Faye was tense as she followed Errika and the boys through the woods, her feet making the underbrush crinkle beneath her feet. 

Everything around her seemed so loud.  Like if they did more than tiptoe their way toward the Government building, they would be found and shot.  The animals skittering around the forest did nothing but set her on edge.  She found herself constantly spinning around, praying that no official had found them.

And, luckily, no official had.  For the past half hour of walking, everyone remained safe.  Alex and Errika took the lead, standing the front of the group.  It looked so natural for them to stand together, Faye couldn't help but notice.  Like there was something that pulled the two together, intertwining and binding them.  Faye didn't know what the bind was, but there certainly was one.

"How much longer until we get there?" Seth asked softly from in front of her, his eyes shooting over to Kole.  Kole stood next to Faye, his arm nearly brushing hers.  "Are we close?"

"We're getting closer," Kole said, shrugging.  "I don't know how much longer, though."

Faye could feel it—that they were getting closer.  The small hairs on her arms were sticking up, shivers running down her spine.  The sense of something wrong was beginning to swim through her again, and in a moment Faye knew that the ice would be freezing her veins.  But she would have to push past it—the ice.  It was the only way that she would be able to make it through the Government building.

Faye didn't have many rooms to cover—at least, not as many as the others.  Whether it was because they didn't think she was capable of going through as many rooms, or whether it was because they knew what effect the Government building had on her, Faye wasn't sure.  But she didn't care.  It made it less likely for her to screw up with fewer rooms. 

"Are you going to be okay?" Kole whispered in her ear.  "I know what the Government building did to you last time."

Faye gulped down her unease and nodded.  "I don't have a choice," she replied.  "They killed Terra."

And that was the only thing that kept her feet moving.  The only thing that made her shake off her fears of being caught, of being murdered by the Government.  The fact that they took her sister away from her.  The fact that they would be something so demented, so vile, so cruel.  Everyone had a right to know what their Government was doing to them.  She would finish what Terra started.

No matter what.  She would finish what her sister died for.

"Guys."

Faye looked up along with everyone else as Alex pointed forward, and her insides froze up immediately—so much that she couldn't breathe.  She took deep breaths, struggling to get the air in as she stared down the Government building, willing the ice in her veins to melt.  It had to melt.  She had to go inside.  She had to succeed.  She had to.  She had to.

"We're here," Alex breathed.

They were there.

The | Gate

She sifted through the video clips left by the cameras, her hand resting on her chin.  So many images were captured on the cameras, so much surveillance to go through.  But she didn't really care about any of that.  All she cared about were the boy and the girl that met at the Gate.

The two met constantly, she'd come to know.  And then the girl had gone onto the other side.  When the girl and boy hugged, she almost squealed with excitement.  The thought that the two genders were actually together—together—She just couldn't believe it. 

She clicked onto a new clip, a small smile at the tip of her lips.  The two had become so close to one another.  She could see it so plainly.  The way they walked next to each other, the way they spoke to each other with ease.  The traces of fear from when they first met each other were gone completely.  And she was glad.  The closer they got, the more likely they would be to want to stop the Government from what it was doing.

There was strength in numbers.

She clicked onto the next clip, shocked to find a group of four boys and two girls walking together in the woods.  The girl and boy from the previous clips were recognizable immediately, but the others?  She felt her stomach curl in on itself in anticipation as she watched the group walk through the woods, wondering where they were going.  They were caught on the cameras near the Government building.  Did that mean—?

They disappeared from the camera's view.  With a new found determination, she selected the next closest camera, the one right in front of the Government building.  They couldn't be there, she thought.  They had no idea where to find it—it wasn't possible.

She gasped as the group appeared in front of the Government building's yard, huddled together, their heads turning to make sure that no one was watching them.  A boy stood out from the rest of them, holding up a piece of paper; the paper looked familiar, but she could not imagine why. . . .

Suddenly the group was moving through the grass, toward the Government building's doors.  Her eyes widened as she watched, unable to look away as the boy who stood out from the rest pulled the door open and gestured for everyone to go inside.  One by one they disappeared inside the building.  One by one they put in jeopardy everything the Government worked for.

Perfect.

The | Gate

 Faye crept through the halls of the Government building, praying that an official wouldn't come and find her there.  She'd been on her own for the past twenty minutes, slipping into rooms and taking pictures with her camera before moving on.  Luckily, no one had seen her so far.  She honestly didn't know what she would do if someone did.

She wondered how the others were doing.  She hadn't gotten any calls, so that was a good sign.  Or was it?  What if they were trapped, unable to get to their cell phone but still needing help?  What if they were being towed to the prisoner wards as she walked?

No.  She had to stop thinking like this.  Thinking like this would only cause panic, and panic was something that Faye could not afford.

She wouldn't panic.  She wouldn't.

Faye immediately broke her promise to herself as she suddenly heard distant footsteps.  She spun around, wielding her flashlight like a weapon, desperately trying to hide the camera around her neck.  There was no use, however.  It was a bulking thing.  She inwardly cursed her mother for buying such fancy electronics.

A figure appeared and Faye felt her heart stop.  She'd been found.

And she didn't have time to call for help.

The | Gate

Kole stared into the room, uncomprehending.

It was a room set up much like a classroom—exactly like a classroom, actually.  Rows of desks with a projector in the front of the room.  It wasn't playing anything at the moment, but Kole knew that soon it would be.  On a chalkboard behind the projector were the words, Next class at ten o'clock in need handwriting.  And, with one glance at his cell phone Kole knew that the next class would start in five minutes.

But why?  Why would there be classrooms here?  What was the point of that?  There were classrooms in Cesve for the boys and girls to learn.  None of it made any sense.

Then again, none of the Government made sense anymore. 

Kole knew that he should have been moving away, running so that he could get to the next room he had to cover before anyone saw him.  But something about the utter normalness of the room threw him off.  He brought his hands up, camera in hand, about to take a picture when—

"Come on, this way!" a gruff voice sounded from the distance.  Kole's eyes widened as the voice grew closer.  "Hurry up, we haven't got all night!"

Kole felt his feet freeze as the voice grew closer and he heard a mass group of footsteps.  There were definitely more than five people coming.  Kole glanced toward the classroom and suddenly it clicked: There was a full class coming to learn.

Suddenly the group appeared.  Kole braced himself, fear trickling down his spine as he watched the group come.  Something about the people there . . . it was depressing.  The way their heads hung as though they'd lost hope; the way their feet dragged as though they hated the prospect of where they were going.  Whatever was going on . . . it wasn't good.

"You!"

Kole's eyes snapped upward as the man with the gruff voice regarded him.  He was tall, muscular, and had a goatee.  That was all Kole could bring himself to concentrate on.  The fact that he was tall, muscular, and had a goatee.  If he thought about the fact that the man in front of him worked for the Government, he would fall apart.  And he couldn't afford to do that.

"Are you mute?" the Government worker demanded, sounding thoroughly annoyed.

"N-no," Kole stuttered out, struggling to keep his eyes from widening.  He prayed that the man hadn't heard the stutter.  Otherwise he was screwed.

"Wow, they warned me you were skittish but I didn't think you would be this skittish," the worker mused, bringing a hand to his goatee.  Kole could see the group watch him curiously.  The group, Kole couldn't help but notice, was made out of boys and girls.

"What?" Kole asked, his eyes widening now.  What did the man mean by that?  Had the Government told the man about him?  If so—why not just grab him from the start?

"You're the person here to observe the class today, aren't you?" the worker demanded, his eyebrows furrowing. 

Kole didn't know what possessed him to do what he did, but he found himself standing straighter and nodding.  "Of course," he lied smoothly, unsure of where the sudden confidence was coming from.  Maybe it was the intense fear of being found out and killed.  Or maybe it was curiosity.

"Where's your notebook?"

"My what?"

The Government worker stared at him. "You need a notebook to take down notes, right?"

Kole shook his head, allowing himself to smile despite the ache that was beginning to sprout in his stomach.  "I like to take pictures, if that's okay with you."

The worker shrugged dismissively, gesturing for Kole to move out of the way so he could get to the door.  "Works for me," he said, opening the door.  "Just make sure the flash is off, all right?"

Kole nodded, forcing the relief not to show as the class dragged their feet inside.  It killed him to see the solemn expressions that everyone wore, and the fear that they all had in their eyes.

The | Gate

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!"

Faye blinked once.  Twice.  Three times.  A woman stood in front of her, looking thoroughly unnerved.  Her hands were shaking, Faye couldn't help but notice.  What was this girl afraid of?  And why was she speaking to Faye as though she knew her?  "Excuse me?" Faye said softly.

"I've been looking all over for you!" the girl whispered frantically.  She grabbed onto Faye's arm, her eyes widening.  "Have you done what's needed to be done?"

Faye stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending.  "Um, what?"

"Olyv, really!" the girl said briskly, shaking her head.  "I asked you to get me the keys from Courtnie's office, remember?"

Faye didn't understand.  Why did this girl think she was a girl named Olyv?  Why was she talking about Courtnie's office?  Who was this girl?  "I'm sorry," she said softly, deciding to play along.  "I'll get them now.  Um, where is the office again?"

"You've been working here your whole life and you don't know where her office is?" the girl stared at her disbelievingly.  "You have to be joking.  Please be joking.  I'm in a hurry."

"I'm joking," Faye said swiftly.  "I'll go get the keys and bring them back to you."

The girl sighed deeply.  "No, it's fine.  Waiting here would take as long as you going to get them."

"Can I come with you anyway?" Faye asked quickly.  She had to check out Courtnie's office anyway.  Why not have a worker lead her there?  "I'll guard the door while you grab them."

The girl nodded briskly.  It wasn't a type of nod that said she was really okay with the idea of Faye tagging along, but a nod that said that she didn't have enough time on her hands to say no.  Faye couldn't blame her, but she needed to get to Courtnie's office and take as many photographs as she could.

"What's your name?" Faye asked softly as they sped-walked their way through the halls.  She knew it was odd—making small talk with a Government worker of all people.  But she couldn't help it.  Walking silently next to someone she didn't know unbearable.

"Olyv, we've been working together for over a year," the girl said, her eyebrows raised.  "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Faye said, shaking her head.  She didn't know what to say.  She didn't know who Olyv was or why this girl was mistaking her for her, but she had to work with it.  She couldn't keep slipping up like this.  "I had a lot to drink last night," she said softly.  "Killer hangover, you know?"

Faye didn't know how she thought of the excuse, but she was going with it.

"You promised me you would stop going to the mixers!" the girl quipped, tossing Faye a reprimanding glance.  "You know you always drink too much."

Faye sighed solemnly.  "I know.  I'm sorry.  I promise I won't go anymore.  But since I'm having a huge brain cramp, could you please tell me what your name is?"

"Miranda," the girl said, tossing Faye an unimpressed look.  The shaking in her hands was gone now, replaced with the irritation at Faye's supposed drinking problem.  This Olyv person must have gotten in a lot of trouble.  She wasn't one to talk, though.  She was the one who broke into the Government building with a group of people in order to figure out how to take the organization down.  Faye couldn't help but think that was a little more disastrous than a drinking problem.

But of course she couldn't tell Miranda that.

"So what do you need from Courtnie's office?" Miranda asked quickly, her eyes darting everywhere.  For a moment it seemed as though she wasn't really asking the question to Faye at all, but the walls in which they were speeding past.  "Are you cleaning it again?"

Faye nodded.  "Yes," she replied, just as swiftly as the question was asked.  "You know how disorganized she is."

"You're telling me," Miranda said softly.  Her eyes widened and the shaking returned as they reached a wide, rounded door.  Faye knew immediately that this was Courtnie's office.  Faye could feel the hairs prickling on her skin again.  What if Courtnie was in there?  Surely she'd be smart enough to notice that Faye wasn't Olyv, and that she was breaking into the Government building.  Then she would be thrown in the prison wards—or killed.

"I have to hurry," Miranda whispered, pulling the door open and stepping inside.  Faye followed her, her eyes wide.  She was surprised to see just how disorganized the room was.  Books were strewn across the floor, papers following their lead.  It was like Courtnie had thrown a temper tantrum and hadn't bothered to pick the mess up.  Faye wondered what that temper tantrum was about.  And she wondered if this anger Courtnie obviously contained was going to be taken out on the prisoners here.

Something told her that yes, yes it would.

"Looks like Courtnie got angry," Miranda whispered, practically running for the desk that sat in the middle of the room.  It was as messy as the rest of the room; everything was so chaotic.  It was a wonder that nothing was broken.  "Probably at the Miss again. . . ."

"At the who?" Faye inquired, spinning to face Miranda.  She was rifling through the drawers of Courtnie's desk, pulling out a ring of keys.  There were so many, Faye thought with wide eyes.  Why were there so many? 

"No one," Miranda muttered, her tone final.  Faye instantly knew that this girl was done speaking to Faye—or Olyv, she supposed.  This girl was hiding something.  And something told her that it was big.

Big enough for Faye to need to find out.

"Okay," she said softly, averting her gaze to the ground.  She stood at the far corner of the room, her hands folded behind her back.  If she were smart, she'd start cleaning up things—it would make her look less suspicious, right?  But Faye couldn't bring herself to.  All she could think about was this "Miss" and how Miranda spoke her name with a deep admiration.  Like she followed her.  It made Faye wonder—what was Miranda getting Courtnie's keys for?  Was she stealing them to go meet the Miss?  Who was the Miss?  Was she someone a worker here?  Or was she a captive in the prison wards?  Or was she something else entirely?

It was impossible to know for sure.

"Thank you, Olyv," Miranda whispered, pushing the drawer shut and standing up straight.  She struggled to smile, but Faye knew that it was difficult.  She must have really been in a hurry.  "Have fun cleaning."

With that, she hurried out of the room.

Faye paused for a moment, taking five or so pictures of Courtnie's office before glancing around.  And then, after taking a deep breath, she sped out of the room, closing the door behind her.  And, with spotting Miranda's figure, she crept after her, opening her cell phone and dialing Errika's number as she did.

The | Gate

"You are all here because you've committed treason," the Government worker snarled, standing in front of the desk as it sat in front of the projector screen.  "You went into the Gate's territory knowing full well that it was against the law.  And now you will learn what you can do to repay the debt."

Kole sat in the back row, his fingers snapping as he took photographs of the room.  It was wide, so big that it could easily fit thirty students.  Which was what it was doing now.  All thirty of the seats were filled with boys and girls alike, their eyes concentrated on the teacher in front of them.  They looked so tiny, Kole couldn't help but think.  Tiny and afraid.

"You've been told that when you commit a transgression that you'll go to the prison wards," the teacher said, rubbing his goatee.  "And you are—in the prison wards.  But there is another thing that you have to do.

"And what is that?  It is your responsibility to Cesve populated.  What does that mean?  It means that Cesve needs babies, people.  And you're going to be responsible for making them."

Kole's eyes widened, pausing his photo taking to stare at the teacher.  Making babies?  How did one make a baby?  Weren't they just purchased at the orphanage?  He'd never really thought of how the babies came to be, or how he came to be.  What was there to think about?  It was just how things were.

Well, evidently, there was a lot to think about.

"As you can see, there are two different types of human beings in the room.  One is the boy, one is the girl.  Meet the beast on the other side of the Gate, my friends."

Kole watched as the boys and girls all turned to look at each other, their eyes wide.  No wonder they seemed so afraid, Kole realized.  They hadn't known what creature was standing next to them. 

"Was it worth it?" the teacher demanded, cocking an eyebrow.  "Sneaking away to the forest to see what this beast was?  Are you proud of yourselves?

"I'm not here to reprimand you like children.  I'm here to prepare you for the next step.  You've all reached the age of twenty.  This is the age where you have to start helping to populate Cesve.

"Now, before we get onto the lesson, I need to explain a couple of things to you. . . ."

Kole blocked the teacher out as he began explaining the meaning of "he, his, him, and she, her, hers."  He already knew all of this, and he didn't need a teacher to tell him.  He didn't understand why the Government did this to people.  Why bother separating them and then showing them the truth once behind bars?  What was the point?

"I'm going to show you a video on reproduction," the teacher said, a knowing smirk on his face.  "Don't ask me what reproduction is.  It'll explain in the video."

Kole watched as the teacher moved to the desk and grabbed a remote, turning on the projector before moving to his laptop.  He was probably getting the video ready to play, Kole thought.  And Kole was going to sit there and learn about how babies were made just like everyone else.

Kole braced himself as the video screen appeared and the movie began.  Did he even want to know about this?  But did he really have a choice?   He was beginning to regret his decision of pretending to be an observer.  He could have just pretended he was lost.

"Reproduction: the natural process among organisms by which new individuals are generated and the species perpetuated.  What does that mean?  It means babies are made."

Kole's eyes locked on the screen with everyone else as the video continued on.  It talked about the reproduction, how women had eggs that needed the sperm from men in order to fertilize.  It talked about the period—apparently women bleed out of their private areas once a month?—and how when the woman was pregnant the period ceased.  It was possible, but very highly unlikely for the period to come.

The most disturbing part was how the babies were made, though.  Through something called—what was it?—sex?  The video explained in much more detail than really necessary about how the man and woman had sex in order to transfer the sperm into the female.  Kole just sat there, completely scarred.

And then they showed a segment of "relationships."  Apparently it was people in "relationships" who had sex.  Kole was introduced to the word girlfriend, boyfriend, couples, and marriage.  The video explained how boys and girls who were in love became boyfriend, girlfriend, even married each other.  Clips of couples walking hand in hand, clips of couples kissing.  This was a different kind of kissing than Kole was used to.  It wasn't a kiss on the head that father's usually gave their younger sons.  No.  This was a kiss on the lips.

When those scenes past, the only thing that Kole could think about was Faye.  How it would be if he kissed her, if he held her hand while they walked.  If he hugged her just to hug her—not just to say goodbye or to comfort her.  To be her boyfriend as they called it.

He liked the idea more than he would like to admit.

The | Gate

Miranda hurried through the halls, her feet all but slamming on the tiled floors as she went.  She wished she could be quieter, but she didn't have a choice.  She needed to get to the prison wards and she had to get to the prison wards now.

If Olyv had just remembered the keys, she wouldn't be in this mess.  She wouldn't be late.  She wouldn't be letting the Miss down.  She wouldn't have slipped up on saying "the Miss" to Olyv in the first place.  Now she was probably going to have to explain something that she couldn't explain.  The Miss swore her to secrecy a long time ago.  No one but she and the other prisoners knew about the Miss's plan to take the Government down.  And it was supposed to stay that way.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she reached the prison wards.  She quickly found the key she needed and plunged it into the keyhole, happy when it twisted and unlocked.  She hurried into the prison, ignoring all of the cries and pleas from the women to let them go.  There were less today—a good number of them had gone to the reproduction class.  It was sick, Miranda thought.  That they would teach them about reproduction and then make them go through artificial insemination.  When the prisoners hit the age of twenty, they had to donate.  Men had to donate sperm every five years, and women had to give birth every three to five years.  They didn't want to have them donate all that often. If they did, too many siblings would be running around. As it was, there were some people who were best friends at the schools and were siblings—and they didn't even know it.

"Miss," Miranda called softly as she reached the last cell. She peered through the bars. "Miss?"

"Miranda!" the Miss exclaimed, hopping up from her cot and appearing at the face of the cell. "There you are. I thought Courtnie had kept you."

"No, this girl kept me busy," she explained. "She seemed a little lost, but that was because she has a drinking problem."

Miranda didn't know why she was explaining this to the Miss when there were more important things that needed to be done, but there she was. Babbling was a new habit that Miranda picked up on—one that she didn't quite enjoy but couldn't shake.

"A girl?" the Miss came to full attention, her fingers curling over the bars. "What did this girl look like?"

"Bright red hair, short, green eyes," Miranda answered. "She's just a girl who—"

"Miranda, I need you to listen to me," the Miss said swiftly. "There is a group of rebels in the building. Ones who know about boys and girls and who have talked to each other on each side of the Gate. That girl was one of them."

Miranda's eyes widened. A group of rebels—here? But how?

Then she realized. She'd helped to take the cameras down. And because the cameras were down, boys and girls were free to go over to the other side as they pleased.

"What?" she exclaimed. "But she looks exactly like—"

"You know what a twin is, don't you Miranda?" the Miss asked, her tone taking on a lighter tone but still managing to be more serious than anyone Miranda ever knew. "I know you've never seen one, but that's what you just saw. That is not that girl you thought it was. The girl you saw was a part of the rebel group."

"Wow," Miranda breathed. "Miss, what are we going to do?"

"I need you to hurry and make sure that they're okay. And if you see anyone that doesn't seem to belong, make sure that they don't do anything stupid. Make sure no one gets arrested."

Miranda nodded and immediately pried her hands away from the cell, rushing out of the prison wards, shutting the door tightly—or so she thought—behind her.

The | Gate

"I lost her!" Faye hissed into the phone, feeling despair trickle down her throat. "Errika, I lost her."

"Are you sure?" Errika breathed, her voice as soft as Faye's. Faye wondered where Errika was. Was she close to a group of people? Was Faye putting her in jeopardy by speaking to her? She prayed not. She wouldn't be able to handle putting her friend in any more danger than she already had. "You can't see her anywhere?"

Faye opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly a figure dashed out an adjacent hall, running in away from where Faye was standing. Faye stared, wide-eyed for a moment before realizing who it was: Miranda. She was sure of it. "Found her," Faye said brightly, happy that she wasn't as lost anymore. "I'm going to check out where she just ran from. I'll call you if I find anything."

"Okay. Be careful, Faye."

Faye hung up the phone and turned into the hall Miranda just ran from, stepping carefully. She was afraid that at any moment another Government worker was going to show up, this one not as friendly as Miranda was. This one would throw her away into a cell like she was nothing.

There was a door at the end of the hall. Faye glanced around her before hurrying over to it. It was crazy for her to be doing something like this. The door was probably locked. If it were so important, Miranda wouldn't have slipped up, right?

Wrong.

Faye felt surprise nip at her as she reached the door. It wasn't closed all the way. With a smile curling on her lips, Faye pulled the door open and stepped inside.

And was introduced screams.

Faye had to fight the urge to scream herself as she walked down the steel hallway, her stomach aching. So many people were screaming. So many. And all of them were girls. None of them were boys. It was when she saw the cells that she realized that this was the prison wards. But—why? Why would Miranda come to the prison wards? Was she visiting a prisoner? A mom? A sister?

The Miss?

"Let us out!" girls screeched. "Let us out, please!"

But she couldn't let them out. She didn't have a key or the power to let everyone loose. All she could do was stare and curl her hands into fists. This was all so wrong—so wrong. These people did not deserve to be here. What was so wrong with wanting to know what was really out there? They had a right to know about boys, and boys had a right to know about girls. And that right had been taken away from them.

Faye came to stand in front of the last cell. Something about it called her to it, like it was whispering secrets into her ear. She felt her feet move her forward until she was standing right in front of the cell, her fingers curling on the bars.

Something moved inside the cell. Faye felt her stomach curl into itself as a girl stood up from their cot, moving toward the cell's door. And, as the girl crew closer, Faye felt her breathing stop altogether.

She took a step back, her hand going to her mouth. As she let it drop, her eyes widened and she had the sudden urge to hurl onto the floor. Her eyes locked on the door as she sputtered out one single word:

"Terra?"