Dwindle: Populations Crumble: Book 1 Read online

  “Promise, little sister. Now get over there. The sooner you get going, the sooner you get back.” And just like that, I’m turning my back on my family and getting in the first line of my new life.

  By the time I make it there, there is only one girl left ahead of me, and one girl ahead of her handing Todd her very hefty suitcase. The girl directly in front of me is one I recognize barely, she’s a few years younger than me. She looks barely sixteen, and she’s rubbing one arm whether with nerves or cold, I can’t tell.

  “Name?” Eric asks her.

  “Nell,” she says, “Nell Jones, from West Georada.”

  “Welcome, Nell! I see you’ve had quite a trek already this morning, but hopefully things will be comfortable for you inside. If you’ll just sign here, Todd is ready to take your bag.” He passes her the tablet, where she hastily signs her initials. She then walks toward Todd, and hands him her backpack. I’d noticed her standing alone earlier; maybe her family couldn’t travel with her from so far away.

  “Traveling light, huh?” Todd says affably as he takes the small bag and crams it in on top of the monster suitcase he’d just loaded. She nods to him without comment and makes her way to the stairs.

  “Miss?” I jolt, and realize Eric has clearly been waiting on me, as I’ve been watching Nell board the shuttle.

  “Sorry! I’m Sadie Taylor, I’m from right here in Jackson Flats,” I answer quickly.

  “Well miss Sadie Taylor, we’re pleased to have you here with us today. Please give us your signature right here,” he taps the tablet with precision, and then hands it to me, “and we’ll be on our way shortly. It looks like we have one more straggler to wait for, before we can hit the road.”

  I quickly scrawl my name with my finger, and pass the device back to him. He gives me a smile and nods his head in Todd’s direction, clearly ready for me to get a move on. I walk over, and pass Todd the handle to my bag, which he clicks down and loads. “Thanks, ma’am. Head right on in. If you need anything, just give one of us a holler.”

  “Thanks, Todd. I will,” Todd seems to be your typical blue-collar guy, simply happy to be gainfully employed and none too impressed with the whole situation. This is probably par for the course for him. I can’t imagine how many young women he’s ferried off to new lives. I wonder how many of them are happier than they were before they climbed on Todd’s shuttle? I make my way up the few steps, and I have to admit, they’ve gone all out on this setup.

  The shuttle only seats ten passengers—with five plush recliners down each side of a center aisle— plus places for Eric and Todd. Each recliner is its own station, with a small console attached to the floor next to it. The first six recliners are taken, so I make my way to the middle of the bus, and slide into the recliner just behind Nell, who’s perched at the edge of her seat, looking uncomfortable. I reach over and pop open my console, to see that there is an assortment of snacks and bottled drinks, as well as a pull out drawer equipped with fluffy slippers, a silky eye mask, headphones, and even a small collection of lip balm and other make-up items. It seems they really have tried to think of everything.

  The bus windows are tinted from the outside, but from inside the view is crystal clear, and I spot Gavin, true to his word, still leaning against the hood of the truck. His poker face is back in place, and for all anyone would know he is just waiting for a bus himself. Then I spot movement from the corner of my eye, towards the far end of the parking lot. Oh, no. It’s Beth-Ann and Phil. This is not going to go well. I am shocked that she’s here today, since she swore she would wait until the last possible minute, like me. She has another six months until she turns nineteen, so I have no idea why she’s here today.

  Beth-Ann and Phil are clinging to each other, kissing without regard for who is watching, despite the larger-than-life shuttle and waiting escorts. They pull apart, Beth-Ann visibly sobbing, before she flings herself back into his arms. He holds her tightly, eyes closed for a moment, before gently holding her back by her shoulders. It’s impossible to tell what they’re saying from here, but it’s clearly tense. He gives her one last chaste kiss on the forehead, and she stumbles back a step before grabbing her bag from where it was forgotten on the pavement. She slowly makes her way to where Eric is standing outside the shuttle, clearly impatient.

  After the sign-in process, Beth-Ann’s curly hair appears above the handrail a second before she does, face blotchy and red from crying. She’s still sniffling quietly but trying to pull it together. Scanning the rows, her eyes lock with mine, and she quickly makes her way back to the seat across from mine, behind massive-suitcase girl, who’s already kicked back with her silk eye mask in place, and headphones on.

  “Sadie! I’m so glad you’re here! This would have been a million times worse if I didn’t know anyone!” Beth-Ann says, a catch in her voice.

  “I’m glad to see you too, Beth-Ann, but I thought you had six more months? What happened? Why aren’t you spending your last six months with Phil?” I ask.

  She sniffles loudly, “Phil inherited his grandparents’ house last week, when his grandfather passed. He, he—” she stops, unable to finish.

  I lean across the aisle and grab her hands, “It’s okay, Beth-Ann, slow down and just tell me what happened.”

  Taking a deep, ragged breath she continues, “He asked me to move in with him. He said he didn’t care what happened, what husband I was matched with. He’d wait for me. Opt out of the program himself, work and save up here, and in three years when we’re allowed to separate, he says he’ll adopt my baby and we can go right back to how things were. He was willing to do that for me!” she says with a sob, “He didn’t even care he’d be waiting alone for years and raising another man’s child. He said he just wanted ME. Can you believe it?” She pauses, and I nod. Phil is old-fashioned like that. He meant it when he said he’d wait.

  “So, what changed?” I prod, uncertain.

  “Well, I went home and told my parents that I was moving out, that Phil and I were in love and we’d made a plan to make it work, despite the marriage mandate. They were completely shocked, and insisted I couldn’t live with him unless we were allowed to marry. They said there are too many consequences if you’re caught trying to work around the program. They said—”

  “Breathe, Beth-Ann, just breathe a minute.” I pat her hands. Her parents work for the city, so image is very important to them. But, surely not more important than the rest of Beth-Ann’s life, right? She is their only daughter, surely they want to see her settled happily and close to home. There has to be some misunderstanding. I hear noise from the front of the bus, and realize Eric and Todd have closed up, and the bus doors have swung shut with a hiss. Eric has his own large recliner at the front, but his apparently also swivels to face us.

  He sits down, swings around toward us, and clears his throat, “All right ladies, you eight are the full group this quarter. Once again, we’re so pleased to have you here, and to help you get started with your bright new lives!” His gaze passes over us, lingering on Beth-Ann with a slight frown as he delivers the next part, “And we hope you’ll all be as thrilled with your next chapters as we are to watch them unfold. Now, if you’ll please fasten your seatbelts, we’ll get on our way, finally. Does anyone need anything before Todd gets us going?” He pauses expectantly. “No? Okay then! The restrooms are in the back, feel free to use them at any time if you need to get cleaned up,” his gaze settles on Nell, “or change your clothes, you’ll find everything you need has been provided.” With one last smile, he spins his chair forward, and signals Todd to pull out.

  Todd has a drink in one hand, and the shifter in the other, as he smoothly starts us forward out of the parking lot and away from everything we know. I jerk around to look out and see Gavin still leaning against the hood of the truck. He’s leaning forward just slightly now, and one hand is raised in a final wave. I know he can’t see me through the tint, but I lean close to the glass and rest my hand against it anyway. I’m sure
he knows I’m watching. I stay like that, as the shuttle pulls onto the road, and out of sight of the parking lot. A minute after it’s completely out of sight, I lower my hand and lean back in my chair. I don’t know for certain which is harder: being the one who goes or the one who’s left. But I would give everything I own to be able to leap out of this shuttle and run straight back to my family’s arms right now.

  I forcibly close the door on that thought. I can’t dwell on it, not today, not for a while. This is my new reality, and I have to keep my head clear for what’s to come. My whole future is at stake in this program, and I have to choose wisely. My family is expecting it, expecting me to bring back a suitable husband, no matter what. Head back on straight, I turn back to Beth-Ann, and see that Nell is watching her also.

  “Hello, Nell, was it?” I extend my hand, but she flinches back. She recovers quickly and shoves her hand out at mine.

  “Yes, I’m Nell. And you are?” She sweeps her gaze to include Beth-Ann in the question.

  “I’m Sadie, and this is Beth-Ann. It’s a pleasure to meet you, although I do wish the circumstances were better.” I say truthfully.

  She shrugs, “They are what they are. At least this place is clean, and there are snacks,” she says matter-of-factly.

  “True, snacks make everything more tolerable.” With that out of the way, Nell faces forward again, engrossing herself in a palm-sized device that she pulls from the console.

  Dismissed, I turn sideways to continue my conversation with Beth-Ann, “So, your parents don’t want you and Phil to wait for each other? They aren’t okay with you coming back for him?”

  More composed now, she shakes her head sadly, “No, they say he’s unsuitable for the only daughter of the city hall’s justice. You know I don’t care that Phil’s an ironworker, but apparently they’ve never liked him. All this time. Can you believe it?”

  I’m not fully surprised, as I remember her parents disapproving when they’d first started dating three years back, but I assumed they’d grown to like him after all this time. Apparently, they’d just been biding their time for the program to do the dirty work of breaking their daughter’s heart for them.

  I shake my head, but try to stay positive, “Well, the good news is that it’s not up to them. You’re an adult, and they aren’t in charge of what you do when you make it back from the program. You just have to get through this, and Phil will be waiting for you as planned.”

  She nods, “Well, the jokes on them. If they won’t let us wait for each other, Phil’s not going to opt out. He’s signed up for the program, and we’re going to try to get ourselves matched with each other. There’s nothing they can do if we’re a genetic match!”

  “Phil’s willing to do that? Even knowing he might get matched with another woman?” I’m shocked, as everyone in town knew he planned to opt out and continue his family’s iron business.

  At that, she finally smiles, “Yes, he’s willing to do anything for me. He’s it for me, Sadie, and I’m it for him.” With a small sigh, she leans back in her chair, and I do the same.

  I feel sorry for their circumstances, but deep down, I’m envious. It’s not that I’m opposed to marriage and a family of my own, I’ve just never found “the one.” When you’ve got parents like mine, settling for anything other than a lightning strike of attraction feels like asking for failure. I’ve been asked out a time or two, but never anyone I’d consider. I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I really had found the one, and still had to do this. Thank God for small blessings, I guess. Maybe I can still find him. My gaze flits back up to the front of the bus, and over the front window there is a screen which says ETA four hours, Atlanta New Life Center. Everyone else has pretty much settled in, so I head down the burnished wood aisle to the back of the bus to use the restroom. I choose the one on the right, and when the automatic light flicks on I am nearly blinded by all of the shiny bronze fixtures. I’ll give them credit, they’ve really gone all out making this as nice of an experience as it can be. I quickly wash up, and head back to my seat. Maybe this won’t be so awful; at least they’re trying to make it nice. Here’s hoping.

  Welcome to the Deep End

  The drive to Atlanta is pretty uneventful. We stop for lunch at the designated waypoint. We older girls pick at our food, while the younger girls eat their tacos with excitement. I learn the rest of my shuttle-mates’ names. Big suitcase girl is in fact Margaret, from South Georada. Her tanned skin, high-end clothes, and sun-bleached hair tell me she’s from a beach town and a well-off family. She picks at a piece of brown-tinged lettuce at the edge of her salad bowl as if it’s personally offended her, and feigns interest as Elena, one of my youngest classmates from Jackson Flats, chatters excitedly about what she read on her mini-tablet on the drive. Elena’s brown skin tells of her family’s Hispanic heritage. She’s a sweet girl, and she’s in love with the idea of love, as far as I can tell. She’s spent the entire drive flipping through the Bachelor Book and reading up on all the men already in the eligibility pool for the compulsory marriage program.

  At the other end of the table, Jenna and Leigh are discussing the coursework they left behind since they opted out of high school early. Charlotte sits at the end of the table between them, lost in her own thoughts. She is so quiet and reserved, I worry that this program is going to swallow her up. Hopefully she’ll find herself and be okay. Beth-Ann is across from me, looking rather green around the gills. She hasn’t touched her quesadilla, instead just taking delicate sips of a lemon soda.

  “Bus ride not agreeing with you?” I ask her around a mouthful of enchilada. I’m never one to leave good food on the table, as ranch work takes a lot of energy.

  She grimaces, “No, just not a big fan of greasy cheese,” and then pushes the quesadilla across to me.

  “It looks fine to me,” I pick up a section and take a bite. “You’re nuts, this is delicious!”

  Margaret snorts, “Might want to take it easy there, Sadie. I know the men volunteered for this program, but that doesn’t mean they want to be saddled with an overweight slob for a wife.” She casts her eyes derisively down to where Charlotte is sitting.

  I bristle. “Excuse me? Are you really going to take a jab at my eating when we only met a couple hours ago? Is that really how you want to start this?”

  “I’m not here to impress any of you, and it’s not my fault you can’t handle the truth,” she spits back without remorse.

  “Well, maybe you should keep your ridiculous judgements to yourself. I’ll eat what I want, and you can stay in your own lane.” I look down the table at Charlotte, who has sunk down further in her seat. She’s curvy, and I know she heard Margaret’s stupid statement. Not that she was making any effort at discretion. “Besides, there’s a lot more to beauty than being skinny. Personality and heart are worth a lot more than fitting into a tiny pair of jeans,” I add for Charlotte’s sake.

  She rolls her eyes, “You keep telling yourself that.” She gets up from the table and flounces off to the bathroom.

  Beth-Ann snorts, “She’s clearly not worried about making any friends on this trip.”

  “Clearly!” I agree wholeheartedly.

  ✽✽✽

  Once we’re all back on the bus, Margaret immediately puts her eye mask and headphones back on and shuts us all out. The rest of us are more at ease with each other, courtesy of shared tacos. At the front of the bus, Jenna is trying to draw Charlotte into a conversation, but she still has that deflated air about her.

  “All I’m saying is I’m pretty sure you’ll get at least two to three matches, Charlotte. You have two siblings, right? That means you’ve got a great set of genes! I bet there will be plenty of genetic options for you to pick from. So, tell me, what’s your type? Who’s your favorite movie star?” Jenna probes.

  Charlotte ponders the question carefully, and then answers, “Well, there are a lot of handsome men out there. Really any of them are fine, I just hope to find someone who listens wh
en I talk, and cares about my point of view; I think that’s important for a lasting relationship.”

  “Ugh,” Jenna laments, “so we’ve got a true romantic on our hands here. Not me! I just want to get this thing over with. The sooner I’m matched and pop out a kid or two, the sooner I can move on with my life. I want to join the NAA Police Force, and do something cool. You know, maybe be a pilot, or an investigator! Something that matters.”

  “Hey! Being a mother matters,” Leigh butts in. “If we don’t have babies there won’t be anyone to carry on the human race. That’s about as important as it gets, don’t you think? Motherhood is a true calling. I can’t wait to be a mom. Think about it, if it weren’t for this program, most of us would never be able to have a baby."

  “I’m not saying it isn’t a calling, just that it’s not my calling. My sperm donor can stay home with the kids while I go out and do something bigger in this world, that’s all I’m saying.” I can tell Jenna is just getting fired up with this line of thought, but Eric clears his throat at the front of the shuttle.

  “Ladies! Is everyone settled in and ready to finish today’s journey? From what Todd tells me, we’ve only got an hour left before we arrive at the New Life Center. I’ve sent a short informational packet to each of your mini-tablets on what to expect during the intake process, so please take some time to review those before we arrive. If you have any questions, you know where to find me.” With one last blinding smile, he turns back around and picks up his own tablet.

  Oh goodie, intake process at the NLC. I can’t wait to see what they plan to do with us next. I lean over and dig through the console at my side to find my assigned mini-tablet. Sure enough, there’s an icon indicating I’ve got required reading assigned to me. I click it, and up pops an e-brochure.