Writing: ‘The World Between Us’ by Manrique Ariel Saravia
MANRIQUE ARIEL SARAVIA 2ND PLACE HIGH SCHOOL
The World Between Us
“Issue. Verification Failed. Entrance Denied.” It couldn’t be. Isa looked around as she was handcuffed and thrown into the van. Her life was spared. Why?
President Laken’s inauguration was two months ago. In that time, the constitution was burned, the “CapitaUS” skyscraper replaced the Capitol, and this BorderNexus system—meant to clean up America—was implemented. “The knot in my stomach tightens. I couldn’t bring my family before the system went into place, but I hope they’ll make it. They have to,” said Alvaro. “I don’t know what I’ll do without them.”
“It’s time to go, mija,” Isa said softly as the bus made its way to them. They had to catch it since it wouldn’t stay for long. “Apurate Lucia, Hurry! The bus is leaving!” Isa never anticipated leaving her home, which still had so much life left to give, but she knew it was time that she and Alvaro gave their Lucia the life she deserved. Alvaro left first, all thanks to his mother, who petitioned for him and was able to bring him into the land of great opportunities without issue. Still, Isa, whose parents left in her early childhood years, waited, clinging onto Alvaro’s promise to bring her and Lucia over as soon as possible.
Isa and Alvaro often talked about the future they wanted for themselves. They often dreamed of a better life, one that Honduras couldn’t offer. They watched the news, knowing that with every sunrise, new immigration restrictions were being put into effect. The rules to enter America were tightening around them; you had to have papers to enter, simple as that, and be able to pass the BorderNexus system, which was being introduced.
Alvaro had finally petitioned for his wife and daughter, and his heart rejoiced knowing he’d see them once again, but the worry and guilt ate away at him. The system was already set to be in place, and he just had to hope they’d be let in. It was a race against time, but he knew they’d see each other once again. Why wouldn’t they? They had what they needed. They had to be allowed inside. Their life depended on it.
Back on the campaign trail, Laken fawned over his new BorderNexus system that he’d put into place on the nation’s borders. America did not make these choices for herself, but one man made it clear he had more power over her. Laken hadn’t won the election but somehow still found himself in the House of the People, the only monument that still stands, of course, after he and his “Department of New America” erased every bit of American history to write the “new story of America!”
Immigrants like Isa and others hoping for refuge were executed at the border every day. They just wanted a better life para los niños, the kids who could still make something of themselves. If you did not fulfill the requirements when the Nexus checked you, and you wanted to get into America but were deemed a threat, you had to pay with your life. That was the new reality.
The BorderNexus was a complex AI system that replaced the majority of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It had a set of requirements that anyone trying to enter America needed to fulfill. It scanned one’s face and used its complex algorithm to pull up a person’s entire life on a screen. It scanned for a clean criminal record, no relation to dangerous aliens, the nature of the purpose for entry, and no offenses across borders. Whether they liked it or not, this entire list needed to be checked, and if not, immigrants knew what would happen. How could a machine take the lives of people every day, and nobody does anything about it?
But Nexus wasn’t only at the borders. It found itself in the house of God, in the house of learning, and in the house of anyone who did not meet this code. It was looking to remove anyone who did not meet Laken’s guidelines. Its complex algorithm knew who it had to target and who not to. The Nexus had one job, and that was to “clean up America,” as Laken often said. Lives were taken every day. Deportation meant nothing; this was the final solution.
The phone rings. “Hola Alvaro, casi aterrizamos en la frontera. We are at the border, and God willing, they’ll allow us to enter. Lucia will be scanned first,” exclaimed a clammy and nervous Isa.
“Pass the child first,” came from the system overhead, and a machine wheeled itself out to scan the face of little Lucia. It scanned, and Isa watched as all her daughter’s information, down to the second she was born, was quickly shown for verification. “Pass. Welcome to the United States.”
It was my turn now, Isa thought, her heart pounding. My daughter passed, so I have to be allowed. Please let me be allowed. She could not handle the despair welling inside.
“Issue. Verification Failed. Entrance Denied. Please await further instructions to avoid removal.”
Lucia screamed, terrified her mother would be taken or killed, and stood frozen, much like the rest of the country that was freezing because climate change was supposedly not real here. An official promptly made his way to Isa and handcuffed her. Why wasn’t she killed? What happened on that scan that saved her? Isa gave one last look at Lucia, not knowing when she’d see her again. Luckily, Alvaro and his mother would be picking Lucia up at the border, but Alvaro would soon face the supposed loss of his wife, unbeknownst to him that she was actually spared.
Lucia screamed for her mama, the woman who’d been with her through everything. Alvaro picked her up, tears streaming down his face, instantly assuming the worst—that his wife had been executed as per the system’s brutal rules. He dropped to his knees and cried; that’s all he could do as he recalled all the time he’d missed with his wife, wondering why he hadn’t just stayed in Honduras—if anything, it was better than this new life.
Alvaro and his mother hosted a memorial service for his wife. He felt numb and rapidly lost weight. All he wanted for himself and his wife was a better life, not to have it taken away. He did not know what to do.
A week of mourning and sorrow filled Alvaro’s house, and then a number called. He hung up. Why would he answer calls during this time? The only voice he wanted to hear was his wife’s. They called once more, and he picked up. “Tengo 2 segundos, 2 segundos. Búscame, look for me,” spoke a PA-type voice.
“What the hell?” said Alvaro as he threw the phone, but then he started to wonder. Could it have been his wife sending a message, her voice altered through the phone? He picked it back up and wondered the entire night if it could have been her. After all, Lucia hadn’t been able to say a proper goodbye at the border before her mother was taken. Could she be alive?
Alvaro was sure she was still a breathing person; she was being held somewhere. That’s all he knew because when he ran the number, all he saw was the word “center,” but what kind of center was this?
Isa sat in silence in that white room and knew it was time for another round of testing. Please, Alvaro, Encuéntrame, find me, she pleaded silently. Why does there have to be an entire world between us?
10th Grade, Ánimo Inglewood
Guiding Teacher: Suraiya Prasla
