Rising From The Ashes

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It wasn’t long before I figured out how this place worked. Every day was the same if you did what you were supposed to. Wake up, eat a silent breakfast, if you were younger take classes, eat a silent lunch, go to group therapy, take a second class with the others, go to my personal therapy, then silent dinner, and finally bed. Then repeat.

The worst of the monotonous schedule I had to endure was certainly the second class in which everyone was mandated to take. It was simply an hour lecture of meaningless propaganda. The type of thing like, all males are violent, you have been deceived by them, blah blah blah. The straight-up lies they told us had me gritting my teeth through the entire hour. It seemed, however, that I was the only one affected by the words. The others just sat stoically as they always did. I was beginning to think that they weren’t people at all. Or they were just very good actresses.

Lily specifically tried to stay out of my way it seemed. I don’t think she wanted to be associated with me and my bad reputation. It was a reputation I had gained very quickly in this place as I could never keep my mouth shut the way the others could. It was only the second day when I found out what the punishment was, or at least one of them.

After an angry outburst in my propaganda class I was taken into a room at the very end of the hall that I had never seen before. I was forced into a chair where my head was secured tightly in place, so that I could not turn it even the slightest bit. Then I was left alone as videos played on a large screen directly in front of me. At first it wasn’t bad, just clips of different males. Then it transcended into video footage of all sorts of carnage supposedly caused by them. Explosions, gunfire, massacres, women, girls, and children all dead. I’d never been exposed to much violence and this was enough to make anyone sick. It went on and on and on. When they finally came to get me I found out I’d been in there for four hours. The times changed depending on the severity of your infraction as I soon found out. I spent a lot of time in that room the first week. And I spent even less time sleeping with images of blood and severed bodies dancing through my head all night long.

This was only one of their punishments, though. There were worse, but they were saved for the serious infractions of which I had not yet achieved. I shivered to think what else they had in store for me. It was only a matter of time before I found out. The others all seemed to realize this as well. Some went as far to offer me pitying looks each time I returned, pale and shaking from a punishment. It was clear most of them had been there too at one time. And yet only one girl had been sent since I arrived and it was for barely half the time I had to endure. I wondered if they were like me when they had first arrived. If they had fought back or just said what they knew the Officials wanted to hear all along. It would be nice to know that I wasn’t the only one having difficulty here, that I wasn‘t alone in my struggles.

Logically, I knew it made sense for me to just go along with everything. The better I behaved, the more I acted as if I were cured could only benefit me in the end. I would avoid punishment and hopefully be released sooner this way. However, I found it much harder to do than I imagined. I could hold my tongue while our teacher droned on about all the things wrong with the male population, but whenever directly asked a question I couldn’t seem to control myself. It was always the type of question where I knew exactly what the teacher wanted me to say, but to actually say it would be giving into them. It would be betraying Cameron in a way. But then again I knew Cameron would rather me lie then to be held here indefinitely. Yet no matter how hard I tried, I could never force out the words they wanted to hear.

Today I was headed for another group therapy. I took my usual seat in the circle and the two girls closest to me scooted away slightly. I rolled my eyes and ignored them, the way I always did.