Strength and BeautyA Story by Sophie completely different from my original idea XD, review for a review?
I woke up in a coughing fit as usual, hearing other people hacking up lungs, too. Everyone does. Almost no one in the entire world has had a good might's sleep for the past fifty years, because of the disease. It was made by scientists in the year 2012, and released. An airborne illness, it quickly infected entire countries, and after some time, the whole world. It wasn't biological warfare, but a way to keep the population under control. The 10% who were allergic to it died, and the rest were sterilized. That was the point of the disease, it just had some unfortunate side effects. There is an antidote, and every year, girls and boys who are eighteen are chosen if the are Desirable, meaning they are good looking, athletic, smart, kind, etc, get the antidote and are paired up to, basically, have sex, get pregnant, and then move on with their lives. Since the toxin was released, the population has dropped from seven billion, to four billion. When you hit your forty-fifth birthday, you are executed. Except where I live, but that's for later. The world has fallen into chaos, the governments are awful, not democracies or monarchies or any other kind of 'acies'. There is no love in the world. Well, there wasn't. Until me. I live underground, in a society only the people who live there knows exists, infected and Desirable alike. I'm not bragging, but this is what I've been told. I am the most Desirable girl there has been since the Infection. I am unnaturally beautiful, like my body has evolved, like the world has been so devoid of love it gave me the power to have anyone fall in love with a glance. I didn't know how to control it when I was littler, but I'd look someone in the eyes and smile, and suddenly they'd be my new best friend, and then I turned fourteen and suddenly boys were pining after me, and my parents told me. There are no mirrors in the Underground, but someone ventured to the Above to steal one so I could see myself. “Don't look into your eyes, Calla, look everywhere but your eyes.” Mother warned me before the full length mirror was turned to me. I clapped my hands over my mouth in awe, my thin, dainty fingers clasping elegantly. When I took my hands away, I examined my lips. They were full and had a cupid's bow. I was not wearing make up, but they were cherry red and glossy, though when I ran my finger over them, they felt like normal lips. My skin was pale and perfect, no blemishes or freckles anywhere, just a smooth expanse of cream colored silk. My hair tumbled down my back in a mix of waves and curls, stopping just above my butt. It was a beautiful dark brown, the color of dark chocolate and streaks of milk chocolate and glints of fiery red. My nose was small and thin, fitting my face as well, and I could tell that my eyes are a deep forest green, the color of emeralds, though I didn't look directly into them. I was dressed in the usual attire of the Underground, brown, unflattering fabric. But somehow, mine managed to hug my body, showing every curve of my skin. My legs were showing, long and hairless, though I'd never shaved in my life. There were no razors in the underground, somehow I just managed to not have hair on my legs. There was a space in between my thighs, I was thin enough that they didn't touch when I stood. I had always been perfectly thin, I knew, but everyone's thighs touch. This was when I was fourteen, I wonder what I look like now. “Mother, why can't I look into my eyes?” I had asked, gazing in wonder at my glossy lips as they moved around perfect white teeth. “Because you might do to yourself what you have done so many others, Calla, you may fall in love with yourself.” She explained. “People are in love with me?” I asked, gazing at my long fingers brush a lock of hair from my forehead. “Yes, Calla, when you look into people's eyes they become infatuated with you, unable to think of anything else for the rest of their days. We don't know why, all we know is that it's dangerous. If you merely hold hands with a boy, I believe almost all of the Underground will kill themselves.”
What a burden to put on a fourteen year old, huh? I've since looked at my eyes, but I'm fine. “Calla?” A voice whispers. “Atlas!” I whisper back excitedly, opening my door. I've become something like the Underground's princess, I am sacred, because I am the last love. I help him into my room, but he knows from memory where the bed is. He holds my face with his fingers, “As beautiful as always.” He says, kissing my cheek. His unseeing eyes seem to look at me, though I know that's impossible. Atlas, the boy I am in love with, is blind. Suddenly I start crying. “Calla? What's wrong?” He asks, holding me close. “They want to use me as a weapon, they want me to become their leader and then storm the Above and just look in everyone's eyes, have them fall in love with me so they can't fight back when we take power.” We stop and cough for a bit because of the damned disease. Atlas is almost eighteen, but because we were both born in the Underground, both of us will receive the antidote, though I doubt he would in the Above because of his blindness, though he is quite beautiful, in the way a boy can be. He has a messy shock of dark hair and pale, pale blue eyes, a strong jaw and tan skin. We will both be eighteen within a week. “When did they say that?” He asks. “They didn't, but you know its true! Why else would they keep me so darn locked up?” We cough again. “I don't want to be ruler of anything!” I sob after the coughing fit, wrapping my arms around him and crying into his shirt.
The swords clash and then one is ripped from the other's hand. It clatters to the cement floor and the one still standing jabs it at the other boy's chest, meaning he won. Atlas takes off his mask and grins. I would cheer for him, but then people would get jealous of him, and maybe kill him. God I hate this thing. Atlas is the best fighter, he even beats the instructor on a daily basis, it's weird because he's blind. Maybe it's all the years of his other senses being sharpened that give him his fighting skills. Suddenly there is a shriek and we all turn out heads. Old Jessica is being dragged away by Underground officials. It was only a matter of time. She is 82, and she remembers the Before, but she has gone senile, and she says one thing all the time, and that's it, maybe a hello or a goodbye in between: “And the world shall prosper because strength and beauty.” Now she's screaming it, tears rolling down her face. Her wrists are held together by one of the official's meaty hands, her feet kick and her head thrashes, all the while screaming that one phrase, and never faltering. The officials must have decided she was too much a nuisance around anyway. They drag her to the public guillotine, and we all look away as we hear her screams stop in the middle of the word 'strength'. We hear her dead weight being dragged to the burial area. Class resumes as normal. Now it's the girls turn to fight, and I'm not good, but I'm not awful either, so I'm usually out pretty quickly, except this time, my partner is a girl who I looked in the eyes. It was an accident, when I was seven, we were going to be friends, and I was kind of shy, and I got up the nerve to look at her eyes. Her mom had to pry her off me because she was hugging me so hard it hurt. As I pull out my lance to start fighting, she drops to her knees and screams at my feet, “Kill me! Please! I am not worthy!” I pull my foot away and drop the lance, tears streaming down my face. I run away, crying into my hands. Why can't I be ugly or something?! When I get to my house (the only house in the underground, built to protect me) I hear voices coming from the unused meeting room. “The blind boy- yes, him. He's the one, I saw him.” “So we're agreed, the Atlas and Calla together?” They know.
“Atlas, there's something I need to tell you.” I say when he comes to visit me that night. He doesn't know about my stupid eye thing, about the stupid love thing. About my stupid life of looking at the ground. I take a deep breath and launch into the story, “I'm beautiful, Atlas.” “Well, I've always known that, I can tell.” He smiles again, running his fingers down the bridge of my nose and over my cheek bones. “No, I'm different. When I look into someone's, anyone's, eyes, they fall in love. I'm not being conceited! I swear! There's this weird thing with me, my body has like, adapted to the way of life since the Infection, and I'm the most Desirable person there's ever been. That's why we have to sneak around, not because my parents won't let me date. Because if people saw me with you, well, they'd kill themselves. Or you. It's awful, and I'm sorry I lied, but... I hope you actually do love me, not because of my stupid eyes.” Everything tumbles out in a rush, and I take a deep breath. “Calla, I love you, not because of what you look like. I can't even see you.” He says, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear he found when he was tracing my jaw with his fingers. “I love you too.” I whisper.
“Now for your assignment, I want you to write a five page essay-” there is a collective groan from the class, “on the Infection and the Above. This is due next Friday, which, incidentally, is the day of the week it was released, though not in May. It was released, December 21, 2012, remember to include that tidbit into your papers.” The clock strikes two o'clock and we head elsewhere in the Underground. There are no buildings, except for my house and the elevator. My house could probably fit four families of four, but they choose to overlook that little detail. The Underground is literally underground, obviously. It's giant, the size of the town above us. My 'neighborhood' is near the edge, so there's immensely tall concrete walls, and really, really far away is the opposite wall, but you can't always see it from where you are. The walls, inner and outer, of my house connects and meld into the ceiling, also made of concrete. The windows are cut into it and paned with glass, though its all pieces that were found. Beer bottles, broken eyeglasses, cups for drinking, you name it. When its night and only a few of the lanterns are lit, the one across from the window in my room included, if I open the window just the slightest bit the light dances through the glass and makes something beautiful on the floor of my room. It's my favorite thing, other than being with Atlas, to watch the lights twinkle as the flame in the lantern flickers. But now, it's day, so I don't get to see it. The lights in the Underground are pretty dim, a few overhead lights that don't really do too much because of the height of the ceiling, a few lamps here and there, battery powered of course, and then just oil lamps. I finally reach my house, and then my room. I collapse on my purple covered bed. “I will not procrastinate again.” I say to myself, staring at the ceiling, but determined. I pull up my laptop from the floor next to my bed and search 'the Infection history' and I get my way around all the parental blocks, and then for hours read pages upon pages of articles, all staying the same generic stuff. We've always learned it was a company that started the whole thing, but the exact name has never been known. Or, that's what I thought, because looking at this website, it was a company called Sub. Extra points, oh yes. There's a knock at my door. Panic shoots through me, she's going to tell me that she knows! She's going to kill me! “Come in.” I say, managing to keep my emotions from penetrating my voice and my mom opens the door, holding a suitcase. “Pack your bag, you're going to the Above.” “What? Why?” I ask, closing my laptop and feeling my heart begin to race. “I can't tell you. You and the boy Atlas are going together.” “But... what about school?” That's the most intelligent thing you could say, Calla? I really do need school. “It doesn't matter, come on, pack, you leave at six o'clock.” “What do I pack?” I ask. “You will be living in a house, so anything you will need.” And with that she closes the door.
“Goodbye.” Mother whispers and then the door to the rusty elevator closes, squeaking. As soon as we're sure the door is closed, Atlas takes my trembling hand. “Our apartments are 420 and 422 on Valley Street.” Atlas reminds me as the elevator lurches into motion. I nod unable to speak, only to remember he doesn't know I'm nodding, so I squeeze his hand. Why are we going there? Did they not want us anymore? The two freaks? But they treated me like a princess, and he's out best fighter, if the Above were to discover us, we'd need him, and I'm convince they'd want to use me as a weapon, maybe I'm just being conceited. But why send us away? I practically throw up as the elevator stops, knowing an unknown world lays before me, an evil one, one that might kill us if they find out where we're from. The doors open, revealing, yet another, concrete room, pillars holding the levels apart and white lines painted about five feet away from each other, so with numbers, some without. There is a sign above us that says 'exit' and a sloping floor. I lead Atlas down ward and we reach a black and yellow striped bar, which we go under. Then we reach the outside, the light blinding me. Does the above smell bad or something? It smells like food that's gone bad times ten but I can't see the source of the stench. I've never seen light so bright. It has a yellowish glow and seems to come from above. Is that the sun? The sun sounds so impossible when we hear about it in school, a ball of light floating in the sky? And then another question, what in the world is a 'sky'? How can something be never ending? I suppose I can't comprehend, having lived within two sets of walls my entire life. I know pupils get smaller in light, and I don't think they've ever been this small. But as they adjust, shapes come into view, thin and dark at first, because of all the light shining around them, but then my eyes adjust and my sight is completely normal. But what I see is completely not what I was expecting. Dirt. That's the first thing that processes in my brain. There's dirt and dust everywhere. The pathways are dirt and riddled with the bare foot prints of people. Then I see the people. Thin and haggard, dressed in rags. Isn't the Underground supposed to be the poorer of the two worlds? There's coughs and the cries of babies. Dead people laying in the streets, impossibly thin. This is where the Cured live too? What's going one? I venture out of the shadow of the overhang on the building, dazed, and look up, because it's the only building. In big metal letters on the side of the building it says, 'Sub Corp. Headquarters'. Sub? Isn't that... no. No. It can't- “Atlas. Everything we knew was wrong.”
We've been here for two weeks. There has been no contact with the Underground, and I need to know what's going on, though I know I already do. They lied. They released the toxin, and no one knows. No one knows that the Underground isn't good, like we were taught, that it gave a sanctuary to people, 'from the harsh ways of the Above', it's really a prison. So why are we let out? The Antidote Ceremony is today, and I'm terrified of what is to come. I know I'll be Desirable, there's no avoiding it. But Atlas may not. “Remember, tell them your blindness was caused by an injury.” I say for the hundredth time. “I think I'll be able to remember the truth.” He teases, sounding relaxed. When we reach the 'town common' no more than a mere space coated in dust and dirt with a small, wooden stage. Once all the eighteen year olds stop arriving, a voice calls out, “Girls with first names A through M.” Before I go, I ask the boy next to me to lead Atlas wherever they have to go, and I explain he's blind. Then I follow the crowd of girls into the only other non-broken down building I've found other than the Sub building. We sit down in plush chairs and we're called in one by one. I am careful to not look at anyone when I'm called. I go into the room the other girls went into and sit down in another chair. “I'm going to run a few tests, I just need to take a sample.” The nurse says, inserting a needle into my vein. I keep my eyes down and my face hidden behind my hair. A few minutes go by and then she speaks, “Please lift your head up.” Adrenaline sparks my blood, but I lift my head up and keep my eyes closed. She sighs in annoyance, “Open your eyes, Calla.” “I-I can't.” I say. “Open. Your. Eyes.” She says, angry now. I take a deep breath and open my eyes, my gaze immediately finding hers. Her grey eyes go from cold, hard, and angry to fuzzy and longing, even teary eyed in a second. My own eyes well up, I've done it again. “You're... beautiful.” She says. “Please, be professional.” I say, my voice catching a bit, noticing the ring on her finger. She'll never be happy with her husband again. “Whatever you wish.” She says. There's a few more minutes of awkward silence as she inspects every part of me. I mean every part of me. Not a fun few minutes. “Desirable.” She says, after doing some work after her computer. “You will be paired with... Atlas Shaida. Your room is 202, down the hall to the left.” She says, then I hear her whisper, “Lucky Atlas.” I get up stiffly. Atlas? Atlas is Desirable? “Oh, to let you know, Atlas is blind.” “I know.” I whisper. I don't know what to feel at this point, happy that it's not some stranger? Confused as to how he got through? And then it hits me: Dread. If I leave this building un-pregnant, well, I have to walk right back in. Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap. Oh crap. I open the handle to the door. “C-Calla?” He says, sounding just as nervous as me. “Yeah.” I say. “What do we do?” “I don't know. You can't leave without being...” “Pregnant.” I finish for him, running my fingers through my hair. We sit in silence for a minute, trying to figure out what to do, I know they didn't send us up here to start a family. “What if when they give you the test, you look into their eyes and tell them that you don't want them to tell?” He suggests. “I-I guess. I already looked into someone's eyes today.” I say, upset. He comes up behind me and wraps me in his arms, finding my cheek with his lips. “It's what we need to do.” “I know.” So we sit and wait, talking quietly. When an intercom beeps saying that nurses will be at the doors in a minutes, my stomach twists into a knot. When I open the door, I look straight into the man's eyes and say, “I'm pregnant, okay?” He nods, his mouth hanging open, and Atlas and I leave the building and find our 'apartments'. When I open the door, there is a note taped to the table made of splintered wood along with a small corked bottle of clear liquid. Dear Calla, I know by now you've discovered that we are Sub, the company that released the Infection. But over the years, we've been working on creating a antidote that you merely breath in, not have to be injected with. In three days, go to the Sub Headquarters building (where you were was just a parking garage) and find the machine. It will be obvious, it's huge. This will have instructions on it, follow them and you will release the antidote to the entire world. There will be people there who believe the Infection should stay, that's why you have Atlas, he will fight them. You may have to use your ability as well. Sincerely, Mother.
“There's a note.” I say to Atlas, and I read it to him. “So, they aren't bad anymore?” “Sounds like.” I say. “Great! After this, we can just go home.” He says, happy. I grin, “Home would be nice, it's really bright here.” The curing ceremony took a lot longer than I thought it would, it's night now and Atlas and I head off to our rooms to sleep.
Death, death, death for us all can you hear the crows caw? December twenty first, two-thousand and twelve, Is the end we foresaw.
Not what it was, not what it was, merely a disease, an infection that ruined, demolished, all of the world's affection.
Love and Strength will save the human race While Beauty and Grace will erase.
Human kind has unraveled it's rope, though too blind to see the end of hope, they must realize, that they are at their demise, they must sever with Earth's ties.
And the world shall prosper because of Strength and Beauty But only if they do their duty.
I wake up in a cold sweat, though I can't remember the dream, again. For the past two nights, I've had the same dream, but I can never remember it when I wake up. It's frustrating. Today's the day, today is the day the world will be cured for good. I get up and Atlas is already awake, but both of us are too nervous to eat. He holds a sword which he found placed on his bed last night. We walk to the Sub building, people stare at the sword, but don't question us. I cradle the vial in my hands like the world depends on it, which it does. The automatic doors open of the Sub Headquarters building, and as we step in, many people rush at us, all trying to stop us. Atlas merely holds out his sword and they stop. We reach the elevator and one of the floors is labeled 'Machine' so I click that one. The people in the hallway are not as easy to fight off. “Calla, run, do what you have to, I'll keep them off.” Atlas says. I run down the white tiled hallway, careful not to drop the glass bottle. I hear a gunshot and turn around, Atlas' ear is gushing blood, but he's fine. “Atlas! You have to kill!” I shout, they'll kill him. They can't kill him. When another man rushes at him, their head goes rolling, though Atlas whispers to him, “I'm sorry.” Atlas' next swipe misses, not going at the way through, and the man bleeds out from a deep gash in his throat. As I watch, someone grabs me from behind and claps a hand over my mouth. I struggle, still holding onto the vial, but I can't free myself. I stop squirming and as they're dragging me away I lift up my foot and bring it hard into the man's crotch. He drops me, howling, and I run past him. “I'm doing something good! I'm sorry for all the bad!” I shout. Nothing is ever completely evil or completely good. It's not possible, it's like the ancient Yin Yang symbol, there was a little darkness in the light, and a little light in the darkness, complete balance. Though balance doesn't exist either. Nothing can be equal. There will always be more weight on one end, and less on the other. A yoga master might be able to hold the hardest pose for a long time, but they still wobble, even if you can't see it. I have to wobble today, except I'm more like falling. All those people dying. But this is for a much greater cause, and it should cost much more than a few lives. “That will kill all human life!” He shouts after me. I skid to a halt and turn around, but Atlas has already killed him, and is now running with me, seeming to not have heard him. We reach the machine and before I can tell him not to, Atlas already has them dead on the floor, stabbed through. Kill the entire human race? Why would they want to do that? Suddenly my mouth opens and words pour out of it in a poetic voice, “Death, death, death for us all can you hear the crows caw? December twenty first, two-thousand and twelve, Is the end we foresaw.
Not what it was, not what it was, merely a disease, an infection that ruined, demolished, all of the world's affection.
Love and Strength will save the human race While Beauty and Grace will erase.
Human kind has unraveled it's rope, though too blind to see the end of hope, they must realize, that they are at their demise, they must sever with Earth's ties.
And the world shall prosper because of Strength and Beauty But only if they do their duty.”
“What?” Atlas asks, “Calla, just cure everyone already!” “It's, it's not a cure.” I stammer. “It will kill the entire human race.” There's a moment of silence as he processes it, “Then why haven't you thrown it to the ground and smashed it yet? And what did you just say?” “Calla means beauty in Greek. Atlas was a Titan who Zeus sentenced to hold up the world, so that means strength. Atlas, remember what Old Jessica used to say a lot? 'And the world shall prosper because of strength and beauty?' Strength and Beauty are people, us. And the poem says to... do our duty.” “To make the world prosper?” “No, to 'sever with Earth's ties'. It means humanity is ruining Earth, and if we don't leave, it will be much worse when Mother Nature makes us.” “So you want to kill an entire species? Possibly the only intelligent life in the entire universe?” “History has a tendency to repeat itself.” I say, turning the bottle in my fingers, watching the clear liquid swish around. “What does that have to do with anything? Without humans there is no history.” Atlas says. “In a bazillion years, there might be a new version of humans, the population will over run itself, and it will have to be controlled, and then this will happen all over again until the sun goes super nova and burns the Earth to dust. But, the planet needs to recover. Humanity is like Earth's own Infection, brought on by her own actions. This bottle is her cure, but our death.” “So you're going to do it, aren't you?” He whispers. “Yes.” I breathe. He cups my face in one last passionate kiss. “I love you.” He whispers. “I love you too.” I say and turn to the machine and pour the liquid into the place where it goes, and then press the button for it to start. Immediately, the roof of the building retracts and a massive cloud of what looks like water vapor spreads around the sky. It floats there and I watch as it stretches over the entire country, and over the entire world. Then, it rains. The cloud condenses within a second and pours down onto every square inch of Earth. I scream in agony as it hits my skin and watch blisters form and burst in blood within a few seconds. I collapse, writhing in pain and listen to the screams of the entire world, the loudest sound I've ever heard, 4 billion+ people screaming all at once. Drops land in my eyes, and I don't know what happens to them, all that I know is I am blind and in pain as the rain pelts me, bursting every square inch of skin until I have none, I am only a writhing, screaming blob of blood and pain. Over the screams I hear one thing: And the world shall prosper because of strength and beauty. The phrase pounds louder and louder inside my newly dissolved skull, drowning out all sound. Somehow I know once the acid rain has stopped falling, real rain will come and wash the remnants of humanity, merely puddles of something foul, away, leaving behind a new world to grow and evolve. And the world shall prosper because of Strength and Beauty.
© 2012 SophieAuthor's Note
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6 Reviews  Last Updated on September 14, 2012 Tags: post-apocalyptic, apocalypse, Beauty, Strength Author
Sophie-, MAAboutI'm 16 in my sophomore year of high school, I started on this site when i was 14, took about a year break and now i might be back, im just fixing my description because i was annoying as f**k last yea.. more..Writing
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