Masked Freedom

"Violet! Wake up! You'll be late!"

I sit up rubbing the sleep from my eyes, heading over to the sink to wash my face. "Mom! Where are my clothes? Nevermind, found it." I pull my arms through the tight rubber and slip on the suit. Zipping up the suit, picking up my mask and placing on my face. No one besides my family has seen my real self. A world of equality and a lack of discrimination they call it. A perfect utopian society they say. Everyone wears the same thing, covering every part of them. No difference in sight. I hope one day I will find someone who I can show my real face to, not the same mask we cover ourselves with.

As I head on to college, I hear a piercing scream.

"Kyaaaa! Pervert!"

I turn to see a man running without his suit and mask. His hair, golden locks waving as he ran, his piercing blue eyes, his mischievous smile, his arms exposed to the world. I felt my face flush. I have never seen anyone else's features besides my own family's. My heart started racing as he ran towards me. I stood there not sure how to react. The world around me was drowned out as be heart beat got faster, louder, faster, louder. I felt myself drawn to him despite being a criminal. His mysterious allure. I could not take my eyes off him for a second.

The next thing I knew, I found myself at gunpoint. The cool metal surface pushed into the side of my head. Blood rushing even faster than before, but not because I had a gun pointed at my head. It was because I felt his muscular chest behind my back. A sense of excitement, a feeling I have never felt before.

Police arriving at the scene. They clear the citizens and set up a blockade around the mysterious man. "Sir, let the girl go. You do not want to do that. Just let the girl go and we can lessen your sentence for violating the Uniformity Law. Just let the girl go and turn yourself in. Pay for the crime you have commited."

The mysterious man leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "Don't do anything unnecessary. Do as I say and you will come out unharmed."

My voice didn't come out as I wanted it to. Take me away with you I wanted to scream, but nothing came out. Though much effort, I managed to give a weak nod.

"When I say go, get cover. I will open fire on them and escape. If you don't want to get hit stay to the side."

Everything happened so fast, the mysterious man, the police, his words. All I felt myself nod, but I couldn't comprehend what was going on.

"Go!"

As he pushes me aside, I find myself running after him. The police start running after us. Adrenaline starting to pump through my veins. I didn't know what I was doing, all I knew was that I had to follow this man.

Snaking through the streets and alleyways we escape our pursuers. Slowing down to catch my breath, I ask him, "Who are you?"

"Just a man who wants his freedom back."

"Freedom? What do you mean?"

"Not here. I don't know why you followed me, but if you want to go back, now is the time. If not, stay close to me, we need to get out of the city before they catch up to us again."

I trail behind him, watching his every movement. His broad shoulders, his built body. Sweat glistening on his skin. He seemed so perfect, not that I knew what perfect was, I've never seen anyone else to be able to compare.

As night fell, we reach the edge of the city. Wandering around the side of the walls until we found the location where he had left a rope hanging over the wall. We climb over the wall and head into the wasteland. My family was well off so I hand never been this close to the wall and now here I was on top of it. The city certainly looked like a perfect utopian society. Bright shining lights emitted from smooth metallic buildings. No imperfections at all. No ghetto, no garbage, no discrimination. I felt a sense of longing as I looked back upon the city.

"It seems so perfect doesn't it?" he asked me.

"Yeah it's amazing. I would have never seen this if I didn't come with you tonight."

"A perfect society can never exist."

"Earlier, you said that you wanted your freedom back. What did you mean by that?"

"I mean what I said. We live in a society where everything is the same. We may be safe from discrimination, but in return the government gets our freedom. Freedom and equality can never exist on the same plane."

He seemed troubled, but the city lights landing on his face made every word he said stick to my heart. I didn't know what I was feeling. An emotion that I couldn't explain. I just felt drawn towards him. I wanted to make whatever his dream was come true. I would do anything for his man I had just met. "I never caught your name, what is it?"

"Seeing that you will probably be here to stay, I'll tell you my name. I'm Gilbert. Just Gilbert You?"

"Violet, Violet Cannary."

I sat down recollecting everything that had happened. Criminals, terrorism, chased by police, leaving everything behind. I slowly took my my mask, letting my hair fall to my shoulders. I felt his was the one I would be able to show my true face to. My destined one. He looks at my exposed face. I feel as if he were staring at me naked and my face flushes from embarrassment.. I look him straight in the eyes and without a word, he understands I am here to stay.

"Nice to have you with me Violet."

"To show the world," I say. "To a better place and society. In hopes that one day the rest of the world will understand that equality comes at the cost of our freedom."

"Yes, we'll do that, we'll get rid of this dystopian utopian society, together."

I just smile, a real smile, with with emotions and not somethings I wear as a mask.