Emeros X
Chapter 1
Erin was nervous. Her sister, Violet sat in front of her with one hand on the wheel and the other holding
Todd, her fiancé’s, hand. As she drove, Violet kept looking in the rear view mirror at her little sister. She
had turned seventeen last month, starting the process of selection. This was her second visit to the
office, the first that would have any effect on who was selected for her. The first meeting was simply a
“get to know you” meeting that Erin barely spoke in. Their mom decided Violet was to take Erin this time,
hoping she might be able to convince her baby sister that she had no reason to be nervous.
“Stop biting at your cuticles, Erin. They’ll bleed,” her sister said.
Her reassuring smile reflected in the mirror, but Erin ignoring it. She doesn't know when she started biting
her cuticles, and she didn't particularly know if she’d stop. Hopefully The Board would pick somebody
who doesn't mind her habit.
Todd squeezed Violet’s hand, stroking his thumb around the curve of her palm.
“Come on, Erin. It can’t be that bad. The Board picked your sister for me, and look where that got
us.”
Violet smiled, looking toward her fiancé before shaking her head.
“That doesn't mean it always work though, right? They could mess up, couldn't they?” Erin asked,
looking up from her stinging fingers toward Todd.
“Erin, they've done this procedure since before mom and dad were married and nobody has had
any complaints. Besides, all you’re going to do for this meeting is fill out some forms. It’s not a big deal,”
Violet answered.
Erin looked out the window. As they passed her high school, she desperately wished she was in her class,
even though they were taking a test on Jane Eyre. Nobody in her class understood the book. Mrs.
Campbell said the reason why they didn't was because the story contained what is called “organic love”.
Such a thing doesn't exist anymore. Katie, another student and Erin’s best friend, asked why, to which
Mrs. Campbell lectured for the rest of the class period on the nation’s history. That, at the time the book
was written, there was so much corruption that people needed something to hold on to. Now that the
nation is nearly perfect, there’s no need. After all, most of the food they ate was synthetic, as were the
organs used for transplants, why not feelings as well? Feelings were simply the releasing of different
chemicals, which could be easily replicated.
Upon arriving at the building The Board worked in, Erin forced herself to take deep, slow breaths as she
walked in the door, signed her name and sat down. There were five other people in the waiting room with
her and three of them were parents. The girl by the window looked excited. Her mom did too. Rather
than biting at her cuticles, she was animatedly ranting to her mom about her hopes of falling for someone
who had blue eyes like her, because then her entire family would have blue eyes. The other girl, who was
sitting with both her parents, silently flipped through a magazine while her parents leaned against each
other.
The fan above Erin make the light in the room appear to flicker, syncing up to her heart wildly beating in
her chest. A woman in a dress suit walked by, calling for the girl by the window. She quickly sprang up,
grabbed some papers from her mother, and followed the woman down the hall. The mom pulled her
phone out, smiling at a message someone had left for her.
The clock ticked by, until the girl with the magazine was called as well. Her mother followed her, stopping
to kiss her husband before walking down the hall in the same direction her daughter had gone.
Violet walked back to her seat, as she had apparently gotten a cup of water, and crossed her legs toward
Todd, who put his arm around her shoulders. Erin couldn't believe it was taking this long. Couldn't she
just have the paperwork handed to her? Why did she have to go wait until a room opened up so she
could fill in some bubbles?
“Erin Foster?”
Erin looked up from the floor. A short woman stood in the hallway holding a clipboard and looked at her.
She stood up, looking back at her sister, who nodded in the direction of the hallway. Erin slowly nodded
back, took a deep breath, turned and walked toward the woman, who hadn't moved.
“Good morning Miss Foster.”
“Good morning Dr…”
“Santiago.”
“Okay.”
Erin followed Dr. Santiago down the hallway, turning into a small room with a pair of seats and tables.
There were needles sitting on a tray, along with a stack of papers on top of a folder and a few pens.
Todd, her fiancé’s, hand. As she drove, Violet kept looking in the rear view mirror at her little sister. She
had turned seventeen last month, starting the process of selection. This was her second visit to the
office, the first that would have any effect on who was selected for her. The first meeting was simply a
“get to know you” meeting that Erin barely spoke in. Their mom decided Violet was to take Erin this time,
hoping she might be able to convince her baby sister that she had no reason to be nervous.
“Stop biting at your cuticles, Erin. They’ll bleed,” her sister said.
Her reassuring smile reflected in the mirror, but Erin ignoring it. She doesn't know when she started biting
her cuticles, and she didn't particularly know if she’d stop. Hopefully The Board would pick somebody
who doesn't mind her habit.
Todd squeezed Violet’s hand, stroking his thumb around the curve of her palm.
“Come on, Erin. It can’t be that bad. The Board picked your sister for me, and look where that got
us.”
Violet smiled, looking toward her fiancé before shaking her head.
“That doesn't mean it always work though, right? They could mess up, couldn't they?” Erin asked,
looking up from her stinging fingers toward Todd.
“Erin, they've done this procedure since before mom and dad were married and nobody has had
any complaints. Besides, all you’re going to do for this meeting is fill out some forms. It’s not a big deal,”
Violet answered.
Erin looked out the window. As they passed her high school, she desperately wished she was in her class,
even though they were taking a test on Jane Eyre. Nobody in her class understood the book. Mrs.
Campbell said the reason why they didn't was because the story contained what is called “organic love”.
Such a thing doesn't exist anymore. Katie, another student and Erin’s best friend, asked why, to which
Mrs. Campbell lectured for the rest of the class period on the nation’s history. That, at the time the book
was written, there was so much corruption that people needed something to hold on to. Now that the
nation is nearly perfect, there’s no need. After all, most of the food they ate was synthetic, as were the
organs used for transplants, why not feelings as well? Feelings were simply the releasing of different
chemicals, which could be easily replicated.
Upon arriving at the building The Board worked in, Erin forced herself to take deep, slow breaths as she
walked in the door, signed her name and sat down. There were five other people in the waiting room with
her and three of them were parents. The girl by the window looked excited. Her mom did too. Rather
than biting at her cuticles, she was animatedly ranting to her mom about her hopes of falling for someone
who had blue eyes like her, because then her entire family would have blue eyes. The other girl, who was
sitting with both her parents, silently flipped through a magazine while her parents leaned against each
other.
The fan above Erin make the light in the room appear to flicker, syncing up to her heart wildly beating in
her chest. A woman in a dress suit walked by, calling for the girl by the window. She quickly sprang up,
grabbed some papers from her mother, and followed the woman down the hall. The mom pulled her
phone out, smiling at a message someone had left for her.
The clock ticked by, until the girl with the magazine was called as well. Her mother followed her, stopping
to kiss her husband before walking down the hall in the same direction her daughter had gone.
Violet walked back to her seat, as she had apparently gotten a cup of water, and crossed her legs toward
Todd, who put his arm around her shoulders. Erin couldn't believe it was taking this long. Couldn't she
just have the paperwork handed to her? Why did she have to go wait until a room opened up so she
could fill in some bubbles?
“Erin Foster?”
Erin looked up from the floor. A short woman stood in the hallway holding a clipboard and looked at her.
She stood up, looking back at her sister, who nodded in the direction of the hallway. Erin slowly nodded
back, took a deep breath, turned and walked toward the woman, who hadn't moved.
“Good morning Miss Foster.”
“Good morning Dr…”
“Santiago.”
“Okay.”
Erin followed Dr. Santiago down the hallway, turning into a small room with a pair of seats and tables.
There were needles sitting on a tray, along with a stack of papers on top of a folder and a few pens.