Antidote for Society

The Day Skye Told Her Mother

" Skye, Skye! You have to wake up now!" Jared was almost shaking her, he was desperate to wake her up. As her eyes fluttered open, the first thing that Skye saw was Jared's face, far closer to her face than she had expected him to be.

" Wha...what's the matter?" Skye asked, still in a slight mental haze from her dreams. Jared looked panicked.

" It's lunch time, your phone has been ringing, your mum." Skye bolted upright, fear gripping her, she snatched her mobile from Jared's outstretched hand and called her mother.

" Hello? Skye is that you?" Her mother asked, sound more worried than Skye had heard her in a long time.

" Yeah, Mum, it's me. I'm on my way home now. Won't be long." Skye's mother began to answer but stopped herself. Skye thought that she would probably be trying not to upset her. The day after results day was difficult for everyone. It was the first day in months-years that you had any certainty about the future. For instance, Skye and Jared now knew that they would spend four years being 'rehabilitated' as well as educated, they would be taught how to be decent citizens and after their final tests they would either be sent to work or a bridging prison. 

" I have to go, you should to but...after me. We don't want people talking." Skye said. Jared nodded, understandingly, before taking her hand and leading her to a small path and to the cave entrance. " I'll see you...later then." Skye said, fairly confidently, if she didn't see Jared around town then she definitely would at Lock-Down.

" I'll see you later, Skye." Jared smiled and Skye's heart leaped before she sprinted back into town.

" Skye, where have you been?" Skye's mother asked as soon as the door clicked shut. She was worried, Skye could tell, but she had no reason to be, Skye had been with Jared, nothing could have really happened. Nothing too serious anyway.

Skye lied. " I was just...walking. I wasn't really feeling great. Thought the fresh air would help." Skye breathed a sigh of relief when her mother smiled and shrugged.

" So...Skye, how did results day go?" Skye had known that the question was coming but she wasn't prepared for it.

After instructing her mother to sit down, Skye said, " I...Mum, this is...I didn't get into Lakewood-"

" Oh, sweetie, Bluebell's just as good, really, you'll get so much extra help." Her mother interrupted. Skye breathed deeply to avoid losing her temper.

" I didn't get into Bluebell either...they're sending me to Lock-Down, Mum, I'm so sorry." Skye had never seen her mother angry until that moment.

" Stupid, stupid girl! What did you do?" Her mother screamed. " I don't believe this! You were meant to do something with your life, Skye! You...STUPID GIRL." Skye was shaking, her entire body trembling with fear.

" Mum...I'm sorry, I don't know wha-" Skye stopped, suddenly, partially from shock but mainly from the stinging pain that filled her cheek where her mother had slapped her. Skye reached up and placed a shaking hand on her cheek, it was hot and wet, blood. Her mother's ring had cut her.

" Don't you dare tell me that you don't know. Don't. You. Dare." Skye was grateful that she was no longer yelling but the quiet, stern tone was scaring her even more. Her mother's face was less than an inch away from Skye's own. Skye noticed how...old her mother looked for the first time, the lines around her eyes were deep and her hair was starting to turn grey.

A gasp caused both Skye and her mother to turn towards the kitchen door. " What the hell is going on here? Skye, how did you cut your face?" Marissa was staring stonily at their mother, she must have just arrived.

Skye scurried towards her sister, hoping for the slightest feeling of safety. " She...I'm going to Lock-Down." Marissa's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

Once the initial shock had subsided, Marissa said, " Well that's no reason for her to hit you. Don't even try and deny it, Mum, she looks terrified. Go upstairs, I'll come and clean the cut for you in a minute, don't worry." Skye scuttled upstairs, terrified.

Waiting for Marissa was like waiting for her tests. Skye was nervous and scared. She could hear Marissa arguing with their mother, eventually the yelling died down and Skye could breathe again, it seemed that Marissa had won, for now anyway. " Here, kiddo." Marissa said as she offered Skye a cup of tea. Skye accepted it gratefully but didn't reply. " Let me clean the cut, Skye, it must be hurting." Skye nodded but again, didn't reply. She was trying to think of something- anything, that could have indicated that she would be a 'threat to society' or a 'criminal'. There was nothing, nothing she could think of. The stinging pain of the antiseptic that Marissa was spraying on her face didn't exactly help Skye think.

" They'll kill me in Lock-Down. I barely survived local school." Skye said flatly.

" You'll be fine, Skye. Just make friends quickly, set up a support system fast. Learn how to protect yourself." Skye rolled her eyes at the highly useless information.

" We both know what happens to the Lock-Down kids that get passed as safe for society." Skye knew, everyone knew, that one of four things happened to Lock-Down students. The failures-they didn't pass as safe for society and were sent straight to an adult prison. The army-kids- the ones that pass as safe and are deemed safe enough to protect the nation from outside, unwanted entities. Thirdly, there were the labourers- Any kid who wasn't smart enough for the army but were safe enough to trust with hammers. Lastly, and possibly the most unlucky of them all, the wanderers. The kids that are safe but not manually skilled or smart enough for the army. They were exiled. Children were told stories about the wanderers to scare them into behaving. Skye had heard they are sent by boat to a remote island somewhere and are just left to survive.

Skye did not want to become a wanderer.