Doll
When she woke up her eyes would focus on a wall. She lay curled up in a fetal position inside a pod. She liked sleeping in the pods. They were comfortable and safe. A glass door was above her. It slid open, allowing her to get up.
She and the others in the pods around her filed in for breakfast. Today they were having blueberry pancakes. She liked blueberries. They were naturally sweet.
Some of the others sat together while others sat alone. She noticed that Alpha always sat alone. She liked being alone sometimes. It was peaceful. But being alone all the time seemed sad to her. She often found friends she could sit with. Friends helped each other out.
After breakfast the others would go their separate ways. She changed into her swimsuit and used the pool. It was a long rectangular strip of water perfect for doing laps. She could already do twenty laps. It was important to exercise. She always tried to do her best.
She got out of the pool and saw the woman she trusted most.
"It's time for your treatment, Whiskey."
She liked getting her treatments. They helped keep her at her best. She dried herself and changed into warm clothes, then obediently followed the woman up the stairs. She entered a room and saw a man standing there. He had on a shirt and something fuzzy over it. She thought it was strange.
"Hello, Whiskey," he greeted her. His voice sounded nice. Very calming. He had nice hair, too. "Have a seat, please." He asked so politely she was happy to comply. The chair felt cool against her skin.
Slowly the chair started to lower until she was fully reclined. There was a bright flash of light and her body jerked.
When the light faded she saw the man standing near her. The machine whirred to a halt and the chair was moving back up. The man looked different: he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a collar now.
"Hello, Whiskey," he greeted her in that soft, calming voice. She felt safer listening. "How are you feeling?"
"Did I fall asleep?" she wondered. She must have, for him to have different clothes on.
"For a little while."
"Shall I go now?"
"If you like," he nodded.
She slid out of the chair and quietly padded to the open door. A thought floated through her mind: she saw that man often when she woke up. Not in the pods but in the chair. She felt like she should know his name, but for some reason she didn't.
The woman she trusted most was waiting for her outside the room. She said to go see Dr. Saunders.
Dr. Saunders was an older man who wore glasses. He was different from the one she saw when she woke up in the chair. He never changed his clothes. Whenever she saw him Dr. Saunders always wore a white coat.
Dr. Saunders asked her to sit on a table and take deep breaths. Sometimes he would examine her whole body or apply a bandage. He talked to her a lot while she did this. He asked about her eating habits, if she exercised daily, and so on.
When she left Dr. Saunders gave her a lollipop. Dr. Saunders was nice.
In art class they gave everyone a small tree and a pair of scissors. The idea was to clip off parts of the tree to make it into art. Taking parts away made the tree more beautiful.
Her tree looked like it grew since the last time she was in art class. Did that make the tree less beautiful?
She only clipped off a few branches before it was time for the next meal. This time they were eating salad with dressing and croutons, and strips of meat on top. It tasted very good.
Sometimes she liked to take a book and look at the pictures. Flowers, sky, animals, bodies of water… There were many interesting things to look at. Sometimes she drew her own pictures. She drew her friends, Dr. Saunders, the woman she trusted and the man who always changed his clothes. Sometimes she went in a room and did yoga with others. Sometimes she had a massage.
They all filed back into the room with the pods. The pods all looked the same but she knew which one belonged to her. She slid inside, curling up into a fetal position. Slowly the glass slid over her head to close her in. The space was small to keep her safe.
She closed her eyes and had no dreams.