The Human Zoo

CHAPTER SIX JAX

CHAPTER SIX

JAXTwenty minutes remain until my meeting with the board. I arrive early to go over last-minute details with Sylvia. The idea she’d been waiting for came to me as I watched the video my sister sent me showing the “safety” testing of the collars. My eyes were fixed on Corinne as she grabbed the transparent box and pressed down on it, an evil smile on her lips. The unsuspecting woman unfortunate enough to be at her mercy twisted in pain, her eyes and fists squeezed shut, absorbing the torture. Corinne then went on to the next victim in a sick cycle of shock, release, shock.

After about fifteen minutes, my father finally reprimanded her, explaining that the remote is not a toy. I noticed that when Corinne made her way around back to the first woman she shocked, there was no screaming, again. Not once. Her mouth remained sealed in a firm line, unlike the others whose mouth gaped open unable to control the pain. She took the pain, her body wearing down with each press of the button. Her hair was a sodden mess of black and it blended with the mud layer found on the hut’s cement floor. She was dirty and frail with her left wrist bandaged. Something about her seemed familiar, but my mind kept wishing that I wouldn’t be fit with a collar.

“Ready, Jax?” Sylvia asks me as she nervously straightens her skirt.

“I’m ready. Are you? You seem nervous.”

Sylvia smiles at me. “Me? Nervous? Why would you ask that? It’s not like my job hangs in the balance here. I’m fine clearly—fine, calm, content.”

I laugh. “We’ll be fine,” I tell Sylvia.

“You’ve outdone yourself this time. Where you get these ideas, I’ll never know. Let’s hope they go for it,” Sylvia places her hand on my shoulder before heading into the conference room.

Straightening my tie, I take a deep breath, then follow her in, looking at the faces around me. Some seem eager in anticipation while others appear bored and barely interested. On a whim, I decide lecturing them won’t help get my point across, so I change my presentation.

“The Era of Eugenics,” my voice booms with authority as pictures of the Old World float into view on the screen. Everyone leans in to get a better look at the images, the same pictures I saw thirteen years ago, in my history class. “This is what the world used to be like, an endless cycle of chaos. Thanks to Eugenics, we’ve been able to not only improve human lives but surpass our boundaries.”

Quickly, I close my eyes, fighting the guilt. My mind wanders back rapidly to the little girl I saw thirteen years ago. How her eyes bore into mine and for a moment we were the only two in the room sharing a single thought, I see you for you. My throat clears the memory away.

“The people of earth need reminding of the growth since the Modern Dark Ages. I say we take it to a new level.” Everyone’s eyes are on me, attentive and ready—I hope—for my next words. “My idea is simple but extreme. It’ll take much preparation, but I believe the results will be worth the risk. My idea is to live as one of the animals in the Zoo. People have forgotten the painful struggle we went through to get where we are today. So, if you’ll allow me, after my short stint at the Zoo, I’ll write an article reminding the people of earth why we owe everything to Eugenics.”

At first, there was silence, and then gasps and shocks as my words settle. I finish my presentation by outlining the details of my plan and then leave the board to defer.

My foot repeatedly taps on the granite floor as I wait for the verdict. My sweaty hands shift in my pants pockets, the only outward sign of my nerves.

After waiting forty minutes, my patience is running thin. Small beads of sweat collect under my collar, and my hands incessantly fidget. I’m on my dozenth lap up and down the hallway when finally, fate opens the door and rushes toward me. Sylvia steps out, her face stoic. “Alright, you can come back in, Jax.”

Confidently, I stroll casually back into the room.

The oldest man in the room stands to speak. “Have a seat, Jax.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Very well. Since you started here, Jax, a little over a year ago, you’ve outdone every expectation set for you, a high mark for such a young man. This new proposal is bold, risky, and frankly, imprudent. But considering your past performance and the outstanding reviews from our viewers, none of us lack the faith that you will be able to do it. Congratulations, you’ve been approved. We look forward to reading the final product.”

My face remains stoic and formal as they announce their decision. But on the inside, my inner child is running in circles screaming at the top of his lungs.

Sylvia’s eyes shine, and she barely holds onto her dignified manner as she whispers to me. “You lucked out, kid! Honestly, I was nervous this would not end well. You stress me out more than my wife, Jax, but you never fail to follow through. Let’s celebrate after work with drinks. My treat?”

I hug her with excitement and ignore her semi-backhanded compliment. She and I are creating a new level of friendship, I think to myself. I smile. Then offer her an expression of thanks.

She embraces me—making my insides feel like sardines in a can—before releasing me to say goodbye to the other members of the room.

One by one, the board leaves, shaking my hand and offering words of wisdom until eventually, we’re alone.

“So, about that drink. Want to go to Oculus? I’ll ring Deice.” Sylvia asks again.

“Rain check? I’m exhausted.”

“Fine. I didn’t realize the cusp of a huge promotion would instantly turn you into a boring old man!” She says. “Seriously though. I’m so proud of you, Jax.”

“Thanks, Syl. I owe it all to you for remaining patient during my creative process.”

“That’s one way of looking at it.”

Playfully, I shove her as we exit the room together. Passing by a hallway mirror, I catch my blissful countenance—a huge grin accompanied by happy eyes, and I can’t help feeling as if I’m on top of the world.

❦

Neiva, the family maid, rushes about trying to serve everyone dinner. My mother requested she make a special meal to celebrate my new conquest. It’s also her favorite: lobster frittata covered with caviar. My father sits proudly at the end of the table gulping red wine aggressively. My sister, Corinne, sits across from me with an askance look on her face.

“Is everything alright, Corinne?” I ask. She says nothing, whipping her head away from my general direction with arms tightly crossed.

“Child,” I whisper.

“What did you say?” says Corinne screaming.

“Nothing.”

Neiva comes around carrying a silver platter with appetizers on it. They are potato pancakes with gravlax and dill. I snatch one off the tray before she moves on. As she approaches Corinne, my sister slaps the metal tray out of her hands, “I refuse to be served by such a creature.” Her outburst startles everyone.

The entire table goes quiet as Neiva, without any notice to my sister, bends down to clean up the mess.

“What’s your problem, Corinne?” my voice quakes with anger.

“Neiva is not a part of our kind,” she hisses. “Remember the incident? Before Neiva came to work for father, she worked for him at the Zoo where she interacted with The Originals.” I watch as Corinne uses her fingers to quote the word interacted. “But then one got loose, and it r***d her.”

“So? Who Cares? Father obviously feels Neiva is a loyal employee who was at the wrong place at the wrong time and offered her a position here because people like you couldn’t see past her trauma.”

Corinne snorts, “trauma. Is that what we’re calling it now? She’s a pathetic creature, and it’s an embarrassment she works in this house. “

“What’s embarrassing is your relentless, and unnecessary juvenile behavior toward something that doesn’t even involve you!” I pause taking a deep breath, “Regardless, all of that was in the past. Neiva is not a part of The Originals; she’s pure Eugenics, and her incident doesn’t change that. No matter what you say Corinne. You bring this up daily, it’s time to move on.”

“Doesn’t involve me? I don’t expect someone like you to understand,” she hisses at me. “I’ve had enough of this filthy slut being in our house. It’s gone on for far too long.”

I thrust myself out my chair and slam my palms on the table.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You have no right to say these things, Corinne! No right! Neiva is a part of this family as much as you are.”

“Shut up, Jax! First her, now you? What’s next, we start inviting the creatures to live with us? She’s an animal. She doesn’t belong here with us. Everyone is so blindsided by your accomplishment that they can’t see what you’re going to do to this family. If you go in there and live with those creatures, you’ll become one. An animal! No better than they are.”

Mother gasps and I can feel my father’s gaze penetrate us.

“You’re the one acting like an animal by lashing out on Neiva!” I yelled back.

“I will NOT allow you to live in this house—”

“YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME!” My father screams.

His voice radiates across the room as he slams his fist onto the arms of his chair. Immediately, Corinne and I sit, our eyes glued to the table. Regardless of how old we become, father reprimanding us is still intimidating. The room’s silence thickens into a nervous quietness.

“This is my house, and it is my Zoo,” says father pointing to his chest on every “my.” “I control what happens in this house, and I damn well control what happens at work! No one—no one, but me—can tell anyone in my house what to do. Do you understand?”

“Look at me child.” Corinne and I move our eyes into his direction, but he focuses on her instead. “Leave.” The words are for Corinne, and they slap her across the face in shame. She throws her napkin down on the table before exiting. Her heels click against the marble floor on her way out.

My father tilts his head from left to right before sitting back down and sipping from his glass of wine.