Sincerely, Anonymous

March 3

Dear Annabeth,

I know that Kay is just a figurehead to the Black Tens, a mentor towards me and my friends to lead us into the next chapter of our rebellion, but after our conversation yesterday it feel like she is so much more than that. She is a confidant. A woman with some reason to fight, and nobody left to love. Or maybe she has no reason and maybe even with the death of her daughter she has plenty of people left in her life to love. I guess I am not as much a confidant of hers as she is mine, but I feel a though I know more about her now. I have more of a sense as to who she is.

I was talking about this with Emily in school today, and she approached it pretty logically. She asked if maybe I wanted her to come talk to Kay with me after school today, see if maybe the two of us together could get Kay to open up, learn a little about the people we are working with.

But, of course, plans don’t always work out and this one went astray pretty quickly. For starters, Emily and Kay have not really talked excluding when they first met and Emily agreed to help the Black Tens.

We got down there right after school, and Emily introduced herself once again, to which Kay responded, “I know who you are, why are you here?”

Emily sat down, unfazed, and I followed suit.

“I just thought I would come and talk,” Emily replied, “I don’t really think I know too much about the Black Tens and the cause and all that and I thought it would be good to hear it from you.”

“I didn’t think the cause mattered all that much to you,” Kay said, sounding perplexed.

“Well see, I just don’t think I quite understand it all,” Emily responded, physically bristling at Kay’s surprisingly cold behavior.

“What do you want to know then?” Kay asked.

“Well I don’t really see why we have to take the Government all down. I mean they help with mental illness, nobody starves, we all have secure jobs and technology and clothing. There are no wars. I just don’t see how our world is all that bad, and why we have to destroy it all,” Emily said, sounding apprehensive.

The entire room went completely silent, and it took a few minutes before Kay finally said, “but...they take...your memories.”

“Well why can’t we just get rid of that part then?”

“I don’t think you understand how much the system relies on taking people’s memories. We have no free will, we have no choice.”

“We choose our Careers out of three don’t we,” Emily starts, “we have the ability to change our future we still have  a choice.”

Kay went silent, then finally said, “well then I guess somebody has been reading up on their Government propaganda.”

She waved her hand at Emily, indicating for her to leave her office. Emily and I walked back to the subway in silence, with me spending the entire time wondering what had gotten into her. This is a girl who got her cuff taken away by Kay herself. Someone who owes their future to this organization and yet she doesn’t quite support them. Even after almost a decade, I still don’t know everything I can about Emily.

Love Always,

Lilly