March 17, 3088
It's my birthday today.
But it hasn't been known as my birthday for a while.
Today is known as the day mi fratello died.
The hot noonday sun shone harshly into a deserted town circle. There was a crowd around it, held back by the armed guards. They all looked the same, which made sense. They were all clones, programmed for this one task. When this was done, they would be stowed away into a warehouse until they were needed again. However, the attention was not on these guards, but on the teens in the middle.
Lovino glared at everyone else while his younger brother, Feliciano, sobbed into his shoulder. A platinum haired teen and a brown haired teen gave him a thumbs up. Lovino pretended not to see.
He knew it wasn't their fault, but he was just so mad! This was their eighteenth birthday. They should be at home, having the time of their lives. Instead, for the crime of being twins, one of them was sentenced to death. They were allowed to pick which twin died, but other than that, the people had no say in it.
Everyone knew that Feliciano wouldn't be able to kill himself. He was the crybaby of the family. Everyone had been preparing him, the eldest, for the termination.
"Glory to the Capitol." The lead guard intoned, jolting Lovino back to his senses. The crowd droned after him. The lead guard came forward, holding a box in his hands, the lid open.
Lovino knew what was inside before it came into view. A silver revolver, the gunmetal glinting in the sunlight. Everyone knew there was only one bullet in the revolver. Everyone knew that was all it would take to kill him.
Lovino wished he could refuse, but he knew the consequences. He would be gunned down and so would Feli. The town would be burned and salted, as an example to the rest of the Empire of what would happen if they defied the Capitol.
After his death, Feli would go home to their family. They would cry over his memory and eat the birthday feast prepared for the both of them, as it was law that they go on with the festivities. The Capitol would gift them 100,000 credits. Some families celebrated for real. One less child to feed and 100,000 credits? What a thoughtful government.
He would be zipped into a garbage bag and brainwashed to become a new batch of clones, because that's what he was. A mere copy of a human being. A leech. Scum.
The guard halted in front of them. "Please terminate yourself with the gun." It said, with a man's voice. Yet it sounded regulated, like an imitation for a human
Lovino felt immense sadness for the guard. This guard was probably someone like him, sheltering his twin from a fate worse than death.
Upon seeing the gun, Feliciano wailed and clutched at Lovino's arm.
"No… Fratello, please don't go… Please…"
"Shut up!" Lovino yelled at him, feeling tears break through the careful wall he made to cover up his feelings.
Feliciano shrank from Lovino, allowing him to take the revolver. It was unexpectedly heavy.
Lovino should've noticed the sudden silence from his brother, but he was focused on the gun. He held it up to his temple, the metal cold on his skin. A few more tears made it past his facade. For Feli.
3… 2… 1...