Alicia kim's blog

I woke up in the morning to the sound of the alarm. Lila greeted me and went through my schedule for the day. I glanced outside at the view. They were still partying in the Pretties’ world, even in the morning. I wondered how long they could party for. They probably ate cupcakes with sprinkles and cherries on top for every meal. 

The view was colorful. Rivers surrounded the Pretties’ World, the water sparkling and reflecting sunlight. It had towering buildings in the middle of the city, with smaller ones on the outer edges. There were also hovercars in the sky. I wasn’t really scared of them, as much as getting caught.

I’d always been rebellious, even as a child. I’d always been going outside without my parent’s permission to wander around. Then I’d come home and get caught. This was almost my daily routine. Everyone was always telling me to be obedient to my parents and to adults. I wasn’t disobedient; it was more about causing trouble than being disobedient.

I quickly packed my backpack with a sheet of picnic cloth and snacks I’d stolen yesterday in the kitchen. I left my room to sneak out to the field with a river in front. There were colorful trees surrounding the area where I stood. I sat down on the picnic cloth and started eating one of the snacks I’d packed. 

I nibbled on the snack, while thinking about the Pretty surgery. To be honest, I didn’t want the surgery. I thought it was unnecessary. Why would anyone want to change their face when they were just born that way? I didn’t get people who wanted the surgery. I doubted it would change anything besides their appearance.

I was already too tired of dorm life. It was just the same thing, over and over again. There were approximately a thousand teenagers. We had almost fifty students in a class. I had history, science, math, and English classes. We’d learned these subjects based on the surgery, the Dusties, and the Pretty World. I had no friends, so I always sat alone, by myself, in the cafeteria. I considered myself an introvert and I couldn’t easily approach someone and become friends with them. That’s maybe why I couldn’t make any friends. 

I still had about a year until the final day, the surgery day. I couldn’t help but think about what to do before I got forced into the Pretty World. Based on my research in history class, the Dusties had had more freedom, but had caste systems based on wealth and power. They did have something called plastic surgery, similar to ours, only it hadn’t been as developed as ours. However, theirs was optional, and wasn’t free. They’d had a steep price to get a surgery. That was new to all of us, because we’d never had anything to pay with. It was just free service, more-like. 

I closed my eyes in silence, after eating the snacks, as the darkness crept through my vision. I started hearing birds chirping, river water gently flowing down a stream. I then opened my eyes again and breathed through and out. I enjoyed the tranquility for a while, enjoying the view, enjoying the sounds of nature, and enjoying the absence of everyone else.

Suddenly, I heard a sound behind me. I quickly bottled everything up, ran to the nearest tree, and climbed. I stood on the branch and stared at the vacant field. Then, there she was. She had the same clothes as me, the dorm uniform. She looked around to see if there was anyone around, then quickly laid down on the grass. I found that interesting. I never, ever laid down anywhere. I slowly climbed down from the tree and was approaching her, when she suddenly got up and took out a menacing weapon. I held these two precious hands of mine beside me and stared at her. As if she realized she had overreacted, she sighed and put down her dangerous weapon. I slowly put my hands down. I was so confused by this whole situation. How in the world had she gotten a weapon? Not in my whole entire life had I been able to do that. 

She crossed her arms and asked, “Who are you?”