Some things just don't add up. Like the way the Nurses react. Or the newspaper, slipped through the bars of the camp. Or the pressure put on you to get a wrist tattoo before you can go on outings.
Syany wakes up from her death on Earth to find that...
We reached the dining hall just as they were closing the doors. I scanned the hall, finding our friends and ignoring the aggravated looks of the nurses, and led Moxy to the table. I set the bag with our MusicScapes under my seat before sitting down. Moxy dropped into the seat next to me.
"They need to provide deodorant if I'm going to be getting this sweaty and disgusting just from walking around." Moxy commented.
"I'll let the people who set up the necessities know. Last camp they forgot to give out toothbrushes and no one bothered to tell any of the nurses. And you'll regain your endurance soon enough." Nurse Allison had appeared behind us as Moxy spoke. "They've decided to do the same thing as last night with the dinner. So here are the menus." She handed one to every pair, as it had been last night and took all of our drink orders. I quickly decided on a burger and chips, which, with some persuasion from Moxy, I changed to a veggie burger and ordered as soon as Nurse Allison returned. The food soon arrived and the noise level quieted down, everyone starved from a full night's sleep and more exercise than anyone here had gotten in years.
Chatter started slowly back up around our table, but we were silent until Raven suddenly perked up. "Oh!" xe said, "I have my pronouns on cards for you guys." Xe stood up, pulling slightly bent index cards out of xyr back pocket. The cards were passed around, and I studied it carefully, wanting to make sure I got xyr pronouns right. Xe had used the same template as Aiden, except instead of the conjugations of thon, it read:
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"What's with the S in parenthesis?" Lacy asked.
"If you were to say, for example, 'that's her favorite thing', it would be 'that's xyr favorite thing', but if you were to say 'that's hers' then it would be 'that's xyrs'."
"Oh. Okay."
Raven turn xyr attention to Aiden. "I don't know about you, but I'm sort of irritated that the cabins are divided by the binary. Not that I mind my bunkmates, but I'm reminded every time I go in there that I have female parts and I get kinda dysphoric. Also, I'm so used to wearing a binder and I don't have that here. Honestly, with the fact that Onowon is supposedly more advanced than Earth, it's kinda disgusting that they don't have at least one gender neutral cabin."
Aiden nodded. "I don't get dysphoric too often, and I've never had need of a binder, but I agree. I don't fit the binary and I don't like being forced to recognize my biological sex. Also, the clothing doesn't allow for much expression, and that upsets me in a way."
"There's clothes in the camp store that's more expressive than what we have." I said, remembering peeking into the back and seeing racks like something one would see in a store at the mall.
"Oh. Well that's good." Aiden responded.
"That doesn't really help the binary cabins though." Raven seemed upset. No one knew how to respond.
"Anyone need anything? Refills? More food?" Nurse Allison had come back to the table.
"Is there anyway we could talk to someone in a higher position?" I asked.
