Born 01 - Born

dig into my skin, mine. Those eggs, those babies are mine. I would never let her take them. Not even from my cold dead fingers.
    I feel a cold sweat on my skin. I have never given a single thought to having a baby. I can't imagine bringing something into the world and making it learn to be what we are.
    Louise stands up and grips my hand. "You need this." She slips a piece of plastic in my hands and a small, folded piece of paper.
    "Thank you," I say. I don’t know what else to say.
    "No. Do not thank me. Just get out. Tell everyone what you've learned." She opens the door.
    "Come with us."
    She sighs, "I can't. You take my love with you." She closes the door.
    I lie back onto my bed and know I will not sleep, no matter what.
    Images of women in body dumps, like the ones in the borderlands I've seen, start to flash in my mind. If I close my eyes, they get brighter, more colorful. If I open my eyes I can see their faces swirling in the bright white ceiling that never dims.
    I hear their voices filling my head. My eyes grow heavy against my will.
    When I wake, Sarah is sitting on my bed eating an apple. It's bright and red and reminds me of Snow White. Her red ruby lips and white skin are so shocking against the bright red peel. The sun is up. Small round lights let in the sunlight instead of light bulbs. Like a skylight my Granny had but tiny and round.
    Sarah looks pretty this morning. I see such a difference in her. Her skin glows, her blonde hair is shiny, and her blue eyes sparkle with life and health. If I close my eyes, I remember people looking like that all the time, before.
    "What's your mother like?" I ask because of her white teeth. They're cared for. It's obvious.
    She shrugs. "She's young. Like thirty. She's kind of mean. She made me wash with really hot water every day and brush three times a day and floss too. She would scrub my skin like I was a potato."
    I laugh. I wish I'd had a mother. Even if she scrubbed my skin like I was a potato.
    "What did she do before the fall?"
    "She was a secretary for a dental firm. My dad was a dentist."
    I take an apple from the plate she has beside her of fruit and cheese. "Is your dad still there with her?"
    She shakes her head and takes another big bite. She chews for a second and then talks with her mouth full, spitting tiny apple bits. "He stayed with his family."
    I take a small bite and leave it at that.
    Anna walks in looking funny. Her eyes seem dark, like the pupil has eaten up all the color.
    "Hey."
    "You okay?"
    She shakes her head. "No. I feel gross. I went for testing and they put me to sleep. I threw up a minute ago. It's like the room is spinning."
    This changes things.
    She sits on the bed and seems off. I can see the sway in each of her movements.
    She lays down and curls into a ball. "I just need to sleep it off."
    I touch her arm and squeeze, "We have to leave now. You can't sleep."
    She opens one eye. "What?"
    I nod and pull out the paper and white plastic card. "Louise came to see me last night. We need to leave. Now. A garbage truck is coming today. My dad's friend told Louise the garbage was coming today."
    She groans and nuzzles into the bed. "Nooooo. Let's just stay for one more day."
    I fidget with the plastic ID card. "That’s not all Louise said."
    Anna groans and rolls around. "Does it matter? I don’t want to leave. Not yet."
    Sarah frowns and tosses her apple into the compost bin that gets emptied every day. She gets down on her knees and looks at Anna at eye level. "They're murdering the moms after they give birth. They take your babies at two and then give them to women in the city. After three babies, they murder you. The condos are a lie. There is no life in the city afterwards."
    Anna licks her lips and tilts her head back to look at me. I nod. I feel sick. I never knew Sarah was awake when Louise was speaking. It sounds much worse coming from the lips of a child.
    Anna pushes herself up. "Okay. Let's do this." She drinks from the bottle of water next to her. "I'll be okay. Just let me wake up."
    I drink a huge drink too and pass it to Sarah.
    She looks at the apples and cheese on the plate. "I'm going to miss this place."
    We all laugh.
    "Louise drew a map on this paper. She said when you got back from the tests we should leave immediately and hide in the garbage."
    Anna nods and rubs her eyes. "Okay."
    I feel sick. "There is one last thing."
    She looks up at me. I can see her fighting the grogginess.
    "The garbage is where the