𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭

Preface

There is no calm before the storm.

I woke as lightning forked through the sky. My little sister Daya was still snuggled against my side, and I gently crept out from under our blanket, trying my best not to wake her. The echo of her warmth faded as I silently padded across the wooden floor, and I did not flinch as ghostly thunderclaps rang in my ears. In East Division, we were used to the constant drumming and hammering against our thick border walls, but it was nothing compared to the powerful storm.

Quickly I made my way out of the room, quietly pulling on my boots and coat, flinching at each small tear I split through the silence. I hoped my Dad would not wake up until after I left- if he caught me going into town, he would ground me for days. Glancing out the door, I watched as the sleepy sun peeked over marshy horizon. Even though it was barely light out, I knew the square would be alive as it always was.

My boots sank into the muddy ground, suctioning for a second until I lifted them again with a small schwoop! As I made the short walk to town, the few shells I managed to save clinked together in the pocket of my nightgown. Mom would be happy when I returned with a gift. Fresh bread was a rarity in the waterlogged cities of East Division.

Nobody was surprised to see a nine- year old in the streets alone, but I was careful to blend in with the crowd. It was larger than usual, especially strange considering how early in the day it was. I'd barely entered the main square when I heard yelling.

I was surprised at how angry it sounded, fast and fierce like lightning. At first, I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut, but curiosity got the best of me. So many people were stuffed into the square, holding signs that I couldn't read, screaming things that I did not understand. Dark- uniformed Executives rushed about them, trying to disperse the crowd. They spilled like blood into a river, parting the waters, but the crowd was like a rising flood. It couldn't be silenced.

People whirled over me, knocking into me without a care, shouting things about our Governor and our country, Eden. I fell back into the cold stone, exclaiming as my dress ripped at the knees. Now that I think about it, fretting about such a small thing is almost humorous. The crowd ate people up, thirsting for more, and expanded, pushing into the streets. I saw a nearby Executive shouting into a black walkie- talkie, spit flying from his mouth.

Why are they mad? What is going on?

As if the rioters were in a trance, the shouting simultaneously stopped. I looked around, stunned, meeting the glassy eyes of townspeople. The street was shockingly silent, so silent that I could hear the thunder brewing in the distance. My uneven breaths were all that filled the square.

The Executive I saw earlier spoke into his walkie- talkie again, but his eyes were pinned on me, his brows furrowed.

All around me, the silent crowd dispersed, their eyes still clouded and bleary. I glanced once more at the Executive coming toward me and bolted.

"Hey! You there!"

His voice sliced through the silence like a knife through butter. Fear enveloped me, and I ran faster still, darting into an alley as adrenaline pumped through my body.

"Stop right now!" the Executive shouted as I nearly slammed into a wall. I turned, shaking, backing away like a cornered dog. His face softened as he clipped his walkie talkie back on his belt. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I shied away as he came closer. "I didn't do anything."

He shook his head. "No, you didn't do anything wrong."

"What happened?" It was all I could think to ask. Behind him I saw the crowd still disintegrating, their eyes chilling me to the bone. "Why were they screaming?"

His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "The townspeople were just mad about something. But the Governor made it all better, before anyone got hurt."

I stared at him in silence until he spoke again. "Do you have a Mason Chip?"

My fingers brushed the small silver circle just behind my left ear. "Yes." Why was he asking me this? Everyone in Eden got Mason Chips implanted at birth, and replaced every five or so years with new and improved ones.

"What's your name?" the Executive asked, pressing a few buttons on his black wristband. An orange hologram popped up, so glitchy that I couldn't make out what it said.

"Maia," I responded slowly, watching him type in the hologram.

"Last name?"

"McKnight."

He selected a bar of information and dragged it onto a different screen, closing the hologram quickly when he caught me watching. "That's all, Maia. You can go home now."

"What did you do with the hologram?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I just put your name on a special list. Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I just need you to not tell your parents about what you saw today, okay? It will be a surprise for them." The Executive smiled again, stepping aside to let me pass through the alley and dash away, a seed of fear still planted in my heart.

Don't tell your parents about what you saw today. The words resurfaced in my head over and over. I put your name on a special list. The Governor made it all better, before anyone got hurt. Slowly, the words dissipated and were replaced with a single, terrifying memory.

The shocking silence of the square, more quiet than the heartbeat of the dead.