on.”
“Dad.” Liam took a step closer to his dad, his determination clear in his eyes. “I’ve seen you pressure the Committee before. I know you’ve had your hand in persuading them to change Life’s Plans in the past and for whom? For strangers? For a fellow politician? I’m your son. Why won’t you do it now? Why won’t you use your clout and power now? Don’t you want me to be happy?”
“Your Life’s Plan has your happiness in mind, Liam.” He sounded like the politician he was, his lines practiced and rehearsed. “Arcadia has the best, smartest and most diligent citizens on that Committee and their goal is to set youngsters on the path that will best suit everyone.”
“Save the speeches for your cronies, Dad.”
Pim smiled and reached out to put his hand on Liam’s shoulder. “You always were a very smart boy, Liam. And you’re smart enough to know that I cannot change this.”
Charm oozed out of his every fiber as Pim smiled at his son. Anyone could easily trace Liam’s good looks and social mannerisms to his dad.
“You say you grew up with my mother… outside Arcadia,” I interjected.
“That’s right.”
“I always thought my mother was born and raised here.”
“I think we both wanted to believe that as well. Our childhoods, as pleasant as they were, were gravely marred by the extensive war that tore the city apart when we were teens.”
“She’s never spoken of a town outside Arcadia. Actually, she’s never really spoken of her childhood much.”
“I’m sure it must be just as painful for her as it is for me. Going back to that time is difficult. The war was harsh and cruel. People were cruel.”
“Is that why you founded Arcadia?”
Pim was silent a long moment. He sat more comfortably on the corner of his desk and gestured for Liam and me to take a seat. “War can sometimes bring out the good in some people, lead them to help one another, bring them to safety. But sometimes it can bring out the devil; greed, selfishness, cruelty. I wanted Arcadia to be all the goodness I remembered, all the cherished memories; the smell of spring flowers, the clear blue ravines and lakes, the prettiness that had been my hometown before war ravaged it. I wanted peace and harmony among the people.”
“But why the Committee?”
“Nineteen years ago the area was quite different from what it is now. It was an ugly time and starting a new town was complicated. During the war, it seemed the youth had lost all sense of direction. They were lost. So many of them turned to crime. Distinguishing good and bad was difficult for most. I wanted to set them back on a path that would lead them to a bright future, the best future they could have. When I recruited the Committee, I wanted men and women who saw Arcadia the way I saw it. I chose people who had foresight, vision and the ability to spot the talents and capabilities of youth.”
“Nothing was left to chance,” Liam added with a cynical grin.
Pim nodded. “We couldn’t afford it. The war was barely over and we feared the greed and savagery of that period would return if we didn’t keep everyone in place. Statisticians, behaviorists and analysts were in high demand.”
“Then where did all those statisticians, behaviorists and analysts go wrong?” Liam reached across to me and took my hand. “How could they overlook the love we have for one another?”
“Something unusual has happened with Kama’s Life’s Plan.”
“I’ll say.” The bitterness in Liam’s comment was amplified by his tight squeeze of my hand.
“I’ve only seen this sort of thing once or twice before, but the Committee had conflicting information.” Pim ignored his son’s harsh tone. “Things didn’t add up in your file, Kama. Perhaps it was just a flawed source or a mistakenly titled document that ended up in your file.”
I looked at Liam, a ray of hope finally glowing over our dismal situation. If this mistake could be found and rectified,
“Dad.” Liam took a step closer to his dad, his determination clear in his eyes. “I’ve seen you pressure the Committee before. I know you’ve had your hand in persuading them to change Life’s Plans in the past and for whom? For strangers? For a fellow politician? I’m your son. Why won’t you do it now? Why won’t you use your clout and power now? Don’t you want me to be happy?”
“Your Life’s Plan has your happiness in mind, Liam.” He sounded like the politician he was, his lines practiced and rehearsed. “Arcadia has the best, smartest and most diligent citizens on that Committee and their goal is to set youngsters on the path that will best suit everyone.”
“Save the speeches for your cronies, Dad.”
Pim smiled and reached out to put his hand on Liam’s shoulder. “You always were a very smart boy, Liam. And you’re smart enough to know that I cannot change this.”
Charm oozed out of his every fiber as Pim smiled at his son. Anyone could easily trace Liam’s good looks and social mannerisms to his dad.
“You say you grew up with my mother… outside Arcadia,” I interjected.
“That’s right.”
“I always thought my mother was born and raised here.”
“I think we both wanted to believe that as well. Our childhoods, as pleasant as they were, were gravely marred by the extensive war that tore the city apart when we were teens.”
“She’s never spoken of a town outside Arcadia. Actually, she’s never really spoken of her childhood much.”
“I’m sure it must be just as painful for her as it is for me. Going back to that time is difficult. The war was harsh and cruel. People were cruel.”
“Is that why you founded Arcadia?”
Pim was silent a long moment. He sat more comfortably on the corner of his desk and gestured for Liam and me to take a seat. “War can sometimes bring out the good in some people, lead them to help one another, bring them to safety. But sometimes it can bring out the devil; greed, selfishness, cruelty. I wanted Arcadia to be all the goodness I remembered, all the cherished memories; the smell of spring flowers, the clear blue ravines and lakes, the prettiness that had been my hometown before war ravaged it. I wanted peace and harmony among the people.”
“But why the Committee?”
“Nineteen years ago the area was quite different from what it is now. It was an ugly time and starting a new town was complicated. During the war, it seemed the youth had lost all sense of direction. They were lost. So many of them turned to crime. Distinguishing good and bad was difficult for most. I wanted to set them back on a path that would lead them to a bright future, the best future they could have. When I recruited the Committee, I wanted men and women who saw Arcadia the way I saw it. I chose people who had foresight, vision and the ability to spot the talents and capabilities of youth.”
“Nothing was left to chance,” Liam added with a cynical grin.
Pim nodded. “We couldn’t afford it. The war was barely over and we feared the greed and savagery of that period would return if we didn’t keep everyone in place. Statisticians, behaviorists and analysts were in high demand.”
“Then where did all those statisticians, behaviorists and analysts go wrong?” Liam reached across to me and took my hand. “How could they overlook the love we have for one another?”
“Something unusual has happened with Kama’s Life’s Plan.”
“I’ll say.” The bitterness in Liam’s comment was amplified by his tight squeeze of my hand.
“I’ve only seen this sort of thing once or twice before, but the Committee had conflicting information.” Pim ignored his son’s harsh tone. “Things didn’t add up in your file, Kama. Perhaps it was just a flawed source or a mistakenly titled document that ended up in your file.”
I looked at Liam, a ray of hope finally glowing over our dismal situation. If this mistake could be found and rectified,
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