CELESTINA

Chapter 8: AURORA.

Of all the twenty-two girls in my Coalesce class, ten were now marked with an I… and of all the seventeen boys, there were only seven that are branded as infertile. It was unusual for there to be such a significant percentage of infertile new Citizens.

But then, that was not the only unusual thing about my Coalesce class. It was determined with my Citizen Brand that I am an Aurora.

AURORA… I don't think I can ever wrap my head around it. Aurora, the one that gives life, that statement was a lot for a young girl to process. At the most basic level, that statement just means that I would have no problem bearing multiple children. But to my limited knowledge, families usually consisted of two parents and then one or two children. Was I expected to give birth to eight or nine children? Who could afford the Grooming Tech fees for that many offspring? Not many. So then, am I expected to have babies and then just give them away to other people, be a surrogate? The thought of that brought with it the feeling of icy fingers dragging their way down my spine. My whole body shivered.

A small crowd had gathered around me. Rose literally grabbed for my arm “Come on, let me see it” she squealed in delight “Goodness gracious, Tina, that is the strangest citizens brand I have ever seen”.

“It is rare but not unheard of, I heard that there was another one, around twenty years ago, I think” I heard an older male voice say.

I looked up to see Lily and Nash standing near me with their parents standing at their side. It must have been their father who had spoken the words.

“I think you are right, honey, I remember hearing of it,” Lily’s mother said, “I think she was from either Committee Three committee or Four”.

“Well, she was not from one, that I am sure of. I do seem to remember hearing something about her when we were at the CEC” Lily’s father replied, “I think you are right, honey.”

“Yes, sweetheart,” Lily’s mother nodded her head with a smile playing on her lips “I know I am.”

Cameron moved to stand next to Rose. He stared at my arm with a quizzical expression “I do not know the statistics for Aurora. They have never been published. I think the instances are too few and far between to form any reliable data patterns.”

“Well, if the big brain does not know much about it, it must be rare,” Rose gawked.

Cameron tapped his temple with his index finger “Statistically speaking, this whole Coalesce has been rather unusual. Unusually high rates of infertility and an Aurora specimen will make this Coalesce one to stand out,” he concluded “Unless, of course, this is the start of a trend. In which case, it will be the marker for the change. Either way, it has significance.”

Someone’s parent bumped Cameron aside and grabbed for my arm. I yanked it back and spun around. Thankfully, Gloriana and my father were right there. Gloriana looked down and gasped at the sight of my new Citizen Brand. My father just smiled.

“Bit of a shocker, huh?” he asked with amusement dancing in his eyes.

I smiled weakly “Just a little bit.”

My father put his coat around my shoulders “Let us get you home, Gloriana?” he turned towards her.

Gloriana looked up at his face seemingly lost somewhere in her head. She looked a bit dazed and confused “What, dear?”

“Are we ready to go?” he asked her.

She blinked her eyes as his question registered in her pre - occupied brain “Yes, of course.”

“Wait” I spun around, “I want to say goodbye to Vivian” I looked around the room, trying to find her, but she was nowhere in sight.

I focused on the back doors and watched as Plum flung them open. She stomped her way out of the hall. Her parents followed, looking grim. Alanzo and Steven were standing near the doors.

“Vivian?” I shouted to them, trying to get their attention.

They pointed down the hall, to where Plum had just bolted. I nodded my head in understanding and waved goodbye.

My father planted his hand in the center of my back and ushered me forward.

I circled my left hand around my right wrist, covering the unique and abnormal mark, shielding it from prying eyes, as we quickly made our way out the door and towards my new home. I wanted to get away from Grooming Tech as quickly as possible.

**********

In the days that followed my release from Grooming Tech, I could not stop thinking about it… my new Citizen Brand. I would spend countless minutes tracing the five circles with my finger. For some reason, I was actually worried about somehow ruining the Brand. I barely touched the surface of my skin, just letting my finger skim across each of the circles. Why did I have to be different? What did it mean to be Aurora?

We had been given seven days' time to adjust to our new home environment, after which we were expected to report to the Career Education Centre each morning to complete our studies. I would finally get to see Vivian again… and Steven, and Alanzo, and all of my other friends. We are yet to find out what our career paths would be.

Our Brand, combined with our career path, determined our future. For once in my life, I had no idea what was expected of me. I did not have a clue how these multiple circles, flowered, starred Brand thing would affect my future. And it scared me.

I wished my father had not been called away on Council business just five hours after I arrived at this unfamiliar home which is now my home. I wished that Gloriana was easier to talk to. Actually, I wish that I had the desire to talk to Gloriana at all.

She flitted around the house and she never stayed in one room for exceedingly long. In fact, she never stayed in the house for awfully long. She has not spent more than five minutes by my side since my father had been called away. I really wanted to talk to somebody about this unfamiliar mark on my wrist, but Gloriana was definitely not the person I wanted anyway.

I wanted to talk to Vivian. I was beyond bored in an empty, unfamiliar house, and I wanted my best friend.

The chime at the door sounded. Gloriana had left the house for another one of her important meetings, so I got up off my bed and ran down the stairs. I cracked the door open and saw a delivery car backing out of our driveway. I waved at the driver, confused as to why he was driving away. The sign on the car said DELIVERY, so why has he not delivered something? I shrugged at him. He pointed toward my feet. I looked down to find a package on the mat outside.

There was a notecard on the box with my father’s small precise handwriting on the front of it – CELESTINA. I grabbed the package and retreated back to the comfort of my new bedroom. I decided to open it there.

I pulled at the pink ribbon, untying the pretty bow, and lifted the lid off of the box. Under layers of pink and white flowered paper, I found a shiny new tablet. My old one had been surrendered before vacating Grooming Tech. We all had to do it as the tablets were registered to the school. I could not read, listen to music, or watch a video in private without one, so I would really be missing mine. Gloriana liked to keep the wall-screens tuned to the Committee News and Events channel. There was only so much of that that I could take.

I lifted the tablet from the box and smiled with glee, happy to have my own personal source of entertainment again. When I switched it on, I found an even better surprise. Vivian’s parents’ contact information was right there on the home screen, waiting for me. My father had programmed it.

I pushed the icon by their name.

“Do you want to send a message?” the tablet asked.

“No. I want to talk to my friend,” I grumbled.

“Do you want to video chat?” the voice assistant asked.

“Why, yes. I do want to video chat!” I answered.

The screen lit up with the voice call “Calling Denny and Chase from the Daffodil family”.

The screen blipped and the tablet beeped, and I waited patiently to connect with my friend.

Vivian’s mother’s face appeared on the screen “Celestina. How nice,” she smiled “I see you have a new tablet of your own now… give me a second" she started fiddling with the tablet "there. I have saved your contact information. Have you enjoyed your first couple of days? Have you been busy with your parents?”

“It has been fine, I guess. Father was called away, and Gloriana is very... uh... active. It has actually been really quiet over here” I grumbled with dissatisfaction.

“Oh? Well, I am sure it has been a peaceful change for you. Vivian will be happy to see you. She is just changing into a new dress,” Chase winked at me, “We have been shopping.”

“It fits perfectly, Mother.” I heard Vivian’s voice say “Did I just hear you talking to someone?”

Chase’s head turned away from the screen “You look lovely, sweet girl. Come here. It is Celestina. Come say hello to your friend.”

She moved to the side, making room for her daughter.

Vivian’s face filled the screen, smiling widely and looking as beautiful as ever, with newly styled hair and sparkly make-up adorning her eyes.

I waved at her image. “Oh, Viv, you look great!”

“Thanks. Mother and I have been to see her tailor and her beautician… and have you any idea how many different styles of shoes there are to choose from? My goodness! I have five new pairs,” she beamed.

“Sounds fun,” I smiled. Even though I did not doubt Vivian had been enjoying her time with her mother, my insides cringed at the thought of spending a full day out with Gloriana. “Are you up for a walk? We could meet in the middle. There’s a park my father told me about.”

“Good idea,” Vivian smiled. “I know exactly where it is. My father took me there yesterday.”

“I will take my tablet,” I said. “It will guide me.”

“Hold on.” Vivian put a finger up and turned her head to the side. “Mother, you do not mind if I walk to the park and meet Tina, do you?”

“I do not mind at all. That sounds like a wonderful idea.” I heard her say.

“Thank you,” she said to her mother, then turned her face back to me.

“I will leave here in five minutes. I need to change out of this dress. Sound good?

“Yes.”

“Meet me at the benches in the middle.” “Great,” I sighed.

“See you.” Vivian waved at me before the screen blipped and she disappeared.

I pressed the home button on the tablet and then pressed the maps icon. Once I found the park and highlighted the route, I slipped on my shoes and left through the front door.

Outside, I was surrounded by perfectly groomed landscapes and clean, clear walkways. Everything was as pristine in my parents’ neighborhood as it was at Grooming Tech, more so, even. As I walked down the pathway that corresponded to the one highlighted on my tablet, I saw a street sweeper ahead. The man pushed a long-handled, thin, wide broom and whistled a tune as he worked his way down the walkway, clearing away any fallen leaves, dust, and debris.

He paused, mid-sweep, as I neared, and tipped his head. “Beautiful day, Miss.”

“Yes, it is,” I smiled at him.

He was older than my father, maybe even older than Alpha. His hair caught my attention. It was totally grey at the temples and a perfect sprinkled mixture of black and grey everywhere else on his head, something I would never see before. There were wrinkles around his eyes and by the corners of his mouth that deepened as he smiled “Just released, were you?”

“From Grooming Tech?” I asked.

“Yes,” He looked down at my right wrist and blinked when he saw the mark that was there. “You have been drawing on your Brand? They won’t like that, Miss. They won’t like it one bit. I would wash that off quickly if I was you. Do not mess with The Chapter’s plans. No good can come of that,” he shook his head at me and then walked on. He resumed his whistled tune and continued pushing his broom across the walkway.

My left hand immediately gravitated toward my Brand, covering it tightly. I looked at his arm as he passed by me. The black I was there, as I knew it would be.

“I did not draw it,” I mumbled as I moved forward.

A grove of trees told me that the park was just up ahead, so I quickened my pace. Vivian had said the benches in the middle, so I kept walking toward what I figured would be the center of the park. When I came upon two sets of wooden benches, I sat down on one and waited.

Sprinkles of rain started to fall from the sky. I looked up and then considered darting under a tree for shelter, but Vivian was walking toward me. She popped open an umbrella, ran to my side, and held it over my head. I laughed and then flung my arms around her, hugging her tightly “The first time I leave the house and it rains,” I frowned.

“Committee Reigns,” Vivian smirked.

“That it does,” I laughed “Now what should we do?”

Vivian grabbed my hand and started walking, tugging me with her “Back to my house. Mother was making some more chocolate cookies, with lemon zest. This batch is probably finished by now.”

“My favorite,” I smiled, swinging her hand.

“I know,” Vivian winked.

The drizzle never turned into a full rain, so our feet were barely damp when we arrived at Vivian’s house. She shook out the umbrella and opened the door.

“Open catchall,” she said out loud.

A drawer popped open from the wall. We slipped out of our shoes and placed them inside, along with the wet umbrella. After the drawer retreated back into the wall, we followed the aroma of the freshly baked cookies.

Vivian’s mother was busy glazing them as we entered the kitchen and I inhaled deeply “That smells amazing”.

Chase looked up and smiled at me “They are my favorite.”

“They are Tina’s favorite too,” Vivian chimed “At least the school ones were. Once she tastes yours, she will realize that they were just mediocre. Yours are beyond amazing, Mother!”

“It is how finely I grate the carrots,” Chase stated “And my sweet lemon glaze. Vivian ate the first batch a little too quickly, Tina. I agreed to make another batch, but this is going to consume most of my sugar ration for the month,” she winked at me “It is a good thing I always have a bit leftover.”

“I can’t believe you bake your own cookies. Gloriana said that nobody cooks for themselves anymore and that everybody has a chef,” I said.

Chase laughed “I guess many people do have a chef. I use one for dinner parties and special occasions. But I find that I enjoy cooking, and baking is very therapeutic for me at times. I used to help my mother when I was very little and then she taught me her recipes after I left Grooming Tech.”

“Do you think you could teach me?” I asked, “I doubt I will get the chance to learn at my house.”

“I am sure we could arrange a cooking day with you and Vivian. That would be fun. Now here,” she said, handing us each a cookie “I am sure you want to talk alone. So, take these and go up to Vivian’s room.”

“Thank you,” I smiled.

“You’re very welcome, dear girl” she passed the cookies with a smile on her lips, a smile I never seem to get from Gloriana.

I followed Vivian up the stairs and into her bedroom. She shut the door behind us, plopped down on her bed, and leaned back into the pile of purple satin pillows.

“Weird, huh,” Vivian said, pointing to the pillows behind her head “Purple satin.”

“Not that weird. Did you not tell her about the dream and ask for some?” I asked.

“Yes, but they are almost the exact shape, size, and shade from my dream” she pointed out.

“Okay, kind of weird” I agreed “Not as weird as this” I looked down at my wrist.

“I would rather be weird than be doomed,” Vivian sighed, looking down at her own wrist.

“You are not doomed!” I said a little too loudly “I bet you will still be assigned to Armory, your father will help secure a good Marriage Contract, and everything will be roses”.

“I guess. But my roses will have to come from someone else’s garden” her tone was laced with disappointment since she is infertile and will not be able to go through the experience of being a mother.

“I know. I am sorry Viv. It will be fine. It will be good. You will see” I placed my hand on hers trying to give her a little comfort.

“That is what Mother and Father keep trying to tell me. Half of the girls in our class got the same mark, so I guess I am not alone,” she shrugged.