124 blinked, and, scrunching her forehead, said, "Oh yeah, I think I've seen you around before. "By the treadmill or...." She had a vague recollection but played off her confusion, not wanting to hurt the other girl's feelings. "We've never been introduced, though."
91 shook her head. "No, I mean... before. Before the Nest."
This wild statement took 124 aback. Nobody really remembered anything before the Nest. Sure, they remembered the general structure of their society. They remembered the trees, the rivers, the animals, their language... but themselves? No, not really. Their names were _____, their family lived _____, their friends were _____. _____ _____ _____. That's why they referred to each other by their last three numbers of their identification number.
The theory for their collective amnesia was that the Committee needed participants of the Nest to be blank slates that wouldn't be influenced by the stains of their past
"Wh—what do you mean?" 124 asked, stumbling over her words.
"What's your name?" 91 asked instead, dodging her question.
"12—"
"I mean from before the Nest. Your real name."
124 frowned at the unusual question, not sure as to what 91 was talking about. "I don't know.... Do you?"
91 shook her head. "No—" she sipped her drink "—but I wonder why.... Do you know why I came over to talk to you? I don't know how but I feel like I know you."
"You do?" 124 was all sorts of confused at that moment. This girl, who she had never talked to once in her entire life, now claimed to know her from basically a past life. A ghost of her past life. And why talk to her now, after weeks of living of Nest together.
"And why do you say that?"
"I don't know..." She finally turned away to look at something in the distance."I've been starting to remember things...." She brushed aside the gasp emitted from 124's mouth and hastily said, "No, No, No. Not like that. Feelings, inclinations, impressions." Turning back to look at her, "I think my name—"
Alarms began blaring around the Nest. All the girls looked up, like burrowing animals at the sound of approaching feathers. Registers all around the arena began chiming the same exhilarating message:
"Committee member approaches. To your positions."
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.
