Dunsett

Dunsett

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Paragraph 2 changes

By: Taylor FosseliusF

By: Taylor F

The city of Dunsett was beautiful. It was located right on the ocean and though it was the year 2068, the city seemed frozen in time. The buildings were styled after renaissance architecture. Homes were made of cobblestone with vines running down the sides, floors made from terracotta, beams lifted to the vaulted ceilings, walls adorned in mural paintings, and big windows, perfect for allowing light to pour through them. Everyone in the city was happy. Many parks were scattered around the city, children giggled as they ran through them. People who walked through the shops always had big grins on their faces. Huge colleges sparkled in the sunlight. The ocean shimmered as the sunlight reflected off of it. Everyone was happy in their city.

But Dunsett wasn’t perfect as it used to be. This was because of its beauty, the city grew crowded. Streets became dirty, parks became trashed. The shops disposed of their waste and the water became contaminated. Housing became limited, and people packed on the streets at night. People with nothing began stealing. Stores and houses were robbed every night. Life continued like this until The Director took control of the city. He wanted, no, needed everything to be pure. And he got his way. His “perfect” city. His army, The Reserve, made sure of this. Because he wanted everything a certain way, he couldn’t have poor, unintelligent, or foolish people around. So, he devised a system to filter out any unintelligent people. The Director created an exam. The citizens of Dunsett had to take this exam every 5 years. They took it for the first time at the age of 5. They must take it until the age of 25. Every age group took it a different day, starting youngest to oldest. The exams start simple but increase in difficulty in every age group. Though each year the exam got harder, the risk stayed exactly the same. Fail the test, and you would never be seen or heard from again. Families were devastated. No one knew what happened to those who failed, they were just known as ‘Unintelligents’. They just vanished, presumed dead. Parents have lost children. Children have lost parents. Friends have lost friends. People spend hours a day studying any topic they can think of. You may ask why couldn’t people taking the exam just ask the people older than them what kinds of questions they had? Well, discussion of the exam is prohibited. Cameras and microphones are everywhere in the city. They are placed in streetlights, in every building, and classrooms. The citizens are being watched, no matter where they are. If they make any negative comments about the exam or director, they are arrested. If they are caught cheating on or conversing about the exam, they are taken into custody by The Reserve. Sometimes those arrested are released, but only after weeks of torture. They become so broken and terrified, they never do it again. They return with horror stories and scare others into never making the same mistake they did.

One family in this city was the Solace family. They are a loving family of a mother, father, daughter, and son. Cameron was the daughter and the oldest child, though she wasn’t one anymore, at 20 years old. She had a little brother, Marco. He was only 10 and taking the exam for the second time. Cameron is almost there. 2 more times and she was free. Though, her parents are over the age limit and don’t have to worry about failing and are no longer scared for their lives. Instead, they fear for their children. Some parents are even scared to have children, not wanting to bring them into this life. But, Lorenzo and Anna had always wanted kids. They only planned for one child but were surprised with the arrival of their son. The Solaces were not strict. That was until it came to studying. Lorenzo had lost his mother in her last year of taking the exam. He didn’t want to lose either of his children the same way. He made sure his children always went to bed on time so they could be laser focused on school. Then, when they had returned home and completed their homework, they had to spend 3 hours studying daily. Cameron used to complain when she was young but understands how important it is. She always makes sure that Marco studies, even when he doesn’t want to. The number of citizens who pass each year barely surpasses the amount of people who fail. Her father has told her about the pain he felt watching his mother getting dragged away from him by The Reserve. They threw her into a van; he never saw her again. Cameron has dedicated her life to making sure that never happens to her little brother. The exam date is approaching rapidly. People began to study even more. They must take the exam in a week, the first week of the year. Marcus had been even more reluctant to study. They had to make him review every day. He was still young and didn’t fully understand the consequences yet.

Exam week had finally arrived. The 5-year-old group had already taken their exam. The Solaces’ next door neighbor lost their daughter. Today was Marco's turn. Cameron could walk him to the school where he was going to take the exam, but couldn’t go past the door. She decided to wait for him outside the school; his exam shouldn’t take too long. She settled herself at a table outside. Not only that, but she had brought her notes with her and used this time to study. A couple of hours later, a bunch of kids streamed out of the building, running as fast as they could away from the school. Cameron looked around wildly. She skimmed the faces of all the kids surrounding her.

“Marco!” She called. “Marco, where are you?” Nothing. He didn’t call back to her. Marco wasn’t there. She tried to enter the school, but The Reserve was blocking the doors. She paced back and forth. Not long after, a long line of Reserves walked out of the front door. Each soldier gripped a kid's arm and pulled them along. Cameron scanned the line and spotted her baby brother. Marco was around the middle of the line. She attempted to run to him, but a Reserve soldier caught her and wouldn’t let her get close.

“Cami! Cami, I’m so sorry. I messed up. They said I didn’t pass.” Marco cried. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The soldier holding him gripped his arm harder, and he cried out in pain.

“Don’t hurt him!” Cameron yelled at the guard. The Reserve ignored her and walked the kids to a line of vans, parked outside the school. The kids fought but didn’t have a chance as they were pushed into the vans. They banged against the sides and cried out for their families. Tears ran down Cameron's face as she saw her brother's little hand reach out towards her. She turned around and took off running.

Cameron crashed into her house, slamming the door open. She couldn’t breathe, panting as she attempted to speak. Her parents ran up to her and tried to calm her down. Lorenzo wrapped his arms around her shoulder. Anna held her daughter's face and wiped at her tears. Cameron took a couple deep breaths before finally speaking.

“They took him. They took Marco.” She sobbed. “He’s gone.” Her parents covered their mouths and began to cry. Cameron fell to her knees. Her parents sat down next to her and held her. The family eventually got to their feet. Cameron trudged to her room. Her desk and floor were strewn with her notes and studying. Cameron was smart. She spent so much time studying and could easily pass the exam. But, did she want to? Her brother was gone but still alive. She could feel it. Cameron could go find him and bring him home. She could fail the test and be taken to wherever Marco was being held. She could bring him home. But, did she want to cause her parents even more pain? They already lost one kid, could they bear to lose the other? No, it would work out. She would bring Marco and herself home safe. They would be a family again. Everyone would be happy. Cameron wished she could tell her parents what she was planning. But, she couldn’t talk about the exam. She couldn’t risk going to prison. Her parents would have to trust her, and have hope. Cameron had to save her brother.

The day of Cameron’s exam finally came. She said goodbye to her parents and hugged them both close. She walked slowly to the school and filtered in with all the rest of the students her age. The room they tested in was plain. The walls were a cream color. There were hardly any decorations anywhere in the room. A couple posters were pasted to the walls. The posters were warning them to not cheat and that they were being watched. They read things like, DUNSETT, DON’T BE AN UNINTELLIGENT. THE DIRECTOR IS WATCHING. KEEP YOUR EYES ON YOUR OWN PAPER. DO NOT CHEAT OR YOU WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!! Cameron has seen these. Besides those, there were no other decorations, only rows and rows of desks and chairs and one desk placed at the front of the room. The Reserve lined the walls, masks covering their faces, expressions hidden. Cameron looked around at the other students her age. Some seemed nervous, while some looked confident, and some were even crying. Everyone was standing in clumps. Suddenly, a loud alarm went off. Students jumped and clutched their ears. It was signaling it was almost time to start. Reserve entered and stood by the doors, guns held against them. The students quickly hurried to a seat. Right after the last person sat down, the door at the front of the room slammed open. In walked a lady, dressed in dark blue robe type clothes. This was The Director's right-hand woman. She administered the exams and when she would receive the scores, tell The Reserve who to take away.

“Students,” she said. “It is time.” She walked in front of the first line of desks. Soldiers stepped off from the walls and passed out tablets to all the students. “Before you start, I will leave you with a message from The Director.” A small screen came down from the ceiling. A video began to play. It displayed a man in dark clothes. He sat behind a desk in a big chair. The office behind him was huge. Cameron rolled her eyes.

“Welcome students.” Video Director stated. “Take your time. Do not fail. You all have done this enough times. You know the consequences. Do not become an Unintelligent.” The video cut out, and the first question appeared on everyone's screens. All of a sudden, a boy in the middle jumped up.

“This exam is stupid. Why do we have to do this all the time?” Cameron's eyes widened. She recognized this boy, Keith. She had taken classes with him. He was smart like her. But, she remembered that he lost his twin to the exam last time.

“Sit down.” The girl next to him seethed. The woman at the front looked up and glared at him. She turned towards a soldier standing beside her and nodded. He stepped towards Keith. But, he backed up and moved away from him.

“No!” He raised his voice. This whole system makes no sense.” He rushed towards one of the security cameras in the corner. “Well, Director, what do you have to say? Why do you make us do this?” Tears began to form in his eyes. “You took her from me. Why?” The woman raised her hand to her ear, almost as if she was listening from an earpiece.

“You want her back?” She mocked. “Why don’t you join her?” She pointed to the guards. A smile grew on her face. “Grab him,” she said. Keith tried to run, but was quickly surrounded.

“Let go of me!” He yelled as he tried to fight them off. The guards dragged him out of the room. The door snapped shut. Everyone was silent, in shock.

“Well, get going.” The lady grinned. “Good luck everyone.” She gently sat down, put her glasses on and looked at the students. No one had moved. “Chop chop everyone. You don’t want to end up like poor little Keith, do you?” That got everyone started. They all immediately began to furiously tap at their screens. Cameron looked at hers. She knew this. She spent all of her free time reviewing it. But, like she planned, she had to fail. Cameron clicked a random answer. The time ticked by, students finishing one by one. And one by one they dragged themselves to the front and handed the lady their tablets. Some kids she smiled at and signaled them to the door to the left. Others she teasingly frowned at and looked towards The Reserve, who stepped up and grabbed the arm of the student. Each of them fought and cried, but were taken out of the door to the right with ease. Cameron held her breath as she answered her last question. She sluggishly stood up and walked up to the front. She held back her tears as she imagined the faces of her parents when she didn’t return home tonight. Cameron finally made it to the front and released her breath and took another shaky one. She saw her score flash on the lady's screen. A 43 … a fail! She gulped as the lady frowned at her.

“Such a shame.” She pointed to the door to the left and a soldier came up to grab her. “Off you go.” Cameron was the first person who didn’t struggle. She walked calmly to the door. She was pulled into another room where all the others who had failed were gathered. They sat on the floor. She noticed Keith in the corner. He had a black eye and was slumped against the wall. A friend of his sat next to him and had Keith rest his head on his lap. Cameron slowly walked to the wall and sat down next to a friend of hers. The girl beside her was sobbing. She reached out and took her friend's hand. The girl lightly smiled at her through her tears. About 20 minutes later, soldiers entered the room. They each grabbed onto a student and hauled them to their feet. They pushed them out the door and through the hallways. The sun blinded them as they left the building. Students covered their eyes and vans blinked into their view. They were pulled towards the vans and shoved into them. There were a few small windows but no glass. They had bars over them. Cameron’s van lurched and she stumbled. A few others, who were standing, slipped and fell to the floor. Cameron gripped onto the bars and looked out the window. She watched as they started driving and sped through the city. She noticed how the view gradually changed from their city to huge, green trees. Just then, the van screeched to a stop. The students heard footsteps outside and moved against the back of the van, away from the doors. The doors were ripped open, and they were taken from the van. They stumbled out into the woods.

The students looked up at the trees, spinning to take in the view. Some saw it before others, gasping when they did. As they turned, they saw a huge building. It was dark and shrouded in fog. The misty evening air wrapped around Cameron, creating an eerie, mysterious atmosphere as she looked up at the looming building. The haze obscured the sky, casting black shadows over everything. This gave the sky and trees an otherworldly appearance. Though Cameron was calm before, she was starting to get nervous. The Reserve pushed their guns against their backs and forced them to walk forward. They walked them into the building. When the doors opened, they saw The Director standing there waiting. They were forced to line up in front of where he stood.

“So, you all have failed me and your community. You are Unintelligents. Since you have failed, you may not exist among the intelligent. Instead, you all will stay here, sleep here, eat here, and work here.” The students looked around at each other. “Yes, work. You will be split into groups. Each group is in charge of creating products for different stores. You all are in charge of making everything that the Intelligents get to use.” He abruptly turned around and walked away. The students were then separated and sent to different rooms. The rooms were dark. There were 5 beds lining each of the concrete walls. Each bed had a small chest by the foot of it. Everyone slowly walked towards a bed. They didn’t have anything to put in these chests, so they just sat on their beds. A couple of people laid down and fell asleep quickly from the exhaustion of today. Cameron looked around, studying the room. She noticed no windows, so they couldn’t see outside. The only way to tell the time was a small clock on the wall above the door.

A loud blaring filled the room early the next morning. Everyone shot up in bed. Keith even rolled off his bed in shock. Cameron groaned and held her pillow over her head. Suddenly, the director's voice took over the alarm.

“It is now 6:00 am. Everyone get up and get changed. Stand by your bed and wait for collection at 6:45.” There was a high-pitched static-like squeal and the voice cut out.

“Changed?” One girl said, standing up. Cameron had now gotten up and begun looking around. “We don’t have any other clothes.”

“How about these?” Cameron asked, holding up a set of white shirts and pants. She was now standing beside her open chest. Everyone got up and went to check theirs. After everyone had changed, some Reserve members entered the room and walked them to a big open room filled with a bunch of tables and chairs. The cafeteria was huge. There were counters around the edges of the walls, each filled with a different kind of food. They had to sit with the other people from their room, but Cameron had looked around and noticed some people she recognized who had failed over the past couple years. They got an hour to eat, then their plates were taken from them. After their hour was up, they were then walked to a room with machines. Cameron's group was in charge of making furniture. It was to be sold at Timeless Furnishings. That was where Cameron had bought her new bed frame last year. They were taught how to make furniture. Cameron and Keith were the duo in charge of bookcases. After spending hours and hours working, their only breaks being lunch, then dinner, Cameron's group finally was escorted back to their room. Everyone collapsed on their beds as soon as they entered the room. They did this every day for about a month.

Two weeks ago, Cameron had spotted her brother in the cafeteria. She placed her hand on his shoulder as she walked past him to get her food. He looked up, and his face lit up. She put her finger to her lips, not wanting to alert the guards stationed around the room. She had winked before she kept walking. Since then, Cameron had been paying more attention to the building. Their first day they were walked around by a bunch of guards, but now only one led them. She also noticed that each guard had a key card that opened all the doors, their bedroom, the cafeteria, their workroom. If she could just get one of those key cards, she could get everyone out. Cameron began trailing behind her group when they walked around. One night, when they were returning to their room after work, Cameron saw her brother's group walk past them. His group entered their room first, and she saw his room was only two doors down from hers. Perfect, she thought. Cameron had told her idea to her roommates in quiet whispers, not wanting The Director to hear her through the camera she knew he had in the room. None of them wanted to stay here, and they agreed to help her out. They made a plan to distract their guard so Keith, who was surprisingly stealthy despite how clumsy he was, could steal the guard's key card, which they could then use to move about the facility.

Today was the day they were putting the plan into action. They were going to do it late at night, when all the guards were tired from the day and everything was dark, making it easier to move around without being seen. They went about their day as normal, trying not to act suspicious. The only out of the ordinary thing they did was during dinner when Cameron and Keith went up towards the food bar, and Cameron asked a guard about the menu today. As he told her, Keith slipped his walkie-talkie and key card from his belt and hid them beneath his shirt. This was the first set they were getting. They were taking these from another guard so they could communicate easier. Finally, they were being led back to their room. A girl from their group had purposefully messed up on a bed frame she had been working on so they would leave a little later and wouldn’t be in the halls with all the other groups. Their guard made her redo it until she got it right. They had walked slowly back to their room. They made it and the guard pulled his card out to open their door. The group entered and stood near the door. Cameron looked around to her friends, who shifted to form a kind of semicircle around him. She scanned the surroundings of the hallway outside. There was no one around, and their room was right beneath a faulty light that had blinked off minutes before. Cameron then nodded and Keith moved forward, right behind the guard. May, another girl from their group, moved to his other side. Others stood around them to block what they were doing from the cameras.

“Excuse me sir?” She asked right before he left the room. He just grunted in response and turned towards her, away from Keith. “How long have you been a part of The Reserve?” He looked over at her.

“Couple years. I volunteered,” he said. “Some are pulled from the pool of Unintelligents, others volunteer. Once they turn 20 they have the opportunity to join.” While he spoke, Keith reached his hand out. He had seen the key card pinned to the guard's pants. He carefully and slowly unclipped the card and the walkie-talkie, holding his breath as he did. When he had gotten them, he closed them in his fist and carefully stepped back. He went to stand beside Cameron and held the card down by his side. She placed her hand by his, and he passed it off to her. She slid it under her sleeve and breathed a quiet, “Thank you.” Keith nodded and shifted a bit farther away from her.

“Okay, thank you sir. I was just wondering.” May said before walking back into the room. The guard nodded and left the room. The door slammed shut behind him and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Did you get them?” a boy named Jamie asked. Cameron smirked and held the card up while Keith held the walkie. Everyone cheered quietly. “Now what do we do?”

“We have to wait a bit. He just left. Then we go. Two groups like we discussed. One group with me and the other with May.” Keith turned and gave her a confused look.

“I thought I was leading the other group.”

“I know, I know. I just need you with me.” He nodded. Cameron tossed May the other card and walkie. “I found an empty channel that we will use.” They adjusted and tested them before splitting the group in two. May’s group left first. Both groups were opening other rooms, then meeting up at The Director’s office. They went different ways, Cameron immediately running to her brother's room. She opened the door and quickly pulled him into her arms.

“Cami! You’re here! What’s going on?” He hugged her back.

“There’s no time to explain. We can talk once we get out of here.” She instructed everyone to follow her. They came across a few Reserve, but Cameron and Keith jumped at them and took them down. Soon, they both held rifles. They opened every room they came across. Until, eventually, they saw a grand staircase leading to big wooden doors. “The Director” was printed above the door. Cameron stopped. She looked around and saw the other group approaching. They walked up the stairs and went into the room. The Director was in his chair facing the opposite way.

“Hello Cameron Solace.” She froze. “What a pleasure it is to see you. Trying to start a revolution, are you?”

“You’re not going to steal anyone else from their families.” She said, standing up straighter. “This is over. Do you understand?” He turned his chair around and scanned the faces of the others who stood around Cameron. One face in particular he focused on was Marco, who stood off to Cameron's side. He got up from his chair and walked around to the front of his desk and sat against the edge. Cameron looked behind her for a split second, making eye contact with Keith, who stood to her other side. She then heard a scream. Cameron whipped her head around, searching for her little brother. But she couldn’t find him. She turned back to The Director, who had backed against a wall, and gasped when she saw the sight in front of her. “Let him go!” The man had Marco clutched in his arms.

“Put your weapon down.” Cameron had raised the rifle she had stolen from a member of The Reserve. “Do it or I kill him!” The Director raised his pistol and pressed it into Marco's temple.

“No!” Cameron exclaimed as she almost surged forward but stopped herself. She threw her arm out to stop anyone else from moving forward. “Okay, fine.” She slowly lowered her gun. “Just let him go. He’s just a kid.”

“A kid who failed the exam. You know the rules, Cameron Solace.” The Director stared at her directly in the eye. “He’s an unintelligent. They must be dealt with.” His grip didn’t falter, tight on Marco. Then, almost as if it was in slow motion, someone ran forward. Cameron didn’t have time to recognize them before her gaze locked on her brother. The Director looked towards the kid running at him and squeezed the trigger. Cameron screamed in agony as she watched her baby brother fall to the floor. This time she ran at The Director. He tried to shoot at her but missed. She ran directly into him and knocked him over. But, she hadn’t realized how close they were to the wall. As they fell, a loud CRACK echoed throughout the room. Cameron looked down and saw she had bashed his head into the wall. There was a splatter where his head had made contact. He shifted in pain. Cameron grabbed the gun from his hand.

“You won’t hurt anyone ever again,” she said through deep breaths, tears streaming down her face. Then, she slowly looked away from him and aimed the gun at his head.

Cameron led everyone out of the facility. They trudged through the muddy ground. Many hadn’t seen the outside in many years. While still in The Director's office, Keith had found a button and opened every room in the building, freeing everyone. He then spoke in the loudspeaker and explained that they could leave. They were finally free. Everyone chattered in excitement as they saw the sky again. It had been too long. They found drivers and loaded everyone in the vans. They took them back to the city. People came out of their houses as the sound of cars surrounded them. People were helped down and gripped into tight hugs by their families. Keith and Cameron stood together. His parents had a hard time after they lost Kendra, Keith's twin sister. They had found her at the facility, but she was unfortunately shot by a Reserve before they could overpower him. He now had no one. All of a sudden, Cameron spotted her dad. He rushed towards her, pulling her mother with him. He looked around for Marco, but Cameron just shook her head sadly as she began to cry again. Her parents pulled her into a hug. Keith stood awkwardly beside them before Cameron reached her hand out to him and pulled him into the hug. Dunsett was never perfect. But, again, people were happy. They finally got to enjoy their lives once more and live together, no matter how smart they were.

DMU Timestamp: October 16, 2024 22:44