infertile. They want us weak. They wish us to denounce ourselves and fail at will.”
Joshua coughed softly and nudged me as Elsa spoke out. “Olivia is right. The government always has the perfect number of boys and girls. Yes, the chances of a boy should be fifty-fifty but the odds that every year each is exact is unheard of. We all know they choose the sex of the child. It fits their system. Why couldn't they choose other traits: hair color, eye color, or perhaps something much more important, like reproductive ability? This isn't by accident,” she affirmed. “Maybe once the Red Plague was an accident, a misfortune, but our current system is no longer that today.”
The room erupted in loud chatter. Then Douglas raised his hand to quiet everyone. Clearly he was the man in charge of the council. “We accept your theory.” He nodded, understanding where we came from. “It still doesn't change the fact that we're all here. If certain genes are gone, or turned off, how do we fix it?”
“They're not all gone.” I stepped forward. “We all know my mother conceived me naturally. We don't know how that was possible. Perhaps her mother or grandmother hadn't been inoculated or it had been faulty. Perhaps she has a new gene that is dominant and allows me to give birth to a child. I'm not a scientist,” I reminded the high council. “I'm a girl, thrown into this mess by mere chance.”
Douglas laughed, glancing at his council members. “Chance?” He shook his head and then stopped laughing, staring hard at me. “Nothing, child, was by chance.” I wondered why the sudden dark look appeared in his eyes. I couldn't quite read his expression and felt my stomach somersault. I wanted to look at Joshua but I couldn't.
He didn't answer me. He didn't have time. Douglas stared at me. “Child, you have no idea what the rebel alliance in Torv has done for you. Your father—” Speaking about him made the room spin. “He secured your future long before you were born. Chance hardly plays into your life. Your marriage ceremony, your job placement—all decisions made by the high council and interjected into the government's systems.”
“How?” Joshua spoke up. I didn't blame him for questioning what they said. It did, after all, involve him as well.
Douglas smiled. “You would be curious, wouldn't you?” He didn't seem entirely surprised. “Joshua, your family and Olivia's were close. Much too close long before you were born. If marriage had been a choice, I believe your parents, Rebecca and Gavin, would have wed. That's neither here nor there.” He brushed his hands together. “When Olivia was conceived, it happened to be the same lottery Rebecca had won that winter. Gavin knew who he could trust. There weren't many in Genesis willing to help.” He paused momentarily. “Rebecca didn't come to us. Let me tell you that. We came to her when she became a member of the high council of Haven. She'd known two other rebels in Genesis, but her allegiance and what she promised to do proved her beyond a doubt as one of us.”
“She helped forge my papers?” I guessed.
Douglas shook his head no. “There were doctors who were involved in the papers and ‘The Day of the Chosen’ aspect of it. Rebecca was important, because she made sure your match in the system was to Joshua.” I didn't quite understand the severity of what was being said and what had been done.
“Why did they need us to be matched together?” I asked, confused and glancing at Joshua.
“In time you would learn the truth,” Douglas reminded me. “You needed someone strong and loyal by your side. The Governor would not take lightly to the news and betrayal within his system.”
Slowly it began to make sense. I wondered if all the times we'd played together, if it had been to ensure we would become friends. I couldn't ask that. His hand had dropped from mine. I didn't blame him.
“Is there anything else?” I asked uncomfortably.
“We appreciate you coming here. Stay safe,” Douglas answered curtly.
Chloe opened the doors, and the three of us followed behind her, back outside and down the street with an armed guard in tow. It felt odd to be followed. I tried to pretend he wasn't behind us, but I couldn’t ignore the sound of his heavy boots.
“Where's dinner?” I ask half-heartedly. I didn't feel hungry but I knew we needed to eat. It was dark, late, and we hadn't eaten much since arriving in Torv.
“Floor twenty-two in our building,” Chloe explained as she led us once again into the foyer, and then the elevator. I didn't know what to say. Joshua hadn't said much. He'd been wrapped up in this for far longer than he'd realized. I wondered if he was angry with me, though I didn't feel it was my fault.
We all crammed into the elevator, and Joshua pushed the button for floor twenty-two. I reached for his hand, glad he didn’t pull away. Already so much was going on. I couldn't lose his support right now. The doors opened, and Joshua and I stepped out together, glancing around and wondering precisely where to go. Chloe stepped out behind us, and I moved to the side, letting her lead us into the cafeteria. Elsa stood behind us, and I glanced back to see our armed bodyguard still following us. I wondered what it would take to lose him.
This was definitely going to be awkward. If I didn't feel like we'd stand out from not being known around here, I was certain everyone would notice the six-foot man carrying a gun in to dinner.
Stepping out, I saw a rush of commotion through clear glass panels. Opposite us was a cafeteria with hundreds of people sitting down, eating, and talking candidly. “Come on,” Chloe insisted, leading us through the open archway. I felt Joshua fall just a few steps behind. Upon walking through the open door, the sound seemed to increase tenfold. It was rather overwhelming. “Grab a tray,” Chloe instructed as she maneuvered us through the crowd towards the line for food.
The three of us each grabbed a tray, and I glanced at him silently.
“Hey.” I smiled, grateful for one more face I recognized.
“I see you found the food,” Jaxon teased, noting the heaping pile of beef and mashed potatoes on my tray. I pulled up alongside Jaxon and Joshua, having a seat on the bench. Elsa sat beside Joshua as the table seemed to extend on forever. The cafeteria was huge! Chloe sat across from me and as I grabbed a roll, my eyes landed on the guard. He hadn't budged an inch. I could feel his shadow towering over me.
“You can sit down,” I offered, hoping he would oblige. He made me nervous.
“Have to do my job, ma'am,” he insisted.
I felt eyes surrounding us as whispers erupted even through the loud chaos of the cafeteria. “I'm sure you do, and you are, but you must be hungry.” I gestured. “Get yourself something to eat. I won't send you home.” I knew he just tried to do as he was told. “You can keep an eye on me while you eat,” I insisted.
The guard gave me a relieved smile and headed to the line, cutting in front of other people. I imagined having a gun on him kept people from complaining. “So does this place feed the entire town?” I still couldn't believe how large the cafeteria was in Torv. Where did all these people come from?
“Just the residents who live here,” Chloe answered. She didn't seem to think it was any big deal. All of Shadow had a population of maybe fifty people. I knew the other cities nearby were larger, but I never imagined Torv being so densely populated. “I suppose it takes some getting used to.” She gestured over to a young girl who couldn't have been any older than I was. “Zarrah, have a seat.” She made room at the table. “This is my daughter, Zarrah. Zarrah, this is Jaxon, Olivia, Joshua, and Elsa.”
Zarrah smiled faintly, giving us a weak nod. She had the same dark hair and eyes as her mother. “Glad you're back, Mom.” She kissed her cheek. “Dad wants to know if you're planning on leaving for Shadow again.”
Chloe glanced at me before returning her attention to Zarrah. “Tell him, he can ask me himself.”
Zarrah sighed, “He said he couldn't do that right now, since you've got company.” She gestured towards us.
“It's okay. If you need to go speak with your husband,” I said, “we can wait here or he can come over. We'll make room,” I offered, trying my best to be polite. I didn't quite feel it appropriate to ask any personal questions, certainly not with her daughter at the table.
Joshua nudged me under the table, his knee intentionally brushing mine.
