The Need To Be Perfect

I had never failed at being flawless, life was easy. We would learn, we would talk and we would sleep. The same routine for the last 11 years. I was Amelia and I was perfect. I had been a perfect since the age of 5 where there had been 13 of us. Everyone of us knew that we would not finish this together but we were young and thought it was so far away. You could say our mindsets changed at the end of the first test day, where we saw the first of us, Everly, getting dragged from the room after she had failed. It was that moment that made everyone stop having friends, stop having time to talk, stop having time to do anything but study, study and study. It was why when I woke up every morning, I knew it would have to be me that continues on, and it would be one of the others who would be terminated. It couldn't be me. Never. My brown and blonde hair hung down to my waist as I hopped out of bed that morning. My uniform was hung up in my wardrobe and was the only thing in there. We, the perfect, had no room in life for disorganization. I was in the top 3 of the perfects, but that would change, soon I would be in the top 2. I unhurriedly got out of bed and put on my uniform. The gray skirt hanging down to my ankles and the loose navy blouse which sleeves ran down to my wrist was boring and dull, but it's what was required of us. It would not change. My room was not much better. It was a plain gray that contained all but a bed, desk bathroom and wardrobe. It was simple, but it worked. All of our rooms were the same gray hallow walls. Sometimes the orderly way it was set up annoyed me, I mean why can't I change the layout, oh that's right, because everything is bolted down. In this place the disorganization was seen as a flaw, and you sure don't want flaws. My shoes were by my bedroom door (I had nicely polished them last night), and my socks were folded neatly in my side table. Putting them on I couldn't help but wonder about what would happen today. How would it play out? Would I not be here to see next year? I brushed my hair and pulled it up into a French braid before stepping out into the hallway. I had classes today, it was my quiet day with only 7 classes, usually I had 9. First class was history, my favourite. I mean who doesn't love to learn about the wars and humanities biggest mistakes. Personally the first world war is the biggest and most interesting subject of ALL historical events. But I'm not allowed to say that. Opinions are bad. As the classroom came into view I saw the 2 other girls of my age waiting outside to be let in. They were pretty, I guess. They both would be competition if the institution went off looks, but alas it does not. One had brown locks that were cut just beneath her shoulders with big blue eyes that were framed by long dark lashes. She had darker skin that was quite the contrast to her companion who had a paler tone. Though not to be fooled by the paleness of her skin her hair was a shocking red-orange colour and her eyes were a emerald jewel. She had a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks that gave her a youthful expression. I did not know their names, I did not want to know. Names make them seem more familiar, a bad thing to feel when you know that one of you will be ripped away from the other year after year until only one remains. It was a danger, that is what friendship was, a nuisance. It was then, when the teacher had opened the door, that the bell rung bringing me from my thoughts and into the present where I followed my age group into the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Slumping down onto my bed finally after my classes I slowly pulled off my shoes to place them where they needed to be. The rest of my uniform goes into the washing basket. Damn, need to wash them today. The washroom was relatively quite today, with only 2 other students within. I didn't ask them their names, nor did I particularly care. They seemed younger than me by a good deal and seemed like they were friends. That's a mistake, making friends. You will eventually lose them as only one can win. I remember when I thought the same way as they did. I couldn't care about the end because it was so far away, it isn't now, and all my friends are gone. I had 3 friends; Maria, Brooke and Jasmine. We were inseparable, until we were. Until the competition took them out. Maria was the last one of us to leave. It's still strange here without her. She was pulled last round when she was considered too strong for a female. She completed the one task we were meant to fail. She beautiful though. I still remember all of us going into her room before classes had started, to talk whilst braiding each others hair. I always did Maria's. I just loved the way her auburn hair felt, and looked, and I couldn't remember a day I wasn't slightly envious of her. Her perfect freckles across the bridge of her nose, her grass green eyes, her auburn hair and most of all the way she got along with everyone. Brooke was more like me. She only really talked to us in the group, though she was adored by all of the younger kids. Maria was targeted before she left. I will never know how they found out, but they did. Her secrets were too big to keep and she told only us 2 about it, as Jasmine had been pulled. We never told anyone, they were a bit strange though. Those truths get her pulled the same year. It was difficult watching her being dragged out. It will forever confuse me why she was, something about unfavorable characteristics that could be passed to her children. She was silent. A death like state when she was being pulled, she didn't cry or scream, just looked at us once. Her eyes showed nothing beyond the obvious numbness of everything. It got easier though, watching the people you are friends with being pulled. It was so difficult when Jasmine was pulled. Nothing could be compared to that. The first of us to go, it made the whole thing more real. We knew it was going to happen eventually, but we didn't really grasp the concept of losing one another till we did. Jasmine was probably the nicest of us all, so to see her fail was shocking. She always used to go around and hand out flowers to those who were in her path when she was carrying them. She always smiled. The leaving of her was frightening because if it could happen to her, it could happen to anyone. No one really knows what happens when you are pulled. From what I've been told you die once your deemed imperfect. Our professors say that because of this, there is a limited amount of females compared to males. This is why we must learn everything including how to be a good wife or we won't be paired off. I know I must be perfect. My life has just begun and I have to live for the sole purpose that my friends didn't.