Lush (a YA Dystopian novel) Read online

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  We sat at the long rectangular table during our lunch hour, again in boy-girl, boy-girl staggered fashion. It was apparent that we were all still wrapped up in the newness of Incorporation. Fisher sat on my right, Stone on my left. Lily was on the other side of Fisher, and Holly on the other side of Stone. Holly’s twin brother Ash sat next to her. Across from us were Petunia, River, Petals, Ridge, Willow, and Clay. Our table was the only one in the room that was filled to capacity with twelve students – six boys and six girls.

  “All right… Ready. Set. Go,” Lily said.

  We all placed our left hand on the table, palm up, exposing our Citizen Brand.

  A full minute of silence followed as each of us looked to our right, to our left, and across the table; craning our necks to look at the circle that had been permanently etched into the flesh of each and every one of us.

  Petunia and Petals leaned in toward each other, making their arms touch, crowding River. He leaned back to give them more room.

  “They look exactly the same,” they said in unison and sighed in relief.

  “What did you expect?” River laughed. “You two are exactly the same.”

  “But look,” Petals said, moving her arm closer to River’s. “Yours is slightly larger.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I’m a male. Male brands are larger than female brands.”

  “Really?” Willow asked.

  “Yes. Really,” Clay answered. “The circumference of mine will measure exactly one-half inch more than yours. Does no one pay attention? They mentioned it in the film on Incorporation day!”

  “Bluebell slept through that,” Lily teased.

  I raised my right hand. “Guilty!”

  “His black doesn’t look as dark as ours either,” Petunia observed.

  Clay sighed. “That is because his skin tone is much darker than yours.”

  “You’ll have to forgive our friend Clay,” Stone said after he blew out the bubble of air he’d been moving back and forth between his cheeks. “He has a brain built for small details and information, that he keeps neatly filed and organized up there… ready to supply an answer or an explanation at a moment’s notice. He doesn’t quite understand why we don’t all function in the same way.”

  Fisher gave a slight nod of his head in agreement. “We still let him hang out with us though.”

  “Oh thanks, guys,” Clay smirked. “You wouldn’t have passed a class without me.”

  Ridge laughed. “Yeah, that might be the actual reason. He saved me from almost having to repeat Mathematical Practices in Year Ten.”

  “Me too,” Ash admitted.

  “Might be mutually beneficial, our friendship,” Fisher smiled.

  Clay laughed. “Might be.”

  “Everyone lean forward and scootch in,” Holly commanded. “I want to see them all close together.”

  The four people on the ends of the table (Lily, Ash, Petunia, and Clay) had to stand up and lean in, but we got all twelve of our arms lined up, skin touching, with all of our brands in a neat row across the table.

  “That’s exceedingly, awe inspiringly wow!” Holly exclaimed at the sight.

  “They are arms.” Clay shook his head.

  “Hush up!” Willow commanded. “Just let her have her moment.”

  “In a few months these will all look different,” Ridge remarked.

  “An O or an X?” Lily wondered aloud.

  “Statistically speaking, at this table, there will be 1.2 males with an X and 2.4 females with an X,” Clay supplied an answer.

  “I’ll have an O,” Ash stated.

  “What makes you so sure?” I asked.

  “All the men in my family do. We’re very virile.” He puffed his chest.

  “You can’t know that. It just happens sometimes. Childhood illness, a genetic mutation, or even… I don’t know… what if your mother took a serum while she was pregnant?” I countered, remembering what Beta had said that morning.

  “Have you seen our mother?” Holly asked. “There’s not a chance. We are safe. She just started them a couple of years ago.”

  “If anyone has to worry about that it’s you, Blue,” Willow blurted out.

  I hung my head. “Oh my goodness. You are right,” I breathed as the realization hit me.

  Aspen used them. That was obvious to anyone. She probably didn’t even care. She probably thought that the family number and the history of our Council standing would secure a Marriage Contract for me, even without fertility. She knew that no 1.15 would ever be a Guardian. The realization that my future Citizen Brand probably didn’t stand a chance against Aspen’s vanity eighteen years ago, hit me in the chest; hard. I slumped in my seat.

  Everyone withdrew their arms and returned to their original position; spreading out again.

  “Sorry, Blue. It just kind of came out before I even knew I was saying it,” Willow apologized.

  “No, it’s fine.” I attempted a small smile. “You’re right, and we both know it. It’s going to be 2.4 of us, so why shouldn’t I be one of the 2.4?”

  “Even an O doesn’t guarantee anything,” Clay said. “There could still be issues that hinder the successful production of offspring.” But he was just trying to make me feel better. I could see it in his eyes.

  It was better if I didn’t try to defy the expectations. I was expected to be a good student. I was expected to never bring shame to the family of 1.15. I was expected to Concur with Concord. And I was expected to bear the brand of the infertile.

  I’m sure my mother and father would secure a respectable Marriage Contract for me with someone I liked. And I could adopt a child or use a surrogate mother if I had to.

  I lifted my head high and smiled. “I want a cookie. I’m going back to the line to see if they have any carrot spice ones left. Does anybody else want one?” I asked, because I was expected to.