In the After

“Seventeen.”
    “Seventeen? And you’re my mother’s assistant? But you’re so young.”
    “You have a lot to learn about New Hope,” he told me, fiddling with his name tag.
    “I don’t doubt it,” I agreed, standing. “I think I’m over my initial shock, though. Let’s go get Baby some shoes.”
    • • •
    Dr. Reynolds is still talking. I’ve zoned in and out of hazy memories, but continue to nod my head dutifully. I tune back in to the sound of his voice, trying to concentrate on what his words mean .
    “It’s a fresh start. We have an opportunity to isolate all the best that humanity has to offer and weed out the worst. New Hope is a society that will be spoken about as the birthplace of a new civilization. When humans reclaim the earth, they will look back here and know this was the foundation for a new world.”
    He is talking with such passion the skin on his face jiggles slightly. I laugh despite myself .
    “Is that funny?” His smile fades to a scowl .
    “No . . . I’m just . . . excited.” I don’t want him to know I wasn’t really paying attention to his prepared speech. I don’t want him to be angry. Worry begins to creep into my thoughts .
    “It’s all right, Amy. You can go back to your nap now.”
    “Thank you, Dr. . . .”
    “Reynolds,” he reminds me .
    “Yes, thank you.” I lie down and pull the covers up over my head, welcoming the ease of unconsciousness .
    • • •
    “Let’s try these.” Rice pulled a couple of pairs of shoes down off a shelf for Baby.
    “Why are they yellow?” I asked as Rice bent down, placing the shoes next to Baby’s feet to size them up.
    “Class Three is yellow,” he declared, holding up a pair triumphantly. “I think these should fit her.”
    “What’s all this ‘class’ business?” I asked.
    “That’s how we keep track of children. After the Floraes showed up, there was a core group of survivors. Mostly researchers and military, people who were in secure, easy-to-defend areas.”
    “My mother mentioned that last night.”
    “Well, the post-aps . . . the ones left”—he motioned vaguely—“out there. The ones who really survived the Floraes, they’re mostly children.”
    “Children? I never saw any children, except for Baby.”
    “You were in a city,” Rice explained. “High concentration of Floraes, hardly any post-aps. In other areas, where there was less population density, children were the ones more likely to survive. Adults probably kept them concealed, took extra measures to protect them. And of course children are good at hiding. Once their instinctual survival skills kick in, they know how to be quiet.”
    “They believed in the monsters before the monsters showed up,” I whispered.
    “Exactly. That’s why when we bring in the post-aps, we usually don’t have a problem with them. We place them in a structured environment. They fit right in.”
    “What does that have to do with Class Three or Four or whatever?”
    “It’s just how we organize the kids. Newborn to toddler is Class One. They don’t get a color. Three to five years is Class Two and they have to wear pink or blue based on their gender.” He cleared his throat. “Kids aged six to nine are Class Three; they all wear yellow. Age ten to twelve is Class Four—they wear orange—and thirteen to sixteen is Class Five . . .”
    “Let me guess. Class Five is red.” I tugged on my oversized jumpsuit. “Only the kids are assigned a color?” I asked.
    “Yes.”
    “But I’m seventeen years old.” It was strange for me to say it. Seventeen. I’d never had a sweet sixteen. I’d never gotten my learner’s permit. I didn’t get to do all that normal stuff that teenagers used to do.
    “Oh. Maybe your mother was just confused,” Rice offered unconvincingly.
    My mother was not easily confused. My heart sank as I wondered if she’d forgotten how old I was.
    “Well, let’s let Baby try these on.” Rice held the shoes out to her, but she just looked at him blankly. She didn’t seem to get that they were hers now, even though she stared at them longingly.
    Go on. Put them on your feet , I instructed her.
    Baby took the shoes and carefully held them, fingering the laces. Do you want me to help you?
    She nodded. I knelt and showed her how to put on the shoes and tie the laces. First you make a bunny rabbit . I held the knots with one hand and signed with the other. See the ears? Then the rabbit goes through the rabbit hole