We sit silently in the car. It's not our car. No one has cars except for dronesmen. Who are police that work for the drones. I hate the drones. we see them in the streets once and a while. They are made of white and chrome metal. No face. No sound. Just over intelligent computers stuck in metal bodies. The dronesmen resemble them with white and chrome clothing and weapons. But they are still human. I think.
A dronesman always comes to pick up the kids for tagging. I look out the tinted windows and frown at all the identical houses in perfect rows.
"Are we almost there?" I ask.
"No." the dronesman answers flatly.
"Can I open the window."
"No."
"Will tagging hurt? Or can you not answer that?" My mom touches my arm. I ignore her.
"No" I hear a crack in his voice.
"Did it hurt you." My mom pulls my arm toward her and shakes her head. He twitches a little but doesn't reply.
We pull up to the ceremony building witch doesn't look much different than my house but five times as big. I take a deep breath.
"Come Briany." My dad smiles and takes my hand. "Its your big day." The dronesman leads us inside. We stop in hallway next to a door.
"Mr. and Mrs. Chades. Please go sit in there." They both smile and disappear behind the door. I suddenly feel panic. The dronesman pushes me down the hall all the way to the end. in the room there is a chair and one wall is completely mirrored. I sit without thinking. And the dronesman starts sticking things with wires coming out of them on my face and neck. "You will go into a computer simulation that your brain controls. I won't be able to see what you see. So close your eyes until you''re ready." my eyes automatically close.
I sit there for a while until I think I hear the sound of a bird. I open my eyes. nothing different. I look behind me for the dronesman but he's not there. I stand and walk to the mirrored wall. I go to touch my reflections hand and it slips through the glass like water. I step closer to the mirror. Stop. Hesitate. And step through the mirror.
I step onto a stage. Thick red curtains are hung on either side. What seems like millions of people, sit before me and laugh hysterically. I step back. My feet almost slip into a giant gorge behind me, where jagged rocks shoot up from the bottom like gun bullets frozen in time. I attempt to exit on all sides of the stage but the gorge surrounds me. The people continue to laugh. I want to stab them all; make them stop. Without thinking I run and jump over the gorge in front of the stage and brace myself to land among the people.
But I land in a cushion of purple irises. I'm in the middle of a meadow. Wild flowers grow everywhere; the bright yellows matching my dress, and the pinks and blues shining in the sunlight. The birds chirp loudly now. I look into the sky and see our planets four moons, the sun, and stars all together. I see strange circular shapes mixed into the bazaar jumble of sky. I stand and try to reach for them. and suddenly I'm falling. Again. Did I reach to far? I land in a black tar and look up to see the blue sky being swallowed by darkness. I try tearing my legs from the sticky black substance and fail. My body sinks farther and farther into the earth. I feel the tar surrounding me and filling every open crevice possible. I take a last breath of air before my head is also consumed. closing my eyes doesn't keep the tar from seeping into my skull. It slips into my throat and I choke. But when I take another breath, the tar rushes in my open mouth and nostrils. I shake my head and struggle for air.
When I feel the tar replacing my blood and melting into my bones, I finally open my eyes. I see a tiny light far away in the blackness. Like i'm not in a substance but black air. I stretch my heavy arm toward it; barely missing. I use my last crumb of strength to lunge and grab the light. It burns my hand; I don't dear let go. I hold it to where my heart beats slower and slower as the seconds pass, and let my whole body heat up like a flame. And just as I feel my flesh starting to melt the tar clears and the light disappears into the sky.
Witch is actually a black ceiling. Now I'm sitting in a chair in a grey room. Not the one from before the stage. It's different. I attempt to stand but I'm tied to the chair. A door that I didn't see before opens. A tall strong looking man enters and stands in front of me. He reaches behind him and pulls out a gun. I watch as he places the cold gun against my head and I see a strange marking on the inside of his forearm.
BANG! I gasp awake.
