Born 01 - Born

sight of a girl running across the brown borderlands in one of these stark white outfits, and I know why they’ve made everything this way.
    I step into the room and feel exhausted instantly. The bed is inviting. The clothes make me want to stay. It's a fleeting feeling of someone taking care of me. I let it sit inside of me for a moment.
    "Well, if you need anything, you just push the red button just here." I turn to see the only thing with any color. A red panic button on the wall. I'd seen them at the hospital in the bathroom. Dad said they were for sick people who fell while going to the bathroom. The idea of it always made me shiver. Being on the floor with one of those cruel backless gowns spread everywhere, unable to get up.
    Gloria touches my arm and I resist the urge to break her manicured creamy white fingers with bright red nail polish. "I will have someone down to re-hydrate you two."
    She lets go and is gone.
    The girl has walked away from my armpit. I close the door and turn to her.
    "I'm Emma. What's your name?"
    She looks at me with her bright blue eyes that seem muted without the filth all over her face.
    "Sarah."
    "How old are you?"
    I go and sit on the bed on the left hand side.
    "Eleven."
    She sits beside me. I guess we are sharing a bed. I lie down and stare at the bright white ceiling. I wonder if it will dull in the night or if it glows in the dark. Everything is too bright and too clean. I feel exposed.
    Our door is burst open and Anna leaps in, scaring Sarah into a ball. Anna closes the door and fights the tears that stream down her cheeks. "You came for me?"
    I am off the bed and hugging her into me instantly. She feels heavier. Less gaunt.
    "Will and Jake are waiting for us in the woods."
    She pulls back. "Will? Will who?"
    "Your brother is alive, Anna."
    "No. No. It's the wrong Will. I know it."
    I nod. "It's him. He's with Jake. He's fine. He's part of a rebellion now."
    She laughs, "Well, you've met the wrong Will." I laugh with her. She sniffles, "I can't believe he's alive. All this time." She stops herself from losing it and looks at Sarah. "What's with the girl?"
    I look back and wink. "We met in the dark."
    Anna smiles at Sarah. "I'm Anna."
    "Sarah." Her little voice makes me scared again. The strength I mustered when I saw Anna is gone.
    "They're coming to see me and re-hydrate me."
    She nods. "It's not so bad. Just a small needle and a bag of water that drips for about two hours. They'll bring you food too. The food is good. It's full of fat and flavor."
    I look at her stomach and can't help but wonder. She has been here days. Have they already put a baby in her?
    She rubs her belly. "They have spent the last few days getting me healthy. They won't put anything in there yet. It's not as bad as we thought. It's done with robots and needles and they put you to sleep."
    "I know. Will knew all about it." I raise my eyebrows, hoping she will get the hint to stop talking about it.
    She shrugs. "Will. Weird. I can't wait to see him."
    "He was in the breeder farms for a while."
    She grimaces. "Gross."
    Before she can get into details and scare Sarah, I change the subject. "How are things here?"
    "It's not that bad."
    "We need to figure a way out of here."
    Anna grins. "I will miss the food. Better than Jake's cooking. What's the plan?"
    I shake my head. "Give me a couple days to work it out."
    She sits on the empty bed. "Okay." She sighs., "How's Will? Is he okay? I can't believe he's alive."
    My face flushes. "Good. He's a man, and he plays the guitar and sings. He's quite good." I look down immediately.
    She bursts into laughter. "Oh, no way. You and him?"
    I shake my head, but I can feel the heat on my cheeks betraying me. "No. No, he's good. He looks good."
    She covers her face. "Gross. What about Jake?"
    I feel silly. "It's not what you think. Really, it's not. I like them both as friends."
    Anna raises an eyebrow and looks at Sarah. "Hmm, I think she has bewitched both of my brothers."
    Sarah is giggling and covering her mouth.
    I am humiliated.
    Anna kicks a leg at me. "Oh, they're big boys. Let them fight over you. I will say I hope Jake wins though. At least in some corner of this world people are falling in love still. Let me tell you, there is no love in this place."
    Somewhere deep inside of m,e I wish for him to win too, even if I don’t think he will.
    The door opens and carts are wheeled in. My stomach almost rips itself from my body when I smell the steaming food on one