The Romance Among Us

Chapter One: Camp Wishlock

Washington D.C. 2054

I wake up to the same thing every day. The paper thin walls of my small jail-like room never seems to hide anything. I attempt to shut out the world around me by desperately burying my head into my pillow. Praying to God that the screaming of the poor soul getting beat out there finally stops. The person must be a new mutant here because I don't recognize the voice.

I sit there for a moment questioning my own sanity. Dear God, has it really come to that where I've come to remember the sound of every person's scream here? I instantly look to Annabelle, who's only about eight years old now. She's been here at Camp Wishlock for as long as I can remember. Traditionally, she should be in Wishlock's Children Block: Section Two the section for children ages six through ten. But instead she was stuffed into the sixteen through eighteen block with me because there was no room.

That's at least one decent thing about Wishlock. They won't take anymore mutants if it means the camp will suffer from being too overcrowded. With most mutant camps, it takes until the camp is practically spilling over with people until someone is moved to a different block or is transported to a different camp all together.

Annabelle is trembling under her blankets on the thin cot that we share and I can tell she's awake too. I at least wanted her to sleep until the horrible screaming was over but I knew it would be impossible as the high pitched shrieks are only getting worse.

"M-Maddison?" She whispers so softly I almost miss it. In response I stroke her long blonde strands of hair. "Will I ever be forced to yell like that?" She asks shakily. "No, No you won't. I promise." I smile and she looks relieved. That's right, as long as I'm around I won't let anything harm you. I think to myself confidently. I don't want her to ever have to go through the pain I go through at least once a week. It hurts me to know that I'm the one who she hears screaming out there sometimes so I force down the beatings as much as possible and avoid making much noise. She asks me sometimes her voice squeaky with concern, "Maddison, why do you have all those bruises?" I don't have the heart to tell her it's because those monstrous guards beat me up just because I'm a mutant with two colored eyes. Or that she might be next just because she's missing an arm.

"I just got caught slacking off on the job again that's all." Saying that doesn't make me feel nearly as guilty because truthfully, I'm not really lying. The only other thing to do at Camp Wishlock besides praying that you get to live another day is to do manual labor. Usually in the means of fixing up things around the camp. I've been beaten a number of times because I don't give a rat's ass if this camp falls apart. If it does then that means more of a chance to escape. But I guess it's bad in a way too because in the off chance we can't escape it means poorer living conditions. That won't really matter though because if an escape plan fails we'll be beaten to death anyway.

"Roll call! Front and center!" Annabelle and I jump as we hear the sudden hollers of Nathan calling us to stand before him. I squeeze Annabelle's hand lightly and we head out for attendance.

**************************

We stand with our hands firmly at our sides as I eye up Nathan holding up a boy about my age by the collar. Whom I assume is the kid who just got his first beating. His dirtied baseball cap is sagging on his head, face a bloodied mess. Dark red rope marks are displayed prominently, contrasting on his pale skin.

"Alright! It's time to see which one of you dirty mutants hasn't taken the pill yet!" Nathan squawks. The "pill" he described is the government's equivalent of the ultimate romance killer. In a society that doesn't need the use of sexual reproduction thanks to cloning. The pill is taken to block the brain's need for sexual interactions. Leaving any relationships strictly platonic. People are cloned based on three categories; Appearance, Intellect, and Strength. If two people are deemed "compatible" then they have to become "breeding partners." This is where the pill comes in. It eliminates emotional attachment so people will not rebel when being told they have to give up their DNA samples to make a human with someone they do not love.

When a human is cloned a scientist can read their DNA potential or can check for any defects. These DNA defects are known as "mutations." And we mutants are thrown into a mutation camp, damned by all of society.

The pill is taken when a child reaches puberty. This happens usually at school when one day you are called into the nurse's office to get "a checkup." Sometimes though, the pill can be taken at home. I've never taken the pill though because I'm good at playing the part. When I was asked at school I lied and said, "My mother gave it to me, just a few weeks ago." And when I went home that day I told my mother, "I was distributed the pill today at school." I remember my mother was particularly upset that day. She cried for the first time since I was born. That was until the day I was taken away.

My parents had a full proof plan ever since my birth and did an excellent job at hiding my identity for a long time. Since my father was a cloning scientist, he gave me special contacts to give me two matching blue eyes without any suspicion.

One day however, while my mother and I were out shopping, my left contact popped out. My brown left eye was quickly exposed and I did my best to put the contact in before anyone noticed. We'd thought that we were off the hook until that night we were met with a special visit.

That was the last time I'd seen my parents. Two days after being at Camp Wishlock though, I got a letter from President Wishlock himself saying that they were put to death for treason. Ever since then I tried even harder to push down all my emotions. Sometimes I acted as though I were nothing but a hollow shell, a blank slate. But this is what had to be done to protect Annabelle and myself. I won't take that damn pill even if it kills me! I won't let the government take away my freedom and let them own my life. Annabelle won't have to worry until a couple more years until she has to be forced the pill, but I'm going to make sure she never has to.

"Get the fuck back in line!"

"No! I won't, I won't take part in this cruelty!"

"Stop horse-shittin' around before I beat the piss outta ya' again!" The boy Nathan had gripped up earlier was now lying in a heap on the ground.

"Your name's on the list boy! You're gonna take the pill WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!" Nathan is seething with frustration as spit flies from his mouth with every word.

"No!..."

"NO?!" Nathan strides over to the kid calmly before slamming his heavy boot onto his head. The boy closes his eyes in anguish, too stunned to make a sound. Nathan swipes the cap off of the boy's head.

"So, this is what you've been hiding." He smirks scornfully. He points to the two tumors on the top of boy's head, both about the size of a golf ball.

"I was starting to wonder why you were sent here as some mutant scum." He throws the cap down on the ground and turns to the line of children waiting to get their liberty taken away from them. Then turns back to the rest of us. "Let this be a warning to you all, the next time you try to delay the inevitable! You may think you can run...but you can't hide forever..." This time he looks directly at me. His narrowed eyes pierce right through me like a knife. I'm not about to let him intimidate me! I stare him down right back until he turns away. He waves over another guard to come over.

"Aiden, take these ones over to the nurse's office instead of the basement...I have a feeling they won't be as stubborn when it comes to taking their medicine today."