Life With Their Rules

Chapter 1: The Lonely Life of Pix

I'm corrupted. Well, my barcode is, but that's what defines me as a person in society. See, in our society, we each get branded with our own barcode. On our wrists, the back of our necks, our cheeks... it's what we need in order to do anything. These barcodes tell what we're destined to do. They're assigned to people based on our DNA sequence. It tells what your job will be, how you'll do in school, where you'll live, et cetera. But as for me, my barcode is corrupted. It's a rare occurrence, but when it does happen, it marks you as useless in society. Corrupted barcodes are created when the fate your DNA writes for you marks you as a person who's worthless, not destined to do anything, and always going to fail. And everyone knows when your barcode is corrupted. They make you wear a red band around your wrist instead of the normal black ones. They think of it like a disease. So they stay away.
I know I'm not the only corrupted one, but since it's so rare, and corrupted barcodes are discriminated against, I'm alone. I have no friends. My family doesn't talk to me. Society looks down upon me. I don't know anyone else like me.

Well, I didn't. Until I met him.

Thursday morning. Dull Thursday morning, like always. I never liked Thursdays, nor did I ever like any day. Everyone hated me, what was there to enjoy?
Since society thought of me as a mistake and a waste of space, I lived far away from civilization. There's a small, separate neighborhood away from the main city known as Red Ring Brook. That's where They make the corrupted people stay. I'm in Sector 8 of the neighborhood, one of the areas farther from the city. So I always have to get up early in order to walk to school on time. Yes, I walk really far to school. The school buses don't go to our neighborhood, I don't have a driver's license, and there's no one to take me to school. And since I don't have any friends, I walk to school alone.
So on that dull Thursday, I went through my normal routine. Wake up early, shower, breakfast, clothes, et cetera. Then I started my long trek to school.

I showed up to school barely before class began, and scanned my barcode at the door, like usual. It's a security policy the school has. It's so They know you're supposed to be at the school. I just hate it. Because any time I scan my barcode, the monitor displays my personal information, but instead of in black and white like usual, it beeps and displays my information in crimson red. Because I'm corrupted. And everyone knows.
But it wasn't like any other Thursday. Because instead of a normal person scanning their barcode right after me...

The monitor beeped again.

Confused, I turned around. There weren't anyone in school who was like me, right? I would've known if someone else with a corrupted barcode was in school with me, right? If so, I would've seen them walking to school from the same neighborhood. There's no one else like me here, right?

Nope.

Now, don't get me wrong, I know I'm not the only person with a corrupted barcode. But it's so rare of an occurrence. Yet there he was. Another person with a corrupted barcode. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It couldn't be real. But his jet black hair. His pale white skin. The crimson red band around his wrist, just like mine. It's all real.
And just as suddenly as I noticed him, he just walked away.
Was my loneliness driving me crazy? Was there really someone else who could understand my pain? I honestly don't know. I don't even know if I want it to be real or not. I mean... I've been alone all my life so... am I really ready to actually have a friend?

*

Becky Willis. It's not enough for her to simply see people with corrupted barcodes. She has to make our lives worse. She does this to me every day. And the teachers do nothing about it. In fact, they pretend you don't even exist.
Math class is hell because of her.

"So, does anyone know what 135 ÷ 9 is?" Our teacher asked.

I raise my hand.

"Anyone?"

My hand's the only one up.

"Anyone at all?"

He's ignoring me.
Becky raised her hand.

"Becky! Yes, do you have the answer?"

"Oh, I do," she said. Then she turned to me with a devilish smirk, "but I'd like to let the corrupted one answer."

Everyone turned to me.

"...15...?"

They all seemed so shocked by my answer. I was correct? I guess I was. Becky gave me some sort of death glare.

The rest of class played out like that. Same with my other classes. Only, my answers weren't correct, like that one question I answered. That's normal. I'm destined to fail and be useless, as They say. Still though, Becky seemed pretty ticked off about my one correct answer. She confronted me in the bathroom at the end of the day.

"Okay, Applebuttー"

"It's Appleberry. Pix Appleberry."

"Whatever. Just listen here and listen good. I don't know who you think you are, pretending to be soooooo smart in math class, but don't do it againー"

"I wasn't trying to be smart. I was trying to get a good grade in Participationー"

"STOP INTERRUPTING ME. Look. Just know this. This is my school, so it's my rules. And in my school, corrupt losers like you aren't supposed to 'get good grades.' Understand?"

"I know. I'm not trying to get correct answers. I'm just trying to contribute to the class. I can't get correct answers. That one was just luck. I just want to get a good grade in Participation, since that's all I can get a good grade in. I'm just stupid. You don't need to remind me."

"...so you know your place. Good."

"I've known my place since I was born. I may be stupid, but at least I know I'm lower in status than people like you."

I left the bathroom expecting to walk home alone. After all, everyone hates me. I'm just stupid and corrupted. No one wants to be my friend. There's no one else in the school like me. I think. That guy I saw was just a figment of my imagination, right? Maybe not. Because someone called for me.

"...hey, Pix."