am no longer the same person, and never will be again. I almost wish that the Legion took my memories. It would be so much easier.
Suddenly, a loud siren blares and the speaker starts to crackle. Worried, we all face upwards. It is followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Finally, the voice of a male Legion commander sounds: “There is no reason for alarm. Please stop your work and assemble in the atrium.”
That has never happened before. Did something happen? Did the rebels attack?
I am excited, something new! I would like to run to the atrium, but instead I am obedient and follow my group briskly. Once in the atrium, the sight overwhelms me. I have never seen so many people in the safety zone before. Everyone is here, even the toddlers. I knew that we have to be seven hundred and ninety-nine people, that’s ninety-nine people per generation, but I have never seen them all together.
On the stairs to the forbidden transition, all twenty Legion commanders have gathered. Their faces are serious, but that does not mean anything. They are always serious.
Among them, I see A350. Is it just me, or does it seem like she was looking for me? When our eyes meet, I see some kind of flash in her eyes, as if to encourage me. Why should she? She should not even recognize me with the naked eye; we’re all supposed to be the same.
One of the older Legion commanders steps forward. I remember him from the classification exam. He was the one who announced the decisions.
“The world is changing. It changes a little more each day. Whether it is a positive or negative change is, to a certain degree, in our hands.”
He observes a brief pause while his words sink in. He continues: “Only if we are willing to work together in our environment do we have a chance to survive. Changes do not happen overnight, but in small, predictable steps.”
His gaze glides over the entirety of the safety zone population. What changes is he talking about? What happened? Does it have anything to do with the rebels? Although I have decided to no longer be a part of them, my heart beats violently at the thought that they might be up to something and it starts to hurt. Iris. Finn.
“Today is the day on which we are ready to take the first small step. It is a day that will go down in the history of the Legion. This is a day we will talk about for a long time, but it is also a day to celebrate.”
Again he pauses and I want to slap him for it. Why does he have to make it so damn exciting? A day to the delight of the Legion rarely means something good for the rebels. Did they destroy their camp? Or perhaps killed them all? But why should they do it now? They always knew of the rebels’ existence. Did Finn, who did not want to wait any longer for his little sister, attack by himself?
“We announce today for the first time in the young history of our community a classification change.”
An excited murmur goes through the crowd. My heart skips a beat. Can this be? Is there a possibility that they mean me?
“The system does not make mistakes. Each classification was, at the time it was made, right. But people change just as the world around us does. This is a constant change and we have the task of adapting ourselves to it.”
Who could have changed more than I? I was afraid to become a Legion commander when I left the rebels. It felt like it would be a betrayal, both to the rebels and to the Legion. But now I yearn so much to hear my name. It would be a change. There would be meaning to my life. I clench my fists and dig my fingernails deep into my skin. Please, please, let it be me. Please , I implore internally.
“D518, please join us on the stairs.”
I freeze. Did they really call my name or were my ears playing tricks on me? Excited, I look around. No one approaches the stairs. I look to A350. She nods quickly in my direction. Her lips silently forms the word, “Come.” I quickly put my feet in motion. My heart beats faster.
Suddenly, a loud siren blares and the speaker starts to crackle. Worried, we all face upwards. It is followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Finally, the voice of a male Legion commander sounds: “There is no reason for alarm. Please stop your work and assemble in the atrium.”
That has never happened before. Did something happen? Did the rebels attack?
I am excited, something new! I would like to run to the atrium, but instead I am obedient and follow my group briskly. Once in the atrium, the sight overwhelms me. I have never seen so many people in the safety zone before. Everyone is here, even the toddlers. I knew that we have to be seven hundred and ninety-nine people, that’s ninety-nine people per generation, but I have never seen them all together.
On the stairs to the forbidden transition, all twenty Legion commanders have gathered. Their faces are serious, but that does not mean anything. They are always serious.
Among them, I see A350. Is it just me, or does it seem like she was looking for me? When our eyes meet, I see some kind of flash in her eyes, as if to encourage me. Why should she? She should not even recognize me with the naked eye; we’re all supposed to be the same.
One of the older Legion commanders steps forward. I remember him from the classification exam. He was the one who announced the decisions.
“The world is changing. It changes a little more each day. Whether it is a positive or negative change is, to a certain degree, in our hands.”
He observes a brief pause while his words sink in. He continues: “Only if we are willing to work together in our environment do we have a chance to survive. Changes do not happen overnight, but in small, predictable steps.”
His gaze glides over the entirety of the safety zone population. What changes is he talking about? What happened? Does it have anything to do with the rebels? Although I have decided to no longer be a part of them, my heart beats violently at the thought that they might be up to something and it starts to hurt. Iris. Finn.
“Today is the day on which we are ready to take the first small step. It is a day that will go down in the history of the Legion. This is a day we will talk about for a long time, but it is also a day to celebrate.”
Again he pauses and I want to slap him for it. Why does he have to make it so damn exciting? A day to the delight of the Legion rarely means something good for the rebels. Did they destroy their camp? Or perhaps killed them all? But why should they do it now? They always knew of the rebels’ existence. Did Finn, who did not want to wait any longer for his little sister, attack by himself?
“We announce today for the first time in the young history of our community a classification change.”
An excited murmur goes through the crowd. My heart skips a beat. Can this be? Is there a possibility that they mean me?
“The system does not make mistakes. Each classification was, at the time it was made, right. But people change just as the world around us does. This is a constant change and we have the task of adapting ourselves to it.”
Who could have changed more than I? I was afraid to become a Legion commander when I left the rebels. It felt like it would be a betrayal, both to the rebels and to the Legion. But now I yearn so much to hear my name. It would be a change. There would be meaning to my life. I clench my fists and dig my fingernails deep into my skin. Please, please, let it be me. Please , I implore internally.
“D518, please join us on the stairs.”
I freeze. Did they really call my name or were my ears playing tricks on me? Excited, I look around. No one approaches the stairs. I look to A350. She nods quickly in my direction. Her lips silently forms the word, “Come.” I quickly put my feet in motion. My heart beats faster.
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