Glitches (Book 1)

Chapter 18: Justin

"So, how's the Codie life?" Vince asked as we sat in the amphitheater waiting for my sister's Membership Day ceremony to begin. 

"Pretty cool so far, but whoa!" I gasped as Claire walked onto the stage. She wore this lilac dress that must have been super expensive and got her own cool introduction from our leader, Eva Song, and everything!

"How come only Glitches get this awesome ceremony?" I glared at Vince. 

"Well, money's not an issue here, but having it for all of you normal kids would waste a heck of a lot of our time. Just look at how many of you there are," he gestured to the rows and rows of regs all around us. 

"That's just about the only differentiation, though," he quickly added. "You guys are always treated as equals." 

"...our newest Codie, Justin King!" I suddenly heard from the stage. 

"What? I heard my name!" I jumped. 

"Relax, she's just recognizing you. Go ahead and stand up, take in the applause." And I did, waiting for a second before sitting back down.

"Oh look, Claire's watching me," I laughed. "She doesn't look too happy. Must've been the fact that I went off without telling her this morning." 

Vince smiled as I gave her a sarcastically happy wave. 

"Be quiet, Justin, they're about to start her Glitching level test!" 

"What's a Glitching level?" 

"You would know if you were actually paying attention to what Eva was saying instead of getting distracted by your efforts to annoy your sister. Eva doesn't like people who get distracted." 

"Oh, sorry Princess Eva," I whisper yelled at the stage, ignoring the disapproving looks from the Codies around me. "I'll try to be a better Codie robot slave next time." 

"Justin," Vince gave me an are-you-serious look. 

"That's what it's starting to feel like now, I haven't even been here a full day yet and I can already tell you guys literally do EVERYTHING she says. I mean, Eva's cool and all, but don't you think that's a bit extreme?" 

"You're lucky I'm not like them," Vince pointed to the rest of the Codie Glitches. "If I was, I'd be walking to that box up there right now to tattle on you to Amanda like a little kid. She'd kick you right out of here if you were lucky. And if you weren't, well, she'd keep you a bit longer. She has ways of, um, unnerving you. Let's just leave it at that," Vince turned pale for a second. 

"Gosh, man, I was just joking. Does everyone around here take things so seriously?" 

"Frankly, yes. Wouldn't be wise to try any of your little 'jokes' on any of the other Codies, especially Eva." I nodded, a bit creeped out. My "Princess Eva" thing would have cracked a normal teenager up. What was the deal with these Codies? 

"Wake up, Justin! You gotta go down there for the level test!" Vince snapped me out of my thoughts. I rose from my seat and began to make my way down to the stage, butterflies rising in my stomach. Unlike my sister, I had stage fright. 

You don't have to do anything. They're judging her, not you, I told myself, trying my best to take deep breaths and relax. It wasn't working.  

3rd Person POV

"Are you enjoying it, Megan?" Amanda asked, flashing a cruel smile as she gazed upon her evil work on the stage far below her. 

"No! I mean yes! The ceremony's great, but oh, the dress. That dress! Why that dress?" Megan clutched her head with both her hands. They were damp and clammy despite the Government box's air conditioning. 

"You disobeyed me," Amanda stated coolly. "You told Claire that you are her sister despite me specifically telling you not to. This is your punishment. Now watch!" 

"No!" Megan screamed, firmly turning away from the window. "I know what you're trying to do! You had her dressed the way I was dressed that day so you could make me remember! You're trying to reopen the wounds, trying to make me suffer like I did again, and I won't let you do it!" 

"No need to be so distraught, Megan," Amanda said with feigned innocence. "It's just a dress. A dress, that's all." 

"It's not!" Megan gasped as images began to flash through her head. She was the one on stage. She was the one wearing the dress. She was in the spotlight. She was so young, so weak. 

Make it stop. 

He warned her, called out to her, grabbed the folds of her dress in desperation, trying to warn her. Trying to make her stop. Did she? No. She was too absorbed by the excitement of the ceremony and the beauty of the lilac. Amanda said she looked like a tulip, surrounded by papery lilac petals.

"She looks like a little tulip, doesn't she?" Amanda turned from the window and faced Megan, pulling her out of her horrific recollection for a second. Megan boiled with rage, her hands balling into fists. 

As if once wasn't enough. 

"With her papery lilac petals," she enunciated each word extra hard, making the sweet phrase sound like a curse. That was Megan's last straw.

Springing forward with all her strength, Megan grabbed Amanda by her hair and delivered a swift punch to her jaw. The startled leader of WGO staggered backward for a second, and just as Megan was about to deliver a second blow, she stopped in her tracks. 

A soft, blue light began to emanate from Amanda's bruised face and it quickly grew in intensity until Megan couldn't look at it without hurting her eyes. Soon, the light dissipated, and Megan turned slowly to Amanda in awe. Her lip, which had been dripping blood only seconds earlier, was fully healed! 

"Who are you? No, what...are you?" Megan slowly backed up, grabbed a sharpened pencil, and pointed it at Amanda. 

"That's a good question," Amanda smiled slyly. "But it's going to stay a question."