The System

Candace put her hands over her ears at the sound of the morning trumpet. It seemed as if she just closed her eyes to sleep, and now it was time to get up again. She jumped off her bunk and joined the others as they shuffled to breakfast. Normally she wouldn’t be this excited, but this will be her first day as an administrator. This new position means better living quarters and rations for her family. She promised her dying father that she would take care of her grandmother and sister, and she was a woman of her word.

She happily reminded her little sister Kayla that they were now Level 3 citizens, and finally allowed the luxuries of meat and fruit. Candace and her family got a lot of angry stares as other citizens noticed their shiny new Level 3 bracelets. She knew there would be plenty of jealousy concerning her new position, but these people were looking at them with pure hatred in their eyes. She had to make sure she kept a close eye on Kayla. Citizens were not allowed to harm anyone on Level 3, but Candace didn’t trust anyone that wasn’t part of her family.

There were 4 levels of citizenship under the authority of the Moderator. The lowest level was known as Zero. This was for people that were not yet citizens, or for those that lost their citizenship. They were treated horribly, and many were sick and starving. Zeros lived in tents outside The Community with no protection from predators or the elements. Level 1 was for new citizens with service level jobs. Ones were housed inside The Community in overcrowded bunks. Most meals were bread, water, and sometimes vegetables. Level two citizens were the largest group of citizens in The Community. They lived in cleaner, less crowded dorms with electricity and showers. Their meals weren’t always the best, but they were more balanced and satisfying.

The best level a citizen was able to be on was level 3. Threes had management positions, and were allowed to live in private units with their families. The food was great, and the rules were slightly relaxed. The only thing better than being a three is being a member of The System. Members of The System are not considered citizens because they make and enforce the laws. They all wore white clothes and heart shaped lockets.

The only way to move up levels is to be the best at your job while showing extreme loyalty and devotion to The Community. Candace had been a Level 1 citizen her entire life, but her hard work made it possible to skip Level 2 and go straight to being a three. She was pretty sure that was the real reason why other citizens were angry, but she didn’t care too much about what others thought of her. All that mattered to her was the health and safety of Kayla and Gran.

The first day at her job was a bit boring. Candace was an administrator of energy, which meant she was in charge of making sure the power was on and always working in her assigned area. The training made her feel as if this would be the only thing she will ever get to do with her life. She wanted to ask how she could excel and move up higher, but she heard the piercing sound of the evening trumpet. The question would have to be saved for another day.

At the end of the evening meal, a member of The System came to escort Candace and her family to their new living quarters. The woman was wearing a long, plain white dress with white sandals. Her straight brown hair sat atop her head in a remarkably neat bun. Her face was expressionless, and she wore a silver heart shaped locket around her neck. She said nothing as she showed the family their unit door and turned and walked away. Candace admired the members of The System, but the vow of silence they took was just too much for her to live with.

Kayla was the first one to enter the new living quarters, and she was amazed at what she saw. There were 3 big beautiful beds, a couch, bookshelf, table, bathroom, and two closets. The floor had carpet and there was even a potted plant. It may not sound like much, but the Level 1 bunk they lived in previously housed 75 citizens and hundreds of lice. This was definitely an upgrade. There was a bowl of fruit and a letter of congratulations placed on top of the bookshelf.

That night Candace was awakened to what sounded like marching. She wanted to see what was going on, but citizens are not allowed out of their units after the bedtime trumpet. She tried to ignore the sound, but her curiosity got the best of her. She got out of bed and slipped on her shoes. After making sure Kayla and Gran were fast asleep, she slipped into the hallway. She left a shirt wedged into the door so that she wouldn’t have to scan her bracelet to get back into the unit.

The marching was louder and there was a bright light coming from around the corner. There were members of The System marching toward a large opening at the end of the hallway. Their eyes were completely closed and the lockets around their necks were glowing bright green. Candace slipped into a shadow to stay out of sight. It concerned her that they all seemed to be sleep walking. She needed to see where they were going.

Candace was inching closer to the door when she accidentally tripped and fell right in front of one of the marching members. He didn’t seem to notice her and she had to hurry and get out of his way before he ran her over! That gave her an idea. She grabbed onto the member's dress and it came right off, but the member kept walking. Candace put on the dress and got in line with the rest of the marchers to see where they were going. None of the other members seemed to notice.

When she got inside the room at the end of the hall, she was speechless. The room was huge! There were hundreds of members entering the room from multiple doors. There was a giant box with thousands of flashing lights in the center of the room. All of the members were marching in one side of the box, and coming out the other side. Candace got scared and tried to leave. She turned and bumped into one of the members. The member kept marching as Candace tried to push him out of her way.

Taking a closer look she noticed the man was her father! How was that possible? He has been dead for 3 years. She was no longer afraid of being caught. She started screaming his name, but his eyes were still closed. She became angry and snatched the locket from around his neck. He opened his eyes. “INTRUDER!” he shrieked. His eyes were glowing green as he grabbed the locket back and secured it back around his neck. All of a sudden, each of the members opened their eyes. They all began chasing her down the hallway and back to her room.

Candace hopped back into her bed, put the covers over her head, and prayed for a quick death. She was startled by the sound of the morning trumpet. She removed the covers from her head and looked around. She was no longer in the comfortable bed. She was outside with thousands of others. It smelled horrible, and she was freezing cold. Once she was able to open her eyes, she noticed she was outside The Community.

She was now a zero.