DAUGHTERS OF THE MAYFLOWER UNIVERSE
ONE
CELIE WELLS
Copyright © 2019 Celie Wells
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9798652758769
Cover design by: RL Sather
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
To my husband Mark, you are my purple sky and my gold.
A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols
Jeremiah 50:38
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
PROLOGUE
THE THREE C’S
BUTTER AND SALT
A TRAVELERS FATE
TRADITIONS
DREDGE
GOLD AND LACE
LAST REQUESTS
MUSEUMS
MONDAY
CHOCOLATE AND CREAM
THE GALLOWS
THE REDS
SURVIVORS REMORSE
SUNSHINE SUICIDE
MISS CONCEPTION
VILLA DE PARIS
DREAMS
TAKE OUT
SURVEILLANCE
OPTION THREE
IT WILL BE FIRE
NORTH EAST
DARKNESS AND LIGHT
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
FORCING CHANGE
PURPLE AND GOLD
RE ENTRY
SHOOTING GALLERIES
HOW MUCH TO TELL
STARK REALITY
AS IF
PARTIES
CANDID CONVERSATION
SLEEPING BEAUTY
THE BEGINNING
ABOUT THE SERIES
PROLOGUE
After the war of 2076, several nations vanished from the Earth. The new continental government claimed the former United States, Mexico, and Canada as the peoples’ territory.
A giant Manx comet struck the Middle East disintegrating the Euphrates river and blanketing the Earth in gray soot. The protective layers of the Earth's fragile atmosphere became incapable of shielding life from the Sun. Rivers that remained after the 2076 event evaporated steadily. With a global need for fresh drinking water, the desalinization of seawater became a vital industry.
What no one could predict was how quickly the population and the altered atmosphere would consume the remaining surface water. Thinning, the world's population became the only viable solution for solving the intensifying water problem. Military relocation campaigns targeted entire regions of the globe for mass extinction. Water reclamation became everything.
Assisted suicides paved the way for more civilized rituals cheerfully referred to as Life Celebrations. At these festive parties, family and friends gather to celebrate the elder surrendering their life. Many citizens feel the sacrifice ensures the survival of their remaining family members.
The government, never one to miss an opportunity, rode the coattails of popular dogma and began euthanizing prisoners and those with unwanted physical and emotional disabilities culling the human herd and strengthening the stock.
All forms of organized religion are banned as a result of uncontrolled terrorist actions. The Catholic church, having a powerful influence over its followers, held out the longest. Many cathedrals survived by converting to hospitals and dormitories for the orphaned of society.
Theology study is allowed under the guise of ancient historical studies. Small groups are rumored to follow the old religions despite strict laws. Of course, these rumors are largely ignored as punishment for such lunacy is death.
The world's population, reduced to one-eighth of its previous inhabitants, began a race to find a habitable planet reachable within a human lifespan. Several planets selected early in the process were later found incapable of supporting human life. The definition of a habitable zone was redefined many times. As each new planet dropped from the list of possibilities, the number of life celebrations increased.
Concentrated efforts in the areas of propulsion and human engineering allowed greater distances to be traversed at faster speeds. With the combined efforts of all humanity, several vital advances allow citizens to carve out stable and prosperous lives in the harsh conditions. A highly educated population lives on the planet now with the common goal of finding a new Earth.
Citizens are required to choose a path of focus for their contribution to society and adhere to many laws, including family size and the use of natural resources. The punishment for a violent crime is death. Non-violent crimes require community atonement at a government sanctioned re-education camp. In 2187 everyone understands and accepts these facts. Though, as always, there are people who oppose the system. These people live outside the cities and are known as the Reds.
THE THREE C’S
Sunlight poked at a red blob caught beneath the milky plastic flooring—a bleeding-heart set afloat in a random pool of blue and green chunks. A few other obvious shapes and faces lay scattered under the hard surface. My favorite is the blue couple kissing towards the back wall, but the pareidolia effect isn't the same for everyone. Most of the boys in my class claim all the blobs look like boobs.
Only a narrow pinprick of golden sunlight pierced the otherwise white room, but the ray hit close to Mrs. Green's antique desk. She loved the lacquered, pecan-wood monstrosity and made a point to keep everyone from touching it.
Jay, our scraggly bearded maintenance man, quietly entered the classroom to inspect the breach during our day-end review. He planted his dirty gloved palm on the pristine desktop and pushed his thin frame up into the window.
“It's just a crack in the foam encasement,” Jay muttered, knowingly.
I thought Mrs. Green was going to whack the poor man across the face. The hard stare in her eyes could have melted platinum. Jay gingerly removed himself from the desk, wiping away the evidence of his mistake with a rag he pulled from his back pocket. He promised, in hushed tones, to return with a ladder and replacement foam. Everyone in earshot began to snicker.
“Crack” is one of the many commonly used words most adults in our education system avoid. The unusual exchange between the two occupied my full attention, pulling me out of my deep thoughts. I found myself laughing a bit too loudly at the obvious butt humor.
It was the first moment I noticed how tightly my fists were clenched. I took a deep breath, flattened my clammy palms on the desktop, and watched as the blood returned to
