Devin Planet

Chapter 2

     4178 placed his right thumb on the fingerprint pad to unlock his door. Today had been a tiring day at the hospital, having to run around to care for more Devins than regular. He had helped three give birth, did ten pap smears, and treated two for infertility issues by performing IVF. Before going home, he stopped at the liquor store to buy a pack of beer. 

      After entering his home and closing the door, he also told DevinO to shut the blinds. Tonight, he would hide from the world and drink his sorrows away after not being invited to the president's party. For a Devin, the president was their God and so, birthday's, inauguration, and retirements are celebrated all over the world. With only one country and one group of leaders, Devin Planet was a peaceful and integrated world.

     'I worked hard for a whole year. I stressed myself out and drained myself... All for nothing.' He opened the first beer and chugged it full as he sat down on the couch and turned on the television. He was going to watch reruns of "Devin and the Princess" while downing beer to silence the thoughts of discouragement his mind was swarming around him.

     He finished the first beer in a few minutes and slowed down on the second one, reminding himself to stay sober for the celebration. Though it was heartbreaking to not get an invitation, he would make sure to not miss this important celebration. 

     After three beers, he began to feel tipsy. Drinking until he blacked out was almost impossible by how much alcohol his body was able to withstand. Getting drunk wasn't easy for him, there are some Devins who in just one glass already feel drunk, but not him. Depending on the drink, how strong it was, he would need around five or so, to get drunk. 

     So, the celebration began, and he was just tipsy. All channels stopped premiering their shows and they all showed the party. Drones flew around to broadcast the area. There were twenty-five thousand Devins sitting in the venue, cheering and when they noticed the drones flying overhead, waved at them. All of them were the same, all that differed were the clothing they wore, the hair length, and body weight. They smiled at the camera, at 4178. He rolled his eyes and opened another beer, annoyed at how excited they felt just knowing they'd be near #1's presence. He wanted to force himself to not care. He did not get invited, so what? At least he gets to enjoy the party in his home, alone, without the loud crowd overstimulating him. And he was also a bit richer than last year with those promotions he had.

     He sipped the beer and placed it down, covering himself with a black cotton blanket. He laid on the head rest of the couch and watched as the drones flew away from the crowd and towards the stage. A few seconds went by of nothing happening except the noises the crowd was making. Then, Devin #5, one of the last members of the council appeared. 

     Everyone cheered, the volume on his television, which was low felt as if it was raised by twenty. To either side of 4178's home, he heard his neighbors cheer and clap. They were sharing this moment with the families they had created and were raising. He was all alone. He wasn't allowed to invite friends unless they wanted to bring their own food. During the celebration, food is given out for free for all Devins using the number of family members that live in each household.

     #5 raised her arms and lowered them to signal to the crowd to quiet down. After a few seconds, everything went silent, and she grabbed the microphone. "Welcome our invited guests and Devin's watching on their screens. We the council are so excited to celebrate our president's 61st birthday!"

     The crowd cheered, whistled, and clapped. 4178's house rumbled slightly as the people above him stomped their feet, jumped, and overalled cheered loudly. He clapped quietly, trying to forget the fact that he could have been there right now. Cheering with the crowd, looking at 5 with his own eyes for the first time ever. And he was missing it because his boss decided someone else was better at the job than himself. 5 was extremely pretty with her shoulder length hair and micro bangs. A lot of Devins were excited to find out that she would be taking over as the labor member of the council. She was good at her job, but people didn't care about that, they cared that she was the prettiest and youngest of them all. At twenty-two, she had taken over at nineteen after Devin #3 retired and the numbers moved up.