experience, but I broke free, and once you know you’re living
in a cage the dream of freedom is all-consuming.
However, I’d come to realize something in my
time back in the facility that I couldn’t ignore. Every time I
dreamed of Hailey and returned to the nightmare of reality, I
became more focused on what I had to do here. Hailey’s glowing
smile, now a denizen of fantasy instead of reality, inspired me to
free our sisters. The Dawns stuck down here with me had no idea
about the world they were being hidden from, and despite the myriad
of terrors waiting for them on the surface, they deserved to know
that they were living in a false reality. Being caged down here was
no life at all. While I wanted to escape, I couldn’t leave without
bringing my sisters with me.
That presented me with a challenge. If I
managed to break out of this place by attacking the guards and then
absconding through their secret passages, just like I had with
Hailey, then there would be no way for me to inspire the other
Dawns to come with me. I needed to be allowed back into their
ranks, but how could I convince the Administrators to allow it?
I waited for the view screen to click on. I
stood on the grey footprints, patiently waiting for mother to
call.
Finally, the screen clicked to life, and I
saw my digital doppelganger staring back at me. “Hello Celeste,”
she said as she stared at me. After so many weeks of arguing about
it, my mother accepted my new, self-given name.
“Hello, mother.”
She cringed when I said the word, but I was
continuing to reinforce our relationship. I didn’t want to be
viewed as a commodity anymore. I wanted her to see me as more
important than that.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Lonely,” I answered, seeking empathy.
“You have me. You’ll always have me.”
She was all I had, and despite the hatred I
had for her, it was impossible to ignore that she was the closest
thing to human contact I had here. “I know, and I’m thankful for
that. But…” I looked sheepishly down, and then to the door that led
the way to the rest of the facility, past my shower and ready room.
“Still.”
“You’re not going to be allowed back in with
the others,” said my mother with assurance, but I sensed a modicum
of sympathy in her tone. “You know that.”
“I know,” I said quickly, having played out
this conversation in my mind several times already. “I’m not asking
to go out there and be with the others. I know that’s not possible.
But what if…” I was nervous. It was a rare emotion for me, but so
much rode on my ability to convince her to placate me. “What if you
found one Dawn that could come and visit me. You could monitor us
the whole time. And I swear I won’t do anything to confuse her, or
let her know that I made it to the surface.”
She shook her head and said, “No,” but I
continued unabated.
“We could explain that I’d been refusing to
take my pills at night, and that I got sick because of it, and that
the Administrators need to introduce me back into the group slowly.
I’m sure they’re all wondering where Hailey and I disappeared to.
They have to be curious, and I bet they’re scared. After that man
fell from the ceiling, the other girls saw Hailey and me getting
carried out by the guards. I’m sure they think our disappearance
had something to do with coming in contact with that dead man.” I
knew that I must’ve sounded frantic, but I continued anyhow,
desperate to plead my case before she shot me down. “The Dawns used
to get nightmares from seeing an Administrator with brown hair, for
crying out loud. They must be tossing and turning in their beds in
terror of what they think happened to us. If you let me meet with
one girl, just one, and monitored us, then she could explain to the
others all about what’s really going on. She could help explain how
important it is to do as the Administrators say, and take the
pills, because otherwise they might get
in a cage the dream of freedom is all-consuming.
However, I’d come to realize something in my
time back in the facility that I couldn’t ignore. Every time I
dreamed of Hailey and returned to the nightmare of reality, I
became more focused on what I had to do here. Hailey’s glowing
smile, now a denizen of fantasy instead of reality, inspired me to
free our sisters. The Dawns stuck down here with me had no idea
about the world they were being hidden from, and despite the myriad
of terrors waiting for them on the surface, they deserved to know
that they were living in a false reality. Being caged down here was
no life at all. While I wanted to escape, I couldn’t leave without
bringing my sisters with me.
That presented me with a challenge. If I
managed to break out of this place by attacking the guards and then
absconding through their secret passages, just like I had with
Hailey, then there would be no way for me to inspire the other
Dawns to come with me. I needed to be allowed back into their
ranks, but how could I convince the Administrators to allow it?
I waited for the view screen to click on. I
stood on the grey footprints, patiently waiting for mother to
call.
Finally, the screen clicked to life, and I
saw my digital doppelganger staring back at me. “Hello Celeste,”
she said as she stared at me. After so many weeks of arguing about
it, my mother accepted my new, self-given name.
“Hello, mother.”
She cringed when I said the word, but I was
continuing to reinforce our relationship. I didn’t want to be
viewed as a commodity anymore. I wanted her to see me as more
important than that.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Lonely,” I answered, seeking empathy.
“You have me. You’ll always have me.”
She was all I had, and despite the hatred I
had for her, it was impossible to ignore that she was the closest
thing to human contact I had here. “I know, and I’m thankful for
that. But…” I looked sheepishly down, and then to the door that led
the way to the rest of the facility, past my shower and ready room.
“Still.”
“You’re not going to be allowed back in with
the others,” said my mother with assurance, but I sensed a modicum
of sympathy in her tone. “You know that.”
“I know,” I said quickly, having played out
this conversation in my mind several times already. “I’m not asking
to go out there and be with the others. I know that’s not possible.
But what if…” I was nervous. It was a rare emotion for me, but so
much rode on my ability to convince her to placate me. “What if you
found one Dawn that could come and visit me. You could monitor us
the whole time. And I swear I won’t do anything to confuse her, or
let her know that I made it to the surface.”
She shook her head and said, “No,” but I
continued unabated.
“We could explain that I’d been refusing to
take my pills at night, and that I got sick because of it, and that
the Administrators need to introduce me back into the group slowly.
I’m sure they’re all wondering where Hailey and I disappeared to.
They have to be curious, and I bet they’re scared. After that man
fell from the ceiling, the other girls saw Hailey and me getting
carried out by the guards. I’m sure they think our disappearance
had something to do with coming in contact with that dead man.” I
knew that I must’ve sounded frantic, but I continued anyhow,
desperate to plead my case before she shot me down. “The Dawns used
to get nightmares from seeing an Administrator with brown hair, for
crying out loud. They must be tossing and turning in their beds in
terror of what they think happened to us. If you let me meet with
one girl, just one, and monitored us, then she could explain to the
others all about what’s really going on. She could help explain how
important it is to do as the Administrators say, and take the
pills, because otherwise they might get
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