Chapter Two
I walk around my home, or what is supposed to be home. It never has been. Home is where you are loved. Home is where you are wanted. Home is where you want to be. I don t want to be here, nor is my sister or I wanted, and we aren t loved. Our parents never wanted us. They never wanted kids at all. My father was gluttonous and like a sloth. My mother was envious and lustful. Both have plenty of wrath and pride. They were both greedy. My father was born rich and never wanted to share his money with snot nosed brats. My mother only married my father for his money and didn't want selfish, moronic, greedy children touching what was hers. It takes all I have not to tell them both to look in the mirror when they say things like that. They hated us and they were going to unwind us. They don't need to say it in front of us for me to know. Besides, I overheard them talking one night about it. They are sending us both to a Harvest Camp on the same day. If I knew when I would have ran away by now with Juliet and Prima. I just need to figure out when.
Searching in my father's study, I look for the unwind forms. Now that Juliet just turned thirteen they were going to unwind us. The forms have to be here. They would tell me when we were to be unwound. Somewhere in this study. I walk over to my father s desk. I let my fingers slide across the dark mahogany wood, the color of milk chocolate with swirls of dark chocolate. It has a light fruity smell. I can't place my mind on what fruit, but it was calming like lavender. I let my fingers glide over the smooth wood to the cold, golden, metallic handles. They were elegantly curved, the bases looked like flowers. I tug gently at the handles to see if they were locked. I smirk as the drawers slide out a bit, he forgot to lock them. I slowly pull a drawer out and flinch a bit as it squeaks like a mouse. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about my parents hearing, they are out at a party. I rifle though the drawer, looking for the paper work. Nope, not here. I go through the same process with each of the drawers.
Then, I find them. I pull them out and look them over. The pages are in pristine condition, not a bend or rip in sight. The words are lined up like soldiers, so clean cut and not a single one out of place. Each word dehumanizes the child getting unwound, to make it easier I guess. Even the word unwind is dehumanizing, it makes the child sound like just spare parts ready for the taking. Which camp would you like to send your unwind to? They are making it sound like summer camp for spare parts on cars. No part of your unwind will go to waste, every part will be used. How nice. It is completely pain free even though your unwind will be awake the whole time. We must remind you, this is not dying, merely living in a divided state. Great. We are awake the whole time. No one wants that. Heaven forbid we die in peace. The forms came in triplicates and the back yellow form was gone, sent in. They were really going to unwind us. Those monsters. How could they do that to their own flesh and blood? How could they do that to Juliet? She is so sweet and loving. All she ever does is try and earn their love. That s all either of us ever wanted, their love. I gave up years ago but Juliet keeps trying like a lone wolf fighting for survival. Juliet has never done anything wrong; she doesn t even speak without being spoken to. Why unwind her? And what about me? I know I can be bratty, and I do cause some trouble here and there like getting into fights at school, but the other kids started it. I started off like Juliet, too, doing anything to get their love. Each of us is half of each of them, we are part of them. So, how could they really do this? Why not just cut us out of the will? Or cut us off? There s no need to unwind us. Whatever. I saw it coming. I look for the date. We have two weeks, and then the escorts come. Thirteen days to make them regret choosing to unwind Juliet and me, make their final days with us hell. Then the night before, to run.