Forbidden Love

Darkness crept into the corners of the moonlit room, the shadows seemed to grow and the restricted light shimmered through the velvet curtains. Jess struggled with the covers as she turned after an uncomfortable sleep. She should have left it, she should have took the words of her mother and left the matter well alone. But how could she? It seemed impossible. Her emotions seemed to mix, forming into a solid block of misery; as tears started to whelm in her eyes. Even thinking about it would break her heart further. It felt as if a cold, hard, steel cage had wrapped itself around her fragile heart, crushing and destroying what was left of her life, evrytime the thought arose.

As she lay there in despair, Jess felt a warm weight and soft fur climb onto her leg. Wiping away tears Jess lifted her head to see her beautiful black kitten creeping over the satin sheets that covered her body. Jess smiled and slowly sat up, she made her movements slow and calm so to not scare or trip up her pet.

“Come here Boris,” she whispered, reaching out to grab the small animal. Carefully lifting him, she lay back down and placed Boris by her pillow. Boris was pure black, with no lighter patches. He was the most perfect little kitten Jess had ever seen and she adored him. Tears once again filled her eyes as she thought of how she might have to loose Boris as well. She had already lost many things she loved in her life, due to the dystopian government.

As Jess lay in silence she listened to the wind gently moving the trees outside. The branches banged and scraped on the window. Several minutes ticked by and Jess’s eyes started to droop. The sounds outside were so peaceful. It was a kind of mid-night lullaby, it calmed her, soothed her, like a comforting voice that kept repeating, “Everything will be alright”. Jess felt the weight of sleep press down on her, a contorted peace that gently forced her eyes to close. Everything seemed to slow down, time, space, and the whole world outside stopped, as Jess lay unaware of what was going on around her, as the drug of sleep took hold.

Suddenly a loud bang emitted from the ground floor of the house. She could hear crashes of broken glass and smashing of ornaments and objects, as someone or something climbed in through the window, and onto the kitchen counter. Jess sat up in shock. Fear grasped at her heart as she heard the commotion below her. Jess moved quickly to get out of bed. Boris screeched, making Jess jump, as he got slung off of the sheets. Jess slipped on a dressing gown that hung on the corner of her wardrobe and silently listened anxiously for any more sounds downstairs.

Metal boots hit the steps that led to the landing. Each of the dreaded thuds sounded like death, the air turned unusually hot, as if the devil himself had entered the house. The thuds of the boots made the house shake, there must have been at least forty or fifty people storming up the stairs, each sounding like thunder. Thin tunnels of light shone around the edge of the doorframe. She should’ve left it, she should’ve followed the words of her mother, and left the matter well alone. But how could she? It seemed impossible.

Jess’s mind flashed back to when it had all started, about three days ago. The government had recently announced their new plan, their new law that had ruffled the feathers of a few protesters. It was early morning and the sun shone warmly in through the front window, filling the room with an orange glow. Jess sat at the computer, waiting for Rick to come online. She clasped her hands tightly, sliding her fingers around one another, feeling her patience disappear. Every little thing seemed to annoy her. Time stood still, the clock’s hands refused to move, as if it was mocking her, seconds felt like hours, minutes like centuries and this annoyed her more.

Jess usually wouldn’t have gone online so early, but since the new laws, any chance Jess had of talking to Rick she would take. The laws bruised her heart, beat her down; but Rick seemed to heal her again. Rick was one of the best people Jess had ever met. He was funny, kind and Jess thought the world of him. He seemed to rid her of her wounds with his kind, friendly words. They had only been talking for about three months, yet it was as if they had known each other all their lives.

Another twenty minutes crept by, what was even more annoying was that there was a chance that Rick would not even come online in the morning, he usually didn’t, but Jess just hoped that that morning he would. She longed so much to talk to him. Not just for the company, but with all the stress she was getting, from her upcoming exams, talking to him was a kind of remedy, the one thing that calmed her and made her feel whole again.

Finally Jess got what she was waiting for, there it was, the list of people who were online flashed and a new name came up, that wasn’t there before, Rick. Jess beamed, her heart lifted, as she rapidly clicked on the button that would give her what she had been waiting for, the last couple of days. Jess spent a whole half hour happily chatting to Rick. He wasn’t too talkative in the mornings, but he would never let Jess down if she needed a friend to talk to. Unfortunately, for Jess, it was a school day and her time, before school, quickly ran out. It wasn’t long before her mother came down.

“Off of the computer now Jess” came her mother’s singsong voice from the bottom of the stairs, looking in through the living room door.

Jess’s stomach dropped as she heard these words, a mix of anger and unhappiness spread through her body, at just the thought of leaving this healing paradise she had made for herself. A sudden thought came to Jess’s mind. For some reason it sent a wave of fear to her heart, though it sounded strange and exiting to break the laws that had been making her life, for the last few days, hell. And it would only be this one time, would it hurt? She was confused, panicked, if she did do this, she would certainly get into trouble. She’d seen the warnings on T.V.

The Government hated anyone who dared to defy the new law. The law that had flashed onto every T.V screen was written on every notice board and every sign. The law that had been quickly spread around the country by word of mouth. The law that had provoked anger in the hearts of millions because of the restrictions that had been laid. The law that said:

“Law 3121, No signs of love or affection will be shown towards people or animals, it shall not be written, spoken or thought in this country.”

Jess’s time on the computer had run out. She had been contemplating what to type. There was only one thing she had to say, but how could she say it in the right way? She had to try.

“I’ve got to go, but first I have one thing to say….” she typed. As she wrote her heart started to beat faster as she waited for Rick’s answer.

“Go on…” he replied

Jess took one last deep breath and began to type again. She knew what she was about to do was wrong, but she was sure; nothing now could stop her fingers from tapping on the keys, speaking her mind.

“ I need to tell you that…. ever since I met you, you’ve been a good friend to me, you’re kind, sensitive, funny and you always listen. And over the time we have been talking I’ve found myself…” Jess paused, fear and anxiousness filled her mind and soul, and her heart was beating fast, faster and faster it got, as if it was about to burst out of her chest. Yet she finished her typing. “…. Falling in love with you…. bye… I’ve got to go now…love you”.

As Jess remembered those last few words, she felt the tears run down her cheeks. She slowly opened her eyes, to find her present mind back in her room. She glanced at the door with tear stained eyes. A bang emitted from the other side of the door and it was flung open. The booted policemen filled the room, moving swiftly like a bird of prey after it’s victim, they made their way to Jess. Cold, hard gloves clasped at her bare skin on her arms, they kicked her legs forcefully, making her body obey and lay on the bedroom carpet.

“ Miss Jess Ureathea Kunning, you have been arrested for violating Law 3121, your punishment is; you will be sent to the corporal punishment training centre, where you will learn to repent your actions” shouted one of the policemen who took a baton and slammed it into the back of her head knocking her out cold.

Jess woke up with a massive headache. She lay on her back on a stone floor that was covered in rat’s droppings and stank of rotten cheese. It was small, dark and dank, a sense of trepidation was crammed into the small room, and the atmosphere was so strong it was as if it could suffocate anyone who went against it. Jess slowly sat up looking at her surroundings. She was scared, yet she did not succumb to her fear. She sat and rested her back against one of the slime-covered walls that crowded around her. Jess closed her eyes in despair, trying to banish her terrible surroundings from her present mind. How she wished she were back home, snuggled deep in a warm blanket. In her mind she saw the sun rise and shine in her bedroom window, and in the corner of the room was the love of her life. He stared back at her with those soft eyes, giving her strength, giving her the smallest bit of hope that she needed to get through the day.

Though Jess’s visions were soon shattered as she heard someone walk through the metal door of the room she was in. She reopened her eyes, back to the miserable reality, to see what was happening. The door swung open and a tall woman strode in with a thick rope resting in the palm of her hand. The woman took Jess’s hands and tied them tightly together. Jess did not try and struggle, she had no energy left, she was terrified inside, but her emotions did not want to show. So she sat there with a blank expression. The woman with the rope had now cut off a separate piece and was tying Jess’s feet together. When her job was complete the woman stood up straight turned and walked out the door leaving it open.

Jess was confused, what were they doing? Why did they tie her up? Why was the door still open? She could still get out if she had the energy to do so. All the questions and thoughts span around Jess’s mind, confusing her and making her a little more vulnerable. A lump appeared in her throat and she started to shake, half with the cold, and half with the absolute dread that was creeping through her body. Something unusual was going to happen, she could feel it, something was going to happen and she didn’t like it. Her mind stopped torturing her with questions when she saw two policemen dragging a woman to the door. The woman was wearing a blue skirt, that was ripped in places and very dirty, and a brown bag covered her head. Jess strained her eyes to try and figure out who this woman was, but she was soon to find out.

One of the policemen who had dragged in the woman stepped forward.

“Miss Jess Ureathea Kunning, your first punishment is about to start,” said the policeman in a stern voice. He was tall and smartly dressed; his expression was fierce, almost as if he had a permanent frown, or maybe it was that he was scowling at her, Jess didn’t know. He turned to his fellow officer and swiftly nodded. The bag that lay over the Woman’s face was taken off with a sharp pull. Jess gasped, and the dread that had spread through her before multiplied. Tied up in front of her, held by the policemen, was Jess’s mother. At this sight Jess found a voice inside her.

“Mum? What are you going to do to her? Let her go!” Jess Shuddered with all the effort she put into her shouting, her water stained cheeks quivered, her mind panicked, her body was in a kind of shock; it refused to move properly, just in jerks as she worried what was going to happen to her mother.

“For breaking the Law 3121 your first punishment will be the process of rehabilitation, stage one of the rehabilitation is complete and utter destruction of all components of love.” Said the police officer, who was still scowling at the young girl at his feet.

Jess’s eyes darted around the room as she tried to imagine what utter destruction of all components of love meant. Then her sight fell back to her mother. Her long hair was straggled covering most of her face; the police dragged her aside as two more people entered the room. These people brought in a tall structure, that when assembled, was an original Victorian guillotine. Jess screamed as she realised what the police were going to do to her. Her throat went dry, and her eyes threw wide open. She couldn’t believe it.

“Miss Jess Ureathea Kunning, this is your first punishment and the first episode in eradicating all components of love” said a policeman.

The men, who had brought in and assembled the guillotine, took hold of Jess’s mother and positioned her onto the bascule and balanced her head on the lunette. Jess’s mother trembled in a silent fear; both mother and daughter were too petrified to make a sound. Jess wished it was all a horrible nightmare, but she knew that wasn’t true. It was all her fault, her mother was about to die and it was all her fault. She began to sob, tears streamed down her cheeks. All she wanted was to be back home and get one last chance to speak to Rick, which was all she wanted; for all this horror to end, to stay in her paradise and leave the world behind. To live in a world with everyone she loved around her was all she wanted, and she would give anything.

The blade was ready to drop.

“Three…. two…. one” shouted the executioner, who had helped assemble the guillotine. The blade came down. There was a thud as the head of Ellie Mattere Kunning fell into the basket that waited on the other side. A deep red stream of blood trickled down to Jess’s feet. She closed her eyes in absolute despair, she felt like screaming but her lungs would not enable her to emit a sound. Guilt pressed down on her, filling her with a pressure beyond what many people can take. All she could hold onto was that someday this madness would come to an end; she wished all her pain would go away, somehow. Maybe there was a way to turn back time, to set things right. It was her fault her mother’s head lay in a basket, her fault that she was sitting in a small puddle of blood. No, she couldn’t think about it, the pain was too unbearable. She had to find something to blame, but the harder as she thought about it, the more hopeless the situation got. The thoughts buzzed around Jess’s head. They span so fast it hurt, different possibilities, different ideas, things to help, things that didn’t help, made it worse. It would eventually take away her sanity. Something else needed to happen, to take her conscious mind off of the matter. Her mind tried to blank what had just happened, she prayed for something to take event, to distract her mind from present thought; if not she would probably slip into a state of mental shutdown, for her body couldn’t take the strain. Her prayer of something different to happen was answered, yet whether it would defer her mind from its current state was questionable.

The bloodstained blade of the guillotine had been dismantled and the torture device was being taken away. There were many people moving in and out of the room, yet one woman seemed to stand out. She was wearing a bright red dress, with midnight black shoes that shone in the dank light. She came in avoiding the pieces of guillotine being carted out through the door. She came forward and stood adjacent to Jess, who sat looking a miserable state her eyes turning to the woman’s direction. Jess began to stare at the woman, her red dress reminded her of the blood that she knew still settled at her feet; probably staining the rim of her dressing gown.

Over at the door another person walked in, he was much younger than everyone else. He was very handsome, with kind eyes, he stared at Jess pitying her and also desperately wanting to comfort her but still he stood there, where a policeman had told him to, watching her with wide loving eyes.

“Miss Jess Ureathea Kunning, this is your second punishment and second episode in ridding all components of love” said the woman in red. “You will be given the choice of who will be taken care of first”. Her voice was like a thousand ice-cold needles that stuck in the back of your neck. As the woman spoke Jess looked at her blankly, half listening, half thinking. She was looking at the sleeves of the dress the woman wore; they spread out almost elegantly, making her wrists look small and delicate. Then Jess noticed what the woman held in her hands, her beautiful black kitten, Boris. How did these evil monsters get hold of him? Jess’s mind started again to panic. She was spiralling out of control inside. Boris was hers and in a way, she loved him.

Jess’s mind had been spinning; she couldn’t take the pain or the blame that she had put on herself, any longer. She needed something or someone to push the guilt and sorrow that she felt inside onto. Her brain subconsciously flicked through different reasons she had to hate people. Then a thought hit her, it was him, it was Rick who had caused her all this pain. Her eyes widened in shock and horror. Ever since she had met Rick things had started to go wrong, her life had been turned upside down because of him, because of love. There, that was the evil that pressured her heart. Love was the illness and she had to find the cure. Now she realised why there was need to eradicate her life of love, it was the devils enticer, it was a virus that spread through peoples minds and made it hell. How could she escape? Jess knew the evil presence within her, but how could she destroy it? How could she get rid of the predator of love?

Jess was dragged to her feet. She could only just stand, her mind was tediously whirring, spinning thoughts, ideas questions, she didn’t know it, but her thoughts were slowly sending her mad. A short yet deadly mace was thrust into Jess’s hand. Two-inch spikes that surrounded the metal head enhanced it, making it a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. Jess looked at the weapon in her hands. She could’ve used it to get out of this hell, but her anger was intensifying. All she could think of was Rick, but not in the light she saw him before. He, to her, was the devil, a sadistic terror that had encouraged the death and destruction in her life. He was the one who needed to be taken out of her life; she needed to kill him.

The police put Rick against the wall and the woman in red placed the kitten on a stool, it quaked in fright feeling the danger it was in.

“Now choose,” ordered the woman in red. Everyone in the room stood back and stared at Jess. They expected her to break down and not be able to choose. They desperately hoped her to kill herself with the pressure of the decision, but they were wrong. Jess lifted her head so her view was focused on Rick. Her eyes blazed with anger, the same anger that had progressively been intensifying. Her hatred for Rick was pure. He was the sinner; he needed to die. Jess’s mind, unknown to her was dazed. Manipulation by the government combined with the death of her mother had made her mind a wreck. Jess stumbled forward in a desperate attempt to heal her broken soul, to heal her broken life. Her breathing became panted and heavy. She felt like she was going to fight her nemesis to rid her life of love, to give her life its sanity back.

Twenty years later, Jess could still remember Rick’s screams as she thrust the spiked metal into his skull. The crack of broken bones still echoed in her mind. The blood splattered on her face. His blood leaving a stain on her soul. Her anger and depression had escaped in a massive wave of fury, killing him in an instant. Jess still blamed him for her mother’s death. In all her suffering and pain, she relieved herself by killing the one she used to hold dear. Love, to her in that state of mind, was a curse and she thought she would never love again. But finally after twenty years of constantly thinking about the events that took place in that prison, she saw guilt in her mindless actions. She realised what she had always known in the old depths of her heart. Love wasn’t evil, love wasn’t the pain people needed to beware of. It was the government; they were the ones who were deluded, the ones Jess really needed to blame. And after twenty whole years of flashbacks, of hurt, she took a knife and ended her misery.

Once again she could feel love. Once again she could be with her mother. Once again, she was free.

By Rebecca Panks 9A