• Everyday


    The sound bellowed through the halls of the asylum. Well, it was not actually an asylum, but it sure felt like one. Each room was filled with its sound. It seemed almost human in a way. Like it was a living entity that was walking up to our bed sides and waking us up with its cold hands. The sound filled the ears until they spilled over with the noise. I really did feel sorry for the ones who had extremely well hearing. This went on for five minutes in the asylum. Once every patient was up, it stopped. How did it know everyone was up? Well, no one actually knew, but it seemed to know. Some days it felt like two minutes while other days it felt like an hour yet they convinced us it was only five minutes. It just stopped. As it stopped, it still echoed, for every person across the nation was getting up at the same time.
    It was the government's idea, or in our terms, 'The Controls'. Act 7-54. It put a curfew and a wake-up call on the whole nation to ensure that everyone got the perfect amount of sleep in order to be healthy. Really stupid if you asked me but whom was I? I was in an asylum so I clearly wasn't even a human in the eyes of The Controls. At first, everyone believed that it was a good idea and the reason was a good one too. Everyone got eight and a half hours of sleep every night, thus ensuring the health of everyone would stay put. One group didn't like this one bit. Then again, they disagreed with the The Controls on a daily basis. They were called The Lanterns.
    I know I know, I am getting off track but it will help with my story. Now The Lanterns were a group of motley misfits. They each were descendants of great soldiers who had lived through the Old Nation times. The Old Nation veterans passed down their stories through generations. Technically, these veterans were the first Lanterns to exist. They questioned everything and knew every loop hole and how to avoid things. Basically, you had to be born into the Lanterns in order to be part of the group. That changed though with the rise of popularity. Now, The Lanterns were a group of citizens, mostly teenagers from thirteen to nineteen, who were deemed unfit for society by The Controls. After a year being at an asylum, they dodged the system and managed to get out. How? Only God knows, if there was one. Not much was known about The Lanterns besides them being a motley crew who hated The Controls.
    Back to my story though. See, you had to know a bit about them in order to understand! When Act 7-54 was put into place, they instantly rioted. The same evening it was passed, a group of about twenty Lanterns set up camp around The Great Tower. The Great Tower was sort of like our town hall. They waited until the lamp lights turned off at eight pm sharp, then, that's when they began. They blasted music, sang, danced, drank, everything that rowdy teenagers did. Everything that made teenagers look bad. Then again, it kind of was the truth. They ran rampant through the streets, waking up many people. No one could stop them since even the law enforcements were asleep. Why were they asleep? Because everyone was so convinced crime would be at an all-time low, meaning no crime basically. Lame move but then again, I was here. They decided to continue this every night until the law was lifted. It was clear who was going to win, yet, The Controls slipped n officer inside. He must have been pretty young because they didn't even give him a second glance. How he got passed was beyond me. On, what day was it? I remember that it was after Initiation. Hm. Well roughly Mid November, they were busted. The cop had been inside for a month before he finally busted them. It was during one of their little powwows before a night of drugs and dancing. He busted them in broad daylight. From what I heard of the report, some things didn't add up though. The Lanterns were captured yes, but not all of them. Wouldn't you think they would capture all of them? Why eliminate part of the Lanterns if you can rid society of the whole lot all together? Why kill one weed when you can kill them all? It made simply no sense yet at the same time, it was brighter than day. Clearer than crystals. The man had agreed with some of their ideas. That's why he let them go. That way, he didn't lose a job and their reform could keep going. That gave me hope though because clearly people could still think for themselves.
    The door opened and a girl came in. Her body was slim, and curvy, and she had the perfect breast to butt ratio. Her breasts looked kind of like...hm...they weren't as big as mom's and those were double D's yet they weren't as small as Darcy's and she had A's, so I could honestly say they were about a B maybe a C on a good day. Her legs seemed a bit long for her body, but then again, who was I to judge? She was in a white gown that hit to her knees. Just above her knee cap actually. The dress seemed to fit her body snuggly. Tight enough to show her figure yet loose enough to move around in it comfortably. Her hair was a light brown. Not too dark yet not so light it was blonde. It was in loose curls that stopped about her mid-back. Her skin was alabaster and she had a clear face. The light seemed to just dance on it. No acne, no freckles, nothing. Her face looked as soft as my own pillow and she looked like a doll. She probably was one. One created by The Controls.
    What? What am I talking about you ask? Well you see The Controls decided that in order for everyone to know what was deemed fit and unfit, they would have to create cookie cutter "people" and the only way to do this was to genetically create them. They gave them the perfect genes and features. These cookie cutter beings ended up being called 'The Dolls'. At first there was only ten located in Washington D.C but as time went on, about twenty to thirty were dropped in big cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and even our city, Chicago. They roamed about and lived like everyone else, minus the fact that they had no education and everything they knew was from a chip installed in the back of their neck. They went to work and were more just mannequins for everyone else.
    The first thing that threw me was the fact that she wasn't old. Another was that her eyes were a light blue. That wouldn't fly. The government had specific rules. Blue eyes belonged with blonde hair. Brown eyes belonged with brown hair. Why? Only God knows. If there was one. But we won't go into my religious beliefs and such. It is none of your concern.
    Continuing with this lady. She smiled and handed me a cup. I shrugged and took the cup. Inside was a cocktail of clear and chalky looking pills.
    "Fantastic." I sighed.
    With a deep breath, I chugged the pills down dry. I had become used to this and it was a piece of cake. The mix was to help prevent my disorder. The disorder was the reason I was in this joint. You see I had a disorder formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder. Now though, they called it something weird. Hm...what was it called? I think they called it Mixed Personas Virus. Yea. Why virus? Because the Controls believed any disease or disorder could be treated with, a sometimes deadly, pill cocktail along with treatment.


    Memories


    The lady soon left. Then it was just me once more. The door was now open though. I was free to come and go as I pleased. Well, to some extent.
    "Let's just run. Run to god knows where."
    The menacing voice echoed in my head as well as linger on my lips. It was similar to my own. The tone was a bit dark and rather menacing. A tad bit lower than my own as well. Confident for sure. I knew this voice though. His name was Felix.
    "Felix..." I answered with my, somewhat similar, yet completely opposite fragile and soft tone.
    "You know we can't. The Controls have eyes on us."
    I glanced at the mirror in my room. The only mirror. My reflection stared back at me, and so did the people behind the mirror. They had no clue I knew they were there. It was funny really. I acted as if I was fixing my hair when in reality; I was staring into the eyes of one of the men. Every room had this mirror. Problem was, not everyone was smart enough to notice the men behind the glass.
    "Well. We can...scratch that. I can kill them all on your way out."
    "No..."
    That was the end of Felix. For now at least. Standing up slowly, I removed my white shirt. I slipped on the other white shirt. It felt stiff and warm. Two things that shouldn't mix but did; especially, in this world. In this world, opposites mixed. Yes, I know, opposites attract but I am not talking about people right now. I am talking about objects. They give you nice clothing, yet it is stiff. They give you a cocktail of pills, where half of them aren't yet approved by the Government Department of Medicinal Medications. In this world, hot and cold went together just as well as dry and wet. It was all types of crazy; then again, I was in here for that reason exactly.
    The clock rang again. It was now seven thirty. I wasted a good amount of time now. At this time, at least in here, all the patience had a free time. The Controls insisted that stimulating the mind would help one become healthier and stay healthy. There were these recreation periods all throughout the day. I had a thing I did every time at this hour. I took a walk.
    Exiting the dull room, I entered a long, still dull, hallway. It was lined with shiny silver doors. Seemed everyone was out of their cells. I shrugged and slipped my hands into the pockets of my stiff, gray pants. Problem was, I had no pockets. Sadly, my hands swayed by my sides.
    "I need to make some pockets."
    On my way to the court yard, I passed by some interesting people. The first was a lady. She looked rather elderly. It was a bit unclear about why she was in here. Then it became clear. She was sitting at a table. She seemed to be holding a photograph that was all I could really see of it as I passed by. I couldn't get a good glimpse though. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she held the photo close to her chest.
    "Bradly...you shouldn't have died."
    I looked closer at her. Dark circles rimmed her eyes that seemed full of gloom. Her gray hair was in a rather tangled bun. Had no one thought to brush her hair for her? This lady didn't look ugly or anything. She had gray eyes that spoke a story. I wanted to go talk to her. Usually I never looked at the people here but she caught my eye.
    "Don't do it. We got enough s**t."
    "Shut up Felix."
    With a deep breath and a pause, just to make sure Felix was done, I strode toward her. I put a smile on my face and rested my hand on the chair across from her.
    "Is this seat taken?"
    Wearily, she looked up at me, making eye contact. All my energy seemed to become drained by this lady. Her face seemed hollow. Her body seemed hollow. Her gray eyes were like marbles that no one bothered to touch because the game was out of style. Her frown lines were now apparent. This lady had depression. That was it. Thing was. When you were in here for a while, you start to learn the signs of everything. I had a very good eye and it came almost natural to me.
    "W-w-what?" she sniffled a bit.
    "No. Go ahead."
    I kept my smile on my face as I sat down. I folded my hands into my lap. Suddenly, I heard a gasp.
    "O-oh my gawd."
    I looked up.
    "You look just like..."
    Tears filled her eyes as she looked down at the photograph again. She began to cry again.
    "Oh! Ma’am. Don't cry. Please."
    I kind of had no clue what to do, so I got up and went by her side. I rested my hand on her back and gently rubbed it in circular motions. I could feel a breath be released from her as the crying ceased. Suddenly, her brittle fingers opened and revealed the photograph to me. In the picture were two people. Also, it was not in black and white. It was in color. It was still from her younger years though. The first figure was a young lady. She was in a little pink sundress. On her head was a pink hat with a large white flower. Her eyes were covered with sunglasses and brown hair was cut into a bob on the lady's head. She was smiling. This lady in the photograph seemed healthy and alive and simply, everything the Controls looked for. Next to her, a male was leaning his head on her shoulder. He seemed different from her. He smiled with crooked teeth. Defect. He had black, shaggy hair and was in a white t-shirt with black jeans. He held her hand in the photo. They were a couple.
    "This was taken a year before they brought him here." she managed.
    "You see, along with his teeth, they don' found cancer in him. It was, hm, I believe it was lung cancer. You see, his momma and his poppa smoked around him e'ry day. But he never smoked a lick. They don' up and brought him here on my birthday. I came and visited him. My, how I do remember that visit. It was one of the last times he don’ smiled for years after. Look at me. Goin’ down memory lane. Years don' passed and the cancer was gone. My baby had braces too. Until his teeth were fixed, they wouldn't let him up and leave. Then-" Her small yet sassy voice shriveled a bit. It broke as tears swelled up in her eyes again. With a deep breath, she continued.
    "Up until my thirtieth birthday. You see, I came here right? Same time. I sat at this here table. Waited for him. He never came. I got mad upset. I up and asked one of the ladies and want to know what they told me? They told me was dead."
    I couldn't help but gasp a bit.
    "You see though..."
    She lowered her voice and pulled my head close to her lips.
    "He was don' murdered."
    "No..."
    "Why Yes. I be telling a plenty here but none believe me. He was healthy. The cancer was don' gone. That day he was to have 'dem braces off. He was fine to come out. But he never did. Wanna know why I know he was murdered? Because, it was something they don’ did. Them damn Controls..."
    She knew. She was a smart one.
    "They don' be killing off people ya hear? You in this joint for over ten years and they off you. Why? Because they don' want you to mess up they perfect society. They want us all to look all pretty and polished like some damn machine. Do I look perfect? I ain't. Half the people in here ain’t. No. Everyone in here ain’t perfect. We all doomed. They can't keep this up. They can’t be hiding it like they is. You just watch. I got another whole year until they gon’ murder me. I ain’t goin’ down without a fight, ya hear?"
    Suddenly she began to roll her sleeve up. I barely got a glance at what was on her wrist before two men came to her. They grabbed her by the arms and dragged her away. She screamed and thrashed everywhere.
    "YOU GONNA KILL ME LIKE YOU KILLED MY HUSBAND! I KNOW YOUR SECRET YOU HEAR?!"
    The photo floated to the ground. After a scream, a door closed and it was silence again. I stood there and began to wonder if what she said was true. Remembering the photo, I looked down and grabbed it. I promised to keep this until I saw her again.