The glowing, metal "register" attached to her wrist was a peculiar device. Displaying pulsating lines of color that detailed the wearer's vitals, stress levels, etc., registers also displayed for each girl her schedule for the day.
7m Alarm
Interlude
8m Meal One
Interlude
11m Spa Stall #7
1n Meal Two
....
Under the artificial light emitted from huge projectors above, and standing outside the spa door from which she just exited, the girl squinted at her wrist briefly before strolling off; towards the noise and activity coming from the center of the arena.
The Nest, as presumed by generations of its female inhabitants, was enclosed in an enormous indoor facility. Made of concrete and topped with glass, the circular Nest was built like an animal enclosure, viewable to outsiders through the glass paneling high above. Often, guards and other visitors would peer down at the girls below, jotting on clipboards and conversing with each other inaudibly through thick glass and concrete walls. Visitors ranged from men and women in long white coats, to some that appeared to be not affiliated with the Nest at all, but distinguished outside guests—possibly members of the Committee.
It was eerie at first: their scrutinizing gazes and curious eyes. But like most strange things in the Nest, the girls become habituated and numb to the quirks of their living situation, and focused on the greater task of winning.
Swerving to avoid two racing girls who were tossing a medicine ball between them, she passed the glass tube which held as the centerpiece of the arena. Rising up and disappearing into the ceiling depths, the elevator was presumed to be the sole point of access to the outside world.
The glass tube was also where new girls came through. Dazed, confused, and a little slow, the little wobbling fawns would blink under the glaring artificial light, asking hundreds of questions with no real answer. The tube was also where selected girls were sent to finish the program. Their excited, or smug, or nervous faces rising up, up, up and away, never to be seen again.
When she finally reached a meal station—a circular machine surrounded by little white chairs—the girl pressed her register against the metal dispensary. Whirring sounds came from deep inside the machine, and a little metal cup come whizzing down a wire spiral, coming to an abrupt halt just in time to catch a pale yellow drink the consistency of a thick, frothy milkshake.
Food is wasn't exactly the term to describe their meals. Concocting a mixture of powdered vitamins, minerals, and essential oils, the state-of-the-art dispensers were implored by the Nest as delivering "a perfect balance for the dietary needs of a young girl."
As she gulped the drink, half-mindedly watching the other girls exercising, conversing, or just going about their day, she was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. She wasn't used to intruders during her meal hours, and choked a little in her surprise.
"Can I join you?"
The newcomer was tall, her curly brown hair falling in a long waves down her back. Contradicting her round and smooth facial features, the girl stared with an intense ferocity, her feline green and yellow eyes watching her target, unblinking.
Not truly waiting for permission, and never removing eye contact, the girl sat across from her and said with great sincerity, "I know you. And I think we should talk."
YOU ARE READING
Pliable Creatures | ✓
Science Fiction124 woke up in the Nest with no memory, no name, and no idea why she was there. All she knows is that she must win the hearts of the Committee and leave the Nest with glory and honor for the sake of her family.... A family she couldn't even remember.
