Actions Bring Change

What is romantic love? Is it fancy pink cards, or a box of chocolates? Is it hanging out at the coffee shop? Is it holding hands? Is it kissing? Or is it the sentence, the simple three word sentence, I love you?

My first love was not like that, with Valentines and poetry and singing songs for each other.

I met my first love because they caught me picking their pocket.

My name is Ardemis, I live in a society where you are beaten for speaking your mind, and arrested for not supporting the government. Where money is everything, power is everything, status is everything, and the Hierarchy is everything.

The Hierarchy is an official system issued by the government, who says it “keeps the economy running and the people in order.” I say “it keeps the poor people poor, and the rich people rich.” Basically we live under the boot of the wealthy.

Can you guess where I am at the Hierarchy, yet?

I am at the bottom of the triangle, where the “good-for-nothings” and the “dirt-stupid” are. I’m in the Effden class, the lowest of the low. Above Effden class, in order from lowest to highest, is Rudis, Broot, Alpha, Prime, and Elite.

Alphas are the middle class. They hardly walk around our side of town.

So when I saw an Alpha, all alone, not even an adult, I decided I could have a little fun.

I casually walked a few feet behind them. They usually kept their Chips on their wrists, like a bracelet, but sometimes it was charging in their back pockets. I’ve snuck into enough Alpha neighborhoods to know.

Sure enough, there was a Chip peeping from their back pocket.

I picked up my pace, thinking the best method for this pick-pocketing would just be to snatch and run.

Big mistake.

They apparently felt me steal it, because when I walked past them they shouted “Hey!”

Not even looking back, I ran.

I’m a good runner. I’ve had practice: running from the Lashes (law enforcers), the countless people who I’ve stolen from, my friends who I play pranks on.

But I didn’t expect this person to catch up to me so fast.

I turned a corner, when SMACK. They tackled me and pinned me to the ground of the alleyway.

I squirmed and struggled for freedom.

Suddenly, it occurred to my dang slow brain that if this person reported me to the Lashes, I’d be dead meat. This wasn’t a game anymore.

After that occurred to me, I realized they had Flows, specially designed shoes that make the runner hover a few inches over the ground, and run faster than my life flashing before my eyes.

They gripped my hand and pried the Chip out from my grasp.

Then, to my surprise they got off me. I blinked and rolled over to finally get a good look at them.

My first thought was huh they’re kind of cute. Then, I cursed myself for thinking in such a weird way. This was an Alpha. Of course they’d be pretty. They were probably genetically enhanced, for their eyes to sparkle that shade of amber, and their face was probably surgically “perfected” to be symmetrical and smooth.

Then, I realized I was still thinking weirdly. I cursed myself and shook my head.

I stood up, and looked them square in the eye.

“I could get you reported.” they said.

My gut sank.

No.

Marx still needed me.

However, I couldn’t give them any leverage. I couldn’t show they scared me. So I crooked my face into a grin.

“You got me.” I said, raising my hands.

Their turn to look surprised.

“Allow me to introduce myself.” I said, lowering my hands.

“Hunt, they/them, Effden class, also known as, Hunt McAwesome-Sauce.”

They raised an eyebrow, then introduced themselves back.

“Evelen Hether Hartmen, she/her, Alpha class, also known as, Eleven Evelen.”

“What’s with the eleven?” I asked.

“Eleven Effdens who’ve tried me and ended up lying in a ditch.”

I laughed. Those “also known as” at the end were jokes. It wasn’t part of our custom. So I didn’t take her seriously.

“You think I’m joking?” she asked.

“No,” I said, mockingly, developing a serious face, “Eleven Effdens are totally reasonable. I can’t tell you how many ditches I’ve had to find to hide my victims.”

She smirked, finally loosening up. I relaxed until she brought up her Chip and pressed the home button.

“What’re you doi-“

The holographic screen lit up, shooting out from her chip. Before I could even finish my sentence click, she took a picture of me.

“Hey!” I exclaimed.

“I need a face for the report.”

“Wait no-“

“See you at the Lashing post.”

My guts freezed again.

Lashing Post.

That was where Marx had been. He’d never been the same.

My mind went blank. White noise rushed in my ears. I didn’t think, all I knew was I had to get that Chip away from her.

She started walking away, but before she could I grabbed her by the arm.

“Hey!” she said.

I brought out my Shard, hidden under my coat. A knife that usually blazed with fire, when it was charged.

Her eyes widened.

Good. She knew I meant business.

“Give it back.”

“Or what?” she said, though there was a note of uncertainty in her voice.

“Or you’ll have to end up in a ditch, too.”

She hesitated. Then, she handed me the Chip.

I let her go.

She casually took a few steps back, flipping her hair out of her face, which I had to remind myself was totally not sexy.

“Well, either you’re really brave or really stupid. What’s to keep me from going to the Lashes right now and telling them your face and name?”

“I can’t stop you from going to the Lashes, unless I kill you. And I go by a lot of names, Hunt isn’t the only one.”

She studied me for a moment. Then said, “Alright then, see you around.”

“Why?” I asked. Then I added, “We aren’t meeting again.”

“That’s my Chip. Of course we’re meeting again, I’m going to get it back.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

She smiled. “Well, I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

She powered on her Flows and jumped straight off the ground.

Marx was getting worse.

Most of the time he laid in bed, either muttering nonsense or screaming.

Marx was my younger brother. He was only eleven, but he’d still been sent to the Lashing Post.

The Lashing Post was where the “ruffians” and “traitors to the government” went. They were stripped of their clothing, tied to a metal pole and beaten either physically or mentally, depending on their crimes.

My brother had questioned the government’s teachings in school. He’d kept a diary and wrote his thoughts on the Hierarchy in it. Someone found it at school and blabbed to the teacher, who reported it.

The Managerials decided to send him to the Lashing Post for a “mental chastisement.”

The hallucinations started after that.

When I came home this evening, he thought I was a Managerial.

He screamed. When I tried to calm him down he punched me, but since he was all skin and bones, it was hardly anything. Then, he broke down and started crying, asking where mother was even though she had been dead for two years.

Life in the Urenam is hard.

Later I found out the Chip I stole from Evelen had a Block in it. Basically a device of super high security. It made it so I couldn’t access anything but games.

I thought about selling it at a pawn shop, but for some reason I kept it. I don’t know why, I just did.

I sat on the floor, fingering the Chip.

Suddenly it lit up. I dropped it in surprise.

The HEF, Holographic Energy Field, flickered out of the Chip, turning it into something like those ancient cell phones people used to use.

It read “Accept message?”

I wasn’t sure what to do. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t even let me accept it, since it had the Block in it, but I tried anyway, pressing the accept button.

A tiny holographic person rose on the screen. I recognized them instantly.

“Hi, Hunt.” said Evelen

“What the- how-?”

“I have more than one Chip. I just got a new number and called my old one.”

I smirked. “You mean my number? Your old number is now my new number.”

Evelen smiled back. “Not for long I’ll get it back.”

“Try me.”

“Oh I will. How about tomorrow morning?”

I blinked. “What?”

She rolled her eyes. “To-morr-ow mor-ning. Can we meet at the alley where we met up today?”

“Are you asking me on a date?” I asked, stupidly.

Evelen scoffed. “More like a chance to get my Chip back.”

I laughed. “Alright. Tomorrow morning.”

“I’d better see you there.”

“Same to you.”

She hung up.

I flopped down on the floor and laid there with my eyes closed.

Should I go? Should I meet up? Now that I thought about it seemed pretty risky. She could be tricking me. She could show up with a bunch of Lashes and they could capture me.

She’d been so chill with the idea of sending me to the Lashing post. Could I trust her?

I woke up, the next day, to the chatter of people in the streets, and the clanging of pots and pans from the restaurant down the road. Could they get out their cooking appliances any louder?

I got up, got ready to go out, and locked the door behind me. Marx usually stayed home. He was fine, and the neighbors would help him if he needed any.

I walked through the crowded street, my hands twitching in anticipation.

On the way to the alley, I stole a handful of things, ranging from food, to knickknacks, to a couple dollars. People don’t notice me very well. Either that, or I’ve got the lightest fingers in town.

I reached one of the buildings that formed the alleyway and entered. There was a clerk at the desk, but they were too engrossed in their E-book; they didn’t even see me sneak up the stairs.

Up the stairs and onto the roof.

Course I wasn’t going to stroll into that alleyway, without knowing everything. I’d wait up on top of the roof and see if Evelen came with or without the Lashes.

However, when I peeked over the edge, she wasn’t there.

We did say morning. Not Foremorning, not Aftmorning, morning. In my world the morning was split up in thirds. Foremorning, Aftmorning, and in the middle of those, there was morning. It was almost Aftmorning.

At first I was a little disappointed. Then I scolded myself for being disappointed.

She was an Alpha. Of course she wouldn’t show up. She had so many better options than me. She could be kissing a Prime, or even an Elite, with her looks.

I realized what I was thinking about and quickly shook the idea out of my head. I was so weird.

I turned around to go back when-

“Hi.”

I jumped about a foot in the air and nearly fell off the edge of the building.

There was Evelen standing on the roof, her straightened, cool face, and those blazing amber eyes.

“Uh, hi,” I said. “How’d you-“

“I saw you enter this building.”

“Ahh… “

She didn’t have any Lashes with her. Good.

I crooked a grin. “So, you did show up.”

She nodded.

“Hunt,” I said, introducing myself again, “He/him, today.”

She tilted her head and said, “Evelen, she/her, everyday.”

I nodded back. “So what’re we going to do? Ride a Boarinkle? Climb a Scrapple?”

She raised an eyebrow. “That’s what you guys do down here?”

“Um, yeah. Sorry if it doesn’t meet your Alpha standards.”

She finally smiled. “We Alphas don’t do those things. We sit, and drink, and have snacks and talk. Sometimes we watch people do those things, but never ourselves.”

Sounded boring to me, but I didn’t complain. Anyway, I couldn’t see this girl riding a bouncing, bucking, Boarinkle, or scaling a Scrapple building without a rope, which is what our lower class did.

I sat down, and so did she.

“Well, I don’t have drinks or snacks, but I do have a mouth that could go on for hours!”

“Ok then. Shoot..”

So I talked. I talked about how I once saw one of my friends ride a Boarinkle at midnight for a dare. She’d been flung off of it and landed in a tree. She had to get stitches and she wore that scar with pride. I told her that I’d climbed a Scrapple when I was ten and made it to the top first try. But it was beginner’s luck, since the next time I tried I fell, not even halfway up, and broke my arm.

“It takes practice.” I said.

“I see.” she replied.

“Here,” I said, showing her my arm, “It was fixed up, but not in a minute, like high class people’s arms get fixed. I had to wear it in a thing called a cast for seven weeks. And it itched like heck.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Your joking.”

“Nope. It felt like a bunch of ants were crawling up my arm-.”

“No, no, you had to wear it in a cast? For six weeks?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s what we do to fix our broken arms.” I said, as if it were common knowledge.

“But don’t you guys have doctors, down here?”

“Yes.” I said. “There’s this thing called being broke. Doctors don’t have those fancy tools that fix your shattered bones in two seconds down here.”

“Actually it would take 45 minutes, in which you’d be asleep, so it’d only feel like two seconds.”

“Oh, sorry, my mistake.” I said sarcastically.

“But I thought casts were outdated! Like, a century outdated.”

“Well, you thought wrong.”

This conversation led to us comparing societies.

In her society, a person could get banned from school for “failing to meet correct etiquette and standards.”

Etiquette included manners, walking, talking, and answering questions to teachers.

I didn’t go to school anymore. I had dropped out two years ago, when my mother died.

In her society, parents hired something called an Overseer to take care of their kid and teach them basic things like washing, brushing your teeth, going to the bathroom, and eating correctly.

As we talked I had to keep reminding myself that this was still a stranger. She could still send me to the Lashes. I couldn’t tell her any personal information.

I had to remind myself of this too many times.

I couldn’t tell her that I dropped out of school, that my real wasn’t actually Hunt, that my birthday was going to be this week, that I didn’t live with my mom and dad, like she did, that I was the same age as her, just a few months younger.

When we parted, I was the same smiling person she had met that morning.

But when she was out of sight, I wasn’t smiling anymore.

The next day Evelen called me again.

I still hadn’t been able to get in the Chip to do more than games. No matter how hard I tried to pry it out, the Block stayed put.

So I guessed I could only work it when she called.

“Hey are you there?” she asked.

I hastily picked up, not wanting to miss the call, since I couldn't call her back.

“Um, yeah! Hold on a sec!”

I was in the middle of trying to get Marx to eat. He hadn’t eaten all yesterday. I checked that the Chip was muted and turned back to Marx.

“Marx, it’s really good, I promise.”

Marx shook his head, his eyes squeezed shut. “N-no. Want. Mother.”

I blinked hard, biting my lip. “C’mon Marx, you gotta eat.”

“N-no.”

I cursed loudly in frustration. “Marx, please! Just eat it!”

He finally opened his eyes.

“Hurts. Too. Much.” he said, his voice trembling.

“I know, buddy, but you gotta stay strong. For me, okay? Just one bite that’s all.”

Marx sat up and took the food.

“Yeah, that’s it.” I encouraged him.

He ate like a fourth of the small portion, then shook his head and laid back down.

“I’m gonna go, okay? You’ll be okay in bed?”

He nodded.

I left the room, bringing the Chip, wiping my eyes.

Me and Evelen scheduled to meet up the next day.

And then the day after that.

And the next day, and two days after that.

We did a lot of fun things. She rode a Boarinkle for the first time, and was unexpectedly, moderately talented at it. She lasted a whole minute before she was bucked off. She wasn’t too badly banged up, either.

She brought money another time and she bought us some food from a kiosk. I saved some for Marx, and he actually ate it willingly!

She also kept trying to get the Chip back. We kept making bets.

“I bet you can stay on this Boarinkle for at least five minutes.”

I replied. ‘I bet you can’t even stay on for more than a minute.”

Technically she didn’t stay on for more than a minute, so she didn’t get the Chip.

We had food eating contests (I always won since she didn’t like the food in the Urenam). We had races down alleyways and made makeshift obstacle courses with empty food crates.

She quickly became good at these games. So once she did win, I was disappointed. It meant I couldn't keep in touch with her. But to my surprise she had said, “Meh, it wasn’t fair, I had a head-start. I’ll win the Chip another time." She didn’t actually have a head-start. Of course I didn’t argue with her. Later, it became a kind of joke between us.

We also talked. At first I didn’t trust her. But after five days of no signs of the Lashes showing up at my door, I talked to her more. I told her I didn’t go to school anymore. By this time, she was used to the poverty and misfortunes of the people in the Urenam, so she wasn’t too surprised.

When she asked me why I told her, “My mother died two years ago. Ever since then I’ve had to make a living for me and Marx, my brother.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother! I’ve never seen him.”

“Yeah, he… he stays home a lot.”

Our meets got to a point where I trusted her enough to introduce her to my brother.

She was very kind to him. Marx even seemed to like her, and talked to her, which I found a little annoying, since he never talked to me that much.

“How old is he?’ she asked me, when he wasn’t in range.

“Eleven” I replied.

She raised her eyebrows.

“Really he seems so-“

“He was sent to the Lashing Post.” I interrupted her.

Her mouth made a small o.

I glowered at the ground.

“Yeah, they did it when he was ten.”

“I’m sorry.”

I glanced up, for some reason a bit angry at her. After all, she had talked about sending me to the Lashing Post so casually, when we first met.

“Sorry? Sorry won’t do anything. Only actions bring change. Words can’t do anything to help my brother.”

Evelen developed that cool, straightened face, like a slab of slate.

“I see you are upset. I’ll leave you now.”

She turned around to leave. Guilt punched me in the gut.

“Wait! Evelen, I’m sorry, I’m not angry at you, it’s just-“

I almost said it’s just this place. Which would’ve led me to talking bad about “this place.” It could’ve led me to dissing the Managerials, which would be defined as “treason.” It could’ve led to me being sent to the Lashing Post.

So instead I said, “it’s just… I’m frustrated, that’s all. Not with you, just with life.”

She studied me, then said, “I understand. I’ll see you another day?”

She was smiling. A smile, that I’d learned to like while it lasted, since she hardly ever had it.

I grinned back. “Yeah, I’ll be waiting for the call.”

When we parted, I was the same smiling person she’d met that day.

However, when she was gone, she took the smile with her.

She didn’t call me until three days later.

We met up at the same place we met everyday, the alleyway where we had first met.

“Hey,” I greeted her.

“Hello.” she replied.

“They/them.” I told her.

She nodded. Then said, “I want to climb a Scrapple.”

I was kind of surprised at the sudden request, but I didn’t argue.

So we walked over to the back side of town, where the towering buildings called Scrapples were.

Scrapples were made out of brick, a block of rusty-red colored cement, that no professional builder had used since the Fourth World War. They were made by the very people who lived in the buildings, so they didn’t build them very efficiently. The bricks were always jutting right out of the walls.

So whenever me and my friends were bored we’d climb them and see if we could get to the top.

I looked to Evelen, who was staring in awe at the very top of the buildings.

“They’re tall, aren’t they?” I asked her.

Evelen closed her mouth, and set it into a determined look. She tied her long red hair into a ponytail. “Not too tall for me.”

She walked up to one. I followed.

“How about a bet.” She said.

“Okay.” I said, brightening up

“I want my Chip.” she said.

I laughed, shaking my head, “Alright, the usual then. I’ll bet you won’t reach the top of the building today.”

“Deal.”

So we climbed. I nearly fell twice, but Evelen didn’t slip once. She was taking her time, going pretty slow.

While we climbed we talked.

"So who even lives in these things?" she asked.

"People who have it worse than me."

"Worse than you?" She said, joking, "No way."

"Yeah. It may surprise you but I ain't the poorest Effden in the Urenam."

"What would you do… if you had all the money you wanted?"

“Trash the stupid Hierarchy." I said before I knew what I was saying. "Make education better in the Urenam. Make the Elites as broke as us, so they’d finally know how a hard life feels. Get rid of the Managerials and replace the Lashes with good people. Give money to the low classes. Make them richer. And get rid of the Lashing Post.”

Evelen was quiet for a moment. In the moment of silence I realized what I’d just done.

I’d just commited treason. If the government found out what I had said-if the Lashes found out what I had said, I’d be at the Lashing Post before I could say “It was a joke!”

I paused, hugging the side of the building, cursing my big mouth.

I heard Evelen catch up to my side. She said, “If I had the money I’d do that, too.”

I blinked. Say what now?

She paused then said, “But words will only do so much. Only actions bring change.”

And she climbed on.

I hugged the side of the building for a while more, digesting what she’d said.

Then, she called back to me, “I’m going to reach the top!”

I laughed under my breath. And climbed on.

We sat on top of the Scrapple. Evelen had said to keep the Chip, without an excuse on why. I didn’t argue, like every other time.

The sun was starting to set, lighting up the clouds with pinks, oranges, and golds. It had taken us a whole hour to climb this far up. This wasn’t the tallest building, of course, but it had to be at least 150 feet high. From here, I could see the gates of the city.

“It’s beautiful.” I said.

Evelen tilted her head. “I’ve never watched a sunset before.”

I shot her a look of pure disbelief.

“I’ve never seen it’s beauty in person. I don’t have time. We don’t climb on top of our buildings, either. We don’t even have windows. It’s a “distraction to work, study, and reality.”

“Well that’s pure bull.” I said. “The window isn’t a distraction from reality. It is reality.”

Evelen tilted her head. “I’d disagree. I feel like looking out a window would be like looking out at something beautiful, yet you would never be able to get to it. You're locked inside a building of rigid study, at a rigid desk. It’s a fantasy world outside a window. A world you can’t get to.”

“Unless you jump out.” I suggested.

She glared at me. “This isn’t the time for your jokes.”

“I’m not joking! I’ve been thinking… “ I bit my lip.

Should I tell her?

She waited. I decided I could trust her.

“I’ve been thinking… what if we run? We slip through the bars of the gates, and just leave. This city will never get better. We need to make our own world, without it. Let it crumble. Let it fall. Let it dissolve from the inside out.”

I stood up.

“Me, you, my brother, that’s all we need. We could be free. There’s gotta be something outside those gates. Something better.”

I reached out my hand.

“Jump out the window with me, Evelen. Let this world fall.”

Evelen hesitated.

Then, she took my hand.

She said, “I’ll meet you in the alleyway tomorrow.”

“Will you travel to the gates with me?”

At first Evelen’s amber eyes were filled with uncertainty.

“What is your name, your actual name?”

There was no questioning it. I could finally tell her. “Ardemis.”

“Ardemis,” she repeated, “I will travel to the gates with you.”

I beamed. Hope filled me up. I was finally going to leave this cursed city. I would find a new home, and a new life.

She never looked so gorgeous, standing on the rooftop, with the sunset making her red hair shine and blaze.

My heart picked up its pace.

I leaned forward, slowly, tentatively, until I could see every freckle dotting her face.

She leaned forward, too.

My heart was beating way too fast, now. She was really close.

A thousand thoughts were running through my mind. Most of them were screaming “Do it!” While the others were screaming in panic.

Evelen swooped forward, and my thoughts all melted away.

We did it. We kissed.

I felt like every particle in me was screaming with joy.

It was the most wonderful feeling I’d ever had.

When she was leaving, I was the same smiling person she’d met that day.

And when she was out of sight, I was still smiling.