“Doesn’t Fairwell’s government have any kind of grant support, or something, for large families?” Jessie’s mother asked, desperately. I felt the pain in her voice, deep in my chest. She had four children who fell within the age bracket. The concept of sending a child away for education might not be a big deal for some—after all, I had read about it in plenty of novels—but for a people as close-knit as us, who spent almost twenty-four hours a day sharing the same small spaces, it went against our every instinct.
“I’m afraid we don’t have systems such as grants in place,” Anna replied. “Moreover, it makes the most economic sense for those who can already afford it to shoulder the burden directly, because there are plenty of wealthy couples in Founders’ Isle who are either childless or wanting to care for more children. It’s a win-win scenario.”
I couldn’t follow that logic. Bea was going to be taken from us, and we would only be able to see her once a week. She might be taken care of well, but she wouldn’t be allowed to come home to us, by the sounds of it, as Anna had only spoken of us visiting her.
I wanted what was best for my sister, but I couldn’t believe this was it.
“What about those of us with infants?” Jessie’s mother pressed.
“You may keep babies,” Anna replied, “though you will need to drop them off at daycare during the workday, where they will be looked after by trained caregivers, and then, hopefully by the time they hit three, you will have reached the required income level to be able to maintain them through the rest of their formative years. Now, Brandon and Jones,”—she looked to her two uniformed colleagues standing on either side of the screen—“please start distributing the rule sheets.”
A worried murmur spread amongst the crowd, as Anna switched off her loudspeaker and stooped down for her water bottle.
Only a small sliver of sunlight remained on the horizon, soon to be swallowed by the darkness that was claiming the rest of the sky.
I looked to my friends on either side of me, who were practically frozen in fear—Jessie and Zina particularly, the latter clutching her stomach.
“I don’t like this,” Nico murmured, tightening his arm around his wife. “I don’t like this one bit.”
“At least you still have time,” Jessie told him. “You have months to go before the baby is born, and then three years to meet the minimum income. You could find a way to pull it off. But my siblings…”
She glanced at me sympathetically, knowing we were both in the same boat. I only had one sister, but I had four cousins who fit within the age bracket, too.
I ran my tongue nervously over my lips, trying to combat the dryness that had occupied my mouth.
“I suppose, we don’t know yet how hard it will be to earnthese coins, or how fast or slow it will go. Maybe… Maybe it won’t be as big of a deal as we fear.” I swallowed, the words feeling traitorous as they left my tongue. I wasn’t looking forward to having to relay this development to my parents.
But sinking into despair wouldn’t solve the situation. Anna had made it clear that there was no possibility of negotiation in this matter.
But, speaking of my parents…
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I said tightly, leaving my friends and walking over to Anna.
“Yes?” she asked, turning to me.
“My parents,” I said. “Where do they fit in with all of this? I understand we’re all expected to work, but they have broken arms and legs, my mother a damaged neck, too. It might be months before they’re back at full capacity.”Assuming theycanreturn to full capacity.
“Hmm, yes,” Anna murmured, tapping her chin. Her eyes wandered to the hospital building. “That’s always a little bit tricky, but not a situation we haven’t dealt with before. If they sign the agreement stating they intend to become settlers here, they will be fed and allowed to stay in this care building until they fully recover, free of charge. And once they do recover, and are ready for work, they will be transferred over to your island.”
The idea of my parents being stuck behind those bare walls for possibly months made my stomach drop. If Fairwell had a constant flow of people they were helping from the outside, it could be constantly crowded with strangers, which would be my parents’ idea of a living hell. Besides, if they were here on this separate little islet, I didn’t even know how often I could visit them. It was bad enough being separated from my little sister for an unspecified period, not to mention my parents, too. That was a step toofar.
“Alternatively,” Anna added, before I could open my mouth, “you could earn enough to support them. If you’re smart about this, you might be able to reach bronze level quickly, which should be enough to keep the lights on and enough food in the cupboards for the three of you and possibly afford the required medical assistance as well. Bronze would really be the minimum level required, and it would be a rather austere existence for a while… but at least it’d get your parents out of here.”
I let out a slow breath. I liked this idea a bit better, even though I still had no idea what kind of jobs I was going to be taking on. But it seemed I’d find out soon enough, once the employment officers started coming round.
One thing I knew for sure: I would have to get my ass in gear. Not only did I need to get my parents out of that building, but I had to start saving for my sister, too. We all had to, once my parents were able to do some work.
I wasn’t sure what more I could say to Anna at this point, so I just gave her a brief nod and turned on my heels.
It wasn’t like we had a choice now.
Returning to my group, I saw that everyone had been handed pieces of paper, and Robert had kept one for me. I clutched it anxiously and read the square, bold lettering.
The first few items on the list were, as Anna had said, obvious. They amounted to no stealing, inflicting personal harm on others, or damaging Fairwell state property. Trash had to be disposed of in designated areas (or via “shuttles” that came round to collect it weekly), and there was also a prohibition against attempting to drive any kind of vehicle without authorization and a license—also common sense, I supposed.
After that were some less obvious ones. Like, it was apparently a criminal offense to not swipe one’s e-ring when coming to and from the main island via the bridges, or claiming creditfor work when it was done… For some reason, it was also illegal to throw any kind of food in the ocean… “Espionage against the state” (whatever that entailed, exactly) was prohibited, and our visits to children who had been assigned guardians on Founders’ Isle would be once a week for two hours, to be arranged directly with said guardians…Two hours. Couldn’t they have at least made it four?
Knowing there was no use in getting caught up on this issue again now, reluctantly I continued to read.
