after witnessing Julie’s mouth to mouth with David. Every time Julius saw them kissing, he wondered what it would be like if he’d been able to do that. He would definitely be on cloud nine. In history class, Mr. Ashburn decided to pair the students up to do a research on their favourite countries together. Mr. Ashburn had already paired them and had put the name list at the class’s message board. Finally, the class had finished after Mr. Ashburn explained their final task. Dexter and Julius were both shocked after seeing who their partners were. Each boy got a girl as a partner. Dexter and Julius were delighted at Mr. Ashburn’s choice. They were partnered with Reina and Julie. Finally it was time to turn the tables around. They both smiled leaving the class together. David was unhappy and decided to give Julius a warning. He smiled and left the room with Julie. David and Frank were both mad at Mr. Ashburn’s choice. They were in great danger at losing their girlfriends. Dexter and Julius were sitting at their usual tables along with their friends. They had many friends who usually went to the Cyber Café to play computer games. David and Frank approached the table looking as if they wanted to fight Julius and Dexter. “Hey, computer dorks. Julius I don’t like you writing poems to my girl anymore. I don’t want to see her cry. You better stop or I’ll make you stop. Why didn’t you approve my poem that was dedicated to my girl? Jealous are you?” said David in an angry tone. He was determined to make Julius suffer. Julius wasn’t scared at all. “The reason I didn’t approve your poem was because it didn’t sound like a poem. I don’t think anyone can read something like that. Even Shakespeare would laugh after he’d read your poem.” Julius answered smiling at David who didn’t look happy. Suddenly David couldn’t control his anger. He took off his jacket and gave to Frank. He grabbed Julius’s shirt and landed a punch at his face. Julius didn’t expect David to punch him. Dexter was surprised to. He didn’t waste any time and punched David using his strength and David stumbled to the ground. Frank pushed Dexter and tackled him to the ground. Julius watched his best friend falling down. He was angry. The fight didn’t finish yet. No one intended to stop the fight. Soon the whole football team came to help Frank and David. They were like animals who had just met their prey. Julius and Frank were in trouble. Suddenly someone came and screamed “STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!” It was Julie and Reina screaming together. Julie and Reina ran to see how Julius and Dexter were doing. They both looked horrible. Julie looked at Julius and felt a tear running through her cheek. She and Reina helped the guy’s up and brought them to the Medical Room in the school. Dexter and Julius conditions were bad. Reina finally had a good reason to break up with Frank. Reina and Julie were waiting outside the Medical Room along with Dexter and Julius’s other friends. After a few minutes waiting, all of them were allowed to see Dexter and Julius. Dexter and Julius looked bad and were resting in the bed. They had bruises and black eyes, but they were proud of themselves because if it wasn’t because of David and Frank’s football team, it will be them in the bed. Julie held Julius’s good hand carefully. Julius and Julie’s relationship was definitely an enigma. Julius was grateful that Julie held his hand. Their eyes lock and it was as if Julius was dreaming. He had dreamt to see Julie looking at him in a romantic way. On the other bed Reina was holding Dexter’s good hand as well. She really appreciated Dexter’s courage and bravery. He had helped his best friend. She knew that Dexter’s bravery was equalled with ten soldiers. He acted swiftly without hesitation. He never expected a famous, pretty cheerleader would hold his hand. Dexter had a crush on Reina since year 7 and they were in their final year of high school. They both had a lot of common. He had to confess his true feelings. The next day, Dexter, Julius, Frank and David had to meet the Principle,. All of them were in big trouble. When all of them had entered the room, they saw all of their parents sitting talking to the principle. It was indeed a splendid act from the principle. The parents didn’t look too happy. The principle finally ordered the boy’s to sit down. “What caused this hideous brawl? I want all of you to write me a report. I have witnesses and anybody that lies will be suspended from school.” the principle said strictly. The principle was full of curiosity and was determined to settle this case. The situation got worse when the parents were giving all of them a hard time as they watch their teenage sons writing their reports. All of them were busy writing their reports. After a few silent minutes, all of them passed their reports up. Finally the principle broke the silent by saying, “I want all of you to see me in recess time tomorrow, and please be punctual. I’m going to have a chat with your parents.” All of them left the room with puzzled faces. “What do you think the principle’s punishment will be?” asked Julius. “I don’t know, probably a suspension.” answered Dexter with full of confidence. Julius laughed and they both dropped the topic and decided to get their favourite food, pizza. Dexter wasn’t scared at all. He could still be making jokes about their punishments. Everyone knew that he was as cunning as a fox. He was able to get out of any problems with the teacher. A lot were on their minds as they sat quietly eating the pizza. Julius wondered how Julie felt about him. He was so anxious to know, he started gathering ideas for his next poem. The title would be ‘Someday’. He thought that someday Julie would just open up to him. That day will also be the day when they would confess their true feelings finally. I would be a stupid man if I didn’t tell you, A feeling trapped inside me, I must release it though, So you will cherish what I have to say, My feelings for you is like my heart beat, Every time it beats, It’s saying I love you, I wonder what your heart responds to my love, Will it be long? My desires and emotions are getting out of control, I need you to help me, To guide me and to teach me how to control it, And I know someday you will, Someday……… Written by Julius Julius had never felt better. He decided to release his poem in next week’s paper. He was so eager to find out how Julie reacted to it. He was eager to know if Julie really felt about him. Reina and Frank were arguing in the car. Reina was sick of Frank’s egoistic behaviour. She wanted to get over with it. She wanted to open the way for Dexter. She couldn’t pretend anymore. She thought Frank was a really nice person but he turned out to be a real jerk. “Are you still mad about the fight? How many times do I have to tell you? I was defending David, my best friend. I’m proud of beating up that guy anyway. Dexter thinks he’s so good but the truth is, he doesn’t even have a real life. Let’s not fight, baby.” Frank said in a smoothing voice. Unfortunately, Reina didn’t look too happy. “I want to break up with you. I can’t stand the way you’re behaving right now. Your acting like your the saviour, but the truth is, if your team mates didn’t come and help, you would’ve been hurt so badly. I don’t want to be in love with a person who’s an egoistic and controlling person. I just want the old Frank back but now I don’t even know you anymore.” Reina said angrily and stepped outside the door and ran as fast as she could. Frank had to deal with this. He had to deal with Dexter again. Julius decided to start on the history assignment. He decided to go to Julie’s house so they could get started right away. After calling Julie, they decided to meet at the library instead. Julius wondered why. After taking the bus, Julius had finally arrived. He couldn’t wait to see Julie. He entered the library but there were no signs of Julie so he decided to wait outside. After a few minutes, Julie had arrived. She looked cute in her pink top and her jeans skirt. She had her hair straightened neatly and she looked absolutely gorgeous. Julius couldn’t imagine how she’d look like on a first date. “Hey Julius, how are you? Did you wait long? Sorry I’m late. David and I were arguing once again. He’s such a jerk sometimes.” Julie said after she had shake hands with Julius. “I didn’t wait long. I’m fine. Please don’t talk about David when you’re with me okay? I might say something bad and I don’t want you guy’s to fight again. Promise me okay?” Julius said in a cool way. “I Promise.” Julie answered while smiling. They started their work straight away and were busy finding materials for their assignment. Julius suddenly thought about Dexter. Was he having a dream date with Reina too? Julius and Julie were busy finding their materials all around the library. He thought about Dexter for a while and continued the assignment. Dexter was waiting for Reina in front of the library that evening. Dexter promised Julius that they both would help each other in the library. However, Dexter had been waiting for two long hours for Reina. She still didn’t turn up. Dexter was having bad thoughts in his head. What was I thinking? I don’t even have a chance with Reina. His heart was pounding fast but there was still no sign of Reina. Probably Julius and Julie had finished their assignments. Dexter decided to get a milkshake. While he was busy drinking his milkshake, Julius and Julie joined him. “What happen to Reina. I didn’t see you guys in the library just then. We finished our assignments already.” Julius said happily. “She didn’t turn up man. I guess we’ll have to finish it tomorrow.” Dexter said while giving a big sigh. Dexter didn’t look to happy. He had postponed his meeting with Reina four times already. The assignment was due next week. Dexter looked worried. Julie was disappointed with Reina. The next day was a bright and sunny day. Dexter and Julius were finishing their lunches under the tree. They were joined by their friends, Gary, Ian and Dexter’s brother Charlie. “Bro, I think you should give up on Reina. She’s out of your league.” Charlie said without hesitation. Dexter sighed. He didn’t look too happy. “I won’t give up bro, she’s everything to me. Her charming smile relieves me. Her attitude is poised and attracts me. She’s perfect for me. I think about her all the time. Before I go to sleep, before doing my homework, I really like her. She’s special to me and I don’t ever want to lose these feelings. All I want is to spend quality time with her but I think I might just give up now. I wouldn’t know unless I try.” Dexter said sadly. Luckily, Julius recorded everything. He always brought along his recorder along just in case he got some excellent ideas. He was going to ask Julie to tell Reina everything. Julie was just about to leave the school. Julius ran down the hall way as fast as he could. He had to give Julie the tape. “Julie, can you please give this tape to Reina? The tape contains Dexter’s feeling. Please let her listen to this conversation. It’s really important. That evening, Julie decided to go to Reina’s house. She was determined to accomplish her mission and she wanted to help Dexter. She was also mad with Reina because she didn’t co-operate with Dexter to finish the assignment. They still had four days to complete it. She hopes she will knock some sense out of Reina. Surprisingly, Reina wasn’t home, so Julie left the tape on the door step and wrote Reina, this is a special tape. Julius recorded it. Listen to it a.s.a.p. Julie thought Reina went out shopping. Reina went to the mall to get some new clothes. She was accompanied by Jade, another cheerleader. She wanted to escape from her life. She had been in love with the wrong man and she kind of felt sorry for Frank. Nevertheless, she wanted to be popular. She used Frank so she could be popular. She felt a little guilty but she thought that everything happens for a reason. Jade was her shopping partner and they finally decided to go back home after an exhausting day of shopping. After a tiring day at the mall, Reina finally reached her doorstep. She saw the envelope and read Julie’s little note. It was written in Julie’s hand writing. She opened the envelope and found a tape. She ran up the stairs, curious about the contents of the tape. “I won’t give up bro, she’s everything to me. Her charming smile relieves me. Her attitude is poised and attracts me. She’s perfect for me. I think about her all the time. Before I go to sleep, before doing my homework, I really like her. She’s special to me and I don’t ever want to lose these feelings. All I want is to spend quality time with her but I think I might just give up now. I wouldn’t know unless I try.” She was relieved and surprised at the same time after hearing Dexter’s soothing words. She didn’t know Dexter had feelings for her. She never heard anyone say something as nice as that. She had to do something. She wanted Dexter to know that she was having the same feelings. Miss Sally’s class was boring as usual. She was talking about the theory of photosynthesis. The class was busy paying attention as well as copying notes from the board. A few minutes later, their class had finally finished their science class. They have to be prepared for next week monthly test. Dexter was still thinking about his history test. Reina must submit some of her work in order to finish the assignment. Charlie was talking with his girlfriend, Jessica. Charlie and his brother had one thing in common, muscular bodies. They worked out everyday. Charlie wasn’t shy when it came to girls, but he is a loyal person. He’s been in love with Jessica for a year now. Charlie, Dexter, Ian, Gary and Julius had been friends for more than two years. They’re very close. There went everywhere together. Gary loved a Cyber Café. He almost goes every week. Charlie likes to spend quality time with Jessica. They would usually go to the lake and just talk. Ian just loved to hang around with Gary. He also likes to go to the Cyber Café. Gary, Charlie and Ian were two years younger than Julius and Dexter. Usually the gang would have sleepovers at Dexter and Charlie’s house. They were indeed loyal friends. Reina decided to call Dexter. Unfortunately, Charlie picked up the phone. “Hello, this is Reina from school, may I speak to Dexter.” Reina asked. “Owh, so you’re the girl that Dexter likes. I’ll go give Dexter the phone right on. Hold on.” Charlie said. Charlie ran upstairs and gave the phone to Dexter who was playing the game. “Hello, who’s on the other line?” Dexter asked. “It’s Reina. We still have time to complete the history assignment. I’ll pick you up in about ten minutes.” Reina said hesitatingly. “Yes, okay. I’ll see you in ten minutes.” Dexter said while smiling. After put down the phone, he screamed as a sign of happiness. He was going to go out with Reina. Never give up was his ultimate motto. In ten minutes time, Reina pressed the horn as she parked her car in front of Dexter’s house. Reina was wearing a red top and a mini skirt. She looked absolutely pretty. Dexter was wearing his favourite his shirt and wore his baggy pants. He ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He was excited. He opened the door and thought that he was dreaming. The girl of his dreams was waiting outside. Reina smiled and invited Dexter to her car. They were on their way to the library. “Do you mind if we have lunch first? I haven’t had my lunch yet and I’m quiet hungry.” Reina asked Dexter who was sitting beside her. “No problem. I have no objections.” Dexter said politely. They stopped at the nearest fast food restaurant. When they entered the restaurant, they met Julius and Julie. They seem to be having a good time. Dexter still felt as if he was dreaming. He needed someone to pinch him so he’d know it wouldn’t be a dream. Dexter sat down beside Julius and Reina sat down beside Julie. They soon were chatting and laughed a lot. Without realising the time, an hour passed. Dexter decided that he didn’t want to waste anymore time. “Sorry guy’s, it’s been nice chatting with you. Unfortunately, Reina and I have an assignment to finish.” Dexter said confidently. Dexter and Reina went out of the restaurant together, side by sied. Julius was spending the entire day with Julie. They bumped at the mall, after Julius finished playing the computer at the Cyber Café. Charlie was accompanied with Jessica, who also loved to play computer games. Gary and Ian followed too. Julie was accompanied with her younger sister, Hillary. Hillary is Jessica’s best friend. When Julius and Julie saw each other, Hillary decided to join Jessica and the boys. She knew Julie wanted to spend time with Julius. Julius felt as if he was the luckiest man on earth. To go out with the most popular and cutest girl was a dream come true for him. There was one person who was unhappy about Julius and Julie. David was planning an ambush attack on Julius. Julius was still busy chatting with Julie. They were talking about childhood experiences. Julius and Julie’s family are going to have a barbecue this weekend to celebrate Julius’s 17th birthday. “Julie, did you know that you’re special to me? You’re cute, funny and adorable. You’re energetic and you have the sweetest smile.” Julius said seriously while looking into her eyes. He didn’t know what was going to happen next. “Thank you. You’re special to me too. I like you by a factor of five. You’re smart. You’re romantic. You’re a great poet, you’re funny and you sure know how to impress a girl.” Julie said honestly. She didn’t expect she would say that. Julius knew it was the right time to make a move but he didn’t. He wasn’t going to ruin this spectacular moment. Instead Julius held Julie’s good hand and just stared at her. He was having a marvellous time. Julie smiled and they both decided to go to the lake to relax. Dexter and Reina were busying researching books for their assignment. Reina needed to tell Dexter that she loved Dexter too. She was puzzled because Dexter didn’t attempt to tell her that he’d had a crush on Reina for a wile. Reina decided to wait and would ask Dexter out to watch a movie or having dinner at a fancy restaurant. Dexter will definitely pick one, Reina thought while smiling. After thinking about what to do with Dexter, she continued her assignment. Dexter had already gathered all the information they needed. It was possible for them to finish their assignment today. Julius and Julie were on their way to the lake. From a distance, David saw them together. David had already gathered the whole football team to ambush Julius. The day was getting darker. David and his gang will attack during sunset. Julius and Julie found a spot near the lake. They saw the sun going down together while holding hands. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. Julius decided to take the risk. He didn’t care whether Julie accepted him. “Julie, I had a really great time today. I didn’t know we’d go out today. It’s a dream come true. What I’m trying to say is, I…”Julius didn’t finish his sentence because he heard something. David and his gang had arrived. They were all wearing a mask. They surrounded Julius and Julie. Without hesitation, Julius sent a message to Dexter to gather Charlie, Ian and Gary at the lake because he was surrounded by a gang. Julie looked worried. “Julie, run now. I can handle myself. Go now.” Julius said courageously. “I won’t leave you alone. You’ll get hurt.” Julie said sadly. “GO NOW. CALL DEXTER NOW. I NEED YOU TO GO NOW!” Julius screamed at Julie. Without speaking another word, Julie ran as fast as he could. She was crying too. David’s gang were surrounding Julius now. The boy’s had a plank of wood each. David who was under a masked laughed and then he punched Julius. After that, Frank punched him in the face. Soon, the whole gang hit Julius as hard as they could. The scenery was like when a vulture met its prey. Each of them hit Julius as hard as they could. They were using their plank of wood. Julius couldn’t do anything. There were too many of them. He screamed in pain. He was hurt badly. Frank made Julius stand. He held Julius who could barely stand. David took his plank of wood and hit Julius’s stomach as hard as he could. He was enjoying every single moment of this. They hit Julius continuously. David was still unsatisfied. He wanted Julius to pay. He punched Julius in the face again. He felt relieved. He continued kicking Julius. David decided that it was enough. David put on his helmet. After that he went to Julius and punched him again. They left the place afterwards. Dexter, Charlie, Ian, Gary and Reina had arrived at the scene. They were too late. They saw their best friend lying unconscious. Dexter couldn’t believe what he saw. His best friend was lying there unconscious. He felt guilty because he didn’t help his best friend. He punched a tree nearby. “Relax Dexter. It’s not your fault. We didn’t reach here in time.” Ian said confidently. Reina and Julie were both crying. Dexter still looked unsatisfied with himself. He went near Julius and held his hand. ”I’m sorry man. I wasn’t there when you needed me the most. I won’t disappoint you again.” Dexter said in a sad tone. He carried his best friend into the car. He left the others and rushed to the hospital. Charlie, Gary, Ian and entered Reina’ car. They were also on their way to the hospital. Dexter was waiting inside the patient room. He was looking at Julius’s condition which had bruises and cuts. Charlie, Ian, Gary, Reina and Julie entered the room. Reina approached Dexter and put her arms around him. Dexter responded and they hugged. Julie couldn’t help her tears running down her face. Julius sacrificed himself in order to keep Julie safe. His love was strong and this proves it. Charlie, Gary and Ian looked at Julius with a sad face. They sympathised their friend who was still unconscious. A few minutes later, Julius’s parents arrived in the room. Everybody left the room so Julius’s parent could see their teenage son. Reina was comforting Dexter who still felt it was all his fault, Charlie, Ian and Gary were talking about Julius. Hillary and Jessica had just arrived at the hospital. Everyone went back home except Dexter. He told Julius’s parents that he will take care of Julius that night. “Rise and shine sleepy head.” Julius said after having a wonderful sleep. Dexter woke up. He looked happy. “How are you man? Are you okay? I’m so sorry. If I just…” Julius interrupted Dexter’s sentence. “It’s okay. It’s okay. You tried your best.” Dexter felt a tear running down his face. He hugged Julius and Julius was grateful because Dexter was a true friend. “Can you do me a favour? Publish this poem. It’s titled Someday. Please publish it today. “Julius asked politely. “No worries. Thanks for holding on my friend. You’re really strong you know.” Dexter said convincingly. “Not as strong as you man. Okay, break a leg. I really need you to publish that poem. Dexter, thanks again. You’re in charge of the paper. You’re a great friend.” Julius said while smiling. Dexter hugged his friend again and said goodbye to him as he left the room. The Cherrygrove News had already been passed around. Julius’s poem is already in the love section. There was an article that Dexter wrote on Julius’s ambush attack. It was the news of the day. Everyone wanted to visit Julius. Julie was checking the Cherrygrove News thoroughly. She looked at the newest poem written by Julius. After she read the poem, she rushed quickly to the hospital. Julius’s poem explained everything. Can it be true? A million questions filled Julie’s mind as she decided to meet him. Julius was reading a poem book written by famous poets. He wanted to gather some ideas. Julie entered the room. She was crying as she sat beside Julius’s bed. His poem really touched her. “Why are you crying? I’m fine. Did you read my poem? I hope you like it.” Julius said convincingly. “I’m sorry Julius. I’m so sorry. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be in that bed. You’re a really good person. You sacrificed yourself in order to keep me safe. I think we shouldn’t see each other again. All I do is disappoint you. I don’t think we can have a relationship. What you deserve is somebody that’s good for you. I don’t think I’m that person.” Julie said sadly. Julius was surprised. He wasn’t going to let Julie slip through his fingers again. Julius loved Julie since they were in high school. He wasn’t going to take that all away. He knew he had to do something. “Before you leave, I want you to listen to this poem I wrote.” I like the way you smile, I will never want to see you sad, Our memories are locked deeply in my heart, The key is lost, I don’t plan to find it, And I will never forget you, I’ve always cherished our memories together, Love is an obstacle, I will sacrifice anything, Just to be with you, No matter what, I’ll make you smile when you feel down, Because I don’t ever want to lose that charming smile, No matter what the situation is, My love is like the ocean, Never ending and never dying, I just want you to know, That I love you so much, From the bottom of my heart “I love you too. I will not disappoint you ever.” Julie bent down and kissed Julius for the very first time. Julius responded and they had their first kiss. It was special to Julius who had never kissed a girl before. He felt relieved. He didn’t need to hide anymore feelings. He had finally convinced the girl he loved for many years. He was proud and happy at the same time. “Thank you. I love you. I don’t feel pain when you kiss me.” Julius said romantically. “Then I’ll have to kiss you more often then.” Julie smiled and she kissed Julius again. Julius had been dreaming about this moment for so long. After they kissed, Julius said, “I love u. I will never disappoint you. That’s a promise.” They kissed again. At the same time, Reina and Dexter were finishing their final preparation for their assignment. They were almost finished. They were just in time because they had to pass up their papers tomorrow. After hours spending time in the library, they finally finished everything. They decided to have dinner together as they saw that the sky was getting darker and darker. They left the library after a hard-working day together. Reina and Dexter ate at the pizza shop. They were starving. After finishing their meals, they talked, talked and talked. Finally, Reina decided to ask Dexter about the tape. “Dexter, I’m sorry for not meeting you when we promised before. Frank I had problem before. I’m proud of breaking up with him. I don’t think I can stand his behaviour any longer. I heard this tape by the way.” Reina said seriously. “What tape? I didn’t give you any tape.” Dexter said in a puzzled tone. He looked confused. Julius recorded your conversation with Charlie under the tree. Is it true? Do you mean what you said or were you joking around?” Reina asked curiously. “Reina, I had a crush on you since we were in year 4. All I want is to spend quality time with you. I’m not a romantic person like Julius but I really, really…….” Reina put her hand on Dexter’s lips. She drew her face closer to Dexter’s face. They were too close. Dexter had finally received his first kiss. He held Reina’s hand and they continued kissing each other, releasing their hidden love which was kept for so long. Dexter couldn’t believe he had kissed the girl of who appeared in his dreams. Reina and Dexter decided to go and visit Julius. They wanted to tell Julius that they had accepted each other’s love. They had finally become a couple. Dexter needed to thank Julius so much for recording that conversation. Julius somehow knew that Reina will believe that Dexter has feelings for her. At the same time, David and Frank decided to go and visit Julius. They wanted to look as innocent as possible although the principle had been keeping an eye on them since the lake incident. They had arrived before Dexter and Reina. When David entered the patient room, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He saw Julius and Julie holding hands and was so close with each other. He felt like he wanted to punch Julius that second but he didn’t. “Hello. How are you Julius? How’s everything? Don’t touch my girlfriend’s hand. If you do that again, I’m afraid I’ll have to attack you again.” David said with a stern face. “I knew you guy’s were the one who attack me that night. I’m not letting Julie go out with a jerk like you anymore. You’re not qualified to love a nice girl like Julie. I recorded everything. I’m going to give this evidence to the Principal. The next move is up to you.” Julius said smartly. His recorder once again came in handy. Julie approached David and slapped him hard. “You’re such a jerk. You were jealous of me and Julius from the beginning. You never trusted me too. That’s it. Our relationship is over.” Julie said angrily. David was so angry he went beside Julius’s bed and wanted to punch him. As he was about to punch him, he felt someone holding his fist. It was Dexter. He pushed David and punched him hard on the face. He felt relieved. Frank tried to punch him but it was blocked by Dexter who punched Frank back hard on the face. The situation got worse for David and Frank as Charlie, Ian and Gary arrived at the scene. “Where’s your team now? Where’s your back up?” Charlie asked bravely. David and Frank ran out of the room. All of them laughed. “Thanks Dexter, without you David just might add another bruise on my face.” Julius joked. Dexter had arrived on time. He was proud because he didn’t disappoint Julius. All of them accompanied Julius. Julius was happy to learn that Reina and Dexter finally became a couple. He was happy to know that Reina listened to the tape. Dexter also thanked Julie the ‘messenger’. Dexter was happy as well. He was proud with Julius who had confessed his true feeling for Julie. Dexter and Julius had finally got what they wanted for ages. They were finally in love. As for Charlie, he and Jessica were busy chatting at the back of the room. Ian and Gary were talking about games. In a week time, Julius would be able to go school. His bruises were almost healed. He’s happy to have great friends and a great girlfriend. Julie visited Julius everyday, feeding him as well as accompanying him. Dexter visited him everyday too accompanied by his brother, Ian and Gary. All of his friends were happy to see the editor of Cherrygrove News back. They couldn’t wait for his return. A new member had joined the editorial team. It was Reina. This way, she could spend more time with his boyfriend who was in charge of the paper as ordered by Julius. Dexter was doing a good job too. He handled all the meetings and took care of the paper very well. Julius was impressed at Dexter’s work. Jessica, Hillary and Kristy were busy window-shopping. They haven’t been doing this because of the exams. They’re glad that they finished the exams. Hillary was Julie’s sister. She was a pretty and smart. She has many secret admirers. She can communicate with anybody. Secretly, she kept her feelings for Ian for so long. Only Jessica and Kristy knew this. Ian was a man of style. That’s the main reason Hillary liked him. Hillary and Ian are quiet close. They chatted on the internet a lot too. They get along perfectly. Sometimes Ian called Hillary too. They have a lot in common. Kristy is Jessica’s sister. She was a cute looking girl who liked fashion very much. She wanted to become a fashion guru someday. She’s a low profiled girl. She doesn’t have many friends. Her only friends were Jessica and Hillary. She also had a lot of admirers. She didn’t believe guy’s though. Nevertheless, she also liked Gary but because of her ego, she decided that Gary was not good enough for her. She wanted guy’s to pay for what they did to her. She caught Tony red-handed. Tony kissed another girl in front of her. She felt as if she needed defend girls from stepping into a trap called a ‘relationship’. She was a girl of principles. She could never forget that incident. Jessica was the eldest in her family. Kristy looked up to her so much. She fell in love with Charlie when they entered the high school. Charlie took Jessica’s breath away. Jessica is the youngest cheer leader in the school team. She was proud of herself. She managed to impress Julie and the others. She’s a flexible girl. Her body is unique. She’s pretty too. Charlie was envied by most of the students who loved Jessica too. She was polite with all the students. She treated all of her friends equally. While they were busy window-shopping, they saw Charlie, Ian and Gary having ice blended chocolate. Jessica was excited to see her boyfriend there. He looked so handsome. Charlie was wearing baggy jeans and a t-shirt that wrote I love Jessica on it. Jessica had never seen the shirt before. She was pleased. She assumed that Charlie was shy to show the t-shirt to her. Jessica, Hillary and Kristy decided to approach the guy’s. “Hey honey, how are you?” Jessica asked Charlie. “I’m okay. What are you guy’s up to?” Charlie replied. Gary and Ian were happy to see Hillary and Kristy. Gary was now busy chatting with Hillary. All of them had sat down on the table. Kristy and Ian were the only one’s who were to shy to say anything. Finally, Ian decided to ask Kristy about Tony. “Hey Kristy, what’s up with Tony? How is he? Are you guy’s still a couple?” Ian asked Kristy quietly. Kristy didn’t look too happy. “Mind your own business okay. We broke up because he cheated on me. Are you satisfied now?” Kristy screamed at Ian. Soon everyone was looking at the table that they were sitting. Ian was so angry. ”I only asked you a question. Is that how you answer a question? You’re a horrible person.” Ian left the table while shaking his head. Julius wanted to go to the editorial room. He missed his job so much. Dexter was so glad Julius was back. Handling the paper was not as easy as he thought. Julius made it look so easy and he knew how to arrange everything for the paper. The room was dark. He assumed no one was in there. As he entered the room, the editorial staff shouted SURPRISE! Julius was shocked and happy at the same time. “Welcome back to your favourite room. I decided to throw you a party for you. We wanted to let you know that we’d support you all the way.” Dexter said proudly. Julius was left speechless. He hugged his good friend. “Thanks a lot man. You’re a true friend. Okay everybody, let’s get this party started.” Julius said happily. There were drinks, sweets, chips, pizza and hot dogs. All of them were having a good time. 10 people were celebrating Julius’s return including Julie and Reina. Julius was so grateful and happy that night. No one had ever thrown him a simple party. The situation got a little quiet when Julius put slow song’s on. Everybody grabbed their partners and danced. Julius was dancing with Julie romantically. On the other side, Dexter was dancing closely ith Reina. He told Reina that everything had gone according to plan. Reina was happy to see her cheerful boyfriend. She hugged Dexter and they continued to dance. Everyone had a good night. Julius and Julie were hanging around the lake. Julie rested her head on Julius’s shoulder. Their love had finally found its way. Julius still couldn’t believe that Julie was beside him. They use to play around the lake when they were kids. The lake was also the place where Julius got beaten up by David and his gang. A lot happened around the lake but the finest moment is where he sat beside Julie, spending quality time with her. The lake was a peaceful place. It was quiet. No one was around. Suddenly Julie stood up. “Julius, do you want to take a swim?” Julie asked although she didn’t bring her swimsuit. “Are you sure? We didn’t bring our swim suits.” Julius said. “Is that a problem with you?” Julie said who smiled afterwards. She took off her top and her mini skirt. Julie was now seen in her bra and panties. Julius was left speechless. “Are you coming or are you just going to watch me?” Julie said jokingly. Julius took off his clothes leaving only his underwear on. Julie ran to the lake. She seemed happy. Julius ran after her. Julie splashed some water at Julius. Julius approached her and they hugged. Julie wrapped her legs around Julius. They kissed. Ian was still angry. He didn’t know Kristy was that kind of person. He always thought Kristy was a nice, funny and cute. He never realised that she was so bad-tempered. Maybe he asked the wrong question that time but that doesn’t give Kristy the right to shout at him. All he wanted was Kristy to pay a little attention to him. It turned up that Ian judged Kristy differently. He was still waiting for an apology from Kristy. Charlie and Jessica were sitting under the tree. Charlie didn’t like the way Kristy behaved the other day. “Can you please talk to your sister? Ian doesn’t feel too pleased with her words the other day.” Charlie asked politely. Jessica knew Charlie was going to talk about this. “I’ve already talked to her. She’s egoistic lately since she broke up with Tony.” Jessica replied. Charlie sighed. He looked at Jessica and held her hand. “Please try darling. I don’t like looking at Ian like this. He’s never been treated by a female like this before. He respects girls.” Charlie asked for the second. “I’ll try honey. I’ll try my best okay. You know I won’t disappoint you.” Jessica said convincingly. Charlie drew his face near to Jessica’s. He kissed Jessica gently. “You’re the most special person to me. I don’t ever want to lose you.” Charlie said romantically. Julius was hanging around at Dexter’s house for a while. They were both tired after a busy day at school. Two people were absent from the editorial staff. They had to cover up for them. Dexter and Julius lied down at the carpet while watching the tv. Julius told Dexter everything that happened at the lake. Dexter kept quiet for a little while. “Get out of here. You swam with Julie in the lake?” Dexter asked again. “Yes I did. I will never forget that time man. She was only wearing her bra and panties! I was shy at first but I couldn’t resist so I chased her into the lake. It was so romantic man. I never expected it to turn out that way.” Julius said cheerfully. Dexter was shocked to hear this. If his friend was happy, he’d be happy too. “You’re a terrific man. I want to swim with Reina at the lake too. I’m so jealous right now.” Dexter said jokingly. They both laughed together. Then Julius had an idea. “Let’s arrange a trip. We can organise something where students can enjoy. We’ll talk about it in tomorrow’s meeting.” Julius said with full of determination. “It’s not a bad idea my friend. In fact, it’s a wonderful idea. This way I could spend quality time with Reina.” Dexter said happily. “Then it’s set. We’ll discuss it tomorrow in the meeting. After that we’ll go ask our teacher to approve our trip. Everybody in our class could come.” Julius said without hesitation. Dexter nodded and they both started to get to work. They were going to make this trip a trip they would never forget. After finishing a letter to be approved, Julius decided to go to the principles office. He remembered the last time he’d been at the principle’s office. It was because of the brawl caused by David’s gang. He also remembered the time when David and his gang appeared in the lake out of no where. He sacrificed himself for Julie and in return, Julie unleashed her hidden feelings that she’d been keeping for so long. Julius was accompanied by Julie who supported his idea 100%. Julius did not dare to go alone. Mr. Ashburn had finally finished his business with the principle. It was their turn to see the principle. Julius and Julie entered the principle’s room. “How are you Julius? How long were you in the hospital?” The principle asked politely. “I’m fine thanks. I was in the hospital for a week. I’m here to discuss about a trip that I’ve been planning with Julie.” Julius replied. After discussing about the trip for an hour, the principal finally approved the letter. They left the room with a broad smile. The trip had been approved. Now Dexter, Julius and Reina had to write an article and send flyers to everyone who was interested in this trip. It was a 3 day 2 night trip. It’s should be a relaxing trip after the students faced hard examinations. It will be good to release tension. After a busy day at school, Julius decided to have a meeting. Everyone who was in the editorial staff gathered around Julius’s desk. Julius explained each and everyone’s task when they’re on the trip. After the meeting was finished, Julie entered the room. She wanted to see Julie. “Hey honey, I was just thinking about you. Have you had lunch yet?” Julius said. “Not yet. I want to eat with you. Besides, I think you need a break.” Julie said. “Good idea. Let’s take a break everyone.” Julius told the editorial staff. All of them left the room and headed to the cafeteria. The response that they got from the students was beyond their expectations. They were a lot of students who were excited and eager to go to the trip. Julius and his editorial staff were pleased with their selves. The trip was this Saturday. Julius couldn’t wait to spend some time with Julie. Dexter was excited and wanted to spend some quality time with Reina. After getting everyone’s parent approval slip and collecting the fees, they were ready for the trip tomorrow. After school, Julius, Dexter, Charlie, Ian and Gary decided to go and have pizza. It’s been a while since they gathered and talk about stuff. All of them were excited about tomorrow’s trip. The camping trip was definitely a good idea. They also shared opinions about the latest games. Julius was happy to see all his friends reunited again. It had been a hectic week. Julius also told his friends about the incident at the lake. He wanted to show off to his friends. Dexter who knew this, knew what Julius’s motive was. He smiled when he saw Charlie, Ian and Gary listening to Julius’s story. Julius looked at Dexter and laughed after telling the story. They had a good time. Dexter decided it was time to go home. All of them left the pizza shop and headed home, thinking about the exciting day tomorrow. Mr. Ashburn was the teacher who volunteered to go to this trip. He made sure everyone was here. David and the gang didn’t go because of their ego. David was now seeing Sandra and Frank was seeing Lucy. Reina and Julie were glad that they didn’t come. Both of them couldn’t forget what they did to Julius. All of the student’s were in the bus. All of them couldn’t wait to reach the beautiful rainforests. The rainforest had a waterfall and many other activities. They had finally reached their destination after a staggering two hour drive. All of them left the bus and gathered outside the bus. The student’s who were guided by Mr. Ashburn, headed to the camping sites. After a half an hour jungle hike, they finally found the camping site. It was in a strategic location. It was near the waterfall and near to the jungle trekking track. Mr. Ashburn blew his whistle and said, “I hope everyone has a good time. You may do whatever activity you desire.” Some decided to go jungle trekking, some decided to have a swim at the waterfall and some just wanted to rest. As for Julius, Dexter, Julie and Reina they decided to head to the waterfall. They went separately because Dexter was so hungry. Finally, Julius and Julie found the waterfall. Both of them sat on a huge rock and held hands. “Do you love me?” Julius asked to break the silence. “Of course I do. I promise I won’t disappoint you.” After confessing their love they kissed. They talked about their childhood and laughed a lot. Julius liked to see Julie smile and laugh. It made him feel like he was the luckiest man on earth. He wanted to show Julie a short poem he’d wrote for Julie the night before the trip. It was entitled, True Love…… My love is like an ocean, Never dying and everlasting, I promise I will not let anyone take away your smile, I’ll be there when you feel down, I’m happy you appear in my dreams, So I can see how beautiful you are, I shall share all my secrets with you, Because that’s what love really means, Love is trust, Love is loyalty, Love is everything to me, But I’m glad I share my love with you… After Julie had finished reading the poem, she hugged Julius. She whispered to Julius’s ears and told him that she loved him too. After that Julius splashed some water on Julie. She laughed and jumped on Julius. Julius laughed and they kept splashing each other with water. They decided to go to the waterfall. They showered underneath the waterfall. It was cold and fresh. Julius approached Julie and he kissed her again. She responded to the kiss. Julius was pleased to have such a great girlfriend. Their kissed was interrupted by Dexter and Reina who splashed water on them. Julie was blushing and Julius was laughing. All of them enjoyed themselves at the waterfall. That night, Dexter and Reina decided to sit near the waterfall. The rainforest was cold and beautiful at night. Dexter and Reina were sitting close to each other. They were admiring the waterfall. Dexter and Reina felt relieved that the trip had been a success. They relaxed by the waterfall holding each other hands. “I know I’m not a good poet and I can’t write you poems just like Julius wrote for Julie. Anyways, I just want you to know that…” Dexter said slowly. His sentence was broken because Reina put her finger on Dexter’s lips. She drew her face nearer and nearer. Dexter kissed her gently. Her lips were wet that night. Dexter wondered why. He felt comfortable sitting close to Reina. “A relationship is not base on how romantic you are. I’m just glad you confessed your feelings about me. I have always liked you and that’s all that matters. Dexter, I love you.” Reina said softly. “I’m glad I did. Reina, I love you too.” Dexter said gently. They kissed again, this time softly. They spent the whole night talking. The next day, Julius didn’t see Dexter in their tent. Julius decided to go searching for him. When he got out of his tent, he saw Julie boiling water. “Did you see Dexter anywhere?” Julius said politely. “No, I didn’t see him anywhere but don’t worry Reina’s gone too. Do you want to look for them?” Julie explained. “Yes. Let’s go now.” Julius said bravely. Off they went to search for Dexter and Reina. They decided to go to the waterfall. There they met Reina who was sleeping on Dexter’s shoulder. Dexter was awake. Julius smiled and he threw some little stones at Dexter. Dexter felt something hitting him. He looked back but still no sign. Then he heard Julius’s laugh. He knew his best friend was behind the stone. After that, all of them left the waterfall and headed to the bus. They were ready to go back home. Summer was Julius’s favourite time. He enjoyed the beach so much. He was looking forward to spend the entire summer with his girlfriend, Julie. He also looked forward to spending time with his best friend, Dexter. He ill definitely plan something with his friends maybe another camping trip, without the females. It had been a long time since all of them spent time together. Julius, Dexter, Reina and Julie are about to finish their last year in high school. The year passed so quickly and Julius was so excited to go to university. He’s studies were all right, he struggled through the year to face the final examination in high school. The results will determine whether he would be qualified to go to university or college. He thought at the ceiling in his room thinking about his future and about Julie. What would happen after they’ve finished school? Julius thought with a serious face. The day was bright and sunny and was a perfect time for Julius and his friends to go to the beach. Dexter had called him in the morning and had invited Julius to go to the beach. He was excited to go. However, Julie, Reina and Jessica couldn’t make it. They had already promise Hillary and Kristy to spend the day window-shopping. The one thing Julius hated the most. That morning, Kristy finally decided to give Ian a call. She wanted to apologise because of the previous incident that happened at the mall. “Hello, is Ian there?” Kristy asked politely. “Yeah it’s me. Who’s on the other line?” Ian replied curiously. “It’s Kristy. I was wondering if I can meet you. I really want to talk to you.” Kristy said in a soft tone. “As long as you don’t scream at me, it’ll be fine. I’ll meet you at the lake in 20 minutes. I’ve got to contact the guy’s and tell them that I can’t make it. See you there.” Ian explained slowly and felt excited because he was going to meet Kristy. He called Julius immediately. Julius understood right away and said that he didn’t mind. Kristy had did the same thing and told Hillary that she didn’t feel too well. They didn’t mind either and still wanted to go window-shopping together. Kristy grinned for a while and she got dressed as well as wearing her best perfume. She was going to meet Ian and apologise to him. The lake was peaceful as Ian waited nervously for Kristy. At last, Kristy arrived at the lake and saw Ian looking at the lake thoughtfully. She approached Ian slowly. She sat down beside him. “Can I join you?” Kristy said humbly. “I suppose so. Why do you want to talk to me? Sounds like something urgent.” Ian said bravely. He still felt mad about the incident but felt slightly better because Kristy’s face made him feel relaxed. “I really want to apologise for what I did at the mall. Will you ever forgive me? I got carried away because Tony cheated on me. I caught him red-handed. I feel like I can’t trust guy’s anymore.” Kristy apologised in a sweet manner. Ian looked at her and didn’t know that she was cheated by Tony. Tony was a tall guy and was liked flirting with girls a lot. Ian couldn’t imagine seeing Kristy sad. “It’s okay. All I wanted was an apology. And you gave it to me. I would never do such a thing. Tony was stupid because he didn’t realise how nice you really are. He’s going to regret soon. You shouldn’t think that all guys are the same. Take Julius for example. He waited loyally for Julie to accept him for who he is. He sacrificed himself for Julie although Julie once humiliated him once. I think you’re a great and brave person. I’m not like Tony and I would like to get to know you better.” Ian said romantically. Kristy looked at Ian and saw that he was being honest. She hugged Ian suddenly and felt a tear running down her face. “I’m sorry again. You’re the perfect guy for me.” Kristy said while she was still in Ian’s arms. Ian looked at her face and drew his face nearer. He kissed Kristy unexpectedly and Kristy responded. She felt as if she was the luckiest girl in the whole wide world. After they kissed they sat down closely and started talking about themselves. Ian was a jovial person and made Kristy laughed a lot. They talked a lot and shared many things about themselves. Ian was glad for receiving his first kiss. It was an incredible feeling, something that no one can ever take it from him. He was delighted as he and Kristy chatted away, and let nothing stop them spending time together. Julius and the guy’s were having a great time. They were wrestling in the water and were throwing each other all over the place. Dexter was wrestling Julius but suddenly Charlie ran and tackled them both. The three of them were now under water. Gary, who saw this quickly, jumped on all of them. They continued to wrestle until Charlie caught a glimpse oh his girlfriend, Jessica accompanied by Reina, Julie and Hillary. All of them stopped and greeted them. Julius was running towards Julie and hugged her. Later, Julie got mad because her clothes were wet now. Dexter did the same and Reina screamed at him afterwards. Looking at the havoc caused by the two couples, Gary and Hillary laughed a lot. The both of them were slightly embarrassed by the two couples who had caught everyone’s attention. All of them sat down and ate ice-cream that they ordered after Reina stopped screaming at Dexter. Dexter didn’t reacted but found it amusing. When Reina stopped screaming he kissed Reina and she just stopped. They realised that Kristy and Ian were missing in the group. It didn’t take too long for them to realise that they decided to meet each other. After settling down and eating their ice-creams, the guy’s continued to wrestle in the beach. The girls were chatting under a coconut tree, which kept them shaded from the sun. The girl’s watched the guy’s wrestle and laughed as each of them tried to impress the girl’s with stupid moves. The sun had sunk into the lake where Kristy and Ian spent their time together. It was a wonderful date and Ian didn’t want to spoil it. They looked at the beautiful scenery together and as the sky got darker, Ian decided it was time for them to go home. However, Kristy said that she was so thirsty she could drink a lake. Ian laughed at her statement and they headed to their favourite milkshake shop riding Ian’s motorcycle. Kristy didn’t mind though because she liked riding motorcycles. As they reached the milkshake shop, they ordered two large chocolate milkshakes. After finishing drinking, Ian sent Kristy home. He walked with Kristy to her door step. “I had a marvellous time. It was rather unexpected but I’m glad it happened. You’re a nice girl, perhaps the nicest and gorgeous girl in the whole wide world. I hope you had a great time too.” Ian said confidently. “I didn’t have a great time. I had a terrific time. You’re a gentleman and I like you very much. You’re the guy I’ve been looking for. I love you.” Kristy said sweetly. Ian drew his face nearer to Kristy so he could kiss her but the door just opened. It was Jessica, Kristy’s sister. “Am I interrupting you guys? Jessica said slowly. She laughed and closed the door. Ian finally kissed Kristy and said goodnight to her. Kristy looked at him go, riding his motorcycle. She had spent a wonderful day with Ian and was confident to have a long-lasting relationship with Ian Everybody was surprised when Kristy and Ian were holding hands in school. No one thought that Kristy could ever been in love. The hatred and the anger that Kristy felt about Tony made guys scared to ask her out. Nevertheless, Ian had done it. They met up with the rest of their friends in the cafeteria. All of them weren’t surprised at the both of them. It seemed like Jessica had told everybody what she saw last night. They were all glad that Ian had finally showed some courage and made his move on Kristy. It was unexpected that they fell in love for each other. “What have you two love birds did yesterday?” Julius asked seriously. “We just went to the lake. Spent some time together and getting our priorities straightened out. That’s all. Sorry I couldn’t make it to the beach. Kristy and I spent the whole day together.” Ian explained thoroughly. “It’s okay. We did have a great time wrestling each other. We even got cheerleaders cheering for us. Luckily Reina came. She gave me the strength to carry on.” Dexter said sarcastically. All of them laughed and continued with their lunch. There was only one week till graduation meaning that the annual prom would be held on Saturday. Everyone was excited to go to the prom. Julius and his editorial staff had been chosen to decorate the hall for the poem. Julius had never been in charge of decorating a hall but he had a lot of ideas. He had support from Dexter who agreed to help him create a wonderful prom that they would cherish always. After giving it some thought, Julius and his friends decided to call the prom ‘Saturday Night Fever’. Soon there were volunteers to do the banners and posters which helped Julius and his friends a lot. Everyone co-operated in order to make the perfect prom. Every evening there were a lot of people designing the hall. It seemed that everyone was so excited to go to the prom. Julius was looking around the Cherrygrove News editorial room. It remembered Julius of all the hard work that he and his editorial staff put into to make the news as interesting as possible. He remembered the Welcome back party that Dexter arranged surprisingly. He danced with Julie for the first time that night. He was shy to dance with Julie but he tried his best. He spent a lot of time with his friends especially Dexter and the room was the place where Julius shared his problems with Dexter. Finally, he decided to write his last love poem for the newspaper. He was alone in the room so he switched on the radio. Finally he started to write. Do you remember the times we spent together? All the times we hugged, All the times we kissed, It was incredible how we connect, I have never doubted your loyalty, For your love is pure, And my love is never-dying, The love we share is special, Especially to me, For I have never found the right girl, To accompany me, Through good and hard days, You are the only one for me, And you will always be, My lover…… He had reread his poem two times. He was going to name it ‘my lover’. It would be published in the last edition of the Cherrygrove News. It was a hectic Friday as the final preparations for the prom had finally finished. The hall that was empty was now filled with creative banners and posters. There were candles all around the hall to create a romantic place to dance. The carpet for the dance floor had been changed. Everything was neatly arranged. Dexter, Charlie, Ian and Gary had already got dates for the prom. They asked their girlfriends out for the prom which reminded Julius to ask Julie at the eleventh hour. After looking at the prom for the last time, Julius quickly rushed to Julie’s house. Julie was outside gardening. Although she was wearing old clothes, Julie still looked cute. Julius parked his car outside of Julie’s house. After getting out of the car, he approached Julie and gave a little kiss on Julie’s cheek. “Hello darling. I was wondering if you’d like to go to the prom. It’s been a hectic week and I got caught up with the preparation. I’m sorry.” Julius said in a soft tone. “You don’t need to apologise. I’m glad to go to the prom with you Julius.” Julie replied quickly. Julius kissed Julie again and told Julie that he was going to get ready for the prom. He went off with his car, and soon he was out of sight. Julie decided to get ready. She had already bought a red dress. It looked perfect on her. The next night was a perfect night for the prom. Dexter and Charlie had already dressed up for the big event. After looking at the mirror and apparently looking satisfied, they hurried downstairs and drank a sip of water. They entered the car that their mum had allowed them to use it. Dexter and Charlie drove to their girlfriend’s house to pick them up. Reina looked pretty and she was wearing a blue dress. Dexter was left speechless of the prettiness of Reina. He gave her the bouquet of flowers he bought from the florist. Dexter kissed Reina gently and they entered the car. They were off to Jessica’s house. Jessica had already been waiting for Charlie on the front porch. She wore a pink dress and Charlie felt as if he was the luckiest man on earth. She looked like a different person but she was still the same Jessica. Like his brother, Charlie also gave Jessica a bouquet of flowers. He kissed Jessica and they entered the car and headed to the prom. Gary decided to get ready for the prom at Ian’s house. They were neatly dressed. After checking one last time to look handsome for the prom, they went downstairs. They waited nervously for Kristy and Hillary. Hillary’s brother Kevin had sportingly agreed to send them all to the prom. Soon, the door bell rang. Gary and Ian opened the door cautiously. When they opened the door, they looked surprised with each other. They were surprised because Kristy and Hillary looked absolutely pretty. Kristy was wearing a black dress and Hillary was wearing a green dress. Kevin’s brother pressed the horn alerting them to enter the car. All of them laughed and they entered the car quickly. Julius hoped the night would be an enjoyable, fun and romantic night. He wanted the prom to be a perfect one and wanted everyone to cherish the prom as a memory. He had already got prepared and he had never felt so nervous in his life before. He had accomplished many things in his teenage-life. He had become the head of the Cherrygrove News, won the heart of his dream girl and last but not least, winning poetry and essay writing contests. He had written over 50 poems and he had already represented the school in the district in the poetry contests. He also wrote short stories and hoped to publish a novel containing all of his short stories. As he looked in the mirror, he still looked confident and was ready to make the night as romantic as possible. He had listened to Dexter’s idea to buy flowers to make a good impression. In addition, he bought a silver necklace for Julie. He had saved up for four months to buy the silver necklace. He went downstairs and grabbed his car keys. He realised that was going to be late for the prom. He rushed to Julie’s house. Julie was already waiting in front of her house. She looked stunningly gorgeous in her red dress. Julius got out of the car and approached Julie. “Wow, you look gorgeous. I’m sorry for being late. I hope this evening goes as planned.” Julius said nervously. “Thank you. You look handsome. Don’t worry, I know you Julius. You never make it on time. The prom will be a perfect one. I can assure you that I will be as romantic as possible.” He smiled at Julie’s respond. He handed the flowers and the necklace which was in a wrapped up small box. She took the gifts and opened the small box. She couldn’t believe what Julius had given her. She took the locket which was in a love shape. She opened the locket carefully, and saw the picture of her and Julius. “It’s wonderful. I love it. Thank you so much. I love you Julius.” Julie said excitingly. The box still had a piece of paper in it. Julie took out the paper and read it. It was the poem that Julius had written earlier. After reading the poem, she looked sharply at Julius and kissed him gently. They hugged and decided to go to the prom. To their surprise, Julius and Julie were the last one’s to enter the hall. Everyone looked suspiciously, some showing the thumbs up to Julius. Everyone was already there. Dexter was busy chatting with Julie. Charlie, Ian and Gary were dancing with Jessica, Kristy and Hillary. Julius was just in time to give a speech. As head of the Cherrygrove Newspaper, he had to deliver a speech. He was nervous because he had never given a speech in front of a lot people. He then stepped up to the stage nervously. “First and foremost, I’d like to thank the Editorial Staff for helping me to publish every single Newspaper. Without their hard work and determination, there won’t be any Cherrygrove News. I’d also like to thank my close friends Dexter, Charlie, Ian and Gary. I would also like to thank Julie for her support and true love. To all the teachers who have guided me through a successful year, I thank you all. I would like to thank the teachers for their lessons and never-dying support. I would also like to thank to everybody who went to the campfire trip. That’s it and I hope all of you have enjoyed the Cherrygrove News that my team and I published every week. Thank you.” After delivering the speech, all of the people in the hall clapped their hands. Julius felt himself blushing. Julie had also blushed. Dexter, Charlie, Ian and Gary who had all stopped dancing to hear Julius’s speech, clapped their hands loudly. Julius had never felt so proud in his life. He was proud because people respected him for who he is. Julius and Julie were dancing cheerfully. They were dancing closely, and Julius could smell Julie’s perfume. Julius smiled. “You look cute tonight. Thank you for accompanying me and for being a terrific girlfriend. I love you.” Julius said romantically. “I’m honoured to be your girlfriend. I love your romantic poems and you always make me smile. I’m sorry for slapping you earlier this year. It was a stupid thing to do but you really mean a lot to me.” Julie replied softly. “You’ve apologised before. I’m just glad that you’re my girlfriend.” Julius said gently. He then kissed Julie’s wet lips. They continued to dance slowly. Dexter and Reina were also dancing closely. Beside them were Ian and Gary who were also dancing with Kristy and Hillary. Everyone was having a good time. Dexter looked at Kristy’s beautiful face. “Is there something on my face?” Reina asked Dexter seriously. “There’s nothing wrong with your face. It’s just that I can’t believe I’m dancing with a pretty girl like you.” Dexter said gently. He kissed Reina slowly. They continued dancing to the slow music. “I love you Jessica. You mean everything to me. You always make me feel special. I’m glad you chose me.” Charlie said slowly, while looking deeply in Jessica’s eye. Without hesitation, Jessica kissed Charlie. They danced to the slow tune romantically. They’re love expressed by one another made them a true couple. Charlie smiled broadly as he danced slowly with Jessica. Ian was dancing happily with Kristy. After dancing for a while, he looked at Kristy’s eyes and drew his face nearer to her face. He kissed Kristy gently. “I love you Kristy.” Ian said in a soft voice. Kristy looked at him and she kissed Ian again. Ian smiled and they continued dancing happily. Gary was dancing with Hillary. Both of them were having a good time. After dancing for a while, Hillary decided to sit down. Gary accompanied her. They talked to each other. Gary liked to see Hillary giggle. She always made Gary smile. They’ve been friends for quiet a long time now. “Do you remember the first time we met?” asked Gary curiously. “Yeah, I remember. You were so nervous that time. You didn’t even speak right. It was very funny. Kristy imitated your voice. Jessica knew you were nervous. We all laughed afterwards. You aren’t so brave when you want to have a conversation with a girl. After getting to know you more, I realised how nice you are. Thanks for being a great friend.” Hillary said fluently. “No problem, it was my pleasure to be a great friend to you but for now, I don’t want to be a friend, I want to be someone special to……” Without expectation, Hillary kissed Gary gently. They both had kissed for the first time. They decided to continue dancing. Julie, who saw her sister kissing Gary, smiled broadly. The night had been a glorious night. The student’s had a great time. The night had been a wonderful night. Everyone enjoyed themselves. The prom finished at 12.00 0’clock midnight. Julius and his friends didn’t want the night to finish yet. All of them decided to go to the lake. Julius had good memories at the lake. He still remembered the time he and Julie swam in the lake. The lake had also been the place where Ian and Kristy released their hidden feelings and had their first kiss. On the contrary, Julius was also beaten up at the lake. Dexter, who saw David and Frank in the hospital room, got his revenge. The lake was definitely a perfect place to date and it was the place where most of the couple’s spent their time together. After arriving at the lake, all the couple’s went to their usual dating places. After staring at the moon above, Julius and the guy’s realised how lucky they were for having wonderful girlfriends. It was a peaceful night at the lake. Julius, who was holding Julie’s hand, just stared at the lake. The others also did the same. The lake was so quiet at night. The guy’s preferred to spend time quietly with their girlfriends and just staring at the lake. Julius who remembered all the sacrifices he had to make Julie love him for who he is, smiled as he looked at the lake. He was happy to have someone who understood him very well. As they looked at the moon and the lake, hand in hand, they wonder what the future holds. Julius hoped that their future will be filled with never-ending love, for their love was pure and never dying. |
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| The Child of Democracy |
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| Biology is defined by experts as a study of natural life. Perhaps, had I the experience I do now, my goals and dreams would have been placed further from a fascination of what we perceive as important. My life was forever changed in my time as a slave of circumstance, fighting for the exact opposite of what I was to share: freedom. The year is 2063. My name is Dr. Michael Travis, a U.N.A.P astro-biologist. And I am now a prisoner… -Final writings of Dr. Michael Travis 2041-2063 Child of Democracy By Steven Brindley Prologue The agonized cries that echoed in the cold, dark air on that last midsummer night will forever echo in my memory as well. The pure terror confined within those tortured screams would haunt me for the rest of my life not that that would be much longer… The smell of ever-decaying blood saturated the air in camp Glasnost on the first day of my 3rd week of my imprisonment. I don’t know if the smell was just more prominent that morning, or if, somehow, I knew this was the end. Glasnost is the Russian word for “A new openness.” In the late 1980’s, a political leader named Gorbachev unknowingly brought an end to the socialist ways of the 1st Soviet Union. Glasnost was a plan revolving around betterment of the nation. Several such plans were established, and the country seemed on their way to communism. He took power and immediately brought freedoms to the people none had dared to do until that point. Evidently, there was a reason for the harsh restrictions of the communist ways. His charity, or weakness, led to a strong revolution that brought an end to socialism as people at that time knew it. That was the single most important day in World history, considering the rise of the U.N., which completely revived the Soviet Powers in the late ‘20’s. Nevertheless, Glasnost was a particularly ironic name for a Siberian concentration camp. In the past year, all I had ever known was changed as if the laws of physics were suddenly altered. I was perpetually on the verge of decease ever since my arrival here. If suicide was available in a less excruciating manner than bashing my head into a solid concrete wall of my 8x8 domain, I would be dead already. In hindsight, I began to rethink the way I lived. My beliefs were almost a guarantee pass into hell, if such a thing existed. Why is it, that in the midst of our demise, we turn to a greater being? Of all the opportunities I had to- Never mind. I suppose its human nature to develop a psychological need for protection in the valley of the shadow of death. All my life, I had spent my career toward verifying the specifics that disproved the existence of any supreme deity, yet here I was, supposedly willing to die for one. If there wasn’t a god, why was I so adamant to deny the one government that would soon be in world power? I believe my persistence had very little to do with beliefs, but more so with my dislike for the Soviet mannerisms of control. I hated being told what to do. My father instilled that in me. Another splinter of my subconscious was one not so easily resolved. All the prayers in the world couldn’t bring back to me the woman who saved my life daily simply by being in existence... I cared about her… I could have loved her. The possibility jabbed at me with a vengeance. If I loved her, I deserved to die. I treated her like a one, long, one night stand. I never confessed my love for her… I never gave her the faith and love that she gave me. I knew now that my life was too fragile to regret not saying something, but it was too late. Sometimes though, my thoughts betrayed me and allowed themselves to wander into a corner of hope. A section of my mind I had deemed strictly forbidden, given the circumstances. Perhaps, just perhaps, I would be able to see her again. If the new confederation could somehow overcome the U.N., I would be saved. Of course, that was just wishful thinking. I was slightly disillusioned about where I was by the time the cell opened with a classic, metal on metal sound. I guess being starved, tortured, contained in a dark room, and segregated from human contact can put someone out of it for a while. I was somewhere between consciousness and dream. Things that were there weren’t, and I couldn’t differentiate the voices in my head from my own… And although I knew it, I really didn’t care. As far as I was concerned, this was hell, and there could only be a better place. I listened, not daring to move a muscle, as two pairs of polished shoes made their way down the hall and into the room. A somewhat familiar voice told me in Russian to stand, snapping me violently into solid consciousness. I lay there face down on the freezing, stone floor, somewhat confused about whether or not I should move, whether or not I could move. The voice belonged to Vladimir Klavichev. His early life of abuse and incomplete education led him to pursue the career of a power obsessed simpleton, bent on bringing absolute domination to anyone who questioned his authority. Too bad for him he was quite possibly the lowest rank in the entire Union. So naturally, he got his kicks from my subordination. I learned quite a bit of Russian in my time here. Sort of a necessity, actually. Being beaten remorselessly for not following orders leads a man to seek an alternative to the socially unacceptable behavior of pointing to ones ears, squinting, and mouthing silently that, “I don’t understand…” That most common alternative is learning to understand. It wasn’t a bad language actually it kind of rolled off of your tongue, like italicized Latin. The kind of accent you like to hear from a headline reporter on CNN. If I moved, I could give them the psychological signs of fear. I didn’t want them to know they had any control over me or my emotions… Plus, I ached all over. I was done taking orders. F#&% ‘em, I decided to play dead. Hell, I could have been dead. In response to my negligence, my greeting to the somewhat outside world was the sound of a hammer on a Smith & Wesson revolver being cocked into position. He’s going to shoot me again, the bastard. He had already confirmed his willingness to follow through with his silent threat about a week before. Through Nero-stimulants the bullet-hole had healed rapidly, but nothing can ease the pain of being shot. I tensed and waited for the moment. As I did, my heart beat quickly, much more quickly than before. This entirely unwilling function led me to wonder, Could I actually be frightened of death after my stay in camp Glasnost? My thoughts wandered aimlessly through the past 6 months. What other paths could I have taken? Plenty, But that’s why I was here right? I was standing for a moral decision. Right? I was pretty sure I had screwed up somewhere along the way, but did I really deserve this? Did any of the innocent women and children that were tortured in camps like these? Most people had no reason to live. I still had one. The possibility of one woman still living was the only thing that kept my soul intact. My body was not so lucky. Despite my wishes for an end to it all, I was half-relieved to hear a familiar voice override death its self. The overconfident voice was familiar, though, only from television. Boris Vatzen, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations… This was rich the man whom all the traces of my conspiracy led to was now here. Had my meddling really cause a turbulence that could require the attention of the unofficial ruler of the world? Hah! For it to end up like this, with me at his mercy How ironic! He was a 373 pound “servant of diplomacy” who brought in the smell of a rank, woman’s perfume with him when he came in. He entered the room wearing the standard Soviet Union officer’s uniform a half-button up, black tuxedo jacket with jewel encrusted cufflinks. His shirt, barely visible through the “v” shaped slit from the collar in his jacket, seemed to be slightly stained with something red. His pants were slacks with an open fly, the kind of thing you would laugh at in a man of power on a normal situation. Evidently, he had not planned to be here. 6 tiny medals dangled from the right breast pocket of his jacket. I guessed he thought they made him look powerful, or intimidating fat chance. He looked like a roly-poly curled up in its shell, afraid to open, but he was here to kill me, which made him a little more scary than first appearances. Overall, he was an odd first choice for an inquisitor. His long slender moustache was finely curled at the ends, and his smooth, baby-face features were accentuated by the toupee that appeared to be professionally done. I had seen him many times in many political debates on TV. I was almost glad to finally meet him in person. He always spoke English with a strong Russian accent, as did most supporters of the U.N. today, making him hard to understand… He stood on the favored side of the most controversial issue in history, but after my research, I generally associated his name with death. His introduction was somewhat blunt, and poorly pronounced. “Good morning. It is 9:00 A.M. on October, 11. 2063 if you want to know.” This was my clue to the fact I had lived, no survived here for a full 21 days. I rolled over and mumbled something intentionally incoherent, now aware that I was still alive. I peered up at him through slit eyelids. I had to keep the deception going. No one could expect anything from me if I didn’t talk. Why torture someone in comatose? He had his hands behind him, in quite a professional manner. “Ahh, Dr. Michael Travis of the U.N.A.P. Biology association… I’m so pleased to finally meet the man behind the mayhem…” I rolled my eyes behind their lids. Damn Dr. No wannabe…This is one of those guys who watched a lot of American movies but was too damn stupid to catch on to clichés. This guy rules the world… Two first impressions came over me regarding his demeanor. The first one was that he honestly had some actual purpose for being here aside from relentless torture. I was sure he had more important matters to attend to, like the whore he had obviously just parted with. The second observation was that he had been paying as much attention me and my work as I had been paying to him and his own. The closest thing to a smile came to my lips as a knot formed up in my esophagus. I was doomed, but finally recognized… “Why don’t you sit?” he asked, sounding almost sincere, considering the fact there was no chair, or toilet for that matter, in my prison. “I see no reason to be rude Vlad… Give Mr. Travis and myself a chair.” He left Boris’s side, walked away for a moment, and returned with 2 polished wooden chairs, both finely crafted into the shape of the Soviet emblem. The cell door was open, I could jump up right now and use what strength I had left and run. Aside from the single hanging lamp in the hallway, there was no light source. I would stumble through the dark, and land in the lap of one of the many guards posted out there, inevitably. I definitely wouldn’t get very far. I heard Boris sit down in one of the chairs because it made a rickety squeaking noise as he placed his huge ass into it. The other chair made a fingernail-on-chalkboard sound as it slid across the ground to me. Then I was lifted and propped up into the seat. The thought of giving up my act crossed my mind. I wanted information, but it was too risky. They wanted information too, this was my only guarantee I had that they wouldn’t kill me here and now. I rolled my head, eyes closed, from one shoulder to the other, just to assure them I was too unconscious to understand a word of what they were saying. As if to make polite conversation, Mr. Vatzen said, “So. Mr. Travis… do you mind if I call you Michael?” It was a rhetorical question, he would call me what he damned well pleased, “Michael, have you thought about what you have done in the past months?” In all honesty, actually I had. I chuckled internally at the idea. Yes, I had. And yes, I had regrets about trying to appropriate the single-most powerful country ever, which was exactly what he wanted. I realized I had to stop thinking that way. God, I was already giving him what he wanted and I hadn’t opened my mouth yet! He didn’t expect an answer, so kept talking, “I know what you were doing. And it was perfectly understandable. You thought you were bringing justice, fixing wrongs. You were the hero of this space-age epic. I understand that… I do. But you must understand,” he said so in a forgiving manner, “to make some things right, you must do some things wrong.” He’s patronizing me! He’s talking to me like a child. “I had to… remove those few people from office to better the Union, and all the world. If you had continued pursuing these allegations, you could have brought and end to the United Nations. Why would you want to do that just because of a few misunderstandings?” He gave me an understanding smile, “Now, I need to know who you told… OK?” Silence filled the air as he waited. “Mr. Travis,” I thought you were gonna call me Michael. “Did you know, that communism has never existed? It was only an idea, the idea of a government so grand, that it is no longer necessary to have one. Everyone is happy it’s the perfect world.” I finally let my pride get the best of me. “Stop treating me li-”, I stopped, realizing my slip-up. I quickly closed my eyes. “Excuse me?” Boris said. He bent closer to me, “Give it up Mr. Travis, You’re awake…” Silently cursing my carelessness, I opened my eyes. “As I was saying, communism was a grand idea. Socialism was the path to it. No-one ever executed it properly, until now. You see, with the Russian involvement in the U.N., we are directly on the path to perfection, that is, until some fucker like you tries to publicly display shameful, but necessary, acts of our government.” Boris tried his best to sound mature and parental, yet demeaning and pissed, as if to explain some unknown truth to a naïve child resisting a lethal stab, “Mr. Travis, I’m sure you think you know what is going on. This is not the end. This is the beginning. It is… a new dawn of man. A stronger, more intelligent society has emerged. We just ask that you accept that, nothing more.” I silently confirmed to myself he was feeding me Russian propaganda. “Mr. Travis, I know you are an intelligent man. Smarter than me, I presume.” Overjoyed at his sudden understanding, I wanted to blurt out, Yes, I am smarter than you! Now let me go! “Then why do you persist like a priest of some outdated religion,” Boris said, “What basis do you have that we are wrong? We just are giving birth to a new civilization, and you are the kind of person that resists because you are afraid of change.” I was afraid. Of what, I couldn’t be sure, but I was terrified. What if he was right? Why was I persisting like a child who wasn’t getting his way? I was so tempted to say the two words he was waiting to hear. “Just tell us Mr. Travis. Tell us you are in.” The thought never actually crossed my mind that I would leave this place until now. If I told them what they wanted- No… What they wanted was the names of people who they should kill because of certain information they withheld. There was no one that knew other than and Katherine and myself, but they didn’t know that. The truth was, if they wanted to kill those with my knowledge, they would kill me no matter what I told them. I moistened my swollen lips with my tongue. I could tell Boris eagerly stared with anticipation. I opened my mouth, but not to say what he had hoped. “Get this over with and shoot me…” Boris stood up and took about 2 paces away from his chair in the opposite direction of me. His hands were firmly clasped behind his back. I half expected him to kill me then and there, put me out of my misery, but that was too kind. He whispered to Vlad and made a pointing motion with his head. They both nodded and he walked out of the room. “Do you remember where we found you Mr. Travis? Do you remember, Katherine, was it?” The mentioning of her name alone was enough to make the blood coursing through my veins to boil. Though I only glared, a sudden, violent urge to murder came into my soul. “Do you know what we did to her?” I couldn’t see it, but I knew he was grinning a smug little grin on his fat-ass roly-poly face. “Stop…” I was able to muster through the lump in my throat. Although I knew I wanted to know, I couldn’t bear to hear the inevitable. He paused for a moment, and then continued, “We let her go. As simple as that.” He turned around and walked up to me. “What? You expected me to tell you we did something terribly awful to her. No, after the… Interview, we drugged her and tossed her into her hotel. A natural citizen of the United Nations.” A spark of hope ignited in my heart, but I quickly quenched it with a dose of reality. She knew what I knew they would have killed her no matter what, unless- “Yes, we were quite merciful. Do you wander why we took so much mercy on her Michael? Because we lacked a single piece of information that she provided us with.” After a long pause, he turned around, and his mouth stretched as far to the sides of his face as it possibly could in a smile, “That information was you…” What? What did that- No, He was lying again. This was a bastard’s trick to get me to talk. As he paced I got dizzy. Vladimir entered the room with a few photos of Kate, being ravaged by some nameless zealot of the Soviet Union. I looked directly at her face. All I could think about was the torture she must have gone through the beatings, the rape… How could I have focused on my minute pains in the midst of hers? She bought her freedom with a guarantee of trust. She handed me over as a promise that she would never tell. Even now she was under constant surveillance. I couldn’t hate her for that… I did love her… Everything seemed so much brighter than before. I squinted to block the light from the lone lamp outside the cell. As my head spun, everything and everyone around me blurred. I struggled to comprehend his words, but his answers only spawned more questions. My mind was a blur. Death would have been more merciful… He reiterated, “She was in a camp similar to this down by Lake Baikal. Let me sum it up for you. We wanted to know where you were and what you knew, so she told us.” Allowing himself time enough to clear his throat, he paused, then taunted, “-after several visits to her favorite surgery room I might add… She needed several transfusions… But in the end, she made the right choice.” A dozen questions and twice as many answers poured into my thought process at once. When could she have turned me over? How? Why? And did they really let her go? I found the courage to ask, “But, if, no. Why didn’t you still-” Suddenly turning clairvoyant, he interrupted me mid-sentence, “Why didn’t we still kill her? She gave us all her allegiance, just as you are refusing to do… You see, Mr. Travis, you give us what we want, and you walk from here, fully compensated” They would kill me no matter what. It didn’t matter what guarantee she gave them, they wouldn’t get any from me… None of his rambling made sense to me. All I knew is that did what she had to Please God! If you exist at all, don’t let it be true!!! I hate you! I lifted my head and stared into his eyes, black and cold as the night it’s self. I sat that way for a second then screamed at the top of my lungs, “No! You lying Bastard! She’s dead! I swear to god Ill fu#%ing murder you!” It was no lie I had every intention on fulfilling my threat. Vladimir rushed to restrain me and Boris calmly paraded around the room. I screamed on until my lungs burned, until finally, in a very loud and arrogant voice, my interrogator exclaimed to his cohort, “Our guest seems very awake now! Cuff him.” Vlad reached to his belt, pushed aside the leather jacket with his forefinger, and removed a pair of stainless steel handcuffs. He walked around the chair to get behind me, holding me back all the way. He grabbed my hands one at a time and pulled them behind the soviet emblem. Boris swept his jacket with his hand, making his medals rattle. “Mr. Travis, we have executed many men, women, and even children for holding us back, but you are different. We need you. We need you for the knowledge you contain, all you must do is tell us, as did Katherine…” “Click”, one cuff snapped onto my right wrist, this was my only chance. I fought tooth and nail to keep my other hand away leaving poor Vlad flustered trying to control me. He waited for my response. There was none. “But as much mercy as we didn’t take on her, you must realize, she is still alive… Do you know why Mr. Travis?” I struggled my left hand away but it was soon retrieved. He bent over, into my face. I could feel his hot, fresh breath caress the tears on my cheeks. In a slow whisper, he spoke, “Because we gave her the same chance we are giving you…” With all the strength I could manage, I screamed and lunged at my tormenter, pulling away my hands from Vlad. “No!!!” He toppled like a three legged sleeping cow. I clamped the chain of the handcuffs around his neck to the point where God himself couldn’t have pulled them off. Every time he tried to escape I hit him with all my rage, leaving several cuts and bruises on his lips and cheeks. The reflection of his dying face, bloody and scarred, burned painstakingly on my soul was the only relief I had in this life. Maybe hell would be merciful. He choked as Vlad stumbled around for his gun, shouting into the hall to an unseen ally. As I slammed his head mercilessly onto the ground, Boris’ face turned red, purple, and finally blue, almost the shade to match the floor, but my vengeance was short lived. My murder was interrupted by a shell not projected by Vlad’s gun, being lodged into my side. The foreign object exploded and ruptured my pelvis. I instinctively rolled over and clutched the wound, still bawling. From this perspective, I could see several American soldiers in the room, each with a fully automatic machinegun pointed directly at me. Boris was helped to his feet and he leaned against the wall to resituate himself. I stared at him alone, but my peripheral vision could see the blood drenching that little portion of the floor. I was lifted, once again, into my chair. My hands were cuffed to the emblem on the back by the several men that had rushed into the room. I was right I wouldn’t have gotten very far. Roly-Poly relentlessly waddled up to me, face multicolored with bruises, and without any notice, planted his fist in the upper right portion of my jaw. He was strong despite his looks. All at once, I didn’t care about the pain in my face, or my thigh, or my heart… I didn’t care that I couldn’t move my right leg. None of it mattered anymore. All that mattered was that this ended. Here and now. “You have made a terrible choice yet again Mr. Travis. You, like Katherine, resist the one thing that can protect you…” He pronounced my name with a bit of disgust this time. Blood dripped from his apparently broken nose. He spoke to Vlad in Russian and he was handed the Smith and Wesson revolver. Not a moment sooner was Vlad’s forehead replaced with a bloody hole. His body fell to the ground and Boris pointed the lethal weapon at my forehead, and his finger tensed on the trigger. As I stared down the barrel of my demise in the 4.37 seconds I had left to live, I muttered a single phrase, I never imagined I’d find myself say, “My God…” Boris didn’t loosen on the trigger, but he did stop, just for a second, to reply, “You just wont get it will you? There is no god that can save you now.” His finger completely pulled on the trigger, and my life flashed before my eyes. 1 The Mir Space Station was about to celebrate its 33rd birthday under the United Nations flag, which just so happened to coincide with the 77th year since the core was launched into the cold depths of space. In fact, it was in June that the crew of Mir would throw the biggest party ever seen off the face of the Earth. Although the world would recognize this as a beginning of astro-science, the small group of people on board who started the Greenhouse project, would see it as an end. Two long years… For David Garon, Jason Fin, Tanya Heplest, and Eric Dolman, this shiny piece of metal had become the place to call home, and all of it would be taken away from them in six months time. Their stay was the third longest in the history of space science… Had they another year, it would be first. “Just one more second,” Tanya shouted to the crew who was impatiently waiting for her to exit the Soyuz so they could close the docking hatch. She rummaged through the compartments to find a paper the paper. Possibly the answer to their problem… What an idiot. David had discarded it carelessly. He never took the time to think about what he was throwing away. This was his fault he should be in here. “Gawd,” Eric yelled, not disguising his Russian accent, “What the hell are you looking for? Get in here!” She rolled her eyes, silently mocked him, and responded into the adjacent room, “I’ll be right there! This is important!” But David wasn’t in here she was, like always: picking up after his mistakes. Although he wasn’t aware of it, he had lost more and more respect each day since he arrived. The crew sat waiting, trying not to let Tanya’s procrastination get to them. David, although outwardly expressing great annoyance for the lone female officer’s carelessness, inside was smiling. He loved her, he knew it. Every day for the past two years, he had looked into her intriguing brown eyes and saw something special… He was starting to get the signals too: The disdainful sighs, the embarrassing arguments. It was just a matter of time until the words came out. This was typical for Tanya. Everyone on the crew had waited countless times outside the hatch for her last minute checks. She could never gather excess supplies during the 8 hours that it was attached to Mir. No, she would rather wait for hell to freeze over. Eric and David glanced at each other, and Jason shouted one final warning, “Alright, were closing this door and detaching in about 10 seconds whether you’re in here or-” “Got it!” She screamed in delight. She pulled a crumpled folder from one of the file cabinets then turned around. She stepped lightly over the shrapnel strewn across the floor and transcended onto the space station Mir. She held it up with glee and declared, “Got it, got it, got it.” The crew, half-irritated, half-engrossed, leaned in to hear what she had to say “That’s what you were looking for?” David raised an eyebrow and confirmed, “I threw that away.” David was the youngest, and according to Tanya behind his back, the least intelligent of the group. He made it to Mir at twenty years old, which was a feat in it’s self, but no one seemed to appreciate that. Like a child, he fought for the approval of his companions by trying to be one of them. He was always quick to smile though, and that was his best feature. With disgust, she replied, “No shit Sherlock! Look at this!” She opened up the folder, labeled “Artificial Oxygen: Biological Reactions in a CO2 Rich Environment”, and removed a near seventy page report, filed by Eric about a week ago. She thumbed through the numbered pages and found the one she was looking for. “See? This is the answer to our greenhouse! The air is rich in nitrogen A.!” David retorted, “Yeah, just like our atmosphere. There is nothing wrong with our replica of nitrogen we’ve gone over it a million times.” Tanya was repelled by his ignorance. She looked him in the face and analyzed his features. David had a thin face, brown hair, and the strangest grey eyes. He was nearly 5’10’’, and a seemingly average weight for his height. When they first met, the possibility of engaging in a relationship with him might have crossed her mind, but then he began to speak. Tanya faced the others and explained, “Listen, don’t you see? Our plants have adapted. Like, evolved I guess. The problem isn’t in our air, it’s in the plants. There’s something that we aren’t focusing on in the plants.” “What does this have to do with the nitrogen?” “The only thing they could possibly repel is the nitrogen. Photosynthesis has mutated and no longer requires it. That’s why we found the air so saturated with it. The way they’ve adapted somehow alters the way they take in air. Instead of excreting certain chemicals, they just never bother to take them in in the first place! What we are overlooking is what made them evolve. What variable did we leave unattended to?” Astounded, Tanya’s companions watched her with the attention she deserved. She couldn’t help but stop and bashfully smile. “That doesn’t matter right now,” Jason said with sincere respect, “What matters is, if this is true, we can put the U.A.P. back on the map with scientific advances!” “No! If you’ll notice, the plants aren’t dying. They are just failing to produce oxygen for our CO2. What we need to do, is find out what is causing the plants to reject our nitrogen in the air, and now that we have a chemical compound we can alter, add to it the chemical equation that our atmosphere is missing in the first place…” She pointed a finger at an equation in the center of the same page.” Jason, David and Eric all smiled at Tanya. “Genius”, David whispered. Then raising his voice, “You’re a genius!” He clobbered her with a bear hug and nearly knocked her down. She laughed as he bumped her into the wall and smothered her in praise and congratulations. “Leave it to Tanya to fix one of my few mistakes!” Smiling at the discovery, Jason took the time to peek his head into the supply shuttle and the war zone that Tanya had created. “Houston’s gonna be pissed.” Eric took the report from her hand and marveled for a moment at the simple mistake they missed. Embarrassed, and slightly jealous, he walked over and thumbed the console to close the hatch door. The white, fiberglass doors on both sides closed, and with another code from Eric, the shuttle detached, leaving a white smog of oxygen to cloud the window. This was a breakthrough. This was an average day on Mir. This would end the lives of the brilliant science team. After they all calmed down, and David finally let go of Tanya, the crew retired to their own personal quarters. David entered his ‘room’. He flopped down hard, due to the strength of the artificial gravity, onto the bean bag lodged into the corner of the small living space. He glanced around and smiled at the place he had called home for the past two and a half years. Two years… Where did it go? He sat that way for a good ten minutes, fending of blast after blast of bitter nostalgia. Why did they have to go so soon? In these past years, Mir had gone from large to larger, and where would they be when this place was finished? Gone. Out of the picture. The walls, which were a cold steel, defined security for him. Along the intersection of the floor and the door, posters of popular idols stared him in the eye. He tried to imagine sleeping anywhere larger, and remembered when he first got here and felt uncomfortable about sleeping in such a small, contained area. You get over claustrophobia fast in space… In reality though, it was sort of like a big coffin. It was 12x9 feet, completely enclosing once the large metal door was shut. He had added carpet here, just to get a homier feel. Granted, it was in small patches on the wall and floor, but at least he felt as if it was more than a cell. He knew he had work to do, but he didn’t want to do it. His work ethic implied that he shouldn’t do anything until it was required. It could wait… That being said, he was extremely bored. He scanned the room for something to pass the time. He saw his laptop scrunched in the corner, a journal and pen for his science fiction stories, and a torn apart issue of ‘Popular Mechanics’. Aside from that, the room was empty. What to do? While he searched in vain, the greenhouse problem refused to rest in his mind. What if he just… No. He reached over to his laptop and powered it on. He plugged in the AC adapter to the outlet in the wall. The sound of the hard drive could be heard faintly clicking, and a moment later, text appeared on the screen. Before he could start anything, he was troubled by the perpetually haunting thought. Why did the plants reject nitrogen now? If what Tanya said was true, and our copy isn’t the problem, the nitrogen is the same element it’s always been… Why reject it now? He closed his laptop, and set it on the bean bag. Covertly, he opened the door a crack and walked out. 2 Knock, Knock, Knock. “Come in!” Michael shouted across the room to the door. Slowly, the door opened, and Bosn poked his head through. “Come on in,” Travis said, taking his eyes from the laptop screen and rubbing them vigorously, “What’s up?” He waltzed into the room casually, clearly making an effort to contain himself. “We got word from the crew well, from David really.” Michael put his hands in his lap and looked up from his lab stool at the tall, grey-haired man. “Oh, yeah? What did he have to say?” A slow smile spread across Bosn’s face and he confirmed with utter joy, “They did it!” Michael’s eyes grew wide, and he was half standing, as he strained to make sure he understood correctly, “You mean-” “Yeah!” He leapt from his chair into a full stride towards the door. “Hey!”, his supervisor shouted, throwing him into an immediate halt as he touched the silver doorknob, “You were supposed to be the first to check this out.”, he said, Frisbee-tossing a DVD-ROM towards him. Mike intercepted it gently and in almost the same motion, planted it into the inside pocket of his unzipped leather coat. As he ran down the halls, Michael chanted to himself quietly, “Good, good, good, good, good, good, good…” Why hadn’t this happened sooner? He couldn’t wait to check the disk to find out their discovery, but first he had to check with control. “Geoff!” Travis, shouted with glee as he ran into the control tower, “What exactly did the crew say?” It wasn’t a tower, really, they just called it that because this was where they directed Mir from. Well, this was half of Mir’s command, the other half was somewhere in Russia. Michael often wondered why word origins carried meaning even after outdated. In any case, the place was underground, like the rest of the Geis-Lab. A large screen at least 20x25 meters long made up one wall of the massive room. On the screen were radars and maps, mostly of America, but some of Asia. The floor was not visible from the ceiling due to the crowding of computer stations and the multitude of people in this place. The walls and ceiling were white, but you could really no longer tell because of all the posters and printouts sloppily taped to them. Geoff looked up at Mike from his chair, saw the anticipation in his face, and felt glad to have his generally optimistic company. He smiled and said, “Well, David was the one who made the call, but he said the others were behind him all the way. Anyway, he mentioned mostly what was on that disk Bosn should have given you,” Michael pulled it out and held it up, “He did.” “Good,” Geoff continued, “Don’t lose it. It’s the only hard copy we’ve got. Bosn insisted that you be the first to analyze it. He said that you deserved a good assignment for all the hard work you’ve been putting in.” Travis smiled. “Quote, unquote, of course” He said with a grin. Michael grinned back and told him he had better check that disk. He turned around, and walked confidently out of the room. “Oh! I almost forgot,” Geoff heaved as he jogged down the hall after him, “He told me that Tanya said hi.” Michael suddenly turned giddy. “To me? Specifically?” “That’s what he said…” Geoff jogged back down the hall, and turned the corner, out of sight. She said hi to me… Just thinking about her put a glow on his face that made a radioactive angel look dull. He smiled all the way back to the mini-lab. When he arrived, he popped the DVD into the small slot on the side of his laptop. After a painstaking five minutes of anxious waiting, his window popped up. On the disk was a video and a source file. He opened the source code and scanned through the various formulae presented on screen. He added notes, edited strings, and studied intently the possible discovery of the century. When he finished, several hours later, he felt like a new man… Michael pondered on who would want this disk next, and what he would do with it when he got it. Fearing for the loss of such data, he quickly burned the ROM and placed the extra in the drawer with his other assorted goodies. He double clicked the video icon as he did so. 3 Eric was reading when the door opened and David poked his head through. “Hey, I was just wondering, can you keep a secret from Jason?” Eric looked up from his book and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Seeing his skepticism, he paraphrased, “Just for a little while, of course.” Eric smiled deviously and said, “What’d ya got?” “Follow me…” They made their way down the hall and entered the lab. Eric sat, not amused as Mike pulled a plastic baggie from his shirt pocket. In it appeared to be leaves. “You went into the greenhouse.” He recognized. David, in his own defense, protested, “Not for long, besides, that’s the secret I need you to keep.” The lab was small, but sizable enough to fit two people, a lab table, and a desk with two drawers. An electron microscope sat on the lab table. He removed two of the small leaves from the bag and placed them softly onto the table. He took a syringe from the drawer under him and extracted a small amount of blood from each leaf and placed both samples on separate sides. “What did you find?” Eric asked, past his initial debate on whether to tattle or not. “Look,” he said as he placed the sample under the microscope. David peered into the tiny lens and positioned the slide just right. Then he turned the focus knob just a little bit. Eric looked into the microscope and David explained, “You see, all plants of that genus have a common trait involving the stipule of the plant… There should be a semi-circle scar around the bottom. Well there wasn’t, meaning the plant has been growing differently than it would normally… What we need to know is if the same thing is happening on Earth…” As Eric intently tried to find what he was supposed to see, he asked, “How do you know that this is abnormal?” “I called up Houston, had ‘em verify it for me.” Suddenly, Eric’s satisfied expression was erased, “You went to Command without telling any one of us?” David’s eyes struggled to keep contact with Eric’s, “Well, don’t look at me like I stabbed you in the back…” Eric looked at David as if he stabbed him in the back. “C’mon. I didn’t go and brag that I found something. I told them we were working on schedule and we found it in the process of routine.” “So you lied to them too.” “No… Yes… Well- I don’t know! I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal.” Eric stared blankly at him for a moment, and then turned and stormed out the door. “So much for secret.” He turned back to his microscope and studied the plant cells. An uneasy silence rested over the dinner table that night. Tanya often traded covert glances with Eric and Jason without moving her head. David withheld one, steady, glare directed straight at Eric. Snitch. Not one word was spoken aloud until the subject in question dared make an attempt on apology. “Ok. What did I do wrong? I just called Houston to get a source check…” Tanya, able to contain it no longer, blurted out, “You bastard! You went over our heads and took credit for my- OUR discovery. You made an unscheduled trip to the greenhouse, and you lied to us about it…” Not that he was willing to show it, but that remark cut to the bone. He respected these people, looked up to them. They were just getting to know him, and he already screwed up the story of his life. He looked around at the people he wanted to call friends, and then choked up. Mistaking his silence for stubborn cockiness, Jason shouted at him, “Don’t get all self righteous on us you little uckweed. You know damn right that you meant to get credit for this. You just couldn’t stand the fact that Tanya here found out what you were here to… So you went ahead of schedule to verify what we would have found eventually,” he spit, then looked around, “Well at least we know his true character now.” David nearly cried at the remark, but that would only shame him more. Fighting back the tears, he said, “No… I just thought…” He cleared his throat and tried again, “I just thought I found something new…” Dave was the youngest of the group, and he realized they tried normally not to play on that disregarded it even, but now he had broken that too… “New… You are ju-” “This is Houston to Mir. Do you copy? Respond immediately.” The radio from the command center blared into the dinner cabin. “Here’s your courtesy call Dave”, Jason patronized as he stood angrily from the table. He marched into the next room and keyed in the com, “This is Mir 2 to Houston, what seems to be the problem boys?” The entire room listened to the conversation from their seats. “Umm, Mir, You have an air leak on the outer hull. You need to, uh…” Impatiently, Jason demanded, “To what? What do we need to do? We don’t have any suits up here…” As he waited for their answer, he threw the com onto the panel and swore. The crew rushed from the table and ran to the next room. “What’s going on?” Eric asked his friend, who just happened to be commander of the expedition “I don’t know.” Jason replied. “We need you to evacuate.” The gruff voice said over the speakers in the room. A simultaneous “What?” came from everyone in the room. Jason frantically picked up the com again and in his sincerest ‘calm’ voice asked, “Huston, repeat last transmission. How could we have an air leak? No one was here except the construction crews…” “Copy that, but, the order still stands. You have one hour to evacuate the station with your most recently built pod… No shuttles are available right now for launch. You are on your own. I repeat: One hour…” “Fu&%!”, Jason shouted, “Wait! We can work this through… We can ride this out until a shuttle IS available.” The com didn’t answer. That was final… Tanya retorted, “You heard that! Houston just gave a direct order to evacuate…” “To hell with Houston! Think about all the past two years we’ve put into stabilizing that greenhouse. We can’t leave that behind. Besides, wouldn’t we have seen that leak long before them? It doesn’t show up anywhere on our H.U.D. Look.” He pointed at a screen above their heads that indicated the ‘All-Clear’. David, seeing necessity, spoke, “Tanya is right… We need to go.” “Who asked you kid?” “I speak on my own accord.” “Fine, go home, hope you suffocate.” “Me too.” Tanya interrupted, “You guys, we need to sit down and rationally think this through…” After much uncomfortable conversation on the topic, the decisions were narrowed down. 1. Stay 2. Go 3. Repair the phantom leak The final choice left a bitter taste in the mouths of the crew. It was just that, a phantom leak. Control refused to give a location on this invisible hole, so it was almost out of the question. “All right,” Jason said solemnly, “now that I’ve had more time to think it through, I agree that we leave the station. We leave our home.” A silent confirmation followed, and they sought to soak up as much of this place as they could in the next thirty minutes. Eric was the only one opposed to the captain’s decision. He would like nothing more than to stay. The thirty minutes passed quickly, and as everyone boarded the pod, they bid farewell to their home everyone except Eric. “Guys… I am staying here.” He said, strongly emphasizing his Russian dialect, “I wish the best of luck to you all. I will wait for a shuttle or die. I would rather die than see my efforts here go in vain.” Jason, quick to make a decision, denied him the honor of making a peaceful stand, “The hell you are. It’s my duty to keep you guys alive. I’m not going home without you.” “Fine, then stay.” He said like an angry child. “No. You are coming with us.” Eric unexpectedly threw a punch at his commander, which was easily evaded, and parried by a blow into the stomach. Eric fell to his knees, and pleaded with Jason to go without him. “We don’t have time for this Eric! We have to go.” “You have to go!” Finally seeing the desperation in his companion and friend’s eyes, he agreed, “Fine. You can wait for the shuttle. But when you get back, I’m not taking the wrap for this.” “Thank you…” Jason boarded the pod, and while the other two waved goodbye, he punched the launch code into the door panel beside him. The doors sealed, and through the fiberglass window, Eric watched the ball shaped craft thrust toward Earth with short bursts of gas exertion. As Tanya thought about the discovery, the unnoticed hole in the fuel tank grew larger and larger, until finally, the whole tank wall collapsed. Eric watched as the pod ignited into a ball of fire that was quickly squelched by the vacuum of space. Speechless, thoughtless, and traumatized, he fell to the ground and lost consciousness. 7 Katherine sat in the trench cold and wet. An occasional bullet sped over her head, leaving a distinct chime on the ever-weakening barrier behind her each time. She was alone. Her mind would be perhaps a little more at ease were it not for the fact that she was utterly isolated from the rest of the world. It had been an hour and a half since Jessica’s visit, who had come to see her about her leg and supply her with some kind words. Jesse was brave to cross the field in the middle of a raging hell, but she did so for her. Of course, Jesse had been trained for situations like these, Kate had not. She was on the verge of crying, quite out of character for her, but she was a military programmer under live fire on the losing side of a battle. She didn’t dare move from her spot in the muddy trenches. She pulled her knees up close to her chest and shivered. Her cashmere sweater was soaked, even with the vinyl raincoat protecting her from the beating rain. She looked down the trench, trying to find a way out of her awkward position. Being secluded from reality was an uncomfortable feeling. It reminded Kate of what it felt like to be powerless. She hated that. She was an officer among the naval academy of the United Nations, so it was in her nature to long for control over the situation. She massaged the bloody, wet bandage on her exposed foreleg. She was in great pain, but her fear for the moment, dulled the throbbing. Although she knew it wasn’t too serious a wound, she was frightened. She had never been shot before. Naturally, she wanted to get to a hospital. Right now her life hung in the balance of the current battle. If the U.S.S.R. regiment could defeat the uprising, not looking likely, she would be rescued and all would be well but if the rebels over threw them, and won this initial battle, then she would most likely be captured and executed. Kate was determined to change that. There had to be some way to chose her own fate and she decided to take action… Somehow. Against all better judgment, she decided to risk raising her head from the trench to get a look around. 11 Michael awoke in his small, unheated hotel room with sweat slowly dripping from his forehead. Was that real? It took him at least a minute to realize his phone was ringing. He sat up on the side of his bed and picked it up. “Hello?” The voice that responded was a man’s, probably an older man’s, and he sounded concerned. “Hi, I know who you are, and so do the people that need you… So if I were you, which I’m not, I would stop scratching my ass and get out of that room.” “Who are you?” “It would be best for me to tell you that in person. Where should we meet?” Whoever it was on the other side of the line sounded impatient, so Travis responded without delay, “That shitty little café right beside the Atrium Palace Hotel,” Michael looked around and out his windows, “Where are you?” “Are you ignorant? What do you think I’m trying to do by setting up a meeting point?” There was a click, and then a buzz. Mike slowly put the phone back down on its post. He slipped a shirt on, zipped up his jeans, quickly grabbed his keys, and headed out the door, making sure to lock it as he left. He hurried down the hall on the sixth floor of the cheaply furnished hotel. Questions raced through his head. He quickly thrust his hand into the closing elevator door. The old woman in the wheelchair humbly asked Michael to press the ‘4’ button, but he didn’t even hear her. He instead pushed ‘Lobby’ and rushed out the door the moment it opened, never acknowledging her existence. He pushed out of the revolving doors and was greeted by the freezing, dirty streets of Moscow. Looking left and right, he strained to recall which direction the café was. The night air started to wear on him, as well as the notion that any moment now, a slew of angry Soviets might try to apprehend him. In desperation, he took a wild guess. A stroke of luck presented its self, and Michael approached the Café Royal, as translated into English. Apprehensively, he entered the restaurant. The place looked more like a bar than a café, actually. Several stools lined the serving counter and a few tables lie scattered around. For a moment, Travis wondered how to recognize his host, but his inquiry was answered by a wave and a friendly call, “Over here.” Besides the two patrons at the ‘bar’ and the one man in the back who had called him, the place was empty. Judging from the number of available seats though, it didn’t seem like the owners expected much more business. The old, yet seemingly able man just stared at Mr. Travis as he drew nearer. Strangely, in light of the situation, this boy radiated confidence. Maybe, just maybe, he misjudged him. “Hello.” Michael said with his eyes half-squinted, consciously debating whether or not to trust this stalker. “Grab yourself a drink, if you want.” He said. Seeing no need to rush now that he was here, Mike beckoned the waitress, who, in fact, was just leaving. She said something in Russian, and left. “Ill just sit”, he said, doing just so. He looked the grey man squarely in the eyes and asked, “Who are you?” “This was a good idea…” He said. He stopped a moment to sip the draft that was here when Michael arrived, “Did you actually think about where to meet or did you just say it?” Not expecting an answer, he explained, “They can’t get you if you’re in public. Especially a tourist spot…” Fed up with dancing around the subject, Michael demanded, “Who can’t get me and for what?” “You think I’m stupid,” he said with disgust, then, turning to some unknown apparition beside him, “He thinks I’m stupid…” Still looking away he replied, “You have a damn good idea of why they are after you.” Michael was noting that this man was making a point not to answer his questions. “Ok,” he said, “what did you call me down here for?” Nonchalantly, he threw out, “You’d be dead right now if I hadn’t.” The words sent a chill down the biologist’s spine. Michael looked down at his watch, and noted he had only been gone six minutes. If what he said was true, he had just come very close to meeting god… “Like I said, they can’t get you in a public place…” He took another swig. “I’m not going to discourage you from dabbling in government conspiracies. First of all, it would be wrong to do so, and besides, you wouldn’t listen anyway. In fact, I’m going to give you some names of some politicians, whose careers, and lives, were cut abruptly short. I’m also going to give you a few locations unmarked on the maps, should you choose to visit. I wouldn’t” He slid a stapled packet of paper across the table to Mike, and as was expected, he snatched it up and slipped it under his leg. “Why?” He asked. “Because you’re doing what I want to be doing…” He stood up and placed a check under his empty mug. Michael, not near done interrogating, stood to follow him, but was stopped in his tracks by a warning, “Don’t follow me. You’re being watched right now, and there’s a good chance I’m putting myself in danger by meeting you here. My advice is, leave your hotel behind and find a populated area to spend the night. Then check out what you want…” With that, he strolled out the door and into the cold. Michael sat there for a while, in shock, and wondered what to do. His life could very well end. He hadn’t realized till now the urgency of the situation. What was he getting into? He left the restaurant and stumbled down a nameless street. He looked around. There were people. That was good. Suddenly, he was terrified of solitude… He wasn’t going back to the room. He had his wallet, his keys, his passport. Nothing from hell or beyond could drag him back to that god-forbidden, dark, cold, secluded room not love, hate, or even- The Disk! That was all he had to justify what he had found and what he was looking for. If that was lost, he would not only die, but die without cause. Without thinking twice, he turned and sprinted back to his hotel. When he arrived, he took the stairs to sixth floor. He ran to room D204 and turned the doorknob. Immediately, needles of fear jabbed his racing heart. His door was unlocked. 15 A rigid figure almost indiscernible beneath the heaps of clothing staggered into the hangar through a small hole on the far wall to the bay doors. He wandered in a little ways, and began to unbundle the multiple scarves wrapped mercilessly around his head. 22 Even through the thick, musty Siberian air in the underground halls of the Glasnost reformation camp, you could clearly hear a scream of utter rage resound through the night. 17 American U.N. guards navigated effortlessly through the twisting maze of corridors to investigate and evaluate the disturbance in cell 1231. When they arrived at the scene, the squadron found a bloody thin man in handcuffs sitting on and strangling an even bloodier fat man on the ground. There was no mistaking the fat man, therefore, no question who to shoot. Without second thought, the Squad leader fired a 32 caliber shell from his rifle which erupted in the hip of the assailant. On impulse, he stopped his rampage and clutched the bleeding wound with his murderous hands and was quickly hoisted into the standing chair in the corner by the team of trained soldiers. The commander offered out his hand to the Russian ambassador, barely recognizable through the blood, which he gratefully accepted. After situating himself and wiping the blood from his face, he shot his guard a withering glare. All the while, the man in the corner sat motionless from blood loss. Boris asked for his companion’s revolver, and when he received it, used it to expose the empty hole in his head where a brain should be. He then turned to Michael Travis, now needlessly cuffed to the chair, weathered jeans soaking up ever-spilling blood. Boris hit his prisoner. Travis looked into Vatzen’s spider black eyes, and in a near whisper, muttered something about God. In response, Boris assumed an executioner style stance and replied, “You just wont get it will you? There is no god that can save you now…” Without remorse, the chubby finger pulled down the trigger, causing a chain reaction, which seemed to move very slowly in Michael’s eyes. The hammer swung down in slow motion as the cylinder spun to expose the next available chamber in the gun. The hammer struck home, and a minor spark ignited inside where a bullet should have been. This entire event triggered a signature click that echoed first in the cell, then through the maze outside. “Click, Click, Click.” Boris tried several more times but to no avail. The gun would not fire. Angry that his witty closing line went to waste on an empty chamber, he turned to the nearest armed man in the room. “Do you have a handgun?” He asked the commander. His request was indulged, and he was handed a 9mm pistol. Meanwhile, a reconnaissance jet flew by overhead, taking pictures of dark buildings, unmarked on the maps. Travis could end this end it now. He would. The roar of a jet traveling at mach speeds shook the light outside the cell. Boris, weapon in hand, looked up as the room moved back and forth, causing several men to stumble. “How the fu*% could someone have gotten this location?” he asked himself out loud, and the only possible answer dawned on him Katherine Jade. The infuriated Russian gave a distinct order to all men in the room, except for one soldier, to shoot down anything in the sky. 16 men ran out of the room as quickly as they had come in. Quietly, he scorned his decision to let her go. “Honesty meant nothing to that bitch… No worry, she will be dead within the hour…” “But first…” He turned around just in time to see Travis running launching at his chest. The chair he was attached to only added momentum. Travis fell into Boris, and in turn, he fell into the remaining soldier. As they fell, the helpless guard’s finger gently brushed the hair trigger. This gun didn’t misfire, and a stockade of ammunition exploded directly into the ambassador. The bullets passed through him, and each one stopped somewhere in the body of Michael Travis. The soldier, crushed dead at the bottom of the nearly 500 pound mess, continued to hold tight to the trigger until the weapon was empty, leaving everyone in the room mutilated... Michael, though, as he bled through multiple orifices to his death, had time to think. He lay there, arms twisted and cuffed to the heavy chair, wondering if this was fate, or if he had done this by himself. Those thoughts lulled him to sleep, and as the pool of blood around him grew larger, his vision grew thinner. Michael Abram Travis was dead. Epilogue The Russian ambassador’s untimely death was accounted by the media as “a casualty of a terrible explosion in Eastern Siberia”. As for the U.N. ruling on the newly discovered ‘concentration camps’ just north of Lake Baikal, they ruled it was necessary to take force in persuading subjects into submission to ensure the perfect formation of the world-wide communist government that the Chinese and Russian delegates so avidly pushed for. Eventually, the government was approved, and the U.A.P. was cleared from the face of the Earth, politically speaking. The only remaining power that opposed this movement was the South American “Children of Democracy”, which, of course, declared war and was obliterated by the United Nations. Boris Vatzen’s successor, Damien Schell, who was shamed by many to be the Antichrist himself, rose to the unofficial title of ‘The most powerful man in the world’, as of becoming the Russian ambassador. He inherited all the influence his predecessor had left behind… Six years after the unsung saga of Michael Travis, the world came to a complete peaceful halt, and then all hell broke loose. Glossary: United American Provinces (U.A.P.) - In 2011, The United States of America, shortly after forming the United Nations signed a pact with socialist countries of the era, promising to no longer invade in the private matters of other countries so long as they remained loyal to their joint political branch, the U.N. These amendments to the American constitution were compiled and added to the creation of an international constitution. A new government was called for to uphold this new constitution. The United American Provinces was formed to do just this, holding similar values and similar laws. Soviet Union- After the signing of the international constitution, which gave the United Nations much more control over international affairs, the Russia and the Eurasian Republics formed together once again to create the Soviet Union. Still bearing much of its previous infamy, the Soviet Union got off to a rough start. The turning point for the country’s political depression was in 2028, when the second elected leader of ‘New Socialism’, who claimed to be a descendant of Carl Marx himself, presented an idea to the U.N. This idea was to change the way the U.N. ran world affairs. Instead of each country involved in the U.N. having a single group of delegates, each equal to each other, a House of Representatives type election would be held for each one, in which the higher populated countries would receive more politicians. Then one ambassador for each would listen to these delegates and decide on a verdict for his people. This was a well thought out plan, seeing as the former Eurasian Republics, and China made up two thirds of the world population at that time. This would eventually lead to the world communism that Lenin and Marx once dreamed of. United Nations- The United Nations began small, existing really only symbolically in the minds of presidents and dictators, but after the international constitution was signed, the U.N. had power in the matters that the former U.S.A. had resigned from. Many believed it a mistake to let one organization to have so much control over world economy and law, but that didn’t stop Gerard Marx from proposing his delegate plan. After the plan passed, the Soviet Union and China unofficially owned the world, by sheer population. Many plans were proposed to put this power in check, but all failed due to the tremendous power of the communists in office. Eventually, China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam all annexed to form the Supplementary Union, a direct branch of the Soviet Union. By 2052, democracy had almost no place in the world. Liberty States(Children of Democracy)- After Marx’s Delegate plan was passed, a small group of countries consisting of Chile, Argentina, Peru, and Mexico peacefully annexed and seceded from the U.N., weary of a foreboding future. These countries, founded on the concepts of Democracy, called themselves ‘The Liberty States’ and refused to associate with the U.N. They later adapted the nickname, ‘Children of Democracy’. |
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| Added On: Mon Aug 23 2004 | Hits: 1 |
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| Taken |
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| Vivi fantasized that she would die during the most beautiful sunset of the year. In Barbados the sunsets were often beautiful, but she most desired blazing fuscia, which would warm her corpse with flattering light. She could imagined her death to be befittingly tragic, lying on a bed of white sheets, wooden shutters open, the palms whispering the news of her passing to the angels who would carry her away. At age 73, Vivi had reached a point in her life where she admired the dignity of death, since her instinct for life had begun dimming in her fifties, along with her eyesight. A surgeon’s talent had cut the nasty, sagging skin from her jowls, hoisted her chest, and opened her eyes wide to see the change, but Vivi could rarely look into the mirror without frothing at the sight. She felt her surgery was akin to giving an elbow back to an armless man. What she regained merely served to remind her of all that she had lost. She was old. As someone who had sighed through life and taken youth and beauty for granted, Vivi did not grow wise or contemplative as she aged. Vivi decided that this evening’s sunset would be appropriate for her ascent to heaven, because the late afternoon rain had left moisture in the air for a rainbow, and Vivi was quite enchanted with it, as she sat in her enclosed patio, drinking a pineapple and rum punch. She prepared herself another pineapple rum, a much heavier one, and stirred noisily with the spoon, her heart beating faster than it had in years. In her closet she removed the only dress that still looked good on her. It was floor-length, iced blue, with a sharp collar that exposed little of her purple neck. The third pineapple rum was finished as she swept her white hair away from her face, and pinned large orange lilies from her garden. From the cabinet she pulled out a bottle of morphine pills and deflated for a moment while cupped them in her hand. Her memory’s eyes rested on Edward’s dying body and her shaking hand that had fed him the hallucinogens. He chased imaginary flies with his eyes, and Vivi was consoled that he was at least distracted from his cancer. Edward, her deceased husband, died seven years ago, but his money continued to support the lifestyle she enjoyed in Barbados. After he died, a commercial inspired her to grieve in a happier place, where her bones could moisten in the humidity, instead of hardening and breaking in the cold Canadian winters. Much to Zachary’s protest, his mother packed several garment bags and flew to the islands that first fall, leaving her family to shovel snow with the heaviness of death on their shoulders. Vivi had hosted few visitors over the past several years, even though she added an invitation in post-script in the singular Christmas card she sent addressed to Zachary Balantry and family. Elaine, Zachary’s wife, had accepted the invitation four years ago when she needed to decompress after her daughter, Vivi’s grand-daughter, Paula, left her first husband and moved in with a man who lived in a tent. Paula had left Bruce, a man Elaine herself despised, after a five-month marriage, even though they had rushed the wedding plans with the determination of young mules. But when Paula discovered her new husband’s domestic filth, she was slowly drawn into a friendship with Joel, a man twelve years her senior who lived in the outskirts of Toronto. He “rented” a patch by the river, on the back forty of his friend’s farm. He worked on the farm for his keep, and by night read his communist papers and wrote ideological crap, or so said Elaine. Vivi had served as Elaine’s sanctuary, away from the shame she felt from her daughter’s failed marriage (at age twenty-three!). They had shared many quiet evenings, Vivi sipping her rum punch with impartial delight as Elaine walked slowly up and down the beach. But aside from Elaine’s visit, Vivi had very little company through the years, which had rusted her already salty social skills. When she was young her curtness was tolerated only by men, especially those who could commit the time to coax pleasantries from the pretty lady. However, once they realized that pleasantries were elusive at best, some retreated like ambushed hunters, and only a few appreciated her evil slices, and self-appreciating humour. Edward was one of those that stayed. Vivi closed her eyes as she placed at least a dozen morphine pills in her palm, tilted her head back and opened her mouth like a baby bird. The pills sat on her tongue, pressed into her cheeks, almost spilling out of her lips. She spat half of them out, and took them a few at a time, an act that pitifully contrasted her image of an impassioned suicide attempt. She had spent most of her life trying to capture the essence of glamour, and soon her suicide would be piled onto the already heaping pile of failed attempts. Suicide was the only way she could guarantee a controlled performance, and she took solace in the power of self-determination, instead of dreading what ugly spectacle chance and natural order had planned for her. She fixed herself another rum punch, light on the pineapple, and returned to her bedroom. The top drawer of her chestnut armoire had her will and all relevant papers bundled together, and fastened with a blue silky ribbon. She cleared her face cream and brush from the top of her dresser, her hands shaking with age and nerves. Her hand looked deflated she noted, and lifted it closer to her face. It looked as if someone had extracted the soft tissue and fat from it, and left the old skin clinging to veins and bone with weary desperation. Thankfully she could barely see the spots and discoloration without her glasses, she thought to herself, and quickly dropped her arm to her side with a sharp breath. A picture of Edward, young, handsome, stood in a glass frame, peering down from her. She swayed in her shoes for no reason. The rum warmed her cheeks, and the pills began to make her eyes soft and glow gold. A smile crept on her lips, and suddenly she felt pretty again. Edward had been one who had stayed. She had met him slightly less than fifty years ago, in Montreal, 1952. Vivi’s father, Hannes, had been a moderately successful fisherman on the Pacific coast until an inheritance inspired him to open up a fish and chip shop in Montreal. Edward had come in one day when Vivi, Vivian then, was working behind the counter with gold-brown hair up in curls pinned near her sharp cheekbones. Vivi had served him his lunch with tight lips and no smiles, but Edward had come back every lunch for at least three months. The familiarity of seeing him, combined with his generous tips, warmed her frost slowly but not completely, until Edward invited her to his father’s post-production party in the film district. Vivi dropped both of her diamond earrings on the ground, teetered on the high heels she hadn’t worn in twelve years as she picked them up from the wood floor. She giggled slightly as she watched the shimmer of the gems as reflected from the glow of the setting sun. Her gold chain necklace hung around her neck, her and Edward’s wedding bands bounced against her chest, tinkling in delightful sound. When Edward’s hallucinated image appeared in the mirror, Vivi wasn’t frightened, but smiled at it flirtatiously, her first smile in a very long time. The outside edges of her vision crept in with white and grey light, causing waves she could see in her peripheral until she looked straight at them, at which point they raced again to the corners of her eyes. But Edward looked handsome, and she was much more interested in him, suited in the tan suit they had worn to the production party that first night. His hair had been slicked back, although not as severe as was en vogue. His face tanned, due in part to his leisurely life, grinned widely at her as she flipped a dollar to the taxi driver, more brazenly than a fisherman’s daughter should. Edward told her that she should feather her snobbery with the money to back it up, and promised her that he would provide her that life, if she promised to let him smell her curls for the next eighty years. She had blushed for the first time in her twenty-two years, which made Edward smile wider, and he offered her a glass of champagne. As Vivi continued to hallucinate that night in the bedroom, the Barbadian decor faded, and was replaced by the harder walls of that party in Montreal. She was happier at the party than at her home dying, so she welcomed the sounds of glasses tinking and women laughing, the vague rumble of voices that peaked so often in sharp consonants. The room spun, as it had that night, the first night she was drunk, and she felt the same warmth through her body, and hazy vision. Edward was so handsome that night, and her affection for him was enhanced by the blissfulness of the champagne. She stared at him that night under the stars, happy only with him, and pulled him into the backyard, away from everyone else inside. Vivi had misplaced her despair somewhere during her twirling dances in her morphine induced euphoria, and was not performing the dramatically morbid death she had rehearsed to Zachary during late night phone calls. He had hung up one her, more than once, and told her he’d rather her die than endure the manipulation. But now Vivi, swept up in chemical exhilaration, was enjoying her suicide more than her life, and if she had been lucid, would have snarled with cynical delight, “it bloody well figures”. Vivi slipped further in her wakeful illusions and found herself singing opera on a stage, facing a theatre full of people. Her voice strong and trill, she sung Chilean words in notes accompanied by the orchestra below. White mopped wigs of curly queues swayed with delight, and watched her with puckered red lips that bled from their powdered white faces. Edward sang the man’s part, and she giggled when she saw him in a dark costume and bronze chest plate. She turned to run out one of the many doors on stage but found them locked. She fell onto the bed, strangled by what she imagined to be her tight corset. Her lungs seized until her heart started to die, and she fell asleep, lost in delightful dreams as the visions faded from swarms of colour to murky clouds. The sky was fading as well, and Vivi would have been happy at least, that the setting sun was a gloriously pink scene that night. The orange dusk settled a flattering light over her aged body as she took her final breaths. Vivi could no longer see, but her face tilted towards the window, and used her last breath to draw in the aroma of orange lilies, as her arm fell easily off the side of the bed, in an image of graceful death. |
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| Added On: Thu Oct 2 2003 | Hits: 1 |
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| Strange place tolive |
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| Strange Place to Live “Hello friend! It’s a strange place to live, isn’t it?” Someone [next to me] said. “I beg you a pardon.” I said rather automatically because I wasn’t sure whether the question was destined to me. And frankly, I wasn’t used to anyone I didn’t know start talking to me in the street. Personal space, privacy and things like that, you know the way it is. So I turned my head to find the intruder and saw him. A man. Just a man. He was tall, taller than me. Six-two or maybe even six-three. White Caucasian. Oval face. Short black hair, blue eyes, a tiny scar on his left cheek. Irish? May be, who knows. About thirty five – forty. Altogether a normal, good looking fellow but still I didn’t know him. “I just said isn’t it a strange place to live?” The man said and smiled. I didn’t answer. Why? I don’t know. Perhaps, I am slow-minded or perhaps at that moment my mind was filled with all kind of thoughts and his question couldn’t penetrate beyond it. I say I don’t know. Anyway, I was there staring at him blankly and pondering who he was. I said I never saw him before and I was sure about that. Why did he talk to me? What did he want from me? Why me? Was he a con artist or some other type of criminal? A terrorist? The latter thought made me feel uneasy and I looked around nervously. No, I didn’t think so. First. It was daylight and the street was crowded. Second. I spotted a couple of cops at the corner not even ten steps away. No, it didn’t look like he was up to something bad. That was positive. What was negative then? The negative was that I didn’t have a custom to speak to strangers unless it was a real necessity, a question of death and life, an emergency. Now it didn’t look like a necessity. Why didn’t I leave him without a response to [whatever it was] his stupid question and just keep going. Maybe that was what I should have done. But I didn’t. The funny thing was that I didn’t notice that I had stopped when the stranger started to talk to me. Now both of us were standing in the middle of a busy street and people had to detour us as if they were water and we were two islands on their way. People, people. So many, so different…Millions of faces, millions of beating hearts, millions thoughts in their heads. The ocean of people. When was the last time I was alone. A year ago? Was it a year? Yeah, it was last March and I went to British Colombia to see rivers freeing from ice. Stop. What was I thinking about? With these reflections I forgot about the stranger and his question. Was he still around? Yes he was there waiting. What did he ask me about? Something about strange place to live. And I didn’t answer him. “Sorry,” I said and smiled guiltily. “That’s alright.” He smiled back “So, what about my question?” “Your question.” I repeated mechanically. I didn’t think about your question and I felt embarrassed like a school boy who didn’t do the homework. “I don’t know.” I said sincerely after a minute of hesitation. “I knew you were going to say this.” He smiled inoffensively. “Have a nice day!” And then he was gone, dissipated in the crowd. I remained motionless for another minute. I was trying to grasp the entire incident. What was that all about? I rewound the latest events in my mind starting from the moment the fellow appeared. I struggled to figure out what his question was about. What was the message? Was there any message? I walked a quarter of a mile before it stroked me. It was like divine enlightenment. I knew what it was about. I smiled at my discovery and the next thing I did was odd. “Hello friend! It’s a strange place to live, isn’t it?” |
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| Added On: Thu Jul 28 2005 | Hits: 1 |
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