'Vacation'

5

I had been sitting at my computer for five hours now. My eyes were red and dry and I was fervently taking notes as Eric explained everything I had to do. 

Eric was not bad actually. He was pretty nice and was trying to keep me calm. We had a video chat set up that I would be able to contact him through at any time. I had to delete his number from my phone and he somehow tapped into it and permanently deleted it for security purposes. The government did not joke around about security. 

"Did you get that?"

"Yeah... I think." 

"Alright, I'm required to make you repeat everything back to me. So just start from the beginning." He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. 

"Should I read it back exactly as I wrote it? Or should I insert myself into everything?"

"Go ahead and put yourself into everything you've written. This way you'll have a better understanding of it."

"Okay." I took a deep breath, this was going to take a while. "I am now part of an elite group of individuals who work for the government for a period of six months, not including training time. I will take the place of an individual as if I am living their life. They will be taken into the possession of the government for DNA tests for a period of six months. Their DNA tests will be used to create duplicate cells. Their DNA matches the DNA of another individual perfectly, therefore only one other person in the world can be used for this experiment, that is why it is so important. It is called duplicate DNA and only occurs in 4 people in the entire world. Their DNA pattern is unlike anything seen in mankind and could possibly hold the clues and research to the cure for Hypoglomica, a disease that plagues an unnamed individual and a condition that if solved, will mean hope for millions of remote tribes in the sub saharan areas of Africa and areas across the middle east." 

I paused to catch my breath. "I will be shadowing Riane Mathews, learning her every move, every want, need, breath, and belief. I must become her. Like an actress, I will put myself into her life and seamlessly live as her as she is tested and used for the betterment of the world. I will tell no one who I really am; because I will become someone else for six months. I will be Riane. I will no longer be Brea. Riane will not know I am shadowing her. I will quite literally be like a shadow. She will not suspect she is being followed while I train, because I will be so discreet. My training will last one month. At the completion of the month, Riane will attend her "audition" and be taken into the possession of the government. I will return to her home instead of her, claiming the audition to have gone well. From there I will seamlessly live as her until her return 6 months from her audition."

This was a lot. "I, as Brea, will carefully craft a plan to 'vacation' for six months. No one will suspect a thing and I will not tell anyone the true location of where I have 'vacationed'. Upon the completion of my job, trusting that I have successfully left no sign that Riane was gone, I will receive my payment and will return from my 'vacation'. I will never tell anyone of my job or I will be eradicated. If I-" My voice broke. This part scared me so much. "If I am unsuccessful in my job, I will be eradicated. If I spend any of my money before the six months is complete I will be eradicated. I will complete my training in the given time period and I will be successful in my job." 

My lip began to quiver. 

"Hey, Brea, don't cry, it'll be okay. It'll be fine. I promise you. I chose you because you're just like Riane. I knew it would be much easier for you than anyone else to become her. You have similar pasts, families, beliefs, everything. I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't believe you could do this." Eric said with a tinge of worry in his tone.

"I know, I have to do this. I will do it and I will be successful because I don't want to die... but it's just so stressful, you know?"

"Yes, it is." 

I wiped a tear from my cheek and looked back up at the screen. "I start shadowing tomorrow?"

"Yes, your timer started 5 hours ago. You have about 30 more days. And remember, I'll tell you every morning where she is and what you need to do. You'll never have to do this alone until you become her. I will help you every step of the way." Eric shuffled around for a second and put a small camera on the table. "I've planted these in all of her things. You will have eyes everywhere. You will know everything. Learn the way she talks, practice the way she walks, how she loves, everything."

I was sweating. This was beginning to really scare me. It seemed near impossible. 

"I have all of her background information. Tomorrow I'll bring you her birth certificate, social security, everything. You will be fine. I'll see you tomorrow Riane." 

I almost corrected him, then realized we had already begun practice. Nodding quickly, I shut off my computer and gripped my head with both hands. 

Tears welled in my eyes and my breath grew heavy. Rocking back and forth in my chair, I sniffed. Suddenly I was on the floor wailing as tears streaked down my face and sobs wracked my body. What the fuck had I gotten myself into. I pounded the floor with a fist, yelling at the top of my lungs. "You're so stupid!" I cursed myself out, I hit the floor, I punched a hole in the wall, I broke dishes and flung myself onto the couch. It's like the world was caving in on me. I couldn't live my own life anymore. I had just met Robin, that relationship would die just like it came. What would happen to Dawn, and Nisey, and everything about my life? Six months wasn't long in the big picture, but it was still a very long time relative to how many things could happen and how much people could change. Sobs wracked my body. My stomach ached. I felt like I'd vomit. 

I even had to get plastic surgery to look exactly like Riane. The government was paying for it, but I wouldn't be me anymore. I would literally be Riane. I wanted to kill myself. 

I turned over, staring at the ceiling. At this point the worst that could happen is death and I didn't even care about that very much anymore. I'd do the job and if I was unsuccessful then fuck it, maybe I could run to a discreet island somewhere and live with a tribe for the rest of my life. Or, I could kill myself so they didn't have to. 

I wiped my tears and pursed my lips. I could do this. No more crying. It was 11 at night. I needed sleep for my first day on the job. I could do this. I could do this. I would do this.