Free Strictland Academy by Breanna Hayse, Carolyn Faulkner Page A

appeared to be nervous, constantly watching the doorway and over her
shoulder for Dr. Wells to barge in unannounced.   With a drastic decrease in humiliating
punishments, the amount of spectators in the observing room dwindled to
nothing.   Patricia's absence weighed
heavily on Molly's mind as she slaved over the piles of hot, wet garments,
performing a chore she never knew existed in that day and age.
    The
hard, monotonous labor allowed her time to contemplate and reflect on her
situation.   Her life outside these
dreadful walls had been fairly easy, given the circumstances of a post-war
society and the lack of resources to comfortably support human life.   When her father left for war, her mother
was saddled with two young children that included a new baby who was born shortly
after they received news of Mr. Petry ’ s death.   Overwrought by her loss, Molly ’ s mother began to work sixteen hour days as a
seamstress to put food on the table. Molly was eight at the time and suddenly
found herself a free spirit with no restrictions other than the basic, and
unenforced, area laws.   By the time
she turned eighteen, Molly had completed the State required levels of standard
education and became eligible to apply for an early marriage permit which would
allow her to be paired prior to the State standard age of twenty-five.   She blatantly refused her mother ’ s request to pursue
this course.   Desperate for money,
Mrs. Petry completed the application forms herself with the hope that her
beautiful daughter would secure a wealthy, eligible man and be spared the
arduous life she lived.
    Mrs.
Petry ’ s request was promptly
denied.   Molly ’ s resentment, and
defiance, grew as she watched her mother produce two more children out of
wedlock.   Things would have been so
much better for her if copulation and pregnancy restrictions had been
established prior to the last war instead of three years ago.   It took the State that long to voice
concern over post-war food and resource limitations, radiation poisoning, and
the determination that violence was an ‘ inherited trait. ’   By
limiting marriage authorization to the age of twenty-five, and suspending
pregnancy permits until the husband was thirty, the system was able to space
out the number of births and manage food resources with the present
population.   More discriminating was
the fact that pregnancy permits were not issued unless both the man and woman
were deemed physically and psychology sound and could financially support
another human being and the wife ’ s
entire family.   Molly realized that
she was refused not because she was flawed, but because she was poor.   The State desired to keep the wealthier,
and better educated, applicants in a separate group in order to produce a
stronger, smarter civilization.   By
forbidding reproduction to the unsavory, the State was effectively ‘ culling the herd. ’
    Molly
supposed that the threat looming over her mother ’ s head that she would
be financially responsible for any problems Molly caused had pushed the women
into the corner to make a decision about her.   Molly had met Bradley, a handsome young
man who had just turned twenty five.   She was thrilled to discover another person who did not concern
themselves with State laws. They were in love. Or, so she thought. He had used
her for engaging in illegal sexual intercourse and then disappeared to marry a
wealthy woman.   He had never
informed her that he was either permitted, or Selected. That was when she began
to act out, the pain of his betrayal subsequently resulting in making poor
decisions.
    Molly
had never stopped to consider how her behavior would affect others.   Her actions could have cost her mother a
job, since clients hired only law-abiding citizens, and her brothers would have
ended up starving or joining a street gang to survive. She glanced around the
bleak room, regretful that her situation had to come to this for her to wise
up.