Flawless Society

Flawless Society

Excerpt From: The Manual For The Flawless Society

Section 2: Natural Born Children

All children, regardless of parental status (class, marital, financial or otherwise), shall be placed in the closest district learning house on the First day, of the First month of their Third year. In said learning houses, for the first three years of attendance (until the child’s First day of the First month of their Sixth year) all children will learn together under the supervision and care of Widow Wives.

On First day of the First month of the children’s Seventh year, the children will be split into three groups by the Flawless Inspectors, and continue their learning, depending on groups, with either Flawless Instructors, Widow Wives, or Overseers. Note: until the child’s First day of the First month of their Tenth year these groups are adjustable. Therefore, children can be moved according to learning level and capability.

Section 2 Subsection 1: Groups

On the First day of the First month of a child’s sixth year they will be assigned to one of three groups: Future Flawless, Future Wife, or Future Producer. The child can be moved to and from groups depending on if they meet the pre-set qualifications.

Future Flawless: To be selected to the Future Flawless group the child must be a male in good health and condition, with lighter skin tones and natural predisposition. The Future Flawless will study Mathematics, Sciences- physical and social, History, and Literature, to best prepare for their future in leadership, instruction, and politics.

Future Wives: To be selected to the Future Wife group the child must be a female in good health and condition with light toned skin, and natural predisposition. The Future Wife group will study caretaking- aid and nursing, etiquette, housekeeping, and hosting, to best prepare them for their future role as wife to a Flawless.

Future Production: The final group is Future Production. Any child not selected for the Future Flawless and Future Wife groups will be placed in Future Production. The Future Production group will study manors of production, maintenance, construction, and social willingness, to best prepare them for their future as Social Up-lifters (Laborers)

Section 2 Subsection 2: Graduation

After the Frist day of the First month of a child’s Tenth year the group assignments are set and cannot be changed, with the exception of moving a child to Future Production group. On the First day of the First month of a child’s Fourteenth year they will graduate from the learning houses. The children in the Future Production group will immediately enter the work force of Societal Up-lifters, functioning of their own volition.

The Children in the Future Flawless and Future Wife groups will move to a sponsor family and continue their education in secondary schools, before entering society, with the patronage of their Sponsor Family.

I live in a perfect society. A flawless society. Everyone is happy. Everyone has purpose.

“Emmika,” Mrs. Josette, the caretaker for my group, gestures me into her office.

It is a small room across the hall from Dormitories One. I’ve seen the offices of our Flawless Instructors, they are larger with more decorations, but that makes sense considering they have more important responsibilities.

“Yes, Mrs. Josette, how may I alleviate your stress?” I greet her.

“I would like to give this to you, as you will be leaving soon,” she holds up a small box, “it has emotional significance.”

“It is not customary to bestow gifts for the minimum required Mrs. Josette.”

“I understand, but I would like you to have it regardless.” She slides the box across the small desk towards me.

“Thank you, your gesture is appreciated.” I untie the ribbon and open the box.

Inside, on a scrap of blue silk, is what looks like a necklace with a pendant in a strange shape. My confusion must have showed because Mrs. Josette reached over

“It’s a heart shape. And press here,” she pointed to the side of the locket, “it opens.”

“But that makes no sense- it looks nothing like a heart.” I reply.

“I know, our ancestors were strange,” she looks around and lowers her voice, “Check the ‘Z’ shelf in the library.”

“But the library is only open to Future Flawless during free time.”

“It must be your choice.” Mrs. Josette turns away, a clear dismissal.

I gather the box, replacing the necklace inside, “Thank you, Mrs. Josette, for the necklace. I will miss your council when I leave.”

She catches my eye, her own looking slightly watery, gives a sharp nod and a weak smile. I turn and leave her office.

I mean to go back to my sleeping room, I swear I do, but my feet carry me down the hall to the oak doors of the library. Getting caught in areas during restricted times would grant a red mark on my record, effectively diminishing my chances of being sponsored by an affluent family, but my curiosity- a dangerous thing- had been piqued.

Opening the door, I slip behind the ‘A’ stack before the Flawless librarian can look up. Checking the rows as I move past, making sure no Future Flawless were browsing the digital tomes. There. A fair-haired boy is searching through the ‘T’ section. I crouch behind the last ‘S’ shelf. A strange sound like rushing water filled my ears. Taking the chance that he was far more engrossed that he looked, I dash past. I don’t stop quietly gasping until I reach the abandoned ‘XYZ’ books. I skimmed along the shelf thought Zanzibar: tags- islands, tropics, lost countries. Zig-Zag: tags- games, historical games, child play. And there, right after Zoom a small volume that didn’t match the rest of the shelf.

I pulled it out, running my fingers over the metal edges. After a closer examination I find a notch in the side with a double ‘heart’ shaped indent which looks to be joining the seam. Taking the necklace Mrs. Josette gifted me I pop it open with the button on the side. Carefully I slide it into the cut out on the book. A fait click, and the metal cover of the book yields, reveling paper. Paper covered in a looping scrawl. I slam the book shut, hiding the contraband leaves. If this was found in my possession I would be facing much more than a red mark. But I could not just leave it here. What if someone else stumbled across it?

I would take it, then destroy it to keep everyone safe. I stuff the book in my bag and Cover it with my noteTablet and my ball room uniform. The metallic cloth would confuse any sensors I ran into.

I rake my fingers through my loose hair, mussing it. Then smudge my lipstick across the corner of my mouth and cross button the top two buttons of my shirt. Keeping my head down and walking quickly I make my way to the front of the library. The Flawless librarian looks up at me, smirks at my state of disarray, and waves me out the doors. Triumphant, I walk back to my sleeping room.

The bathing areas are the only places in the learning houses that do not have camera-eyes. Every were else is monitored for our protection and safety, but the bathing area is not for our privacy. I always liked that. Of course, the bathing area has audio recording in case of an incident. I decide that is the best place to look at the book. I might as well know what I am destroying. I take the volume swathed in the metallic fabric to the bathing area and open it with the necklace. The lock clicks open easily, now that I know how, and I read the first page. On it is several names, in what looks to be oldest to newest. The first one being Lilianna. The most recent name makes me freeze: Josette. I turn the page.

Dear Diary,

I am a Wife now. Many would find that exciting, a purpose, a future. But I find it unfortunate, I am now tied to a man, who knows no bounds of failure or oppression, that I do not even know. I am expected to care for him in every way, to bare him children with no desire for free thought. I found a picture, an old one, of women marching n streets, holding signs. My favorite said: ‘HEAR OUR VOICE.’ I think everyone should have a voice. Do not tell that to anyone, I know it is not how a perfect society works.

I flip forward

Dear Diary,

My husband and I went to the fields today. He is a logistical overseer and wanted to look at the crops. There were hundreds of people out in the sun, toiling over the soil, with minimal water and not rests. I suppose that is their job, but it seems inhumane to treat them as disposable. Perhaps every Human life has more value than the work they can produce. I understand that is not what I was taught, but it seems to make more sense than what I was.

The next entry is in a new handwriting

Dear Diary,

I am in tears now. When my husband returned from work he found no supper waiting for him. He told me I disappointed him. I said: is it so difficult to wait a few minutes? I crossed the line- he showed me how much. I can cover up the purple and blue spots with cosmetics, but this life is not what I was lead to believe. I am sorry if I have individual thoughts, I know I should not, but I cannot seem to turn them off.

As I keep reading the handwriting changes. Following the names written on the first page. Hands shaking, I turn the page to Mrs. Josette’s second to last entry.

Dear Diary,

I see how similar my story is to the women who went before me. How our minds are our curse. we cannot exist in this Flawless Society, so this is my last entry, my tomorrow I will have followed in my predecessors’’ footsteps to whatever afterlife serves this unjust world. Good Bye. May you find other women to awaken.

The last page is covered in partially illegible writing:

Dear Diary,

I never got there. I was stopped before I could end my suffering. I still have the scars on my writs to show I tried. I am being punished by an appointment as an overseer in a learning house. I will try to save others before they fall into my similar fate. Let them stay ignorant to the world they live in.

I shut the book with a ricocheting thud. This can’t be true. Nothing of this is true, everyone in the Society is happy, content. Clearly this is some exaggeration of fiction- there is no way someone could be so distraught in the Society, let alone a Wife. It can’t be true, that would make my future obsolete, vanished, gone. Proof, I need proof its wrong. Mrs. Josette, her scars that are not there.

I bolt from the bathing area, my ears filling with the rushing sound again. I throw the door to Mrs. Josette’s office open. She is sitting at the small desk, dutifully writing on a noteTablet. I stand over her, snatching the stylus from her grip. Twisting her wrist, I push up her sleeve and. There are thin white lines running across the veins. That means- the realization settles on my shoulders. And I fall into the chair behind me.

“Why?” There is a harsh strain to my voice. I try again.

“Why did you give this to me?” For some reason liquid is dripping down my cheeks and I feel like my chest is a curtain caught by a tea candle. I pull the locket from around my neck and brandish it at her.

She looks up calmly, “Because I could not bear to see your fighting spirit die.”

I start to retort but Mrs. Josette cuts me off.

“And I want you to understand why I could never answer your questions.”

This makes no sense, I am standing on an ElectroRail, I have been slashed through the stomach, my heart on fire, the tram is speeding away from me, everything I thought I knew on board. My life on board. There is nowhere for me to go.

“But how am I supposed to go into the Society, and live, care for a husband, be complicit in the actions of the Flawless, now that I know the truth? Now that I have read the truth from all the women like me? I cannot leave it alone. I cannot let all these people, the Wives, the Producers, live in agony even if they have been told it is paradise, because I know. I know that it is not.” My voice shakes, hurts my vocal cords grating together.

Mrs. Josette looks at me again, her eyes are filled with pain.

“Emmika, do you not know, do you not understand? There is nothing to do, nothing to you can do.”

I look down, the pain dulls to a throb, I am tired, so tired. I stand up.

“Thank you, Mrs. Josette, I appreciate your guidance.”

On the first page of the contraband paper book, right under ‘Josette’ I ink ‘Emmika’ and on the next blank page I write:

Dear Diary,

I live in a perfect society, A Flawless Society.