Lachrymose

I woke up with my head throbbing. I could feel the cold hard floor pressing against my face. My arms and feet are bounded by thick rust covered metal chains. With aching muscles, I forced myself to sit up and leaned against the wall.

My eyes immediately scanned my location. I am surrounded by deep rich colours of burgundy and gold. Flags with golden crest embroideries of flowery vines and plums are plastered around the walls. I must be the luckiest outsider to witness the deepest pockets full with gold and wealth. I smirked at the thought.

I am captured in Plum. The highest tier of the hierarchy. Ever since the world was ravaged by the X-mithropol, better known as the ‘X’, social division was created by the rich. Those who belonged in the top 1% of the wealthiest banded together and accumulated the Earth’s remaining resources to tend themselves. They created their own city and shunned people who were deemed as not fitting. The rich declared their class as royalty and the most desirable state which ultimately made them rulers of the current civilisation. Not long after, people of the lower class have started to form their own battalions for survival. Colours were adapted into their names to represent the nature of its people— Plum, Steel, Amber, Crimson and Terra.

My train of thoughts was interrupted by the voices. I hear them all the time— the whispers of scrutinisation.

“Disgusting!”

“She’s a criminal!”

“What a low life!”

“A Crimson? No wonder she’s like that!”

The weight of their words were heavier than the chains. My class was referred to as Crimson. A colour that stands for blood sacrificed by brothers and sisters for the survival of our people. For it is our bond that holds us together. I am here for them.

A Plum city guard wearing a ridiculous burgundy body suit leaned against the bar railings of the prison cell.

“Hey prisoner 12-55, you’re finally awake.” He spoke like he was happy to see me. Maybe I serve as a daily entertainment to him. What a freak.

“What do you want?” I replied with arrogance. At times like this, I cannot be intimidated by their presence.

“Woah woah, relax twelve. I’m not here to hurt you or torture you, I’m not really into that. We’re not as graphic as you think…

Silence.

“I’m just here to hear you out… So what’s your deal?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. He’s now looking really amused at myself.

“What’s in it for me if I tell you? Locked up for the next decades?”

“Smart girl. Look, I don’t have the exact details but Her Majesty actually wants to see you. She will personally handle your case.”

“Her Majesty?” I asked.

“Audra, the current leader of Plum. We don’t have royal titles here but she sure wants to be treated like she has one. Anyway, I can take you to her after you shower and get treated for your wounds” he said.

I managed to let out another laugh. This guard must not have the capability to weigh the situation that I am in.

“I have heavy metals digging onto my skin and you have the audacity to tell me to take a shower and get treatment? You must be out of your mind. I would rather stay in this hellhole than do what you say.”

“I have your locket.” I froze. He said it so faintly that I barely heard him.

My locket is the remaining connection I have to my heritage.. Majority of family was killed by the X. It was a highly contagious virus that shuts down your body system. My paternal grandmother knew she that her body functions were failing one by one. She gave me her locket as a parting gift before she left to Terra, the lowest class. Terra stands for the ground, where people are dying from starvation and disease.

So I did what he told me to do.

I was released from my chains and he took me to another room. The room was large enough to fit two whole families. The mattress was covered in textiles that are intricately designed. It must’ve taken the embroiderer years to fully capture their vision. I walked around the room and I couldn’t help but be in awe. I laid my hand on the pillow. I have never experienced anything as soft like this. I continued to admire the tapestry on full display. He let me just walk around for the next fifteen minutes, possibly even more.

“I’ll let you rest for today. There’s a bathroom in the corner, and in a moment I’ll send someone to tend your wounds.”

I heard the door softly closed. I sighed.

I let the warm water take over me. I felt the tears trickling down my face. My father would have enjoyed this luxury. To be able to have a shower and not worry about dying from hypothermia. I stood under the water until my hands were wrinkled up. I walked over to the bed and smiled bitterly. It looks too perfect to sleep on. I lifted the duvet and tucked myself in. For the rest of the night I cried until I fell into deep slumber.

The next morning I woke up from a knock on my door and a woman came in— tall and lean, short jet black hair with ends barely touching her shoulders and striking bold wine coloured lipstick. She was wearing a similar body suit as the city guard but she had guns strapped to her hips.

“If you’re done admiring me, follow me” she said and headed towards the door. I haphazardly fixed myself up and stepped out of the room.

“You can call me Zee. I am in charge of everything here. I’ll take you to our medical team for treatment. You look badly hurt.” Zee said while looking at my swollen ankle. I felt small standing next to her that I didn’t notice the pain.

I barely remembered what happened for the next two hours. Their medical room was filled with people wearing white coats and doing whatever it is they’re doing. They did so many test that my body could barely keep up. But they also casted my ankle for support. For that I was thankful. After the painful waiting in the medical room, I saw the city guard from yesterday walking towards me. If he wasn’t the enemy, I probably wouldn’t mind going on a date with him.

“Hey twelve! Nice to see you all rested up. Her Majesty wants to see you know.” He said enthusiastically.

I resisted the urge to tell him my name but I just let him call me twelve. We walked for what it felt like a marathon. We stopped in front of a large wooden door. It was wrapped in golden flowery vines and plums, just like their flag. This must be Audra’s quarters. He knocked on the door twice and another city guard welcomed us. An elderly woman was sitting on a throne. She’s wearing an ivory coloured gown and of course, it’s embellished with Swarovski crystals arranged into flowers and vines.

“Ah, it’s nice to see you Mason. Is this the girl from Crimson?” She spoke with such elegance that she may as well be the queen.

I just looked him as he nodded and gave Audra a brief report. He didn’t really strike me as a ‘Mason’. I thought his name would have been Graham. I smiled internally.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it” Mason said as he leaves the room.

Audra ushered me to come closer. I awkwardly moved slightly towards her.

“Why are you here, my dear?” she said.

Painful memories started to flash before my eyes. My brother falling off a cliff. My dad on his knees crying while my mother is lying on the ground, dead. My grandmother leaving. I travelled hundreds of miles to Plum so that I could obtain some resources for Crimson. All my life I have been obtaining and selling information between the classes in exchange for a handful of gold. There’s something about her that makes me want to tell her everything. Like a child running to her parent and tell on people who were being mean and make her life miserable. Tears started escaping my eyes, traitors. To my surprise she stood from her seat and offered me a delicate silk handkerchief. I accepted it and wiped my emotions away.

She moved uncomfortably closer to my ear and said, “Where’s Adalyn?”

My eyes widened and I felt a shiver go down my spine. How did she know her?

I saw a faint smile on her face as she walked towards back to her throne.

“Tell me, what year were you born?” Audra asked.

“Year of the golden crow, 3500.”

Audra quietly nodded.

“Your name must be…” her speech trailed of for a second.

“…Aurelia, the golden one.”

“ Aurelia, the golden one.”

We said it so simultaneously that I didn’t have much time to react.

“Let me tell you a story…

… 75 years ago, a family was living prosperously somewhere in the outskirts of Plum city. The father was a well known merchant and the mother was a renowned scientist. They had three children— the oldest two siblings were twin sisters and the youngest was a boy. Tragedy struck the family when some lowly thieves from Steel robbed their family home, killing the youngest child in the process. In order to survive, the father took one of the twin sisters and headed towards the North, whilst the mother took the other child and ran towards the South. Before they parted, the twins made a promise that they will find each other again somehow. Each of them had a heart shaped locket given by their parents. It was the kind of locket that you can put together to use as a key. The lockets are the key to their parents’ chest. From what they knew, it held research studies of their mother and vast historical books from the last century that contained valuable information. You will never be able to find or create its other half. Many years have passed and the oldest twin have searched for her younger sister but to no avail. Little did she know that her sister’s descendant would be captured in her kingdom.”

I stood still as I listened to her. My mind went blank like a full glass that could not hold any other liquid.

“I am Audra Felicity Whitlock. Twin sister to Adalyn Farah Whitlock, your grandmother.”

She held out my locket in one hand. How come I didn’t notice? She’s wearing the same locket. Her features looked so familiar.

Things were happening so quickly. City guards entered the room with a large wooden chest. Audra took off her necklace and just as she said, she connected it to my grandma’s necklace and used it to open the chest. More secrets started to pour out. The origin of the X, its true nature, the possible cure. It also contained trading secrets between Steel and Plum. The real reason why the world was destroyed. We opened Pandora’s box.

Everything is going to change… starting from Plum. And I will be the one to see it.