Shades of Grey

“This is so gay…I’m going to tell my father about this.” Jessica huffed at the chalkboard next to our dorm.
I shook my head and eyed Twin who was giving Jessica a strange look.
“I’m actually interested in what the callings are for.” I murmured passively.
Jessica traced her name on the table and the time.
“It is a bit ridiculous, though. Why grid us out within a schedule?”
I shrugged and Jessica growled her reply. “Because they’re idiots.”
Twin and I glared at her.
She sniffed and looked away.
“Stop your bitching, I’m at 9 in the morning.” Twin pointed out to Jessica and I looked for my name. I wasn’t on the grid.
Ok.
“Where are you, Alerik?”
“I’m not scheduled.” I chirped happily.
“Whore.” Muttered Jessica before turning and stomping away.
I gaped and Twin chuckled. “What a bitch!” She laughed.
I rubbed my forehead. “Well, I guess I’ll meet up with you later. Hope everything goes well.”
Twin’s smile faded and she stared at me.
“Thanks.”
I walked away nodding with regard and utter confusion at everyone’s reactions lately.
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I gnawed off the hang nail that stood out sharply from the edge of the thumb.
I bled a little and hissed, trying to suck on it till the stinging numbed the thumb.
There were several women, taking naps on their beds and I sat on mine, pulling out the things from my box.
My blanket…
I took it out and relished the feel of it between my fingers, pressing it to my nose and inhaling the smell of home.
Something dropped on to the bed before me. Thinking it fell from my box, I opened my eyes.
“This is all you’re doing, vegetating and reminiscing?” The thing on the bed was a smooth oval black rock.
I looked up, reaching out to take the rock but she quickly snatched it away.
The beautiful girl from the bus and airplane stood by my bed with thin lips and bleary eyes. Her black frock was a size bigger than it should be.
“What do you want?” I asked tiredly after a moment of waiting for her to have something else to say.
She shifted the rock in her palm, then dropping it in the left front pocket. “What is the board outside for?”
“I don’t know.” I continued to focus on my things, packing everything back into their small box and kneeling to slide it under the bed by the trunk.
A blunt object hit the side of my head and I flew to the wall.
I felt it pound, the cool air making me dizzy.
I only understood the white of the thick bed curtains flow before me and the low whisper of the beautiful girl I was beginning to hate.
“I asked you a fucking question!”
I wheezed out another “I don’t know”, worried that she’d hurt me again.
She grabbed a fistful of the beginning of my braid and banged my head against the brick wall.
I think I cried out. I don’t recall…the pain was a distraction.
I continued to hear shuffling feet.
When something bumped my leg, I didn’t realize what it could have been till after she disappeared.
I sat up, touching the side of my face with fear, the bit of blood still wet smudging my fingertips. I pulled to sit on the bed and reached forward to pull my box from under.
But it wasn’t there.
I didn’t cry.
I got up and looked at the floor map/ directory at the stairway.
The nurse’s door was open and I went inside.
“Oh dear god.” I heard a woman screech before I collapsed to my knees and blanked out.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
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I was told to stay away from other women.
I had described to them the beautiful girl, but it wasn’t enough information to find her or my things.
They wrapped gauze around my head to keep the cotton swabs attached. It still pounded but the pain was gone. Twin found me on my bed after lunch.
“I tried looking for you after the meeting. What happened?” She pulled the curtain aside and sat on the edge.
“The chick that sat next to me on the bus came and attacked me.”
Twin’s eyebrow lifted. “No way.”
I nod wearily and she smirks.
“She beat you hard though.”
I lowered my gaze. This was becoming tiring quickly.
“Did you say meeting?”
“Yeah.” She took a moment to look around. “It was really weird, I was interrogated.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was this man that made me fill a questionnaire and then he made a recording of my answers to something like 20 questions.”
“What kind of questions were they?” I struggled to sit up a little.
“Like, did you own any pets and what you would do if someone held a gun to your head?”
“That is weird.”
She shrugged. “I know.” She looked at me carefully. “Did you eat?”
I blinked slowly to keep the blind spot from taking over and shook my head.
Twin patted my knee. “Want me to get you something?”
I shook my head again and she squinted at me. “They fixed the board, your name’s up.”
“When?”
“In an hour…just about.”
I sighed, closing my eyes and welcoming sleep.
“I’m not going to wake you so you better be up.”
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“Okay, Ms. Alerik Johnson?”
“That’s me.” I groaned.
Will flipped pages in a folder and looked up at my bandaged head.
“I was informed about today’s situation, hence why we updated the chart and scooted you up from tomorrow. Now tell me a couple of things about yourself.”
I looked around the bleak white room the two of us occupied, the small desk and the laptop before his ready to type fingertips.
“What do you mean?”
“What describes you? Your hobbies and dislikes.” He said in the monotone voice of repetition.
“Well, I like to read…” His fingers spelled my words and I had to look at one of the empty walls in order to focus.
“Uhuh.”
“Umm, fashion designing and baking. I dislike slimy things and seafood.”
“Any colors?”
“Uhh, yellow.”
“Why?”
“Its soft and mellow.”
“What kind of things do you like to read?”
“Sci-fi and fantasy.”
“Romance?”
“Sometimes.”
He typed away. “Do you like to collect things?”
“Yes.”
“Like?”
“Figurines and stickers.”
His eyebrows lowered as he took a deep breath. “Have you ever seen porn?”
I turned to him in shock. “Excuse me?”
“Have you ever seen porn?” He continued whilst typing.
“Y-yes.”
“Have you ever gone out of your way to look for it on the web?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever filmed yourself having sex?”
I coughed. “No!”
“Do you own toys?”
“I….Why do you need to know these things?”
He looked up at me from the screen and smirked. “Lady, I have a boyfriend, I don’t swing your way.”
“I had a dildo back home.”
“Handcuffs, whips or lingerie?” He went back to focusing on the screen.
“No.”
“Are you a virgin?”
“No.”
“How did you lose your virginity?” He paused and waited for me to continue.
“To a pencil.”
His hands halted and glanced up at me. “A pencil?”
I blushed, looking away. “Yeah.”
“Was it willing?”
“I did to myself.” He typed slowly.
“Right, how old were you?”
“Twelve.”
He didn’t say anything and typed.
“Why do you need to know this?”
“I’m not authorized to reveal that information. How many sexual partners have you had?”
“One.”
“Describe a typical dream you have when going to sleep.”
“Large airy places, colors and sex.”
“Ideal living place.”
I sighed, content that the questions steered. “The highlands, mountain airy and a large rustic place or a cottage.”
“Preferred dressing style?”
“Casual.”
“Music preferences?”
“Anything but rap, reggaeton and salsa.”
“Out of the three, what do you prefer, metal, wood or cement?”
“Wood.”
“Stone, marble, ivory?”
“Stone.”
“Preferred choice of food?”
“Italian, and steaks…mashed potatoes…corn…tomatoes…lettuce…chicken…bread…cheese and milk-”
“Alright, that’s good enough.”
I bowed my head.
“I think this will suffice. I’ll call you back later. Have a good evening Ms. Johnson.”
“Bye Mr.Will.”
He waved a hand as he continued to focus on the computer and I walked calmly out the door. I touched my head and the pain began to echo anew.
I needed some more sleep.