The Pledge

“I pledge my life and allegiance to the National Political Societal Economic Elite Council. As we abide by the sovereignty it provides, we embrace that we are born to serve. Dutifully shall we sacrifice ourselves if it enables the survival of the few most High, whom allow me to live my life in protection, assurance and fulfillment of my life’s sole purpose.”

I stared at myself in the small mirror in my tiny bedroom, brimming with pride as I imagined what Taskmaster Judan would say tomorrow morning when he asked for a volunteer to lead the class in the Pledge and I would be the only one to raise my hand, ready to serve. I pictured him beaming proudly at me, his perfectly white, healthy teeth on display. I’d be the first student to be able to recite the Pledge by memory after only one day of class. I loved and hated his smile. It reminded me how my grandparents and I haven’t been able to afford dentist appointments since 2097. That was nearly a decade ago.

What I found myself even more envious about, was that he had glasses. Actual prescription glasses! The last pair my grandparents had been able to scrounge up the funds for was from three years ago. My eyesight had long since worsened to the point where I no longer could use them.

My Grandpa describes the world I was born into as “so corrupt these days”. 96% of the Nation’s population, the General Public, are unable to afford healthcare anymore due to their wages continually dropping, as the cost of healthcare is forever climbing. Where did all our wages go? Ask the other 4% of the population that now runs the National Political Societal Economic Elite Council.

I began to recite the Pledge again. “I pledge my life and allegiance to the – ”

“Leda!” Grandpa Eluiso erupted, bursting through my bedroom door. “What in God’s name are you playing at? Where did you hear that from?” His face, harshly contoured with age, contorted from disbelief into disgust.

From downstairs, the tempo of the ever-present beeping on my Grandma’s heart rate monitor quickened.

Finally remembering how to speak, breathe, and move after the shock of my Grandpa’s abrupt entrance, “Grandpa, I – I… It’s the Pledge!” I sputtered nervously. “I’m volunteering to lead the Pledge tomorrow for school. Our class has to recite it every morning before Taskmaster Judan will let us start class.”

“Pledge!? You want to lead the class in the –,” Grandpa Eluiso broke off his own sentence, shaking his head furiously. “No, Leda, no. You will not lead your class in reciting that Elitist rubbish!” He was practically roaring at me now.

Grandma’s monitor began beeping even faster.

“But it’s for school, and if I can impress my Taskmaster, maybe I can earn a better Skill Identifier. That would help me qualify to join the GP who can apply for one of the five!” I retorted.

“Leda, for Christ’s sake, can you hear yourself? One of the five? Do you have even the slightest grasp on how many of the General Public enter to win one of those sorry excuses for a human body replacement!?”

I didn’t have the courage to meet his eyes, so I committed to burning a hole in the floor with my stare. I uttered, almost inaudibly, “Thousands.”

“Try hundreds of thousands! All of you younger generations just can’t accept it, can you? Do you really think it’s so terrible to not live forever? Why do you feel such a need to prove the natural order of the universe wrong by making room in the world for these AI body replicas? What, suddenly you and the rest of the world think you can play the hand of God now? It’s disgusting!”

Salty, hot tears singed my eyes, and my room became a watery blur of anger and defeat. “No. I only want to try and help Grandma. I know how much she suffers in her own body now, and I see it every day, Grandpa! I know you see it too! How can you stand it?! You can’t! I’ve heard you cry at night and I’ve heard you sob your prayers to God begging him to make her better. You’ve done that for the past year and a half now, and look, has God answered anything you’ve prayed for? NO! Grandma is closer to dying every day, and we have God to thank for making her sick in the first place!” My fury was now a flamethrower aimed right at my Grandpa.

His face was warped with such vexation he looked as if he could've struck me across the face right then and there, but he said nothing. I counted, and for fifteen seconds, he said not a word.

Grandma’s monitor was beeping dangerously fast now.

“Eluiso…!” Grandma’s weak, strained voice croaked from downstairs.

With that, Grandpa Eluiso seemed to forget all about me as he bolted down the stairs and, moments later, howled to me for help.

It was 2a.m. Grandpa and I sat next to Grandma, who was finally sound asleep in her rickety hospital bed. Faded duct tape covered the rails of the bed in areas where time and rust had eaten away at the metal and left jagged edges exposed. Only one of its original wheels remained. In place of the other three wheels, Grandpa and I had stacked books and old newspapers to keep the bed more level and stable. Over the past nine months, I’d scrounged up what materials I could to decorate the bed for my sweet Grandma. I thought she’d like that. I once found a beat up, gold wristwatch, peeking out from a pile of litter that hugged the base of a sidewalk curb on our street. I’d cut its elastic and neatly glued the gold pieces to Grandma’s bed railing. Like her, the golden pieces, coated in age, had seen better, more shining days in times long gone by.

For the rest of the night, Grandpa and I took shifts so that one of us was constantly at Grandma's side to monitor her.

My last shift ended at 7a.m. and I had to hurry and get ready for school. I’d catch the neighborhood trolley there – as long as there weren’t any worker strikes or riots today. With no time to freshen up, my eyes stinging from dryness and lack of sleep, I reminded myself to not let the previous night's events affect me and my mission to lead the Pledge this morning. Stepping outside onto our cracked sidewalk that lead from our dilapidated house to the street, I saw something out of my peripheral: the trolley! But it was lifeless. Looked like I was hoofing it to school today. Two miles stood between school and my side of the neighborhood. I only prayed that I’d make it there without my secondhand shoes falling apart.

My school uniform; a grubby, faded white blouse, and a pleated navy skirt, clung to my sweaty skin. I panted heavily, making it to my classroom just as the shrill of the bell pierced the silence throughout the building, signaling the start of class.

Taskmaster Judan opened his arms wide at the front of the class, greeting us with his Greek god-like smile and shining prescription spectacles. It was then that I noticed a girl about my age standing next to him at the front of the room.

“Yes, good morning, everyone! We are so extremely lucky today to have with us Ms. Celine Elzyder. She is the daughter of the very man who wrote our Nation’s beloved pledge. Ms. Elzyder is here today to host a competition and pick a winner. Each of you will recite the Pledge to Ms. Elzyder and myself, and she will decide who most embodies the spirit and pride of the Pledge,” Taskmaster Judan explained. “The incredibly lucky winner will receive the opportunity of a lifetime! Ms. Elzyder, why don’t you tell the class of the prize our winner will receive today?” He gave her a well-practiced smile.

Without even looking in Taskmaster Judan’s direction, Ms. Elzyder spoke. “The winner who best delivers a performance of the Pledge will win an AI body replica for themselves or for the family member of their choosing.”

I nearly fell to the floor. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so much so that I had to consciously stop my jaw from falling wide open in astonishment.

Taskmaster Judan immediately filed us out of the classroom and instructed us to line up in Skill Identifier order, most important in the front and least important in the back. I was a little ways behind the middle of the line, but at last my turn came.

“Please, Ms. Dulaine, close the door behind you,” instructed Taskmaster Judan as I timidly walked in.

I did as I was told. If I kept doing as I was told, I would have my hands on that AI body replica and my Grandma would survive.

“Hello, Ms. Dulaine,” said Ms. Elzyder.

“Oh, please, ma’am, call me Leda, if you’d like,” I offered with a grin.

When she spoke again, it was in a way that suggested she'd disregarded everything I’d just said. “Please, begin when you’re ready, Ms. Dulaine.”

My heart was throbbing, and I fought the urge to vomit with all my might. My Grandma’s life was at stake here. I was not going to mess this up – until I did. I had performed flawlessly, that is, until the very last line. My foolish self misspoke by saying “Fulfillment of my sole purpose.” I’d forgotten ‘life’!! MY LIFE’S SOLE PURPOSE!! How?! How could I have ended in such disaster when I’d executed it perfectly from the beginning? How?! I choked up and it suddenly became harder to breathe. I could feel the blood draining from my face as I realized my fatal mistake.

In the aftermath of my verbal error, even amidst my internal panic, I still couldn’t help but notice that Ms. Elzyder had not once actually made eye contact with me during my performance of the Pledge. Her eyes had been welded to the silver heart-shaped locket around my neck. It had been my Grandma’s. She had gifted it to me before the sickness had taken an extreme toll on her. It was unsettling, the fact that Ms. Elzyder was staring at my locket in such a way, but it didn’t matter now. Nothing truly mattered now. That was it. My poor Grandma…. I… I’m so… so sorry.

The rest of the competition was a blur, and I felt utterly numb.

“Well done to everyone, but there can only be one winner, right?” said Ms. Elzyder with a rehearsed smile. “Congratulations, Ms. Leda Dulaine!”

I could not believe my luck! Only to find out it was not luck at all that had won me the competition. She wanted my heart-shaped locket, and, to save my Grandma, I gave that piece of her away.

2 weeks later

Having “won” the competition, I had planned on surprising my Grandpa. He was to be gone for three days, and he’d return home on his birthday, and that’s when he’d get his big surprise! I had it all arranged for Grandma to be transferred into the AI body replica in time for Grandpa's birthday. The doctor performing the body transfer assured me it was a common and standard procedure that took approximately five hours and that there was nothing to worry about!

I didn’t see him until nine hours later when he approached me, wearing a blood-stained surgical gown, to inform me that my Grandma’s vital organs had rejected the AI body replica. She had died in the operating room.

That is why today I am a dead girl walking. That is why today I am sliding into my black dress, no longer understanding how to be in this world anymore.

My Grandpa would not speak to me, look at me, or even acknowledge my existence. The pine casket stood before us, ready to be lowered into the ground. My Grandpa’s shoulders convulsed violently from wailing sobs that could only be borne from a lost and broken man.