Aberrant (3 page)

"Forget it," I muttered. I was better than
this. Better than him. He couldn't scare me. I grimaced when I felt him push
the edge of the book into my arm. I knew he did it intentionally.

"Start reading, Olivia." He pushed the open
pages in front of me. "One of us has to do the work. It isn't going to be
me." He smirked as I studied the letters on the page. I leaned closer,
trying to focus, quietly sounding out the words as I felt him grip onto my
pigtails and pull.

"Oww!" I squealed as the pain radiated up into
my head.

He snorted like a pig, mocking me.

I jerked around, my fist finding his face as I pummeled
him once. It was all it took for Ms. Steiner to scold me and send me home for
the day.

I didn't want to imagine a life tied with Levi because the
government thought we were the perfect match. My eyes scoured the stage and
then the mass of people standing before us. I could deny the match but what
then? I'd be immediately escorted to the gate and left on my own to die out
there alone. I'd never see my mother again.

There had to be another way. Pretending to marry would at
least buy me time to pack some food and water. I could say goodbye or maybe
even convince my mother to come with me. She'd understand, wouldn't she? Then
we'd climb the wall or find a way to forge through the entrance. It was an
impossible task but less revolting than marrying Levi Keller.

The Governor read off the first name, "Janessa Becker,"
and a silence filled the city square as anticipation edged from the boys
waiting to see who would marry her. She was a nice enough girl with porcelain
skin, auburn hair and freckles. She'd never done anything wrong to me, but we
weren't best friends. The Governor adjusted his spectacles while reading the names,
"Martin Scavenger." A soft clapping erupted through the crowd whether
they wanted to celebrate the news or not. Martin caught sight of Janessa and
stepped away from the boys and made his approach toward the stairs. The
Governor waited until Martin made his way up the platform and stood before
Janessa, reading off the second girl’s name.

Two additional girls’ names followed as did the boys’. None
of the girls had been paired with Levi. I knew my turn was next and held my
breath. Levi was a bully. In all our years of schooling he'd never changed. I'd
witnessed him pick on the younger children at the playground. Maybe I should
have stopped him. Maybe I should have stood up and done something different. I
couldn't change the past any more than I could change where I was right now.

Governor Craynor read off my name next, "Olivia Parker."
I stood awkwardly staring down at the boys who were still available. I could
deal with most of the other boys in school. Marriage, though, seemed like such
a long time with someone you had to tolerate. My eyes scoured the crowd seeing
a guard a few feet from my mother. What would happen to her if I refused my
match? I knew the guard was watching the ceremony and not standing by the gates
because his daughter was on the platform today, to the right of me. Was he not
still on duty? He was dressed in the black Cabal uniform with a gun slung over
his back. I doubted he would be so forgiving.

I wondered if Governor Craynor remembered me from all those
years ago, reading my father's eulogy at the funeral. He hardly interacted with
the townspeople. He liked to stay pent up in his mansion. For a system where
everyone was treated equally and provided the same things, Governor Craynor
lived in the largest, most elegant home in Genesis, the Governor's Mansion. It
wrapped around the street with a private swimming pool in the back, and several
people in town worked for him, cooking and cleaning. It was no secret he
thought of himself as better than us. I had no idea what he did as Governor, but
I didn't imagine it involved much work. His responsibility was supposed to be
to the people. I couldn't remember a time when he’d ever done anything to help
the people of Genesis. He seemed more about controlling us and instilling
order. I doubted he had any real training to be a leader and half-wondered how
a man of such power came into the position of Governor. I couldn't remember a
time when anyone else had ever watched over our town. I knew there were other
Governors in the other cities, but didn't know who they were. Once a year,
sometime in the early spring there was a Governor's Ball when they'd all visit
our town. Very little work was done – mostly it was an elaborate party to celebrate
how fortunate we all were.

I despised Governor Craynor. I had no personal reason to
hate him. He'd never spoken directly to me and I doubted he ever would again
after today. He was plump and graying, and his voice was gruff. I was almost
certain as he spoke, I could hear a slight slur in his speech and wondered if he'd
had too much grog. I'd heard of people getting sick from grog, but I'd never
tasted it, nor had I ever seen it in our home. The government provided our food
– it was unlikely the people would ever get anything more than we absolutely
needed.

I realized I had let my mind wander and glanced back at
Governor Craynor as he used his spectacles to read the name of the person I
would be marrying. He took a moment and I was sure the air had left my lungs
and I would pass out. My heart quickened and my eyes widened, leaning forward. My
hands were visibly shaking, and I felt more than just nervous. I felt sick. I
gasped as I heard his name, "Joshua Warren."

I couldn't believe what I heard. Had I imagined it? Joshua walked
down the aisle past the other boys and headed for the stairs, an eager smile on
his face as he slowly approached me. I never imagined Joshua being the
government's match. I could see it in his eyes as he stood facing me. He felt it,
too – relief.

I didn't listen as the Governor finished calling the girls’
names and their matches. Instead I reached out, taking Joshua's hand in mine. I
glanced down at our hands together and felt my breath quicken as the world
seemed to pause around us. No one else followed my lead. Everyone stood there
awkwardly, putting on their best smile, pretending to be happy. It was a big
adjustment today, for all of us. We live in one of the better cities. We are of
the few lucky ones, or so we're told. I hardly felt lucky, yet standing there
with Joshua was more than I could have hoped for. I glanced toward my right and
saw the marriage ceremony continuing. It all felt like the perfect dream.

Once the last couple was called, the ceremony continued to
our vow exchange. I followed the lead as each girl stood to the left of me, one
by one twirled in a circle. As it was my turn, I followed suit, twirling and stepping
out of my heels, absently missing my footing. I nearly fell to the floor as Joshua
reached out to catch me. A slight gasp emitted from the town. My face flushed
red from embarrassment, and I knew I'd made a mockery of the vows exchanged for
marriage.

The Governor laughed it off, "Children." He shook
his head, "You are no longer that today," he chided, scolding us for
our actions. He stared at me, his gaze lingered, waiting for me to further
disobey him. Did he think I did this on purpose? I merely nodded as the
Governor continued the tradition and gestured for the next girl beside me to
twirl. Down the line, all sixteen girls had followed suit and then the boys all
took a step forward and then a step back. Each boy, now considered a man, held
out one hand, and if we accepted them as our husbands we gave them our hands in
marriage. One by one each girl accepted. As the ceremony came to a close, the
crowd softly clapped and one by one the new couples walked off the stage and
down the aisle toward their respective families. I took Joshua's hand, still surprised
by the sudden turn of events. I had feared what today would bring, that
marriage would be the end for me, and instead it was clearly the beginning.

"We should go find your mother," Joshua told me,
squeezing my hand as he dragged me through the crowd.

Joshua's family found us first. His mother, Rebecca, grinned
excitedly. "We're so happy to have you in our family!" She squeezed
me tight in her arms, and I knew she was being honest. Most families accepted
this as fate, but his mother would never lie. It wasn't part of her nature. His
father reached out and shook my hand with a faint nod. I glanced around
wondering where my mother was when she pushed her way through the crowd toward
us.

"Mom!" I reached for her, pulling her close to me,
thrilled with how things had turned out. Just hours ago I was terrified about
getting married, but it hardly seemed so bad now that it had been to Joshua.

"I have to talk to you later," she whispered into
my ear as her eyes glistened with tears.

"What's wrong?" I frowned, not understanding what
she'd want to talk to me about. Was she upset with my match? I couldn't believe
that was the case. Whatever it was could wait. It would have to. I glanced
around at the other girls from my class. They looked less than thrilled. I was
happy, though – nothing could dampen my spirits.

CHAPTER 2

Joshua smiled and opened the door for me as we stepped into our
new home. Our families would bring our belongings, though we didn't own much. The
government provided food and furniture. The fridge was perfectly stocked,
exactly like the one back home. It was mildly refreshing to feel at ease.

I glanced around – our place was small and quaint – a two-bedroom
government issued house. The layout was precisely the same as my childhood home.
Everyone in our stature received the same goods, and it was considered fair and
right. No one questioned such authority. No one had need or reason to. The
government seemed to know what was best for the people. I'm not sure I always
agreed by their means, but people in our city had homes and food. No one
starved if they followed the rules. It was meant to be fair.

"So, what do you think?" I heard his voice behind
me and jumped.

Joshua took a tentative step back to give me some space. I
laughed it off, shaking my head. "Sorry. I'm just not used to you being in
my house." In all the years we'd been friends we've never once set foot in
one another's home. It was forbidden.

Joshua laughed glancing around. "Well, it's our house
now."

After a beat, I glanced at him with a faint smile. "My
mother mentioned she wanted to tell me something after the marriage ceremony. She
might stop by this evening."

Joshua nodded. "That's fine. I'm sure she'll come by
before curfew."

I chuckled softly. "I would expect so." Breaking
curfew meant at the very least a flogging. It was rare for adults to be
whipped. Mostly children and teenagers were the ones punished for being out
past nine.

Joshua rested his hand on my back, guiding me to the sofa to
sit down. It was the simplest and lightest touch, but it sent a shiver coursing
through me. "Any idea what she wanted to talk about?"

I shook my head. "She seemed worried to tell me in town,"
I remarked. "She's my mom, though, and I'm sure whatever it was, she had
her reasons."

"Do you think it has anything to do with your
father?" Joshua asked and immediately my eyes widened. The thought hadn't
so much as crossed my mind. He'd been gone over a decade.

"I don't know," I whispered resting my hands in my
lap and staring down at them. I glanced at Joshua curiously. "What could
she possibly tell me about him that I don't already know?"

There was so much I hadn't known about my father, Gavin Parker.
He had died when I was five in a fire at his work. I hadn't asked the
specifics. I was too young to know them when it happened, and talking about it
never made me feel any better.

Joshua glanced at me. "Maybe he wrote you a letter before
he died?"

"It's not possible. I mean he died in a fire, Josh. It
would have burned with him. Besides, there is no way my mother could have kept
something that big from me." I felt hopeful, though – even just the
slightest bit – at the notion he could have written me a letter for the day I
got married.

Joshua smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure whatever the
reason it'll be a good one." He was always so optimistic.

I knew he had to be right. Why give me bad news after the
marriage ceremony? It seemed not only unlikely but unheard of. Watching him, I
reached out taking his hand, as my thumb brushed against the back of his palm. "Do
you ever wonder what it's like outside of the walls?" He had to feel the
same curiosity.

Joshua smiled weakly at me, glancing down at our entwined
hands. "I've climbed a few trees, but they're never taller than the gates.
There's no possible way to see over the walls." He wasn't the only tree
climber.

We only knew what was in the Gravelands from the stories
we'd learned in school and the slideshow projection of rotted corpses in the
desert. Every year, they showed us new footage to remind us that we were better
off inside Genesis and taken care of, protected. Those few that roamed the
Gravelands were outlaws, horrible men who would rape and pillage anyone who
crossed their paths. You were lucky to die of dehydration or starvation first.

I knew it was impossible to see beyond the wall. Only
Monospaces were granted access with permission to return. I had no chance of
being assigned this position – Monospaces were always men.

"What else have you done that you've never told anyone
about?"

Joshua laughed. "Well, let's see. Do you remember the
cow that had red stripes painted on it?"

My eyes widened, remembering Mr. Mercurial's cow. He was one
of the few people who had fresh milk that wasn't brought in from a neighboring
town. One night the cow was completely ordinary, the next day it had bright red
stripes painted all over it. Thankfully, the paint washed off, but I had always
wondered who had pranked Mr. Mercurial. "You did that?" I never knew
Joshua had a bad bone in him.