People Change

Routine Tests

It was the first Monday of the month. That meant everyone grabbed their identification card, loaded into the car, and drove to the Town Testing Hall. No one, especially not me, liked the testing but every one was used to it. About 20 years ago the government had passed the law that everyone was to be genetically scanned at least once a month for any mutations. I don't know why, but apparently it was part of a government experiment. That's all my parents would tell me.

On the way to the Testing Hall my dad always drives, my mom sits silently, and I read a book to my younger brother Seth. He's not the brightest, but he always loves a good story; it's also the only way to keep him quiet for an hour long car ride. He's a great kid and all but he can get quite annoying and I have almost no patience. 

The Testing Hall is a huge brick building.  It looks older from the outside but the inside has been recently remodeled to perform genetic scans.  When I walk in I first go through an X-ray machine that scans me for any illegal items,  then to the sign in desk.

The hall is packed full of 100's of people from the surrounding city, so I wait in the shortest line, desk 4.  The lady checking us in is young and very pretty.  She has long, dark, perfectly curled hair, a big beautiful smile, and big bright eyes.  Her name is Leana; she's my favorite registration nurse.

"Hey Leana, how have you been?"
"Absolutely wonderful! And you? How's school"
"I'm doing pretty well. And I passed my advanced placement test!"
"Congratulations! I'm so proud of you.  You guys will be in room G105. See you on your way out," she smiled and waved.
I thanked her and led Seth to our assigned testing room. Because Seth and I are still minors, we have to be tested separately from our parents.  I don't understand the program, all I know is that the kids are tested much more thoroughly than the adults.  I do know that they are checking for genetic mutations that can possibly harm us or the community.

"Can I go first?" Seth asks.
"Yeah, but you have to wait for me on the other side this time, okay?"
"Okay, I promise," he says as he smiles and waits impatiently for his name to be called.
After standing in the hall for about 5 minutes a nurse calls out our last name and Seth practically jumps into the testing room.  I don't know why he loves getting tested so much.  Maybe he likes the mirrors in the room.  The testing rooms are all lined with mirrors on all sides because according to the government's motto "Your Reflection is Real."

I wait for about 5 or so minutes then I hear, "Holden" called from room G105.
My last name is called by the same nurse that called for my brother.  I step into the mirrored room.  As I walk to the exam chair I look at myself in the mirror.  My bright auburn hair stands out from the white, sterile room.  The rest of my small, skinny, pale body blends into the room.

As I sit in the chair I hand the nurse my identification card, and she asks me the routine questions while she stamps my fingerprints. It's the same routine I've been going through my whole life.
"What is your name?"
"Danielle Roselline Holden"
"How old are you?"
"16"
"Who are your birth parents?"
"Linda and Gregory Holden"
"Do you have any siblings?"
"Yes, Seth"
"How old is he?"
"10"
"Where do you live?"

The questions go on for a few minutes, the nurse asks me very personal things about myself.  I remember my first genetic scan; I was completely freaked out by some of the questions I was asked, but now they seem so ordinary that I never even give them a second thought when I'm answering.

Next I sit in a large, reclining, exam chair. The nurse ties a band around my upper arm and draws my blood.  She places the small tube into a machine and waits for the results as she cleans my arm.  After she bandages my inner elbow, the exam chair reclines so I'm laying parallel to the ground. A large machine scans my whole body and takes a picture of my face. The picture pops up on the nurse's computer screen next to all my pictures from my past 12 scans. My skin looks very tan in the picture, more like Seth's, but my skin usually very pale, even in the summer.

I sit up out of the chair and get ready to leave the room when the nurse stops me. She goes to place her hand on my shoulder but pulls it away instead, as if she's scared to touch me.
"Honey I'm sorry, but I'm having some trouble with the scans so I'm going to have to move you and your brother upstairs."
"Why does my brother need to come? He's already had his scans. Can't I just take him to my parents?"
"Don't worry, I'm sure your parents will be upstairs as well." She walked me out the door, called for Seth to follow, and led us down a dark quiet hallway.