The Manipulation Room

Chapter 1 - Delta 5

Manipulation Room victim no. 35
Name: Ridley Moss 
Age: 41 years old 
Occupation: Secondary School Teacher 
Family Member: 17 year old daughter, Trixi 
Description: A laceration in the middle of the chest exposed muscle and tissue damage, inflicted by a knife of 7.5 inches

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Mama always said we were safe. She said there was an invisible bubble around our whole family that would protect us from the world. We'd never be chosen. She said that after the Manipulation Room took Papa from us they couldn't take another one of us. It had done it's job, broken apart our perfect family, and now it was done. She said that the world was a dangerous place and we were too young to face it yet. Especially our world. Delta 5. Full of danger and people that only wanted us dead. When my Mama told me that...I believed her. It hurt how much I believed her. There wasn't an ounce of my being that thought she was wrong, or even considered her being incorrect. Of course there wasn't, she was my mother. It is a child's instinct to believe everything that their parent utters. That's just human psychology. So of course, I believed her.

 A bad decision, really. 

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"Echo! Echo, wake up you lazy cow!" I kicked my sister's mattress and heard her squeal as she fell off the side of the bed. She put her middle finger over the top of the bed, flailing it around like a flag, aiming it like a gun. I rolled my eyes and threw a pile of clothes at her. They were aimed to perfection, directly on her head and she pulled them off, revealing dishevelled brown hair and fatigued brown eyes. She always used to complain about how she hated her 'boring' features. I had gotten Mama's green eyes and blonde hair, Echo had the lesser side of the genes. She stopped complaining after Papa, whose genes gave her such mundane features, was killed. She appreciates her soft brown eyes and thick dark hair a lot more now. Mama says that Echo's eyes are all we have left of Papa. Sometimes when I look at my sister I can still see him. 

"Seriously? Can you not just be normal for five seconds?" Echo's head appeared above the mattress and she frowned at me. I shrugged, pulling the duvet off of the floor and back onto the bed. "It's Manipulation Day, get up." 
Her eyes suddenly widened at the name, before drooping into their same unbothered manner. She was good at hiding her true emotions, but I could tell what she was really feeling. "Ah yes. I love walking to my inevitable death. Hey, how fun would it be if we got put in together?" She mumbled, nonchalantly, chuckling to herself. 

I ignored her stupid idea of a joke and frowned to show my lack of enthusiasm. "Sorry, sis. I wouldn't even hesitate to jam that knife into your stomach." She laughed with no genuine happiness in her laughter whatsoever. She was doing what she always did. Making jokes whenever she's afraid. I knew that if that ever happened she wouldn't 'jam that knife' into my stomach like she so jokily declared. I don't tell her this though. She'll only deny it. 

I folded my arms, "You shouldn't joke about that, Echo." I maundered. She shrugged, "We're all gonna die eventually. Come on Lyric, haven't you ever wanted to just hit me over the head with an axe? Ever?" 
I paused, "We're siblings, aren't we?" 
She nodded her head in one swift, jerk motion. "Great. Then don't be such a killjoy about it." She picked her clothes off of the floor and gestured for me to leave the room. I did so obediently, giving her a brief wave as she slammed the door in my face. 

I walked back to my room and saw that Mama had laid out my clothes on my bed already. I eyed them hesitantly, Echo's words ringing in my head. Walking to my inevitable death... I looked back at the clothes again. A soft white blouse, jet black skirt and boots. The most formal thing I'd ever worn. And for what? So I could kill a loved one in a secluded, barren room full to the brim with harmful weapons that I'd never dream of touching? Nice. What a lovely sentiment. Blood splattered on the clean white fabric would only make me look like an even bigger fool. That's if I ever had the courage to kill anyone to begin with.