PATRIARCHY

seven

chapter 7

the thirtieth of may, 2155

The golden sunlight seeps through the windows, illuminating the particles of dust floating around the room. Even though the walls eliminate the sounds coming from outside, I can picture the harmony of leaves grazing each other from the tall trees, reaching all the way up to my window. It's just a matter of seconds before the sun sets at a level where the sunlight will sear into my eyes, but right now, I'm savoring the peaceful sight.

It's been the only thing that has managed to keep my mind off of tonight. I glance over at the clock on my bedside table, and I feel my heartbeat accelerate when I see it strike six PM. There's only an hour left before Alden will arrive.

Ok, I'll study for another ten minutes, and then I'll pick out my outfit, and touch up my makeup. Then I'll probably need fifteen minutes to mentally prepare myself.

Both of my eyes shut unpreventably as the sheer sunlight moves onto my right eye, so I get off the bed, history book in hand. I get to my desk and lay the book down on the sleek white wood, pulling my chair back to sit. I use my finger to trace where I left off, among the sea of paragraphs.

After the feminist civil war ended in 2058, our society had finally ensured a correct government. Millions of brave men and millions of females perished in this 2-year-long battle for probity, and it cut at our population-count drastically. The battle ended in the destruction of several cities, causing it to take years to rebuild, partly by cause of multiple foreign interferences. Many outland powers wanted to damage the fresh government order, but due to our highly developed military and defense-system, they didn't remain a threat for long.

I scurry past the words, trying my hardest to carve them into my mind. Parts of the exam is all about our country's history. I scroll past a few pages and I stop when I see a familiar picture.

It's of a mass of people, easily a thousand or more. They wear all black, almost blending into the fresh pavement beneath them. I recognize the area. It's just outside The White House.

My focus travels from face to face, and I notice that they all have similar expressions. Most of them have half of their faces covered by what I can only guess are bandanas. But one doesn't.

She is at the front of the crowd, holding a flag. It's black, with a female symbol circling a clenched fist. I take a closer look at her face, most of it drenched in her thick, dark hair. It goes down to her hips, and even though the picture is small and of low quality, I can see the small area of freckles around her nose. She is quite small from what I can tell, and she looks young. I glance at the caption of the photograph, and it says "Feminist mob led by Adira Knight, December 2138." Adira Knight. I remember learning about her. I browse the following pages quickly, and I find a paragraph dedicated to her.