Elysian Fields Read Free

into darkness. Sometime later, he woke up for a brief moment to the sound of an ambulance, and then promptly lost consciousness again.

2
     
     
     
    Jules was a Scr appie, a runaway Server. For three months, she had been living in the Scrappie Compound in an old house, repaired and inhabited by Tom, the tall, middle aged man who had found her half frozen in the forest and taken her into his home and heart. He soon became like the father she never knew.
    She was sixteen, yet felt worn out, her whole world a terrible burden to be carried each day. S he needed to work to support herself and her new family of sorts, and thus she had to pretend she was still a Server, even though she had run away from her abusive home. She had her old ID card and the fact that nobody had declared her gone helped keep her somewhat legitimate.
    Coming out of the forest, she left behind the shade of the trees, and even farther away, the tall buildings in ruin , where the Scrappies lived. She moved towards a long row of apartment buildings in the Server Compound. From a shed nearby, she retrieved her red e-bike, the paint chipping on the sides. She put on a helmet hanging from the handle and climbed on the bike.
    She was wearing a worn-out yellow T-shirt and blue jeans, black running shoes and a backpack, nothing ripped or stained; her blonde hair tied neatly in the back.
    Jules could see the sun setting over the water as she crossed Golden Bridge, which separated the compound where most of the Servers lived from the other areas of the city.  Soon the sun would disappear beyond the fog. She stopped for a moment.
    Beautiful. Like magic come to life. A symphony of colors surrounded the setting sun. At this time of the day, everything seemed right in the world. Jules allowed herself a few moments of daydreaming. Reflections of the large Elite mansions trembled on the silvery waters of the wide canal. How would my life be if I were one of them? It must feel great to be rich and spoiled, to have friends I could meet at school, to feel safe, most of all. The reality of her own life brought up the inevitable question. What future will I have? There’s no future for me…
    It was getting late. She made an effort to dismiss the fear gripping her heart and started again in the direction of the hospital, where she worked a couple of times each week, just a few hours a day. With so many Servers around, she was lucky to have a job, as menial as it was. There was no point in dreaming of what she couldn’t possibly have, and no point in worrying over what she could not control.
    By the time she reached the Professionals’ compound, the street lights had already been turned on and the light was creating ethereal shadows of her body and the bike. They alternated; short, long, longer, disappearing and being re-created as she rode on. The houses on both sides of the road were large and well maintained – raised ranch houses with cathedral ceilings and chandeliers visible from the outside through the tall glass entrances. The trees were relatively small and widely spaced and the lawns looked freshly cut.
    She could feel her pulse like a fast drumbeat under her skin and she realized she was scared, but she tried to convince herself there was no reason for her fear.  No need to hide, I have an ID card to prove I belong here in the city.
    The street was empty. Everybody was at home by now, watching their wall-sized digiscreens as they had their supper. A slim, middle aged woman in gym clothes had just turned the corner and was jogging towards her. She had hyper-goggles over her eyes so she could watch a hypernet show while still keeping an eye on her surroundings.
    As Jules neared the hospital she could see an ambulance approaching fast, sirens blaring and lights blinking. An emergency was in progress. She wondered idly who was hurt and how it had happened. One thing was for sure: in this hospital only the Elites and the Professionals were admitted.
    Walking her