Aimee Cerf's Story

The world ended the day the families never went home. At least, they didn't go home the same.

The camps were created as a means for calming a terrified people. Many saw that a containment of the Cured was the only way to get the nation back to where it had started. They admired the iron gates and stone buildings. They admired the illusion of security that the camps provided. It never occurred to them what was built inside. Blood had not yet stained the walls but the sterile smell did nothing to avert thoughts about what become of it. Large screens hung in basements meant to brain-wash and pray the hate away. Or even pray the love away. There were certain emotions people could and could not express. The people wanted normal. The people wanted uniform.

So began, Re-Education.

It started small, with what the establishment called "Productive Labor." How could the Cured begin to fit into society when they were under the impression that they were above those who had worked before them? In order to correct their superiority complexes and their work ethics, they were put to work building, mining, and assembling all sorts of structures and projects. It was hot work, and many passed out from dehydration or exhaustion. But, if a Cured could not handle it, that only meant he had to work harder. These were dire times, and many died from it.

Once the excitement died down, new standards were put in place for what a Cured should be. After all, these creations were meant to be the epitome of perfect. Everything needed to be regular. They added "Suggestive Psychology" to the regime. In order to trim and crop the Cured into carbon-copies, they needed to associate their "negative traits" with things that disgusted or terrified them. This was a time of fear, and any difference from the norm was seen as a sign for a stay in Re-Education. These differences included, but were not limited to, angry outbursts, homosexuality, skipping class, authority issues, and broken laws. In order to cure the Cured, they showed them pictures to represent their negativity, followed by an electric shock or a vomit-inducer. Many victims to this level of re-education came out stoic and highly dedicated to the cause. Some never made it out. There were held for as little as a day or as long as several weeks, but the results were still the same.

Re-Education became a topic of fear within the camps. It was never mentioned out loud, or even whispered, to anyone. It was a threat used by officials to herd the Cured into obedient lines. The equivalent of Voldemort, basically.

It was a world that only those inside the iron gates knew of. Almost. A Cured was able to get a message to the barest of hints of the Amber Rebellion. Only a handful of people at the time, it created outrage among the group. They used the information to recruit more naysayers all over the country, spreading out into almost ten chapters. It was then that they realized only those on the inside could truly destroy the Camps. The Chief Strategists of every division met and devised a plan. They appointed Aimee and Ethan Cerf to be administrators of the Inside. Aimee and Ethan had experience with the rebellion, and knew the systems. This allowed them to stay in contact with each other, as well, uniting the two camps. Aimee appointed Alexandra as her Second. This allowed him to communicate and recruit others in Camp Good, and strategize with his counterpart in Camp Evil. Ethan appointed Vidas Wagnar as his Second. Soon, Kenji joined the Inside, as well as a few others from both camps. The hard work was done by the Premiers, as the five Cured were affectionately known. Intercepting messages and passing communications between camps were crimes that could get them Re-Educated, at best, and Executed, at worst. It was a fate that none of them could assign to anyone else. They all needed to stay secret, and they all needed to stay loyal.

Whether they all abide by those standards is another story that's yet to be told.

Aimée sipped her coffee peacefully, scanning the cafeteria. It was easy for the guards to slip up in the morning, before they'd gotten the chance to get their footing and start harassing people. Sometimes they'd say something a little too loud, or be clumsy with a door and forget to cover the keycode box. It was those moments that fueled Aimée in the mornings and had her getting out of bed earlier than she needed to. All she needed was one chance, one break, and she could wreck the entire Society. So, she watched, and she waited.

It was due to this attentiveness that she saw Alexandra slip in and circle the room, finding her instantly but giving it a minute to make it look random. Aimée had to admire her style. Alexandra had a certain...grace about doing things she wasn't supposed to be doing. It was the reason Aimée had chosen her as her Second, and the reason she knew her plan was going to work.

"What's cooking?" Alex said as she took a seat near Aimée. Aimée smiled at her briefly, before continuing her surveillance of the area.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw one guard slip another a piece of paper. A meaningful glance. Even Camp Good wasn't a stranger to gambling and other vices, but they were usually smarter than placing bets in the middle of the cafeteria. Guard One walks to his rotational position on the East side of the room, while Guard Two continues to the West. Trip. Look left, right. Keep walking. Something was different. It was 07:30, and there were definitely supposed to be more officers in the room than there were. There should not be two guards at different cardinal locations, there should be five or six scattered throughout the room. Which meant that the others were needed somewhere. But for what?

"Something's different. Nothing changes around here, ever. We're the nice little elves that do what we're told. So what's happening now?" Aimée wondered aloud. Sipping her coffee slowly, she looks to Alex, her eyes glinting. She'd had plans to share this morning, but those could wait. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. If there was even a small chance that something was going to happen on her turf for a change, she wanted to be there for it.

"Up for an adventure?" Aimée smirks.