Name Day

Name Day

Name Day. Just two tiny little words. Two tiny, unremarkable and unobtrusive words. Rather insignificant on their own. However, in Eros United these words were heavy, prophetic beacons of the fate every individual must face before being granted full citizenship. Name Day was the day individual faces became individuals. The day a person stopped being called a number and adopted a forename. The day one officially dedicated themselves to a vocation. To a purpose. To Eros United. The day Youth0403.8d, like everyone else in her cohort, would be presented with a small, heart-shaped locket.

“One heart, one mind, one rhythm. United in solidarity for a better today and a brighter tomorrow. All praise Eros United.”

The invocation came unbidden, a reflex from years of recitation and active participation in a chorus of voices proudly touting the mantra of Eros United. “One heart, one mind, one rhythm…” The implication stirred the very soul of Youth0403.8d. Even now she could feel a warm smile spreading across her face. She pictured herself walking proudly up the multi-colored tiles of the Eros Amphitheater where she would receive her very own heart-shaped locket. The locket of her daydream was a vibrant plum purple, an attractive complement to her vanilla skin. In her mind she could almost feel the odd warmth of the metal as she caressed the locket, and beneath her loving fingertips the token practically pulsed. She imagined the sensation to be the lifeblood of everyone who had dedicated themselves to Eros United. She smiled at the thought that very soon she would be an official part of this inspiring lifeforce.

Although the image of the purple locket remained strong in her thoughts, Youth0403.8d chided herself for her vanity. No one knew the color of the locket that would be presented to them on Name Day. In fact, most individuals did not even consider the color of their heart until after it had been received.This would be determined by the rectors and a small board of individuals who represented every heart color in Eros United. Together, this group would determine the proper vocation for all the youth in this year’s cohort. Purple, Red, Blue, Gray, Green, Brown...did it really matter? Individuals were placed where they would excel. This was a truth as clear as if one said a person needed oxygen to breath. It had been this way for centuries now, and the system worked. Eros United was prosperous and safe. Everyone was happy and content.

Everyone?

For a split second the locket of Youth0403.8d’s fantasy darkened from a lustrous plum-purple to ebony black. The pulsation from moments before turned into an icy heat that seared her hand. She dropped the locket, and as it hit the rainbow colored tiles of the Name Day amphitheater, a thousand tiny black hearts scattered in all directions, slipping into a myriad of cracks that were invisible before.

“Yo, yo, yo! What up 8-D?” A short, athletically built male greeted Youth0403.8d with hand raised expectantly in the air. “Okay, okay. I see. You just going to leave me hanging.” The newcomer (one of a pair of individuals approaching Youth0403.8d) paused, then added dryly “again…”

With an awkward smile, Youth0403.8d (better known to her friends as 8-D) responded weakly “I was just--”

“Daydreaming” the two interrupted in unison, barely able to stifle their giggles.

It wasn’t clear to 8-D whether her friends 9-D and 10-D were laughing at her, at an inside joke, or at the fact that they had spoken in unison. Regardless of cause, she welcomed the release from her imagination and chose to smile knowingly, hoping the two would not ask what she had been fantasizing about this time.

8-D, 9-D, and 10-D had been an unbreakable trio since the last mixing. They had met only three short years before, but had quickly forged a friendship that bordered on envious if that were an emotion anyone in Eros United ever felt. The three were inseparable. Even their very identities were separated by only one number: Youth0403.8d, Youth0403.9d, and Youth0403.10d. As a result the trio quickly truncated the numbers to 8-D, 9-D, and 10-D. It wasn’t unusual for people to do this, but it usually wasn’t this easy either. Looking at her friends now, 8-D blushed, sure that her cheeks would now match her auburn red hair.

“Well, who can focus on a day like today anyway?” 9-D queried, rescuing 8-D from more ridicule from 10-D.

“What? I’m totally focused” 10-d countered. “Focused on what name I’ll give myself. How about Prince Prospero if I’m given a purple heart?”

“Why not!” piped 9-D more in exclamation than query.

“You know Prince Prospero was a literary character that used his wealth and power to try to protect himself and his aristocracy from a horrible disease while his countrymen died in droves?” 8-D asked incredulously. Both 9-D and 10-D just looked blankly back. “And in the end they all died anyway while they were having a party...” 8-D prodded, trailing off in hopes that her friends would recall the Edgar Allan Poe story from English class.

“Who are you?” 9-D and 10-D questioned in disbelief. The mood had suddenly turned a lot more somber.

“Whatever. I just think you should pick something else. Maybe Superman? Yeah, you are definitely more of a Superman” 8-D offered, trying to minimize the impact of her last comment.

Both 8-D and 9-D cocked their heads, sizing 10-D up as Superman. After about five seconds of muscle flexing by 10-D, the entire trio burst out in laughter. The thought of 10-D flying through the sky in red tights was just too much.The old comics really were the best.

“Well, whatever I end up going with you can bet it will be a welcome change. No more numbers for this guy.”

“Amen to that,” 9-D agreed.

“I just hope I like my vocation. What color heart do you think you’ll get?” 8-D asked her friends. It wasn’t exactly against the rules to talk about, but most people just found it to be rather pointless.

“Well, I guess we will all find out shortly. There’s the amphitheater now,” 9-D gestured.

And just like that, they were at the center of the capitol. The three shared an excited look and locked arms, joining in synchronized steps with the rest of that year’s Name Day cohorts. What they saw was mesmerizing. Eros United had clearly taken great pains to design the capitol to represent each vocation equally. Hearts of every color adorned the entryways and overlays of every building. Hearts in almost every color enhanced every structure in the capitol. Even the pavement was dotted with heart-etched flagstones that led directly into the center of the amphitheater. 8-D’s eyes drifted from heart to heart, the purple ones calling out to her as a siren in the sea. She couldn’t resist feeling as if they had been painted on the streets just for her. They were her guide to her place within the Naming Circle, and she and her friends followed them all the way to their seats.

Inside the amphitheater, the trio waited anxiously for their numbers to be called. No one said anything, but each one of them was acutely aware that this might be the last time they were able to congregate like this together. It was highly unlikely that two of them, let alone all three, would receive the same colored heart today. And although there was no law preventing the different vocations from mingling, it was not typical. After today everyone in this cohort would be whisked away for vocation training.

Four years. That was how long each vocation would train. Right now four years of training seemed like a lifetime, but 8-D thought she wouldn’t mind sacrificing her friends if it meant that she could be a Purple Heart. Purple Hearts were the only citizens who were given privileges to leave the Eros United borders. Most citizens had no desire to leave the Eros borders, but Purple Hearts were tasked with ensuring order on Dark Island so this privilege was more of a necessity than a perk. Dark Island was where the new Black Hearts were sent each Name Day. These individuals were anomalies--miscreants and unfortunates who lacked the aptitude or desire to work with Eros United in its mission. And because Eros United was too kind to exact any real punishment on these individuals,they were sent to the island where they could do no harm. It was feared by some that if allowed to stay on the mainland, these individuals would spread their poisonous ways to influence those within the borders of Eros United. Dark Island was the compromise that resulted from the existence of these outliers.

Most people did not think twice about the Dark Island. Out of sight, out of mind as the saying goes. But 8-D thought about it all the time. She couldn’t help but think that something could be done to reform these individuals so that they could rejoin the rest of the Eros citizens and enjoy the bounty of its mission. This is why 8-D wanted so desperately to be a Purple Heart. She knew she could help the Dark Hearts if just given a chance. No one should be expendable, not even a fraction of the population.

At that moment she thought about her perfect test scores over the last three years. She, of course, had not shown these to anyone. These scores were to be kept private at all costs, one of the few orders issued to the youth of Eros United. 8-D didn’t really agree with this policy, but she understood how it could cause division. When she received her first assessment results three years ago she couldn’t believe it. In all the reports she had ever seen, no one had scored perfectly on these tests. Generally, the scores were very average. Some years there were slight gains that were praised in excess, while other years the assessment scores fell slightly below average. These annual assessments were used to gauge an individual’s verbal and nonverbal ability, fluid reasoning, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial reasoning, general knowledge, working memory, creativity, physical stamina and endurance, and, of course, citizenship. Each year 8-D’s assessment score had been perfect. She was sure that this would earn her a purple heart.

“Youth0403.8d.”

“Youth0403.8d.”

8-D’s friends nudged her slightly and she heard her number called for the third time. “Youth0403.8d.” She looked at her friends and smiled broadly. This was it. She almost jaunted up the dais leading to the rector holding her box.

Gingerly, she untied the ribbon on her box and carefully went to remove the lid. “One heart, one mind, one rhythm…” she thought. She pulled the lid from the box. Her breath caught. She could not believe it.

Nestled in her box was an ebony heart-shaped locket.