Kill School: Slice (7 page)

I search for the words. Everyone here seems so normal. They
all will kill people found in everyday situations, mowing lawns, shopping for
groceries, or like this morning, going to work. My kill targets live high on
the hill in Clarkhaven house. They make plenty of public appearances, always
surrounded by guards.
Guards
. Like they have any reason to be
frightened.

“What are the Regulators like?” I finally ask Mom.

She tilts her head. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Her words stop me in my tracks. Dad trips and falls into me,
pushing me into Mom. Mom catches Dad and almost drops her bag in the process.

“What do you mean?” I ask once my parents have stabilized.

Dad brushes his hair behind his ears. “They help guide you
through the training process, and evaluate your progress.”

“I’m going to meet the Regulators?” I shift my totecase to
the other hand. “How come you didn’t tell me before?”

“It’s of no consequence.” Dad takes my totecase. “They are
only there briefly at the beginning of each week, and then for the games and
commitment ceremony at the end.”

Mom fixes my hair. “Make sure you keep your head low and
don’t make eye contact with them. You don’t want to be on their radar.”

We reach the silver turnstile. A guard stands on each side.
Kids funnel through after saying goodbye to their parents. The crowd pushes us
along in line, the squeaking turnstile calling me for my turn through its
motion.

I look down on the ground in case anyone catches the water
welling in my eyes. Kids sniffle all around me. Everyone either has caught a
cold or is feeling the same way I am.

“No parents past this point,” the guard says.

Two more kids go through the turnstile. Mom can’t let go of
my shirt. I hold her hand. Dad hugs me from behind with a hand on Mom’s
shoulder and whispers a goodbye.

Suddenly a plump woman pushes me aside. Two boys and two
girls follow her.

“The quadruplets?” Mom’s wide eyes register surprise. “We
were in the hospital together.” She taps my arm. “One of the best days of my
life, when you were born.”

“Why don’t I know them?” I watch the plump woman say
goodbye to her children. “Where do they live?”

The two girls are identical. One wears a short red dress,
the other jeans, and a blouse. The two boys are not. I watch them interact. The
kids are close. Their mom seems awkward, as if she doesn’t know whether to hug
them or shake their hands.

Mom watches the woman with a peculiar expression. The faraway
look in her eyes tells me something doesn’t make sense to her. I decide to drop
the subject when a guard ushers us along. I end up right behind one of the
identical twins. The line pushes forward and away from my parents.

“Mom. Dad.” Other parents step in between us. I am no
longer in contact with my mother. I’m like a salmon swimming upstream.

“Love you,” Mom and Dad call out at once. Heart hammering,
I let the crowd push me forward.

“Tissues,” the plump woman says to the quadruplets. She
manages to stay with us during the crush of people. “I forgot to give you
tissues.” She hands each of her children a small package of tissues. “Lily, Demi.
Be good to your brother. Jack, be a good boy, and pick that up. Mathew. Be on
your best behavior.”

Jack reaches for his pack of tissues, which is near my
boot. I pick it to save him the trouble.

“Hi,” he says when our eyes make contact. “You all alone?”

“Yea.” I smirk. “Single birth.”

The boy, Jack, is tall and thin, but healthy with red
cheeks and skin lighter than my mom’s but darker than my dad’s skin. The girls
are slender as well, but not so tall. They both have wavy dark hair similar to
mine, but straighter.

One of the girls notices my bracelet and picks up my wrist
to examine it.

“We got the same colors.” She shows me her token. “I’m Demi,
you should stick with me. It’ll be all right. Lily and Matthew have pearl and
opal. Jack, there.” She points to the boy ahead of her, “he was lucky to pull
emerald.”  

“Go on with you, then,” says the plump woman to Jack.
“You’re holding up the line. No time to flirt with the pretty girls.”

I blush and hand Jack the tissue.

Demi grabs my hand and pulls me along with her. “The truth
is, the Quad Squad has never been apart, and I’m a bit nervous to be on my
own.”

“The Quad Squad?” I ask.

“That’s what we call ourselves.” Demi squeezes my arm. “We
do everything together. It’s going to be strange and exciting to be apart.”

“I’ve never been without my family,” I say.

Demi touches my vest, the one my mom gave me for my
birthday.

“This is really beautiful,” she says. “So soft. Is it a
real animal?”

I shrug. “My mom gave it to me for my birthday. It may have
been a cow. She said her mother gave it to her.”

Demi feels the vest again.

“See, you aren’t without your family,” she says. “You have
a piece of your mother right here.”

As we draw closer to the turnstile, I am glad that I have
someone holding my hand. I am not alone, that we are all in this together.
Everyone is leaving his or her parents, maybe most for the first time. Everyone
is giddy, nervous, excited, and terrified, especially me with my amethyst token.

Demi,
her sister, brothers, and I walk toward the turn style. As each kid reaches the
turnstile, he or she touches the token to a reader on the side of it. When the
light on the reader flashes green, the guard instructs the kid to walk through
the revolving horizontal arms.

The quads all go before me, each one cheering the other on
as they pass through to the other side. When my turn comes, I glance one more
time for my parents. I can’t see them above the heads of the others, even
though I am tall for my age.

“Token,” the guard says. His tone is cold.

I hold my bracelet to the reader, scared that it may not
flash green. I feel a slight shock when it reads my token. The light flashes
green and I let out and audible sigh of relief. The guard snickers as he ushers
me forward. I slide through the arms of the whirring turnstile to where the
quads are waiting for me.

“Move it,” another guard says. She has a heavy accent, one
that is not familiar to me. She yanks me as if I am still not going fast
enough.

I gulp and trip. One of the quad girls, I can’t tell them
apart, grabs my arm and steadies me. I catch the color of her token. Turquoise
for Demi. Pearl for Lily.

“You alright?” Demi asks.

“Yea, I’m fine.”

I take a moment to look at all the kids gathering in front
of the train. There are six compartments down the long track. Some kids gather
at each entrance, although the doors remain closed. Most of the other kids are
wandering around aimlessly or frozen in place. No adults are in sight.

Suddenly, a whistle blows, and all of the kids become
animated.

“Come on.” Demi grabs my elbow. “Let’s get to the front of
the train. It’s the only place you can see anything.”

Demi yanks me toward the far end of the platform. We begin
to run as other kids get the same idea. The mass of kids all run toward an
entrance to a compartment. Several dozen kids run after us toward the front of
the train. I like being in the lead, with the wind in my hair and my mom’s vest
flapping around me. I wonder if this is what she did, if she wore her vest to
Kill School.

All at once, a boy comes up next to me, and I tumble over
his outstretched leg. The boy, a heavyset kid in black slacks, laughs at me on
the ground. I hate him already. He flashes his bracelet—it’s the same color as
mine, and leans in close to my face.

“I’m going to kill you.” The boy makes a fist and shakes it
in my face. His breath smells like onions mixed with dirt.

“Get off of her,” Jack says. He puffs back his shoulders, but
lurches when the boy stands with a closed fist.

“You got your girlfriend with you?” The boy sneers and runs
away.

“You alright?” Jack asks as he helps me up.

“Sure.” I dust myself off and pick up my totecase.

We watch the boy trip another girl. He shakes his fist in
her face. I am glad I am not the only one.

“I know that boy,” Lily says. “I’ve heard of his family. I
think his father was sent to control. His mother may have been sent there too.
Poor boy. Maybe he should be your target, Demi.”

“Not now, Lily. Let’s go.” Demi waves us on. “We have to
catch a train. Those kids are going to get our seats.” She motions to a few
kids who have entered the first compartment.

“Not if we can help it.” I jog toward the train.

“Race you,” Demi says as she passes my side.

I follow the red stripe down the side of the train,
watching the head of Demi in front of me. Her long hair lashes behind her like
a horse’s mane. Her stride is long and easy. I come up next to her and match
her step. We are equal in height and stride and smile at each other as if we
both recognize this.

A man’s voice comes over a speaker to tell us to slow down,
to behave like good little girls and boys should. The voice is crackly but
human, not like the automated voices over the usual public address systems. He
sounds mean and nice at the same time.

The voice continues to drone out orders, do not pass the
red line, and step across the threshold with care, no hitting, kicking, or
pushing.

Finally, with a sprint, we reach the door to the Vactrain.

Jack leads us into the front car and up the spiral stairs
to the double decker top. I can see now why they wanted these seats. The front
of the car is a bubble of glass. The tube glows with a milky white light. We’ll
be able to see everything from these seats.

 We run through the aisle with rows of four seats on either
side. The train car is long. A trail of kids follows us in the mad scramble to
the front of the train car. Some of the seats are taken, but not the best—the
ones in front.

I want to be in the best seat more than ever. Jack and his
brother lead the way followed by Lily, Demi and then me. We don’t stop until we
reach the front row of seats. Jack files in to the far seat, and we follow in
order. I get the aisle seat. The tremendous window in front of us makes it easy
to see everything.

The quads congratulate one another with their victory as
kids file in all around us. The atmosphere is exciting, as if we are all taking
a great adventure together. It lifts my spirits and for a moment, I can ignore
the reason that we are all here.

“Get out of my seat,” a gruff voice says from behind.

I turn to see the same boy who tripped me in the seat right
behind me. I am in no mood.

“No,” I say.

The boy grasps my shirt. Jack stands up from the window
seat, grabs his wrist, and twists his arm. Jack is fast and strong. It
surprises me because he’s such a thin and gangly boy. I catch myself smiling as
I watch the boy’s face contort in pain.

“You heard the girl,” Jack says. “Sit down and shup up.”

“Jack, really,” Lily says from the seat next to him. “Don’t
be so rude.” She smiles politely at the boy and then takes out a small spray
canister.

“Lily, don’t.” Jack’s eyes widen.

“Why not Jack?” Lily asks. “Pests are meant to be sprayed.”
She changes her mind, puts the spray canister away, and gestures to the boy.
“Do sit down, will you?”

The boy reluctantly obeys.

A feminine voice crackles across the speakers. This voice
is definitely not human and by her word choices, I guess that we are listening
to a very old recording. The voice sends a wave of laughter through the compartment
with her antiquated speech and crackly tone. Her voice reminds me that the
Vactrain is very old.

The voice gives us instructions about safety, including
oxygen masks and evacuation procedures. She then tells us where the puke bags
are as well as when lunch will be served. We will spend the first part of the
trip travelling at high speed underground. The last half of the trip, we will
travel at a slower pace against the mountain. I have been waiting for this ride.
My brother told me it was one if his favorite things about camp.

As per the instructions, I strap the belt over my left hip
and another one over my right, clicking them both in place. The seat forms around
my body in a well-worn hug, as if many have sat in it before me. A red light
flashes and the whole row of seats tip backwards so that if I look straight
ahead, I am staring at the ceiling.

The lights blink on and off several times and then remain off.
The voice tells us to hold on for countdown and then begins counting backwards
from ten. Someone whimpers, and someone answers by a giggle. The train lurches
forward and more people yelp in the dark.

The voice reaches one and then zero and the train moves
forward at a crawl.

“This isn’t so bad,” someone says. It’s hard to tell whom in
the dark.

I can tell the train is picking up speed by the way my body
presses back into my seat. I move my chin down so that I can see out the bubble
window in front. The headlights of the Vactrain highlight the dark tunnel. I
see nothing except smooth walls and occasional graffiti. I smile at the thought
of someone sneaking into the Vactube and wonder how he or she did it—especially
with the lack of air. The same graffiti-scrawled symbol appears repeatedly, so
much that I convince myself that I have seen it before.

The train moves faster, making it impossible to keep my
chin up. I hear nothing except the howl of the wind. It screams with anguish,
as if the Vactrain is pulverizing it out of existence. I wonder why my brother
enjoyed this ride. I hate it. I clench my teeth and try to forget the fact that
I have to go pee.

I now understand why they provided us with headphones. It
takes all my strength to dislodge them from their compartment and to place them
on my ears. Soothing music replaces the screaming wind. Classical. Dad would
like it. I do not, but it is better than listening to the tortured wind.

I feel sick to my stomach. Sometimes I don’t know which way
is up and which way is down. The train shoots through the mountain in a
powerful assent and then back down again. When it begins to accelerate in a gravity-filled
drop, all the kids scream. I hear a faint snicker from the boy behind me, but
it turns into a howling scream louder than the rest.

When I think I’ve had enough, and that I can’t take it
anymore, Demi grabs my headphones.

“Light,” Demi says into my ear.

I crane my head up. She’s right. There is a light at the
end of the tunnel. I take my headphones off and realize the wind isn’t howling
as much anymore. We are slowing down and our seats swivel upward again.

“Here comes the fun part,” Lily says. “Brace yourself.”

We break out of the mountain and through a waterfall. The
water rains on the Vactube, making the whole thing light up with colors of the
rainbow. Everyone inhales as the water thunders on top of the tube. The
Vactrain then dives under the water again. We are moving through a clear
Vactube in the water.

My mouth gapes open as I watch the water around the tube.
The train moves too fast for me to focus on any one thing. I’m sure I see huge
fish swimming, with fins, long tails, and wide mouths.

We pass through a forest of underwater plants that have grown
around the Vactube. The plants are truly stunning in color and character. They
are fun to watch as they ebb and flow in the water.

We still travel at a high rate of speed but my stomach no
longer feels queasy. The sunlight glistening at the top of the lake, which is coming
nearer. We’re going to surface soon. I hold my breath as if I am underwater and
brace myself for leaving the lake.

The Vactrain shoots up and out of the water with a hum.
Bright sunlight shines through the Vactube. I find myself
cheering with the rest of the kids. We made it out of the lake.

On either side of us is a toothy rimmed mountain range. We
are in the middle of a valley, deep and wide and filled with water. We travel along
the edge of the mountain higher and higher until we are about halfway up the
mountain.

The mountains are sheer and the long, narrow canyon has
steep sides. Without the aid of the Vactrain, we would never be able to reach
this place. It makes me wonder how the ancient ones built the tube.
I feel a chill as we travel along the mountain’s edge high
above the ground.
All of the settlements are in
the south part of Greenland. We are going to the very tip of the northern part
through this long, deep valley filled with water.

“Earth to Aria,” Demi says.

I turn to her and notice she has a lunch tray.

“Where did you get that?” I ask.

She points up. A food symbol flashes above my head and a
small compartment is slightly open.

“Pull the handle,” Demi says.

I pull the handle of the compartment and find my food tray
inside.

“Thanks,” I say as I pull down my tray. “I’m starving.”

The tray houses a sealed bag of grapes, peanut butter
sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle of water. I open the grapes first. They are
cold and delicious.

“My favorite, too.” Demi holds her empty bag of grapes. “Trade
you some chips for yours.” She shakes her bag of chips.

I shake my head and decide to change the subject before she
asks again. “You’re in our region, aren’t you?” Demi nods. “How come I’ve never
seen you in school?”

Lily leans over her sister. “Don’t you know?” Lily asks.
“We’re Regulator Azarian’s children.”

Demi lowers her eyes. “We’re tutored privately. No need to
go to school. What’s it like?” She looks at me with raised eyebrows and a
hopeful smile.

When I don’t answer right away, Demi’s cheeks flush as if
she’s embarrassed over not having been to school. Regulator Azarian, six foot,
dark brown eyes, and silver streaked hair. He has a scar across his cheek that
he refuses to regenerate away. I know him well having read about him the night
before.

“School is fun,” I say. I don’t know what else to add. I’m
still stuck on the fact that her father is a Regulator. Living in a white house
three stories high. Hundreds of years old, no doubt. I don’t want her to feel
like she missed anything, so I add that school is mostly boring. After all,
nothing can compare to living in Clarkhaven house.