THE GREAT WAR ( aaron warner )

Ⅰ ━ Asylum

I've been locked up in complete isolation for 320 days.

I know my twin sister is here, but they purposely keep us separated. They are scared of what we could do to them. They know about us. About our secrets.

I have spoken a total of four times in 320 days. Each time I've seen Juliette. Now they know to keep us separated.

They are the servants of The Reestablishment. The company that was meant to save our declining planet.

They are the same people the ripped me out of my family's house for something I had no control over. They don't care that I didn't know what I was doing.

I can tell I'm in the middle of nowhere but that's about it.

The journey here was 7 hours but if the officer driving the white van hit the brakes less and the accelerator more, the journey would have been shorter. My hands were handcuffed, I was strapped in my seat, and all the windows near me were blacked out.

I don't know where the took me. I know no one said goodbye. I know I didn't cry.

I have a window in my cell. I couldn't see the outlines of the world outside but not much else due to the frosted film.

That is until I found a bobby pin on the ground in the showers. I shaved off the ball point with the cement flooring and it left a sharp ragged edge.

I took as a of that and started scraping off the film. A corner of the window was now completely see-through. I could see the sun setting and the barren landscape. I even took the extra pillow and placed it over so the so they wouldn't see.

They told me I was getting a roommate. They said I was good. I could tell they didn't mean it. I could see it in their eyes.

I asked if it was going to be Juliette. They didn't like that.

I have now spoken five times since I got into the asylum.

The man in the cell backhanded me with an open palm. I felt the sting of his ring on my cheek.

Before I could even cry out they left the room and locked the door as if they were never here.

My cheek started to bleed from the sheer force of the man's ring. I knew my cheek would be bruised.

Even after the whole ordeal, I was still hoping my new 'roommate' was Juliette. But I learned in these horrid times that hope is bullshit.

•••

I woke up to a scuffle.

I open my eyes and glance over to my left in the pitch-black cell to see a tall body preparing the extra bed.

"What the fuck."

"Oh, hi. Did they not tell you I was coming?" the boy says while pulling a confused face.

"You're a ... boy?"

"Duh," he said in a flat tone. He cocks an eyebrow and turns backs to his bed. He glances at the window and turns to look at me. If he sees the bruise on my face, he doesn't mention it.

"You don't mind if I borrow that pillow, do you?"

My hearts drops. I don't know who he is. For all I know he could be a worker at the asylum who was just sent in here to watch over me. I don't know what they would do to me if they saw that window.

"N-no. Uh- you can have mine." I say. My voice comes out in a rush as I hand him my pillow.

He looks at the pillow in my hand and glances back at the pillow on the windowsill. He slowly reaches over and takes the pillow in my hand. I quickly recoil my hand as he turns back around to put it on his bed.

"Umm... okay. Can I ask you something?" He mumbles as he climbs into his bed.

I lay back down and stare at the ceiling not even bothering to look at him, "You just did."

I hear him shuffling around in his bed before he finally stops and lays still. "Are you insane?" He says in an almost silent voice.

"Why? You don't want to be stuck in here with a loon?" I say with an irritated tone. I decide to turn to my right to face the wall instead of the ceiling. As I'm readjusting my blanket I hear him whisper again.

"Okay, I'm sorry. There was probably a better way to ask that-"

I quickly cut him off while turning around to face him again "Or how about not at all? Or maybe asking a normal question like what's my name? You don't just get to barge into my cell and start acting like an absolute sleaze." I say in a whisper-shout.

We're both now looking at each other. Him with a look of shock and mine a look of pure displeasure. Displeasure because he's not my sister. Because he's a boy. Because I have no idea who he is. I look away.

After a moment of silence he speaks up in a confident tone.

"What's your name?"

I let out a noise that is somewhere between a snort and a scoff. "Not gonna happen, Gaston."

"My name's not-"

"I know."

I turn back to the wall and move my dark brown, almost black, hair from under my head to spread it across my bed.