Faultless: A Utopian Love Story

Chapter V - August

I WOKE IN the dark, to the sound of alarms blaring. After nine days, was I about to meet my end? A hand grabbed mine and the hallways blurred as we ran. I saw Maria's pale face in the darkness and I felt slight reassurance. The next scene I saw was a forest, and I felt the soft moss and tree roots underneath my bare feet.
I let go of her hand and leaned my back against a tree.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't breathe . . . too much running, but that's nothing to worry about," I said.
"We can take a break, but we can't stay here forever."
"I know, just give me a minute."
We continued to run deeper into the forest, farther and father away from Amenity, the Doctors, and Project Choice. Maria looked back at me to make sure I was okay and tripped on a protruding tree root.
Her feet went into the air for a brief moment and she fell flat on her back. My lungs and chest burned, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was if she was okay. I knelt down next to her and went to slip a hand behind her back when she swatted at me.
    "Don't touch me!" Maria shouted, her voice hoarse. "Please."
    I put my hands up in surrender and stepped away from her. She rolled into her side and kneeled, her hands pressed to her forehead.
    "It's all right. You're okay, right?"
    "I will be, just please leave me alone," she said.
    I half nodded and offered her a hand. Her face contorted in pain, she took my hand and stood. She walked in front of me and her hair moved from her right shoulder, revealing a deep cut on where her shoulder blade stuck out.
    "That needs to be cleaned or else it's going to get infected." I said.
    "I'm fine."
    "No, you're not," my volume rose. I grabbed her shoulders and stopped walking.
    "Leave me alone! Don't touch me!" she stomped her foot. Her voice became unsteady as her eyes filled with tears.
    "Let me help you."
    Maria moved her hair to the left side of her neck and put the strap of her tank top down to a few inches below the cut. I ripped the edge of my shirt and pressed it to the wound. I held it there as she put the strap back to hold it in place.
    We walked in silence for the next few minutes and stopped when we were by a river. She sat down on a rock and I joined her.
    "This . . . this isn't normal, I am such a freak, I'm so ugly!" Maria said through tears.
    "Hey, don't say that, you're beautiful."
    "You think I'm beautiful, how? I look like a mess."
    "You shouldn't let your condition define you, they shouldn't torture us and enslave us because our genes are different than theirs. That's what makes you unique, and the Doctors obviously can't see how incredible you are because they're so concerned with why you aren't like everyone else,"
    "Thank you. I'm sorry for being closed off and angry with you, you didn't cause this to happen to me,"
     "Are you embarrassed? Is that why you freaked out back there?" I asked, trying to keep my tone gentle.
    "Maybe, yeah."
    "It's okay, you know . . . to not be okay," I said after some minutes of silence.
    "Yeah."