Freedom

Camera

Four seconds after she last spoke, there's a knock on the door.

I stand up from the couch.

"I invited a friend over," I say. "I know it's too late to ask permission, but can she come over?"

Madam Vizzini's mouth curls into a small soft smile before she nods, probably choking on some knot in her throat to hold back tears at the memory of her gone husband.

I make my way towards the door and open it after I hear the fourth knock that Jessica always does.

Her clothes are different, more relaxed than the uniform but still retaining some sort of formality. With a soft pastel pink dress, Jessica goes inside and marvels at the house.

"Haven't you been here before?" I ask.

Jessica looks at me with an arched eyebrow. "Does Vince look like the type of guy to invite someone to his house? Plus, the guy says he's a servant, but I've heard Madam Vizzini say that she adopted him."

"So you met Madam before?" I ask.

"Of course," Jessica says. "There's this council meeting that the town has every few months, and Madam Vizzini and my mum are always there. And my mum's taken me to some of those meetings. Parents--I can't believe she thinks she can just choose my life. So, how about you, Jane? What are your parents like? You don't talk about them."

"Let's go to my room first," I say as we walk up the stairs as I try to think up of some convincing lie. "My... mother is a sort of dunce."

"A dunce?" Jessica laughs as she follows me up the carpeted stairs. "Wow, what's her job then?"

"A researcher."

Jessica stops walking, and I stop, turning to her to see a confused face.

"A dunce researcher? Do you have any idea how that makes no sense at all?" she asks.

I'm quiet at that. It was the only thing I could think of.

"I'm guessing those friends you mentioned earlier were--"

Eight cameras on the stairs.

I grab Jessica's hand and pull her up the rest of the stairs, "Oh, Jessica, I can't wait till I've shown you my room. Let's talk there, okay?"

I shut my bedroom door close after pulling Jessica in.

"Jane, you okay?" Jessica asks as she looks around my room. "And why are you still in your uniform? Isn't it constricting?"

"I don't have... much clothes," I say, too slow to stop Jessica from opening my closet.

"Hey, what are these white clothes? Kind of spooky. I mean, white is fine with some designs, but this is just plain and white. Kind of like a prisoner--"

Jessica stops when she sees my finger raised to my lips. Her eyes open wide as if in sudden realization.

Fifty-four cameras in my bedroom, and two aimed at the closet, but at the direction I'm facing her, they can't possibly see my look of warning to Jessica.

"Hey, Jessica," I say, faking a cheerful tone that tricked both her and Vince earlier during lunch, "let's go to the restroom. There's a mirror there. Maybe you can show me how to put makeup on."

I grab her hand and lead her to the restroom and shut the door close.

Zero cameras here.