2
Closing his bedroom door, he stopped and looked at himself in the mirror that
hung on the back. He did this every morning and was
never quite sure if he liked what he saw. It changed every day, really. Today
he decided he looked OK. His thick brown hair had remained in the tousled quiff
he'd set it in that morning, his brown eyes did not look quite so tired and the
shave this morning had defined his masculine jawline. He raised his shirt a
little with his spare hand to show himself his flat stomach, lightly furred
above the waistband of his underwear. He frowned. He needed to work harder at
toning that up; he was getting fat. Luke took his top off at every opportunity
just because he had a bit of definition in his abs. Dick.
Sitting down at his desk, Sam started with the Information Booklet that stated
on its cover "READ BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE", thinking it might be
his first opportunity to glean some information about the mysterious Government
scheme that had blighted his developmental teenage years, robbing him of
friends and hanging over him like a death sentence.
Instead he found it to be a weak, derisory two-page spread giving no indication
of what awaited he and his brother during and after their inductions. It was
stern and patronising, insisting that he read every question in the Pack at
least twice, demanded he made sure he was answering it as honestly as possible
and reminding him that discussing the content of the Pack or his personal
answers was against the law and punishable by a jury of peers. He scoffed at
the last. Apart from one incredibly personal and private instruction, there was
no way was he not going to talk to Luke about this, and anyway, they'd
never even know.
Feeling a little more settled, he started on the huge questionnaire. It began
easily, asking his birthday, employment history, education history and such but
soon grew into requiring 200-word answers on his sexual experience, 500-word
explanations of when and how he went above-and-beyond in life and detailed
descriptions of dreams and fears and stuff.
As he was scrawling an abstract answer to Question 749, 'Why do you identify as
a man?' the door slammed downstairs and a voice yelled his name.
"Yeah, up here Luke," he replied, rising and dashing downstairs to greet his
twin.
"Hey, um... Our letters came..." he said quietly, nodding at the table while
Luke shrugged off his coat.
"Oh my god, seriously? That's brilliant!" Luke beamed, snatching the envelope
and opening it.
""Dear Luke.......... nationwide PR programme....... future
generations............ Registration Pack.........." Oh my God! Seventeenth of
May! That's not long - awesome!" he gushed, grinning at his less-impressed
twin.
"I know," Sam said. "Great(!)"
"Ah come on! It won't be that bad! We don't even know what it is! Hey, they
could be sending us all off to a desert island, where we get to fuck all the
girls - maybe we're the only saviours of humankind and they're trying to save
us!" Luke continued, smiling and jovially jabbing his brother.
"Yeah, or maybe they're gonna take us out the back and shoot us," Sam retorted,
"It says Population REDUCTION programme, you div."
"Ah shut up! As if! No Government would sanction, like... Murdering its own
people! Anyway, whatever, we'll find out soon anyway!"
Sam could only shrug in response. "Suppose."
"Hey, let me see your Pack when you've finished it, yeah?"
Luke looked up from the Information Booklet he was devouring and tutted, "Don't
think so, bro! This leaflet here says it's illegal to share information with
anyone, even family. Are you asking me to break the law for you? You rebel! I'm
telling Mum!"
Sam rolled his eyes. "Come on you dick, we're twins, course we're gonna share!"
he urged.
"Nope. No way, Sam," Luke insisted. "I'm not risking fucking up whatever I'm
going to just cos you wanna cheat your answers or whatever, no way! Sorry bro!"
And with that, he gathered his letter and the Pack, grabbed a drink from the
fridge and bounded upstairs.
Sam followed, severely pissed off, and slammed his bedroom door shut. This
wasn't fair. He and Luke had always shared everything. Why should now be any
different!?