Glitches (Book 1)

Chapter 16: Justin

The picture on this chapter is Eva.

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I woke up really early, when Claire was still asleep and it was pitch black outside. My first sensation was confusion and panic, because I didn't realize where I was, but the events of the past day quickly came back to me. Moving silently so I didn't wake Claire, I got dressed, combed my hair, and slipped down the stairs to the lobby where I had first entered the WGO building last night. The wooden floor was well lacquered, which wasn't exactly helping me be quiet.

Step. Squeak. Wince. Step. Squeak. Wince

I made my way across the floor as carefully as I possibly could in my annoying sneakers, and just when I was inches from the door that led outside, about to congratulate myself on my stealth, I jumped at a voice from the darkness behind me.

"Hello, Justin King. Don't bother asking how I know your name or trying to explain why you're here, I've extracted your memories from your Code and know everything about you," it said in a playful, singsong tone. 

"Okay, then... Can I at least who YOU are, CREEP?" I tried to walk out the door but felt a cold, bony hand on my arm.

"I'm Eva Song, leader of the Codie division. As I'm going through your Code, I see lots of promise for you as a member of our division." 

"Wait...non-Glitches are allowed to members? Yes! I'm not busted!" I pumped my fists in the air in silent celebration. 

"Indeed, in your words, you're not busted. You have actually come here at quite an opportune time. We could really use an extra Codie in the department! In the Codie division, we work with complex sequences of Code in an ambiance of comfort, relaxation, and thought. Our offices are well stocked with all the supplies necessary for our endeavors, and we are members of WGO's upper class. Of course, since you aren't a Glitch, you aren't eligible to join our core team of five, but I can assure you that there will be no discrimination within the department, though I can't speak for the organization as a whole. If you're interested, tell me now so I can give you more details."

"Not trying to be rude, but you kind of confuse me," I said in awe. "You look like a teenager, but you certainly don't talk like one! If you're the intelligence standard for this Codie division, then I'm not even close to smart enough to join!" 

This made Eva laugh. "'smartness' as you refer to it, isn't part of the Codie criteria. As a matter of fact, I strongly dislike the term. Intellectualism, curiosity, and diligence are more easily recognizable and measurable concepts than 'smartness.' According to your Code, you seem to possess all three of these and more. Also, I advise you not to judge a person from the way they talk, as that is obviously how you judged me. When you started to think I was 'smart,' you knew nothing about me, you simply went off of my manner of speech. Refined speech doesn't necessarily mean a refined mind and vice versa. I know what I'm doing, Justin, I wouldn't give you this offer if I wasn't 100% sure you were perfect for it."

"Yeah, yeah," I nodded, trying my best to pretend I had actually understood what she said even though most of her fancy words had gone in one ear and out the other. "I like this Codie thing, I'm in!" 

"Wonderful, follow me and I'll show you the Codie complex," Eva confidently led me out of the lobby and into the morning, stopping for a second to politely wipe her shoes on the large WGO mat by the double doors.

By this time, the sun was starting to come up, and I got my first good look at Eva Song. She was very tall and scarily skinny, with dark brown hair that she put up in two complicated braids across her head and cold, blue eyes that always seemed to be staring at something only she could see. 

Eva moved noiselessly as a mouse, so silent that I had to look in front of me several times as we walked to make sure she was still there. She made me feel like an elephant as my sneakers crunched on the dew covered grass and my breaths echoed through the chilly air.

"The sunrise is beautiful out here," I said awkwardly, trying to break the silence. 

"Indeed, the Code that went into it is marvelous. The perfect precision it must have taken to engineer those colors exactly right to create a work of art like this! I'd love to meet whoever made it someday and ask them to teach me their secrets." 

I sighed, she didn't get it. Of course, I didn't blame her, she was a Glitch. 

When Glitches looked at the world, they didn't see an ever changing, growing, wonderful Earth, they saw a dry, predictable computer code. I looked up at the sunset and imagined what it would be like if there were green lines of Code running across it. No wonder most of the Glitches were so methodical, no wonder they couldn't absorb the world without filtering it through the Code. The Glitches were supposed to be gifted and special, and maybe they were, but I kind of felt bad for them. They would never get to enjoy something as simple as a beautiful sunrise.