Peace Out (The Futures Trilogy Book 1) (3 page)

SAMMY AND BECCA

I’m terrified of death. I know I shouldn’t be as a Christian, but I also know the limits of human belief. Is my desire to believe the same thing as belief? What is that verse? I believe! Help me in my unbelief! I believe that I believe. But what if I’m wrong? Is eternal hellfire waiting for me? I don’t want to find out any sooner than I have to.

It isn
’t fair. I didn’t ask to be created. I didn’t ask for this life. Yet when I die I’m supposed to face damnation for sins I was incapable of not committing?

So I
’m scared of Peacing Out. My pastor says suicide doesn’t negate salvation, but what if he is wrong? I don’t want my last act on earth to be what sends me to hell. So no. I’m not going to Peace Out. I’ll let God decide when it’s my time.

Will You Peace Out?, 2032 Academy Award Winner, Best Documentary. Interview with Charlie Higgins, age 65.

They were halfway through dinner when Daddy got home.

“Sorry I
’m late,” he said, setting the mail in front of Mom and giving her a kiss. “Verily called me into her office right as I was going to leave. She wanted to talk about the Crutcher contract. It really could have waited.” Verily was Daddy’s boss. How much Daddy liked his job on any given day really depended on whether he had to see Verily. He poked at the pork chop on his plate. “I’m going to put this in the microwave for a second.” He disappeared into the kitchen.

When he got back, he surveyed the table. “Where
’s Sammy?”

“Have you checked your messages?” Mom asked.

“I saw you called, but I assumed it was because I was running late.”

“Sammy is in trouble. She is in her room.”

“No dinner? Must have been a pretty serious offense.”

“She went over the fence and was caught by a Facilitator. I had to drive to that place and pick her up.”

Daddy’s face darkened. “I’m going to talk to her.”

“I already did,” Mom said. “I just about lost it when I got there. She was playing cards with the receptionist. Greeted me like nothing happened. Then the Facilitator took me aside and had the nerve to suggest that we let the twins do PO Ed.
‘Knowledge is never a bad thing’, he said. ‘Sammy is just curious. I know you are against Peacing Out, but don’t you want Sammy to make her own decisions?’”

Daddy muttered a bad word. “You told him where to shove it, I take it.”

“I told him that our ten-year-old had little need for information on how our government was planning to end her life. He assured me that Peace Out was and always will be wholly voluntary. A place where people could take control of their lives. To end their suffering and go on to a better place.”

“This is how they do it,” Daddy said, shaking his head. “This is how they work. They worm their way in. Try to make you think it
’s normal. Try to make you think it’s good. Ha!” he scoffed. “Convincing people that they should end their lives. Talk about the certainty of death and taxes. You wait. They’ve already started cutting benefits. Soon they’ll present a choice between another round of across the board cuts or just eliminating them for people over 80. Or 75. They’ll push the ages lower and lower and one day you have a society where Peace Out is the only choice. Becca, are you listening?”

Becca had taken advantage of her parents
’ animated conversation and was hiding a roll in the pocket of her sweatshirt. She looked up, eyes wide. “Yes, Daddy.”

“What did I just say?”

“Peace Out is a government intrusion on personal liberty that will result in the downfall of society,” she recited.

Daddy looked at her suspiciously.

“I’m paraphrasing,” she said. “I’m finished. May I be excused?”

Mom checked over her plate. “Finish up your broccoli.”

Becca stuffed the last two florets in her mouth and chewed. She washed it down with the dregs of her milk and looked up expectantly. Mom nodded. Becca carried her dishes to the kitchen, scraped the remains into the trash and put them into the dishwasher. As she ran up the stairs, she heard her parents trying to convince Grandma to take a few sips of her vanilla nutrition shake. She hadn’t eaten a bite of dinner.

Becca slipped into the bedroom she shared with Sammy. “Here,” she said, holding the roll out.

“Thanks,” Sammy said, closing her book. She took a bite of the roll. “No butter?”

“Shut up. Daddy will probably be up here soon, so you better eat that fast.”

Sammy complied.

“So?” Becca asked. “What was it like?”

“Well, Owen was very nice,” Sammy said through a mouthful of bread. “He brought me to the lobby and introduced me to Stacy at the front desk. She was nice too. She had a big jar of chocolates and let me have some. Oh! I almost forgot.” Sammy dug into her pocket. She proffered a few smashed truffles wrapped in bright blue plastic.

Becca took them. She tried to unwrap one, but the chocolate was too melted. She gave up and stuck the whole thing in her mouth.

“Anyway,” Sammy continued, “Stacy had a basket of books and toys so I played with those for a while. Then I found a deck of cards and asked her to play Go Fish. She had to stop to answer phones and help a few people who came for appointments.”

Becca spat out the plastic wrapper and dropped it into the trashcan. “What were the people like?”

Sammy shrugged. “Old. One lady was in a wheelchair and her son brought her in. She couldn’t really talk or anything. A woman in a white coat came and got her. It was kind of like going to the doctor. But prettier. Everything was so clean and nice.”

Becca finished the last of the chocolates. “Did they talk to you about Peace Out?”

“No,” Sammy said. “I asked Owen a ton of questions but he kept telling me that I should talk to Mom and Dad.” Sammy rolled her eyes. “Stacy wouldn’t answer my questions either. She said it was a parental responsibility. Whatever. When she wasn’t looking, I took a brochure. I hid it under the mattress.”

“Sammy! What if they find it?”

“They won’t. Who is going to tell them? Besides, we can look at it tonight then I’ll tear it up and flush it down the toilet. OK?”

“OK,” Becca said.

“When Mom got there I could tell she was super annoyed. Owen came out to say goodbye. He talked to Mom for a while but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.”

“Oh yeah,” Becca said. “He t
old her that she should let us do PO Ed.”

“No wonder she was so mad when we left.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Sammy called, brushing the crumbs off her bed.

Daddy came into the room. “Mom told me what happened,” he said. “Do you have anything to say?”

“I
’m sorry,” Sammy said. “I shouldn’t have made her worry like that. I shouldn’t have disobeyed.”

“You are saying the right words, Sammy, but I don
’t feel like you mean them.”

“I do,” Sammy said. “I
’m sorry.”

“Your Mom thinks that spending the evening in your room and no dinner was enough punishment. I don
’t think it was enough.” Daddy went to Sammy’s nightstand and took her book. He went to her bookshelf and took the rest of The Great Brain books. “I’m keeping these for a week,” he said.

“Daddy!” Sammy said, losing her cool. “Can you just spank me?”

“You are too old to be spanked,” Daddy said. “Besides, I don’t think it is an effective form of punishment for you.”

“Dad, I
’m really sorry,” Sammy said. “I truly am. I won’t do it again.”

“I know you won
’t,” he said. He gave Sammy a kiss on the top of the head. He gave one to Becca too. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth before you go the bed. I’ll be back for lights out at 9:00.” Daddy tucked the books under one arm and left.

Sammy waited until the door was closed. “A whole week?” she groaned. “I was in the middle of a really good part. Those were my only new books!”

“You can borrow one of my Narnia books,” Becca offered.

“You
’re still on the first one.”

“I
’ll try to finish it tonight.”

“Wait,” Sammy said, brightening. “I do have something new to read!” She rolled onto her stomach, reached under the mattress and pulled out the brochure. The glossy paper had the Peace Out logo on the front and a picture of a happy white-haired couple. Sammy smoothed out the wrinkles. “I had to fold it up to get it into my back pocket,” she said.

Becca plopped down next to her and they pored over the brochure.

“Peace Out Bellingham is a natural death Center,” Sammy read. “No chemicals or caskets are used. If the applicant so desires, his or her remains will be buried beneath a fruit tree.”

“Corpse fruit!” Becca exclaimed.

“Shush,” said Sammy. She continued reading, “Peace Out Produce is sold at farmer
’s markets across the state of Washington and is an important part of meals served at the Center.” Sammy turned to the next page and continued.

“Peace Out requires applicants to remain at the Center a minimum of seven days before Peacing Out. During that time, you will meet regularly with a Facilitator, who will help you determine whether Peace Out is the right option for you.”

“Owen is a Facilitator,” recalled Becca. “That is what it said on his card.”

Sammy flipped to the back page. “Bellingham is the original Peace Out Center and the former home of Daniel and Elizabeth Keller, founders of the Peace Out movement. Opened in 2027, Peace Out Bellingham is now one of sixty Centers across the country. The Kellers supervised the growth of Peace Out until 2038, when they Peaced Out together. The Keller Trust continues to provide free access to Facilitation for any who are seeking to Peace Out.” Sammy folded up the brochure. “That
’s them on the cover,” she said, tapping the white-haired couple.

“She looks a little like Grandma,” Becca said.

“Yeah,” Sammy said. She tore the brochure into tiny pieces.

OLIVIA AND JOE

Are you going to Peace Out? Is there something you want to do before you go? Then call Bucket List. Bucket List specializes in wish fulfillment. Want to perform for a full house at Madison Square Garden? Want to have dinner with your favorite celebrity? Want to be treated like a celebrity? Let us help you make it happen. Go out with a bang! You can
’t take it with you!

National Public Radio, Bucket List, Inc. Advertisement, 2044.

Joe spun Olivia onto the dance floor and pulled her close, his hand firm on her waist. They had taken up ballroom dancing after their youngest went to college. The other couples gave them space as they waltzed expertly together. It was the one thing Olivia had asked of Joe after his retirement and he had given in. Joe insisted on private lessons, though, stating that he didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of other people. But Joe had always had good rhythm, so once he figured out the footwork, they had really progressed quickly.

The orchestra transitioned to a rumba. Olivia looked around and saw a few other couples who knew what they were doing. The rest were just having fun. They did a foxtrot and then another waltz before Joe got short of breath and needed a break. Olivia went to get them some water from the bar. A man was there ordering two glasses of champagne.

“You guys looked great out there,” he said. He was probably about the same age as Joe. His hair was mostly grey, a few shades lighter than his eyes.

“Thanks,” Olivia responded. “We
’ve been taking lessons for years now.”

“My wife and I tried,” he said. “I just have two left feet. After about a month of having her toes stepped on she resigned herself to the side rock.”

Olivia laughed.

“I
’m Ned,” he said.

“Olivia.
”

“How long have you been on the Lady Luck? Haven
’t seen you before.”

“Just a week. You?”

“We are on month three. We embarked in Sydney.”

“I wondered about the accent.”

“Crikey! Didgeridoo! Um, kangaroo?” Ned said. “Hmmm, I can’t think of any more Aussie terms right now.”

“How about vegemite?”

“Ambrosia,” he said. “We brought a dozen jars with us.”

Olivia wrinkled her nose. “Joe and I didn
’t really care for it,” she said.

“Where are you all sitting? I
’ll bring my wife over,” Ned said. “Maybe she could borrow your husband for a dance? Do me a favor?”

“Joe
’s a little tired right now,” Olivia said. “Maybe later?”

“Of course,” Ned said. There was a little pause.

“But we’re sitting right over there,” Olivia said, pointing. “You are welcome to join us.”

Ned smiled. “We
’ll be right over.”

Olivia brought the waters back to Joe.

“Who was that at the bar?” he asked.

“Jealous?” she teased.

“Not at all,” Joe said. “I just like to see my wife being appreciated.”

“Oh Joe,” Olivia scoffed.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he said.

“Don
’t I look beautiful always?”

“Always,” he said, “but especially tonight. That dress shows you off in all the right places.” He reached out and took her hand.

“Wrinkles, white hairs and all?”

“You are the belle of the ball. Every man in the room was watching you and I don
’t blame them. What do you say we head back to the cabin?”

“Well, Ned and his wife were going to come over to meet us. That guy from the bar. He seemed pretty nice. They
’re from Australia. They’ve been on board a while. It would be nice to make some friends who know the ropes.”

“I
’ll give them five minutes,” Joe said. “I’m tired.”

“You didn
’t sound tired discussing our return to the cabin,” Olivia said, raising an eyebrow.

“That
’s different,” Joe said grumpily.

“Be nice,” Olivia ordered. “There they are.” Joe and Olivia stood up.

“Hello again, Olivia.” Ned said. He held his hand out to Joe. “I’m Ned.”

“Joe.”

“This is my wife, Sophie.” Even in high heels, Sophie barely came up to Ned’s shoulders. She was wearing an elaborate gold beaded dress. Her hair was thick, blonde, and perfectly coifed. Clearly a dye job, but it, like Sophie, was impeccable.

“So nice to meet you,” Sophie said. “You dance beautifully,” she told them. “I was telling Ned here that he needed to make sure we met.”

“He’s already made me promise to loan you Joe for a dance,” Olivia said.

“I promise it will only be one,” Sophie said. “I
’m no home wrecker.” She and Ned laughed. “So how long will you be on board?” she asked.

“Six months,” Joe said.

“We’re doing all the land excursions. We finish in South America then fly home,” Olivia said. “I’ve always wanted to climb Machu Picchu.”

“We
’re doing all the land excursions too,” Sophie said. “We’re on board indefinitely.”

“Really?” Olivia asked.

“Well, we have open tickets,” Ned said. “We’ll stay until we get bored.”

“Or until I die,” Sophie said frankly. She pointed at her hair. “This? A wig.”

“Oh,” Olivia said, suddenly filled with pity.

“I just told Ned I wanted to have as much fun as possible. This cruise seemed like the easiest way to do it. My treatments follow me around the world. Much better than a typical hospital.”

“What about you?” Ned asked. “Who is this trip for?”

“Both of us,” Olivia said.

“I have pancreatic cancer,” Joe said.

“We
’ve chosen to Peace Out together,” Olivia said.

“The kids told us to blow their inheritance,” Joe said. “So we
’re doing our best.”

“While saving some for the grandkids,” Olivia added.

“Pictures,” demanded Sophie.

Olivia pulled out her phone and scrolled through.

“Eight grandchildren!” Sophie exclaimed. “Look at them, Ned. Darling! This little girl with the curls. Such a cutie.”

“That
’s my namesake,” Olivia said. “How about you?”

“Oh, Ned and I never wanted children,” she said. “I was focused on my career. And I figured, if a nanny is going to raise the kids, why bother?” She stopped short. “Of course, it is a personal choice. Hope I didn
’t offend.”

“Sophie rarely stops to think before she speaks,” Ned said. “Fortunately, she is so devastatingly beautiful, funny, and charming that most people can
’t help but love her.”

“I stayed home with mine,” Olivia said. “I never wanted a career.”

“Well, glad I didn’t put my foot in it,” Sophie said. “Anyway, I now live vicariously through friends and shudder through their stories of crazy daughter-in-laws.” Sophie said. “Got any?”

Olivia thought of Celia. “I do.”

Joe’s smile was growing glazed.

“It
’s getting late,” Olivia said. “We should probably get to bed.”

“Want to join us for breakfast?” Sophie asked. “Have you had the waffles at the Raven
’s Nest?”

“Not yet,” Olivia said, looking at Joe for confirmation.

“Sounds great,” he said. “Nine o’clock?”

“Perfect,” Ned said. “We
’ll see you then.”

Olivia and Joe took the elevator down to their cabin. They had upgraded to one with an ocean view. It was still tiny. Olivia slipped out of her dress and hung it back in the closet.

“Did you like them?” Olivia asked.

“They seemed nice enough,” Joe said. He was already in bed, the covers pulled up to his chin.

“Maybe you and Ned can do the driving range together.”

“Maybe,” Joe said.

Olivia put on her nightgown and slipped into bed.

“Get over here,” Joe said, folding her in his arms.