Chapter 1Bringing Culture Back To Civilization
“I don’t see why this means so much to you, Lily,” Remy declared in exasperation.
“I have already explained this to you, Remy. The one memory I hold most dear in my childhood, from before the Conflict, was of spending nights in this theatre with my father, watching the performances. He brought me here every weekend to watch the beautiful plays and magnificent operas. You said you wanted to bring culture back to our nation. What could be more cultural than the theatre?” Lily explained as she looked up to the beautiful marble columns lining the walls of the magnificent lobby.
“I was thinking more along the lines of Art Museums,” Remy said looking up to the dilapidated building, that he would prefer to tear down, than to renovate, as Lily had suggested. His face twisted in disgust at the mold and decay that was present before them.
“You have already arranged the renovation of the Art Museum, and the Science Center, so please do not balk at my suggestion,” Lily smiled linking her arm with his. “Now, shall we take a look at the auditorium?”
“After you,” he answered as they headed into the auditorium followed by his security force. Remy Sinclair was one of the most influential men in the city of All Saints. He was in charge of the complete renovation of the city and now that all of the government buildings, hospitals and schools had been renovated he had turned his eye towards the more cultural buildings. It was a demanding post, but he still managed to find time to pursue Lily Gibson. They had known each other since they were children and had even spent seven long years in a fallout shelter together, and they had become almost inseparable since.
“Oh Remy, it is still so beautiful. Can’t you imagine the performers up there on that stage, performing Les Miserables or Cats?” Lily asked in excitement.
“No. Really I can’t. Lily, this is a waste of time. Can’t you see that? This place is falling apart. I know it means a lot to you, but this lot would be best used for other purposes,” Remy said hesitantly. He could understand their need for museums and science centers. Those were places that could be used as teaching tools and propaganda outlets for the current government, but a theatre didn’t seem to have any useful purpose to him.
“No, Remy. Just because you are not interested in the theatre, doesn’t mean it is a hopeless cause. It once was a vital part of the American community. Yes I said American. Because that’s what we were once, and we were a proud nation.” Lily walked away from him making her way down the center isle towards the stage. She had had this argument with him before and was tired of going over it again and again. He was in complete support of the new government, but she had her reservations about some of its actions. That was one of the things that kept them at odds part of the time.
“Lily, you know you shouldn’t talk that way. If you were heard…” Remy began, but could not finish the sentence as he looked around nervously at his guards.
“What, Remy? Would they lock me up and take away my freedom? Would they send me to Camp Town?” Lily could not control the angry outburst. She sometimes thought he didn’t take her seriously at all. Their society was flawed. She knew it was. But he would not accept it.
“They might. It has happened,” he warned her following close behind her and ordering his security team to stay put. He wasn’t quite sure how trustworthy his men really were and if her words reached the wrong ears she might just find herself in more trouble than she bargained for. “Lily, don’t you realize that I am only trying to keep you from harm. The rulers of our government do not like to hear talk from their citizens, such as what you speak.”
“Maybe if they listened to such talk more often, they would not have so much unrest in this country,” Lily suggested moving even farther away from him.
“Lily, I don’t want to lose you. Please don’t do this. Not here. We can discuss this in private later while we are alone,” he suggested trying to calm her outburst.
But she knew they would not discuss it later. They never discussed anything important to her. They only discussed one thing while they were alone; her reluctance to become his lover. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to put off his romantic advances. She cared deeply for him, but she knew she didn’t feel for him the same as he did her. Maybe one time, long before she could have claimed that, but not anymore.
But still, no matter what her feelings for Remy were he was a very influential man in their society and she would take advantage of their friendship to gain what she thought was best for their society. She decided to attempt pleading if arguing would not work. “Remy, this building will be a major part of society, if you only give it half a chance. Please. Do you want me to beg you? I will. Don’t scrap this renovation. It means more to me than you can ever imagine.”
Remy was about to form another rebuttal when they heard a voice floating down from the rafters. “The woman makes a valid point.”
“Who’s there?” Remy asked stunned that he hadn’t noticed someone overhearing their conversation. His guards immediately took up positions around him.
Lily’s eyes searched the scaffolding that was hanging from the ceiling of the immense building in the backstage area. She thought she saw a figure standing in the shadows up above but she couldn’t be quite certain of what she was seeing.
“Find him,” Remy ordered his men. The guards took off into the backstage area looking for ways to go up as Lily and Remy waited next to the orchestra pit.
After moments of searching the backstage area several of the men called down that they saw no one.
“You can tell them to stop searching,” a voice called out from behind them. They both turned quickly to see a man sitting in the fourth row back lounging in a very relaxed position. The man looked to be in his thirties, and Lily could not dismiss the fact that he was very handsome and distinguished looking. His piercing ice blue eyes seemed to look straight into them, to their very souls.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Remy asked pushing Lily behind him.
“Nothing. I heard you talking and decided to find out who was trespassing in my theatre,” the man said casually.
“Your theatre?” Remy asked in disbelief with a very undignified snort of derision.
“Well it was mine when that bloody war started. The former owner had willed it to me. I took possession of it a week before the Conflict,” the man answered casually looking around himself at his domain.
“I remember you,” Lily said excitedly stepping out from behind Remy. She gave him an annoyed look when he tried to stop her. “You are Jacob. I’m sorry I don’t remember your last name. You were one of the lead actors here back then.”
“You have a very good memory, Miss. You must have been but a child back then,” he said not offering his last name.
“Yes, I was seven. If I remember right you were not too old yourself. They said you were one of the youngest actor’s to star here.” Lily remembered the things her father had told her about the heir to the theatre and was very pleased to see that he had managed to survive the conflict.
Remy looked from Lily to Jacob and back again. He didn’t like what he was seeing. “No one is supposed to be in here.”
“Well I’m afraid that is a difficult situation, Sir. For I have lived here ever since I was a small child, and do not intend to leave any time soon.” Jacob casually tilted his chair back a little further looking extremely comfortable in the reclined position. Lily could not help the small smile that played across her lips as she glanced at the angry look Remy was sporting at the man’s seeming indifference to his authority.
“You live here,” Lily said catching onto an idea that she thought might just save the building yet. “Is there a shelter here?”
“Yes. In the catacombs below,” Jacob answered wondering what she was getting at. He could see a mischievous look cross her face.
“Well then that settles it,” she pronounced crossing her arms over her chest and looking smugly at Remy.
“I’m sorry. I don’t follow your meaning, Miss,” Jacob said in confusion, as he watched the even darker look cross Remy’s face.
“One of the first edicts created by the new government, stated that no building holding a shelter would be demolished, just in case history repeated itself,” Lily informed them with a triumphant smile dancing across her lips.
“Well, my dear, it seems you have once again found a loophole to work things to your liking,” Remy scowled.
“As usual.” Jacob heard her whisper under her breath, and then watched as she turned to face him again. “I’m sorry, Jacob. I have been rude. My name is Lily Gibson, and this is Remy Sinclair.” She strode to where he sat holding out her hand to him.
It did not escape Jacob’s notice that they had different last names, meaning they were not married. “Nice to meet you, Miss Gibson.” He stressed the word Miss. He stood bowing slightly taking her hand in his, and placed a light kiss upon her knuckles never letting his eyes leave hers.
Lily felt the slight blush color her cheeks as he kissed her hand. Men didn’t do that anymore, and she wondered why. It was an old fashioned yet classy greeting that she for one missed. “You may call me Lily.” Her voice sounded husky in her own ears, and she silently chided herself for letting one simple kiss affect her so.
“As you wish, Lily,” Jacob bowed his head slightly and then lowered her hand, but not quite letting go yet.
Remy stepped forward pulling Lily’s hand from Jacob’s. “Excuse us, Sir. But we must be going now,” he said coldly pulling Lily up the center isle towards the exit.
Jacob turned to watch them leave, shaking his head at the peacock of a man who he was positive the woman did not want to leave with. He was about to turn and make his way to the manager’s office, which he had converted into his own private living quarters, but he was stopped by Remy’s voice as they left the auditorium. “I trust it will not take you long to vacate the premises, so renovations can commence.” These words stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Remy. What are you saying? This is his home,” Lily spoke up pulling back and jerking her hand from Remy’s.
“You know the rules as well as I do, Lily. If this building is to be renovated by the government, then it belongs to the government. He can not live here,” Remy said, and it was he that held the smug smile, this time.
Jacob turned to face them, and the set of his jaw was the only sign of his anger. “My Lady, do you mind explaining to me, this rule he speaks of.”
Lily turned to face Jacob, and the look on her face was one of misery. “I’m sorry, Jacob. He’s right. One of the new rules states that if the government deems a building worthy of renovation that that building becomes the property of the one who renovates it. Remy works for the government. So the government would own the building. Only government employees are allowed to stay on government property. I wish it was different.”
Jacob stood in thought for a moment and then spoke again. “So if I am right in my understanding, whomever renovates this building will own it. Correct?”
“Yes. So you need to get out,” Remy spoke up looking like the cat that ate the canary.
But a broad smile crossed Jacob’s lips. “Well in that case, I still own this building.” Lily’s brow creased in confusion, until he continued. “You see, I have been making repairs and cleaning this building up, ever since the war. Many parts of the backstage area are in just as good order as they were in before the war, or better. So truthfully, I have been working on the renovation for many years now.”
Lily couldn’t help the chuckle that left her lips, as she watched the look of shock cross Remy’s face. “You realize that if you choose to undertake this project, that the government will not help you in any way,” Remy spit out in disgust.
“I need no help from the government,” Jacob answered not fazed at all by the seeming threat Remy posed.
“I would be happy to help you with the renovations, in my spare time,” Lily volunteered abruptly earning a scathing glare from Remy. Lily suddenly felt embarrassed at her outburst. “I’m sure there are many citizens that would volunteer their time to better the theatre,” she added almost shyly.
A small smile crossed Jacob’s lips at her words. “I hadn’t expected any help in this project, but I would not turn it down,” He answered bowing graciously to Lily. “Whenever you have time to discuss the project, you can find me in the manager’s office.”
“I’ll be by tomorrow then,” she said nodding to him, and then watched as he left the auditorium. She new it was bold of her to suggest such an undertaking but for some reason the idea made her feel alive and invigorated. She was truly going to do something she had only dreamed of doing since the war was over. And the idea of getting to know the mysterious Jacob was even more intriguing than the prospect of reopening the theatre.
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“What was all that about?” Remy exploded once they reached Lily’s apartment in the government housing building.
“What do you mean, Remy?” She asked innocently.
“Oh, don’t play coy with me,” Remy sneered at the blank look Lily had adopted.
“Remy, why do you have to read something into every innocent act?” she asked shaking her head and rolling her eyes, as she flopped down in her overstuffed chair.
“I didn’t have to read anything into that. You were almost drooling over that actor!” Remy’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he said the word ‘actor’.
“Remy, you need to get a grip on yourself. For one thing, I wasn’t drooling. And for another what difference would it make if I were? I am single, remember,” she reminded him, disgusted by his jealous tirade.
“Not if I had my way you wouldn’t be,” he answered, pacing back and forth across the room.
“I’m not going over this with you again, Remy. I care for you deeply. We have been closer to each other, than anyone else in our lives. But I don’t feel that way for you. Please, why won’t you listen to me?” Lily had tried acting oblivious to his advances. She had tried to let him down easy. She even tried to have others talk to him about it, but none of those tactics seemed to work. Her last resort was to be blunt, even though she hated the idea of hurting him.
“You haven’t always felt that way,” he said petulantly.
“Remy, don’t bring that up again. We were children then, and we both agreed that it was a mistake. It won’t happen again. It cost us both too much in the end,” she said remembering the one time they had been lovers. It only held bad memories for her.
“No you agreed that it was a mistake. I still love you, Lily,” he said kneeling in front of her taking both her hands in his and tried to pull her closer. But she pulled away, pushing him back and standing. She made her way to the window, staring out at the lights of the city, and then further to the north towards Camp Town.
“Remy, I’ve tried to be nice about this but you leave me no choice but to hurt you. I don’t love you. I don’t want a relationship with you. That will never change,” she said coldly looking at the lights of Camp Town and letting the site fuel her anger. It was an abomination. Those people should be in All Saints, being cared for by real doctors, not locked away like they had committed some crime.
“Lily, you don’t know what you want. How many men have you dated? Very few. It’s not right for a woman your age not to have chosen a husband yet. You know how the government sees it,” he said bringing up another sore subject between them.
The new leaders of the government deemed it a necessity that the world be repopulated as quickly as possible, so they had enacted a new law stating that all women fit and able to bare children, were to be wed by the age of twenty-eight. Lily’s twenty-eighth birthday was only ten months away, and she had no intention of marrying before then. Which would mean that the government would choose her husband for her. She had been wracking her brain for months on any way possible to stop that from happening. But so far had come up with no plausible solution.
“Remy, you rely too much on what the government says you should do, and not enough time relying on your own free will, and what is in your heart,” she said disgustedly.
“There is no more free will. If you don’t learn to face that fact soon, you’re going to find yourself in more trouble than you ever imagined possible,” Remy warned and then stormed out of the apartment.
“Well, that went well,” she said turning as the door slammed shut. “Remy, you will never understand me, and you gave up the right to try a long time ago,” she whispered turning back to stare once again out the window.