A few days after her dream, Margaret began to walk home from her usual day at the beach where she lounged about and drank lemonade and iced tea. She unlocks the door and steps into the refreshing cool air. Why should I do chores today, she thought. When I (or perhaps Shelly) can do them tomorrow? She had begun to think that Shelly was the master of procrastination, using this to her advantage so that Margaret would end up doing all the chores in the end.

"Ugh," Margaret huffs and begins to make her way down the stairs into her basement, where her room is located. When she gets to the bottom of the steps, she walks over to her bed and grabs her laptop. She opens the top and hears the ding! sound she has set for unread emails. The topic of the email says:

IMPORTANT: Security Breach

Margaret, being naturally curious, opens the email that seems to not have been purposely sent to her. The body of the email reads:

Security Team,
I would like to ask you to recheck every security camera in the Southern hemisphere. There has been a security breach in the main fence where someone or something has gotten through. To prevent this man or object from making it any farther into the Southern hemisphere, we need to remain as cautious as possible and check the fence for any flaws immediately. This is not a suggestion... This is an order.

Thank you,
Dr. Beatrice Trey

After Margaret read the email over three times, she closes the computer and sits on her bed. Countless thoughts were running through her mind. What is the 'main fence' and what the hell is a 'man'? She also wondered what a hemisphere was. Instead of brooding over this, she used her common sense and opened her laptop again. Typing 'hemisphere' into the search bar, she finds a site about the definition. After she learns that it is half of something, she searches 'man'. This was the word she was more curious about. As she clicks on the definition link again, one large red word comes up on the screen:

RESTRICTED.

Margaret then gasps because this has never happened to her before. Whatever a man is, it must be bad. She closes the laptop again but decides that maybe Shelly might have the answers to her questions.

•••

"Shelly?" Margaret immediately inquires as Shelly steps through the door of the blue house. Setting her bag down and taking her shoes off she replies.

"Yes, darling?"

Margaret takes one deep breath before starting her rant about the email that -- she assumed -- was accidentally sent to her. She went on about the 'Southern hemisphere' and the 'main fence'. Shelly's face was a ghostly pale by the time Margaret had (hopefully) finished. But much to her dismay, Margaret asked a question that almost made Shelly faint. "What is a 'man'?"

Choking a bit on her spit, Shelly tries to reply as smoothly as possible so she doesn't create suspicion. (Obviously that didn't work out). Dodging Margaret's question, she replies, "Show me the email, honey."

Margaret leads the way down the basement steps and grasps her sleek computer in her hands, opens it to her email, and shows it to Shelly. After she read the email through, she gasps, much like Margaret had done, and shoves the computer back into her daughters hands. "Shelly? Tell me what this means! Obviously you know something about this!" Margaret starts to get demanding as she finds out that Shelly knows more than she lets on.

"Sweetie, I can't-"

"Yes you can! And you will, Shelly."

Shelly lets out a sigh as her eyes start to well up with unwanted tears. Damn these tear ducts, she thought as she began to warn Margaret about the consequences. "You may not tell anyone what you are about to hear, Margaret. Do you understand? If you do tell someone, we'll both soon be dead."

Margaret's eyes widen momentarily before she nods her head in agreement to remain silent. Shelly wipes a tear from her left eye and begins.

"About sixteen years ago, about a year after you were born, the government of the -- at the time -- integrated world decided to split up the two genders who could keep the human race going. They wanted to officially end the human race by making sure no more children were born. All women were placed in the Southern hemisphere and the men were placed in the Northern hemisphere."

"What's a man?"

"A man is...well, a man is like us, but they are different. Oh, dearest, I don't know how to even explain it." Shelly wipes another tear from her eye. However, Shelly does know how to explain it, but she didn't want to tell her completely innocent child about the certain male body part that was different from females.

"It's alright. Just please go on," Margaret says (slightly) patiently this time.

"Alright. Where were we? Oh, yes. So men and women were separated. Put between the two hemispheres was a ginormous fence to keep one gender from trying to invade the other hemisphere. The government will do anything to stop the expanding of the human race."

"Why?"

"These corrupt government officials have a belief that humans have destroyed the Earth. They think that if we are exterminated, it will make way for other life forms to dominate Earth and live in a way that doesn't ruin the environment around them."

Margaret begins to grow angry with these government officials. "That is so stupid! We're just fine here!" The idea of everyone she knows being dead makes her eyes start to water. Shelly pulls her daughter close for a hug.

"In order for the human race to survive, men and women must be together. We are what produce children. You know so little, darling, and it saddens me to know you will never be able to have those precious little humans who fill your life with happiness." By now, Shelly has tears streaming down her face. Choking back tears herself, Margaret asks:

"Shelly, what's 'children'?"

After a few minutes of Shelly trying to stop the continuous flow of warm, salt water down her face, she answers another one of Margaret's questions. "Women like you and I give birth to children. Like a dog gives birth to its pup, we give birth to other human beings. They are so little and cute and they will resemble you and the man you made the little beauty with." Shelly felt awkward not being able to discuss what sex was. She had already laid so much out in the open for Margaret, which also put them both in major danger. Even so, she wanted to finish out her story.

"Babies then grow up to where they make new babies. It's what keeps the human race going. But now, with the separation of males and females, that cannot happen." Shelly takes a deep, deep breath and takes Margaret's hands in her own. "Did you know..." Of course she doesn't, Shelly! "I am the female who gave birth to you?"

Margaret eyes widen in shock, but after the realization of this, quickly leans towards Shelly. They sit in a silence only being occasionally broken by sniffles between both women. A few more minutes pass, and Margaret says, "Shelly?"

Humming an 'hmm?' in response, Shelly pulls away to look her daughter in the eyes.

"I want to go to the fence."

•••

A/N: Sorry for the extremely emotional (for the characters) chapter :/ Some details needed to be introduced into the story so it would make a little more sense. Once again...sorry.

Until next chapter(:,
Fae x