Within The Shadows

Within the Shadows
Written by Roisin Ratcliffe


Daniel was born on a sunny October afternoon in 2173. As he looked into his mother’s eyes for the first time he could see she was crying. These were not tears of joy however; they were tears of pain and suffering that most Silverspoons never have to endure.
* * * * * * * * * * *
It was cold outside the morning fate happened upon Jaimy Peterson. As she walked home from a party at 2 a.m., one block behind the huge multimillion-dollar mansions that were home to her friends and loved ones, one block into the darkness that consumed the outer ten miles of her city at night. When she walked home Jaimy always played with her keys, for a moment she fumbled and dropped the keys to the cool pavement. As she slowly bent down to pick them up another hand met hers. Looking up she saw a young man with the most striking features she had ever seen.
"Daniel," the youth said extending his hand in an attempt to break the awkward silence that had settled between them.
"Jaimy," she replied, shaking his hand. "I have never seen you before, are you new in town?
"Not exactly…"
"I know everyone in town but I have never met you. Are you home schooled? Are you a hermit? Do you go to boarding school?" Jaimy flooded Daniel with questions quicker than he could reply so he just smiled politely and let her finish.
"Though I would love to answer you questions Jaimy, I really must be going now," Daniel said looking at his cell phone.
"Well, if you must. Want to exchange digits?" Jaimy flipped open her phone and found the contact page.
"Sure, I look forward to your phone call," Daniel replied opening his cell phone and trading Jaimy.
"Okay, I’ll text you later. We should get together sometime." Jaimy smiled and started to walk away.
"Talk to you later," Daniel called after her. As he stood on the street watching her walk away he grabbed at his jacket to pull it closed as though the temperature had dropped 5 degrees. He turned his back to her and disappeared into the darkness that surrounded them.
The next week went by with out incident for Jaimy. She attended school daily and went to as many parties as she could manage. As Sunday slowly rolled around she determined that she had left Daniel wondering long enough. Grabbing her new Louis Vuitton clutch from the kitchen counter she sent him a simple but precise text.
Meet me 2night. 53rd and 8th, 7 don’t come late.
Within moments she received a reply.
Can’t. How about 21st and Donald, where we met at 9:30.
Jaimy was quiet displeased with his response, most people did as she asked and never changed her plans. Maybe just this once she would do as someone asked. He was, after all, really cute.
Fine 21st and Donald-9 p.m.

She was not going to let him have total control of their night.
Sounds good see you soon.
Daniel’s response came quickly. Satisfied with her plans for the evening Jaimy decided to go shopping. Five thousand dollars and three hours later Jaimy left the new Dior store thoroughly satisfied and armed with the latest fashion trends and accessories. As she walked up to the last store on the strip she removed an identity tag from her purse and showed it to the doorman.
Identity tags were like an arm or a leg for people, without them you were nothing and you could not go anywhere. Since birth Jaimy had, had an identity tag, everywhere you went you had to show the doorman in order to gain access to the store. What were they guarding the stores from? It was not as though crime was a huge problem in society yet everywhere she went she needed one.
At 5’ 6" with straight brown hair Jaimy stood out in a crowd. Her family had moved to East-vale Falls when she was three. Most of the people here were 5’ 8" and had blonde hair and blue eyes. In all the cities she had visited Jaimy had met only one or two people who looked like her, every town was the same rich people with more money than they knew what to do with and ten miles of ‘dead space’ that no one lived in. Jaimy always thought of it as a picture frame no matter how ugly and lifeless the frame is; the inside is always beautiful.
She had asked her father one time why empty, abandoned homes and darkness surrounded so many lush, beautiful, homes and gardens. All he did was grunt and tell her not to worry her pretty little head about it. This answer had always bugged Jaimy but she tried to forget about it. Besides, life was sweet for everyone living here. Crime was almost non-existent, everyone had money and paychecks with six zeros attached, and school was really slack. This was the situation everywhere, even Africa had gotten rid of poverty over one hundred years ago.
As Jaimy walked home she stopped thinking about the emptiness around her city and started to think about what she would wear that night. She had five new outfits and could not decide which one would impress Daniel the most. The walk home was not a long one, she lived within a ten mile walking distance of all the stores, schools, and parks in the city. As she opened her front door she could hear the sound or her maid Maria vacuuming the upstairs hallway. As Jaimy ascended the staircase she wondered where Daniel was going to take her, maybe to the movies or for dinner.
"Maria? Are you up here?" Jaimy called out when she reached the landing.
"Yes, Miss Jaimy I am up here, do you need something?" Maria’s head appeared from around the corner.
"Yes Maria, I am going out tonight and I don’t know what to wear will you help me choose an outfit please?" Jaimy called from her room.
"If you wish. What time is your date?" she asked as she cleaned up the vacuum.
Jaimy patiently waited for Maria to finish cleaning as she unpacked the new items she had bought. Carefully laying out each outfit with her chosen accessories so Maria could get a full idea of how she would look.
"Oh, Miss Jaimy those outfits are all lovely!" Maria exclaimed when she walked in. "The purple top and blue jeans would go really nicely with the black pumps your mother bought."
"You’re right Maria! I never thought of that. I wonder if she’d notice me borrowing them." Jaimy said as she walked into her mother’s room to borrow the shoes.
"If you’d like Miss Jaimy I can put your hair up for you before I leave." Maria continued as she walked around the room picking up discarded clothing.
"Could you? I love the way you do your hair. My date is not until 9 o’clock though, will it hold until then?"
"Of course, that’s why we have hair spray. So, is he cute?" Maria picked up a hairbrush and gave Jaimy a look of intrigue.
"Well, yeah he is. He’s got the most amazing brown hair and sparkling eyes. I can’t wait to see him."
"Did you say brown hair? Where did you meet this boy?" Maria looked a little concerned when she asked Jaimy the questions.
"Why do you ask?" A look of concern crossed Jaimy’s face. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"No, you just don’t see that many people like that around here. Just like you, you’re unique. Maybe it was fate that brought the two of you together." Maria forced a smile across her face and grabbed Jaimy’s shoulder reassuring her that everything was fine.
The hours seemed to whiz by for Jaimy. Before she could blink her eyes it seemed as though nine o’clock was approaching. As she walked out of the house she looked back to see Maria watching her from an upstairs window. She waved politely and hurried on her way.
When she arrived on the corner of 21st and Donald, Daniel was no where to be seen.
"He must of stood me up. How rude!" Jaimy said looking around at the darkness in front of her.
"Who stood you up?" A voice call darkness, "Certainly you are not talking about me." Daniel emerged from a street Jaimy had never walked down before.
"What were you doing there? I thought we were not supposed to go into that part of town." Jaimy walked towards Daniel looking mildly concerned.
"You're not supposed to go there but there is no law forbidding the people who live there from walking in their own part of town." Daniel said.
"What do you mean the people who live there. No one lives there, it's deserted. How could anyone live with no lights or supplies?" Jaimy was frustrated and it showed in her face.
"Come to a park with me and I will explain everything." Daniel held his hand out to her.
Jaimy hesitated for a moment, unsure whether or not to trust Daniel. Cautiously she took his hand and followed him into the darkness. After walking for two blocks Daniel removed a flashlight from his pocket and turned it on. As she looked around, Jaimy could see other lights in the distance.
"So there are people here, I wonder why I have never seen them before." Jaimy thought as she continued to follow Daniel. They continued walking for a couple more blocks and arrived at a small park. Walking towards a bench, Daniel sat down and motioned for Jaimy to do the same.
"You can sit down, nothing will happen to you." Daniel said, a smirk crossing his lips.
"I know," Jaimy sat down quickly looking slightly embarrassed. "What are all these people doing here? I thought this was abandoned."
"That's what the government wants you to think Jaimy. It is also the reason that I brought you here. I wanted to tell you the truth but I didn't think that you would believe me so I had to show you. We can't see each other anymore either." Daniel moved a little closer to Jaimy and took her hand.
"What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying Daniel. Why can't we see each other? What doesn't the government want us to know?" Jaimy looked alarmed and fidgeted on the bench.
"There is so much you need to know but we don't have a lot of time so listen carefully," Daniel looked deep into Jaimy's eyes to make sure she was going to pay attention. "Along time ago, before you or I were born, shortly after Africa got rid of poverty the government was worried that because the gap had stopped growing between the rich and the people in middle class there would be no social distinction between the two classes. So they decided that over the next twenty years the rich would become even more rich and the people in middle class would never successfully make more than eighty thousand dollars a year. No one except for the world leaders knew of this plan and they did not tell anyone. Eventually the rich were so rich that the people in middle class looked like poor people. The government decided to separate the two classes of people so that the rich would not marry the poor. At first they tried giving our people towns and cities that were not visited by rich people but that failed to deter the marriages, so the government came up with a new plan." Daniel looked towards Jaimy, he could tell that she was deep in thought about all that was being said so he continued. "The started to have the architects build homes only within a certain size. They made large glamorous homes that every person wanted one. As the rich people were drawn to these homes the poor people seemed to become a distant memory. When the government was absolutely certain that no one would remember the lower class they moved them into the older, decapitated homes surrounding the cities. People only married within their class and the government was happy, it was as if my people never existed." Daniel paused to allow Jaimy time to think about everything he had said.
"That's awful! How can people do such horrible things? I don't understand something though, why do most of the people have blonde hair?" Jaimy turned towards Daniel and grabbed his hands.
"The blonde hair was just a fluke at the time of the separation most people who had money were blonde. No the government uses it as a way to tell if anyone is breaking the law. Have you ever noticed that some people give you looks, or when you go to a store the doorman looks at you differently than he does your friends? That sometimes you are the only one who is asked to present you identity tag? Well, that's because of the way you look. It means that somewhere in your history a Silverspoon married a poor person."
"Wait, what's a Silverspoon? I have never heard that term before." Jaimy looked confused.
"A Silverspoon is what my people call your people. A long time ago people used to say that rich people were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. It is just a way to distinguish between the two classes." Daniel said giving Jaimy a smile.
"Oh, okay. So your people have been living in poverty for over a hundred years?"
"It's not exactly poverty. We all have jobs and make enough money to live we're just no where near as rich as your people." Daniel smiled.
Jaimy smiled back and then looked at her cell phone. "11:30 already? I really have to be going. I have class tomorrow. We'll talk next week okay?"
"Jaimy, we can't. It's forbidden." Daniel looked nervous.
"Come on Daniel. Do you do everything your mother tells you to?" Daniel shook his head. "I didn't think so. What harm could it do anyway?" With those final words Jaimy left, walking back the way she came leaving Daniel alone in the park.
Four months passed, Jaimy saw Daniel as much as she could and their relationship grew into romance. One evening they had plans to meet in the park near Daniel's home. Jaimy could not wait to see him and took special care to look perfect. She had something important to tell him. When she arrived at the park Daniel was not there. That was not unusual however, sometimes he had to work or had to babysit his little sister. She decided to sit on the swings and wait.
Suddenly she saw Daniel come running to the park. "Jaimy! Run! Quickly get out of here!" Jaimy became alarmed, stopping the swing as quickly as possible. "Jaimy! Run! Go home!" Daniel continued to yell as he ran towards her. In complete shock Jaimy felt as though her legs were spaghetti, she could not move. It was as though the world was moving in slow motion. Suddenly Daniel grabbed her arm and continued running. "There's no time to explain, just keep up with me."
They ran for a long time, into an area of town Jaimy did not even know existed. She still had no idea what was happening and was scared for her safety. Daniel pulled her around a corner and into an abandoned building. "Be quiet," Daniel whispered. "Please do not speak, I will explain everything when the danger is gone."
The sat in silence, Daniel holding Jaimy, as they listened to the distant sound of voices shouting. "I think they went over there, if we don't find them we are going to get canned. This can not get out to the public."
Two hours passed and the voices finally drifted off in the opposite direction. Jaimy looked up at Daniel her eyes pleading with him for an explanation and asking if it was safe to speak. Daniel nodded his head and began to tell her what had happened. "Jaimy, this is getting very dangerous. Those men we just ran from were government agents. Some how they found out about our relationship and they are trying to put a stop to it. We can not see each other anymore." Daniel looked down at Jaimy his face a mix of remorse and love. Suddenly Jaimy began to cry uncontrollably.
Daniel tried to console her but nothing worked. He did not understand why she was crying as hard as she was. "What am I going to do Daniel? I can not do this by myself." Jaimy began crying even harder.
"Do what? I don't understand." Daniel looked confused.
"Raise a child Daniel. How can I raise a child by myself? That's what I came to tell you tonight." Jaimy managed to get out between sobs.
"A child Jaimy? What are you talking about? You can't be, it was only once." Daniel asked looking even more confused than before. "How are you going to explain that to your parents? This is a disaster!"
"A disaster Daniel? Our love is a disaster?" Jaimy's sadness turned to anger. Daniel was the world to her and she thought he would be more understanding, even happy about the child.
"Jaimy, when is it due?" His face became filled with compassion.
"Five months, I can't go home. My parents would not understand and how would I explain a child with brown hair and eyes?" She pulled Daniel closer to her.
"I don't know Jaimy but it's not safe for you here. The government knows of our relationship and they will stop at nothing to prevent it from going any further. Tell your dad you met a boy on a school trip, the government will not say anything to your parents because they don't know about my existence. Go home now and never come back, I will deal with my punishment." Daniel took Jaimy's face in his hands and kissed her tears.
Slowly getting up Jaimy nodded and began to leave the building. She would think of a lie on the way home. Walking away from him was the hardest thing she had ever done.
When Jaimy came home that evening she sat her parents down and told them she was pregnant. She told them she had met a boy while she was at camp during the summer and that was how it happened. They were surprisingly okay with the news and promised to help her raise the child. All throughout her pregnancy Jaimy tried to contact Daniel but she never received a response.
Two days before her child was born she received a letter. It was from someone she did not know but the news was devastating.

Dear Jaimy,
My name is Alaina. I am Daniel's younger sister and he told me everything the night before he died.
I know you were together the night the government came looking for him and that you are expecting his child. He wanted you to know that he loved you with all his heart and that if circumstances were different he would have been there for you.
A week after your last meeting the government came back. Daniel was not as lucky this time and when he tried to run he was shot in the back. The last thing he asked me to do was to send you a letter and make sure that you were okay.
I am sorry this letter took so long to get to you but we had to wait for the government to stop monitoring us and we wanted to make sure that no one else got hurt. Good luck with your child and please promise me that you will never forget Daniel.
If you wish to reply to this letter, a gentleman by the name of Marc will meet you where you first met Daniel and he will deliver it to us.
Yours sincerely,
Alaina

"Dead? How could he be dead?" It was the worst letter that Jaimy had every received. Although she was grateful that Alaina had taken the time to send the letter she almost wished it had never came. How could she ever forget Daniel? It was not possible, he was everything to her.
When her son was born on that sunny afternoon in October she looked down at her son and cried. "Daniel," she said. He was perfect ten fingers and ten toes, brown hair and brown eyes. He was the spitting image of his father. She took hundreds of photos and carefully wrote out a reply to Alaina.
The following week she got dressed in nice clothing, bundled up Daniel and walked down the road. One block behind the huge multimillion-dollar mansions that were home to her friends and loved ones, one block into the city that she had come to know so well. In the distance she could see a figure waiting for her and she quickened her pace.