The Freaks p.1(Elise simpson) It wasn’t time yet. I wasn’t ready. Why didn’t anyone tell me the truth? Huh? Do you know? Did you know when it was going to happen? Don’t lie to me?

The room was a frozen shadow. Motionless. I felt the ice growing on the walls silently, slowly and secretly. Only I saw it. The frost was hiding as if it was plotting to escape just like me.
Suddenly, a woman can be seen shouting a name I can’t hear the name until the speakers alert everyone, “Number 1902 join us. We are ready for you.” Silence… finally a man –almost as small as a child- walks towards the door the woman didn’t move as he made his way over. The light coming through the door was almost trying to escape and scramble away from her shadow like figure. I couldn’t see any features only a figure. I wanted to know more but I was too afraid to move.

5 minutes pass. 10 minutes pass. The speakers roar “number 2674 please join us. We are ready for you.” I seem to be the only person to realize the “please” and the voice sounding much softer as if they were convincing me or manipulating me. Only sooner did I realize I am 2674. When I do I jump up and calmly walk towards the unknown, to scared to process my steps. The room is pure white. I’m blinded for exactly 3 seconds leaving my mind in a short state of panic i remind myself I’m safe as my anxiety finally shrinks and hides away I smile and proceed to follow the women in white. She is a beauty skin softer than clouds, her eyes the purest blue like the sky, her lips redder than the thickest and freshest of blood.
We take two lefts and one right through these rectangle tunnels and I see no doors or hear any sounds it’s all just white. I contemplate asking where we are going until I finally gain the courage “excuse me ma’am but where are we going?” I wait for her to reply but I just get silence. “Ma’am would you mind explaining where we are going?” she stops turns and looks at me with curiosity.

I black out!
Everything is blurry and muffled I can only understand the slightest of words. “Why did you … I said not to this one is special.” Says one voice but it’s still only little things I could hear. “I’m really sorry sir I got nervous. We had only been walking for about 3 minutes the earliest in record was 13!” the woman almost starts to cry. “Did I not tell you he was special look at him 6 foot, brown eyes, with brown hair. An athletic build this is so rare! Do you not understand? He is 1 in 3 million Americans to look this way.” he is almost hyperventilating with excitement “we haven’t had an anomaly for 1093 years why is the year 4020 so special 2 in 5 years and one in British. My god I am ecstatic.” The woman is staring at me when I open my eyes she almost drawling at my sight. “He is awake sir he …” the man suddenly screams “AHHH! My boy you are finally awake you don’t understand how amazing this is.”
I now come to realise it is an old man he is murmuring words to himself like “waking up 36 minutes earlier than average this is amazing.” “Is anyone else seeing this?” I stay silent and slope back on the bed hoping to just disappear feeling too weak to move.
I black out!

I finally wake up my vision as clear as day and my mind as sharp as a knife. Feeling like a brand new me I look around to finally find a small figure wrapped all up in herself almost crying at the sign of my movement. I then realise I am in a cell alone: two beds, a bolted door and a small window.

“umm, are you okay?” I say without even thinking about it. She almost looks shocked but stutters when she tries to respond “I-I guess so. You talk?” now I must look shocked because I know I feel it. I dumbly respond with “yes, doesn’t everyone?” she sits up sternly as if she was about to shout, but responds in the softest way possible. “No they don’t usually. I really have no idea how to explain it.” I smile softly seeing her frustration even though I am dying to know I say “you don’t need to explain tell about yourself instead.”

Her eyes light up and she smiles so bright my stomach turns. I then notice her beauty, brown eyes so dark I could look at them all day and get lost in a pit of abyss. Her hair a mix of brown and blonde with beautiful pink lips and teeth of the purest white. I am lost feel my face reddens as I stare and relish in this moment of short lasting happiness. “No one had ever asked that before.” A sweet smile appears across he lips “I’m Lucy. I’m 17 and I’m guessing you can tell by my accent I am British.” She giggles and looks away. “Oh god! Mind my manners please tell me about you?”
For a second I laugh and smile then for fill her wishes “I am Tom. I am also 17. And as you can tell by my accent I am American.” I look at my feet with nerves after sounding so confident I feel the dread kick in doubting myself. “Well, I am glad to meet you Tom. But I do understand why you are here now and I don’t think it will end well” she looks at me with pity. “Lucy please don’t stress me like this please tell me!?” I must look horrible as I start to stress. She takes a step back “I’m sorry. It’s just you aren’t blonde or have blue eyes which means you aren’t perfect. And well they get rid of new things and old things. I am lucky because after they have taken enough of my blood I get to go home. You won’t be so lucky unless you agree to be a lab rat like me or…” she says trailing off into thought. “Wait your blood?” I say not hesitant to get a reply. “Oh yes I am a lab rat. I have been here 5 years nearly I leave in 2 weeks. Maybe you could join me. England isn’t much better that war really changed everything but you would be safe. They wanted to see why I am different they will either do the same to you or dispose of you.”

3 bangs on the door shocks us both into silence. A man shouts “look both of you lights out. And i couldn’t help but over hear you. So you know little Lucy we aren’t going to let go of you for a little while yet, we want you both here for a little longer and then you both get to go home to England as it is the only place you belong!” he says with the most vile tone my ears have ever had to listen to. We both get into bed and close our eyes…

---