The Ultimate Sacrifice

“Thanks Mackenzie,” my younger sister says, standing up. I had just finished braiding her hair, and now she runs her hands over it, examining for bumps.

“Of course.”

Together, the two of us walk out of her room and down the stairs. Mom is by the stove making breakfast, and Dad is reading the paper.

This is how it is in every house in my city. Siblings help each other get ready, parents switch off making food. Every morning, the same thing. Every night, the same thing. Every single day of our lives is programmed for us, and we go along with it. At least, everyone else does.

I try, I really do. But, I am a malfunction. A glitch in the system. I am not supposed to be here.

I don’t know why we are here or what they want to do to us, but I know I am not brainless like the rest of them. I don’t follow the same train of thought. 

I feel emotion, they don’t. I want to go out, they don’t. I want to have fun, they don’t. It doesn’t occur to them. But it does to me.

It was harder to hide as a kid, but as I have grown, I have perfected the art of wearing a mask. It isn’t easy, but it is necessary.

If I don’t hide my true self, I will be killed. Just like the boy from four houses down. He was a flaw - the same as me - and he was murdered. He was seven. 

At twice his age, they will not hesitate to murder me.

The worst part of the boy dying? I was the only one who cared. The only one who could care. His parents were locked up as accomplices. I doubt they knew he was a mess up.

I cried myself to sleep for a month. I was scared. Scared for me; scared for my family; scared for others who might be like me, hiding behind fake words and false smiles.

“How are you this morning, Sofia?” Dad says, puting the paper down as Mom brings food over to the table. Sofia sits on his left, and I grab the orange juice before coming over and sitting on his right.

“I’m good. I sleep very peacefully. I am also excited for school today. We are having a government leader come to give a presentation. How are you?” my sister says. 

“I’m very good, thanks for asking. I think we are getting a new employee today. I hope he or she is prepared. I want this to go as smoothly as possible.” Dad works in an office - I’m not quite sure what he does - and the last person he hired messed up and caused him a lot of money.

He wasn’t mad, though. He can’t be mad.

Dad asks me how I am, and I say I am good. Of course I am good. Mom will be “good” as well.

None of them know how to feel anything else.

After breakfast, we all get ready to leave. Sofia and I will be walking to school, Dad will be walking to his office, and Mom will be walking to the factory where she makes clothes.

No one here owns a car. There is no need, because we have legs, and that means we can walk. It’s not like we would be going anywhere far. We aren’t allowed to leave the city limits.

We part at the center of town, Dad continuing forward, Mom going right, Sofia and I going left.

After about a minute, we are engulfed in a throng of kids ranging age seven to seventeen. Since we aren’t allowed to have friends, only acquaintances, we mostly stick with the people in our age sector.

Sofia is twelve, so she goes with the sixes, and I make my way over to the eights. They talk quietly, politely asking about after school plans. I stay silent.

Because today is a day eight in our city, and the last day of school we have until we restart our schedule at day one, we have a government presentation.

Age sectors one through five file into the dining hall, and age sectors six through ten file into the auditorium.

We sit in our assigned seats, the younger age sectors near the front, and the oldest ones in back.

“Hello, everybody. Today, we will have a volunteer.” The voice belongs to a man in a fancy black suit. He walks into the room, his shoes clicking in the quiet. His voice oozes confidence as it echoes off the walls.

I know no one will volunteer. They are not programmed to. But, if called on, they will not hesitate to help.

Today, the “volunteer” is Sofia. I clap politely with everyone else, but there is a sinking feeling in my stomach.

In this society, standing out is dangerous. Being picked out of a crowd is definitely dangerous. I am scared for her. I don’t want my sister to be in danger.

Unfortunately, with me as her sibling, Sofia is always in danger. And she doesn’t even know it.

Head held high, Sofia walks to the front of the room. She doesn’t look nervous. She isn’t; she can’t be, but I am nervous for her.

Today's activity is simple enough; Sofia is supposed to jump on her right foot ten times with her eyes closed, and then ten times on her left foot with her eyes open. It is meant to symbolize that sometimes, we have to do the hard things first. After that, other things will feel easier.

Except, Sofia trips on her fifth jump. She only falls for a second, but it happens.

It’s not supposed to happen.

I think, I hope, I pray that I am the only one to notice, but I am not.

Sofia continues, fear in her doe-like eyes. She isn’t even able to finish ten jumps before the government leader runs forward. He grabs her small frame and pins her arms to her side. 

She is shaking, but she cannot shake, cannot feel fear, not unless she is like me. Not unless she is a glitch as well.

No one is reacting. They are not ready for something like this to happen. They don’t know what to do.

I am trying to keep calm, stay like them, but when the government leader pulls a syringe out of his pocket, a syringe that I know will be filled with poison, I can no longer stay a bystander.

“Stop!” I yell, standing up.

I run down the aisle of chairs, my heart pounding. “Stop! She’s just a little girl! She doesn’t know what she’s doing!” I stand in front of the government leader, heart pounding. I am so, so nervous.

Sofia is shaking her head, back and forth, back and forth. Everyone else is sitting in their seats, not moving; they are stoic.

“Stop, okay?” I’m saying this to both Sofia, and the leader. Sofia needs to stop moving, and he can’t kill her. She’s too young.

I am too.

“I’m the glitch. Sofia must have been malfunctioning because she spent too much time with me. But, I love her.” My voice softens, and tears start falling down my cheeks. Sofia must realize my decision, because she only starts wiggling harder. “And you can’t kill her,” I continue.

“No!” she screeches.

“Kill me instead.” The tone of my voice is final, definite.

The government leader drops my sister, and she runs up to me. I give her a brief hug, the way we always do, and whisper I love you into her ear. We did this every night before bed, and although I loved her, I never thought she loved me back. I wasn’t hurt, I knew she couldn’t feel real love, and I was okay with my feelings being unrequited. Now, I realize that maybe it wasn’t so one sided.

I guess Sofia loved me too.

I take a step away from her, and don’t look back.

As I walk up to the government leader, I begin to speak. “I am willing to sacrifice myself for my sister, on one condition. You can wipe their memories, do whatever you want to them, but you will not hurt Sofia. Ever.” I know this is an impossible request, but I have to try.

“I have lived with Sofia my whole life. She is normal. I am not. I’m not sure why she fell today, or what happened after that, but I am one hundred percent sure that it was purely coincidental. It was because of me. I promise you.”

“Okay,” the word is small and quiet as it comes out of the government leaders mouth, so different from how his words sounded earlier. I don’t know why he is agreeing with me, why this guard is letting Sofia live, but the relief that floods through me is incredible.

“Thank you.”

He turns to Sofia, his eyes hardening again, “This never happened.”

I don’t hear her speak, so I assume she is nodding. I don’t look.

I step forward, and he holds the needle up to my neck. Tears are coming faster, pouring down my face, but I know this is the best decision. I will die so Sofia can live.

I hate it, but I know this is right. This is the ultimate sacrifice, and I’m doing it for my sister. The person I love the most.

“Goodbye Mackenzie,” I don’t question how the government leader knows my name, only take deep breaths. I can still hear Sofia sobbing, but I pretend I can’t.

The needle goes in my neck, the world turns, and everything goes black.