The true lives of MY Fabulous Killjoys
The Beginning
I was scared. More scared than the time I got locked in the car when I was three. More scared than when my mom had cancer. Heck, I was even more scared than the time I thought I was going to drown. There was only one reason for it: the new world government had been initiated. And my parents had gone along with it.
It didn't add up. My dad was the biggest doomsday conspiricist out there. So why had he sent me to this god forsaken building with all of the rest of the kids? Why did he listen to the very people he swore were out to destroy the world?
Better Living Industries. What a joke. Nothing about this place improved my living. If anything it had gotten worse. The food was worse than high school vegetable soup, the uniforms were hideous, and I was alone, completely and utterly alone. It was technically just for the first month. Just a little isolation before they knew I was a "better living kid!"
Their message was for a better society. One where everyone got along, nobody went without, and, oh yeah, they brainwashed you. Okay, so I had no grounds on that last claim. It was just a hunch, but it was a hunch with good grounds. What else would explain a simultaneous, worldwide, mandatory for all adults BLI conference? How could you possibly think anything less if your parents came home from said conference cured of their life long alcoholism and telling you that you and your siblings are headed to a "better home?"
Do you think I'm crazy? Then they probably already got you. In which case, I'm a bit fearful. You'll know who I am and turn me in. Ha. Nice try. I definitely changed all the names in here. You see, I'm smarter than your average zombified cookie. Anyway, back to my tale.
Yeah, they locked me in a room by myself for the first month of my stay in hell. It wasn't even a fun room. All it had was blank white walls, a tiny uncomfortable bed, and a bookcase filled with BLI approved reading material. I refused to read any of it. No thank you hypno books.
I did miss my things. All of them. My band tees, my posters, my laptop. But most of all I missed my siblings and friends. I knew they were here somewhere. We all lived in the same area, so of course we must have been transported to the same place. I worried about them, though. I was unable to see them. What if they weren't the people I knew anymore?
My fears were half confirmed the day they let me out for the first time. It was my test. I got to go to the "commons" for an hour. If I played nice and dumb I would get to continue my freedom. Of course I looked for any familiar face when I got there. The first one I rested on was Ellie, my sister. She was sitting at a table with girls her age. I went over and gave her a hug.
She turned in her chair, "Mandy! You're here! Isn't this place awesome?! They let me out of my room after only one week and I already made new friends. I even saw Mom and Dad. They promised to come get us once we're all released. Then we can start our careers. No more college, isn't that great?"
Please keep in mind that was coming from a twelve year old. Tears pricked my eyes. They took my baby. They took her and made her one of them, "Yeah. Yeah, it's awesome," I said.
"Mandy, are you crying? Don't cry. Tears aren't allowed here. They'll put you back in your room."
I couldn't take this. That wasn't Ellie. I turned and walked away. A movement caught my eye and I turned to see Joel wrestling with his friend Zayn. Maybe he wasn't caught. I strolled over and stuck my foot between them. They stopped and Joel looked up.
"Hey, sis. Finally decide to play by the rules?"
I didn't need to hear anymore. Joel didn't talk like that. He just didn't. I backed away. As soon as I did, he was back to wrestling. It was as if I had never approached. Can we say freaky? Next I tried a friend. Matt was in the corner. He was all about evil organizations. Clearly he saw it coming, right?
I didn't even need to say anything when I approached. He had his nose shoved in one of the novels off the shelves. There were two things wrong with that. 1) Matt doesn't read. He only ever got into one book series and it was about talking cats or something. 2) Those things were clearly evil. What kind of book is titled "Living Your Perfect Life?"
I didn't want to stick around and see who else was taken. I turned and sprinted. I ran faster than I ever had and locked myself in my room. At least those bare walls didn't hold any of the people I love. The ones who were no longer there. The ones who had been replaced by a Better Living.
It wasn't long before a note was slid under my door:
Attention Tenant:
Due to your unsatisfactory behavior
We are giving you two more weeks'
isolation. Please use this time to
reflect on yourself and how you can
make the world a better place. We
will help you accomplish it.
From your Friends at:
Better Living Industries.
I groaned internally. I was going to go insane in here. And not the way they wanted me to.
It didn't add up. My dad was the biggest doomsday conspiricist out there. So why had he sent me to this god forsaken building with all of the rest of the kids? Why did he listen to the very people he swore were out to destroy the world?
Better Living Industries. What a joke. Nothing about this place improved my living. If anything it had gotten worse. The food was worse than high school vegetable soup, the uniforms were hideous, and I was alone, completely and utterly alone. It was technically just for the first month. Just a little isolation before they knew I was a "better living kid!"
Their message was for a better society. One where everyone got along, nobody went without, and, oh yeah, they brainwashed you. Okay, so I had no grounds on that last claim. It was just a hunch, but it was a hunch with good grounds. What else would explain a simultaneous, worldwide, mandatory for all adults BLI conference? How could you possibly think anything less if your parents came home from said conference cured of their life long alcoholism and telling you that you and your siblings are headed to a "better home?"
Do you think I'm crazy? Then they probably already got you. In which case, I'm a bit fearful. You'll know who I am and turn me in. Ha. Nice try. I definitely changed all the names in here. You see, I'm smarter than your average zombified cookie. Anyway, back to my tale.
Yeah, they locked me in a room by myself for the first month of my stay in hell. It wasn't even a fun room. All it had was blank white walls, a tiny uncomfortable bed, and a bookcase filled with BLI approved reading material. I refused to read any of it. No thank you hypno books.
I did miss my things. All of them. My band tees, my posters, my laptop. But most of all I missed my siblings and friends. I knew they were here somewhere. We all lived in the same area, so of course we must have been transported to the same place. I worried about them, though. I was unable to see them. What if they weren't the people I knew anymore?
My fears were half confirmed the day they let me out for the first time. It was my test. I got to go to the "commons" for an hour. If I played nice and dumb I would get to continue my freedom. Of course I looked for any familiar face when I got there. The first one I rested on was Ellie, my sister. She was sitting at a table with girls her age. I went over and gave her a hug.
She turned in her chair, "Mandy! You're here! Isn't this place awesome?! They let me out of my room after only one week and I already made new friends. I even saw Mom and Dad. They promised to come get us once we're all released. Then we can start our careers. No more college, isn't that great?"
Please keep in mind that was coming from a twelve year old. Tears pricked my eyes. They took my baby. They took her and made her one of them, "Yeah. Yeah, it's awesome," I said.
"Mandy, are you crying? Don't cry. Tears aren't allowed here. They'll put you back in your room."
I couldn't take this. That wasn't Ellie. I turned and walked away. A movement caught my eye and I turned to see Joel wrestling with his friend Zayn. Maybe he wasn't caught. I strolled over and stuck my foot between them. They stopped and Joel looked up.
"Hey, sis. Finally decide to play by the rules?"
I didn't need to hear anymore. Joel didn't talk like that. He just didn't. I backed away. As soon as I did, he was back to wrestling. It was as if I had never approached. Can we say freaky? Next I tried a friend. Matt was in the corner. He was all about evil organizations. Clearly he saw it coming, right?
I didn't even need to say anything when I approached. He had his nose shoved in one of the novels off the shelves. There were two things wrong with that. 1) Matt doesn't read. He only ever got into one book series and it was about talking cats or something. 2) Those things were clearly evil. What kind of book is titled "Living Your Perfect Life?"
I didn't want to stick around and see who else was taken. I turned and sprinted. I ran faster than I ever had and locked myself in my room. At least those bare walls didn't hold any of the people I love. The ones who were no longer there. The ones who had been replaced by a Better Living.
It wasn't long before a note was slid under my door:
Attention Tenant:
Due to your unsatisfactory behavior
We are giving you two more weeks'
isolation. Please use this time to
reflect on yourself and how you can
make the world a better place. We
will help you accomplish it.
From your Friends at:
Better Living Industries.
I groaned internally. I was going to go insane in here. And not the way they wanted me to.
cuz I decided to write the story?
9/28/13