Escape

Chapter 2

"Wake up!" a voice screams inside my ear. I jolt up. My manipule stands near my bed, arms crossed.

  I glance at the clock: 11 a.m. I was suppose to be awake 2 hours ago.

  I sit there speechless. I didn't recall my alarm sounding, " I didn't here it"

  My manipule doesn't even bother to focus on my lame excuse, instead tells me to get up and get ready. "You have more things to learn, and I don't have time to waste", and with that, she left the room.

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 I exit the room wearing a comfy black jacket witha pair of jeans. I tye hair my in a ponytail.

  I see my manipule leaning on the wall, obviously annoyed by wtye aiting for such a long period. She's wearing the same outfit and hairstyle as me(goverment rules), but her clothes are marked with the intial 'm' on it for manipule.

  "What's to learn first" I ask, alomost a whisper. " Stacking books". I only nod as we walk through the empty, dull hallway, and into the elevator.

   We stay silent and watch the outside world through the glass walls of the elevator. The elevator opens and we exit. We head towards the clean, glass doors ofnthe building. I pass a glance of other people and their manipules. you'll never see a person. You'll never see a person without on this side of the city. All of us are teenagers under the age of 16, learning to be Commons with the help of our manipules. Once I take my test, I will finally be able to go ono the other side of the city, and be an official Common. My manipule and I stay silent. We have small talks. We never have REAL conversations. It's aginst the goverment. Since manipules know as much as we do because the goverment filled their brains with knowelege, we can't have close realtionships or conversations. I'm not sure why, but my manipule says that  government wants our city to be known as sophisticated and smart, not crazy and chaotic, and care-free like the others that surround us. But there's sometghing I'm not getting. Why must we be taught to reach perfection, if were imperfect creatures, and not the other cities. What makes this city so spacial and strict? I shrug it off and follow my manipule into the doors of the library.

   It has the formal scent I remember rom my last visit of fershly new printed books being opened. There are so many shelves of books, I'm afraid if I stick too close, it will draw me into it's maze. i shiver and walk a distance away from where I was. We gather around a table where there is a great number of books. By the look of it, it looks like 100-150.

   My manipule lays a gentle hand on a stack of books and leans on it. So that's how a look like,huh? 

       "Your doing this to improve your classification skills. Theses books are to be shelved by their traits. but since it's a book, you'l be lookin to looking for a title, information, and author. I might  advise you to look through all the bookshelves, but just so you know, thi had to be done by 7:30. Classification will be one of the things you'll find in your test, so you better understand. I willbe watching your techniques." she said, grabbing a clipboard and a pen.

     This is an awful lot of work. I sigh and stare at the first book: Course 2 math. Ipick up the thick book. I hear the door open and the formal smell changes to fresh strawberries. I turn to find my best friend, Mickinna walking in with her manipule. Her hair is tied back in a tight ponnytail. Her face ia pale and unhappy. She's been like this since her seperation from her family. (children live with their parents until 7, then get transported to the other side to learn from their manipules). Back then, her face was full of life and happiness. And me, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I spent hot sticky summers with my mom and my older brother, Ajax. I never knew my father, but it was sad not to know. My mom died after I got transportes here. I sat the book down and stared at my manipule painfully."What are you doing?"

   I had to ask desperately 'D-do you remeber your mom?" I stumbling over the words.

   My manipule's hard face softened. She sighed and loooked at me the same way. Her eyes seemed to flash diffrent memories of my childhood. I could feel tears rushing down my cheeks. I wipe them away with the hell of my hand. I look at my manipule, who I can see trying to hold in the tears. If my mom died, then hers did too. Once a person dies, the goverment seems like its a waste to let the it's manipule live. I wonder how much time they really got to spend together, if they ever did. Feeling more tears I stumble into my manipule's arms, and she drops her objects.

     Never had we hugged or anything, but here I am, acting like a child, and falling into my own arms. I expect a rejection from the sudden embrace, but instead she wraps her around me securely. I never thought I would be held in the way that my mother used to..... epsecially from my manipule. I could feel hot tears falling on my scalp. I didn't bother to look up to see my own manipule getting emotional.

    I know that there are many other people who stare at us. We broke the rule, but for a good reason. I suddenly don't feel like doing anything but going home, and laying in my bed. I guess my manipule thought so too, because she was trying to make me move towards the door.

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She still has me in her arms as we walk onto our floor. There she releases me and I see her face. Her eyes are red and puffy, her lips trembles slightly, and her hair is a little out of place.

   It was my fault. I reminded her of her loss. I made her remember of this terrifing memory that took me a great time to forget until now.

    "I'm s-sorry" I say, my mouth dry. Her eyes look right into mine, at a perfect level. One side of me waits for her to strike at my face, while the other is still suffering from the nightmare. 

   Instead, she averts her eyes from mine, and sits on my bed.

      Despite what just happened back there, I ask the question again, " Do you remember?"

    She doesn't look at me, but nods sadly.

  Trying to change the subject all of a sudden, I say,"Do you think I'll pass the test?". She looked at  me with a wry smile,"Your so diffrent from the others. You take risks and reject your orders sometimes. Your exquisite personality really stands out. I can't say that you'll pass the test though." I frown at that response. 'Don't worry though, I'm cheering you on" she replied. I never saw my manipule nice to me beore.I smile.

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     We eat in silence. I can't talk to her, my diffidence took over me. I'm so not getting use to this spaghetti week. Seems as if I will always be disgusted by these slippery noodles topped with red sauce. These seem to be insip. If I was suppose to start a conversation, then it certainly won't be colloquial. But nothing has been like that the last few hours.

  "So..... what happens if I don't pass the test?"

      My manipule, who wasn't eatin either, froze. Maybe I made a mistake of asking that question. Her pensive look made me a little bit worried.I shouldn've said that. Definitely not.

     "Now that I think of it... I'm not sure. Seems as if I wasn't programmed to know that kind of information." She said adding a simple shrug.

    They got my mind starting to fill with curiosity. I eyed my manipule, seems to me like she's hiding something. She treated my question in a jejune way.

   "Are you sure?" I asked.

     She raised her eyes to mine, showing a dangerous glare."I am. Now I prefer you not taunting me". She carefully got up, walked pass me, and left the kitchen.