The scope of love

Chapter 13

I sat there alone in the room. My guess whoever is going to interview me has watched too many crime shows. Honestly, what was the point of making me wait? I'm not going to freak out. Clearly, we've been caught. They knew it was us by looking at our ID's. I'm not going to sit here and overthink this. I'm also not going to regret what we did. Anyway, they aren't the police. These guys are private security of the program. Legally, they can't do anything to us. I wonder if they are talking to Declan now. I wonder what he might be saying. Before I could think more about it the door opened.

A guy that looked like he had never smiled before walked in. He sat in the principal's chair. He had a box with him that he put on the floor.

"Brooke, you and I have a problem." I can agree with that. I have a problem with him and the program. I didn't answer him. I'll wait for him to tell me what he knows. I'm not stupid.

"You broke the rules." He definitely wants me to admit what I did.

"Which rules?" I asked, not admitting to anything.

"The programs rules. You are a Pisces and he is an Aries. You are supposed to be with a Taurus." Here is where I won't be quiet anymore.

"Right, because some people in an office decided that for me. Why do you think it is okay for other people to make life choices? Can I ask you, your bosses that are making these rules, are they following them? They are older, right, so they met and fell in love with their partners and one day one of them was just like I have an idea to change the whole concept of romance and then not needing to follow the rules themselves. This program's idea of romance is a panicked desperate need to pair or you won't have a life after high school. Things that were frowned upon a couple of years ago is now encouraged. Come on, how many teen pregnancies are there these days? This program takes away all the individuality that we have. It makes us all a replica of each other. As soon as we turn 14, we are told who we are and how we should act and feel. The program tells us down to our own characteristics about how to be. The problem as you put it is that the program stripes us of our rights, our human rights and that is simply not okay." I finished my rant.

"So you're admitting to what you have done?" So he needs me to admit it.

"No, what is it that you think I did?" I threw back at him.

"We know you went against the program rules. You went to different grouping to look for your idea of love." He wasn't wrong. “and what do you think my idea of love is? Since you are so sure that I went out of my way to get it? Or better yet, why do you think I would do something like that?” He didn’t say anything.

“Okay, I’ll bite, my idea of love is love that is free that doesn’t have a bunch of requirements attached to it by someone else. My idea is flawed, because if everything is perfect, then what is there left? Have you ever heard that the one fighting is the one that cares enough to fight? If every pairing is perfect and there is nothing to fight about or for then do you think there are people against the program? If I did what you are accusing me of, then I guess I did it because I wanted more. I can imagine that I would want a relationship where I’m not just a set goal that is checked on a list, where I’m not some possession of a man. Maybe I wanted a relationship where I was an equal and where there were some challenges. Maybe I wanted a relationship where I am in a relationship because I want to be and I’m wanted not because of a stupid sign that is tied to my date of birth, but because of me.” He was just staring at me. Good maybe some of what I said got through that thick skull.

“It isn’t an assumption, we went through your room and found a lot of contraband. Enough to know that you had gone from one grouping to another until you found what you were looking for. It’s proof that you set out to go against the rules. You tried very hard to break the rules.”

“I didn’t try very hard to break the rules. I tried very hard to have freedom of choice. It is after my human rights. If you found all my ’contraband’, you clearly found my data. Have you gone through it? Have you sat down and read what people had to say, how girls and boys are being taken advantage of? How your precious program is basically forming abusive relationships where one of the people in the relationship feels trapped, repressed and emotionally damaged. Don’t worry, there is a little physical and s****l abuse in that data, just before you think that it isn’t so bad. To you, this program is just rules being followed. You only hear about the success of it, but have you ever thought about the failure? This program fails to protect our rights and us. The bad thing is, you don’t care and when you walk out of this room it’s over. No one will do anything about it. It will just go on as it has. You will destroy my data and I won’t be able to do anything about it. The vicious cycle will just repeat itself time and time again.

“Do you really think that you are the first one to try and go against the program? Have you ever heard of anyone doing it? Not because there are precautions in place. We know how to intervene and make it go away. You are just one small blimp in a very large system. There isn’t any way you could have ever beaten the system. As for your complaints, no one is forcing them to stay in relationships that aren’t going well.”

“Aren’t they? If they don’t pair up, they have no future, so they rather stay in a bad relationship all because of the pressures this program puts on them.”

“Brooke just give up. You lost all ready and you aren’t going to like what is heading your way. We always get our way.”

“You can’t make me do anything! I didn’t do anything illegal. It’s not law.” I was frustrated. I know that I have lost, but it doesn’t mean I have to give up. It just means that I have to start over.

“That’s where you are wrong. We have your parents consent to do whatever is necessary. You will be put through extensive speed dating within your grouping. Until you choose someone. You will then immediately get married. You won’t have the luxury of school. You will be doing online schooling and you will be placed in a group home where you will be guarded. We can’t have you make any more trouble.” I couldn’t believe they were planning on actually locking me up.

“Unless you promise not to cause any trouble, then you can stay here, but you will be supervised. You will still go through speed dating. If you don’t find your match by the time you are done with high school you will be cast out penniless.” I want to fight this and I will, but I don’t want to be locked up where no one can find me, at least if I stay here I will be close to Declan and we might even find a way to see each other.

“I will co-operate here at school.” I said, defeated, but still having some hope. He picked up the box that was on the floor and opened it up. It was everything from my room.

“How did you get all of this?” He asked, taking out all the different coloured ties. I have to answer him or they will take me away.

“I found them lost and found when I was returning something I found. I would change in the bathroom during lunch. My roommate didn’t know. I told her I was studying during lunch. I made sure to be in the lunch room every once in a while so that my absence wasn’t picked up on. In the groupings I said that I was from a different school and thinking about transferring to this school.” I answered every question I knew he would ask before he could ask it, because I just wasn’t in the mood to play answer and reply with this uncaring guy. He just nodded, putting the things to the side. He then took out my data that took hours to get so perfect. He walked over o the shredder and page for page he erased the data.

“You’re not even going to show them the data. There are serious problems. They could at least investigate and make some alterations to their regulations!” I was outraged at how he was just going to erase all evidence of the problems the program caused.

“Trust me, they know about all these problems, but the success rate versus the cost of it are too far apart for them to do anything about it. Trust me, it’s better that I destroy this. If people in corporate see how much evidence you put together and how tough you were, they would see you as a threat. You’ll be locked up somewhere where they have convinced everyone you are a danger to yourself and society or they will make you work for them. You’d make a great asset to their research team. You could find all the information that they will bury. I’m helping you out so you just sit there and stay quiet.” I can’t believe they actually do that to people. I’ve only seen the program as evil for what it does to our lives, but now I can see that they are far worse than just that.

“Just out of curiosity, how did you catch us?” I had to know, maybe I could see Declan again by avoiding making the same mistakes.

“The guy that made your fake ID was caught. We checked up on every fake ID. Yours was the only one that changed your grouping. The others were merely to get into clubs.” We would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for that. It means that nothing we did personally caused this. We were on the right track. They don’t know how determined I can really be. Declan said he would always choose me and I believed them. They have given me a lot more information than they should have. Someday I will use it against them.

Declan POV

I was nervous. We never discussed what we would do when we got caught. I don’t know what to expect or what to say. I’m planning to act like Brooke. She has always been so sure about all of this. She knew what she was doing. At first I thought she was insane, but I knew that I loved her. I didn’t lie when I said I would always choose her. After seeing all the evidence, I was convinced even more that all of this is a farce. People were getting hurt by this, the coupling might be perfect, but the relationship definitely wasn’t. A big guy came walking in. I’m sure that he was meant to intimidate me.

“We know you are innocent in all of this. You just happened to fall in love with a rebel. It can’t be helped. We searched your room and there was little to none evidence that you were working against the program. Just a few mere scribbling. Nothing like the folder we found in her room. She actually impressed me with all the work she put in. All the sneaking around without being caught. I didn’t tell her this, but you would have gotten away with it, at least until you were done with high school. She was careful about her actions and you picked the perfect cover for her. You would have graduated as a couple, but then university registration would have broken you up or were you planning to run away to those small towns where the program doesn’t work? No you weren’t. I saw it in her eyes. She detested this program, she wanted to take the program down. Do you think she wanted it more than she wanted you?” They know everything. I am in the dark about what Brooke told them, but by the sound of it, they had all the evidence they needed without her having to admit to anything. It does sound like she gave them a earful. She is really passionate about this. I can tell that he wants to make me second guess her feelings for me, but I know we really loved each other. There is no doubt about that.

“I know that she loves me. You must see that she has a point when it comes to all this stuff. There is a major flaw in your system.” I said, defending her and our love. There is no way someone can look at all that evidence and not see it. There is no way you can unseen those words she had written down. It was all a cry for help. The people were suffering. We are the programs future. Don’t they see that we will learn from our parents'mistakes? If I’m experiencing pain and abuse while participating, there would be no way in hell that I would send my kid to experience it too.

“Yes there is, but they are aware of it. It just doesn’t impact them. Which is why I destroyed all the evidence.” They just don’t care? Why is that?

“I don’t understand. They don’t make money out of it. It’s not like we pay to be a part of any of this. I’m guessing if people had to pay they wouldn’t participate. Why not fix the problems?” It really didn’t make sense.

“If they admit there is a problem, then they will face a bigger one. So many people believe in this program. They send their kids in knowing what the rules are. Can you imagine if there was suddenly this big flaw. People will start pulling their kids. Participation levels will drop and divorce rates will skyrocket. They promise the perfect relationship, the perfect life. When it becomes imperfect, no one wants it. At the moment, those couples with these problems blame themselves. They think that they must be doing something wrong because everyone else is happy, so they stay and they keep quiet, but if they know it isn’t them, they won’t stay. The program is starting to grow and soon it will be law and what the two of you did will be considered illegal. Then they will start to get money for it. Each child enrolled in a school that offers the program will be paid a percentage. The schools will get 80% and the program 20% of the yearly fees. The same goes for universities, doctors and hospitals because of the rising birth rate, wedding services for all the weddings that are mandatory and so on. The partners that set up the program will be rich. It just takes time and they are patient. This is why they would never let any problem get out.” It is sick letting people suffer because at some point it would make them rich.

”Enough with this though. I’ll give you the same offer that I gave her. You stay here and cooperate in speed dating and matching up with someone whilst under supervision or you are locked away somewhere, do home schooling and cooperate in speed dating. Which will it be?” I wish I knew which one she chose. I don’t want to choose the wrong one and then she thinks I didn’t fight for us.

“I’ll stay here.” I can’t imagine that she would let them lock her up somewhere. Maybe if we are still in the same school we can still see each other, maybe we can register as couples and sneak away from our couplings to see each other outside of school.

“That’s fine. I forgot to mention as soon as you register you will have to get married. A new set of rules just for the two of you. I know the two of you think you will be able to find another loophole, but you won’t.”

Book entry

‘The success rate versus the cost of it are too far apart for them to do anything about it.’ those were words that haunted me. They knew people were suffering. They knew people were being taken advantage of, but they simply didn’t care. If evidence ever came out, they just got rid of it or the person who was fighting for justice. I knew then that I had to do everything I could. I would play their silly game, but I won’t give up. Not when they just raised the stakes. I knew that it would be hard, but I didn’t care. I had started something that couldn’t stop. Not that I wanted to. They, having destroyed my evidence, only proved to me that I was a threat to them. They felt threatened and that only meant that one measly no one like me did stand a chance of bringing them down. They knew it and they made it known to me too. I was instilled with confidence, that is until the worst thing that could happen happened. It was a cruel awakening.