We Have More In Common Than A Number

Jamie

It doesn't hurt, it's not contagious, it's unique. I still call myself Jamie but since I was named that because they got my gender wrong when I was brought here they call me 0142.

I live, well more like I'm being held, in a special hospital, it's sometimes called a containment facility. I occasionally like it here, especially when I'm in my room and I can take off my mask. I don't like all the doctors and guards. I do have my own guard, I know she's mine because her jacket says Keeper 0142, my number. She's new, I've had quite a few guards but this one doesn't seem like a person anymore.

She's tall, broad shouldered and with shoulder length, magenta hair that resembles a mane. Sometimes I imagine her hacking away at it with a pair of kitchen scissors and it makes me worry about what would happen if I got on her bad side.

She comes into my room and sits on the end of my bed, her eyes seem even more dull than usual, as if all the emotion has been ripped out of her and I swallow.
"What's your name?" she even sounds emotionless. I feel like this is a trick, everyone calls me by my number and she knows this.
"0142." I reply in my usual upbeat tone.
"Your name, not your number." what? She wants my name? Keepers don't usual care enough to ask for such personal information, they prefer not to see us as humans. She must be different. Not only physically stronger but I suppose emotionally too.
"it's James, I prefer Jamie. But uh... Everyone just uses my number so I don't mind if you do too!" I fiddle with my sheets, I'm not used to such long conversations.
"nice to meet you Jamie, I'm Keeper 0142."
So I guess she's not going to tell me her name, she's wearing the standard keeper uniform. It's just a black t-shirt, a cropped camo green jacket and matching cargo pants paired with the standard issue boots we all wear that go up to your mid calf and have so much lace you could tie someone up with it. The only things about her that seems personalised are her brightly coloured hair and a peculiar necklace that has a symbol on it that's foreign to me.
Her eyes may be the emptiest of anyone I've met but this is the nicest conversation I've ever had here.