Out There (12 page)

“Yeah I know. I thought the new method would mean skipping the actual pregnancy part or would make it shorter.”

“Yeah, I don't even know what it entails,” she sighed. “Mother tried to explain to me that you get a lump on your stomach or something but it didn't really make sense.”

I tilted my head to the side. “A lump? Like a little bump?” “No, like a big lump. Like on the back of those animals.” “Which animals?”

“You know, the ones in the sand, it begins with c.”

“Caterpillar?”

“No, it lived in the desert.”

“Camel?”

“Yes that's it! It had a lump on its back.”

“We're going to get a camel hump?”

“No, just something like one, on our stomachs.”

I imagined Katelyn and me walking around like camels and shivered. “Does it stay like that forever?”

“No, just for the nine months.”

“What else happens?”

“She said your mood changes a lot and you get cravings and stuff.”

“So like me with cake?”

“Yeah, but all the time.”

I grinned. “I think I'm going to like this pregnancy thing.”

“Fingers crossed.”

“OK, but what I don't like is that we don't get our own houses.”

“I know!” she exclaimed. “But then again, I don't know how to raise a child so maybe it would be good to have my mother there.”

“I suppose, but come on, I think I'll figure it out.”

“You?” I could practically hear her raising her eyebrows.

“Don't mock me, I've got it all under control.”

“You? Under control?”

“Yes, me. It's like you think I never come prepared or something.”

“Or something…”

“Ha ha, laugh all you want, but my child is going to be awesome.”

“I have no doubt about that.”

“Thank you very much. Oh, I forgot,” I lowered my voice, “did your mother find out about…?”

“Oh no, she was upset but I told her I stayed over at your house and forgot to tell her.”

“Good.”

“What about yours?”

“She wasn't there when I got home and she didn't realise I was gone.”

“Lucky you.”

“Yeah… lucky me.”

“I haven't heard from the others though.”

“Lexi probably said she was at Tatiana's, and Bri's mother probably forgave her in an instant.”

“True, who can stay mad at Bri?”

“And Jade most likely created a big extravagant cover-up.”

“Yeah, something about sleepwalking probably.”

“Or a threat to humanity.”

Katelyn laughed. “Probably both!” She paused. “Ava, does this qualify as lying?” she whispered.

“Lying?” I hadn't thought of it like that. Suddenly a sense of guilt formed inside me. “Well… what else can we do?”

“But…”

“It's not lying. We're just leaving out the truth. Nothing wrong with that.”

“If you say…”

“But I think we should go back soon anyway.”

“Yeah, strangely I'd like to,” she sighed, “but maybe not for a while.”

“But it's calling me! I feel it in my bones.”

“Oh Ava, you're so melodramatic.”

“But that's why you love me, isn't it?”

“I love you because you are the only person in this world who can eat a whole red velvet cake without pausing for breath.”

“Come on, there's got to be more to me than cake.”

“OK, I love you because you can make the littlest thing into something completely out of this world and totally hilarious.”

“True, true.”

“And I love you because you are the most incredible person I know and you're so different from everything and everyone but you don't even see it.”

“What do you mean?”

“You'll figure it out.” I could hear her smiling through the intercom.

“And I love you because you say the deepest things but they're so deep that I don't get them and when I ask what they mean you always say that if I figure it out for myself it's better for me.”

“You know me too well.”

“Believe me Kay, I know you
way
too well.”

She laughed and I could just see her tossing her curls back and letting out her amusement.

“Oh yeah.” I just remembered something. “I wanted to ask you if you know when the order comes out.”

“I think it's not till later this week.”

“Oh, 'cause I think that we must be in the top few, seeing as we turned one right after the city was founded.”

“About that…” her voice trailed off.

“Yeah?”

“You know how they said the first girl begins this week?” “Yeah, because she's like the test dummy,” I said, smirking. “Well, I know who she is.”

“Who? Do we know her?” I asked excitedly.

“Yeah we do.”

“Then who is it?”

“Ava…”

“Yes…?”

“It's me.”

Chapter Six

Ava, A Few Days Later

I squeezed Katelyn's hand tight as the three of us stood at the foot of her future. It was tall and all glass on the outside. The sun made the frosty panels look like clear ice. Strangely, it almost reminded me of the Bubble walls.

“Are you ready?” I asked her.

She inhaled deeply. “Yes,” she said, “I am.”

Together we walked up the thin glass steps that weren't even a centimetre off. Every step made a tiny sound but in my head it sounded louder. Each sound was in rhythm with my heartbeat. Soon we passed into the shade of the building and when I looked around, I realised it wasn't glass at all. The inside looked like regular white walls. Well, not regular, they were spotless and smelt new.

Everything in the large entry appeared to be made of perfect pieces of glass, yet I had a feeling that it was just another of Sylvia Carter's inventions. ‘The glass that's not glass'. People would think of her as a genius. “
What will she do next?”
they would say.

“Katelyn! Welcome!”

I looked up from staring at the clear reception desk, at which sat one person, to see Mother scampering over with her arms outstretched. She embraced Katelyn, causing me to lose grip on her hand. “Oh, Katelyn, welcome to the Reproduction Centre!”

Then she turned to Jennifer Rose next to us and said, “Hello Jenny dear, it's been far too long.”

“Oh, I've missed you too, D.” And the two of them hugged as well.

“Hello Ava sweetheart, did you get a good breakfast?” Mother asked her usual question.

“Yes of course, Mother.”

“I baked her a lemon tart,” said Jennifer, leaning into Mother.

“Ava!”

“What? It had fruit in it…”

“It's fine.” Mother turned to Katelyn and smiled. “Today is Katelyn's big day.”

She curled the corners of her mouth slightly in return.

“So I'm glad you had a nice time at the Roses' last night and I'd love to hear all about it later, but what do you say we go and have a chat with Katelyn?”

I looked over at Katelyn and she nodded her head.

“Come, let's go to the waiting room. It has a beautiful view of Niagara Falls.” Mother turned to the reception desk. “Louise, would you tell the doctor that Katelyn has arrived?”

“Of course, Donna.”

“Thank you, darling. Now, follow me.” Mother beckoned us to follow her down the hallway.

I held Katelyn's hand again and all of us made our way over to the waiting room. The view of Niagara Falls was incredible, but we all knew that it had crumbled years ago in the Wars. The mere illusion was still peaceful though. We took our seats. Jennifer sat next to Donna, in the faux glass chairs, across from Katelyn and me.

“So Katelyn, firstly I'd just like to say congratulations on this honour. You have been chosen to lead your generation through this important phase for our community.”

“Thank you for giving me this honour.”

“No Katelyn, I should be thanking
you
. For what you are about to do is very brave and noble and I thank you for accepting this. For it may have wonderful outcomes but the road to get there is never straight.”

“Katelyn is very excited about this, I can assure you,” Jennifer said, putting her hand on her daughter's knee.

I looked over at Katelyn. When I had asked her the night before how she was feeling she said, “I'm ready to do this, I want to do this, I'm just worried.”

“Worried about what?” I asked her.

“Worried if it will work.”

“Of course it will,” I assured her, “Sylvia Carter never fails.”

“That's not what I meant.”

Looking at her in that waiting room I still didn't understand what she meant. But I saw the emotion in her face. Katelyn once said nobody was stronger than me, but I knew she was wrong. Her face said it all; she was frightened, about what I was unsure, but she put that aside because she knew what she had to do. Maybe someone was stronger than me.

“This is what will happen next. You will undergo a quick surgery and then we shall give you your room. There you can rest and recuperate. You will remain there for the next nine months until the baby is born. That will allow us to monitor the process, as you are the first, and make sure you get enough exercise, sleep and food for you and the baby to be as healthy as possible. After your surgery I will talk to you about your schedule.

“You may have visitors, like Ava here, or your other friends if you wish. Be prepared for members of the community that you may not know so well turning up as we all want to wish you luck. Jenny will have her own room next door to you and she can either stay here full time or come and stay whenever she feels like it. The Council will also allow her to take five months off work during your pregnancy and she can choose when those months will be.”

“I'll probably stay here full time, if that's OK with you, honey?”

“Of course Mother, I wouldn't want it any other way.”

“And I will be visiting every day, twice a day,” I added.

“You better.” Katelyn hugged me tight. Tighter than usual.

“You will not have to attend school or do any work until the baby is born. Then you can finish your studies and graduate at the end of next year. But what happens afterwards is another story,” said Mother, laughing. “Now Katelyn, are you ready to have your surgery?”

Katelyn took a deep breath and said, “I think so.”

“All right, let me get the nurse and she'll do a few tests. Then the doctor will talk to you about the surgery. Wait here a moment.” Mother stood up and left.

“Are you ready, sweetie?” Jennifer asked.

“I think I am, Mother.”

“Oh I'm so proud of you. Thank you for coming too, Ava.” “No problem. Katelyn will do the same when it's my turn.” She turned to me and smiled. “You bet I will. And I'll bring Katelyn junior with me.”

“It's so exciting! There will be two of you to tell me how much you love me!”

“Yeah, I guess there will be.”

“Katelyn?” A lady in a light blue medical uniform was looking down at us.

“That's me.”

“Hello, my name is Claire, I'll be prepping you for surgery.”

“Oh, great.”

“Now if you come with me I'll get you all ready and then, before you know it, it'll all be over.”

“OK, give me one second.” Katelyn turned to me and said, “I'll see you soon, Ava.”

“Good luck, you'll do great, girl.”

“I hope so.”

She hugged me goodbye and then hugged her mother.

“Good luck, Katelyn honey.”

“Thanks Mother.”

She stood to leave and waved to us as the nurse led her down the hallway.

Then she was gone.

“Did the nurse get her?” Mother asked, walking over and taking her seat again.

“They just left.”

“Oh good. This is just so exciting, isn't it?”

“I couldn't be happier,” Jennifer beamed.

“Oh Jenny, I feel like I haven't seen you in years. I miss my best friend.”

“I miss you too, D. But I understand that the life of a Leader is very demanding.”

“You have no idea. One night I was there until eleven at night then I had to rush out again at three in the morning to prepare for my broadcast.”

My head snapped up. That was the day I snuck outside the Bubble.

“Oh, that must have been so tiring. Did you sleep at all?” “As soon as I got home, after talking to Ava, I passed out.

Then I had to drag myself out of bed and I was almost late.”

That was the conversation where she threw the leaflet into the fire and told me my father was evil. I wondered if she even remembered.

“Well, you sounded spot on in that broadcast.”

“You think? I was so tired I almost fell asleep.”

Jennifer laughed and said, “That sounds like the Donna I know,” and turning to me said, “Did you know, Ava, that when I first met your mother she fell asleep halfway through our conversation?”

“I was very pregnant then,” said Mother.

“So we were at birthing class, I know you've heard this many times before, and Donna was on the mat next to me. This was back when rumours about a bunch of women starting a rebellion were circling. So I said hello and we talked about pregnancy for ages but when I looked over Donna was asleep. And I thought she must think I'm so boring. So guess what I did?”

“What?” I asked, looking at my mother giggling and blushing next to her.

“I took my water and poured it over her head.”

I flashed back to Jade drenching me in the café.

Mother laughed and said, “Tell her what you said after I woke up.”

“Oh right, so your mother jumps with a start and she looks over at me and I said ‘If you think I'm too intelligent for your tiny mind to comprehend then maybe you should sit somewhere else'.”