The Spark of Rebellion

I.Q.

 The next morning he and his dad went driving. They moved slowly through the streets.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever wanted to go outside?"

"Outside of what?"

"The borders."

"The borders of what?" asked Keighan

"The borders of, well you know, the Section."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm asking if you've ever wondered what else there is in the world besides 'fire'," said Leif.

"Well sure I have, but that's not what's really important," said his dad. "Eyes on the road."

"Oh right," Leif looked back at the road. "Well, what do you mean?"

"Well, let me think," his dad scratched his head and rubbed his forehead probably trying to find something to make his point. "Okay, you remember when I told you about how I met your mom?"

"Yeah, you two were arranged for each other."

"You see the section is the arranged part of it, and your mom and I were the citizens. Now we may not have liked each other at first and sure we got on each other's nerves, but we got through those tough times together. Whatever you're feeling, Leif, just make sure you're feeling it with someone you love. And do what you know to be right, and also don't ask for things you can't have."

Leif thought for a second. "So basically what you're saying is don't look outside when I have so much on the inside already?"

"Yes."

"And are you also saying that I should do whatever I'm gonna do with people I love the most?"

"By Jove, I think he's got it!" said his dad with a laugh.

Leif laughed too but it quickly faded. When he got home that night he thought about the conflicting things his dad had told him. Was he trying to sound so confusing that Leif didn't actually get what he meant? Maybe his dad was giving him the okay to do whatever he needed to but no... his dad would never just let him do whatever he wanted, but he knew that the lives they lived were all wrong somehow. The separation between the Sections was unfair and frankly, he didn't understand why the segregation was needed.

All of a sudden he got an idea, before going to bed he took a notebook and a pencil and wrote a long extensive letter harboring all his questions and he sent it to the Head of the Blaze section. He sent it the next day and waited for a few weeks before any reply came. In fact, no reply came. Were they hiding something from the public and that's why they wouldn't answer any questions? Or did his letter even reach them?

He hated the suspense. But he hated being cooped up that night in his room. The room felt stuffy, so he fazed outside but accidentally forgot that he was a little higher off the ground so he fell. It hurt but he didn't want to go back inside so he hopped on his skateboard and let it carry him around.

Outside wasn't much better. It still felt stuffy and cramped. He went over to the fence and sat down there. He took his com out and called Jordan, but she didn't pick up, so he called Gage.

"What do you want?" asked Gage sounding very tired. "Why do you insist on calling me in the middle of the night?"

"Because the more I think about it, the more I can't sleep."

"I know what you mean," said Gage. "The first time I crossed borders I couldn't sleep either, but for me, it's pretty easy to slip unseen, but most people aren't like me. I'm what they call a tech prodigy. I'm probably going to be made to work inventing for the government or something, but I plan on getting out before that."