[Day 324] Eugenia part 17

Read part 16 here!

I explained what really happened when children were taken away after their testing as Julie made some tea, staring untrustingly at Decklan. After I mentioned the second test and what happened to kids who didn’t make that one, however, my younger friend interrupted.

“No, there are three tests.”

“Sorry?” I asked. “We only had two. What’s the third one for?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. They took blood tests and other things that the first physical test didn’t. And I remember…” she screwed up her face. “there was a man too. He didn’t do any of the testing, just stared greedily.”

“Greedily?”

“Yeah. I heard him mutter ‘blonde’ under his breath as they left. Maybe that’s why I didn’t pass?”

“But pass to what?” Julie’s news worried me. What else did we not know about this system?

Julie shrugged and handed out the tea. “We’re almost out.” She informed me, not looking at Decklan as she handed him a mug. “You should get more of the raspberry, it’s good.”

“Where do you get food?” He asked, accepting the tea. “You can’t have that much money…”

I shrugged sheepishly. “We do what we can.”

“So you steal.”

“We don’t have much of a choice!”

“You know, ten minutes ago, I would have been angry. But now, knowing about the gas chambers and this mysterious third test, I say, steal all you want! It’s a corrupt system, who can blame you for abusing it?”

I smiled a little, but then shook my head. “I don’t want to keep abusing the system. I want back in.”

“But why? They’ll be horrible to you! Imagine what would happen if people who usually clean toilets try to walk into a store to buy something, even if they had the money.”

Surprised, I choked a bit on my tea. “But then what do they do now, for food?”

“They go to their supervisor, of course.”

“Supervisor?”

“Yeah. People who oversee the Regs. The supervisors get the food, clothes, and other necessities, because they aren’t looked at like lesser beings. They aren’t discriminated against.”

“They’re being treated like slaves.”

“Meg… they are slaves. There really isn’t a difference, except this time people justify it by the past, not by how they’re different, necessarily.”

“Meaning what, exactly?” I took another tentative sip of my tea, my mouth still searing from when I choked on it.

“When slavery was first introduced, with whites enslaving blacks, the only justification was that they were perceived to be savages. Sure, that mindset is still around, albeit directed at other things than skin color, but now society also blames the Regs for the economic destruction.”

“Right.”

“So why would you want to reintegrate?”

“Do you think it’s fun, living like this? Sure, there’s charm to it. We aren’t bothered, but we also shouldn’t be alive. Plus, if we were to stop the eugenics system, we would be allowed back in anyways. It’s a kill two birds kind of a deal.” Decklan flushed. “What?”

“Well… see I’m worried that even with reintegration and the destruction of the system, Regs wouldn’t be allowed to work anywhere than where they already do. No ‘respectable’ business would hire them.”

“The 1960s.”

He shrugged. “I’m just concerned, is all.”

“I understand. But it can’t be any worse than it is now. And if we were to stop the system, kids wouldn’t have to take the test, so no one would know the difference.”

“We’ll see.” He glanced at his watch. “I should go. My roommates will be expecting me back soon.”’

“Alright. I want to meet the rest of your group soon. So we can brainstorm.”

“Brainstorm for what?”

“For how to kill FF.”

Read part 18 here!

(I’m up late for you posting this. Be grateful, internet)