The Playground (Book #1)

three

Ding, Ding, Ding!

The sound of the alarm rung through my room. The fiery sun, that was so eager to see me awake, flashed its golden rays through the crystal of my window. "Get up, get up!" It screamed at me. Every inch of my body pleads to stay under the quilted covers and close to the plush comforter. But, I know I can't stay. I force myself to detach from the warmth. Groggily, I walk over to the sink of the connected bathroom and splash cool water on my face. I look up at my reflection hoping to see evidence of a girl with newfound courage and hope. But all I see is darkness. My mindset may have changed, but the body of thehelpless girl from yesterday still remains. It will take a lot more to get through The Playground. I walk away from the mirror, not wanting to look at my reflection for another minute. I open the chest drawers that are adjacent to the bed and search inside for something fresh to wear. There are piles of shirts, pants, and underwear all arranged in neat stacks. I take the first things I see and put them on. Once I'm done, I examine the outfit I've created. A white top, navy pants with a dark jacket. As I'm tucking in the top, I realize that these are the first clothes I've ever owned that were new. Growing up, all I had was hand-me-downs that were often filled with holes. They were always too big or too small and tended to fall apart and tear easily. But this was nothing like those hand-me-downs. It gave me a thrill but I hated myself for loving it. The luxury of it simply reminded me of what my siblings didn't have at home. I leave my bedroom and I'm about to escape out the door when Oliver calls out to me. "Laelia!" He says. He's coming out of his bedroom door, tying the last knot of his shoelaces. "Let me walk with you." He stumbles towards me, a sheepish smile across his face. "Where are the others?" I ask him. "They woke up earlier I guess." I give out a big sigh. "Alright then." I say not bothering to cover up the irritation in my voice. "Let's go." I wasn't sure who I'd rather be with: the snarky Raveena and her posse or Oliver the lost puppy. We walk out the door and join the flock of other testers in the busy hallways. We walk down the corridors and head towards the same elevator shaft we took yesterday. I try to get as close as I can towards the side of the elevator so that I can peer out of its clear walls. Below me, I can see the thousands of students on their way to daily classes. They're absorbed in endless, mindless chatter. Anyone with eyes could tell they were extremely different from us. They have been pre-exposed to the life of luxury, devouring it by the mouthful. Their sinless parents are somewhere in the city, acquiring more money in a day than my family could make in a year. I try to imagine who I would be if mother and father were sinless. What I would wear, how I would act, how I'd see the world. But I can't, the thought is simply too disturbing. Growing up to sinless parents was the closest thing you could be to living life as a Doll. Father used to agree with me that life as a Failure was gray, but told me that be a Doll or a Sinless meant to live a life without color. As I looked down at the children, every bone in my body felt that he was right. We finally make it to the main floor and walk out. As I look around, I'm once again awe stuck at the capacity of the facility. You can see everything from the center floor; all the classrooms, the gymnasiums, and the auditoriums. Everything is shining like crystal and beautifully crafted. It was simply riveting. Our academy at home was not even tenth the size of this. Oliver notices my awe-struck and expression and says "It's like it goes on for miles." "Tell me about it," I reply. Finally, the bell rang, and the students scurry to their classrooms and depart from their friends, disappearing in a mix of white and black uniforms. What remains is the flock of Failure Children Testers that I saw earlier at the loading deck last night. I notice that the room has been divided into sections according to what Sector and town you belong to. After about fifteen minutes of searching, Oliver and I finally find our small section of the room that is labeled as Sector 4 - Ceronia.  I hear Mrs.Heavenly before I see her. The click-clack of her preposterous heels sound from behind me. I turn and see her small mechanical like body walking towards us. She wears a yellow colored suite and has her lousy clipboard in hand. Behind her are a trail of other dolls, all dressed in beautiful clothing; no doubt made out of very expensive fabrics. They look far more pristine than her. They look to be supervisors of other Sectors and villages. Ms.Heavenly comes before us, accompanied by a smaller band of other dolls. "Good morning!" Mrs.Heavenly's voiced booms, her white smile sparkling. "How are we feeling this morning?" "Fine, and you?" We chorus back unexcited. "Couldn't be more heavenly." Mrs.Heavenly responds. Her doll companions laugh, and as the rule of conduct goes, we must laugh with her.