Utopia

Utopia

6:30 am
It was 6:30am and my alarm clock was beeping. I personally think that the worse thing about alarm clocks is that its melody gets stuck in your head. I groaned and rolled to the edge of my bed. Morning sun filtered through the curtains. We were only allowed to have one nightstand between the two beds so I had to get up and walk to shut it off.
Then I noticed a strange thing: a lump in the other bed. Unmoving, covered in a blanket, it's been here before by the way. I tore off the blanket to find a boy in pajamas snoozing away.
"Will, get up." I warned my friend. "…uhhh," a late reaction from him.
I then shook him until actual words came out. "Alright, alright!" Will said.
Will sat up. Wearing blue pajamas like mine, being a freshman like me, he was an average sized boy with brown hair and had a carefree disposition.
"Stop sleeping in my room." I exclaimed.
"It's not like you need two beds, help a friend out." Will yawned. "You're the only one who gets a room to yourself."
"Just sleep in your room."
"I can't sleep with Chainsaw shaking the walls."
'Chainsaw' is the nickname Will gave to his sophomore roommate Walter. You could only guess why Will calls him that.
"You're nice."
"Facts are facts."
I sighed, it was useless to kick Will out. (Not without a lock on my door, which by the way is not allowed.)
"Whatever, it's time to get ready." I started to change.
"See ya!" Will left and went back to his room.
It was Thursday, May 14th, 2015. Like any other school day, I had to get ready for school. After I changed, I went downstairs to the main floor. Although breakfast is at 7:00, people normally wake up earlier to play games on the computers in the game room or watch TV. Minecraft 8.6, Starcraft, Facebook and Youtube are normally on the computers. I decided to watch TV with the others.
At 7:00, breakfast/roll call starts. The three leaders split roll call evenly.
"Arthur Noah." I raised my hand, said 'here' and went back to eating. At 7:10 they open the doors and we are free to leave. School doesn't start till 8 at the earliest but it takes 15-20 minutes to walk to school. On the way people tend to stop at shops or stay in the game room until the last minute. (If you weren't at school by 8 you're dead)
I left at 7:30 with Will. We walked on the sidewalk; the roads were filled with a few bicycles as usual. Some trams were going into the city. Then I heard a motor, I watched as a car passed by. I froze. I blinked and watched it ride into the city. A car. An actual car!
"You gotta wonder if it's worth it." Will said.
Year 2013, the climate changed for the worst. Scientists predicted that without a solid idea, the world would die. Eco-Terrorists groups from around the world became much more active. New religions were sprouting. The People wanted solutions. Natural Disasters became worse.
Scientists from around the world met, they discussed possible experiments to settle the chaos of the world. The final plan was a city. An experimental city which waste was minimal, much of the energy came from natural resources, a city which pollution was next to nothing, and a city that 'could be the closest to Utopia'. The city I'm currently living in, Eco-X09.
------------------------------------ (This means a different character narrates)
2:04 pm
The tram was noisy. Not that it was raging, but the tracks made a constant sound that annoyed me. It was hot and stuffy and I've been on this tram for a good half an hour, just watching the city go past me. To be honest I didn't want to be here. I was on a noisy tram, moving to a new city with some escort lady trying to act all cheery towards me.
There were no other passengers, just the lady sitting next to me and myself. We had the only seats, everything else on the tram was just boxes and boxes of who knows what.
"You know, this tram is normally meant to transport cargo. But since you're a special case, we cleared space," the lady said.
She told me her name, Mrs. Julia Noah or something. To be honest I didn't really care, nothing really cared to me anymore. I ignored her.
"Are you going to miss your friends?" she asked.
What kind of question is that? Is that really the best way to strike up a conversation? I didn't answer.
After while she said, "I'm sorry about your mom."
She just went out and spoke her mind.
"Did you know her?"
"No, but it must be awful right now."
You think? Two months ago, my mom died. She worked for the government experimenting on eco-energy. Chemical explosion. She wasn't the only victim. After her funeral I kinda lost the joy in life. She won't be their watching TV in the living room. It was just my dad and I. School turned into a slow torture, the house was too quiet, my dad had a hard time smiling. One week ago, my dad transferred to the new city's government branch. Apparently, some higher ups took pity on me and allowed me to be the first kid to transfer into Eco-X09. Now I'm riding a tram with an awkward escort to some utopia city.
"I have a son the same age as you, you'll be transferring into his high school. I hope you can be friends."
"Yeah."
"I know it's hard but you're going to love this city. You can start a new life there."
You forgot to add without my mom.
"Oh! We're here!" She pointed.
We just left the city. The new city was built on an enormous plot of land just outside not being used for anything. I looked up and was confused. When you think most sustainable city you think green right? All I saw was a huge wall of 30 foot concrete and a massive glass dome on top.
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8:30 am
By now Will and I were having class at Robert Noah High School. I had math. Bored, I stared out the window. Our school was on a low hill. I could see outside as far as the gateway. A large wall to prevent any sudden variables from sneaking in surrounds this eco-city just so you know. For example, more people. When this city was first created, it offered a ton of jobs to the people. A lot of people wanted to start again. To prevent major variables, only government workers and chosen people were allowed to be in the exodus. My mom's a government worker and my dad's a writer. I never asked what Will's parents do.
Even though I said 'exodus', trees probably outnumber people. 65% of the city's area is nature. And that is a lot of trees since I can't even count the number of buildings. Wherever you look there are trees, trees, and more trees. Even in the center of the city some parks are set up.
You wouldn't think that filtered sun could feed them all make the rooftops shine like mirrors. That's right, filtered sunlight. Covering the entire city is a glass dome. Not really glass but it looks like it. Scientists invented a clear, rotating, solar panel that absorbs 30% of the sun and filters the rest down to the city. All buildings have a full sun shingle roof to absorb the rest for extra power. It's a little weird, but it's not as hot in the summer although you wouldn't want to catch an airplane in here. (If you want to catch a plane, you have to go to the next city.)
The only vehicles in here are trams, bicycles and cars. Trams are the main way people get around if they don't want to walk. They cost money and are everywhere. (They have solar panels on them by the way.) Bicycles populate the roads and are used by all ages for a free and fast ride. Cars on the other hand are extremely rare. Not only do they cost much, there's an extra tax for anyone who owns a car in this city. Gas is expensive and you can only get one of those cars that don't emit exhaust. To have one means you're living in the moment.
At 2:30, school was over for me. I went to the library after school and used a computer to search for community service options. In this city, students have to do one shift of community service a week. (University students have to do less.) It's supposed to promote bonding within the community but I think the government is just looking for free labor. I signed up for being a cleaner tonight and left.
I was walking back from school with Will and other friends when my phone rang. It was my mom.
"Hello?"
"Arthur, I'm going to double your weekly allowance."
Now part of me just did a back flip launched in to space for a second.
"Because, I want you to take care of someone."
There was always a catch when dealing with my mom.
"His name is David, he's the very first transfer student into the city."
Okay, I don't know if it should go down in history but what's that got to do with me?
"He will be your new roommate."
I swear my mom can read my mind.
"So? I asked.
"He's declared an experiment by the government."
"What!"
My friends turned around and looked at me.
"Scientists want to test his psychological reasoning of the city, because they didn't tell him anything about it. They want to know how he will take it all in. They will be observing him constantly. They used his dad as an excuse for him to transfer into the city."
"Where's his mom?"
"She died. I brought him here, he's lost willpower."
"…So basically, he's a lab rat in a maze."
"Don't call him that. I want you to be his friend. Just because he's an experiment doesn't mean he can't have fun being one by hanging out with friends and living a normal school life."
"Alright, I'll try." I hung up the phone.
"What was that?" Will asked.
"I'm getting a roommate."
Will looked curious and depressed at the same time.
At the dorms, it was two hours before dinner. You didn't have to attend but you had to be in your room by 10:30 or else. Most people play games or go to the mall to get food.
"Arthur," it was one of the dorm leaders. "Someone is waiting in your room."
"Okay."
As I walked up the stairs, I worried about what to say. What do I start out with? What can I show him? He lost his mom. What are our interests? What do I say? Psychological analysis. By now I got to my room. I took a deep breath and opened the door.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4:26 pm
I was waiting for about 5 minutes before a boy opened the door. He had black hair, medium height, and was wearing a uniform. The dorm leader said his name was Arthur.
"Uh, hi." He said.
"Hi, my name's David." He nodded and sat on the other bed with all the posters.
"My name's Arthur Noah." He responded.
Noah? "Uh, sorry, do you know someone named Julia?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's my mom."
"Your mom works for the government?"
"Yeah, in this city 30% of all adults are working for the government."
Weird City. Weird guy, he didn't seem surprised at all that I knew his mom's name.
"So how do you like Eco-X09?" He asked.
I could tell he wanted to change the subject.
"So far I've seen trees, some buildings and more trees."
"Yeah."
Don't forget to mention more trees. They don't call it the green city for nothing. I noticed an air conditioner above the nightstand.
"You guys have AC?"
"Yup. These are the eco friendly ones." Arthur switched it on and a cool breeze filled the room.
We were silent for a bit while enjoying the breeze. Looking around the room, he noticed the blue bag I was holding.
"Oh yeah, you got that when you first arrived right? I should show you what's in there. Just dump it on the bed."
He was acting really strange, changing the subject constantly.
"Um… did your mom tell you anything about me?" I asked.
For a moment his eyes widened. "N-Nothing."
Anyway, I dumped everything on the bed. By the way, are beds in this dorm supposed to be wrinkled and look used when you move in? Inside the bag there was a chrome cell phone, a phone charger, an I.D, a wallet, an empty metal bottle and a map of the city. Arthur picked up the phone.
"You weren't allowed to bring your phone with you right? This phone is standard in this city. Everyone has one, you're not allowed to have any other kind."
"Why?"
"To prevent everyone from buying new ones constantly I guess." He shrugged. "This is the most eco friendly phone in the world and is only available in this city. People say it's a symbol that you are a resident of this city."
Then what's the I.D. for?
"The I.D.," I swear he read my mind. "Is so you can buy stuff at school, also to show you go to our school."
I looked at my I.D. It had a picture of me, usual stuff, a bar code and 'Robert Noah High School on the top. Robert…Noah? I must have had a look of suspicion because he answered immediately.
"Yeah, my dad donated a lot to the school so they named it after him."
I glanced at him, is this guy rich? The door opened. It was the guy who told me the rules of the dorm.
"Arthur." Held out a white envelope. Arthur took it and the guy left. When he opened it, even though his face didn't move I swear his eyes beamed or something.
"Uh, do you want to get something to eat?" he looked at me.
"The guy said dinner's in a couple hours."
"You can skip if you want. It's more fun to go into the city."
"I guess. What should I bring?"
"Your phone, I.D…and water bottle. "
I got up and went with him.
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4:47pm
Along with David and some other friends, I rode a tram into the city and was at the mall. While David kept staring at everything, Will and the others dragged us to the arcade while telling David about all the fun stores simultaneously. Now the arcade is quite big, and busy. I personally enjoy games, but the sheer amount of people inside is plain scary.
Inside had dark walls, glowing lights and people walking about. Within seconds, it was only David and I. I got change and walked around with David following me. A house of the dead X was free so I played it with him. We died honorably by corroded chainsaws.
After more games we got thirsty and went to the food court. The food court is quite odd. The roof is glass so sunlight pours through providing natural lighting. Also, tables have solar panels in them so when night falls the tables provide some of the lighting. I showed David all the possible places we could order. I asked what he wanted but he didn't know.
"Do you want ramen?" I asked.
"Sure, but I don't have any money."
"It's okay, I'll pay for you." There's always a catch when dealing with my mom.
I ordered 2 shoyu ramen along with two sodas. The cashier gave me my change showed us the beverage dispenser. David looked around but didn't see any cups. I filled my bottle and he imitated. We sat down at a nearby table until our order came.
"There were no cups." David said.
"In this city you're supposed to have your issued bottle with you when you want to drink something. It's supposed to prevent disposable cups from entering the landfill." I explained.
"So you can't drink anything if you forget your bottle?" David seemed surprised.
"There are glass cups, but they cost money. It's not much but people would rather carry a bottle everywhere. Also employees use paper gloves when dealing with food. Plastic wouldn't biodegrade." I explained.
David was stunned. A place where you are forced to have the same phone, have a water bottle and where a driver's license meant nothing along with other stuff. I guess everyone was like that at first. Our order was ready and David volunteered to go get it. Then my phone rang, it was Will.
"Where are you guys? We looked everywhere."
"We got hungry so we went to the food court."
"What? Don't leave without us." Will hung up.
David was back with the food. "Will and the others are coming. They say they were looking everywhere for us."
"Oh."
We were just about to eat when we heard Will's voice and saw him coming towards us.
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5:55pm
"That was fast." Arthur said.
"We were close. You would think you guys were at the food court."
You guys looked everywhere? Yeah right. You're not even trying to hide all those bags of stuff you bought.
"What did you guys get?" I asked.
"Oh," Will pulled out a 'Halo Cosmos', 'Call of Duty Over World', and 'Dead Space Mars'. "Just these."
Carefree aren't you? How much did that all cost? 200 bucks?
"Let's move to a bigger table." Will said. We all moved from our two person to a five person. The others got hamburgers and we all started talking.
"So, how do you like the city?" Will asked.
"I've been here a few hours and it's really different."
"Too bad for you, school's the same. Well except for the community service part. Oh yeah, Arthur you gotta do something by Saturday."
"I'm gonna be a cleaner tonight." Arthur said.
What's a cleaner? Do you pick up trash?
"Tonight? Really? It's going to be cold."
Arthur shrugged.
"Well I guess you'll be fine, oh yeah did you kn-." And just like that the conversation shifted from me to Arthur. I guess it's better this way since I don't know anything about this city.
"-Next time tell me when your dad is going to make the sequel, alright?"
"Yeah, Yeah." Arthur agreed.
"David, did you know Arthur's dad's a writer?" Will shifted towards me.
"No?" No author named Robert Noah came to mind.
"He writes fantasy." He's popular so Arthur's loaded with money.
"No I'm not." Arthur objected. "The amount I get from them is just as much you guys get."
Then why did you buy me ramen?
"Oh yeah, what you your parents do?" Will asked me.
Somehow I expected this. "My dad works for the government." I answered.
"What about your mom?"
"She died a couple months ago." I said.
That froze everyone.
"Sorry." Will said.
"No problem, I'm over it." Which was a lie.
Will quickly changed the subject and I responded half-heartedly. Somehow that one question got me really depressed. Like how I was trying to forget everything in past but it all flooded in. I looked at all of them. All of them have two parents. Two parents to love them and scold them. And me, I don't even see my dad by going to their boarding school. I looked around at the food court; it was getting dim due to the sun setting. Along with my new life of one parent, now I have to get used to this weird city. It's not fair, why does everybody else get to smile while I feel like disappearing? All this talking and new technology I can't keep up with, I just want to be alone. Everyone just says sorry and makes sad faces. The world isn't fair, utopia huh? What kind of utopia is it if I can feel this empty and left behind while in it? Isn't utopia supposed to be the perfect city?
Apparently my emo vibes were showing because Arthur got up and said, "David, you want to be a cleaner with me tonight?"
I looked at him confused. Picking up trash on a cold night? No thanks.
Will smiled. "Yeah, be a cleaner with him. You'll love it. "
"Alright." Arthur said as he dumped our empty bowls and dragged me to an Internet café close by.
"Log in." Arthur demanded.
"I don't wanna be a cleaner." I was tired, I moved into a new city, I walked around a huge mall and my feet were tired. I don't think I want to pick up trash for who knows how long.
"Just try it, it's really fun."
Tired of arguing, I just did what he said and he signed me up for a 'SPC'.
"Good. We start now."
"What?!" He dragged me outside of the mall and paid for a tram ride leading outside of the city.
"Why do you pay for me?" I asked after a few minutes. We were on a tram that had a midair track, there's no way I could escape now. It was hot and stuffy, trams don't have AC I guess.
"Oh, the school doubled my allowance to give your dad an easier time with finances."
That was nice of them. But didn't you say your parents provide the money?
"It must be hard." He said.
"Not really." I answered.
"No, it is hard."
That surprised me.
"I lost my grandma a few years ago. I know it can't compare but I know it's really hard to lose a family member."
"…It is." I agreed. "She's not there anymore. She's gone so suddenly."
"But, you can start a new life here."
That made me mad. Please. Why would I get use to this place? You think a pretty city can replace a parent?
"I can't. This place has everyone moving forward so fast. How can I keep up?"
"By moving on and living."
I looked at him.
"What do you want me to do? Forget about my mom? Just turn into another person and start anew? How can I forget? You make it sound so easy but it's hard. It's really hard to keep on living like normal and getting over it."
"The world never stops rotating."
"That's helpful. You're saying just move on like it's no big deal." My voice rose and people started glancing.
He was silent for the rest of the ride and so was I. I refused to talk to him. I looked out the window; the lighting inside made the outside dark and vast. Halfway through we hit ground and passed through the forest. After a few minutes we were at our stop, the edge of the city, the wall. A small train station like thing was where we got off.
I was confused. Why do we need to be at the border to clean? Arthur motioned me to a door in the wall and I followed. The guard checked his computer and our identification and let us through.
We went up some stairs an elevator and Arthur picked up some equipment. We were on top of the wall within minutes. In front was the huge view of the outside world and behind us their steel frames supported the solar panels.
Then a loud noise sounded. In front of us, I was shocked to see a huge steel track rise out in front of us. The more came out the more I realized that it was forming what looked like a spiral staircase around the solar panels. When the noise stopped, a spiral steel track circled around the whole thing ending at the top. Arthur didn't look surprised.
A pod like thing came around and stopped in front of us. It was circular with the bottom half metal with a door, and the top having rails to grip onto. It seemed to ride on the rails. But the most definitive feature was the two huge nozzles attached facing the panels.
Arthur walked into the pod.
"W-Wait. Just what are we cleaning?" I asked.
"Isn't it obvious? We're going to clean the solar panels." He responded.
--------------------------------------------------------- (David again)
7:02pm
Apparently being a cleaner means to strap yourself in a harness and spray the entire solar panel dome covering the whole city with high-pressured water hoses as you slowly go up.
"I-Is this legal?" Can the government really make a high school student do this? I peeked over the pod and saw we were at least 50 feet up.
"As long as you're 15 and older you can do it." Arthur started spraying while pushing a lever making the pod go up.
Then I started. Honestly it was kinda fun using a power hose. Slowly we spiraled up as the wind got stronger. We were silent most of the way. When we were almost at the top, Arthur started talking.
"Answering your question, it's not that I want you to forget your mom. But maybe you can be happy here with all of us." Arthur said.
I blasted a bird feather out of a socket. "It's hard to keep up." I said again.
"That's what friends are for. To help you." He responded.
"Can you guys really help me?"
"We can."
"But what are you going to do? You can't make me forget my mom."
"I don't want you to forget her. But maybe you could forget the pain that came with it."
Replace the pain? Clever. It honestly didn't sound like a bad idea.
"What do I replace it with?" I asked.
"With this city and everyone it in." It started to get a little windy.
"Is this city really that great?" I asked. Sure it was cool we got to ride on a pod while circling the city, it was cool everything was all high tech but a tragedy like that was painful.
"Yup. And we're at the best part." Arthur let go of the lever. We were at the very top of the city where all the solar panels meet. Any higher and the pod would descend. I looked down and saw the city far below in the middle with plenty of buildings and forest all around. Looking at the horizon, although it was dark I could see for miles, we must have been thousands of feet up.
"Cool isn't it?" I had to agree. It was amazing. "And that's not the best part." Arthur checked his phone. I checked mine, 7:44. At 7:45 something crazy happened. One by one, all the buildings started glowing. Before I knew it, we were below a huge glowing city within a shining dome. It was like a snow globe.
"Wow!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah. I said that when I first saw it. It's really cool and to think this is considered a job."
We were silent for a bit while the wind blew on our backs.
"You know, this city has a lot of things you haven't seen yet. I mean, there's so much more you could see. So why not explore it with us? School's really fun, and we could go to the mall all the time."
I was silent. This city was amazing. I mean what other place let's you ride above its tallest skyscraper and feel like you're on top of the world? Exploring it doesn't seem like a bad idea if I have all these guys with me. Although nothing can replace my mom, maybe friends could replace the pain.
The wind blew past us. I thought of everyone, my dad, my new friends, my mom. I smiled and looked down on the glowing city once more. Wind blew across my face and whipped my hair. As we stood on top of the world I thought maybe, just maybe, I could give life another chance.

I think that the part of me who wants to make people happy in general is what made this story. I want the reader to be interested in what happens next.

By Ace