Beilteren, unlike other cities, was secluded. A large brick wall enclosed the entire city, creating the ideal meaning of “isolation”. People could come as much as they pleased, but could not go. Once inside of Beilteren, one stayed there for the rest of his or her life. But getting in was a long and tedious affair. A person could drive up to the main (and only) gateway, expecting a simple toll like process; what they received was far worse. They would be asked- and possibly forced- to get out of their vehicle, they would be questioned thoroughly, and they would have a whole new set of documents made up for them. After all this was over, the traveler would be relieved and most likely think it was done, but they still had not endured the final procedure. Unexpectedly, they would be pricked in the neck and injected with a potent venom- one that made a person unsuspicious and content with their living. So clearly, there was no “passing through” in Beilteren. But that’s where we stumble upon a very curious character…

The citizens were fairly oblivious, knowing about the outside world, but viewing it as a barren wasteland where there was suffering and crime. When regarding the rest of the world, one would talk in a hushed tone, saying only the negative. Never once did they question the daily paper- The Beilteren Times- that told them news of the world and, more importantly, news involving their beloved city.

This is where our oddity comes in. There was one couple that did question the paper. A situation in the outside world was described vaguely- simply that a man broke into a store and stole a very valuable item, killing a few people on his way. All they knew was happiness, so how could something like that happen? And why would someone steal an item when everything was free? They knew nothing about money or economy- for there was none in Beilteren. Someone would walk into a shop and take what they needed with no problems. Everything they could ever want was in their reach, they merely had to go out and get it (this was, besides the venom, the main reason why everyone got along and everyone was so happy).

The couple- Adrian and Christine- puzzled over this with no success. From then on, they analyzed the papers more clearly, noticing how nothing ever really made sense. They would talk amongst themselves about the outside world and how, possibly, it could be better than what their Rulers told them.

“What if they’re wrong, Adrian? Think of it- why do they only talk about the bad? There has to be some aspect of content beyond our city,” Christine argued one night in a hushed tone.

“Maybe there is no content outside. Since when do you contradict their Rule?”

“Since I started thinking for myself!”

“Christine,” the husband warned, “you are being too doubtful. Do you know what could happen if they heard you talking like this?”

“Exactly! Why would they punish me if it weren’t true? I make a point, Adrian. The Rulers don’t like that.”

This suspicion was soon put to a stop. A shop manager overheard them discussing it and contacted the Rulers. Without delay, the two were lured into a gas chamber.

But what the government didn’t know was that the young couple had a five-year-old daughter who listened intently to her parents. Right before their murder, Adrian and Christine luckily sent the little girl to her grandmother’s house for the weekend. And that was where she stayed after news of her parents’ “accidental” death reached the paper. Already trained to question authority, the young girl grew up to be a rebel- independent and daring and always testing the Rule.