Enhancement

- - 73 - -

I rise and head for the window. Instead of seeing a sprawling landscape, I face the side of a black building. Cursing to myself, I climb on the windowsill and try to peer around it. All I get are glimpses of a blue sky.

Defeated, I stride out of the room, anxious to find a better view somewhere else in the apartment. In the living room I get a better look at more blue sky, but nothing else. I tap my fingers against the window, thinking about what to do next.

"It is really nice out today," a voice says behind me.

I scream and whip around, my shoulders banging against the glass. Standing with his hands in his pockets is a boy I've never seen before. Dark hair, buzz cut, and tanned skin.

"Sorry to scare you," he says. "I thought--"

"Who... the hell are you?" I say. Anger forces me closer to him instead of farther away. "And what do you know about all this?"

Startled the boys says, "I thought you already read the--"

"Read what?"

"On your Phone. A hologram opened on mine and explained everything."

"Okay, so explain then," I snap. "All of it."

"Okay," he says, taking a seat on the couch. He taps on his Phone and opens a hologram above the coffee table. "You're supposed to read this."

I give the boy a death glare and skim the text. It's a bunch of Equinox lies about using my Task performances to match me with a personalized, perfect career and perfect life in the honorable lower-class. Basically meaning they shove the handful of disloyalists like myself into black clothing instead of the white fabrics they don't want us to stain.

"So what do you have to do with all this?" I spit, disgusted with the message. I switch off the hologram.

The boy shoots me a surprisingly casual glance and turns the hologram on again. Calmly, he says, "It explains farther down the page, unless you want me to--"

"Explain, yes, explain," I rush. Pain builds in my veins for no reason. "Hurry up and explain already!"

The boy concedes. "Okay, geez, calm down. According to the Equinox message, our personalities are a good match for living together."

"For what? Why?"

"I don't know," he says, voice even. "Maybe because I'm the calm, stable one who's going to tell you to stop yelling?"

I'm about to tear this boy's head off, but I stop myself. He's right. I need to calm down.

"Okay, fine! Maybe you're right," I growl less aggressively. "Sorry."

He shrugs. "It's fine. Every now and again I enjoy getting harassed."

I huff a laugh. The boy stands up and holds out a hand to me. "I'm Trent by the way."

Dubiously, I shake his hand. "Holland."

"Nice to meet you I guess," he replies. He checks his Phone. "We have work in about fifteen minutes. Better get going soon."

Just as he finishes his line, a beeping noise fires from the hologram device on the coffee table. I jump once at the noise and again when a message springs open:

MANDATORY EXECUTION CEREMONY IN FRONT OF THE SUPPLY BUILDING. REPORT THERE IMMEDIATELY.

My stomach drops to the floor, and I find myself stepping away from the hologram. Execution ceremony? They don't occur that often, and the timing is impeccable. That ceremony only be for one person I know...

Me. It's for me.

-- -- -- -- --
"back to society for one last horror" was the winner! the horror portion will be the next chapter, so let's decide on some more details for holland's punishment.

Question: choose an amount: spare two, spare one, or spare none.

Follow-Up Question: Choose a word: chosen, uncovered, or found.