Free: Part Two
By Lone Wolf
The sun set over the horizon. Asher stared at its beauty. Never before had he seen something like this. Climate control kept things almost the same light everyday. Only at night would it be dark and never had anyone in the community seen a sunset. That was a sight seen by one person and one-person only- the Receiver. How I envy Jonas, Asher thought. To be able to see something such as this, I wonder where he went. Asher felt a pang in his heart; it's beautiful but to risk pain, sadness, to see something like this I don't think you did the right thing, Jonas. I hate you. Why did you have to put us through all this? Why did you have to leave? The Elders were wrong, you were not strong enough. But I will be. I will be stronger than you. I will last through this awful nightmare of freedom. "I wish things were the way they used to be."
"You do?""
"Huh? Fiona what are you doing here?" Asher answered to the red headed girl sitting on a nearby boulder. "I thought you'd be at home you see to hate things now. You ran out crying yesterday..."
"Asher, hate is a very powerful word."
"So, you're going to give me a speech lesson now?" Asher joked.
"Oh Ash, I don't know anymore. I just can take it. These thoughts just rush through my body and I feel it. Here," she said putting his hand on her heart. "Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it gives me the most, there is no word to describe it, wonderful, I suppose feeling and I feel like nothing in life could ever push me down and other times like now, times when I see you, my heart just throbs and I get this feeling like I want something but I have no idea what it is... I don't know what it is..."
"You haven't had the stirrings yet, have you?"
"No, what are they, and what do they have to do with my wanting for something when I see you?"
"I don't know exactly but from what my parents say it has something to do with wanting the opposite gender, I dunno something about wanting to populate the world… You know those pills your parents take. Well when you get the stirrings you're supposed to take them too. I don't know how to explain it but when I forget to take my pill I feel that way about you too."
* * *
Jonas walked into the orphanage. It was a cold run down place with children running everywhere. Many were just Ones in cribs crying for someone to change their diaper or because they hadn't eaten in hours. Jonas took a look at their faces. How sad they look. Is this why we chose to live in these protected communities, why we chose never to feel pain and never see beauty again? "Linda? Why are there no kids my age?"
"They have school, dear."
"Oh."
"I'm hungry," Gabe said suddenly. "I need food."
"No Gabe, you don't need food, you can still go awhile without it. You want food," Jonas corrected.
"I want food."
"That's better."
"Where do you guys come from?" Linda asked. "You don't talk much like us you enunciate your words perfectly and you use words very carefully. Are you sure you come from here."
"All I can say is that we come from a far away Community and someday Gabe and I will come back and see if things are better."
"So, here's where you will be sleeping, I put Gabe's crib and your bed close together…
* * *
Discussion between the Elders of the Community
"What's the point of going on any longer? No one's paying attention anymore. Everyone is minding all these annoying emotions… The Community can't go on like this. It's too much. We must find a way to get a new Receiver, one who won't leave us in the dust."
"He was old. He had to go sometime."
"But what about us?"
"He simply couldn't help it."
"We need to quickly pick a new Receiver or else the plan of a perfect world will be destroyed. We proved to Elsewhere generations ago that we could pull this off. We will not fall now. We need a Receiver."
* * *
"Asher, I don't want to go home," Fiona whispered in his ear.
"You know what," said Asher also whispering, "I don't want to go home either." The sun had finished setting. It was a rule that unless you had permission, if you were still in schooling you were restricted to be outside during the night. Asher put his arm around Fiona. Her thick red curls glimmered in the moon light. How he longed to touch them. He saw Fiona shiver. How he wished he had taken the pill in the morning. He sat next to her and put his arm around on her back. He imagined how things were the way they used to be and how painless it had all been. There was no true happiness but there was no pain. He felt Fiona go blank and suddenly he had that memory no more.
"What just happened?" he asked suddenly.
"I don't know. You put your hand on my back and suddenly I was back in time, before all this had happened. I saw everything the memory was so clear."
"That's what I was focusing on when I had put my hand on your back but now, it's gone. I don't remember that anymore. It's gone…"
"Oh Ash…"
Authors Note: I'm sorry I didn't finish writing this in such a long time! For all of those who were waiting for this sequel I'm so sorry. I don't think it's quite as good as the original but thanks for reading it anyway!
Lone Wolf
