Weeks had passed, and every day in class I gazed at her from afar. Sometimes she would catch me looking and I would dart my eyes away, acting as if it was a coincidence.
I decided to come to class late one day, hoping there would only be one seat left. Sure enough, I was right. Derrick met my eyes and shrugged his shoulder. The only seat available was in the back, next to the girl.
I sat down and said hello, she looked at me, confused.
“Uh, hey.” She replied and looked away. The Professor walked in and told us that we had to get into groups of two with the person sitting next to us. I sensed a few eyes looking at me. Professor Elkgreen passed out very tiny vials and went back to the board.
“Today we will be experimenting with something very dangerous, extinct emotions.” Said Elkgreen, “You all have 5ml vials of sadness. We are giving you a very small amount so that the effects of this emotion only last a few seconds. This is what it would feel like if you did not take happiness, this is just for education purposes.”
I looked at the tiny vial. It had a heavy, black liquid inside.
“Everything he spews is bullshit.” The girl next to me said.
“How is that so?” I replied.
She laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with having sadness. It’s natural”
“But it caused wars in the past.” I was very confused with what she was saying.
“Emotions do not create conflict, people create conflict.”
None of what she said made sense. I shrugged it off and continued to listen to Professor Elkgreen.
“Anyways,” Professor Elkgreen continued. “Please open your vials and drink the substance. I know it looks dangerous, but don’t worry, the effects with last seconds.”
The class twisted the lids off of their vials. I sniffed my substance, and surprisingly, it smelled sweet. I poured the liquid down my throat. It was thick, almost chalky. It tasted of sugar.
Suddenly, my head started to pound. My lips felt weak, and my smile faded. I looked around the class, and we all looked Heartless. My eyes started to feel heavy. Water was falling down my face for some reason. A voice in my head started speaking… The truth.
Just as quickly as it came, the strange emotions went away. I went back to smiling and all was well.
“What you all just experienced,” Professor said, “Was indeed sadness. It felt terrible, and the water falling down some of your faces were called tears. It is a chemical reaction that comes from being sad. As you can all see, these are emotions you do not want to feel. They are dangerous, and can only lead to bad things.
The girl began laughing to herself again.
“What is so funny?” I asked.
“Everything he’s saying is wrong, again.” She smirked.
“I did not enjoy those feelings, how is he wrong.”
“Well…First off, what’s your name?”
“Prescott, and what is your name?”
“Brianne.”
The name did not fit her personality, but I liked the sound of it.
“Anyways, Prescott, you wouldn’t know, because you’re brainwashed.”
“What does brainwashed mean?” Her confusing remarks would not end.
“Authorities are making you drink narcotics to evoke pleasant emotions that will make you work harder and not fight back.” She said, acting as if what she said made complete sense.
“Well, I do not believe that is true.”
She placed her hand on my shoulder, it felt comforting. “Try it.”
“Try what?” She could have been speaking a foreign language to me.
“Don’t take your monthly happiness. The date is coming up, isn’t it?”
I was shocked by what she said. I would never think of becoming a Heartless.
“You are kidding me, right?”
“No. I’m not.”
The bell rang, class was over. I got up and walked out quicker than usual.
YOU ARE READING
Vial Happiness
Science FictionIn a futuristic, Utopian society, just about everyone uses government made narcotics that evoke emotions such as happiness, peace, and empathy. This creates a society where there are no conflicts and no war. The main protagonist, Prescott is a 16 ye...
