Intentionality Read online

  They want to distract me more like, but they don’t know what I know. Those buzzing irritating voices have all but disappeared. No, that’s the wrong word, they are still there but it’s like they have calmed, mellowed, I feel like they are bathing me in a warm glow. I am now protected by the sound, a gentle melodic hum. It started to change when I spoke to Mrs Alder about my options. Now that I have been to the Mono school, my head is content. It allows me to think straight, to react quicker and certainly therefore, I have as much chance of ascending as Lily now. Poor Dawn, she has definitely been taken off the list. Medical grounds they said. Nurse Spendlove was very commanding. She said that under no circumstances was Dawn to be scanned again and if she can’t be scanned, she can’t be registered for the Ascension tests. I am not sure how that works actually because Mrs Alder said I had to. She doesn’t seem to be arguing with Nurse Spendlove. Nobody does. Even Grace said she was right. It would damage newly fragile synapse connections apparently. She can try next harvest time and then we shall have another excuse for a huge homecoming party. I read about those once in a history lesson. That’s when someone who has been lost, or who has been away, makes a triumphant return to their base or home and the people who have travelled nowhere overindulge! Surely this gives the person who has been away a completely wrong impression of life at home. At least they know that they are welcome to join the group again.

  Later in the day Lily and I intend to fix each other’s hair. We did this a lot as small children. It’s one of the many benefits to being a twin. I am not saying our relationship has always been one of harmony. Living, thinking and breathing around the same person twenty-four hours a day for your whole existence can, in brief episodes be difficult. I have always had someone beside me that is honest about the way I look, or act, because it’s in their best interests to do so, unless, of course, you have fallen out with your twin, over an inconsequential lack of judgement. In that case it is the worst thing in the world to be a twin. In fact you would in this instance be trying everything possible to remove yourself from your twin and even ask to move pods!

  I didn’t think it was that wrong to cross her off the list of applicants who were applying to travel on the once a year trip up to the surface. She had said that under no circumstances would she be travelling with me and my dizzy forgetful brain, because most likely it would put her in danger. Therefore, when I received my permission to board the sub first, I removed her name. Quite straightforward really, I had no idea that she was only challenging me. Honest!

  On the whole though we are best friends and my best friend deserves a very extravagant treat.

  I have ordered a very special hair clasp to be made. The hair clasp depicts two orchids entwined. I have asked for it to be made with rose and white gold. The orchids are to lift from the clasp and their entwined stems, to rest together in the centre. I of course know that Lily will adore and treasure the piece.

  We are all given a piece of jewellery during The Harvest as a farewell gift. Not everyone is lucky enough to design one, but Mrs Alder has been so very sweet. I think she has realised the enormity of the impending Ascension tests on my sister and I. I also think that it is another one of her incentives to show me that a prolonged stay down here is a positive option. My other friends will all receive a pair of earrings, shaped like shells, with their initials and Evo-signature code embossed in old italic script, and a golden bangle inscribed on the inside with their Evo-gene skill and Ascension score. The outside is ornate. It carries the words ‘Intentionality, our destiny and our legacy’ embossed again in the same italic script. It has shells, seaweed and waves cascading around the words. Children used to receive only paper certificates when they passed exams in the time before the Evo-shift. Lily and I will also receive the earrings but Lily will get the hair clasp instead of the bangle.

  The botanical gardens are a private and restful oasis as intended. The fragrances are over powering initially, but the way that they hang onto the fabric of your clothes even after you leave is worth the few minutes of self-induced mouth breathing. I know the layout especially well, it being my favourite place to daydream. I need to have a photographic knowledge of the best place to stay hidden when other Seeders come looking for me. This morning though the atmosphere is different for me, maybe it’s the result of the calm in my head meeting the quiet outside, but I can hear rustling that is a little unnerving. The sounds are not matching my footsteps, I move then the plants rustle, almost a delayed reaction.

  I find the quaint wooden shed; the command centre of botanical planning. Nothing is planted without passing through here! Each and every seed is nurtured and cherished in a warm bed of top quality compost before being allowed to fight for survival in the botanical metropolis. The head gardener is my confidant. He allows me safe passage and has often turned a blind eye to my hiding amongst his prize vegetables, in an attempt to escape ‘capture’! He is not a man of many words. He remains polite and aloof, but there is often a wink and a nod of his head to warn me of incoming ‘predators’ set on destroying my peace. In return, I fend off younger Seeders finding this place for the first time. I remind them of the rules;

  No flower picking,

  No eating,

  No running on the carefully combed grass paths

  and certainly

  No loud, playful, age appropriate larking about! (That is entirely frowned upon.)

  Today my friend is elbow deep in fertiliser. I know this because my nose sensed it even before my eyes located the shed.

  “Good Morning Sir, I have been sent to pick up the package for the Graduation Ball. Shall I let myself into the shed as you seem very…busy?”

  “Good Morning Mae, I have prepared a lovely crop of fragrances for you, the order was only specific with regards to colour but as it’s you, I put a little extra care into the choice. The orchids are your favourite, plus I found the most freshly smelling Sweet William crop, along with roses and sweet peas. I know I shouldn’t say this, but I shall miss your company. I hope your troubles will be less disabling on the surface. You have struggled for too long. Hopefully, like a bud in the spring; it surely must be time to unwrap your true colours,” he stated thoughtfully.

  He certainly was a man of surprises. Never had he spoken so many words to me. I had no idea that he enjoyed my visits, or that he knew the real reason behind my need for solitude.

  “I asked my son to prepare a note for dispatch. It’s next to the package. Be sure to read it carefully. We are running out of time to make any last minute changes.”

  As stated the package was placed next to a small envelope, sealed and addressed to Mademoiselle Summer. He knows us all too well!

  Of course I thanked him as ordered by Summer, but then I had the strangest urge to give him a farewell embrace. He stood stock still, but did not back away.

  “Do what you can to stay safe Mae. You possess a powerful Evo-gene, just allow it to take control,” he advised.

  I followed one of the longer meandering paths out of the gardens, half of me expecting that I shall return, the other half trying to burn a memory into my brain, with every sensual experience on offer. I will allow my Evo-gene to take control. I can ascend. I shall then be a great asset to Intentionality. I will research the Mono population and I do intend to remain very much in contact with Willem. I am also feeling a little in awe of the head gardener with his wisdom beyond botany. I can only assume that it is borne from hours of contemplation amongst this tranquil beauty. He seemed to be able to look into my mind on many occasions.

  Once back in the recreation sector, it was obvious that Summer’s Evo-gene had taken over; her command of the situation had quite literally swept everyone off their feet. Lily was sitting on the floor, tying triple bows to the back of every chair, wondering if she would have the strength to even get dressed for the ball let alone attend.

  “I adore Summer, you know this Mae, but we have a whole day to prepare the room. We are not being airlifted out on a hostage retriev
al mission by 12.00 hours. I thought that this last day for us would be a little more like one long party; girls reminiscing about mistakes and incidents, dreams and aspirations, each of us getting to know the new people that we are to become, over long rest breaks punctuated by short work periods. I for one have not even had a chance to see another girl. Are they all lost in action?” communicated Lily sarcastically.

  My communicated response had to come as an old-fashioned battle telegram, just to lift Lily’s morale!

  “All soldiers are absent without leave… Major breakdown in communications resulted in monstrous delay… All officers are to abandon posts… Every Seeder for herself… God Save The Queen.”

  Lily chuckled, then a small tear escaped and began trickling its way down her cheek, leaving a shiny trail. She hugged me so tightly that I almost lost my breath. I understood, no further communication necessary.

  *

  “Let’s just stand back and view the scene in its full glory,” commanded Summer.

  It was just after noon.

  The fabric she has chosen is exquisite; the sequins sparkle so brightly on every turn that the wall almost depicts the side of a great glacier. The tables are beautifully dressed. Each one perfectly complemented by a flower display in differing blooms, to match the colour of the gems surrounding the base of the vase, or is it that the gems are reflecting the colour of the flowers? That I now understand is the idea!

  ILLUSION!

  Each addition has been selected because it can take on the form of something else. The fabric on the chairs has been folded and tied in such a way that from a distance it looks like empty dresses sitting proudly, waiting to be worn. The mirrors add both a refraction and reflection of light. I am not sure on a first glance, whether the person or object I am focussing on is in fact real or a mirror image. The floor, thanks to the mirrored ball is a constantly moving spectacle. It is strewn with floating white feathers, which seem to create the impression that the floor is both misty and moving. Such is the illusion and confusion to my senses, that I am not at this point even sure where the exit panel is!

  We find ourselves speechless, unable to remark as to the transformation. It is such an epic and sudden change to one of the starkest environments of The Nest. We are standing in awe and wonder. The only element that is not an illusion is the potential of Summer to get done what needs to be done, in time and to an outstanding level of competence.

  We begin clapping, hugging and shrieking in celebration. The Seeder advanced learning set are ready for action! I look across at the huddled group of teenagers and discover at the very end of the line a small and dishevelled figure. It is Dawn; of course it’s Dawn. I have included myself in the celebrations because now that the voices are a calming force I have conditioned myself to believe that I am able to ascend. She no longer has the luxury of hope to cling to. She is looking at us all from behind a pane of glass. Our gazes meet; I encourage her over and begin in hushed tones to reveal my knowledge of the Monos. She will need Willem, and a new perspective on Mrs Alder to survive here without us, even if it is for a short while.

  On the way out, Summer thrusts me an envelope. Apparently it was inside her note from the gardener. I smile at Lily knowingly. She has been creating these little surprises since we have been little. She would often leave clues to my birthday gifts. If truth be told, they were far more exciting than the actual gift itself. This time it’s a ‘no brainer’, Lily is the only possible suspect for this note as it was her that ordered the flowers and dropped the design down to the gardens. Maybe Summer wasn’t supposed to say that in the briefing. I should really wait until Lily can come over to me before I rip the envelope open, but she isn’t responding to my smile in the way I expect. She has actually waved and turned around; she’s heading off with Skye.

  “Hey, where are you going Lily? I got your envelope,” I communicated.

  “Don’t panic Sis, Skye just wants me to do her hair and then I can make it back in time for yours. That way we get more time together. I haven’t sent an envelope, are you sure it’s got my writing on it?”

  No, I wasn’t sure, because I had assumed. Now looking at the front, it is plainly obvious that it isn’t my sister’s writing. On closer inspection, it isn’t a letter at all. The package is lumpy, almost box shaped. As I am absolutely certain that cameras survey our every move in the corridors (because I can hear the buzz of the motors as they shift position), I shall open my mystery package back at in the safe confines of the living unit. I am supposed to be going there anyway and as we are unscheduled today because of the preparations, the cameras are more likely to be set up to monitor us very closely. We are now like gold bullion ready to be transported. They will take no chances with our safety, just in case one of us has inherited the memory of a great invention, lost in the Evo-shift. Or better still a new skill yet to be available for the advancement of Intentionality. We are after all ‘the seedlings of hope’ or as the gardener put it ‘buds ready to bloom.’

  I have now torn open the package. I am sitting agog. I have in my hand two perfectly made anklets. They carry the design I have ordered for Lily, except I haven’t even seen that yet. The design has been altered slightly; three orchids are entwined using rose, yellow and white gold. Along the clasp are the initials M, L and W.

  Willem!

  How does he get to know these things? He has a finger in every pie down here. I am too enchanted for fury at the invasion of my privacy. He is after all one of us. He hears our thoughts and even though he is not a relative, can’t be a relative, not even by chance; he is connected to us. I understand this gift; it is a reason to remember him, to try to communicate once the distance has increased. I open my barrier and send a thought that can be translated by both Lily and Willem in different ways without Lily becoming worried.

  “I loved the entwined orchids from the botanical gardens. That design was very thoughtful.”

  Then there was silence.

  There are two anklets, one I presume for Lily and the other for myself. The gardener suggested that I read the note carefully. There is no note, just my name on the front, and a franking stamp in the right hand corner to make it valid. We aren’t allowed to open mail without that stamp, as it represents a certain checking procedure. Usually it even shows the date and time it was checked but the Monos have got it uncharacteristically wrong today.

  7th October 15:00.

  That can’t be correct. It is the 6th of October.

  Eighteen

  I awake to dim light, the sort of fanned, flat light that escapes through a slight gap in a door. This light is moving, scanning. It emanates from the outer ring of my porthole. I can see a mass of gliding bubbles each following in a well-behaved line, released into the ocean from the depths below. A sub has docked in the dead of the night. Someone on board wants to remain either protected or aloof. It can only be Natura chaperoned by the Grand Acers. We are twenty-four hours away from the Ascension test and following harvest celebrations. I have heard that she travels badly, needing to prepare in the Acer sector before socialising.

  It is the beginning of the end for my sister and I. Lily is still sleeping incredibly peacefully. She looks calm and confident. She began to ready herself last night at the ball. The excitement on her face was heart-warming as she breathed in every experience and she attempted to inscribe the event into her memory. She is incredibly intelligent, extremely well-suited to her Evo-gene. She loves to ponder and reflect. She questions and explores so easily in her mind, because it is free. My mind shall be free one day.

  She uses her thoughts and understanding to explain things to those of us who are less gifted, in a humorous and composed style. Intentionality will immediately assess her as a value. I am certain that she will be more than capable of unlocking the hidden secrets of the past. My only concern is that she is sensitive, I worry that her mind thrives the way it does because she is protected so much by being part of a group and in particular, she, more than anyone else ne
eded the support of a family unit. I am her family; we are a team. Perhaps the possibility of separation has hardened her. Maybe even focussed her potential, prepared her for the reality of the next stage in her life. I was so relieved to see her carefree dancing last night and that the girly giggle which represents so much of her inner thoughts has returned.

  The ball was so very special, an extravaganza of inventive spirits and playful anticipation. It perfectly matched our needs. Lily was continually amazed by the food. To maintain the illusion theme, we had planned for it to look like one thing, yet taste like another. The cakes that were iced with a subtle shade of orange in fact carried the flavour of chocolate. Those that were covered in melted chocolate tasted minty and so on. To spice up the three experiences we planned to evoke other responses too, some of the chocolate delicacies tasted of cheese or were exceptionally spicy, nothing to make people ill, or to dampen the magic, just enough to make them feel like they were part of a game. We over-indulged just in the name of research!

  The prize entertainment of course was the researched and extensively practised magic show. Each Seeder had been asked to prepare a trick for the entertainment section of the evening. This old world traditional show-time was scheduled to be somewhere in between the food tasting and the dancing, but such was our excitement to show off our new skills in the realm of magic, that many tricks were conveniently married with the food spectacle. Skye opened the proceedings by skilfully removing the tablecloth from our heavily laden table without first taking off the contents. Glass vases vibrated and gleaming cutlery chimed musically together on its short journey towards the edge, but nothing escaped over the precipice onto the floor below.

  Astonishing, if not a little risky, but then that’s Skye all over.

  ‘The magician challenge’ was of course a huge temptation for Lily and me to take advantage of our twin talent. No one has ever known what we can do. Our twin communication has always been completely hidden and well formed. So we practised one of the oldest tricks in the magic instruction manual. A simple card technique that should be focussed on a trick of the eye and sleight of hand, however using our Evo-skill made it completely foolproof. I was chosen to be the magician ‘Magic Mae’ and Lily was the beautiful assistant. I offered a random Seeder a fanned out set of cards, she was invited to choose one pristine card, we chose in rehearsals not to mark the cards in any way as was suggested, this of course enhanced the mirage impossibility. The Seeder was instructed to memorise the card and replace it back into the fan. She was also ordered to be very mindful as to where its new position was going to be (to place it in a different position to the one it was nestled in previously). Of course Lily had seen the card and had communicated its name to me even before it was back in the fan. This meant that I didn’t even need to be near the Seeder at all. After a few initial perfectly staged attempts, I became so completely sure of our communication that I left the script and on more than one occasion, even left the table to select another tasty treat from the chocolate mountain. On my return, I just needed to act out a little bit of extreme mind searching before revealing the name of the card. Nothing could have been easier, but the crowd sat in raptures for almost an hour trying to work out how my 100% record was prevailing.