Sea Devil Week - Day 8: Creator’s Choice (Future Dystopia)
Notes: AU. It’s set in a sort of crossover between “Brave New World” and “1984″ (I took more from Huxley, actually).
Artificial conception in phials, hypnopedic brain-washing and constant control by the always turned on screens: that was the real meaning behind the elegant motto of the State. Identity, community, stability. It was not safe to understand it, or worse to try to deny it, but yet Ursula couldn’t help but feel an outcast in that world. A wrong phase in her bokanovskyan process had let her to develop some antisocial thoughts – so they said. That was why she had an unsual black skin and a too emotional character – so they said.
However, whatever was the reason of her diversity, the point was that she was indeed different and maybe it was exactly why she had been so involved in that sort of casual relationship with Cruella in the very first place. “We shall meet in a place where there is no darkness” – that was the promise that gave a start to everything. She had too hopefully expected some sort of real light, far from the artificial nature and the psychedelic images on the screens; instead the light, which the extravagant blonde woman was referring  to, was  just the virtual one created by a mix of soma and victory gin. She had stayed anyway, though, and that stay was still lasting after three months.
“Where are you going?”
As she saw the other woman suddenly standing up from the sofa they had just made love on, the question escaped her mouth before she could control the tone. And it turned out more jealous than she should have revealed.
“Just a match of obstacle golf with Mr Feinberg… I’ve denied his avances for too long now. I know you understand…”
Ursula couldn’t help an ironic smile at that. She remained some moments in silence while watching her getting ready for that date: too much make-up, expensive furs, the malthusian belt – because it was clear that the date would have ended up in sex - and even the last minute replacement of a pair of broken diamond earrings. They ended in the trashcan, of course… Ending was better than mending, after all. Unlike herself, Cruella De Vil was clearly a perfect example of Alpha: everything inside and outside her was screaming it. Who knew how she would have probably react discovering that, in spite of her attempts to be special, she was just an ordinary puppet in the hands of Air Strip One.
“Actually I don’t…” Ursula whispered in the end, probably too tired to hide her feelings anymore.
It was just a whisper, but it yeti t had the power to make Cruella stop completely her movements and turn immediately to her. That was the first moment when in her blue eyes flashed an unusual trace of awareness; maybe she was more intelligent than she wanted to show as well. Anyway, that moment was soon gone and, after a quick glance to the screen, she continued to put her mascara on, trying to under play what was really happening.
“Careful, darling… You know what happened to that man from the Ministry of Peace who fell in love with me… Everybody-“
“-Belongs to everybody else, I know” Ursula quickly finished the well-known sentence, with a bitter tone. It was like an unwritten law of the State, actually, because love was the most antisocial behavior of all after all.
By saying that sentence, she knew she was giving up her fight against the system, but what could she have done? Because yes, she remembered very well Isaac Heller, one of the few men who had tried to rebel to the community, and mosto f all she remembered too well what had happened to him: psychological tortures and then the exile into a lost Island, where he probably had already found death. The forbidden love for books and her not so secret love for Cruella had been the reasons of his downfall; well, she herself didn’t care much for literature and she could even made it without her passion for singing, but she couldn’t renounce to Cruella. That was why, despite the temptation of some freedom in a far away world, she didn’t want to risk it all.
So, she just stood up from the sofa as well and placed herself in front of the other woman, trying hard to fake a smile.
“You are right. I will ask Maleficent Dragon out for a date, tomorrow…”
Cruella turned to her again and the smile on her own face seemed sincere. It was like the surrender to promiscuity was a gift for her, a gift that made her relationship more stronger.
“I’m going…” she just said after that, throwing one last look in the mirror.
And she went out quickly, with only one soft kiss as a goodbye. Without saying anything, Ursula followed her with her gaze until the door was closed, and, when she was left finally alone, she just sat down on the sofa again, with the head full of too many thoughts to process. And then, like the State wanted and like Cruella always suggested, she found herself swallowing two pills of soma. A gramme in time saves nine: that was the perfect theraphy.
Maybe if the world were different, maybe if they were born in any other world… That sad nostalgy for another situation she had never had the chance to know suddenly filled her eyes of tears. But she couldn’t cry, she knew that, because the common fear was even in her rebellious heart: Big Brother was watching her. Besides, suddenly, the need of crying was gone. A smile unwillingly appeared on her face instead, as she saw the sea in front of her eyes and the image of Cruella beside her.
Oh, the soma was making its peculiar effect…
I’m kinda happy that with this one I managed to write something for each prompt of the SeaDevil week - and to post everything in time. It’s been a really good week and I really want to thank the creators of it for making it happen.:)
