Out of all of the things the Society had been purged of, vanity was perhaps the hardest to fully strip from human nature. In school, they would tell us of our ancestors who went to great lengths to look beautiful, physically altering themselves in grotesque fashions so to be considered appealing to others. Now, we view ourselves and others equally. Because of this, I cannot see where every wrinkle in my new uniform has been pressed down, nor can I see the sharp creases where the clothes bend with the joints in my knees and arms. The uniform fits snugly, but not uncomfortably so. It was made exactly to my measurements instead of the simple guesswork they use for Products. I am to be a full citizen now, and every detail and aspect of my life is critical.

“Alyssa, we must depart for the ceremony now.” My mother’s voice called from the doorway of our dwelling. With a small nod to myself, smoothing out my shirt for the final time, I exited my room for the last time. Never again would I return to this house. My room was no longer my own, but a vacant space where a Product had once lived and thrived under the careful conditioning of her guardians.

With grace, I walked down the stairs, keeping my head held high as I made my way towards the doorway. The minders were to be turned off soon, releasing curfew an hour earlier than normal. It was the only occasion where such a thing was done.

An unusual hush settled over my mother as she looked at me. I greeted her as I did every morning, and yet for once she did not answer. It was peculiar, the way she looked at me, with an emotion I could not recognize. For a moment, there seemed to be a sadness in her eyes, but it was gone just as soon as it had appeared.

“Look at you.” She whispered, holding her hands to her heart. When she spoke again, her voice was more assured and much louder, “You’ve grown up so quickly, Alyssa. We’re very proud of your success.” I allowed myself a small smile towards the compliment, thanking her for her gracious words. “The uniform fits you perfectly,” she commented, “you look like the ideal citizen. But, you’ve forgotten your coat.” With a fluid motion, she turned to the small cabinet by the door, opening it and gently removing a sharply ironed white coat, with the symbol of the Society freshly emblazoned above the heart. Carefully, she helped me put on the final piece of my new uniform; and I smiled down on the words delicately stitched there, surrounding the two hands that held up a city made of black and white.

Perfectione quod nostrum est.

Perfection is our own.

I did not believe that truer words had ever been written, nor ever would be. My mother glanced over me a final time, checking to make sure everything had been done in a proper fashion, questioning me on whether or not I had successfully completed every detail of my morning routine before we left. I kept up patiently with her questions, understanding that she was suffering from a bit of anxiety, which was normal this time of year. When the Products finally become Citizens, their mothers tend to worry and fret more than usual, as the gentler female nature is prone to do.

As a pleasant chime rang through the ceiling and walls of the house, my father finally joined us at the exit to the dwelling. He smiled at my mother, telling her not to worry so much. I was a full grown woman now, and could handle myself. With the end of his sentence, a voice sounded throughout the building with an obvious smile in its tone. “Good morning, Family Unit One-One-Seven-Five. It pleases me to announce that curfew is now lifted from your designated location, and you are free to leave the area.”

We smiled and nodded amongst ourselves before the voice continued speaking with the same, pleasant tone it always had, a tone that was neither predominately male nor female. “Please allow Product Seventy-Four to report immediately to the other Products in the Society’s plaza, so that she may assist with the necessary preparations for this afternoon’s ceremony. Thank you, Family Unit One-One-Seven-Five; that will be all.”

In a few short seconds, the sheets of metal that guarded our doors and windows in the night slid silently back into their compartments in the walls of the house, and all the doors became unlocked and accessible once more. As my father opened the door, allowing the two of us to head outside, we were immediately greeted by the sound of footsteps in unison hitting the pavement that made up our road. The sight of a small squadron of Angels walking down the street of our neighborhood caused the three of us to tense up as an automatic reflex. They were the enforcers of the Society, and luckily passed us without even a glance.

The house directly to the right of us, however, was not so lucky.

With a certain level of coolness that you would expect in a Pre-Plague militia, the Angels marched up to the house, whose occupants had also just stepped outside into the morning air, and proceeded to surround them on all sides, while one Angel in particular spoke up, “Family Unit Four-Three-One-One-Five,” he said as the two others dispersed form the group to handcuff the mother and father’s hands behind their back. The two did not resist, it was easy to tell that they were in a state of shock, and yet still calm with the disbelief of the actions being carried out before them. “You are to be placed under immediate arrest—”

 “What do you mean?” The woman interrupted, shifting slightly back and forth from the uncomfortable weight of the handcuffs, and the presence of the Angel that was standing in close proximity to her, watching for any attempts of escape. The woman showed none; even a child could have recognized that. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”

“—for crimes against the Society, and our laws and regulations which govern our ways of life—”

“What is our crime, sir?” The man asked, once again causing an interruption to the Angel. I repressed a sigh, wanting to tell this family unit that they were only causing more trouble towards themselves.

"They were only children! They were starving, sir!" At the rise of the voice, other families begin to open their doors, curious as to what was causing such a disruption in the morning. Rarely do we speak on the streets, unless it is to exchange greetings, and even then we used hushed, polite voices that do not disrupt those around you. The change sudden rise of the octave in the woman’s voice was startling, and caused the scene to quickly advance into a public affair.

"—and consorting with persons of a criminal nature. You are to be--"

"Please, somebody assist us!" The woman shouted, and I, along with many others, was taken aback in surprise. The volume of her voice was upsetting; it was too loud and much too dangerous for the ears of the Citizens. Raising your voice in powerful emotion was acceptable, if not frowned upon, but yelling to those around you was entirely unacceptable in itself. You could see the surprise and discomfort on the faces of those who had looked in on the scene. I was not the only one upset; even my mother and father exchanged a sharp intake of breath. It was simply unheard of.

"--judged before the Jury of Law, and placed under immediate rehabilitation, stripped of all titles, privileges, ranks, and names, before relocated to an establishment beyond the Society walls. Is there anything you would like to say?"

With this final statement, the couple’s eyes grew wide with an expression that was absolutely foreign to me. It seemed to be almost primal in nature, like some old Pre-Plague emotion that probably once had power beyond description. But the wide eyes, slack jaws, and utter surprise and helplessness on their face do not change the expression of the Angel speaking to them.

As it always had before, the scene in its entirety proved difficult to look away from, although it was inappropriate to witness the disgrace of another Citizen. It was only with my mother’s whispered voice saying; “Alyssa, look away.” that I finally managed to cast my eyes downward, and ignored the family unit’s pleas for help as the ex-Citizens were marched away, and a small child received from the household.

My father ushered us forward, refusing to allow us to acknowledge the crying child, or the woman’s excessive shout of the word ‘please’. I did not know where they were taken, nor did I ever hope to find out.

Quickly, the incident is forgotten as we made our way to the plaza in the middle of the town. There was a faint fuzziness in my mind as we approached, but although I searched for a root origin for the feeling, I found nothing. We reached the open gates of the plaza with punctuality, greeting those already at work with pleasant conversation. To prove our responsibility, all Products that will become Citizens must assist in the construction of the stage, lighting, and seating arrangement for the ceremony to follow. It was an honor to be listed among those helping, and I was eager to proceed with the task at hand.

“Goodbye, Alyssa.” My mother and father told me as we parted ways at the gates of the plaza. They, as full Citizens, had an hour and a half of recreational time before the ceremony begins, and in honor of the festivities, many rules had been relaxed. So, as they departed, their fingers intertwined as they walked side by side, completing the happy image of a perfect couple within the Society.

Hey guys! It's taking me an insanely long time to update this, and I'm so sorry! You should expect more regular updates now, though, since this story is officially part of Nanowrimo. (Yay!) Anyways, I'm going to put a picture of the Society's symbol off to the side over here, because I did not do a really good job of explaining it, and I think it's pretty awesome. (Not as awesome as the symbol for the Angels (which you'll get to see later on) but still pretty awesome!)

It doesn't have the words on it, however, and for that I'm sorry. But in my defense, I made this on paint, and for those of you who have ever used microsoft paint, you will realize that:

A: It's Microsoft Paint

and B: It is a pain in the butt to make words fit in a circle.

So you'll just have to make do!

Vote, comment, ask me questions for stuff you're curious about, it makes my day! (And for those of you who were expecting a certain boy to show up...Be patient! He'll be back soon, with all of his infinite confusing-ness.)

Love ya!

-Andrea