Insanity is a Pleasure [revising]

Chapter 1/The Truth

DAY OF SLIMMING OUT CEREMONY.

"Christopher James! Get dressed this instant! You know what day it is!" I wake up to see my mom right out side my room waiting impatiently. Doesn't she know I'm not a morning person? Definitely not on this day of the year.

I moan. "Why do we have to get dressed for today? I mean, we are only walking literally ten feet to the TV. Can't we just wing it? I think, they won't know that we aren't wearing good clothes for the ceremony?" That's what I say every year like she's going to change her mind. My mother puts on her famous furrowed brow. She comes into my room and throws some clothes at my face."Okay! Okay! I will get dressed your highness." She nods and leaves shutting the door behind her.

"We don't break rules Chris. That's why we get dressed properly." My brother says coming into my room uninvited. Rolling my eyes I get out of bed reluctantly and put on a nice clean button up white shirt with black dress pants. I comb my hair so it's parted to the side and doesn't look messy.

"Chris, come on, you have to brush your teeth too!" I look behind me to see my brother in my room trying to find something.

"I am going to, don't worry, Zach. What are you trying to find anyway?" He picks something out of my bureau.

He looks at me triumphantly because he found what he wanted."Your dress shoes. Need to have these too." In his hands are some very expensive looking shoes that I where every year on this day.

I take them."Thanks. Now get out of my way so I can brush my teeth quickly. We only have like five more minutes till it starts." I run out of my room and go into our messy bathroom. This is the only room that the leader lets us be really messy in. The city prohibits for us to be horribly messy in out home except for the bathroom. So this is like our little sanctuary. My mother says otherwise about it being a sanctuary but whatever.

About sixteen years ago when I was in my moms belly. I heard that my dad got called to go down for the Slimming Out ceremony. That's why my brother feels more like a father figure than a brother. This is his last year. I have five more years of this. Thankfully my mom of course is done so she will be fine for her whole life.

I finish brushing my teeth and I rush to the living room and get a seat right next to my mother. She smiles and kisses me on the forehead lightly.

One more minute till they put on the broadcast. Zach plops on the other side of my mom. We take her hands.

Thirty seconds left. I close my eyes. It will be like any normal Slimming Out ceremony. Somebody will get picked and it won't be me.

Five seconds left. I take a deep breath.

Four seconds left. I tug my mom's hand closer to me.

Three seconds left. I will be fine. Nothing will happen to me. Just like normal.

Two seconds left. I open my eyes.

One second left. I quickly get a glimpse of my family before we start the Slimming Out ceremony.

Zero seconds left. The TV turns on by itself.

The Slimming Out ceremony commences.

We see a man in a black suit holding a white piece of paper. The piece of paper. The paper that decides our fate.

The man holding the piece of paper is named John Barr, the mayor of our city. He smiles at the camera. A fake smile. He doesn't want to do what he is doing right now. Whoever gets picked he might even know. He of course won't get picked because he's our leader. Is that really a good way to show your leader he's the best if he gets picked for the Sliming Out ceremony? Probably not the best way.