My name isn't Anna. At least, not anymore. I'm not allowed to say it. My new name is GP7, whatever that means.
Right now, I'm sitting my plushy hospital bed in my pajamas. I look down at my wrist with the bracelet, I hate that bracelet.
'GP7. Age:9 Weight:67.8 lbs Condition:Brain Isolation 8657953'
My female nurse comes and tries to coax me into taking my cocktail of pills, which I reject. But then, she makes an offer of five minutes of outside time today. I couldn't refuse the idea of me getting to go outside today. So, I take them.
She exits and I am once again left alone in my purely white room. A knock at my door ten minutes later notifies me that Danica is here to check my fitness. Danica is my favorite person here.
"How are you today?" She says without addressing me as GP7, one of the traits I find most likeable about her.
"Eh. Feeling a little tired."
"Well, you have to take a fitness test, and you aren't getting out of it again." She looks at me with sympathy.
"Why do I have to take them?"
"So that you can grow up to be big and strong, like I always say."
I sigh very loud.
"Hey if it helps your birthday is coming up in a few days."
"Can I have a real cake this year?"
"I will do what I can. I mean, double digits is a big milestone."
I smile at the thought of having real sugar.
"OK. Let's go take that test." She leads me down the hall and I follow. We arrive in the room with a treadmill, a mini gymnastics area and a 100m stretch of water. Next to the pool, there's a large, thick hoodie that I have to wear while swimming.
First she has me run nonstop on the treadmill for five minutes. Then I have to do a very complex gymnastics routine on the bars, beam, and floor. And finally, she makes me put on the hoodie as I do butterfly strokes down the water in less than ten minutes.
"You did very well today. Are you hungry?" Says Danica.
"A little." I say. But I'm really hungry.
"Let's go down to the cafe, and I can get you a ceasar salad and today, you can have an iced nonsweet tea, if you want."
"OK." We start to descend the stairs. I'm not allowed to use the elevator only except if I get hurt badly enough that I can't use the stairs.
We get there just as they open, and Danica orders both of us a ceasar salad with no dressing, and iced teas. Except hers has sugar in it.
Ceasar salad is one of the foods that I am allowed to eat that I actually like.
Once we finish eating, Danica takes me outside for my promised five minutes.
Of course, it's barricaded by huge metal walls around the edges and a thick glass roof. Every single beam of sunlight hits the unnaturally green grass.
It's okay though, it smells like real dirt. At least I think it does. I've never smelled anything but this.
I go into the little house that I like to pretend is and actual house. I wish it was because I could get out of this place. Danica joins me for 'tea' in the little house.
I pour water into the tea cups and I see Danica slip a little bit of sugar into my water. Then she smiles and holds a finger to her mouth.
Soon it's time to go back inside. I'm happy though, for my small amount of time outside. But when we approach my room, there's my male nurse, and he has no emotion on his face. He and Danica exchange hushed words and I only pick up one sentence from Danica, "No, not yet. She's not ready!"
The nurse leaves, shaking his head.
"Okay, listen here GP7," she addresses me by that name and it makes me want to not listen to her, but I do because I trust her, "we're going to go into your room and sit down. And then a nice lady is going to come in to ask me some questions. And you are not to say A WORD, got it?" She has a worried look on her face.
I nod in response, and she smiles a worried smile.
We wall into my room and Danica presses a button, revealing a fluffy white couch. I sit in it and prepare to be quiet.
Soon, the woman comes in dressed professionally. She asks me if I know who Albert Einstein was, and I nodded. She then told me that I could be smarter than him, because I am already almost to his level.
Wow, nine years old, and I am one of the smartest people on earth.
I could've never guessed.
Then her and Danica begin talking quietly. I sit silently, obeying Danica's orders.
After about an hour and a half, the woman smiles a fake smile at me and leaves me in the room with Danica.
"You can talk now." She says.
"What's going on Danica? I'm scared." I say.
"Now isn't the time nor place to discuss that. Now be quiet, she's coming back."
Almost immediately the woman comes in after Danica's words.
Danica pleads with her, "Please don't do this. She's only nine. She's scared and doesn't know what's happening."
The woman has a sharp voice, "I'm terribly sorry ma'am. But I have orders to do so." She pulls a syringe from her belt filled with a liquid the palest of blues. "Now hold still or this is going to hurt a lot worse than it should. But don't worry, you won't feel anything until you wake."
