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           Part 1~Scarecrow's Revenge
           For hundreds of years, modern humans, Homo sapiens, have searched for the perfect form of government. The closest country to ever come close was the United States of America; unfortunately, the USA had been destroyed a hundred years before my story of how the government begins, that the ignorant and gullible believed the best, ruined my life and the life of my friends who I met along the way. This government discriminated against anyone who was different for any reason. Those who had birth defects, who had mental disabilities or special needs, who were homosexuals, and those like me, those who wished with every fiber of their body to return to the way the world had been before the United States was destroyed by itself, were considered dangerous. Those of us “dangers” who are mentally able were rounded up, while the sad few who had mental disabilities or special needs were killed. We who were rounded up were shipped off and stranded on Australia and forced to fend for ourselves. The ignorant “perfect” people lived in the rest of the world believing that the people killed or rounded up were living in some perfect place and that we were happy. Oh how wrong they were! If only the ways of life a hundred years ago—but during my tale, the world was being ruled over by a man so powerful and with so many spies that no one had privacy, no one had an education, and everyone had become lazy, but no one realized this except for me and the few others who were considered a danger to society.
           I wish to tell the story of this evil government that had taken hold of this world and destroyed my life, so let me start at the beginning of my life. I was born on the fifth of November in the year 3125, exactly a hundred years after the United States’ destruction. My parents were Mary and Joseph Webbam, two of the typical ignorant people and I was raised to be like them. When I turned three, my parents took me to the closest thing to a school at that time. Really, it was just a building where children from all over the world stayed until age twelve, which was when kids were considered full citizens of the Perfect State as it was called, or the kids just disappeared forever. This was the building that children went into never to see their parents ever again and it was where children learned that the only thing to do was to be ignorant and lazy. The building was huge and had thousands of rooms in it. Each bedroom held seven children and one government official who would watch the children carefully, until it was time to decide whether they were "dangerous" or not. It was in this building that I met Raphael Werner and our friends. When my parents dropped my off without even shedding a tear at leaving their only child in the hands of their government, I was brought to a room along with seven other three-year-old girls, none of which I ever liked for a reason I still don’t know.
           As soon as the seven of us had gotten settled, our government overseer introduced herself as Mrs. Bradbury. She was twenty years old and rather skinny for a woman of the thirtieth century with long, thick black hair and piercing blue eyes that always seemed able to see through anything. Her skin was almost as black as the black business suit and shiny black shoes she always wore. Her hair was also always put up into a single ponytail, which only made her thin face look thinner. Ever since she first learned my name, Scarecrow, as I secretly called her, was always looking over my shoulder and watching me as if I had, at three years old, already declared myself against the government. After we were all introduced to Scarecrow, she took us down to a room where other three-year-old boys and girls were playing with blocks and coloring with crayons. Scarecrow left us there and I looked around, a little lost.
           “Hello. I’m Raphael.” A boy said behind me. I turned to see a boy an inch taller than I was watching me curiously. Raphael’s skin was dark, but not as dark as Scarecrow's, and his hair was as dark brown as his eyes. He was wearing the same clothes that all of us were wearing: a tan shirt, matching pants, and white sneakers.
           “I’m Sarah.” I answered. After that day and that simple introduction, Raphael and I always played together and it was a full two years later that we met Ray Mills, Natalie Faber, and Jessica Collins. Ray’s red hair was always shoulder length and his eyes were always as green as the grass surrounding the building. Natalie, who we always called Lee, had short blond hair, hazel eyes, and skin almost matching her eyes. Jessica’s hair was very long and very pale blond, which only made her light skin look lighter. The five of us became fast friends and it was when we turned ten that our problems began.

           At age ten, children were given more freedom. We were allowed to wander around in the fenced in yard of the building and our overseers would only watch us carefully if they suspected something amiss. The five of us were at the very end of the yard and we were spying on the three officials who were standing outside the fenced yard and talking about something we had always wondered about: what happened to the mentally challenged kids who had disappeared one day and never came back. Two of the officials were men and Scarecrow was the only woman.
           "Well, I think that all the dangers should be killed, not just the mentally handicapped." Scarecrow was saying.
           "Why?" one of the men asked, "They are perfectly mentally able and can do the Perfect State no harm stranded in Australia."
           "Exactly. What if they somehow find a way to stow away on the ship? If they get back to the Perfect State somehow, they could start wreaking havoc."
           "You worry too much, Bradbury." the second man commented, "They'll never be able to get here and those who have created so called secret societies are easily being caught."
           "Just you wait, both of you. One of these days trouble will start. Mark my words." After Scarecrow said that, she looked in our general direction and we snuck quickly away, but I think she might've seen us for she watched me even more often after that.

           On the day that we all turned twelve, we decided to walk around the yard and enjoy our last few hours in the building outside, enjoying the fresh air. Scarecrow was following us, though I was the only one who noticed the overseer creeping behind us and hiding behind the few trees in the yard when one of us turned around.
           "Are you okay, Sarah?" Raphael asked, in his low-pitched voice that sounded almost like rolling thunder, "You're being too quiet." I had been looking over my shoulder, watching Scarecrow, and I lifted my head to look at Raphael.
           "Hmm? Oh…I'm just thinking." I answered. That was the truth. I was just thinking, but I was thinking about something that was forbidden to talk about. Ever since we had heard the conversation between Scarecrow and her two companions, my friends and I had begun to think and talk about what the world had been like before the Perfect State and we had secretly decided to fight against the government, to join a secret society, once we were free of the building.
           "What are you five doing?" Scarecrow's high-pitched voice demanded. All five of us, including me, spun around quickly. I hadn't noticed her coming up behind us and so she scared me when she spoke.
           "We're walking." Ray answered, his alto voice staying calm even though his face was unusually pale.
           "Walking? Walking when you could be sitting down and not moving even a single muscle? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you five are planning something." As she said this last bit, Scarecrow pointedly looked me in the eyes and I met her gaze. She looked away when Lee spoke, her voice, which was unusually low for a girl, unwavering.
           "We just wanted some fresh air, Mrs. Bradbury."
           "Miss Faber, I suggest you all go inside, before someone else suspects something." Scarecrow snapped, "After all you are all leaving in a few hours."
           "We'll go inside later." I responded becoming annoyed that Scarecrow wanted us to sit inside, bored, for the last few hours. Scarecrow gave me a sharp look that almost made me feel afraid.
           "Miss Webbam, I want to talk to you in my office now and not later." she spat. I glared at her and, when I didn't move, she grabbed my arm and dragged me away from my friends, who were all glaring at Scarecrow's back. I bared my teeth as Scarecrow's sharp bright red-painted nails dug into my arm and I tried not to let her see that she was hurting me. She led me into her large basement-floor office and slammed the door shut behind me. Scarecrow grabbed a fistful of my shirt and slammed my back against the wall. She held me there and looked into my face with her eyes, which held a look of extreme anger.
           I felt some spit hit me as she spoke angrily, "I'm not going to play nice anymore, Sarah." she said my name as if it was a curse and continued immediately after, "I know you and your friends are planning something and whatever it is, I'll find out. Then we'll see if you stay as confident as you are now. Unfortunately, I'm the only one with sense to see that you and your friends are potentially dangerous and so you will all be leaving here to be free. However, you have no idea how close your two friends, Natalie and Jessica, came to being considered dangerous. But, once again, I was the only one who could see that they aren't normal. However you'll see one day, you five will make an error and I'll be waiting when you do."
           "What makes Natalie and Jessica so dangerous?" I asked, "What nearly made them so different?" Scarecrow seemed a little surprised that I didn't have even a drop of fear in my voice or in my face. Scarecrow let go of my shirt so suddenly that I nearly fell.
           "I'm the only one who has seen how those two look at each other. It's almost sickening." she said, "You may go now, but I'll be watching you until you leave, so be careful what you say and don't think I won't be able to hear you, I can hide quite well." I turned my back on Scarecrow and left her office. When I got up to the ground floor of the building, I found Lee, Raphael, Ray, and Jessica waiting for me by the top of the spiraled stairs.
           "What did Scarecrow say?" Jessica asked, as I had predicted she would. Jessica was always the most eager to know information and so whenever something happened, she would be the first to speak up.
           "She thinks we're planning something against the government." I said with a wink and a wide smile. All five of us began to laugh so that had Scarecrow been listening, she would've been unable to tell whether we were laughing because she was right or because she was wrong. Once we all stopped laughing, I looked around to see some of the very few other children, who had been walking around the building, watching the five of us strangely.
           "Come on, let's go back outside." Raphael said, "This building makes me feel like I'm being slowly suffocated and we still have a few more hours."
           "We'd better be careful," Lee started, "You never know, maybe we'll get in trouble just because we like fresh air."
           "It's probably going to be considered against the rules to enjoy the outside." Ray joked. We continued to joke like this until hours later and all the twelve-year-old children were summoned to the back of the yard. We stood there with some two hundred other boys and girls our age. We were all ordered to form a long line and the five of us were able to find a place near the front. The twenty-eight government officials who had watched over our age group were at the gate to the yard, the gate that blocked us all from freedom. The outside of the gate was split into two different lines: the left line would lead to freedom and the right was for the few who were to be brought, as only my friends and I knew, to Australia. When those who were lucky enough to go through the left side got to the gate, they were each given a backpack that contained a year's supply of clothing. When the five of us got to the gate, Scarecrow allowed all of us into the left line and I felt her eyes watching me until we were all around the corner where a line of taxis were waiting to take the free twelve-year-olds anywhere they wanted to go. The five of us already knew where we were heading for we had begun speaking about it after we had learned where the people who disappeared went. The five of us got into a waiting taxi and we were all smiling brightly.
           "To the airport, sir." I said. We arrived at the airport at mid afternoon and we got onto the plane that would take us across the ocean, as far away from the building as possible. The plane landed at dawn and the five of us began to search for an unoccupied house. An hour later, we had found a small one-story house with four bedrooms, a bathroom, a small kitchen, and a sitting room. The kitchen contained a stove, refrigerator, a sink, and a dishwasher. There were two recliners and two couches in the sitting room, and in each of the bedrooms there was a bed, a closet, and a nightstand. When we found we would have to divide four bedrooms among five people, Raphael, Ray, and I weren't surprised when Jessica and Lee decided to share a bed. Once we were all settled, someone knocked on our door and I went to open it. A sixteen-year-old man was standing outside and I wondered why he had decided to pay us a visit at seven in the morning. The man had nearly black skin, very dark brown hair, and astonishingly bright blue eyes. He was wearing the blue jeans, tan shirt, and black sneakers that all the people, now including the five of us, in that part of the world wore. Curious, Raphael, Jessica, Lee, and Ray came over to the door see who was standing there.
           "May I come in?" he asked. We all nodded and he walked into the house. I closed the door and turned to look at him.
           "Who are you?" Ray asked.
           "I am Alan Womack." the man answered, "May I ask who are you?
           "I'm Raphael Werner." he answered, "This is Sarah Webbam, Jessica Collins, Ray Mills, and Natalie Faber, more commonly called Lee." Alan looked at all of us and then at me, as if he could somehow tell I was the leader of the group.
           "You, no doubt, are the leader here." he commented, "Do you all know where the people who disappear go?"
           "We do. They go to Australia. Why do you ask?" I knew why he had asked, but I just wanted to confirm it and I wanted to know how he knew to ask the five of us.
           "A message from one of our spies at the building told us there was a group of kids who were suspected of being dangerous, as the government calls people like us. We figured you five might be willing to join our secret society."
           "That's what we were planning to do." Lee said.
           "Very well," Alan said, "Come to the bar called the Thief tonight at ten. I will be there to meet you and show you to the meeting place."
           "We'll be there." Ray said. Alan nodded and I opened the door for him. We did as Alan said and went to the clean, crowded bar and we met Alan near the door. With one quick look around at the people in the bar, he led the five of us to the door that led into the kitchen. He then opened a hidden door in the floor near the large oven and led us into it. The door led into a large underground room where about ten people were waiting for us. More than half of the secret society were women, the rest were men. We were all introduced by Alan and then, the five of us were told what the secret society did. We learned the this secret society was the longest lasting group and they had only lost five people compared to the other societies which had lost dozens of people and often times the whole society was shut down. After we knew all about the society we had joined, we were asked to explain how we had learned the truth about the Perfect State. After that, we were considered full members of the society and we went back to our house for the night.

           We slowly slipped into a routine. During the day, the five of us would hang around the house or go for a walk and at night, we would go to the secret society's meetings. During our first two years of being part of the secret society, I moved up in rank until I was considered the leader, even though there was no official leader for the secret societies hidden throughout the Perfect State. For four years, we lived our days like that but a month after we turned sixteen, everything changed. I had decided to break the routine and I went for a walk by myself. As I walked down the street, a very few people walked by and they all had blank looks on their faces, ignorant of how at that very moment people were being condemned to live on Australia, or worse they had some sort of mental problem and were being killed without a chance. As a turned a corner into a deserted street, someone put a hand over my mouth and dragged me behind a nearby dumpster. I struggled to get free, but whoever was holding me was much stronger than I was. The person finally let go of me and I turned to look at him or her. I was surprised to see Alan standing behind me and looking nervous.
           "What's the big idea?" I demanded.
           "Shhh." Alan hissed, "Be quiet and stay down. Some government officials have arrested your four friends and are now looking for you." My eyes widened in terror. My friends had been caught which mean they were in trouble, but all I could say was:
           "Why have they been arrested?" It was a stupid question since I already knew the answer.
           "Lee and Jessica have been arrested as homosexuals." Alan explained with a sigh, "Raphael and Ray were arrested for hiding them."
           "How do the officials know about me?"
           "The person leading the officials is—"
           "Well, well, well." Scarecrow's voice said from behind me. I whirled around to look at her. She hadn't changed a single bit and she had a look of happiness that made me a little nervous, not that I would give her the satisfaction of seeing me nervous. Scarecrow was holding a shotgun directly at me and I could tell she was trying hard not to shoot me that very minute. "I told you I could hide quite well." she mocked, "I've been watching you are your friends for the past year." I clenched my fist and all I felt at that moment was complete annoyance at Scarecrow's gloating.
           "A whole year?" I asked, doubtful, "You've probably been watching us for a long time." I must've hit the mark, for Scarecrow's eyes lit up with excitement at my mentioning her watching us for more than a year.
           "But of course!" she exclaimed, "I've been keeping a close eye on you, especially your two disgusting friends."
           "If their disgusting, what does that make you? Utterly atrocious?" I shot back. Alan was listening to our war with words and he seemed amazed at how fearlessly I was returning Scarecrow's comments.
           "You'd better watch your words, girl." Scarecrow threatened, "I have permission to do what I wish with your friends." I laughed.
           "Liar. You need to have all of us safe and sound." Scarecrow scowled and pointed her gun at me, her finger on the trigger.
           "You come with me now, Sarah, or else your friend behind you will die and I do have authority to do that." My heart sank and I couldn't stop my feelings from showing on my face. Oh how I wished I had a good comeback, but I didn't want to risk having Alan, who had nothing to do with the thirteen-year-old conflict with Scarecrow, hurt.
           "Very well. You win this round." I said as if my own words would kill me, "I'll come." I stopped and then added, "Peacefully" as a side note. Scarecrow led me away from Alan and to a government building located in the center of town. The building served as a holding place until prisoners could be brought before the judge, who might as well be the ruler of the Perfect State seeing as Ruler Marcus Estevan influenced Supreme Judge Judd Taylor. I was brought by Scarecrow to a room where Raphael, Ray, Jessica, and Lee were sitting on the floor and looking very bored. Scarecrow roughly pushed me into the room and I turned to face her.
           "I would love to see who brave you really are without that gun." I snapped as Scarecrow slammed the door in my face.
           "Are you okay, Sarah?" Raphael asked, looking me up and down with a worried expression. I looked around at my friends and say that Lee and Ray were in bad shape. Lee, with her head leaning on Jessica's shoulder, had a bad gash on her forehead and Ray, looking nervous, had a wound on his arm that appeared to be from a bullet.
           "I'm fine, but two of you look bad."
           "It's nothing we can't handle." Lee said with a wide smile, "Or at least, I can handle it."
           "I'm handling myself fine." Ray retorted.
           "Sure you were." Lee said, "Running around in panic is really good handling of a situation."
           "You were running around, Ray?" I asked, teasingly. I sat down next to Raphael and then said, "I want to hear what happened. It sounds interesting."

           We were locked in that room for a day before we were moved, by plane, to Paris, which was in the country that was once France and was renamed into Utopia. Go figure. Utopia was the country that served as the capital of the Perfect State and it was where Ruler Marcus lived. We were separated upon arrival; Lee and Jessica were sent straight to a room in the only prison of the Perfect State while Ray, Raphael, and I were brought to a holding cell in the only courthouse of the Perfect State which was where we were going to be sentenced by the only judge of the Perfect State. A day after we had been put in the holding cell, Ray was brought in to be sentenced and then Raphael was sentenced fifteen minutes later. When Scarecrow came to look at me through the bars of the holding cell door, I was alone in the holding cell, for Ray and Raphael were both being sent to Australia with Lee and Jessica. I tried to look indifferent as Scarecrow spoke and didn't find it that hard.
           "Most likely, you'll be given the death sentence." Scarecrow said as if she had been given a big reward, "For leading a group against the Perfect State and for sheltering two homosexuals." Scarecrow winced when she said 'homosexuals' which made me want to punch her, though the metal bars on the door dissuaded me.
           "Now that's not much of a punishment." I said instead, "I'd rather be dead then living in this so-called 'Perfect State.' If it was perfect, everyone would be considered equal. Instead the 'Perfect State' rejects people with disabilities, defects, and it rejects homosexuals."
           "Homosexuals," she started with a wince, "can barely be considered human. Good-bye, Sarah Webbam." Scarecrow walked away from the door and I could tell I had chased her away with my defense of my two friends who she had been targeting the most. At that moment, the holding cell door was unlocked and I was led to the room where I would be sentenced by the Supreme Judge. Judd Taylor was fat and short and when he sat in his chair behind the podium, he looked even fatter and shorter. His skin was nearly the same color as Raphael's except a tiny bit lighter and his piercing blue eyes seemed to be able to see everything that was going on in the room at once. He was bald and wearing black pants, a black dress shirt, and black sneakers. I was forced to stand in front of him, with the hundred or so government officials seated behind me. I was even surprised to see Ruler Marcus sitting in a raised chair at the very back of the room. I stood there without any feelings showing on my face and, surprisingly, I remained calm.
           "Sarah Webbam," the Judge said, "You are guilty of leading a group against the Perfect State and therefore against Ruler Marcus. You are also guilty of hiding and providing for homosexuals. I have ruled that you shall be given the sentence of death which will be carried out in two years' time, during which you will live on Australia. Do you have anything to say to this sentence?"
           "Two words." I answered, "Thank goodness." Supreme Judge Judd looked at me in surprise and he seemed confused as to why I wasn't so much as turning pale at the thought of being killed. The officials sitting down behind me were whispering quickly amongst each other, all wondering who the seemingly fearless woman was.
           "Dismissed." the Judge ordered and I was led out of the room. As the two men walked next to me out of the room, a young man ran over to them and whispered something in one of the older man's ear. The man nodded and the younger hurried off again. The man, surprisingly enough, didn't lead me back to the holding cell to wait for a ride to Australia; instead he led me to a room that branched of the main hallway of the courthouse. Much to my surprise, Ruler Marcus was sitting in a chair covered in pillows and his eyes scan my figure in a way that made me feel like slapping him hard in the face.
           "So you are Sarah Webbam." he said, looking into my eyes with his baby blue gaze. Ruler Marcus, who looked to be the same age as me, was quite thin for being a pampered ruler of the world and his slick black hair against his pale skin made him look evilly handsome. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and he appeared strangely stressed. Ruler Marcus also looked creepily like me.
           "No. I'm the tooth fairy." I snapped.
           "Watch your tongue, girl." the man who had led me into the room hissed.
           "It's quite alright," the ruler replied, "I find her sarcasm amusing." It took me a few seconds to realize that I had begun to stare at him in bewilderment and when I realized what I was doing, I quickly snapped out of it, but I hadn't been quick enough for Ruler Marcus to not notice. I saw the amusement in his eyes, but behind the amusement I was surprised to see what looked like a plea for help, but the look quickly disappeared.
           "So, why did some great ruler like you want to see some low-life like me?"
           "I just wanted a chance to see you face to face and I must say you are different from other trouble makers."
           "I suppose that's a compliment?" The ruler doesn't respond, instead he motions for the man standing behind me to take me away.

           The boat trip to Australia was torture to me as I sat in a damp cell and trying to figure out exactly what the help plea in Ruler Marcus's look had meant. By the time I got to Australia, the only reasonable reason I could come up with was that Ruler Marcus wasn't the real man in charge of the Perfect State and he was just a puppet, but I had trouble believing it. When I got off the boat, I was led onto land and I was led to a gate leading from the small harbor onto the main continent. As I was registered I looked around lazily and I began planning an escape that I knew was impossible. As soon as I released onto Australia, I walked off sulkily and wondered where all my friends were. I looked around as I walked through the large city that used to be called Sydney, but in the Perfect State, the cities and towns of Australia had no names. Everything was in good shape and there were hundreds of people milling around. From the looks of it, every person who had been brought to Australia had never left the one city and so I realized how easy it would be to speak with every "dangerous person" at one time.
           "Sarah!" Raphael's voice shouted from behind me. I look to see Ray, Raphael, Lee, and Jessica hurrying over to me. Raphael wrapped me in a bear hug and, surprisingly, gave me a big kiss on my cheek. Shocked, I didn’t look away from Raphael as my three other friends clap me on the shoulder or punch me in a joking manner, as Lee did.
           "What was your sentence?" Ray asked once he and the others had calmed down. I looked down at the ground before answering and I wonder whether I should tell them and ruin their good moods.
           "Two years here and then the death sentence." My four friends were shocked into silence and I saw tears form in Raphael's eyes. "It'll be okay, though." I insisted quietly, "I have a plan. Crazy though it is I think it might just work…"

           Part 2~The Rectification
           Two years later, I decided to unveil my plan to everyone living in Australia three days before I was due to die. In the center of the city, there was a very large statue of some unknown person and so I decided to stand in front of the statues feet on the large block of stone that made up the stand of the statue. When people saw me standing there, flanked by Raphael, Ray, Lee, and Jessica, they began to gather. I was the most popular and well-known person in Australia and so everyone gathered round to hear.
           "How many people here think your punishment was unjust and unnecessary?" I shouted when everything became quiet. Exchanging confused looks, the people began raising their hands one by one. "How many here think the world needs to change?" At that, no one seemed brave enough to answer. "Well, I think it does." I said, "Perhaps all of you know that I was given the death sentence and that I am considered the most dangerous of us all. But I will tell you something you don't know. I will not go down without a fight! What about you, my friends? Are you ready to sit in this godforsaken place and not take any action at all? Or are you with me and ready to fight for our lives?!" I had everyone's attention and, surprisingly, I had everyone's support. "Well, I have a plan that might just help us get off this piece of land and back to the so called 'Perfect State'. If you are courageous enough, together we can change the world for the better. Who's with me?!" Everyone shouted and screamed while I smiled triumphantly. "Then let us begin getting ready. The time for change has come and I would hate for it to pass us right by!" Before I could fully unveil my plan, a shot rang out and I looked to see Scarecrow holding a gun above her head. Behind Scarecrow stood about a hundred officials all of whom had guns. As soon as everyone saw the officials, they began to panic and chaos erupted.
           "Maybe we can get away, Sarah." Lee suggested over the shouting of the crowd. I nodded and we headed quickly for the edge of the city, but someone grabbed my wrist.
           "Sarah!" Raphael shouted as I looked to see Scarecrow holding my wrist tightly.
           "Go! I'll be fine!" I watched as Raphael had to be dragged away by Ray and Lee. Scarecrow laughed and led me away through the now deserted city. I bowed my head as I finally realized just how grim my situation was. I had been prepared to die for what I believed in, but now that the time was closing in, I became scared to die. I said nothing at all on the whole trip back to the prison where I would be held until the execution. I didn't speak even when Scarecrow began to make fun of my friends and my pitiful attempt to cause a revolution. When she grew tired of talking to a person who wouldn't look up from the floor, she left. After two whole days in a prison cell, I said nothing and Scarecrow had given up trying to get a reaction from me. It was in the evening of the second day that Ruler Marcus visited me by himself. I glanced at him briefly before looking back down at the floor. I expected him to say something, but instead I heard the sound of a key in the lock and I looked up again to see Ruler Marcus opening the cell door. I was about to ask him what he was doing when I suddenly knew somehow that Ruler Marcus was on my side and he was breaking me out.
           "I figured it would come to this, boy." I was surprised when Supreme Judge Judd Taylor, took the key out of the younger man's hand, pushed the ruler into the cell with me, and then slammed the door shut. "I knew from the moment I learned you had a twin that Bradbury had made a bad decision as to who I should use as my puppet. Well, now you two get the same fate. Good-bye, Marcus Webbam." I watched, shocked at the judge left. I looked at Marcus in horror and tried to get as far from him as possible.
           "I know it seems impossible, but I'm your twin brother." Marcus insisted, "Scarecrow—"
           "How did you know I called her that?" I demanded my voice hoarse from not talking in two days.
           "I honestly don't know. But she took me away from mom and dad as soon as we were born. You have to believe me."
           "I don't believe you, but somehow I know your telling the truth." Marcus walked over to me and I allowed him to sit down on the bed next to me.
           "I heard from Scarecrow that you tried to start some sort of revolution before you left."
           "I tried, but failed miserably."
           "That's what you think." Raphael's voice said. Marcus and I both look to see my four friends hurrying over to our cell. Marcus and I got to my feet as Raphael and Lee broke the lock on the door.
           "What's all this?" I asked, "How did you get here?"
           "Your plan worked, Sarah!" Jessica said, "A group from Australia was able to kill Scarecrow and the judge, but we don't know where—" She broke off when she noticed Marcus. My four friends pointed guns that they had somehow obtained at Marcus.
           "Don't shoot him." I said standing in between him and the guns, "If the judge is dead than you have already killed the true ruler. Marcus was just a puppet."
           "Then he was still part of this all," Ray said bitterly.
           "Don't shoot him. He's my twin." The four stared at me and then at the man who looked like my double except the opposite gender. They lowered their guns and then, suddenly, I felt faint and I collapsed on the ground from lack of food, water, and sleep.

           When I came to, I found myself on a hospital bed with Marcus and Raphael sitting on either side of me. They both looked immensely relieved to see me awake and well.
           "What happened?" I asked.
           "You fainted last night." Marcus said, "Do you feel okay?"
           "I feel fine. I'm just a little thirsty. What happened after I fainted?"
           "We've done it!" Raphael exclaimed, "We've changed the government without any resistance, except from the officials. The world has entered a worldwide democracy and there's going to be an election soon to choose someone to lead the democracy."
           "That's good. How're Ray, Jessica, and Lee?"
           "They're fine and helping to get rid of the last of the officials." Marcus answered.
           "Well, let's go help them!" Marcus and Raphael helped me to my feet and after I had something to eat and drink, we set out to help finish changing the world.

Description
           Part 1~Scarecrow's Revenge
           For hundreds of years, modern humans, Homo sapiens, have searched for the perfect form of government. The closest country to ever come close was the United States of America; unfortunately, the USA had been destroyed a hundred years before my story of how the government begins, that the ignorant and gullible believed the best, ruined my life and the life of my friends who I met along the way. This government discriminated against anyone who was different for any reason. Those who had birth defects, who had mental disabilities or special needs, who were homosexuals, and those like me, those who wished with every fiber of their body to return to the way the world had been before the United States was destroyed by itself, were considered dangerous. Those of us “dangers” who are mentally able were rounded up, while the sad few who had mental disabilities or special needs were killed. We who were rounded up were shipped off and stranded on Australia and forced to fend for ourselves. The ignorant “perfect” people lived in the rest of the world believing that the people killed or rounded up were living in some perfect place and that we were happy. Oh how wrong they were! If only the ways of life a hundred years ago—but during my tale, the world was being ruled over by a man so powerful and with so many spies that no one had privacy, no one had an education, and everyone had become lazy, but no one realized this except for me and the few others who were considered a danger to society.
           I wish to tell the story of this evil government that had taken hold of this world and destroyed my life, so let me start at the beginning of my life. I was born on the fifth of November in the year 3125, exactly a hundred years after the United States’ destruction. My parents were Mary and Joseph Webbam, two of the typical ignorant people and I was raised to be like them. When I turned three, my parents took me to the closest thing to a school at that time. Really, it was just a building where children from all over the world stayed until age twelve, which was when kids were considered full citizens of the Perfect State as it was called, or the kids just disappeared forever. This was the building that children went into never to see their parents ever again and it was where children learned that the only thing to do was to be ignorant and lazy. The building was huge and had thousands of rooms in it. Each bedroom held seven children and one government official who would watch the children carefully, until it was time to decide whether they were "dangerous" or not. It was in this building that I met Raphael Werner and our friends. When my parents dropped my off without even shedding a tear at leaving their only child in the hands of their government, I was brought to a room along with seven other three-year-old girls, none of which I ever liked for a reason I still don’t know.
           As soon as the seven of us had gotten settled, our government overseer introduced herself as Mrs. Bradbury. She was twenty years old and rather skinny for a woman of the thirtieth century with long, thick black hair and piercing blue eyes that always seemed able to see through anything. Her skin was almost as black as the black business suit and shiny black shoes she always wore. Her hair was also always put up into a single ponytail, which only made her thin face look thinner. Ever since she first learned my name, Scarecrow, as I secretly called her, was always looking over my shoulder and watching me as if I had, at three years old, already declared myself against the government. After we were all introduced to Scarecrow, she took us down to a room where other three-year-old boys and girls were playing with blocks and coloring with crayons. Scarecrow left us there and I looked around, a little lost.
           “Hello. I’m Raphael.” A boy said behind me. I turned to see a boy an inch taller than I was watching me curiously. Raphael’s skin was dark, but not as dark as Scarecrow's, and his hair was as dark brown as his eyes. He was wearing the same clothes that all of us were wearing: a tan shirt, matching pants, and white sneakers.
           “I’m Sarah.” I answered. After that day and that simple introduction, Raphael and I always played together and it was a full two years later that we met Ray Mills, Natalie Faber, and Jessica Collins. Ray’s red hair was always shoulder length and his eyes were always as green as the grass surrounding the building. Natalie, who we always called Lee, had short blond hair, hazel eyes, and skin almost matching her eyes. Jessica’s hair was very long and very pale blond, which only made her light skin look lighter. The five of us became fast friends and it was when we turned ten that our problems began.

           At age ten, children were given more freedom. We were allowed to wander around in the fenced in yard of the building and our overseers would only watch us carefully if they suspected something amiss. The five of us were at the very end of the yard and we were spying on the three officials who were standing outside the fenced yard and talking about something we had always wondered about: what happened to the mentally challenged kids who had disappeared one day and never came back. Two of the officials were men and Scarecrow was the only woman.
           "Well, I think that all the dangers should be killed, not just the mentally handicapped." Scarecrow was saying.
           "Why?" one of the men asked, "They are perfectly mentally able and can do the Perfect State no harm stranded in Australia."
           "Exactly. What if they somehow find a way to stow away on the ship? If they get back to the Perfect State somehow, they could start wreaking havoc."
           "You worry too much, Bradbury." the second man commented, "They'll never be able to get here and those who have created so called secret societies are easily being caught."
           "Just you wait, both of you. One of these days trouble will start. Mark my words." After Scarecrow said that, she looked in our general direction and we snuck quickly away, but I think she might've seen us for she watched me even more often after that.

           On the day that we all turned twelve, we decided to walk around the yard and enjoy our last few hours in the building outside, enjoying the fresh air. Scarecrow was following us, though I was the only one who noticed the overseer creeping behind us and hiding behind the few trees in the yard when one of us turned around.
           "Are you okay, Sarah?" Raphael asked, in his low-pitched voice that sounded almost like rolling thunder, "You're being too quiet." I had been looking over my shoulder, watching Scarecrow, and I lifted my head to look at Raphael.
           "Hmm? Oh…I'm just thinking." I answered. That was the truth. I was just thinking, but I was thinking about something that was forbidden to talk about. Ever since we had heard the conversation between Scarecrow and her two companions, my friends and I had begun to think and talk about what the world had been like before the Perfect State and we had secretly decided to fight against the government, to join a secret society, once we were free of the building.
           "What are you five doing?" Scarecrow's high-pitched voice demanded. All five of us, including me, spun around quickly. I hadn't noticed her coming up behind us and so she scared me when she spoke.
           "We're walking." Ray answered, his alto voice staying calm even though his face was unusually pale.
           "Walking? Walking when you could be sitting down and not moving even a single muscle? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you five are planning something." As she said this last bit, Scarecrow pointedly looked me in the eyes and I met her gaze. She looked away when Lee spoke, her voice, which was unusually low for a girl, unwavering.
           "We just wanted some fresh air, Mrs. Bradbury."
           "Miss Faber, I suggest you all go inside, before someone else suspects something." Scarecrow snapped, "After all you are all leaving in a few hours."
           "We'll go inside later." I responded becoming annoyed that Scarecrow wanted us to sit inside, bored, for the last few hours. Scarecrow gave me a sharp look that almost made me feel afraid.
           "Miss Webbam, I want to talk to you in my office now and not later." she spat. I glared at her and, when I didn't move, she grabbed my arm and dragged me away from my friends, who were all glaring at Scarecrow's back. I bared my teeth as Scarecrow's sharp bright red-painted nails dug into my arm and I tried not to let her see that she was hurting me. She led me into her large basement-floor office and slammed the door shut behind me. Scarecrow grabbed a fistful of my shirt and slammed my back against the wall. She held me there and looked into my face with her eyes, which held a look of extreme anger.
           I felt some spit hit me as she spoke angrily, "I'm not going to play nice anymore, Sarah." she said my name as if it was a curse and continued immediately after, "I know you and your friends are planning something and whatever it is, I'll find out. Then we'll see if you stay as confident as you are now. Unfortunately, I'm the only one with sense to see that you and your friends are potentially dangerous and so you will all be leaving here to be free. However, you have no idea how close your two friends, Natalie and Jessica, came to being considered dangerous. But, once again, I was the only one who could see that they aren't normal. However you'll see one day, you five will make an error and I'll be waiting when you do."
           "What makes Natalie and Jessica so dangerous?" I asked, "What nearly made them so different?" Scarecrow seemed a little surprised that I didn't have even a drop of fear in my voice or in my face. Scarecrow let go of my shirt so suddenly that I nearly fell.
           "I'm the only one who has seen how those two look at each other. It's almost sickening." she said, "You may go now, but I'll be watching you until you leave, so be careful what you say and don't think I won't be able to hear you, I can hide quite well." I turned my back on Scarecrow and left her office. When I got up to the ground floor of the building, I found Lee, Raphael, Ray, and Jessica waiting for me by the top of the spiraled stairs.
           "What did Scarecrow say?" Jessica asked, as I had predicted she would. Jessica was always the most eager to know information and so whenever something happened, she would be the first to speak up.
           "She thinks we're planning something against the government." I said with a wink and a wide smile. All five of us began to laugh so that had Scarecrow been listening, she would've been unable to tell whether we were laughing because she was right or because she was wrong. Once we all stopped laughing, I looked around to see some of the very few other children, who had been walking around the building, watching the five of us strangely.
           "Come on, let's go back outside." Raphael said, "This building makes me feel like I'm being slowly suffocated and we still have a few more hours."
           "We'd better be careful," Lee started, "You never know, maybe we'll get in trouble just because we like fresh air."
           "It's probably going to be considered against the rules to enjoy the outside." Ray joked. We continued to joke like this until hours later and all the twelve-year-old children were summoned to the back of the yard. We stood there with some two hundred other boys and girls our age. We were all ordered to form a long line and the five of us were able to find a place near the front. The twenty-eight government officials who had watched over our age group were at the gate to the yard, the gate that blocked us all from freedom. The outside of the gate was split into two different lines: the left line would lead to freedom and the right was for the few who were to be brought, as only my friends and I knew, to Australia. When those who were lucky enough to go through the left side got to the gate, they were each given a backpack that contained a year's supply of clothing. When the five of us got to the gate, Scarecrow allowed all of us into the left line and I felt her eyes watching me until we were all around the corner where a line of taxis were waiting to take the free twelve-year-olds anywhere they wanted to go. The five of us already knew where we were heading for we had begun speaking about it after we had learned where the people who disappeared went. The five of us got into a waiting taxi and we were all smiling brightly.
           "To the airport, sir." I said. We arrived at the airport at mid afternoon and we got onto the plane that would take us across the ocean, as far away from the building as possible. The plane landed at dawn and the five of us began to search for an unoccupied house. An hour later, we had found a small one-story house with four bedrooms, a bathroom, a small kitchen, and a sitting room. The kitchen contained a stove, refrigerator, a sink, and a dishwasher. There were two recliners and two couches in the sitting room, and in each of the bedrooms there was a bed, a closet, and a nightstand. When we found we would have to divide four bedrooms among five people, Raphael, Ray, and I weren't surprised when Jessica and Lee decided to share a bed. Once we were all settled, someone knocked on our door and I went to open it. A sixteen-year-old man was standing outside and I wondered why he had decided to pay us a visit at seven in the morning. The man had nearly black skin, very dark brown hair, and astonishingly bright blue eyes. He was wearing the blue jeans, tan shirt, and black sneakers that all the people, now including the five of us, in that part of the world wore. Curious, Raphael, Jessica, Lee, and Ray came over to the door see who was standing there.
           "May I come in?" he asked. We all nodded and he walked into the house. I closed the door and turned to look at him.
           "Who are you?" Ray asked.
           "I am Alan Womack." the man answered, "May I ask who are you?
           "I'm Raphael Werner." he answered, "This is Sarah Webbam, Jessica Collins, Ray Mills, and Natalie Faber, more commonly called Lee." Alan looked at all of us and then at me, as if he could somehow tell I was the leader of the group.
           "You, no doubt, are the leader here." he commented, "Do you all know where the people who disappear go?"
           "We do. They go to Australia. Why do you ask?" I knew why he had asked, but I just wanted to confirm it and I wanted to know how he knew to ask the five of us.
           "A message from one of our spies at the building told us there was a group of kids who were suspected of being dangerous, as the government calls people like us. We figured you five might be willing to join our secret society."
           "That's what we were planning to do." Lee said.
           "Very well," Alan said, "Come to the bar called the Thief tonight at ten. I will be there to meet you and show you to the meeting place."
           "We'll be there." Ray said. Alan nodded and I opened the door for him. We did as Alan said and went to the clean, crowded bar and we met Alan near the door. With one quick look around at the people in the bar, he led the five of us to the door that led into the kitchen. He then opened a hidden door in the floor near the large oven and led us into it. The door led into a large underground room where about ten people were waiting for us. More than half of the secret society were women, the rest were men. We were all introduced by Alan and then, the five of us were told what the secret society did. We learned the this secret society was the longest lasting group and they had only lost five people compared to the other societies which had lost dozens of people and often times the whole society was shut down. After we knew all about the society we had joined, we were asked to explain how we had learned the truth about the Perfect State. After that, we were considered full members of the society and we went back to our house for the night.

           We slowly slipped into a routine. During the day, the five of us would hang around the house or go for a walk and at night, we would go to the secret society's meetings. During our first two years of being part of the secret society, I moved up in rank until I was considered the leader, even though there was no official leader for the secret societies hidden throughout the Perfect State. For four years, we lived our days like that but a month after we turned sixteen, everything changed. I had decided to break the routine and I went for a walk by myself. As I walked down the street, a very few people walked by and they all had blank looks on their faces, ignorant of how at that very moment people were being condemned to live on Australia, or worse they had some sort of mental problem and were being killed without a chance. As a turned a corner into a deserted street, someone put a hand over my mouth and dragged me behind a nearby dumpster. I struggled to get free, but whoever was holding me was much stronger than I was. The person finally let go of me and I turned to look at him or her. I was surprised to see Alan standing behind me and looking nervous.
           "What's the big idea?" I demanded.
           "Shhh." Alan hissed, "Be quiet and stay down. Some government officials have arrested your four friends and are now looking for you." My eyes widened in terror. My friends had been caught which mean they were in trouble, but all I could say was:
           "Why have they been arrested?" It was a stupid question since I already knew the answer.
           "Lee and Jessica have been arrested as homosexuals." Alan explained with a sigh, "Raphael and Ray were arrested for hiding them."
           "How do the officials know about me?"
           "The person leading the officials is—"
           "Well, well, well." Scarecrow's voice said from behind me. I whirled around to look at her. She hadn't changed a single bit and she had a look of happiness that made me a little nervous, not that I would give her the satisfaction of seeing me nervous. Scarecrow was holding a shotgun directly at me and I could tell she was trying hard not to shoot me that very minute. "I told you I could hide quite well." she mocked, "I've been watching you are your friends for the past year." I clenched my fist and all I felt at that moment was complete annoyance at Scarecrow's gloating.
           "A whole year?" I asked, doubtful, "You've probably been watching us for a long time." I must've hit the mark, for Scarecrow's eyes lit up with excitement at my mentioning her watching us for more than a year.
           "But of course!" she exclaimed, "I've been keeping a close eye on you, especially your two disgusting friends."
           "If their disgusting, what does that make you? Utterly atrocious?" I shot back. Alan was listening to our war with words and he seemed amazed at how fearlessly I was returning Scarecrow's comments.
           "You'd better watch your words, girl." Scarecrow threatened, "I have permission to do what I wish with your friends." I laughed.
           "Liar. You need to have all of us safe and sound." Scarecrow scowled and pointed her gun at me, her finger on the trigger.
           "You come with me now, Sarah, or else your friend behind you will die and I do have authority to do that." My heart sank and I couldn't stop my feelings from showing on my face. Oh how I wished I had a good comeback, but I didn't want to risk having Alan, who had nothing to do with the thirteen-year-old conflict with Scarecrow, hurt.
           "Very well. You win this round." I said as if my own words would kill me, "I'll come." I stopped and then added, "Peacefully" as a side note. Scarecrow led me away from Alan and to a government building located in the center of town. The building served as a holding place until prisoners could be brought before the judge, who might as well be the ruler of the Perfect State seeing as Ruler Marcus Estevan influenced Supreme Judge Judd Taylor. I was brought by Scarecrow to a room where Raphael, Ray, Jessica, and Lee were sitting on the floor and looking very bored. Scarecrow roughly pushed me into the room and I turned to face her.
           "I would love to see who brave you really are without that gun." I snapped as Scarecrow slammed the door in my face.
           "Are you okay, Sarah?" Raphael asked, looking me up and down with a worried expression. I looked around at my friends and say that Lee and Ray were in bad shape. Lee, with her head leaning on Jessica's shoulder, had a bad gash on her forehead and Ray, looking nervous, had a wound on his arm that appeared to be from a bullet.
           "I'm fine, but two of you look bad."
           "It's nothing we can't handle." Lee said with a wide smile, "Or at least, I can handle it."
           "I'm handling myself fine." Ray retorted.
           "Sure you were." Lee said, "Running around in panic is really good handling of a situation."
           "You were running around, Ray?" I asked, teasingly. I sat down next to Raphael and then said, "I want to hear what happened. It sounds interesting."

           We were locked in that room for a day before we were moved, by plane, to Paris, which was in the country that was once France and was renamed into Utopia. Go figure. Utopia was the country that served as the capital of the Perfect State and it was where Ruler Marcus lived. We were separated upon arrival; Lee and Jessica were sent straight to a room in the only prison of the Perfect State while Ray, Raphael, and I were brought to a holding cell in the only courthouse of the Perfect State which was where we were going to be sentenced by the only judge of the Perfect State. A day after we had been put in the holding cell, Ray was brought in to be sentenced and then Raphael was sentenced fifteen minutes later. When Scarecrow came to look at me through the bars of the holding cell door, I was alone in the holding cell, for Ray and Raphael were both being sent to Australia with Lee and Jessica. I tried to look indifferent as Scarecrow spoke and didn't find it that hard.
           "Most likely, you'll be given the death sentence." Scarecrow said as if she had been given a big reward, "For leading a group against the Perfect State and for sheltering two homosexuals." Scarecrow winced when she said 'homosexuals' which made me want to punch her, though the metal bars on the door dissuaded me.
           "Now that's not much of a punishment." I said instead, "I'd rather be dead then living in this so-called 'Perfect State.' If it was perfect, everyone would be considered equal. Instead the 'Perfect State' rejects people with disabilities, defects, and it rejects homosexuals."
           "Homosexuals," she started with a wince, "can barely be considered human. Good-bye, Sarah Webbam." Scarecrow walked away from the door and I could tell I had chased her away with my defense of my two friends who she had been targeting the most. At that moment, the holding cell door was unlocked and I was led to the room where I would be sentenced by the Supreme Judge. Judd Taylor was fat and short and when he sat in his chair behind the podium, he looked even fatter and shorter. His skin was nearly the same color as Raphael's except a tiny bit lighter and his piercing blue eyes seemed to be able to see everything that was going on in the room at once. He was bald and wearing black pants, a black dress shirt, and black sneakers. I was forced to stand in front of him, with the hundred or so government officials seated behind me. I was even surprised to see Ruler Marcus sitting in a raised chair at the very back of the room. I stood there without any feelings showing on my face and, surprisingly, I remained calm.
           "Sarah Webbam," the Judge said, "You are guilty of leading a group against the Perfect State and therefore against Ruler Marcus. You are also guilty of hiding and providing for homosexuals. I have ruled that you shall be given the sentence of death which will be carried out in two years' time, during which you will live on Australia. Do you have anything to say to this sentence?"
           "Two words." I answered, "Thank goodness." Supreme Judge Judd looked at me in surprise and he seemed confused as to why I wasn't so much as turning pale at the thought of being killed. The officials sitting down behind me were whispering quickly amongst each other, all wondering who the seemingly fearless woman was.
           "Dismissed." the Judge ordered and I was led out of the room. As the two men walked next to me out of the room, a young man ran over to them and whispered something in one of the older man's ear. The man nodded and the younger hurried off again. The man, surprisingly enough, didn't lead me back to the holding cell to wait for a ride to Australia; instead he led me to a room that branched of the main hallway of the courthouse. Much to my surprise, Ruler Marcus was sitting in a chair covered in pillows and his eyes scan my figure in a way that made me feel like slapping him hard in the face.
           "So you are Sarah Webbam." he said, looking into my eyes with his baby blue gaze. Ruler Marcus, who looked to be the same age as me, was quite thin for being a pampered ruler of the world and his slick black hair against his pale skin made him look evilly handsome. He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and he appeared strangely stressed. Ruler Marcus also looked creepily like me.
           "No. I'm the tooth fairy." I snapped.
           "Watch your tongue, girl." the man who had led me into the room hissed.
           "It's quite alright," the ruler replied, "I find her sarcasm amusing." It took me a few seconds to realize that I had begun to stare at him in bewilderment and when I realized what I was doing, I quickly snapped out of it, but I hadn't been quick enough for Ruler Marcus to not notice. I saw the amusement in his eyes, but behind the amusement I was surprised to see what looked like a plea for help, but the look quickly disappeared.
           "So, why did some great ruler like you want to see some low-life like me?"
           "I just wanted a chance to see you face to face and I must say you are different from other trouble makers."
           "I suppose that's a compliment?" The ruler doesn't respond, instead he motions for the man standing behind me to take me away.

           The boat trip to Australia was torture to me as I sat in a damp cell and trying to figure out exactly what the help plea in Ruler Marcus's look had meant. By the time I got to Australia, the only reasonable reason I could come up with was that Ruler Marcus wasn't the real man in charge of the Perfect State and he was just a puppet, but I had trouble believing it. When I got off the boat, I was led onto land and I was led to a gate leading from the small harbor onto the main continent. As I was registered I looked around lazily and I began planning an escape that I knew was impossible. As soon as I released onto Australia, I walked off sulkily and wondered where all my friends were. I looked around as I walked through the large city that used to be called Sydney, but in the Perfect State, the cities and towns of Australia had no names. Everything was in good shape and there were hundreds of people milling around. From the looks of it, every person who had been brought to Australia had never left the one city and so I realized how easy it would be to speak with every "dangerous person" at one time.
           "Sarah!" Raphael's voice shouted from behind me. I look to see Ray, Raphael, Lee, and Jessica hurrying over to me. Raphael wrapped me in a bear hug and, surprisingly, gave me a big kiss on my cheek. Shocked, I didn’t look away from Raphael as my three other friends clap me on the shoulder or punch me in a joking manner, as Lee did.
           "What was your sentence?" Ray asked once he and the others had calmed down. I looked down at the ground before answering and I wonder whether I should tell them and ruin their good moods.
           "Two years here and then the death sentence." My four friends were shocked into silence and I saw tears form in Raphael's eyes. "It'll be okay, though." I insisted quietly, "I have a plan. Crazy though it is I think it might just work…"

           Part 2~The Rectification
           Two years later, I decided to unveil my plan to everyone living in Australia three days before I was due to die. In the center of the city, there was a very large statue of some unknown person and so I decided to stand in front of the statues feet on the large block of stone that made up the stand of the statue. When people saw me standing there, flanked by Raphael, Ray, Lee, and Jessica, they began to gather. I was the most popular and well-known person in Australia and so everyone gathered round to hear.
           "How many people here think your punishment was unjust and unnecessary?" I shouted when everything became quiet. Exchanging confused looks, the people began raising their hands one by one. "How many here think the world needs to change?" At that, no one seemed brave enough to answer. "Well, I think it does." I said, "Perhaps all of you know that I was given the death sentence and that I am considered the most dangerous of us all. But I will tell you something you don't know. I will not go down without a fight! What about you, my friends? Are you ready to sit in this godforsaken place and not take any action at all? Or are you with me and ready to fight for our lives?!" I had everyone's attention and, surprisingly, I had everyone's support. "Well, I have a plan that might just help us get off this piece of land and back to the so called 'Perfect State'. If you are courageous enough, together we can change the world for the better. Who's with me?!" Everyone shouted and screamed while I smiled triumphantly. "Then let us begin getting ready. The time for change has come and I would hate for it to pass us right by!" Before I could fully unveil my plan, a shot rang out and I looked to see Scarecrow holding a gun above her head. Behind Scarecrow stood about a hundred officials all of whom had guns. As soon as everyone saw the officials, they began to panic and chaos erupted.
           "Maybe we can get away, Sarah." Lee suggested over the shouting of the crowd. I nodded and we headed quickly for the edge of the city, but someone grabbed my wrist.
           "Sarah!" Raphael shouted as I looked to see Scarecrow holding my wrist tightly.
           "Go! I'll be fine!" I watched as Raphael had to be dragged away by Ray and Lee. Scarecrow laughed and led me away through the now deserted city. I bowed my head as I finally realized just how grim my situation was. I had been prepared to die for what I believed in, but now that the time was closing in, I became scared to die. I said nothing at all on the whole trip back to the prison where I would be held until the execution. I didn't speak even when Scarecrow began to make fun of my friends and my pitiful attempt to cause a revolution. When she grew tired of talking to a person who wouldn't look up from the floor, she left. After two whole days in a prison cell, I said nothing and Scarecrow had given up trying to get a reaction from me. It was in the evening of the second day that Ruler Marcus visited me by himself. I glanced at him briefly before looking back down at the floor. I expected him to say something, but instead I heard the sound of a key in the lock and I looked up again to see Ruler Marcus opening the cell door. I was about to ask him what he was doing when I suddenly knew somehow that Ruler Marcus was on my side and he was breaking me out.
           "I figured it would come to this, boy." I was surprised when Supreme Judge Judd Taylor, took the key out of the younger man's hand, pushed the ruler into the cell with me, and then slammed the door shut. "I knew from the moment I learned you had a twin that Bradbury had made a bad decision as to who I should use as my puppet. Well, now you two get the same fate. Good-bye, Marcus Webbam." I watched, shocked at the judge left. I looked at Marcus in horror and tried to get as far from him as possible.
           "I know it seems impossible, but I'm your twin brother." Marcus insisted, "Scarecrow—"
           "How did you know I called her that?" I demanded my voice hoarse from not talking in two days.
           "I honestly don't know. But she took me away from mom and dad as soon as we were born. You have to believe me."
           "I don't believe you, but somehow I know your telling the truth." Marcus walked over to me and I allowed him to sit down on the bed next to me.
           "I heard from Scarecrow that you tried to start some sort of revolution before you left."
           "I tried, but failed miserably."
           "That's what you think." Raphael's voice said. Marcus and I both look to see my four friends hurrying over to our cell. Marcus and I got to my feet as Raphael and Lee broke the lock on the door.
           "What's all this?" I asked, "How did you get here?"
           "Your plan worked, Sarah!" Jessica said, "A group from Australia was able to kill Scarecrow and the judge, but we don't know where—" She broke off when she noticed Marcus. My four friends pointed guns that they had somehow obtained at Marcus.
           "Don't shoot him." I said standing in between him and the guns, "If the judge is dead than you have already killed the true ruler. Marcus was just a puppet."
           "Then he was still part of this all," Ray said bitterly.
           "Don't shoot him. He's my twin." The four stared at me and then at the man who looked like my double except the opposite gender. They lowered their guns and then, suddenly, I felt faint and I collapsed on the ground from lack of food, water, and sleep.

           When I came to, I found myself on a hospital bed with Marcus and Raphael sitting on either side of me. They both looked immensely relieved to see me awake and well.
           "What happened?" I asked.
           "You fainted last night." Marcus said, "Do you feel okay?"
           "I feel fine. I'm just a little thirsty. What happened after I fainted?"
           "We've done it!" Raphael exclaimed, "We've changed the government without any resistance, except from the officials. The world has entered a worldwide democracy and there's going to be an election soon to choose someone to lead the democracy."
           "That's good. How're Ray, Jessica, and Lee?"
           "They're fine and helping to get rid of the last of the officials." Marcus answered.
           "Well, let's go help them!" Marcus and Raphael helped me to my feet and after I had something to eat and drink, we set out to help finish changing the world.