Aren't you scared of becoming a slave to freedom?
As a 17 year old girl whose mother abused her, Naomi has never known what freedom is, only dreamt of it. But now it's her only constant thought. For her, freedom slowly becomes a drug, something she...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
We enter the gray building, at a slow but steady pace. Guards walk at the rear and front of the line, holding guns in their hands. It's making me feel even more uneasy. The building is painted gray and is rather dull on the inside. No paintings lining the walls, no plants, just black tiles and gray walls.
We're led to what looks like a large bathroom. The guards start taking the cuffs off of us and once mine are off, I rub my sore wrist and look around the large bathroom. It has multiple stalls and at the front near the bathroom entrance is a table with four ladies standing behind it. They're all dressed in a navy blue uniform, each spotting a tight bun at the base of their heads.
The line approaches the table and we're told to pick an option of clothes we prefer but there's no need to provide sizes as the women will determine which sizes we get. Which is not weird at all. After picking clothes we're supposed to enter an available stall and quickly get ready.
When it's my turn to approach the table, I look down at the floor. It's only when I can see the tables' legs that I lift my head up. The first lady shows me the first option I have, a black zip-up hoodie with a black t-shirt and black sweatpants. The second lady showcases the second option, a black sweater with a black t-shirt and black sweatpants. Okay, so far option one is winning me over.
I turn to the third lady and she shows me my third option, a black zip-up hoodie with a black t-shirt and black and gray cargo pants. When I look at the fourth lady, she just sweeps her hand across various shoe options. A pair of black sneakers, a pair of black combat boots and lastly, a pair of black slides. Why are some of these options so weird? The women are also weird, their movements are a bit stiff and unnatural, somehow.
I pick option 1 and pair it with the black sneakers. At least I'd be running away comfortably when and if I get the chance to. I sigh inwardly as I take my new clothes and head over to an open stall nearby.
This whole situation is depressing. Them giving us the choice of clothing is like them mocking us and dangling the key to our free will and freedom right above our heads, just out of reach. Taking the cuffs off is also a nice touch to it all.
I enter the stall and close the door behind me. Inside it is composed of a shower taking up the wall opposite the door, a toilet to my right and a mirror connected to a basin on my left. I close the lid of the toilet and put my new clothes there. I take off my mask and throw it on top of the pile.
I walk to the basin and find a sealed toothbrush and toothpaste there inside a transparent cup. I unseal the toothbrush and apply some toothpaste to it before I start brushing. I finish up and put the two back in the cup. When I look up from the basin, I come face to face with my reflection and I cringe.
My reflection shows that I've been on a trip to hell. My afro hair is tangled up in some places and cringed up in other places. My face is full of dried trials of tears, my pink plum lips are dry and cracking. My eyes...
Are still gray but there's something I see in them that I don't understand. It's like there's life in them and they still sparkle but then the sparkles are flickering in and out, and it's almost like my eyes are about to take their last breath.
I let out a breathy laugh, great on top of my anxiety skyrocketing, looking like I just wrote a math test and possibly being close to death. I'm hallucinating and seeing sparkles in my eyes.
I touch the corner of my eye lightly. I bet my mother would enjoy seeing that though, my imaginary sparkles dying right along with my spirit. A sad and deep dark feeling stirs in my chest. Maybe I should just speed up the process. Who knows what's waiting for me out there. I could escape right now. I could escape from any more pain.
I turn my head away from the mirror sharply, frightened by my own thoughts and start striping off my clothes. Surprise, surprise I'm still in my panda pyjamas. I head into the shower and use the toiletries given to me to wash my body, my hair and my thoughts of helplessness away.
After my shower I try my best to quickly braid my hair into five thick cornrows. Once done, I lather my body with lotion and start getting dressed. Inside the folded t-shirt I find a bra and underwear that fits well and inside the shoes I find socks. Everything is still in black. The hoodie and sweatpants are a bit oversized, while the t-shirt and shoes are fitted.
I turn around slowly and spot a bin near the door. Inside it I spot old bundled up clothes. I guess the last girl who was in here threw her old clothes away. I pick up my pyjamas along with the mask and throw them into the bin as well.
I head for the door then pause and quickly walk back to the mirror. I look better now. With my hair braided, face clean and lips moisturized, I really do look better. My eyes are the only thing that hasn't changed but I'll work through it.
I turn away from the mirror and walk out of the stall. One of the ladies who hands out clothes approaches me. I shift my weight to my other foot, feeling nervous.
"Good. You're done. Now if you'll please head out the door, a guard will escort you to the next place you need to be." she says in a flat tone once she reaches me.
I nod my head and head out the door. That lady really has an unnatural feel to her.
True to her words there were a number of guards outside of the door. The one closest to me, grabs my arm and puts the cuffs back on me. Great.
Next thing I know, the guard starts dragging me to my next appointment. He is much taller than me but so is the majority of the people I've met so far in my life. Unfortunately, I was a gnome in my past life so that affected my height in this life.
He walks on and I'm dragged on, passing by the same dull gray walls. We're like this until we reach a large set of doors. He takes the cuffs off, opens one door and lightly pushes me inside, closing the door behind me.
I'm then left facing a very large room, actually it's more like a large hall. The hall is filled with a large crowd of people wearing black. My eyebrows frown deeply and I freeze, taken aback by what I see. There are boys in the crowd. Actual male human beings, some are my age, younger and even older than me.
A guard near the door notices me in my frozen state and nudges me forward, pointing towards the center of the crowd. I walk closer to the crowd and stand near its middle, not wanting to cause any tension between the guard and myself.
From where I stand I can see both girls and boys of various ages and races. It's odd. My eyebrows go from frowning to just being drawn close together in confusion. I thought or I guess, I assumed it would just be girls. I pull my arms closer to my body. This feels weird and oddly comforting at the same time.
Although seeing so many teenagers in this situation feels wrong and heartbreaking, it's also comforting. I know that's sick but at least I'm not in this alone.
______________________________________
don't worry girl, feel as much comfort as u want. I was at TriTerras boardroom meeting yesterday and went through all their plans with them. Everythings gonna be great 💀👀 Btw, I hope y'all enjoyed this chpt n pls drop a vote 🔥
