7.9.4507 - Sonya

 

Sonya hyperventilated and banged table with her fist. She didn't want to admit that the date of doom was right in front of her eyes. She walked around the house and tried to think, but only thing in her mind was

I don’t wanna do this, I don’t wanna do this.

She went in her room, grabbed her phone and without hesitation selected number. She wanted some fresh air and company. Someone to talk with.

 

“Toot” sound

 

Please pick up the phone!!

 

Phone continued tooting and Sonya was going to shut the phone, but then someone answered. She sounded tired and bored.

 

"Hello?"

 

"Xiujie! What took so long?"

 

"I assume that you have received your test results", Xiujie said and sighed,

"So did I."

 

(Xiujie was Sonya's bestfriend. They had been friends as long as Sonya could remember, but now they went different high schools and couldn't see very often.)

 

"You wanna go for a walk?" Xiujie asked.

 

"You read my mind", Sonya smiled a little bit and added "see you in a minute."

 

Quickly she put her sneakers on and hurried to the door and grabbed her jacket. On the doormat she stopped and went back to living room. She took the hologram message and threw it hard against the floor.

 

It was getting dark and nights became colder. Fall was here and all the leaves had drop down ages ago. Sonya walked under the train bridge and saw Xiujie waiting for her at crossroad.

The center of the society was full of grey high buildings and traffic. Buildings were really dull and too symmetric. Colours weren’t used in buildings, but in fashion yes. People lived outside of city, but worked in those high buildings in different occupations.

 

"Let's go somewhere safe", Xiujie whispered when they hugged. "I know a good one." Sonya gave a nod and they made a long walk to a big rock on a hill. It took an hour to manage there. It was far enough from city, but you could see stonewalls as a thin line that surrounded you all around.

 

"Should I go first?" Xiujie asked, but didn't get answer. Sonya lay on her back and watched the starry sky.

 

"His name is Jongdae, Kim Jongdae. He is 18 years old too and he seems nice guy", Xiujie said and came down next to Sonya. They lay in silence for a moment and firmament moved slowly when time passed by.

 

"How do you deal so well with this?" Sonya broke the silence.  

 

"It's not the end of the world Sonya", Xiujie tried to say, but Sonya just shook her head. Always the same note. “It’s not so bad. You will learn to love him.”

Her problem wasn’t the man. He might be really good husband, but Sonya doubt herself as a wife. Could she be good mother and wife when her whole life is planned by government.

 

"Well what is yours like?"

 

“I don’t own him”, Sonya said. She dig up hologram message from her pocket and gave it to Xiujie. It hadn’t wound even though Sonya threw it all over apartment. Xiujie tapped square’s screen and it reflected Kyungsoo's picture to air and lit up the darkness.

 

"Wow.This guy looks rebel. Jongdae actually smiled in my picture. He reminds you a little bit", Xiujie joked and pinched Sonya’s arm. It was true that he looked rebel with his messy black hair and thick eyebrows, but he had also big kind eyes. It kinda melted Sonya’s heart, but then she reminded herself that they didn’t know yet.

 

“This is so wrong”, Sonya closed hologram message and changed her position.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“That we can’t decide of our own lives Xiujie! Have you ever thought what’s outside there? Behind the walls. Why are we government’s puppets?” Sonya raised her voice all the time, but stopped when she saw Xiujie’s scared look.

 

"It's dangerous to think like that", Xiujie whispered angrily. She bit her bottomlip and came close to Sonya.

"Do you think I really want this? I’m just as scared as you are Sonya, but we have no choice."

Xiujie talked so quiet that Sonya barely heard her.

 

"I hear things. Rumours about people that disappears at night. Like the girl in my class. Before she disappeared she told me about the lost souls outside the walls, but I didn’t believe her. She said that they scream at nights for help and that she had heard them. In two days that girl disappeared. Her whole family disappeared. Others said that they moved out, but I doubt that because you just can’t move out in two days. It’s impossible”; Xiujie cried out and squeezed Sonya’s arm.

 

“If we are too rebel or know too much, they will kill us!”  Xiujie yelled and held back her tears, “all they want is peace, right? So don’t do anything stupid”

 

"It's starts raining. We should go", Sonya muttered and stood up.

 

Xiumin 15.9.4507

 

Xiumin was awake and explored the building like everyone else. His room was quite small. He had bathroom, bed and one outfit. All he needed. Xiumin opened door after door and found canteen and big training hall with ropes and tracks.

Building had seven floors and most of them were built under the ground. No one was allowed to know about their existence. That's why they were shut from society to otherside of walls.

 

He tried to go back to his own room, but forgot which way he had come. He switched directions wildly and collided with other machines. They didn’t seem happy about it. In twenty minutes Xiumin had get almost four enemies.    

 

Finally aisle looked familiar and numbers on doors seemed right.

“This is the right one. Finally”, Xiumin sighed happily and went in. High pitched shriek split the air and door closed with pompous speed and Xiumin back off. He had a flash of blonde curly haired boy half dressing up. He realized that he had gone in wrong room and his room was right next to this stranger.

 

He tried to escape from that place, but the door flew open and angry looking boy approached him. He didn't wear shirt but he had put on brown jeans which zipper still open. Xiumin didn’t obviously notified about that.The boy grabbed Xiumin's shirt and pushed him against the wall.

Xiumin felt flattening and it was hard to breathe.

 

"Who the hell you are and what are you doing in my room?" boy spat right at Xiumin’s face. "Can't you read!" Xiumin couldn’t help but just stare in boys sparkling eyes. He was handsome, but anger distorted boy's cute features.

 

"Sorry it was mistake! I didn't find my room!" Xiumin shouted back.

 

"Oh! So you decided to come over for a visit?" The boy ridiculed.

 

"Get off me!" Xiumin said and tried hit boy's hands off, but he was too strong.

 

"Stay away", boy said threateningly and let Xiumin go. He watched at Xiumin's back when he went to the his own room.

 

Xiumin rubbed his chest and walked to mirror.

 

What a crazy boy. Too cute to be so angry.

 

He took his shirt off and tried to spot any bruises. He was fine. His milky light skin was invulnerable. He remembered that they can't even have bruises because they aren't real humans. They could at most get dents and chips.

Machines didn't have bellybutton because they were built. Dark circles under their eyes looked darker than they really were because of light skin. Inside their bodies didn't flow warm blood. It was electricity in cords and there was a barcode tattooed back to their necks just to remind them that they were more products than humans.

 

“Everybody to third floor! Wear your training suit!” Screen on wall started flash a message. First order -  Xiumin saw pair of trousers and shirt neatly folded on a chair.  

 

Yes sir , he thought.

 

18.12.4507. - Sonya

 

Sonya was supposed to wear her mother’s old wedding dress. She didn’t complain about it. She really liked the dress, but she was too upset to think how beautiful it was. It was the day, day when she was supposed to marry Do Kyungsoo.

 

She woke up early and tried to remember what was going to happen in the evening and suddenly everything came back to her like a tidal wave.

Days had gone by too quickly and Sonya didn’t know where. She hadn’t talk with Xiujie after their argue and that made her feel awful. She really missed her friend and needed her. Exspecially on this day. Sonya stood up and cracked curtains a little bit. Ground was covered by thin layer of snow.

 

Her mother had made pancakes for breakfast and Sonya got them in bed on a tray with fake flowers. Everybody were so kind to her, but she was too numb to smile back at them. She didn’t have school at that day. It was all about wedding and marriage. You had to look good, to give a good first impression. That’s why the whole day was reserved for beauty.

 

Facials, manicure and pedicure. What a spoiling day. They checked did the wedding dress still suit on her, but Sonya had lost weight and inside the dress was too much space. They had to make it smaller in hour. She had time for hairdresser and makeup artist. All the artists looked really weird. They had this weird fashion boom about neon-feathers glued on eyebrows. Sonya didn't get it. Some people were slaves of fashion.

 

People congratulated Sonya about the special day, but she just ignored them. Her mother tried to tell her shaping up and eat a double chocolate candy bar, because it was going to be long day and she had lost too much weight. Sonya obeyed and the candy bar tasted delicious. While eating she thought what was Kyungsoo’s day and what will he think about her.  

 

Sonya decided to try call Xiujie, but her phone went right to answering machine. Now she felt double time horrible. Didn't she want to talk with Sonya? Clock was around 4pm after all the beauty routines. Sonya's hair was tied in a big messy braid with cute diamond pins. Black car waited outside the beauty studio and it was purpose to drive North where the ceremony place was. Trip took a while because of the traffic and they were at the destination when clock hit 5.30pm. Ceremony was going to start at 7.pm

 

Sonya watched how clock’s numbers switched. It was way too fast. She sat on floral fabric chair and it made her sick. She needed time to rest, so others had left her alone for a while.

"Fifteen minutes darling and no more!" They said.

On the wall was big framed painting of man and woman. They were hiding in some sort of labyrinth.

Maybe that couple wanted some privacy. Sonya thought. I know the feeling.

Their hands were tightly together and the couple looked so in love. They looked happy.  Sonya tried to picture herself with Kyungsoo like those in that painting. Holding hands.. In love.

 

Car drove to yard and people stepped out. It was exactly alike what Sonya had arrived in. She sneaked by the window and tried to see who they were. Four dark haired dressed up men walked towards the building. They were quite same height. Unexpectedly one of the men turned around and looked right in that window, where Sonya stood. She rolled away fast as she could and closed curtains. She gasped out loud because she had just seen flash of Do Kyungsoo.