by Yasemin O.
There are currently 2,561 people in the world. 2,559 of these people are equal and happy. Two out of these 2,561 are wards of the government taken to a special facility, which aims to fix them. Once they are fixed they will be let out into society…
The facility walls were covered in pure white tiles that stretched for what seemed like miles. Windows were scarce, and the halls were illuminated by bright fluorescents. In the facility, there were four people, and two of them were declared mentally unstable. The rest were doctors who were trying to make them sane.
They performed many tests on Samantha and me. The doctors said that it was for our own good, but I didn’t think so. I thought that the tests were torture. Samantha and I were born with a genetic mutation. Or so they said. We didn’t see the world like the doctors did, for us the world was raw. Unlike everybody else, the chip refused to work in our brains and our eyes refused to see everyone as equal.
We walked down the absurdly bright hallways once again, our footsteps making light thud sounds, highlighted by the eerily quiet hallway. Samantha walked beside me, her hands fidgeting with her black sweater. I knew she was nervous, though she would never admit to it. I had known her for ten years and yet never heard her voice waver.
When we finally reached the room, the walls were covered with posters of the brain. Images of what a typical brain looked like versus what ours looked like; this was the waiting room. There were two doors leading to adjacent rooms where they performed the tests. One of the doctors, the blond one, gave us our medical scrubs.
“Change into these. Doctor Mark and I will wait outside.” She put her hand on the door. “We’ll be back in two minutes.”
She and Doctor Mark left, closing the door behind them with a light click, leaving Samantha and me alone to change. I unfolded the scrubs and began to take my clothes and change into them, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Samantha do the same. Though we spent most of our time together, our views of the world were very different; I knew that Samantha didn’t think about the doctors like I did. She thought that the tests were awful, but that the doctors were trying to help us. However, I, born a rebellious child, hated everyone who gave me instructions and commands.
When I finished tying the last knot on my loose scrubs, the doctors came in. Doctor Mark ushered Samantha into the room on the left while I was led into the adjacent room. There was a single blue operating table with white sheets and a single window overlooking the forest outside, the green trees shaking in the wind.
“Okay, you know the drill, sit up on the table,” said Doctor Kate as she sat on her stool and sanitized her hands.
I walked over to the table, the floor cold against my bare feet, propping myself up just as Doctor Kate wheeled herself over.
“Alright, I’m gonna show you a series of images today and I need you to rate them out of 10 for me. 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest,” said Doctor Kate as she shuffled her deck of cards.
“Based on what?” I asked. Although this exercise was common, I would do anything to delay it.
Doctor Kate looked at me, annoyed. “You know the drill, Sophie. You know why you’re here. Please comply and rate them based on looks.”
I sighed but complied, rating each image based on attractiveness, something Doctor Mark or Doctor Kate couldn’t do. Something that normal people in society couldn’t do.
From what I knew, my brain could not support the chip that made society function. My parents realized this when I was in nursery school and asked to sit next to the overweight girl. The teacher told me there was no overweight girl. Later that day, I was sent to the facility.
Long ago, the government decided to make everyone equal, or seemingly equal, by installing a chip in everyone’s brain that altered their brain to perceive everyone at the same intelligence and attractiveness level. Yet, if it was for the good of all, then why doesn’t the supreme leader or anyone in the government have it? I suppressed these thoughts as usual, knowing I would be stuck here much longer if I voiced my concern. Plus, there had been no solid proof that the government was tricking society.
When the session ended, Samantha and I still had an hour or two before lights out. As I walked down the halls, I allowed my thoughts to run free. What would happen if I was stuck here for eternity? If I died here, would anyone remember me? The empty halls seemed to say no, they would devour my individuality like they did of those before me.
I passed by a window, the view of the green, bright forest clear under the setting sun interrupting my thoughts. I paused to admire the view—the trees looked so peaceful, hiding the fragments of the setting sun from the soil with their leaves and branches. Then, the forest flickered—no, not only flickered—it glitched. The entire forest disappeared and then came back again, like a reflection. I blinked and rubbed my eyes; I could not have been seeing the right thing. Then it happened again and again in five-second increments. Maybe it was the tests, it had to have been the tests. To be sure, I started running through the corridors until I arrived at Samantha’s room.
…
“Okay, well I still don’t know what I’m looking for,” said Samantha, looking at me with an annoyed expression.
“Just trust me on this okay? I swear the forest flickered!” I said, irritated, pointing to the forest outside.
We stood by the window, it looked as if we were watching paint dry. Finally, the image flickered again. It was shorter and much less abrupt than before but still enough to shock her.
Samantha whipped her head and looked at me, “You just saw that right?!” she said in a panicked voice.
“Yes! This is what I’m talking about, Sammy! This,” I gestured out to the window, “is not normal. There has to be something weird going o—”
“We have to tell this to the doctors,” interrupted Samantha.
“What! No! Are you crazy? Those people are out to get us. They’ll probably think we’re even more crazy and perform even more tests on us!”
“They are doing it to help us, Sophie!”
“Oh, so you enjoy being a lab rat? You enjoy being secluded from the rest of the world? You enjoy being a puppet of the government?”
“That is not what I’m saying! Sophie, look outside your head for once and understand that we are not normal!” Samantha said, her voice getting louder.
“Oh please! Will you look outside what the government tells you? You have evidence that something is not right in front of your eyes, Samantha! I say we go and do something about it.”
“Oh and what would that something be?” asked Samantha, annoyed.
“We need to break into the doctor’s office. Maybe they know something about this.”
“That’s insane!”
…
“I cannot believe you talked me into doing this,” said Samantha in a hushed voice.
We walked down the dark hallway making sure we made no noise. It was 2 a.m. and when everyone was supposed to be asleep, we were tiptoeing through the hallways to the doctor’s locked office. We finally reached Doctor Kate’s door and it was unlocked, which was strange because they always locked the door. Samantha pushed it open and shivered.
“Sophie… this feels weird… It’s abnormally messy and… cold,” said Samantha, her voice traced with nerves.
“Well, obviously it’s not normal… but I get what you mean. Doctor Kate never leaves the door open,” I replied, trying to seem calm.
Samantha nodded and turned on the flashlight in her hand. The room’s drawers were open and there were papers on the floor; it looked as if it were done in a rush. I began walking toward the desk.
Alarm bells started ringing, the room flashed red.
Trial 246: There are currently 2,561 people…
New Jersey
Bridge Ink 