The Siblings

Prologue part 1

Prologue 1

The day they sent me away was the worst day of my life. I arrived at the unit with a backpack on my back and some new boots on my feet. They were heavy, and my shoulders ached as I stood in the line.

The room was packed. It was a large hall, with grey laminated flooring and dull grey walls. And the people weren't so different. My grey jacket and dreary leggings matched the decor perfectly.

It didn't take long to reach the front of the line. My parents didn't say a word as we were pulled forward and taken into another chamber. The room was bigger this time, lined with chairs, all pointing towards a stage. The neat rows made me want to tear them apart.

We were seated towards the back of the room, my mother and father to my right, and Alex, my little brother, sat to my left.

Before long the room was full of excited chatter, and a man walked to the stage. His dramatic presence caused a hush to blanket the room.

"Welcome, city members." He began, smiling when he received a cheer from the crowd. I didn't cheer at all.

"I am Orson Gunn, and I am president of The Metropolis." The crowd roared again.

The man smiled at his reception, his neatly shaven beard twitching. A small tattoo could be seen peeking out of his navy blue t-shirt, swirling up his neck in a mysterious manner.

"Thank you, thank you. Now, as you know, our city is the capital of the world. What we do, the world follows. We were the first city to build a wall around, blocking any communication. And they followed. Since the wall being put up, we have had total knowledge of our population. Crime has decreased significantly, and criminals have been caught. The Metropolis is a safer place.

"But now we have another issue. In recent years, our population has risen to a staggering amount. 12 billion people now live in our world. But this is too many. The world cannot cope. Resources are running out. There is not enough food and water to go around.

"Without these vital resources, we will all die. Disease will spread from city to city, wiping away the population. No one will survive. So, it's time to do something about it.

"We have decided, as your leaders, on a scheme that will keep the population steady. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we had nothing to worry about in the future?"

The crowd roared around me.

"For those of you who have more than one child, it isn't fair to the rest. While we readily supported families with just a single child, you ignored our pleas. Which is why we will be pushing forward a new rule. A way to revolutionise our city, and hopefully the world."

I could physically feel the tension in the room as he spoke.

"You may choose one child to keep within our city walls. The rest of your children, the siblings, will be taken away to a place where they will be well looked after. A place where they will be happy, and not have to argue over provisions.

"You have to decide."

***

Maybe a vote to help soften the blow a bit??