Chapter Text
“Levi Pennington,” bellowed the Official, scraping the metal pointer across the screen for effect.
Not one person in the room uttered even a cough.
The Official plastered on a sickly sweet smile under his stern, obedience-demanding uniform, coaxing out a response. “Come on, kids! I’m sure you know the answer!”
The soft, warning tone he used suggested that if they didn’t, there would be consequences.
A gut reflex, my hand shot up in the air.
“Ah, Miss Fairfene, I believe,” said the Official, his faux kindness not withering.
“Levi Pennington is the most important man in this country, possibly the world. He brought back and sustained our beloved country after World War III. We wouldn’t be here without him.” I petered off, speaking like the textbook itself. All the students knew that when an Official gave a lesson, he would accept nothing but rote memorization.
“Correct!” he said, eyes glinting. “Now, what was the most important thing he did after the terrible war?”
Phoebe held up her arm, rigid as a flagpole. “He created the new government system.”
“And, what, Phoebe, was this new government system?”
“There were two different statuses in this new system. High Officials, who answered only to the Prime High Official - Levi Pennington himself. There was one for each of the fifteen states, all appointed by President Pennington. And these High Officials appointed the Officials themselves, who answered to both the High Officials and Levi Pennington. There were forty Officials per county, and one hundred and twenty Officials per state. The rest of us are Citizens, who must follow any orders given by any Official, High Official, and - if we’re lucky enough to meet him - President Pennington.” chorused Phoebe, her explanation the exact same words as the Official’s when he gave a lesson last week.
The Official nodded vigorously. “Beautiful, Phoebe! This is what I expect from every single one of you!”
Of course he did, I thought bitterly. Phoebe’s his daughter. . . People would do anything to impress an Official; they controlled the staples of your life - food, shelter, clothing. They could give you - and take away - anything of yours that they wanted.
“Thank you, Daddy,” chirped Phoebe, just to remind us lowly grubs who was in charge. Sickening.
“Gratitude accepted, dearest. Now! Onto today’s lesson. . . Today we’ll be studying how exactly your ThotLogs work - and how the mastermind President Pennington created them!”
ThotLogs. They were literal mind-readers, chips embedded into your earlobe when you were born so the government could make sure your thoughts were healthy, safe, and - most importantly - happy. I couldn’t imagine a life where there weren’t any - how else would the government catch criminals before they do any harm? As the Officials put it, life without ThotLogs would be unpredictable and dangerous.
And everyone agreed.
I arched my back, paying rapt attention to the hologram projection of the prototype - just to appear the perfect student for the Official. Because sometimes, it could make all the difference . . .
“Willow?” called my mother, back to the me as she stirred some soup. “Is that you?”
Hearing her soft, sincere voice made any thought of Phoebe melt back into sludge. “It’s me!” I answered, flopping down on the dingy mattress in the middle of the room.
Mother turned, her eyes a dim sparkle under her heavy, black circles, bruised, calloused hands, and too many wrinkles for a middle-aged woman.
I sighed. She shouldn’t have to hear about my troubles now - it was hard enough for her to raise me all on her own.
“How was your day? I heard that the Officials taught a class?” she prompted.
“It went well. I got a question right, but he. . . didn’t give me anything.” I replied, leaving out the fact that Phoebe was the reason that none of us got any reward.
A hint of a frown passed through Mother’s face as she went back to stirring. “That’s alright. It’s never easy to get something anyway. We don’t really need it - we’re managing just fine without any.”
I looked around at the crusty, peeling walls, the small counter with only a few practically ancient appliances on it, and one moldy, lumpy mattress sitting in the corner with a family of cockroaches. Yep, I thought sadly, This is the life. . .
All I could do was nod.
“Oh, and honey? I have to go out tonight - the Official has me returning some papers.” she said tightly, probably because she knew how much I disliked her late-night meetings.
Now it was my turn to frown. “Ok. . . when will you be back?” Inside, I was deflated, but I couldn’t let that show in front of Mother - it was her job, I guessed.
At this question, Mother tensed, her voice becoming softer. “I’m not sure. But you will see me. You will.” she promised, voice shaky.
Smothering down the building heat in my chest, I furrowed my brows. Why is she acting so strange today? “Alright, then. . .” I replied, pushing away all my puzzlement and anger (it would be recorded on my ThotLog later, and according to the Officials, it wasn’t healthy to feel that way).
More importantly, it wasn’t healthy for my mother to know that I felt that way.
“Willow. . .” she started, turning around solemnly. “I have to give you something very important.” Her voice was firm, yet dripping anxiety at the same time.
She held out her palm, exposing a small, silver locket the size of my thumbnail. She threaded it through a thin chain, as if stirring a magic potion. “Always wear this - never take it off. You must promise me this,” she said, placing it gingerly into my hand, pulling my fingers over it. “When it’s the right time - and you will know when that is - open it.”
I nodded, transfixed with my mother’s warm eyes and firm tone all at the same time. “I will,” I promised, clasping the locket even more tightly.
She nodded. “Good. Now, I have to go. . . Goodbye, Willow!” she said, voice trailing off as she stepped out the door.
“Just a regular night. . .” I sighed to myself, gripping the locket tightly.
Though something told me otherwise. . .