The Loneliness of Distant Beings

Chapter Two

My sister, Pandora, married Cain almost a year ago and now, at nineteen, she is seven months pregnant. And man is she a pig in muck. All she does is laugh, and make little clothes, and invite all the young mums round so they can give her stuff and rub her belly. Cain thinks it's all so great too. And to think that I once thought he was cool. To see him now, dumb as anything and cooing over her and her belly, I hardly even know this guy. I used to be so jealous of my sister that her life partner was actually someone OK, and now he is just such a loser I can hardly even look at him. I'm not so disappointed in Pandora because I always knew she was lame. But sometimes I'm amazed how little we actually have in common. All those years in the same quarters and now all she does is knit booties.

Normal people would have moved into their own family quarters by now but my sister isn't normal and only just applied for hers. This is because she is under the misconception that my dad and I actually like having her around. I know this because Cain told me she was so worried about how we would cope without her that she was planning for them to stay even after the baby was born, to which I answered that I had far graver concerns about how we would cope WITH her than without. I mean, the whole thing is dysfunctional beyond words. My dad doesn't even seem to know how to sit between us any more at leisure time. He's been sitting there silent while we argued over his head for a long time now, and he wouldn't say anything, maybe just laugh sometimes at things we said and sometimes say, 'Girls, come on,' but we always knew he was kind of enjoying it, especially as we would both kiss him on the head before we went to bed. But now, I don't know, it's like Cain and Pandora are being dumb and only talking to each other and Dad and I are just watching the screens, but mostly I'm just thinking about what an idiot Pan is for being so happy at the prospect of the miserable existence that lies ahead of her.

So maybe, the day I wake up and it's my last day in Education, I'm just hoping I never turn into her; maybe I'm just hoping I get to the end of this day without my brain trickling out of my ear.

We have Father Seth first who has basically spent the last decade telling us Bible stories and has stopped by on our final day in this pokey little grey room to explain to us the meaning of life, or the meaning of life the way he sees it in any case. Naturally Jonah's the only person really paying attention; he's the only one who cares about this stuff. I mean, Emme's taking all the notes in the world because she always does but you can tell she's on autopilot.

'Now, Generation 84, this is your time.' This is just the kind of cheese Father Seth comes out with on a regular basis. There are thirty-five of us in this class, ranging from fifteen to seventeen; just the latest batch of workers churned out by what is, essentially, a production line. Education only have three classrooms so you spend three years in Education A, three in Education B, three in C, and then you're out, and they start making life miserable for a new consignment of six to eight year olds who are just about to begin wishing they'd never been born.

By the time I tune back in, Father Seth is warming to his theme, beaming through the beard that seems to be obligatory for guys who are into God. 'This is your moment, Generation 84. Your life path is just about to unfold before you; the life that God has chosen for you.'

Which, you know, is just more of him laying on the crap, because God has exactly ZERO to do with the stuff that goes down here, and he knows it.

'And tomorrow you will discover who among your classmates will be the one to accompany you into adulthood and parenthood, to fulfil your life's great purpose, here on Ventura.'

To which Ezra Lomax says, 'Try not to fight over me, girls. Sadly only one of you can be the lucky lady,' which is typical, and most people laugh, though you can even tell from the way some of the girls (including Emme) giggle that they're praying it's them. Idiots. I mean, he's the captain's son and he's so convinced he's hot he kind of manages to make other people believe it too, but that is the sum total of what he's got going for him.