The Ivory Tower (4 page)

His eyebrows lifted at
her mumbled words of thanks, barely louder than a whisper.

“If I were you, I would
be a bit more grateful. You are lucky the guards were there to protect you, and
to protect the rest of us from any contamination. We had to take some drastic
measures to save you. Your body may be scarred,” he said, nodding toward her
hand. “But, you are alive, and lucky. The boundaries are there to protect us. They
are for our own good. It would serve you well in the future to remember that.” He
looked at her hard, before making the final marks on her chart.

“For our own good,”
Simone agreed, trying to mirror the innocence of her friend. She let those
words float in her mind, nagging at the recesses of her mind. She looked
outside, watching the frayed tips of the striped flag blow in the wind. Everything
seemed normal. Kids jumped rope in the streets, men stacked the provisions for
the upcoming winter season, and women watched out the windows with needle and
thread in hand. When the bell rang its familiar chime, everyone scattered into
line.

Her head hit the pillow
and she sighed, closing her eyes. “Yes, it’s for our own good.”

THE END

About
the Author

Kirstin Pulioff is a
storyteller at heart.   Born and raised in Southern California, she
moved to the Pacific Northwest to follow her dreams and graduated from Oregon
State University with a degree in Forest Management.  Happily married and
a mother of two, she lives in Oregon, and enjoys being a stay at home
mom.  When she’s not writing, she is busy with her kids and church.
Website:
www.kirstinpulioff.com

Facebook:  
KirstinPulioffAuthor
Twitter: 
@KirstinPulioff
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Kirstin Pulioff

Published
Works

The
Princess Madeline Series – A coming of age fairytale for middle grade readers.

     The Escape of
Princess Madeline

     The Battle for
Princess Madeline

     Princess Madeline
and the Dragon

The
Ivory Tower – a dystopian short story