The Playground (Book #1)

four

After the tests are over, Haldis dismisses us for the day. She tells us that the results will be ready by the evening and we'll discuss them later over a dinner which will be arranging at our suite tonight. She takes us back to Central Floor and bids us farewell. I walk swiftly away from my team, not waiting for Oliver. I need to be away from them for a while. Seeing the orchid has made my mind go insane. I'm running full speed into the empty hallways, trying to get as far away from everyone as I can. I don't even know where I'm going, my legs just pull me in whichever direction. Once I think I've gone far enough, I slow to a power walk and steal looks into the classes that are in session. Inside of the classroom, the students look so focused, so intent. They don't dare take their eyes away from the Doll that teaches them, making sure to take note of every word that is said. They are mechanical, robotic, expressionless. However in the hallways, they are rambunctious, animated, humans. Now that I am no longer in the classroom, but an outsider peering in, I notice the stark contrast more clearly. I suppose these students weren't all that different from the ones back home in The Failure Region. They were both expected to be poised, structured, and diligent students. They were both expected to abandon their human characteristics are replace them for Doll ones.

They were expected to be okay with this.

I was expected to be okay with it. Among the many things we fought over, Oleander and I were always in much disagreement over this. Oleander saw no wrong in the Dolls. He was sure that they were here for our protection, for our guidance. To him, we humans are savage race, that can only be made civilized by the Dolls teaching. He scolded me for always being belligerent to them, not seeing what good they brought to the world. To me, as long as mother and father remained in poverty, the Dolls weren't doing good to the world. How can you weigh someones worth on a stupid test? It outraged me; angered me. How was it good that the people in our village were dying because they had no food, freezing because they had no shelter, sinking because they had no foundation? No, the Dolls were not good. They were murderers. They were killing the human race. However I was expected to be okay with all of this simply because the Dolls say so. I sit down on one of the benches, holding my face in my hands. I kept trying to picture the garden, but I couldn't. The image was all tainted and unclear like an old dusty photo. Nothing looked as it should, everything was out of place.

Pleione was right, the memory of the garden was not strong enough.

That night, while we all sit lazily in the suite, a knock comes upon our door. Basil opens it, and in comes Haldis a warm smile on her face. Behind her are a trail of butlers, that begin to place dinner onto our long dinning table. We mumble our thank yous and they leave in a blur. "Sit, please." Haldis says. We arrange ourselves at the table, Haldis taking her seat in between Basil and Raveena. We wait for whatever news Haldis has brought for us, but I can tell whatever she  has to say, someone here isn't going to like it. "You all did fairly well." Haldis says picking her words carefully. "Not flawless, but good enough to survive and make it through. You all demonstrated a lot of strength in a number of areas...." She's rambling, not wanting to get to the point. "At first I thought the data was inconclusive but....I was wrong. Raveena..." Raveena beams. "...and Laelia" Raveenas face goes hard. "You both ranked exactly the same."

"What?" Raveena snaps immediately.

"I ran over the data countless times. You both scored significantly higher than the rest of the group and both got the exact same score." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"No....No that doesn't make sense Haldis." Raveena says. "There is no way we possibly could rank anywhere near eachother. Are you sure you aren't mixing her data up with Basil or Opal? I suppose that would make a bit more sense."