"Get up! January wake up right now, don't make me come back in there with a bucket of ice water." A nurse named Samantha rattled the bars of her cell. January opened one eye and looked around. She looked over at the nurse and groaned.
"I'm up Sammy, I'm up!" She threw her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up straight.
"Better make yourself look more awake before Mr Clark comes and does his rounds." Samantha warned. Mr Clark is in charge of the facility I stayed at, he makes sure the place ran smoothly and that all the clones ran on schedule at all times.
"I'm awake. Did I miss breakfast?" January asked.
"Nope, it starts in about 10 minutes. Make sure you check in with Mr Clark before you head down though." Samantha suggested.
"Is he in a good or bad mood today?" January asked.
"Tough to say, it's still too early to tell. For your sake though I'm crossing my fingers. Mr Clark seems to like to bully you when he's in a bad mood." Samantha shook her head in disgust.
"Tell me about it." January rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"I'm opening your cell now, go find Mr Clark and then head down to breakfast. Back in the cell by 11, lunch will be at 1 and recreational time is at 3:30, and work will be from after dinner until bed time. Your job today will be sewing." Samantha said as she unlocked the cell door and swung it open. Everyday was always the same January would be woken up, told when to eat and when to play. She always got a new job everyday which was usually factory work. This was how she had grown up and for her it was normal. Nobody ever asked questions or complained about anything here, because questions and complaining usually lead to harsh punishments, punishments that were not worth the questions and complaining. January jumped out of her bed and excitedly walked out of her cell. She headed towards Mr Clarks office. He was sitting behind his big desk, his beady brown eyes glued to a computer screen. He looked over at January and his eyes narrowed into slits. His thin lips hardened into a line. I guess this meant he was in a bad mood.
"Finally awake?! Samantha had to do wake up call on you twice!" He tisked.
"I apologize."
"Whatever, at least you're finally awake, here's your pills. Swallow them and then go get breakfast. That is unless you want to be sent to the box." He handed her a cup with 2 small white pills in it. She wasn't sure what the pills were for but she had been taking them since she could remember. She had asked Mr Clark one time why she had to take the pills and he had sent her to the very same box he was speaking about now. The box was a small room that she would have to sit in for 2 days maximum by herself, no food and no socialization. It was a time out on steroids.
She walked out of his office and headed towards the stairs to get to breakfast. She had always loved mealtimes, it meant she got to socialize with everyone else that stayed in this institution. She walked into the large room filled with tables and chairs. In the corner of the room was a buffet area where you got your food from.
"Jan! Jan over here!" She heard a familiar voice call. She looked to the left and saw her best friend Zack waving his arms in the air to make himself visible. She smiled and walked over to him. She sat down beside him and looked around at the others sitting around the table. She didn't recognize any of them.
"Hello, I'm January." She introduced herself. The others smiled back at her but did not say anything.
"I met these guys the other day during rec time. They're really nice but very focused." Zack whispered into her ear.
"Focused on what?" She asked.
"I'm not sure... They won't tell me yet. They said we need more trust before they can let me in." Zack shrugged.
"Strange." She said under her breath. "What're your names?" January asked the 3 people who say across from her. The one in the middle looked up, she had blue eyes and very light blonde hair that almost reached her butt.
"I'm Charlotte. Very nice to meet you." She smiled kindly. A man sitting beside her spoke next. He had dark brown hair and a scruffy beard that made him look older than he was.
"Tyler." The man said.
"Ben." A man with curly brown hair said.
"Very nice to meet you all." January smiled.
"You are a friend of Zacks?" Charlotte asked.
"Yes! Zack and I have been friends since I can remember." She replied happily.
"How old are you January?" Charlotte asked in a very serious tone.
"I just turned 18."
"You'd be perfect... Your pretty face could help us out a lot." Charlotte said deep in thought. January lit up at the compliment.
"Help you out with what?" January asked.
"Just a.. Mission we have." She replied.
"Like a game? I love games!" January's stomach filled with an excited feeling.
"Sort of.. Look can we trust the two of you? I've only known you for five minutes but I see potential in you both." Charlotte asked.
"Char no! We can't just go around trusting every random we meet." Ben sighed.
"Hush Ben, they're clueless." Charlotte held a hand up to hush him.
"We want to know!" Zack chirped in. Charlotte stared at Zack for a long moment before giving in, she let out a huge sigh before she started talking.
"What would you do if you found out there's a better world outside these walls?" She asked.
"What do you mean?" January felt confused.
"Charlotte shut up!" Ben warned. Charlotte ignored him.
"I mean, outside of this institution is a world of people who don't sleep in cells, who eat their meals whenever they please and who have recreational time whenever they want. Outside of these walls is a whole world we are being shielded from." Charlotte said in a hushed voice.
"I don't think I understand.." January frowned in confusion.
"What part? I mean we could show you, that is if you're up for it." Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
"Charlotte no." Ben hissed at her. She ignored him.
"The more people we have on our side the better Ben!" She hissed back.
"Yeah the better way to get caught! We can't have all these people talking about our plan or someone is going to overhear it." Ben said angrily.
"The more people we can save from this hell hole the better Ben! You know exactly what's going to happen to them if they stay here! We can't just stand by and let it happen!" Charlotte struggled to keep her voice down so nobody else would overhear. Ben stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about what she had said.
"Fine. You're going to get us killed one day Char." Ben sighed.
"Can someone please tell us what you guys are talking about?" Zack said impatiently.
"We'll tell you everything, but right now it's too crowded, too many people. Meet us in the handicap bathroom during recreation time and we'll explain everything." Charlotte said seriously.
