TODAY WAS THE day. Today our routines were different; today we would know our place in the world—well, in Amenity, that's the closest we have to the world.
I walked to the dining hall and caught a glimpse of this girl, she was beautiful: her pale skin and light freckles framed by dark curls on either side of her face that escaped from her side braid. Of course, she had never noticed me. Why would she? I'm like any other person here, and if she had noticed me, would it be out of pity?
Because I was a sick kid? Perhaps one of the sickest kids here? I wondered what her condition is, why she was here. She looked perfect, just not in her genetic makeup. Why does that matter? What makes our genes so important to the Doctors?
I made my way through the mass of patients and stood with my best friend, Anthony. He had tan skin and almond shaped eyes, his hair always tousled. I watched as the Doctors walked to the front of the room and stood next to one another, five of them in total.
I noticed her again, standing in the pocket of the crowd behind us, but she looked anxious. I wondered if she had known something then, something that could have saved us. I never bought into all of the conspiracies and theories that the patients discussed late at night in our bunk room, but they had caught my attention. Had she believed them?
The Doctors raised their hands, palms facing the crowd, and the room silenced.
"Today marks a glorious occasion, one that Amenity and I have been waiting years for. A select group of patients has been chosen for The Choice, an opportunity that could save all of you," he said.
"We will call your names and those of you who have been chosen will be escorted to another facility of ours."
"Charlie Jones," a woman said. A young girl, younger than me with red hair moved from the crowd and followed two guards down a hallway.
When they were on the sixth name, they called her.
"Maria West." With her head bowed, she walked behind the guards and I saw what might be wrong with her. Her torso was shifted, there was a gap between where her arm and side met. Her left and right shoulder blades stuck out and came to a rounded point inside of her dark grey jumpsuit that we were required to wear.
I wished I had known what was at risk when we joined The Choice, or as it was actually called, Project Choice. I could have saved her. I didn't know it then, but I could have saved a lot of patients.
August Bennett. I heard my name, but it felt as if my feet were stuck to the ground. After a moment, I moved and went with the guards.
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Faultless: A Utopian Love Story
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