The New Girl
“What-what are you?” she laughs, sending a clear bell-sounding chime through the air.
“Haha, I think you mean ‘who am I,’ Azurite, and it’s me silly!”
“I know that, but-but what did they do to you!?”
“Azurite, I’m a sixteen year, this is a city. What do you think they did to me?”
“They-no, they wouldn’t…I told Calix too-to keep you safe…”
“I am safe, silly. I’m just a little…tweaked.”
“You’re more like transformed! Maddy you don’t even look like yourself!”
“He he, of course not, that’s the whole point. Azurite, you should know this!” I do know. Once you get the sixteen year operation, they make you look flawless—not like me, with intimidating weapons built in, but just beautiful. Perfect hair, eyes, body shape, personality—no, not personality, they mess it all up, making you this air-headed, brainwashed, thing. I can’t blame her for the way she’s acting. She thinks she’s in this perfect world right now, that I—and Maria—are her best friends, that she never killed anyone. I wonder if they left her memory alone like they did for me…
“Maddy do-do you still have your…” I point to my head.
“My memory, yes, they left me alone up there. I still remember our fun times at the Hideout. Poor Michael, passing so suddenly like that—you were so sad.”
“Right…his ‘passing…’” Well…she’s mostly here.
“What are you doing, Azurite!?” Her eyes point towards Maria, still frozen under me.
“What does it look like I’m doing?!”
“Azurite, Maria is a lovely person. Why break her? She’s always been so sweet to all of us.” I roll my eyes, trying to keep myself from exploding at her, but instead I feel myself crying. “Azurite, what’s wrong!?”
“Why did you let them do it Maddy?! I miss the old Maddy! The Maddy with wavy brown hair, tanned skin and brown eyes! Not this! I want my best friend back!”
“I am your best friend, Azurite.”
“No you’re not! You’re an operated toy. An empty-minded, perfect looking experiment, that’s all you are.” She looks like she’s about to burst out in tears, but she had to hear it.
“Azurite, why would you say that…You of all people should know how nice the world is after an operation...?” I can’t argue. The first weeks after becoming a Servie felt like the best of my life. I had nothing to worry about; I was a flawless machine with a complicated memory. But I came back for a reason, and she has to find hers.
“But Maddy, I came back. I came back for you and Michael. You have to come back too, you have to remember.”
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Equals
Science FictionAzurite is a fourteen year old girl, only wanting to be like everyone else in her world--equal. That is, until the day she's supposed to become a fifteen year, and is instead chosen by the city's leader, Judge Maria to go out into the world alone t...
