She doesn’t have long to live. I’m still afraid of offending this unusual girl by asking when her DOD will be, even though she hadn’t hesitated to ask about mine.
I decide it’s best to change the subject. “Can someone explain to me why thes e Future s —as you call them—all look the same?”
I shudder when remembering their faces blending together in the hallway. It was just so unnatural. If they were to stand straight in a line, I wonder if I would be able to distinguish one from another or if they would all look exactly the same.
“You’re too much,” Kai says with another horse-like laugh. “You reall y wer e raised in the wild, weren’t you?”
I nod, which makes Kai cackle even more.
“Knock it off,” Bree scolds her before her attention falls back on me. “They all want to look as attractive as possible so they are guaranteed to marry another Future and have children together.”
I open my mouth, but can’t seem to find any words. Why would making the Futures appear more attractive insure them to one day marry? “I don’t understand,” I finally say.
“What don’t you understand?” one of the plainer boys with dark brown hair falling into his eyes grumbles. “Statistics show people with certain structures of their face and with blond hair are considered to be the most attractive. The Futures started altering their children a few years ago to become one of these statistics. It’s pretty simple. The rest of us are considered undesirable to Society because we’re plain looking. We won’t live long enough for them to even bother getting to know us.”
My insides seize. How can Society judge people solely on their appearance? I don’t think any of these Shymers sitting in front of me look plain, and just because they will live a shorter life doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be filled with just as much love and happy memories. This must be another one of the brutal truths my mother had purposely kept from me.
I suddenly yearn for my mother…our simple life in the forest…the days of living quietly away from all this backward madness…the uncertainty of impending death and the freedom to live each day without regrets. At least I can take comfort in knowing it will be another year before they will tell me exactly when I will die. I plan to be gone from Society long before that happens.
“I think you guys are worth getting to know,” I say quietly.
Bree laughs, throwing her arm around my back. “That’s because you’re one o f u s . If you knew you had more of a life to live you wouldn’t be wasting your time with us.”
“Are you sure about that?” I ask. There seems to be something missing from all of this—a reason why they just assume I’m a Shymer. They know my parents hid me away from Society, yet they still automatically think I’m one of them. Do they think that was the only reason she took me away? Is it only because I haven’t been altered to look like the other Futures?
I still wonder if Harrison could be a Future with his perfect face, striking blue eyes, and sandy-blond hair. But why would he stay with these Shymers when it’s clear the other Futures have a serious dislike of their kind? This group is friendly enough to me. I only hope they wouldn’t change their opinion if I decide to tell them the truth.
“What’s Harrison’s story?” I ask.
“You mean like why is he incredibly gorgeous like the Futures?” Bree asks with a small grin. I blush until my ears are burning—she knows exactly what I am thinking. “He’s not one of them, if that’s what you’re wondering. He was born that way. He carries a hatred for the system, although no one can really blame him. His entire family died all in one day.”
If it’s at all possible for your heart to break for someone you have only just met, it would explain the pang of sadness that seized me now. “All of them? How many were there?”
“Four—his parents, his younger brother and a little
I decide it’s best to change the subject. “Can someone explain to me why thes e Future s —as you call them—all look the same?”
I shudder when remembering their faces blending together in the hallway. It was just so unnatural. If they were to stand straight in a line, I wonder if I would be able to distinguish one from another or if they would all look exactly the same.
“You’re too much,” Kai says with another horse-like laugh. “You reall y wer e raised in the wild, weren’t you?”
I nod, which makes Kai cackle even more.
“Knock it off,” Bree scolds her before her attention falls back on me. “They all want to look as attractive as possible so they are guaranteed to marry another Future and have children together.”
I open my mouth, but can’t seem to find any words. Why would making the Futures appear more attractive insure them to one day marry? “I don’t understand,” I finally say.
“What don’t you understand?” one of the plainer boys with dark brown hair falling into his eyes grumbles. “Statistics show people with certain structures of their face and with blond hair are considered to be the most attractive. The Futures started altering their children a few years ago to become one of these statistics. It’s pretty simple. The rest of us are considered undesirable to Society because we’re plain looking. We won’t live long enough for them to even bother getting to know us.”
My insides seize. How can Society judge people solely on their appearance? I don’t think any of these Shymers sitting in front of me look plain, and just because they will live a shorter life doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be filled with just as much love and happy memories. This must be another one of the brutal truths my mother had purposely kept from me.
I suddenly yearn for my mother…our simple life in the forest…the days of living quietly away from all this backward madness…the uncertainty of impending death and the freedom to live each day without regrets. At least I can take comfort in knowing it will be another year before they will tell me exactly when I will die. I plan to be gone from Society long before that happens.
“I think you guys are worth getting to know,” I say quietly.
Bree laughs, throwing her arm around my back. “That’s because you’re one o f u s . If you knew you had more of a life to live you wouldn’t be wasting your time with us.”
“Are you sure about that?” I ask. There seems to be something missing from all of this—a reason why they just assume I’m a Shymer. They know my parents hid me away from Society, yet they still automatically think I’m one of them. Do they think that was the only reason she took me away? Is it only because I haven’t been altered to look like the other Futures?
I still wonder if Harrison could be a Future with his perfect face, striking blue eyes, and sandy-blond hair. But why would he stay with these Shymers when it’s clear the other Futures have a serious dislike of their kind? This group is friendly enough to me. I only hope they wouldn’t change their opinion if I decide to tell them the truth.
“What’s Harrison’s story?” I ask.
“You mean like why is he incredibly gorgeous like the Futures?” Bree asks with a small grin. I blush until my ears are burning—she knows exactly what I am thinking. “He’s not one of them, if that’s what you’re wondering. He was born that way. He carries a hatred for the system, although no one can really blame him. His entire family died all in one day.”
If it’s at all possible for your heart to break for someone you have only just met, it would explain the pang of sadness that seized me now. “All of them? How many were there?”
“Four—his parents, his younger brother and a little
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