• Laura looked in the mirror. Her reflection showed that her performance was going to be spotless. Tousling her hair one more time for good luck, she left for the meeting. One more meeting, and she would not have to live this lie anymore, she could be herself.

    In the car she checked once more her appearance. Everything had to be perfect today; she had to impress everyone there. It was a dangerous thing what she was going to do. Although she could die if she was caught, it was well worth the risk of having to go on as she was.

    The drive was only a few minutes. The silence inside her was only deafened by the occasional outburst in her mind by her voice of reason. “Don’t do this! Sarah tried, you even saw her on the street and you believed her. She was caught, and you will be too,” the voice cautioned her not to go on. To stop before her life was in danger, but some of Sarah’s last words returned to her mind. “You can buy a home of your own,” Sarah told her.

    Driving commissioners have never been as hard judging the applicants. They jumped at Sarah’s fake documents, practically gave her the license and a free apartment to set her up until she could get her housing ticket. Sarah had told Laura about it. That was the day it changed Laura’s thoughts. Laura had always thought that the rules were how it had always been. Every generation had been as the current one. A picture of her grandmother changed her life. Lily was a courageous woman, and had rebelled while the newer protocols were put in place. Eventually government workers picked her up, but took a picture for evidence. Finding that picture inspired Laura as much as Sarah’s ideas. “You can buy a home of your own. Learn to drive and everything! They can’t tell us we can’t, just because of that law. Don’t you see they’re changing the basic ideas of this country? We’re better than that,” Sarah had gone into a rant for hours about their rights, and what they would’ve been able to do back when Lily was around.

    The gloomy doors of the housing commission leered in front of Sarah. Challenging her to enter, and begin the game again. Taking a deep breath, Laura unhooked her buckle, and walked to the door. “Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Williams, the 7:00 appointment,” she explained to the secretary.

    “Right. Promptness is appreciated in this big of step in your life. Your paperwork is looking fine, and I expect you to make it. Mr. Williams is right through here, Good Luck!” the secretary said cheerfully after leading Laura through a maze of uniform hallways. Knocking on the door was one of the hardest things she’s ever done.

    “Welcome, but I need to make a pit stop, if you don’t mind? Let’s go, it’s pretty close,” He said dragging Laura the way she had came. When they got there, Laura went to stand by the door. “Don’t be ridiculous, come in, a man is not that old fashioned nowadays.” Laura backed away.

    “I can’t do it anymore! I’m living a lie!” she shouted at him.

    “Oh, we know. We’ve known from the beginning. Who did you think you were buying your papers from? Loreca, what kind of a fake name is Loreca? You chose one of the most dangerous things to do. Trusting a man selling papers to become a man, yes females are the deadlier of the species indeed. Oh we’ve researched your family. Lily was quite a hero for you wasn’t she? Now you and all of your family will be executed for your treachery,” Mr. Williams told her grinning. “The best friend always works to get you females to turn.”

    “But Sarah was my friend!” Laura shouted.

    “No one is friends after we program them. We get them to find those, like yourself close to the edge. Then we have an excuse to weed out those families that have questionable backgrounds. Without your participation, these one million relatives of yours would’ve corrupted, one by one. Now they won’t have to. Say good night family designation Sigma Mu.”

    Everything was silent for Laura. She was at peace.