No Boundaries

- Prolouge

Clack, clack, clack...

            The blonde woman dressed in clothes worth piles of money walked though the cold hallway; her maroon suede heels echoed after each step she took. Her perfect red-glossed lips were turned upward, her lovely but fake smile. Time to start the day, she thought, pushing the small red button beneath the keypad on the wall. A buzzer sounded as a red light above the door flashed red.

            “Rise and shine,” she shouted, flipping the switch to call on the lights. “Another day brings another couple… or two, or more…”

* * * * 

Clack, clack, clack...

A shiver ran through my spine. Was it already time to wake up? I always hated those sleepless nights, almost as much as I hated hearing Elliot clack down the halls in her too-nice-for-herself heels. It didn’t matter how much money Elliot spent on the clothes on her back, nobody thought any better of her. Well, at least nobody who was forced to be in her and her husband’s diamond grasp.

             Oh look, a beam of sun coming into my cell—I mean, room. I stood from my bed, which consisted of a thin lumpy mattress tucked away in the corner of the room, a dirty sheet that hadn’t been washed in years, and a worn pillow that had bits of stuffing falling out through the upper right corner. It wasn’t much at all, but I was still thankful for it at the end of the day. At least our hall was lucky enough to have beds unlike Hall C. My back popped loud enough that it echoed as I leaned back for a stretch. Great. Nothing said good day ahead like an achy back and, to top it off, a headache.

            My head throbbed as I pulled my plain grey nightgown up and over my shoulders. Man, what I would have given to have had a headache reliever at that moment. As I dressed into my outfit of the day I kept my eyes closed and wished for the sun to go away.

            “Oh, you went with the purple top?” My ‘room’-mate Daysee groaned. I nodded my head as I zipped my black pants up and then turned around. Daysee sat up on her bed, which was across the room from mine, and rubbed her eyes. It amazed me how her lips could already be turned upward into a smile at such an early hour. But it wasn’t like I’d never seen that before. Unlike me, who hated mornings like thieves hated officers, Daysee seemed to adore them… along with every other hour in a day. I gave Daysee a good morning nod and even a tiny grin as she stood up.

            “According to Elliot, it’s actually called lilac.” My voice was nasally, a bad impression of Elliot. I looked down at the tank top and snorted. Like the color actually mattered.

            “Oh, I’m sorry,” Daysee said with sarcasm in her voice as she reached down and picked up a blue top. It was identical to mine, and every other girl’s top, except in another color. Living life in the facility meant you had to live by the rules. Being unique or different was not an option. “Is it okay if I refer to this top as blue or is that not right?” Daysee crossed her arms as she twisted her lips into a smug grin. I chuckled.

            “Actually, that’s sky-blue.”

Both corners of her lips drooped toward the ground as her arms fell to her sides.

            “How dare I,” She muttered with a smile. Her blue eyes rolled.

            I kicked my nightgown on top of my unmade bed and then took a step back with my arms crossed to observe my messy belongings. It wasn’t like I spent any actual time in the room. Why should I have spent time picking up a place I only used to sleep it? It wasn’t like I even liked the room.