The Placing

Placing

     "Jeremmy! Come inside right this instance!!" Mom never seemed to learn how to speak to me in a nice calm voice.

I rolled my eyes at her request but complied nonetheless. Her being my mother gave her power over my decisions.

"Coming!" I stood up from the ground and brushed the dust off my pants. Running towards the door I braced myself for the hit I knew was about to come.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?! You know you're not allowed to go outside." She hit me with every word she said.

"I just wanted to play in the yard! No one saw me anyway."

"You don't know that." She huffed a breath out. " Now go inside."

I ran in and headed towards my room, got changed out of my dirty clothes and made my way to the dining room. It was nearing 7 and dinner was usually served around that time.

However, while heading down the hall, I stopped in my tracks when I heard my parents' voices. They were inside my dad's office and the door was open.

"Jeremmy's gonna be placed in two days, how are we supposed to take him to the airport?" I heard my mom say.

"We'll just have to take him as is," said my dad.

"Do you know how humiliating it'll be to walk in there with only one kid?"

"We can bring Jared and Jacob to lessen the awkwardness of it, and I'm sure they'll want to say bye to Jeremmy so it'll work out."

There was an awkward silence. The only sound being my dad's fingers hitting his keyboard.

"Jeremmy went outside today."

The clacking stopped.

"What?"

"I found him playing in the yard. That little brats' lucky the neighbors weren't out."

"Did you scold him for it?"

"What's the point? He won't be our problem two days from now anyway."

I was glad to know that my parents loved me more and more every day.

I'm not like other people.

While everyone ran around with their friends, with their twins, I stayed inside. Hidden. I couldn't let people know about me if I did my parents would kill me. They already went through enough embarrassment because of me.

The reason behind my parents' hatred for my existence, was because I, unlike everyone else on this planet, don't have a twin, or at least not anymore. I was turned into a "Special Case" at a young age.

When I was 4, whatever his name was and I went out to play around the neighborhood. We were playing tag, but while it was my turn to run the noise quieted down and then it was only me laughing in the empty street. I looked around for him and called his name, but he never answered.

Dad and I looked around the neighborhood but came back empty-handed. Mom was pregnant at the time so she stayed home and called the police. They also failed in finding any trace of him.

Mom cried for days. She had always liked him better, since he was the Good twin. Good people are always treated better, they get more benefits and are placed in the better Sectors. Us Evil kids though, we get the lowest of the low.

My parents are also Evil, and so they could connect better with me in a way, but they always liked my brother better despite what we shared. When he first went missing I was glad. I thought that since he was gone, I'd be the one to get all the love.

Boy was I wrong.

My mom often screamed at me with hate. Said that I should have been the one to go missing, that I was useless and should have been the one to disappear.

But, despite all of that, I'd soon enough be able to escape.

Every year when it hit the last day, the government collected all the kids that had turned ten. They would take them and separate them into the different Sectors, depending on their side. Kids on the Good side went to Sector A, kids on the Evil side went to Sector G. This year it was my turn to go.

The sector we were currently in was Sector D, the "Raising Sector," where parents were sent to raise their kids. It was the only Sector in the whole System that contained both good and evil sides. Well, this and Sector Z, the Sector where all the government officials were at.

Over dinner, the only people that talked were my two little siblings. They told me about what they'd done at school, and what they talked about with their friends. I never said it out loud but I was jealous. They got to go out. The only thing that comforted me was the knowledge that it wouldn't be long before I was able to do those things as well.

Eventually, after much anticipation, the last day of the year came, Monday 31st of December. I got packed up and ready to go. My parents drove to the airport and once there we got in line. We had to register in order to be placed.

While waiting I saw many other families. They all had two kids getting placed. I was alone.

My parents stood in front of me. They took my little sibling's hands into one of their own. And held each other's hand as well. They wouldn't want to be associated with the only child.

When it was our turn the lady at the desk gave my parents paperwork to fill in. They filled it and gave it to her, but while looking it over the lady looked up at them confused.

"Excuse me, but you forgot to fill out for the twin."

My mom looked at her with annoyance.

"We only have one kid"

The lady behind the desk looked taken aback.

"Wait here please."

When she came back she brought a man with her.

"Please follow me," the man said as he began to walk towards a hallway behind the many desks.

We reached a room and he told us to sit down. Once we did he began to ask questions.

"So, why does this little guy not have a twin?" he asked.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Robert Looth, I also hope you're having a nice day." Dad was always big on sarcasm.

"Excuse my bad manners. You can call me Mr. Goch, I will be supervising the Evil kids in their placing." He clapped his hands. "Now, where's his twin?"

"His twin went missing when they were young." Said Dad.

"Well how unfortunate," said the man. "Do you know what side he belongs to?"

"He's Evil." Said Mom.

"Well then, I would say that it would be in our best interests to place him in Sector G."

My parents looked at me and nodded their heads.

"Then say your goodbyes and I will be taking this little guy with me. I'll discuss some procedures with just you, the parents, about the twinless situation."

My mom came to crunch in front of me and told me "This is your chance to finally do something with yourself. Don't mess it up." With that, she gave me a hug and stood up. It was the first time she'd hugged me since my brother went missing.

I hugged my little brothers and said bye to them as well.

"Jeremmy's gonna be okay right?" asked Jacob.

Jared hit him in the shoulder "Of course he is, Jeremmy's the best so he'll do well!" he said.

Jacob was close to tears and so I gave him another hug. "I'll be okay I promise. I'll see you later okay champion?" Jacob nodded with a smile and went to Mom, Jared behind him.

Lastly, there was my dad. He gave me a pat on the back, something that I was unprepared for. Then catching me off guard again he said, "Be strong"

With that my family went out the door and I was taken to a waiting room to board my plane. A plane that would take me to a new life.