Emerge

Anna sat quietly in her dark bedroom, the only light coming from the door that was slightly ajar. Having lived the vast majority of her life underground, she was used to darkness, and found it more comfortable than artificial light. Anna was now sixty years old, and had retreated into the safety of the bunker with her mother when she was seven. She was lost in thought.

“Anna? Anna?” Helena, the curator of relinquished artifacts, had appeared at her doorway.

“Oh sorry, I spaced out there. I didn’t hear you,” Anna said as she came back to earth.

“Fantasizing about your big night?” Helena asked cheerfully.

“I’m not really looking forward to it, actually,” Anna said. She stood up so she could face away from Helena.

“Well I think it’s going to be great fun, I’m so happy you’re being honoured. I can only imagine what my life would have been like if you hadn’t been so committed to your cause,” Helena attested.

A little smile came over Anna’s face, and she turned back around, acknowledging Helena’s compliment.

“I brought something for you to wear, if you want,” Helena explained as she held up a diamond necklace.

“Oh I actually-“ Anna began.

“I insist,” Helena interrupted.

Anna caved and allowed Helena to remove the silver, heart shaped locket she always wore, and put on the diamond necklace in it’s place. Helena handed the locket back to Anna.

“This will probably be in your collection soon as well,” Anna muttered.

“You’re not that old Anna,” Helena said jokingly. It didn’t land, and after a few moments Helena bowed out and left Anna to finish getting ready for the gala in her honour.

A few minutes later, Anna exited her room. She had changed into black trousers and a white silk blouse, two items that had belonged to her mother, and that she only wore sparingly as to extend their life as long as possible. She had placed the heart locket in the left pocket of her trousers. As she walked to the main hall, she ruminated on the moment her mother had given it to her.

It was March 30th, 2080. Facing excruciating temperatures and toxic air, it was time for her mother to make a choice. To even be offered a spot amongst one of the underground communities was not an opportunity that many had. Anna’s mother sat her down, and explained that they were going to live in Esterra, a newly built community with the capacity for three thousand residents. She put the locket on Anna and asked her to be brave, and to lead the way for her younger cousin Jake who would be joining them.

Anna came back to herself as she noticed a new advertisement on one of the screens lining the hallway. Jake had grown up to be quite successful, he was now the President of Esterra and in his second term. The ad featured Jake prominently, a classically handsome man, aging well with flecks of grey hair and bright blue eyes. He was promising an approaching return to the surface of the earth. Anna’s pulse quickened. As she approached the great hall, she heard Jake’s voice, already at the microphone. Am I late? She wondered.

“Soon we will be able to reclaim our rightful place as human beings, back on the surface of our great planet,” Jake proclaimed.

Clapping and hollering erupted as Anna rounded the corner into the hall. She was awestruck at the glamour of the event. Esterra was built for function, the corridors and common areas were huge blank slates of grey concrete, dotted with sconces to illuminate your path. This level of luxury, the panels of gold fabric, the white table cloths, all of it made Anna uneasy. Alongside Jake’s presidency had come a rise in the appetite for luxury, by no accident.

“There she is folks, the woman of the evening,” Jake bellowed.

The crowd turned towards her and started cheering. Anna put her hand to her chest as she felt her pulse, and her anxiety, rise even higher.

“Yes, give her the love folks. We need to celebrate our heroes. That’s why we’re here tonight. Look you all know the story, it is a small town of course. But I’m gonna tell it anyways,” Jake said, pouring on the charm.

The audience laughed. Anna looked around, the majority of the room had that twinkle in their eye. They loved him.

“It was kept in the shadows. Many of our mother’s generation were forced into having children, against their will. Including my aunt Dawn. The pregnancy was unsuccessful, and neither her nor the child lived. We were left without our guardian at the ages of fourteen and eleven, respectively. But Anna here, this great woman, she did not take it lying down. She studied and she worked her way up through the government, and rallied support among every person in Esterra that she possibly could. It was her message that in order for humanity to be worth trying to save we had to build upon, not tear down, the rights we had. Make no mistake folks, we were headed down a dark path. But this woman here stuck her neck out, put a target on her back, with the hope that she might secure for herself and others the right to choose. Let’s get her up here, Anna come on,” Jake roused the crowd even more with his speech.

Anna walked briskly to the stage as she was called upon. Jake met her at the top of the steps, and gave her his arm.

“What’s this business about promising a return to the surface?” Anna asked aggressively, her head turned away from the crowd.

“Just enjoy your night,” Jake mumbled through a fake smile.

Jake began to walk her towards the microphone, so she was forced to follow.

“Have the results changed that quickly since I retired? You know there is still a lot of risk, some will die,” Anna said angrily.

The cheering of the crowd started to die down, a few murmurs echoed through the great hall. Jake would not meet Anna’s eye. She turned quickly to the microphone.

“The risk is worth the resources I suppose?” Anna asked over the mic.

Jake only smiled big, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The crowd fell silent. Anna noticed a president’s guard on each side of the room mobilize towards the stage.

“Hi everyone, sorry. And thank you for coming. I am humbled by this recognition. The message that I want to leave you with tonight is to keep pushing for your leaders to do better. Keep questioning. Question everything. Remember that,” Anna said stalwartly.

Anna backed away from the podium. People in the crowd whispered, and looked at each other, confused. Jake hastened towards the mic.

“Well that was short and sweet huh? But that’s Anna’s way after all, as we all know. I just want to say I’m so grateful that we were able to give her this great exit. One more round of applause everybody and then go and enjoy this feast we’ve got for ya tonight,” Jake said, commanding the room once more.

Anna slunk behind the curtain, she knew how to get back to her room without going back to the crowded hall. As she walked, she decided to take a detour to the memorial hall. A picture of every person who had lived and died in Esterra was on display here. She found her mother’s photograph, and stood staring at it. Anna longed to see her mother again.

A night in 2094 revealed to Anna what her cousin Jake was really capable of. By then he knew enough about his charm to have the confidence that he could convince anyone to do anything. He told Anna all about the advantages of keeping it in the family, and how he knew she would eventually be grateful to be tied to him. He was caught in the middle of the act, and so Anna never became pregnant. A kind hearted guard, working outside the prescribed attitude at the time, arranged for her bedroom to be relocated to the new wing, right under a surveillance camera.

Anna arrived back at her room, closing the door shut behind her. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Anna stood in front of her mirror, unclasping the diamond necklace from around her neck. She threw it on the bed. She then reached into her pocket.

A beep coming from the door signalled someone entering her room with a key card. Anna backed herself into the opposite corner of the room, she said nothing. She put her mother’s locket back on, not making eye contact with the guard, then finally looked up.

“I knew he would do this. Would you please tell him that? I knew he would,” Anna said with as steady a voice as she could muster.

The guard advanced toward her with a needle.