In The Heart of Dystopia

“Sola, we’re so sorry for the loss of your father.” I stared down at the hand placed on my shoulder, acknowledging the pressure but feeling no warmth. It was gone as quick as it had been there. My vision blurred as the person walked away and was replaced by another. And another. And yet another. The sun was low in the sky before I could retreat to my room after the approving nod from my mother.

I took my time down the main hallway of the manor and watched the golds and pinks from the sunset play on the reflection of the gold plated wallpaper. I stopped to admire the glistening sun flakes before continuing on to my room. I shut the door and took off the black headdress I had been wearing since six that morning and walked out onto the balcony.

Taking a deep breath I leaned forward, resting my arms on the black steel railing. Our house was the highest on The Hill since my dad was the Head Councilman. We could overlook the whole city from the front window in the main hallway. My balcony faced southwest, so I could get more of a glimpse of The Grimlands- where all of the infected people were designated to live. Sometimes I could hear the wailing of sick mothers or babies but for the most part it was quiet.

I shuddered thinking about the people who were infected from the virus outbreak of 2025. Five years later and people were still dying from it. My dad and his scientist colleagues were working on a cure before, well. They’ll keep working on the cure, I reminded myself. The world doesn’t stop just because dad is gone.

The hot tears on my forearm made me realize I was crying. Normally I would have brushed them back but today I let them loose. I sobbed out on the terrace until the sun was kissing the earth and the golden glow became a midnight blue intertwined with indigo.

I turned to go inside but a burst of light from The Grimlands caught my eye. There was another burst of light. Another one. A faint, shrill noise was coming from that way but I couldn’t tell what it was. My exhaustion overcame my curiosity so I went inside to shower and go to bed. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on my vanity and I almost laughed at how horrible I looked. Almost immediately I felt nauseous- it wasn’t right for me to want to laugh on a day like this.

I leaned forward in the mirror as something else shiny caught my eye. The heart shaped necklace my dad had given to me only a few weeks before his death sat perfectly at my collarbone. I held it between my fingers, admiring the delicate solid gold locket. I had only opened it once with my dad to look at the picture of us he had put in it. The click of the locket opening was so satisfying. I stared at the picture of me at 8 years old and my dad holding me on his shoulders, my fingers shaking.

A brisk knock at the door brought me away from my impending meltdown but I was happy for the interruption. “Come in,” I called out, clasping the locket shut. My mom walked into the room and over to me sitting at the vanity. She sucked in her teeth at my appearance and I averted my eyes. “Oh Sola,” she said with the most pity that she could muster. “I know it’s been a hard day. But darling-“

“I know mom,” I snapped. I didn’t want to hear her criticism ever but especially not now. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that she lost someone too and to be more patient with her today. It was like she didn’t hear me though. She wandered over to my balcony and beckoned for me. I stared at my bed the whole way out the door, wanting nothing more than to lay my head down.

This time my mom took a deep breath and overlooked the valley and I followed her lead. The shrill sound from The Grimlands was only louder now and I could smell smoke. I noticed there were almost double the glowing lightsnow than when I had come in earlier. “Wait.” I squinted. “Are those… fires?” I looked at my mom in panic. “Those people need help!”

Normally my mom's lack of a reaction wouldn’t bother me but there was a curl in her lip I hadn’t seen before. “We are in a new time, Sola. A new era, if you will. Those low down infected gutter rats are getting what they deserve.”

My panic turned to horror. “Mom! You surely don’t believe that!”

She shrugged. “Oh but I do. We have spent five years trying to find a cure and there’s been no progress! Those infected… people,” venom dripping from the word, “have been doing nothing but taking up time and resources, not to mention the space. We want to expand the city! Open more trade stops. There’s just one thing in the way.” My mom tilted her head. “Well.. more like 100,000 things but it’s no matter. It’s being handled.”

My mom took her black funeral gloves off and reached for my hand. I took it, that nauseous feeling creeping back up through my stomach. “What does that mean? It’s being handled?”

A haunted, malicious look crossed my mom's face as she pointed down at The Grimlands. “They’re being quarantined and evacuated. We can’t keep allowing those sickies lying around everywhere.”

I wrenched my hand away from my moms. “Allowing? Dad’s gone and now you’re playing God?”

Teeth sucking in again my mom placed a hand on my cheek. “So naive. No one's playing, Sola. I am God now.”

I grasped the balcony railing for support. “This isn’t what dad wanted. He was trying o to save people, mom! How could you-“

The careful tone in my mom's voice was now replaced by a snarl. “Your father failed. There’s no other word for it. The Council has wanted to make a move on The Infects for a while now. Your father was the only vote holding us back. Now we can move forward to create a newer, cleaner world! Don’t you see, Sola?”

Mortified, I glanced back over the valley watching the fires burn. I finally realized that the shrill noise was screaming from the people down there. I couldn’t hold it in this time- I threw up over the balcony.

“For GODSAKE Sola,” my mom hissed. “You had better get a grip before tomorrow. The Council is expecting you to be there in your fathers place.” She patted me on the back before leaving me sick on the balcony. “A new era.” I waited to hear my door shut before retching over the railing again.

I was shaking. All of those people. Those families. Children, wives, brothers, aunts..Being slaughtered. For being sick. The disgust settled in my stomach as I showered and got ready for bed.

The moon was almost full and shining through my window, a sliver hitting the corner of my bed. I traced the heart shaped locket, feeling the smooth delicate engraving under my fingers. I popped it open, looking at the picture with the help of the moon. I brushed my finger over the picture and realized there was a small bump behind it. I ran my finger over the bump again and it made a whirring noise before pricking me!

“Ah!” I jumped, putting my finger in my mouth to ease the sting. “What the-“

“Hello, Sola.”

A full fledged hologram of my dad illuminated from the locket. My jaw was on the floor. I knew my dad was working on stuff in the lab but I didn’t know he had access to this kind of technology. The hologram was still talking.

“If you’re seeing this it probably means I’ve died an untimely death and wasn’t able to tell you everything that you need to know.

First Sola, know that I am so proud of you. You are and forever will be my most loved accomplishment. Dad loves you so much. I’m sure you are snuffing like an elephant by this point so I’ll give you a chance to get it together before I continue because this next part is so, so important.”

I had no choice but to laugh. Even in death my father knew me well. I ran to grab a tissue off the vanity and returned to the hologram as quickly as possible.

“Now Sola the next thing you need to know is that once I die, the world will not be as you know it. The Council has a sinister plan to exterminate The Infects and expand the city to the sea. This simply cannot happen, Sol Bear!” I grinned at the nickname. “They will say it’s because the people are sick but really it’s that they want to eliminate the poor class and start over with the middle class. Eventually get rid of them too, until the 1% are the only ones left. Those people in The Grimlands deserve to live. It’s not their fault that they are systematically oppressed and it is the duty of people in our position of privilege to help them. And we can, Sola. I discovered a cure.” My heart was thumping on my rib cage. My dad found a cure to the virus?

“Yes, I finally did it, Sola. My life’s work, finally come to fruition and I won’t even see its impact on the world.” He sighed. “And I only told your mom which means,” an even heavier sigh, “she probably had something to do with my death. She’s been.. having an affair with one of the council members for a while now. I’m sure they all know by now too, that there’s a cure. But the thing is.. I hid it. Along with other hologram clues for you. I couldn’t risk your mother knowing.”

My dad - well his hologram- had never looked as serious as he did now. “They do not want a cure, Sola, so The Council must never find it. Remember, their goal is to exterminate the poor, not solve the problem. I have a secret lab where the cure is hidden but I’ve said enough as it is in this gram. On the next full moon after my death you will pack a bag, take your horse from the stables, and travel East until you reach the end of the path. A friend and colleague of mine, Rochester, will be waiting for you. Make no mistake, Sola. This will be the start of a civil war. The virus ripped through our nation but is nothing compared to the damage of the 1% who created it in the first place.” I couldn’t even let that sink in before my dad was saying his goodbyes and his hologram disappeared into nothingness.

I was shaking again, processing everything my dad had said. Did my mom really have a hand in his death? Are they really performing mass genocide on poor people? A hair raising chill down my arms told me yes, to both of those. My dad wouldn’t risk his life for something so important if it wasn’t true. I looked at the moon high in the sky. It will be full in three days, I thought to myself, closing my eyes, gripping the locket in my left hand. “I won’t let you down dad,” I said before drifting off to a nightmarish sleep.