his way through the thickets, I followed absentmindedly, not once considering the law that I was about to break for the very first time.
The bee landed on a flower patch just a few feet from the outside wall. I lay down on my stomach and watched as it flew around, elegantly dancing among the flowers. It reminded me of the way the younger children in the Levels 0-4 Home splash around as the Caretakers give them their evening baths.
I heard a loud crunch, waking me from my hypnosis that the bee’s dance had put me in. There was a boy, leaning against a tree not far from me, eating an apple. He looked different than the other boys in Impetus. His brown hair was extremely shaggy, defying the closely shaven hair requirements standard for all males. But his eyes stood out the most to me. Even from the distance between us, I could see they were a bright blue color unlike the dark eye colors in Impetus that I had become accustomed to. He had a casualness about him that went against the very formal standards of our community.
The constant crunch of the apple was a definite disruption to the show as the boy continued to eat. That’s when the realization that I was outside of Impetus walls suddenly struck me. I could tell the boy was watching me, so I didn’t want to admit my mistake. Instead, I shifted my body ever so slightly until I was able to glance back and verify that my feet were now indeed a little under the thickets. Hopefully that still counted as being obedient.
“That’s a bee.” His voice was deeper than the other boys I have heard.
“I know. We learned about them last week.”
“You’re in school?”
I glanced up at him. “Yes, I just started Level 6.”
Silence.
I sat up to face him, pulling my body so that I could keep one hand still under the branches. “You must be in school too.”
His shook his head.
Strange, he didn’t look like he was an adult yet. “You must be finished then.”
He laughed. “No, I’m only 11.”
I counted in my head. He was 5 years older than me. Why wasn’t he in school?
“What’s your name?” he asked. “You are not allowed to ask that.” I reminded him. He must have never learned the rules if he hasn’t been in school.
He rolled his eyes and threw his apple core on the ground. “Well, my name is Gavin.”
I hesitated but then replied, “My name is Evangeline.” I looked at the apple core with his teeth marks indenting it and whispered. “You should pick that up. You could be punished.”
“Evangeline. Pretty name.” He studied me carefully while ignoring my question.”Do you even know where apples come from?”
“From the co-op.” I announce proudly. That’s where our field trip was today so I had just learned all about the cooperatives and how they operate.
“Where does the co-op get them from?”
I had never thought about it before. Food was simply always ready when meal times began. While my level was touring the co-op, we had seen rows and rows of food that wasn’t grown in Impetus gardens. They never said anything about where that food came from and no one of course asked since that’s not allowed. But now that this boy is bringing it up, I really want to know.
He must have noticed the confusion on my face as he smirked with satisfaction. “Do you want to know where apples come from?”
A question that I never once considered now filled my mind. I needed to know the answer. “Yes.”
Another smirk. “Okay, I will answer but you have to ask me.”
Apparently he doesn’t get that it’s prohibited to ask any question that contains what, why, where, or how. “I can’t.”
Gavin’s smirk disappeared and a very serious look crossed his face. “You can, Evangeline. Impetus just tells you not to. And you’re not in the community technically right now, are you?”
I took a deep breath and looked behind me, wiggling my fingers that were stuffed under the thickets. I couldn’t see anyone else through them because they were
The bee landed on a flower patch just a few feet from the outside wall. I lay down on my stomach and watched as it flew around, elegantly dancing among the flowers. It reminded me of the way the younger children in the Levels 0-4 Home splash around as the Caretakers give them their evening baths.
I heard a loud crunch, waking me from my hypnosis that the bee’s dance had put me in. There was a boy, leaning against a tree not far from me, eating an apple. He looked different than the other boys in Impetus. His brown hair was extremely shaggy, defying the closely shaven hair requirements standard for all males. But his eyes stood out the most to me. Even from the distance between us, I could see they were a bright blue color unlike the dark eye colors in Impetus that I had become accustomed to. He had a casualness about him that went against the very formal standards of our community.
The constant crunch of the apple was a definite disruption to the show as the boy continued to eat. That’s when the realization that I was outside of Impetus walls suddenly struck me. I could tell the boy was watching me, so I didn’t want to admit my mistake. Instead, I shifted my body ever so slightly until I was able to glance back and verify that my feet were now indeed a little under the thickets. Hopefully that still counted as being obedient.
“That’s a bee.” His voice was deeper than the other boys I have heard.
“I know. We learned about them last week.”
“You’re in school?”
I glanced up at him. “Yes, I just started Level 6.”
Silence.
I sat up to face him, pulling my body so that I could keep one hand still under the branches. “You must be in school too.”
His shook his head.
Strange, he didn’t look like he was an adult yet. “You must be finished then.”
He laughed. “No, I’m only 11.”
I counted in my head. He was 5 years older than me. Why wasn’t he in school?
“What’s your name?” he asked. “You are not allowed to ask that.” I reminded him. He must have never learned the rules if he hasn’t been in school.
He rolled his eyes and threw his apple core on the ground. “Well, my name is Gavin.”
I hesitated but then replied, “My name is Evangeline.” I looked at the apple core with his teeth marks indenting it and whispered. “You should pick that up. You could be punished.”
“Evangeline. Pretty name.” He studied me carefully while ignoring my question.”Do you even know where apples come from?”
“From the co-op.” I announce proudly. That’s where our field trip was today so I had just learned all about the cooperatives and how they operate.
“Where does the co-op get them from?”
I had never thought about it before. Food was simply always ready when meal times began. While my level was touring the co-op, we had seen rows and rows of food that wasn’t grown in Impetus gardens. They never said anything about where that food came from and no one of course asked since that’s not allowed. But now that this boy is bringing it up, I really want to know.
He must have noticed the confusion on my face as he smirked with satisfaction. “Do you want to know where apples come from?”
A question that I never once considered now filled my mind. I needed to know the answer. “Yes.”
Another smirk. “Okay, I will answer but you have to ask me.”
Apparently he doesn’t get that it’s prohibited to ask any question that contains what, why, where, or how. “I can’t.”
Gavin’s smirk disappeared and a very serious look crossed his face. “You can, Evangeline. Impetus just tells you not to. And you’re not in the community technically right now, are you?”
I took a deep breath and looked behind me, wiggling my fingers that were stuffed under the thickets. I couldn’t see anyone else through them because they were
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