Heightened: The Federation Series (3 page)

At first these laws were difficult for the citizens to obey but the government found a way. The receptor technology has evolved, creating a modified human experience. The receptors are now capable of minor repairs to human systems and they act as the operating program for all citizens. An internal program connects everyone to the main Federation system. They can receive updates and information and in return send information to the pertinent Federation departments. But mostly, the Federation is in control of the citizens.

I feel like I’m going to be sick; neither of my parents has never hugged me. All I can think about are the laws and the punishments for breaking them. It’s ironic because tonight is the heightening. The one night that anything is possible. We are allowed to experience the full range of human emotions. After the graduation banquet, our receptors will be adjusted at the health center. We are then allowed one night to get it all out of our systems.

I look at my father; our eyes meet in an uncomfortable stare. He looks tired and worried. My stomach knots again, and I look towards the door. I want to ask him why, but I can’t find the words.

              He pulls away quickly and nods at me. I try to understand what he means, but turn to walk out the door, confused and conflicted. A hug is hardly a punishable offense, but it was still an illegal gesture. The receptor program is so successful that punishments are rare. Most citizens can self-regulate, and the Federation overlooks minor infractions. If a citizen has accumulated marks on their daily reports, a warning or community service can be issued. But the law allows for severe punishment. At the beginning of the Federation, a single infraction meant banishment into the disease infested wastelands. Extreme deviations from protocol, are the only crimes that result in banishment nowadays.

I have too much on my mind to process how I feel, or understand why my father would take such a risk, especially since he is under scrutiny. I take slow deeps breaths.

The walk to the road is short, but today it seems like an eternity. I forget to say goodbye to my mother. I look back towards the house. I want to go back, but I don’t want to see my father again, not until I can sort out what just happened.

              I wait for the shuttle that will take me and my sibling to the pre-occupation educational center, or the POE, which is what we call it. It’s still chilly. I zip my jacket and pull the collar up around my neck. I exhale, leaving a wispy white cloud in front of me.

              “That was odd,” my sisters’ voice comes from behind me.

              I ignore her.

              “What do you think that was all about?”

              “We shouldn’t talk about it,” I say. “He’s just having a difficult time with me leaving. He’s not the type to break any laws.”

              “But he did.”

              “Barely,” I say. I pull my bag tighter and plunge my hands in my pockets. I can feel my stomach tighten, and I look up the road, hoping for the shuttle.

              “I overheard them talking about the last council meeting,” she stepped closer to me and lowered her voice. “They are in trouble for not meeting the quota. The Federation is looking to blame someone.”

              “What?” I look at her. She looks serious: eyes focused and mouth downturned. She wraps her finger in a strand of her hair. “No one can control the weather. The Federation is a fair and mighty system that cares for its individual parts. That means each citizen.”

              “It doesn’t matter.” She sighs, “I wish it were me going, not you.”

              “You shouldn’t be talking about these things,” I whisper.

              “You need to be careful who you friend in your internships,” she gives me a nudge. “Keep to your tasks. There are rumors.”

              “You’re paranoid,” I straighten and look up the road, half hoping and half demanding the shuttle arrive. “How do you know anything at your age?”

              “I may be small, but I listen.” She said. “I’m smart too. I’m an observer, and you need to be careful, or someone will find out about you.”

“I don’t…”

“You don’t have to pretend,” she says, “we share a room. You talk in your sleep, and you have always been weird.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say. I can feel the panic begin with a sharp tightening in my gut and a knot in my throat. I pull at my scarf, trying to let up some of the pressure. I inhale a slow, icy breath.

“Don’t worry,” she says. “I’ve known forever and I’m not about to tell on you. I just want you to be careful. If the government finds out – I just don’t want to lose you.”

              She is smart, but there is no way she could know everything about me, or understand the workings of the government, not at her age. I don’t even understand, but I do know the world is a much better place than it was before the war. There are no unnecessary deaths, no unwanted children, no poverty and everyone works together towards the same goal, the betterment of the Federation.

              I look back over my shoulder, my hair whips across my face. I see my brothers come bounding down the front steps.

              “Don’t talk like this in front of them,” I gesture towards the boys. “Don’t fill their heads with your paranoia.”

              “Fine, you don’t have to believe me,” she says. “But I warned you.”

              I look back at the house. I see my father looking out of the window. He looks at me with a frown on his face. Maybe Pam did know something that I didn’t. Now my guilt is replaced with worry. It’s not how I had expected to start the first day of my adulthood.

The shuttle cuts through the air with a low hiss. It stops at the end of our drive. I place my hand on the scanner. It transmits my schedule to my receptor, and I close my eyes. There’s a miniscule tingle at first, but I hardly notice it and then it intensifies. I want to pull my hand away, but I don’t want to draw attention to myself. It hurts, which has never happened before, and then it stops. I hear my identification.

“Emma Greene, Agricultural, 51104E,” the voice on the machine is female, but I’m not sure if it’s an actual person or just a generated voice. I find the thought odd. I know the voice is part of the Federation program, but I wonder. I’ve never been outside of Eleven, and I have never met any of the people in the program images. Are they real? Before the Federation, people were responsible for many tasks that are now accomplished by machines and computers.

I sit in my assigned seat, my back to the window, facing inward, but I don’t look at anyone. I think about what Pam said, about the dead zone, and what my father did, but I can make any sense of any of the situations. I also think about him; why did I imagine him in my orchard? Again, I over think and worry... I always do. My hand still hurts. I turn it over and look at my palm. It appears to be normal. I rub it, but it doesn’t help.

The shuttle hovers for a moment and then cruises above the road at the approved altitude, which is just above the tree tops. There are 12 more stops before we arrive at the POE building. I catch my sister staring at me. She purses her lips and squints causing a bunch of skin to form on the bridge of her nose. I shake my head and look away. But I can’t help but wondering what has gotten into her. Her behavior this morning is strange. She’s only 16 and usually concerned with her activities and her friends. It was almost like someone had told her what to say. Then I wonder if her hand hurts too. I look at her. She’s turned sideways and looking out of the window. She’s not paying any particular attention to her hand. I look around, no one is, not even the other graduates.

I let my mind wander. The pain is starting to fade, and I close my eyes. I think about him again. I can see his eyes and I try and concentrate on his face, but I can’t envision it. I smile; I can’t help myself. The low hum and soft rocking of the shuttle are soothing. I imagine him kissing my lips. We’re not under my tree; we’re lying in the tall grass by the lake on the far edge of the farm. I can feel his touch; a gentle caress across my shoulder, down my neck and above my heart. I fall asleep. My dream changes; I’m alone. Night has fallen, and I can hear the peepers and see the fireflies. There are so many of them that it looks like the stars have drifted down from the heavens. I turn to look at him, but he is gone. I sit up and search for him. I can’t find him. I look towards the woods that lead to the South road and the Defense outpost. I see him enter the tree line. I call out to him. He stops. He’s looking directly at me. He shakes his head and closes his eyes. I hear a snap from behind me. I turn and see an officer. His raises his gun, and I hear the shot. I turn to look back at him. It is dark.

I jolt into a straight sitting position, almost falling completely forward. I grasp the edge of the seat with my hands to steady myself. I look around, confused. I’m still on the shuttle. My heart is racing, and I can’t catch my breath. I inhale slowly and lean back. I touch my lips. They are warm. I can still feel his mouth against mine. I’ve never had the nightmare during the day, or so close together.

“It was only a dream,”

My hands are shaking. It was so real. I look around the shuttle and then access my visual clock, “
that’s odd.”
The seat next to me is empty. Usually, there is a girl from Defense sitting beside me.

A low murmur erupts throughout the shuttle. We don’t descend for the next stop. I look out the window, and I can see smoke in the distance. It’s the same for the next four stops, all Defense students. We make it to the POE early, and without six of our students.

We descend and the doors to the shuttle open. I wait my turn and then calmly exit the shuttle. As I step off I, notice another set of eyes upon me; my classmate Sean. I wonder if he’s thinking about tonight. We have been friends since the first day of elementary education. We are alphabetically sequenced; my last name is Greene and his last name it, Greer. We don’t ride the same shuttle because his family works in Education and lives in our community city. Each, territory, has four community cities; each representing the north, west, south and east demographic areas of the territory. We are in the East City of the eleventh territory. Each city is a dependent government, dictated by the Federation Council. But each city is responsible for one-fourth of the necessary provisions for their territory. There is no inter-territory commerce. Only select individuals are allowed to travel to different territories. It is one of the laws that were created to contain diseases.

Sean is still looking at me.

My eyes meet his and linger for a moment before I look away. We aren’t supposed to exchange eye contact in public. We are to maintain order and follow the laws. But when we enter private areas, like the educational building, we are allowed to relax and socialize in an appropriate manner. By appropriate, I mean no touching, no standing too close, no personal information exchanged. We bend the rules, but not enough to get into trouble. Tonight will be either amazing or a complete mess. Sean is my obvious choice for an emotional connection tonight, but there’s something about him lately that makes me uneasy. He acts awkward and avoids any of our usual conversations. It’s almost like he is hiding something from me.

Only married individuals are allowed to be intimate with their information, but physical contact is limited to predetermined special occasions. Children are created by design, in a medical procedure that results in a viable offspring using each parents DNA, citizens are rendered incapable of reproduction in the conception procedure. A hospital incubator is used to bring a fetus to full term. But on the night of the heightening, the citizens can express themselves physically without fear of the law. Not everyone decides to be physical, but if they do they are not punished. The Federation found that the Heightening allows citizens to express their human nature, and, as a result, leads to more productive citizens. There are still laws that must be obeyed. No citizen is allowed to harm another citizen, and civil unrest is forbidden.

The Federation determined that emotions on the extremes of the scale contributed to most, if not all, of social problems. They enacted the Heightening because they recognize the need for humans to experience the full range of emotions. But it is two-fold they want to please their citizens, and to remind them of the problems caused by the extreme emotions. So every year for one-night citizens are allowed to express their unrestricted emotions. And there are always plenty of problems that solidify the need for complacency. I have never understood how anyone could oppose the laws eliminating any actions that can lead to love and hate, or the laws that eliminate all social barriers by making all individuals equal, regardless of occupation. Everyone contributes and everyone receives the same benefits.

I look at Sean as I step in front of him in line. He doesn’t return the favor, but I feel his breath on the back of my neck; it’s quick and labored as if he were exerting a great deal of energy. He’s standing closer to me than he should. I want to turn around, but our Proctor, Adam, is approaching. I hope Sean can control himself before he arrives. They could pull him out of the line and questioned him for any unusual behavior and if you asked me, breathing like a madman is unusual.

I hear him inhale and slowly let out a breath. It’s warm on my neck, and it sends shivers throughout my body. I flinch. I try to clear my mind. I think of my orchard. The apples are starting to get heavy on the branches; their sweet scent fills the air. I close my eyes and smile…I will miss the orchard. I envision him, the man from my nightmares. I should feel fear, but the thought of him warms me and comforts me. Sean’s breath has slowed, but he is close to me, and I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand. I imagine Sean is the man from my nightmare, and he kisses my neck as he reaches around and pulls me close to him.

“Miss Greene,” a stern voice shatters my comfortable vision of apples, serenity, and desire.

“Adam?” My breaths are quick, and my heart is racing.

“Please come with me,” he says abruptly. He doesn’t look pleased with my lack of formality. His eyebrows are squished together, and his face is drawn into a stern scowl.

My mind starts to race. What did I do? Did he find out about my father or what Pam said to me this morning? Or did he see me smile? I shouldn’t have smiled, but sometimes it is impossible to control myself. Maybe he noticed Sean standing too close.

I don’t question or resist. I just follow him. The entrance to the POE is magnificent, with double doors, flanked by tall granite pillars that lead into the lobby. I quickly look over my shoulder and find Sean in line. He’s looking at me again. I see him mouth “
sorry”
and then he looks away.

My shoes click, clack on the tile floor. The lobby is empty; all the students are still outside waiting in line-up for their Proctors to retrieve them. I stare at the back of our Proctors head. He’s been my educator for the last four years, but we aren’t allowed to know any personal information about each other. The students call him Proctor. I call him Proctor, but this afternoon, I’ll call him Adam and in a year, when I finish my internships, I might be calling him husband.

He’s not much older than I am, 24 years old. I look at him closely; his hair is dark brown and cut into the neat approved proctor hair style. His shoulders are broad, and he’s taller than I am. His brown suit is perfect, and he smells like our classroom: lemon cleaner and plastic.

He walks past the administration hallway. I look down it, to the headmaster’s office door. I’m confused. If I’m in trouble why aren’t we going to the headmaster? I follow him down the laborer hall and enter a doorway that leads to a staircase. We go down. I want to talk, ask him but I’m afraid. My hands are moist. I wipe them on my jacket. I can feel my throat tighten. In our history classes, we learn about the ways of our predecessors and their crimes against society. A hundred terrible images are running through my head, and I have the urge to run. I shouldn’t be afraid of him, but I am.

We walk down another hallway, and he opens a door. He turns to look at me and motions for me to enter. He’s looking right into my eyes. I stand there and just stare back at him. His eyes are brown. I had never noticed that before or that he has a dimple on his left cheek. He’s smiling at me. He is a handsome man. He doesn’t look strict or cruel at this moment, but I have seen him discipline, and I know his capabilities. I take a step backward. I want to run, but the thought of the punishment for disobeying my proctor stops me.

“It’s okay,” he says. His voice is not as stern as it was when he pulled me out of line.

I enter the room, careful not to touch him as I walk by him. The light comes on when I cross the threshold. He enters behind me and closes the door. I hear a small click and my heart sinks…he locked the door.

The room is small. There are some shelves to my right with cleaning supplies and a row of stacked chairs to my left. There is no place for me to go, and there’s no way anyone would be able to hear me if I screamed. I take a step back and almost fall over a bucket. I look down; it has about an inch of brownish, gray water and a sour smell, waifs up to me. So I stand still with my hands on my side, trying not to breathe too deeply.

“You’re afraid,” he smiles at me. “Good, you should be.”

“What have I done?” I can’t believe I opened my mouth. The punishment for questioning your Proctor is ten education points.

“Nothing,” he said. “I just wanted to look at you, one last time before you’re heightened.”

“What?” I step back against the wall. He is overstepping his rights to me. We aren’t married yet.

“I know you will use your best judgment,” he says, taking a half-step towards me. “I can trust you to maintain compliance and dignity? I will find you after the ceremony.”

“Yes,” I can feel the bucket against the back of my legs. I push it tight against the wall. My stomach churns and I can feel my throat tighten.

“You’re going to get Politics first,” he says. “But you should know…” He lowers his voice and steps closer to me. “There was a wall breach last night.”

“That’s impossible.” I did it again, speaking to a Proctor; I was breaking all sorts of laws and it wasn’t even first class. But now I know what happened at the outpost. Pam was right; she heard an explosion.

“That’s what they want you to believe,” he said. “Don’t let your guard down. You will receive Education as your occupation. It’s already done.”

“How,” I ask, still afraid, but curious.

“It doesn’t matter how,” he said. “I can give you everything you need, just don’t ask me to explain myself.”

“Okay,” my head is spinning and my stomach is churning. My sister’s words come back to me. ”
You’re so naive.”

“I will be looking out for you, keeping an eye on you. You won’t have to worry about anything.”

“I can do it on my own,” I say. I look towards the door. My fear of him is being overpowered by the need for fresh air.

“No, it doesn’t always work that way, especially now.” He steps closer to me. “With all of the attacks, they’ve decided that the majority of your class will end up in Defense, Labor or Transportation. And the old punishments are returning. There will be no more warnings.”